The interconnection between foreign policy and human rights is increasingly recognized both at academic and practice levels owing largely to the increasing internationalization and pre-eminence of human rights in global politics. In fact, human rights and democracy promotion have secured a place in foreign policy agendas and has gained significance in conflict resolution and peace work as well. Also, human rights norms and principles are recognized and enshrined in international laws and endorsed in regional treaties and national constitutions and has gained prime importance in international relations. As a result, internal and external dynamics of states have been effectively intertwined. This article analyses Eritrea's foreign policy dynamics and its implications on human rights particularly in the aftermath of the Algiers Peace Agreement of December 2001 that concluded a three years border conflict with Ethiopia. This is done by enquiring whether the conflict and failure to implement the Algiers agreement has anything to do with the gross human rights violations that is witnessed in that country. The article proceeds to analyse the issue in a descriptive and analytical manner by using both secondary and primary sources, including treaties, official statements of public bodies, peace accords and UN Drafts, 1 and it concludes that the ongoing human rights violations is a product of the stalemate with Ethiopia that has provided a mechanism for continued repression and authoritarian rule in the country.


Various techniques in computational science and engineering benefit from accurate and efficient derivative computation. ADiMat is a software tool that transforms a numerical program written in MATLAB into another MATLAB programme for the computation of derivatives that are free from truncation error. We introduce a new and easy-to-use interface for ADiMat and present case studies from geophysics and fluid mechanics to quantify the performance of the code generated by ADiMat.


The levels of surfactant phospholipid from bronchoalveolar lavage were measured in 70 patients with pulmonary diseases and in 10 apparently healthy individuals. The levels of surfactant phospholipid components were lower in patients with peripheral lung cancer, infiltrative tuberculosis, focal pneumonia, most significant in cancer; differential diagnostic criteria for these diseases are defined.


Improvement of software development methodologies attracts developers to automatic Requirement Formalisation (RF) in the Requirement Engineering (RE) field. The potential advantages by applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) in reducing the ambiguity and incompleteness of requirement written in natural languages is reported in different studies. The goal of this paper is to survey and classify existing work on NLP and ML for RF, identifying challenges in this domain and providing promising future research directions. To achieve this, we conducted a systematic literature review to outline the current state-of-the-art of NLP and ML techniques in RF by selecting 257 papers from common used libraries. The search result is filtered by defining inclusion and exclusion criteria and 47 relevant studies between 2012 and 2022 are selected. We found that heuristic NLP approaches are the most common NLP techniques used for automatic RF, primary operating on structured and semi-structured data. This study also revealed that Deep Learning (DL) technique are not widely used, instead classical ML techniques are predominant in the surveyed studies. More importantly, we identified the difficulty of comparing the performance of different approaches due to the lack of standard benchmark cases for RF.


The European Union enlargement including its development towards a single market and monetary union has drawn attention of many people including governments, multinational corporations, business practitioners and academics. The enlargement is seen on the one hand as a developmental aspect and a good example of a regional integration that is developing into a vast and strong economic integration with an eventual possibility of forming a total political union in the near future. On the other hand the enlargement process is seen as a threat to the rest of the world, particularly to those countries whose economic development or survival of their economies depend to a greater extent on the continued relationships with countries which are members of the European Union. The European Union member countries, are either the metropolis, or others with whom strong bilateral agreements have been formed to boost economies, trade, various social and political developments. The paper starts by showing how countries of the world are moving away from multilateralism towards developing regional integrations, some of which economic corporations are developing into strong protectionism. A unique feature of this paper is an attempt to show in particular how the European Union enlargement can affect trade, investment, and various aspects of economic development of Africa. The paper does provide some indicators of areas that are likely to be affected most as a result of the EU enlargement, and it concludes by highlighting the real problems that Africa faces and suggests ways to alleviate some of them.


To establish the optimal conditions for the manufacture of high absortive cellulose film(CF) originated from Styela clava tunic(SCT), the physicochemical properties included absorption was measured in CFs prepared under the various conditions. The highest absorption was observed for SCT-CF20 prepared from the cellulose solution dissolved at 80°C for 20min, although the filtration treatment did not induce any significance alteration. Also, the absorption was higher in SCT-CF20-F prepared by the freeze drying than SCT-CF20-N(ambient air drying) and SCT-CF20-H(heat drying). The addition of porogen(NaHCO₃) induced an increase of absorption in SCT-CF20-PF relative to SCT-CF20-F, while the number of interconnected porous structures was enhanced in SCT-CF20-PF. Furthermore, a high level of SK-MEL-2 cells viability was observed in SCT-CF20-PN and SCT-CF20-PF cultured group. These results show that SCT-CF may have high absorption and biocompatibility when prepared from SCT cellulose solution dissolved at 80°C for 20min after addition of porogen and then subjected to freeze drying.


Conservation Treatment Job # 6447
 - Treated as a part of the Icelandic Project
 - Unble to locate any record in Voyager
 - For further information contact Patrick Stevens


The prevalence of multigenerational families is on the rise in the United States, as is food insecurity. We estimate the association of resident grandchildren on transitions in food insecurity using longitudinally linked two-year panels of the Current Population Survey from 2001 to 2010. We find that rates of food insecurity in families with a grandchild present are at least twice as high in a typical year compared with families without a resident grandchild, and the extent of very low food security increased substantially faster among these households over the past decade. The rise in food insecurity during and after the Great Recession is due to both increased entry into food insecurity and decreased exit out of food insecurity. A similar trend accounts for the rise in multigenerational households during the recession—grandchildren were more likely to move in with their grandparents, and once there, were less likely to move out. Our transition models show that whether grandchildren remain, or in periods of transition, multigenerational families are at heightened risk of entering food insecurity and remaining in this state. However, the entry of a grandchild may not always be a negative for the family's food security, nor the exit of the child a positive. Entrance of a child seems to buffer the family from extreme forms of food insecurity while exit exposes the family to risk of deeper food insecurity.


The aim of this study was to determine the effect of genotype and type of muscle on the mineral content of beef. Altogether 62 young bulls from Angus, Charolais, Holstein, Hungarian Simmental, Hungarian Grey, and Charolais×Hungarian Grey were used. The calcium content varied between 26–46 mg kg−1, in longissimus muscle of Hungarian Simmental it was significantly higher than for other genotypes except for Angus. Psoas major of Holstein had the highest phosphorus content, it significantly differed from the longissimus of Angus. Longissimus muscle of Angus was the poorest for magnesium, and the richest was the psoas major of Holstein and Hungarian Grey. Charolais had higher level of potassium in psoas major than Angus and Charolais×Hungarian Grey. Sodium content of semitendinosus in Charolais×Hungarian Grey was lower than in Holstein. Present data showed that levels were detected in the longissimus of Angus and semitendinosus of Holstein. Concerning zinc, a higher level was found in longissimus, especially f...


Background: The level of chemokine was markedly elevated in severe COVID-19 patients. But the role of chemokine in mild COVID-19 has not yet been established. However, most of the COVID-19 patients in Shiyan City, China, had mild cases. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the level of chemokine in mild COVID-19 patients and to explore the correlation between chemokine and host immune response.Methods: In this study, the level of chemokine in the serum for COVID-19 patients in Shiyan City was detected by ELISA. The expression of chemokine receptor and other signal molecular was detected by real-time PCR. Results: We first demonstrated that COVID-19 patients are characterized by higher levels of chemokine. Meanwhile, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) has shown higher expression in patients with mild cases of COVID-19. The receptor of MCP-1, CCR2 was also found to be expressed at higher levels in the same mild COVID-19 patients. Finally, the higher expression of MCP-1 in mild COVID-19 patients is correlated with the inhibition of IFN signaling. Conclusion: These findings add to our understanding of the immune-pathologic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and provide potential therapeutic targets and strategies. MCP-1 may be an effective indicator in mild patients, and early use of interferon has a good antiviral therapeutic effect.


The purpose of this study is offering the development of fashion goods and base data of marketing strategies by analyzing 'Kakao Friends', the national mobile character. "Kakao Friends" was selected and took it as the subject of analysis in this study. The questionnaires of this study were developed by referring to proceeding research and reference literature. For collecting data, 120 questionnaires were circulated to students, workers and house wives separately. And among the questionnaires, 300 questionnaires were used in the study. For the statistical analysis, SPSS 21 was used and descriptive analysis, multiple component analysis, factor analysis, frequency analysis, paired samples T-test and F-test (ANOVA) were performed. The result was deduced that the mainly used emoticon was different by genders. The most used emoticons of men were 'Apeach'and 'Jay-G' and women's result were 'Tube'and 'Apeach". 'Frodo'was less used emoticon of men and 'Jay-G'was less selected by women. When examining the differences of using ratio depending on the gender and status, it was revealed that the difference between genders was existed. In sum, the result was found that usually men use emoticon were less than women. The result of the difference between status, it was found that the most using ratio was not existed in all status. When investigating the most suitable item that application of emoticon, cell phone cases and accessories were selected. Also fashion item's visibility of emoticon was influenced on the consumer"s preference. The result of consumer preference was that they preferred fashion items which had small visibility of emoticon rather than had huge visibility. So, when grafting emoticon on to the fashion goods, it is better to use in the small part of items. According to the expanded emoticon market, it need to develop continuous story telling to further up as Korea cultural industry so as to beside off the promotion.


SIR,-I was very interested to read Mr. Roger Brearley's medical memorandum (Journal, March 27, p. 743) on "Spontaneous Perforation of the Colon due to Alkaline Medication" and his ingenious explanation of the perforation. A paper on unusual perforations of the large bowvel is in preparation, but it may be of interest to record here a personal case, rather similar to Mr. Brearley's in that perforation of an otherwise normal colon occurred in a patient who had recently developed constipation and who was receiving alkaline treatment for a suspected duodenal ulcer.


Introduction The status of regional node remains one of the most important factors to guide adjuvant therapy in endometrial cancer (EC). Pelvic recurrence occurs in up to 15% of early EC patients with negative pelvic lymph nodes (LNs). The prognostic significance of detecting micrometastases (μM) in LN is debated. This retrospective case-control study performed in the Oncological Gynecology Department in Lyon between December 1998 and June 2012 reports the incidence and the clinical significance of μM detected during ultrastaging of negative sentinel lymph node (SLN) in EC. Patients and Methods Ninety-three patients affected by type I and II EC were submitted to surgery with SLN. Dual-labeling method was used to detect SLN. All the SLNs were subjected to ultrastaging researching μM. The patients with a locoregional or distant relapse represented the case-series (CS). The patients without locoregional or distant recurrences were the case-controls (CC).They were matched (1:2 ratio) according to age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, and histopathologic features. Results Ten patients presenting a relapse represented CS. In the remaining 83 patients without recurrence, 20 CC were individualized. The detection rate of SLN per hemipelvis was of 17 (85%) of 20 hemipelvis and of 33 (82.5%) of 40 hemipelvis for CS and CC, respectively. Two SLN of CS arm were positives at frozen section. One of the 8 patients of CS arm with negative SLNs was positive for μM by immunohistochemistry analysis. Conclusions Lymph node status is one of the most important histopathologic features to determine the adjuvant treatment. The SLN technique could be proposed in selected patients affected by early EC. The μM in SLN could be researched and could help to modulate the following treatment. The multicenter study must be performed to clarify the optimal method of research of SLN in EC and the significance of μM in the LN.


A new cyano and end-to-end azido bridged 3D copper(II)–copper(I) mixed valence polymer, {[Cu5(CN)6(NH3)6(N3)2]}n (1), copper-azide systems without cyanide {[Cu(NH3)2(N3)2]4}n (2), and a cyano-bridged copper analogue without azide {[Cu3(NH3)3(CN)4]}n (3) have been prepared and their structures have been revealed by X-ray crystallography. The cyano groups acting as μ2,η2 and azido anions have a rare asymmetric μ-1,1,3 bridging mode connecting the copper centers in 1 to form an infinite 3-D layered motif, whereas 2 consists of one dimensional polymer chains bridged by two azide moieties in μ-1 and μ-1,1,3 modes and 3 is a two dimensional CuIICuI infinite polymeric network formed by cyanide bridges. The solid-state transformation of all the three compounds has also been investigated. The present investigation suggests application of {[Cu5(CN)6(NH3)6(N3)2]}n (1) as a precursor for copper nitride nanoparticles.


We use direct numerical simulations to study a steady bathtub vortex in a cylindrical tank with a central drain-hole, a flat stress-free surface and velocity prescribed at the inlet. We find that the qualitative structure of the meridional flow does not depend on the radial Reynolds number, whereas we observe a weak overall rotation at a low radial Reynolds number and a concentrated vortex above the drain-hole at a high radial Reynolds number. We introduce a simple analytically integrable model that shows the same qualitative dependence on the radial Reynolds number as the simulations and compares favourably with the results for the radial velocity and the azimuthal velocity at the surface. Finally, we describe the height dependence of the radius of the vortex core and the maximum of the azimuthal velocity at a high radial Reynolds number, and we show that the data on the radius of the vortex core and the maximum of the azimuthal velocity as functions of height collapse on single curves by appropriate scaling.


A family is reported in which complete heart block developed late in life, apparently inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Two octogenarian brothers had symptomatic complete heart block, and their younger relations asymptomatic conduction abnormalities. Neurological disease was present in one proband; investigations suggested that this was a fortuitous association.


Bilirubin UDP-glucuronyltransferase and UDP-xylosyltransferase activity could already be demonstrated in rat liver from day 19 of fetal life onwards (4 days before birth). Bilirubin-glucuronide was present in hepatocytes of 21-day-old fetal liver strongly suggesting that the enzyme detected in vitro was really active in vivo. This further supports the theory that secretion from the cell is also immature. The known deficiency of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase in fetal and neonatal rat liver could lead to decreased intracellular concentrations of UDP-glucuronic acid and possibly to increased concentrations of UDP-glucose. However, no glucosides were present in the fetal hepatocytes.


Objectives: This study aimed to provide an overview of morbidity and mortality among patients admitted to the Hospital of the Medicine Faculty of Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey, after the 1999 Marmara earthquake. Methods: Retrospective analysis of the medical records of 645 earthquake victims. Patients' demographic data, diagnosis, dispositions, and prognosis were reviewed. Results: A total of 330 patients with earthquake related injuries and illness admitted to our hospital were included and divided into three main groups: crush syndrome (n = 110), vital organ injuries (n = 57), and non-traumatic but earthquake related illness (n = 55). Seventy seven per cent of patients were hospitalised during the first three days after the earthquake. The rate of mortality associated with the crush syndrome, vital organ injury, and non-traumatic medical problems was 21% (23/110), 17.5% (10/57), and 9% (5/55), respectively. The overall mortality rate was 8% (50/645). Conclusions: In the first 24–48 hours after a major earthquake, hospital emergency departments are flooded with large numbers of patients. Among this patient load, those patients with crush syndrome or vital organ injuries are particularly at risk. Proper triage and prompt treatment of these seriously injured earthquake victims may decrease morbidity and mortality. It is hoped that this review of the challenges met after the Marmara earthquake and the lessons learned will be of use to emergency department physicians as well as hospital emergency planners in preparing for future natural disasters.


Brachypodium distachyon (n = 5) is a diploid and has been widely used as a genetic model. Brachypodium stacei (n = 10) and B. hybridum (n = 15) are species that are related to B. distachyon, leading to an hypothesis that they are part of a polyploid series based on x = 5. Several lines of evidence suggest that this hypothesis is incorrect and that the genomes of the three taxa may have evolved by a more complex process. We constructed an optical whole-genome BioNano genome (BNG) map for each species and did pairwise alignment of the BNG maps. The maps showed that B. distachyon and B. stacei are both diploid, in spite of B. stacei having twice as many chromosomes as B. distachyon, and that B. hybridum is an allopolyploid formed from hybridization between B. distachyon and B. stacei. This study also demonstrated the use of BNG maps in the detection and quantification of structural variants among the genomes.


Abstract Psychiatric comorbidities, including mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders, are common in epilepsy, often occurring at rates 2–3-fold or higher than in the general population without epilepsy. This article discusses the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in epilepsy, hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of these comorbidities, and treatment implications. More specifically, it addresses: (1) How common are major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and psychotic disorders in epilepsy? (2) How does one screen for these psychiatric disorders in persons with epilepsy? (3) Why do psychiatric conditions occur in epilepsy? (4) Is the treatment of psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy associated with seizures? The important topic of suicide and suicidal ideation in epilepsy, risk factors for their occurrence, and how to screen for these co-existent conditions is also discussed. Finally, gaps in knowledge regarding psychiatric conditions in epilepsy are briefly discussed.


In previous work, summarized in this paper, we proposed an operation of parallel composition for rewriting-logic theories, allowing compositional specification of systems and reusability of components. The present paper focuses on compositional verification. We show how the assume/guarantee technique can be transposed to our setting, by giving appropriate definitions of satisfaction based on transition structures and path semantics. We also show that simulation and equational abstraction can be done componentwise. Appropriate concepts of fairness and deadlock for our composition operation are discussed, as they affect satisfaction of temporal formulas. We keep in parallel a distributed and a global view of composed systems. We show that these views are equivalent and interchangeable, which may help our intuition and also has practical uses as, for example, it allows global-style verification of a modularly specified system. Under consideration in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP).


Relevance. Currently, the range of vegetable crops has firmly entered the bean, the protein of which is absorbed by the human body by 87% or higher. The main factor limiting the cultivation of beans in Belarus is the lack of varieties of this crop that are resistant to mycological diseases, primarily Anthracnose. Materials and methods. The study included 34 samples of vegetable beans of mutant and hybrid origin obtained in the sector of legumes of vegetable crops of RUP "Institute of vegetable growing of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus". To obtain a mutagenic effect, induced mutagenesis was used in the form of the action of a radioactive isotope 60Со and a neodymium laser. Hybrid combinations were obtained by intraspecific hybridization of mutant samples. For molecular genome testing, DNA was isolated from plant leaves before flowering, and its purification was performed by Fermentas using a Genomic DNA Purification Kit. The concentration of the resulting DNA solution was determined by a spectrophotometric method on a CARY 50 SCAN. A Thermo Hybaid RX2 amplifier was used for PCR. The annealing temperature of the primer was determined using the program "oligocalculator". The CV 2014 primer was used as a marker. resistant genotypes to Colletotrichum lindemuthianum Br. et Cav were at the band level of about 450 BP. Phytopathological assessment of plant infectivity was carried out on the basis of visual and instrumental methods, taking into account the reaction of plants and the intensity of the lesion, in the conditions of a natural infectious background in the phase of technical ripeness. Results. Seven samples of beans were identified that have genetic resistance to Anthracnose and show it in the conditions of a natural infectious background.


A series of four new dyes, based on the D35 type donor moiety with varied linker units, is synthesized using a facile convergent/divergent method, enabled by an improved synthesis of the D35 donor. The dyes are evaluated in dye sensitized solar cells with Co(II/III)(bpy)3‐based electrolytes. By extending the linker fragment, higher photocurrents and solar energy conversion efficiencies are achieved. It is also found that the linker unit plays a crucial role in maintaining a high open‐circuit photovoltage. Based on the photovoltaic performance it is concluded that the hexylthiophene unit is the most suitable for this purpose, as it allows further enhancement of the already high open‐circuit voltage of D35 to 0.92 V. The best dye in this series reaches an efficiency of 6.8%.


Routing in multihop wireless networks is challenging, mainly due to unreliable wireless links/channels. Geographic opportunistic routing (GOR) was proposed to cope with the unreliable transmissions by exploiting the broadcast nature of the wireless medium and the spatial diversity of the network topology. Previous studies on GOR have focused on networks with a single channel rate. The capability of supporting multiple channel rates, which is common in current wireless systems, has not carefully been studied for GOR. In this paper, we carry out a study on the impacts of multiple rates, as well as candidate selection, prioritization, and coordination, on the performance of GOR. We propose a new local metric, i.e., the opportunistic effective one-hop throughput (OEOT), to characterize the tradeoff between one-hop packet advancement and packet forwarding time. We further propose a local rate adaptation and candidate-selection algorithm to approach the optimum of this metric. The simulation results show that the multirate GOR (MGOR) incorporating the rate adaptation and candidate-selection algorithm achieves higher throughput and lower delay than the corresponding single-rate and multirate traditional geographic routing and single-rate opportunistic routing protocols.


A chemical method called fumigation is mainly applied to control of stored product pests in the world and in Turkey. The alteration of natural balance among living organisms, the resistance of pests for pesticides, and residues on crops are produced by application of pesticides widely. Nowadays, incremental necessity has been occurred to find out alternatives to chemicals. Biological control is a novel method to replace chemicals. Insect pathogens which kill insects causing disease are agents such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses, protozoa. The mass of entomopathogenic bacteria are in genera Coccobacillus and Bacillus. Coccobacillus acridiorum produced disease in grasshoppers. Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus popillia are important disease causing agents against lepidopteran pests. Entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Verticillium lecanii cause disease on larger insects than other pathogens. These are rather prevalent on the insects in orders Lepidoptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. Insects, especially living in soil at one of its life cycle such as larva, pupa or adult are highly susceptible against entomopathogenic nematodes. Neosteinernematidae, Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae are the families containing these nematodes. They are obligatory insect pathogens in nature. Entomopathogenic nematodes impacts many insect species with a broad host range. Entomopathogenic viruses at least 16 families are very important in biological control to affect insects pests. Baculoviruses are produced commercially and applied as a biological control agent to manage significant agricultural and forestry insects, especially in Orders Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. Entomopathogenic protozoans such as Nosema locusta are a substantial role in the ecologically management of populations of insect pests. In this review, application and potentials of entomopathogens as biological control agents of insect species harmful on stored products has been abstracted.


A method of analysing by Mossbauer spectroscopy a steel ferromagnetic matrix has been developed. It provides the fractions of atomic elements in substitutional or interstitial sites in the Fe lattice, from the comparison between the experimental hyperfine-field distribution and the calculated one . This method, applied to an M50 steel, in the simple case of ferrite (the annealed state), and extended to the most complex situation of martensites quenched from various temperatures, describes the initial state of the steel before any further tempering treatment. The atomic fractions of Cr, Mo, V, and C in the Fe lattice have been specified.


Models incorporating more realistic models of customer behavior, as customers choosing from an offer set, have recently become popular in assortment optimization and revenue management. The dynamic program for these models is intractable and approximated by a deterministic linear program called the choice deterministic linear program (CDLP), which has an exponential number of columns. Column generation has been proposed but finding an entering column is NP-hard when segment consideration sets overlap. In this paper we propose a new approach called segment-based deterministic concave program (SDCP) based on segments and their consideration sets. SDCP is a relaxation of CDLP and hence forms a looser upper bound on the dynamic program, but coincides with CDLP for the case of nonoverlapping segments. If the number of elements in a consideration set for a segment is not very large, SDCP can be applied to any discrete-choice model of consumer behavior. We tighten the SDCP bound by (i) simulations, called the randomized concave programming method, and (ii) by adding cuts to a recent compact formulation (SBLP) of the problem for a latent multinomial-choice model (MNL) of demand. This latter approach turns out to be very effective, essentially obtaining CDLP value, even for overlapping segments. By formulating the problem as a separation problem, we give insight into why CDLP is easy for the MNL with nonoverlapping consideration sets and why generalizations of MNL pose difficulties. Numerical conclusions that we derive from the present paper are the following: (a) The randomized linear programming approach that obtains significant tightening of the linear program upper bound under an older independent-class model seems to have relatively little effect for the choice case; (b) for the MNL choice model, the SBLP+ formulation we give here for overlapping segments is very fast and is potentially scalable to industrial-size problems.


In this paper, I attempt to investigate whether online writing checkers, including tools looking at grammar, punctuation, spelling and composition, do in fact help potential ESL writers, and if so, to which extent, in what areas, to what effect and at what cost. The small-scale study involves 23 university level ESL students who compose various texts as part of their training. Data was collected using pre and post writing samples, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The analysis used a descriptive statistical method, Likert-scale and correlations and qualitative analysis for the three methods respectively. The results are inconclusive as students reported different opinions. It was found however that students who are frequent users of features such as MS Word Thesaurus and Online Corpora are more likely to incorporate online writing checkers and therefore found them more helpful. It was also found that regardless of their effect, students always welcomed tools available that can provide feedback to their compositions. The writing software used, AccurIT, also showed improvements in students' ability to write correct collocations.


Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) breakdown occurs in ageing and neurodegenerative disorders and affects several brain regions including cortex and hippocampus. During ageing, structural and functional changes affecting the main BBB components (brain endothelial cells (BECs), pericytes and astrocytes), appear to be associated with altered expression of genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) potentially related to development, protein synthesis or longevity pathways. However, little is known about the age-related BBB dysfunction in females. In this study, we aimed to assess the relation between ultrastructural and transcriptional changes in the ageing female BBB. A combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and 3D reconstruction was used to study microvessel ultrastructure in 6- and 24-month-old female C57BL/6J mice. According to our results, the ageing female BBB shows a significant increase in basement membrane (BM) thickness, volume and number of BEC pseudopods, pericyte mitochondrial volume, pericyte – BEC contact and tight junction (TJ) tortuosity. Also, cortical capillaries appeared to be prominently more affected during ageing than hippocampal capillaries. These results suggest a higher impact of ageing on the cortical BBB in females, promoting changes that lead to a pro-inflammatory state, among other processes. In addition, sequencing results showed that the majority of upregulated genes in the ageing female BBB were involved in inflammation and immune response pathways, whereas the downregulated genes were mostly related to metabolism and signalling pathways. Amongst the age-deregulated mRNAs and miRNAs, miR-144-3p (upregulated) and Dnmt3a (downregulated) were selected for functional analysis in a human BEC line (hCMEC/D3), where their inverse correlation was confirmed. However, DNMT3A, not miR-144-3p, was shown to influence BEC function when deregulated, thereby promoting higher leukocyte adhesion and mRNA levels of adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1) and the chemokine CCL5. Age-induced increase of miR-144-3p appears to modulate DNMT3A expression, but DNMT3A might be independently contributing more to switching BECs into a pro-inflammatory state.


"From its historical roots through to the contemporary moment, the collection of essays, written by eminent scholars in the field, demonstrate so clearly how Indian cinema is more than the sum of its parts. An essential text for anyone wishing to understand properly the full complexities of Hindi cinema." Professor Susan Hayward, University of Exeter, UK "We are finally at a point when the study of Bollywood is a fully fledged field in Film Studies." Professor Dina Iordanova, University of St. Andrews, Scotland "The Bollywood Reader extends the discursive boundaries of Indian popular cinema in interesting and complex ways. In putting together this volume, the editors have performed magnificently." Professor Wimal Dissanayake, University of Hawaii, USA What is Bollywood cinema? How does it operate as an industry? Who are the audiences of Bollywood cinema?These are just some of the questions addressed in this lively and fascinating guide to the cultural, social and political significance of popular Hindi cinema, which outlines the history and structure of the Bombay film industry, and its impact on global popular culture. Including a wide-ranging selection of essays from key voices in the field, the Reader charts the development of the scholarship on popular Hindi cinema, with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between cinema and colonialism, nationalism, and globalization. Features include: Comprehensive introductory essay Landmark essays by key scholars in the field Glossary of key terms Timeline of key events in Indian cinema Further reading sectionThe authors address the issues of capitalism, nationalism, Orientalism and modernity through understandings of race, class, gender and sexuality, religion, politics and diaspora as depicted in Indian popular films. The Bollywood Reader is captivating reading for film, media and cultural studies students and scholars with an interest in Bollywood cinema.


The state-of-the-art InterLabs Web-lecturing tool has been designed, developed, and tested at the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems and the InterLabs Research Institute, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois as a part of a National Science Foundation grant. It is based on active utilization of innovative Web-based software engineering, portal, multiagent, streaming multimedia, communication, teaching, learning and information technologies. The introductory "Computer Information Systems" CIS102 course is a required course for all freshman students with major in either engineering, business, science or education areas. As a result, the innovative Web-based CIS102 course was aimed to (1) provide students of various major areas with highest-possible learning convenience, and (2) meet different requirements for CIS102 course of various Bradley departments. The new CIS102 online course was designed and developed by faculty of the Computer Science and Information Systems department in cooperation with faculty from other Bradley colleges. Student formative and summative evaluations and academic performance clearly demonstrate the advantages of the innovative online teaching and learning technologies based on the InterLabs Web-lecturing tool.


What is the relationship between history and fiction in a place with a contentious past? And of what concern is gender in the telling of stories about that past? Writing Women in Central America explores these questions as it considers key Central American texts. This study analyzes how authors appropriate history to confront the rhetoric of the state, global economic powers, and even dissident groups within their own cultures. Laura Barbas-Rhoden winds a common thread in the literary imaginations of Claribel Alegria, Rosario Aguilar, Gioconda Belli, and Tatiana Lobo and shows how these writers offer provocative supplements to the historical record. Writing Women in Central America considers more than a dozen narratives in which the authors craft their own interpretations of history to make room for women, indigenous peoples, and Afro-Latin Americans. Some of the texts reveal silences in the narratives of empire- and nation-building. Others reinterpret events to highlight the struggle of marginalized peoples for dignity and humanity in the face of oppression. All confront the ways in which stories have been told about the past. Yet ultimately, Professor Barbas-Rhoden asserts, all concern the present and the future. As seen in Writing Women in Central America, though their fictions are historical, the writers direct their readers beyond the present toward a more just future for all who live in Central America.


Background The enzymes IDO degrades Trp into Kyn and is induced by IFN-gamma/IL-1. Neo is produced by monocytes/macrophages after IFN-gamma stimulation through the enzyme GTPCH and is a biomarker for monitoring immune activation in several diseases [1]. The activity of GTPCH is induced in parallel to IDO and the Kyn/Trp ratio has been suggested to be a direct measure of IDO activity [2]. Objectives To assess serum level of Kyn, Trp, Neo and Kyn/Trp ratio in SSc and potential associations with specific disease features. Methods 60 SSc pts and 10 healthy controls (HC) were recruited and serum levels of Kyn, Trp and Neo were measured. Kyn/Trp ratio was calculated. The results were then correlated with specific disease features: disease duration, limited or diffuse disease, autoantibody profile (anti-RNA pol III (ARA), anti-topoisomerase (ATA) and anti-centromere (ACA)), inflammatory markers, Hb level, concurrent modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), peak mRSS, pulmonary fibrosis (PF), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), history of scleroderma renal crisis (SRC), GI involvement, vasculopathy, environmental exposure, oncology history, smoking status, immunosuppressive treatment, NT-proBNP and urate levels. Non-parametric statistical tests were used. Results Kyn/Trp ratio was higher in SSc compared to HC (mean 49.97±32.77 [41.50 – 58.43] vs 22.5±6.3 [13.5 – 32.5] μmol/mmol, p<0.05) and, more specifically, dcSSc showed higher ratio compared to lcSSc that had higher ratio than HC (mean 56.58±39.62 [43.18 – 69.99] vs 40.05±13.93 [34.16 – 45.93] vs 22.5±6.3 [17.99 – 27.01] μmol/mmol respectively, p<0.05). Moreover, ARA+SSc had a significantly higher ratio compared to ATA+ and ACA+pts (mean 61.24±41.40 [45.78 – 76.70] vs 39.62±17.99 [29.66 – 49.58] and 37.77±10.20 [32.12 – 43.42] μmol/mmol respectively, p<0.05). Kyn/Trp ratio was significantly correlated with SRC (p<0.05). We found a direct correlation with mRSS (r=0.269, p<0.05), peak mRSS (r=0.276), urate level (r=0.376), CRP (r=0.285) and ESR (r=0.320). Conversely, Neo levels, although significantly higher in SSc compared to HC (mean 12.63±9.30 [10.21 – 15.06] vs 7.11±3.31 [4.74 – 9.48] nmol/L, p<0.05), were not significantly different in diffuse compared to limited SSc, but were higher in ARA+ compared to ACA+ and ATA+ patients (mean 14.93±11.52 [10.54 – 19.31] vs 10.81±4.95 [8.07 – 13.56] vs 10.02±6.83 [6.24 – 13.80] respectively, p<0.05). Neo levels significantly correlated with PAH. A direct correlation (p=0.05) was found with CRP (r=0.471) and ESR (r=0.430). Conclusions These data suggest that Kyn/Trp ratio and Neo levels may reflect aetio-pathogenetic mechanisms in SSc and be elevated in the subgroup of dcSSc that are ARA+, or those manifesting SSc complications associated with ARA+. A specific IFN-gamma signature could be thought to be responsible for the higher levels found in patients although larger studies are required. References Ozkan Y et al. Correlation between DAS-28 and neopterin in early rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Rheum. 2012. Krcmova KJ at al. Fast and sensitive HPLC method for the determination of neopterin, kynurenine and tryptophan in amniotic fluid, malignant effusions and wound exudates. Bioanalysis. 2015. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Regenerative medicine therapies are showing great clinical promise in providing cures to life-threatening diseases such as cancer and diabetes. However, little emphasis has been placed on the industrialisation of these therapies for commercial purposes. The inability to scale production up and out to meet pending demand is of increasing concern to both regulators and funding agencies. Using an open innovation theoretic lens, this paper explores the importance of involving commercial partners within the lengthy research and development phases. We adopt a case study method to show that laboratory processes that incorporate innovative manufacturing techniques produce significant reduction in cost of quality (errors) and improved scalability, while satisfying regulatory requirements. We demonstrate that this approach enables faster industrialisation, and improves the funding efficiency of clinical trial outcomes in terms of quality, cost and commercial success of therapies.


. A built-in antenna for distress beacons of the second generation for search and rescue COSPAS–SARSAT system that consists of a Huygens element in the form of a combined half-wave frame (loop) and dipole is proposed. The formation of the radiation pattern in the cardioid form is achieved by specific excitation of the dipole and loop. An engineering design methodology of the antennas is developed and the comparison of the results of numerical simulation with experimental data is presented. The performance of the antenna meets the requirements of COSPAS–SARSAT to the second generation beacons on a frequency of 406 MHz. An example of application of the developed antenna in the personal distress beacon with its placing on the inner side of the side wall of the frame with the dimensions of 200 × 75 × 45 mm is given. The main advantages of this antenna are easy manufacture, protection from external mechanical effects, and low cost.


Land snails of the genus Placostylus Beck, 1837 are found only in the Western Pacific, from the Melanesian Plateau to New Zealand. While the ecology of the New Zealand Placostylus species is generally well known, having been studied for more than 20 years, and there is some published information on the one species of Placostylus from Lord Howe Island, there is very little published information on the six New Caledonian species. These New Caledonian taxa are all endangered, but their conservation is hampered by a lack of information about the life-history, biology and ecology especially relating to Placostylus bondeensis, P. eddystonensis, P. scarabus and P. caledonicus. The data that is available comes mostly from studies on the two remaining species P. fibratus and P. porphyrostomus. Here we review what is known of the activity patterns, growth rates, life-histories, habitat use, nutrition, movement patterns and causes of population decline in these two species and collate the available information from the limited and mostly unpublished literature. The two species are threatened in different ways Placostylus fibratus is favoured as food, and as a result, has been over-collected from the wild, while P. porphyrostomus is threatened by habitat modification and destruction, and by predation by introduced rodents. We make several recommendations for the conservation of New Caledonian Placostylus which ultimately may depend on the work we describe here on captive breeding and management. Translocations to predator-free sanctuaries coupled with augmentation of existing populations may be necessary to maintain populations of these species in the wild. Etat des connaissances sur l'écologie et la conservation des Placostylus (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Bulimulidae) de la Nouvelle-Calédonie


Background: In East Asian countries, a prominent, long, and squared contour of the lower third of the face is considered unattractive, strong, and masculine. To change such a facial contour into an ovular contour, correction of the chin area is essential to accomplish the overall curve in the mandibuloplasty, and various methods for the horizontal reduction of the chin area have been suggested. The horizontal osteotomy and central strip resection technique, which is the most widely used method, has comparatively little effect and some restrictions. To improve these points, the authors introduced an effective method for simultaneously reducing the width and height of the chin without additional procedures. Methods: From March 2010 to May 2013, 432 women and 117 men underwent mandibular contouring surgery. Of these patients, 321 needed correction of the chin shape with simultaneous mandibular contouring surgery. Narrowing and vertical reduction genioplasty was performed for these patients using an inverted V-shaped osteotomy with central bony segment resection. Results: Narrowing and vertical reduction genioplasty was successfully performed in all cases. No severe complications were observed. Transient sensory changes of the skin around the chin were observed in 87 patients, but all recovered within 3 months. All of the patients were satisfied with the results. Conclusions: The method that we introduce in this article is a simple and more effective method for simultaneous reduction of the width and height of the chin without additional procedures. The square and long face was effectively and easily reshaped into a slender ovular contour, and the shape of the chin was changed from square to slender.


A small adhesives company faces exchange rate risks as it makes its first foray into international sales. The receipt of payment from an unhedged foreign-currency-denominated past sale illustrates potential currency risks while a potential follow-on order provides a context to discuss potential hedges. Sufficient detailed information is provided for the students to construct and analyze both a forward and money market hedge. A teaching note and instructor and student Excel spreadsheets are available. Excerpt UVA-F-1516 Rev. Oct. 19, 2010 BAKER ADHESIVES In early June 2006, Doug Baker met with his sales manager Alissa Moreno to discuss the results of a recent foray into international markets. This was new territory for Baker Adhesives, a small company manufacturing specialty adhesives. Until a recent sale to Novo, a Brazilian toy manufacturer, all of Baker Adhesives' sales had been to companies not far from its Newark, New Jersey, manufacturing facility. As U.S. manufacturing continued to migrate overseas, however, Baker would be under intense pressure to find new markets, which would inevitably lead to international sales. Doug Baker was looking forward to this meeting. The recent sale to Novo, while modest in size at 1,210 gallons, had been a significant financial boost to Baker Adhesives. The order had used up some raw-materials inventory that Baker had considered reselling at a significant loss a few months before the Novo order. Furthermore, the company had been running well under capacity and the order was easily accommodated within the production schedule. The purpose of the meeting was to finalize details on a new order from Novo that was to be 50% larger than the original order. Also, payment for the earlier Novo order had just been received and Baker was looking forward to paying down some of the balance on the firm's line of credit. As Baker sat down with Moreno, he could tell immediately that he was in for bad news. It came quickly. Moreno pointed out that since the Novo order was denominated in Brazilian reais (BRL), the payment from Novo had to be converted into U.S. dollars (USD) at the current exchange rate. Given exchange-rate changes since the time Baker Adhesives and Novo had agreed on a per-gallon price, the value of the payment was substantially lower than anticipated. More disappointing was the fact that Novo was unwilling to consider a change in the per-gallon price for the follow-on order. Translated into dollars, therefore, the new order would not be as profitable as the original order had initially appeared. In fact, given further anticipated changes in exchange rates the new order would not even be as profitable as the original order had turned out to be! . . .


Many publications refer incorrectly to extensive massacres of Chinese in Indonesia in 1965–66. Approximately half a million people were killed in this period, but the victims were overwhelmingly members and associates of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Chinese Indonesians experienced serious harassment but relatively few were killed. The persistence of this myth is attributed to a trope dating back to the seventeenth century which equates the social position of Chinese in Indonesia with that of Jews in Europe and which thus predicts periodic pogroms and attempts at genocide. The myth has survived partly because it inspires a sense of urgency in combating discrimination against Chinese Indonesians, but it encourages a misunderstanding of the causes of intense violence in Indonesia and raises serious moral issues concerning genocide denial by substitution.


In multi-speaker speech synthesis, data from a number of speakers usually tends to have great diversity due to the fact that the speakers may differ largely in their ages, speaking styles, speeds, emotions, and so on. The diversity of data will lead to the one-to-many mapping problem [1, 2]. It is important but challenging to improve the modeling capabilities for multispeaker speech synthesis. To address the issue, this paper researches into the effective use of control information such as speaker and pitch which are differentiated from text-content information in our encoder-decoder framework: 1) Design a representation of harmonic structure of speech, called excitation spectrogram, from pitch and energy. The excitation spectrogrom is, along with the text-content, fed to the decoder to guide the learning of harmonics of mel-spectrogram. 2) Propose conditional gated LSTM (CGLSTM) whose input/output/forget gates are re-weighted by speaker embedding to control the flow of text-content information in the network. The experiments show significant reduction in reconstruction errors of mel-spectrogram in the training of multi-speaker generative model, and a great improvement is observed in the subjective evaluation of speaker adapted model, e.g, the Mean Opinion Score (MOS) of intelligibility increases by 0.81 points.


Bone metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) seem to be increasing. Previous studies showed that soluble factors secreted by host cells and direct cell-to-cell interactions contributed to the preferential metastasis and growth of cancer cells in bone, while the underlying mechanism(s) of the metastasis of HCC in the bone are poorly understood. Here, we determined the effect of HS-5 cells on Huh7 cell proliferation, and investigated the role of CCL5 from HS-5 cells on the development of Huh7 cells. In addition, the underlying mechanisms on the influence in Huh7 cells were investigated. Our results showed that HS-5 cells could promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of Huh7 cells, and inhibited apoptosis. CCL5 downregulation was able to inhibit the effects of HS-5 cells on Huh7 cell migration and invasion via the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and reduce MMP-2 expression. Therefore, these findings suggest that CCL5 secreted from MSCs can promote the migration and invasion of Huh7 cells and could be an important factor in HCC related to occurrence of bone metastases.


The shanny/common blenny (Lipophrys pholis) and long-spined scorpionfish/bullhead (Taurulus bubalis) are commonly encountered, sympatric species within much of Great Britain's rocky intertidal zones. Despite being prey items of the cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) respectively, and both contributors to the diet of the near-threatened European otter (Lutra lutra), little is known on the population dynamics of the temperate specimens of Great Britain. It is further less known of the degrees of sympatricity between the two fish species and to what extent they are able to coexist. The current study examines spatio-temporal distributions and abundances at various resolutions: monthly population dynamics of both species along England's Yorkshire coast and seasonal population dynamics along the Yorkshire coast and around the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Studies of their abundances, sizes, degrees of rock pool co-occurrence and diel activities are further examined, which indicate coexistence is maintained when interspecific co-occurrence takes place only between specimens of similar sizes, thus demoting size-related dominance hierarchies.


This study aims to determine the effect of work environment and work motivation on teacher performance at SMK Gajah Mada Bandar Lampung. This type of research utilizes quantitative studies with associative methods. The results of the study of the results of data analysis and hypothesis testing have been carried out to increase the translation of the results of the study related to the factors that trigger the performance of teachers of SMK Gajah Mada Bandar Lampung, it can be drawn as a summary, namely. The physical work environment has an impact on performance. Work motivation has an impact on performance and the physical work environment and work motivation has an impact on the performance of SMK Gajah Mada Bandar Lampung teachers.


In Alzheimer's disease (AD), one finds increased presence of monocytes/macrophages and activated microglial cells in the brain. Immunohistochemical studies show increased expression of chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) on reactive microglia associated with amyloid deposits in AD, suggesting that CCR5 may play a role in the regulation of the immune response in AD. In this study, we used peripheral blood monocytes and human monocytic THP-1 cell line as a model of microglia to delineate the cellular signaling mechanism of Abeta-induced CCR5 expression and the latter's role in the chemotaxis of monocytes. We observed that Abeta peptides at pathophysiological concentrations (125 nM) increased CCR5 mRNA and cell surface protein expression. The cellular signaling involved activation of c-Raf, ERK-1/ERK-2, and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase. Analysis of some transcription factors associated with CCR5 promoter revealed that Abeta increased DNA binding activity of Egr-1 and AP-1. In addition, we show that CCR5 promoter contains an Egr-1 like consensus sequence GCGGGGGTG as demonstrated by 1) electrophoretic mobility shift assay, 2) transfection studies with truncated CCR5 gene promoter construct, and 3) chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. Moreover, transfection of Egr-1 siRNA, but not of scrambled Egr-1 siRNA, in THP-1 cells resulted in >75% reduction in both Abeta-mediated CCR5 expression and concomitant chemotaxis to its ligands. We suggest that inhibition of Egr-1 by either Egr-1 siRNA or pharmacological agents may reduce activation of monocytes/microglia and possibly ameliorate the inflammation and progression of AD.


geing effects on the in vivo cyclic 3,5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production by the adrenal cortex were studied in the rat. Materials and Methods: Eleven old (from 23 to 29 months) and 13 young (from 4 to 5 months), dex-amethasone pre-treated Long-Evans female rats received 5.0 mu.i. (1-24) ACTH/100g b.w. by in-travenous injection. The plasma concentration of corticosterone as well as the adrenal contents in cAMP and corticosterone were measured, by ra-dioimmunoassay, just before and 45 min after the (1-24) ACTH injection. Results: The basal plasma corticosterone level and the adrenal contents in corticosterone and cAMP were low and no group difference was observed. The (1-24) ACTH injection causes sig-nificant increases in the plasma corticosterone level and the glandular contents in corticoster-one and cAMP, which were lesser in the old animals than in the young ones; the differences aged/young were approximately –37%, –18% and –55% respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest that the re-duced steroidogene response of the adrenal cor-tex in the old rat, to an acute ACTH administra-tion, is at least partly due to a decrease in the cel-lular production of the principal second messen-ger of this hormone, i.e. the cAMP.


The purpose or this study was to investigate the effects of children's internal (age, sex, self-respect) and external (maternal belief, childrearing behavior) variables on self-regulation. The subjects were 2004-and-5-year-olds, their mothers, and teachers. Children's age, sex, and self-respect had m influence on self-regulation; that is 5-year-olds were higher than 4-year-olds for behavioral self-regulation, girls were higher than boys for cognitive and behavioral self-regulation, and the high self-respect group was higher than the low self-respect group for cognitive self-regulation. The psychological controlling and externally directed strategies had a negative influence on children's self-regulation. Maternal affectionate childrearing behavior had an influence on children's self-regulation; that is the high affectionate group had children with higher self-regulation.


Purpose and Methods: The severity and prognosis of various acute inflammatory conditions, such as sepsis, differ between males and females. The mechanisms underlying these sex differences probably involve both hormonal and genetic factors. In order to evaluate a possible genetic influence, we reviewed clinical signs and biological inflammatory markers of prepubertal children with severe sepsis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Findings: A total of 142 prepubertal children, 66 girls and 76 boys, suffering from severe sepsis and admitted to the PICU were included. The survival rate demonstrated a tendency to be higher in females (P = 0.14). Maximum white blood cell count (23,800 cells/&mgr;L [15,110–34,600] in girls vs. 19,025 cells/&mgr;L [12,358–26,098] in boys, P = 0.02), neutrophil count (16,944 cells/&mgr;L [10,620–27,540] vs. 13,756 cells/&mgr;L [8410–20,110], P = 0.03), and C-reactive protein level (26.2 mg/dL [15.7–33.6] vs. 18.8 mg/dL [11.1–30.0], P = 0.04) were all significantly higher in girls. Girls also exhibited significantly longer fever duration (2 days [1–6] vs. 1 day [1–3] for the boys, P <0.01), lower pH on admission (7.32 [7.25–7.39] vs. 7.37 [7.31–7.43] P = 0.03), and lower base excess (−6 mEq/L [−10.7 to −0.8] vs. −2.3 mEq/L [−6.6 to −2.6], P <0.01), as well as lower bicarbonate levels (19.1 mEq/l [15.9–24.0] vs. 21.15 mEq/l [18.3–26.68], P = 0.04), when compared with the boys. Conclusions: Our study revealed higher neutrophilic inflammation, as well as lower pH on admission, in girls with severe sepsis; associated with longer fever duration, which could contribute to better pathogen clearance. However, further studies are needed to demonstrate the link between acidosis and modulation of the immune response.


This paper presents a second degree price discrimination model to study regulation on the size of land for housing. The benchmark model considers a monopolist that sells two types of packages: small and large. Among other things, the paper shows that a relevant minimum property land size increases the price of the small package and reduces the price of the large package. Also, that there exists a minimum land size that is optimum from the social point of view. However, under certain conditions, social welfare can be reduced depending on the minimum that the authority sets.


The following novel solvatochromic probes were synthesized: 2,6-dibromo-4-[(E)-2-(1-alkylpyridinium-4-yl)ethenyl] phenolate, where the alkyl groups are methyl, n-butyl, n-hexyl, and n-octyl, respectively. Solvatochromism of three of these probes (C(1), C(4), and C(8)) was studied in 36 protic and aprotic solvents. A modified linear solvation energy relationship has been applied to the data obtained at 25 degrees C. Correlation of (empirical) polarities with other solvent properties showed more dependence on lipophilicity than on basicity. A similar conclusion has been reached for a series of other solvatochromic indicators. Exceptions are those that carry acidic hydrogens, being biased toward solvent basicity. Thermosolvatochromism has been studied in mixtures of water with methanol, 1-propanol, acetonitrile, and DMSO. Thermosolvatochromic data have been treated according to a model that explicitly considers the presence in bulk solution of three "species": water, organic component, and solvent-water hydrogen-bonded aggregate. Solvation by the latter is favored over solvation by either of the two precursor solvents (aqueous DMSO is an exception). Temperature increase resulted in desolvation of the probes, due to concomitant decrease of the structures of the component solvents. The above-mentioned modified solvation equation has been successfully applied to solvatochromism in aqueous methanol and aqueous 1-propanol.


Research on schadenfreude as a discordant emotional reaction to the misfortune, suffering or failure of others has predominantly focused on the interpersonal level. However, schadenfreude may also be evoked following a misfortune of another group or nation. For example, the Dutch experienced satisfaction and joy when their historic rival Germany was defeated by Croatia in the 1998 Soccer World Cup (Leach, Spears, Branscombe, & Doosje, 2003). We argue that, when studying schadenfreude at the intergroup level, people's strength of social identification with groups (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), and in particular their affective social identification (Ellemers, Kortekaas, & Ouwerkerk, 1999), is an important factor to take into consideration. When people identify strongly with their own group and weakly with another, suffering group, they will experience more schadenfreude. Furthermore, we argue that this is likely to occur in situations that are characterized by salience of intergroup rivalry or competition. Accordingly, the results of an experimental survey demonstrate that salience of rivalry increases schadenfreude following outgroup failure among both Dutch and Germans. Moreover, this effect was fully mediated by relative affective identification with one's own group. That is, salience of rivalry increased ingroup identification and at the same time decreased outgroup identification. Relative identification subsequently determined intergroup schadenfreude. However, it should be noted that these effects were stronger for male than female respondents. Additional findings suggest that intergroup schadenfreude can be reduced by intergroup contact.


Gears are one of the most critical components in mechanical power transmission systems. The bending and surface strength of the gear tooth are considered to be one of the main contributors for the failure of the gear in a gear set. Thus, analysis of stresses has become popular as an area of research on gears to minimize or to reduce the failures and for optimal design of gears. The helical gears can fail due to excessive bending stress at the root of gear tooth or surface contact stresses. This can be avoided only by minimizing bending stresses and contact stress or by modifying the geometry or parameters of the gear tooth. This paper presents the comparative study of bending stress and contact stress of helical gear using AGMA standard and FEA. Ultimately results of two methods compared with respect to each other. Keywordhelical gear, bending stress, contact stress


This paper was inspired by preliminary discussions between NIST and members of the healthcare community who are impacted by the use of emerging information technology. Topics of discussion included the current state of standards work in the healthcare community, the requirements for security, information assurance and continuity-ofoperations, as well as the critical need for information interoperability to provide healthcare information and clinical care. Participants of the recently held NIST Workshop, Information Technologies for Healthcare: Barriers to Implementation, reiterated these same topics. Throughout a major theme has emerged – the plethora of healthcare standards and the need for conformance tests and testing programs. This initial paper focuses on options for analyzing, defining, and organizing appropriate standards for the healthcare community and the issues surrounding conformance testing. Further studies and discussions may uncover more information regarding other issues and challenges facing the healthcare industry and its segments, including, but not limited to, security, user interfaces, information retrieval, pervasive computing technologies and networking. These issues could then foster opportunities that allow NIST to work collaboratively with the healthcare industry to address the challenges that arise.


Vectors derived from adeno-associated viruses (AAV) have become important gene delivery tools for the treatment of many pulmonary diseases. Phosphorylation of surface-exposed tyrosine residues from AAV capsid targets the viral particles for ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation, and mutations of these tyrosine residues lead to highly efficient vector transduction in vitro and in vivo in different organs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pulmonary transduction efficacy of AAV8 vectors containing point mutations in surface-exposed capsid tyrosine residues. Forty-eight C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into three groups: 1) control group (CTRL) animals submitted to intratracheal instillation of saline, 2) wild-type AAV8 group (WT-AAV8, 1010 vg) and 3) capsid-mutant Y733F AAV8 group (M-AAV8, 1010 vg) that received (it) AAV8 vectors containing the DNA sequence of enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP). Four weeks after instillation, lung mechanics and morphometry, vector transduction and the inflammatory profile were analyzed. Tyrosine-mutant AAV8 vector displayed significantly increased transduction efficacy in the lung compared with their wild-type counterparts. No significant differences were observed in lung mechanics and morphometry among experimental groups. Furthermore, there was no evidence of inflammatory response in any group. Delivery of tyrosine mutant AAV8 vector led to a more effective eGFP expression in mouse lung than wild-type, suggesting a more efficient transduction. In conclusion, AAV8 vectors may be useful as new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of pulmonary diseases. Supported by: CAPES, FAPERJ, CNPq.


BACKGROUNDElimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is achievable through prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) interventions. For HIV-positive mothers to access PMTCT services, they must be identified through HIV testing and counseling. We sought to measure the proportion of mothers with unknown HIV status and to determine associated factors.
METHODSWe recruited into a cross-sectional study 400 mothers accompanying their infants for routine immunization at mother-child health clinic (MCH) at Machakos Hospital, Kenya, collected information on HIV testing from their antenatal records, and offered opt-out HIV testing to those with unknown HIV status.
RESULTSOverall, 304 (76.0%) mothers had unknown status at MCH, of whom 25 (8.6%) tested HIV-positive. HIV positivity was three times higher among mothers who never tested during pregnancy/delivery versus those whose last negative HIV test was >3 months prior to study enrolment (18% versus 6%). Women living more than three kilometers away from the health facility had 2.7-fold greater odds of having unknown status compared to those who lived less than three kilometers (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.7, 95% CI 1.3–5.6). Married women had 3.2-fold greater odds of having unknown status as compared to those who were single (AOR 3.2, 95% CI 1.4–7.0). Those with education had a tenfold reduction in odds of having unknown status compared to those with none (AOR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0–0.2).
CONCLUSIONInterventions are needed to improve women's ANC attendance, uptake of HIV testing, and disclosure of HIV status during pregnancy to achieve the elimination of MTCT.


Organic solar cells, both in the hybrid dye sensitized technology and in the full organic polymeric technology, are a promising alternative that could supply solar electricity at a cost much lower than other more conventional inorganic photovoltaic technologies. This paper presents a life cycle analysis of the laboratory production of a typical bulk heterojunction organic solar cell and compares this result with those obtained for the industrial production of other photovoltaic technologies. Also a detailed material inventory from raw materials to final photovoltaic module is presented, allowing us to identify potential bottlenecks in a future supply chain for a large industrial output. Even at this initial stage of laboratory production, the energy payback time and CO2 emission factor for the organic photovoltaic technology is of the same order of other inorganic photovoltaic technologies, demonstrating that there is plenty of room for improvement if the fabrication procedure is optimized and scaled up to an industrial process. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The effects of alkali dipping on starch, protein, and color changes in hard pretzel products have never been researched. Experiments were conducted to mimic reactions occurring on the pretzel dough surface. Dough was dipped in water or 1% sodium hydroxide solution at different temperatures between 50 degrees C and 80 degrees C. Protein and starch profile after dipping were analyzed. Color development on pretzel surface following the extraction of pigments from flour was investigated. Whole dough and pretzel samples were also made at pilot plant and the properties were analyzed. Only starch granules on the dough surface were gelatinized following dipping. Amylose-lipid complex dissociated at a lower temperature with alkali treatment but were not dissociated, even at high-temperature dipping in water. Treating the dough at 80 degrees C in alkali solution resulted in the hydrolysis of proteins into smaller peptides that could be not precipitated by trichloroacetic acid (TCA). Dough surface color was different following pigment extraction from flour but not significantly different following baking. The results suggest that the color that developed on pretzel surface was not due to pigments present in the flour but was contributed by the reaction within or between the starch and protein hydrolysis derivatives during baking.


Objectives : To understand spatial cause hypothesis of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia, the body truncus area was divided into intracranial, thoracic and pelvic cavity and was illustrated, the subjective pain degrees of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia were compared with the illustraion of three cavity. Methods : The frontal view of pictures of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia subject truncus area were illustrated into three circles which was treated with conservative methods like the pelvic correction, cervical correction, FCST, posture training without drugs and acupuncture. The spatial analysis of three circle vertical centerlines were compared with the pain degrees. Results : The vertical centerlines of three circles were agreed with the body gravity centerline depending on the treatment progresses. namely, as the parts of truncus were matched to the body gravity centerline, the degrees of pain were decreased. Conclusions : The vascular pressure on the trigeminal nerve which was causing the idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia might be induced by the spatial misalignment of truncus area because the spatial misalignment of it can press to move vascular into trigeminal nerve partially. Further study will be progressed.


Metal sulfides are considered excellent materials for oxygen evolution reaction because of their excellent conductivity and high electrocatalytic activity. In this report, the NiS-Cu2S composites were prepared on copper foam (NiS-Cu2S-CF) using a facile synthetic strategy. The scanning electron microscopy results confirmed that the NiS nanoneedles were successfully grown on Cu2S nanoflakes, greatly increasing the active sites. Particularly, the optimized 15% NiS-Cu2S-CF composite demonstrated excellent oxygen evolution activity with a small overpotential of 308 mV@20 mA cm−2, which is significantly smaller than that of noble metal-based electrocatalysts and other NiS-Cu2S-CF composites. The enhanced oxygen evolution activity is attributed to the unique morphology that can provide ample active sites, rich ion-transfer pathways, and the synergistic effect between NiS and Cu2S, which can boost the electron transfer rate.


In the context of economic globalisation, there has been considerable academic interest in understanding the choice of location of foreign direct investment (FDI) firms. Generally, studies on the location of FDI firms focus on national and regional levels. There are only a limited number of studies at the intra-urban level, especially for developing countries. This paper investigates where the industrial and service FDI firms are distributed within Istanbul, and how location-specific factors affect their decisions. This study is based on a sample of 100 companies surveyed in Istanbul at the end of 2002. The locational determinants of FDI firms in Istanbul have been analysed using factor analysis and logistic regression techniques. It was found that location-specific advantages influence the location of service and industrial FDI firms (between the central and suburban districts) in the Istanbul metropolitan area. The service and industrial FDI firms in Istanbul also chose different locations. Copyright (c) 2008 by the Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG.


ABSTRACT The dismutation of chlorite into chloride and O2 represents a central step in the reductive pathway of perchlorate that is common to all dissimilatory perchlorate-reducing bacteria and is mediated by a single enzyme, chlorite dismutase. The chlorite dismutase gene cld was isolated and sequenced from the perchlorate-reducing bacterium Dechloromonas agitata strain CKB. Sequence analysis identified an open reading frame of 834 bp that would encode a mature protein with an N-terminal sequence identical to that of the previously purified D. agitata chlorite dismutase enzyme. The predicted translation product of the D. agitata cld gene is a protein of 277 amino acids (aa), including a leader peptide of 26 aa. Primer extension analysis identified a single transcription start site directly downstream of an AT-rich region that could represent the −10 promoter region of the D. agitata cld gene. Northern blot analysis indicated that the cld gene was transcriptionally up-regulated when D. agitata cells were grown in perchlorate-reducing versus aerobic conditions. Slot blot hybridizations with a D. agitata cld probe demonstrated the conservation of the cld gene among perchlorate-reducing bacteria. This study represents the first description of a functional gene associated with microbial perchlorate reduction.


Off-label treatment of a 15-year-old female patient with anorexia nervosa (AN) with human recombinant leptin (metreleptin) for nine days was associated with self-reported increments of appetite and hunger resulting in rapid weight gain and substantial improvement of eating disorder cognitions and of depression. The results further substantiate the effects of metreleptin on both AN and depression. We contrast these results with the widespread view that leptin is an anorexigenic hormone. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm the described effects.


OF THESIS ROLE OF CONDUCTION IN THE GENESIS OF ALTERNANS OF ACTION POTENTIAL DURATION IN A SIMULATED ONE DIMENSIONAL FIBER Ventricular fibrillation is one of the leading causes for Sudden Cardiac Death and is characterized by multiple activation wavefronts. Multiple activation wavefronts originate from a reentrant circuit which requires the presence of a unidirectional block in the path of a propagating excitation wave. It has been proposed that at the cellular level beat to beat alternation in the action potential duration at rapid pacing rates can result in a conduction block. Various mechanisms have been postulated to show the mechanisms of alternans. We use simulated activation in a one dimensional tissue fiber to show the existence of a new mechanism via which alternans can result. We used a new pacing protocol to eliminate alternans at the pacing site, and thus eliminating restitution of action potential duration at this site to reveal existence of alternans down the fiber. Effects on alternans of manipulations of specific ionic currents such as the sodium current (INa), calcium current (ICaL), potassium current (Ikr) and of the diffusion co-efficient (Dx) which simulates reduced expression of connexin 43 were determined. Decrease in sodium conductance, i.e. in excitability by half caused the alternans to occur at the pacing site itself even though APD restitution was eliminated. An increase or decrease in calcium current (ICaL) eliminated alternans throughout the fiber. The use of a novel pacing approach in investigation of alternans, as in this study, furthers our understanding of the mechanism of alternans and may prove helpful in the development of better anti-arrhythmic drugs in the future.


Song is a series of words that are obtained from the inspiration of everyday life. a series of words arranged in such a way that they contain rhythm and meaning that will be conveyed to the listener. Songs are part of literary works. Listening to songs is a very fun activity. sometimes the listener just listens to it and doesn't understand the symbols and meanings in the song. sometimes the song consists of symbols to describe the feelings of the composer.
Based on the reason, it brought the reseasrcher to find out the symbol and  application of Symbol in the song lyrics and To explain the meaning songs in Westlife's Coast to Coast Album. This research applied a descriptive qualitative method. Through this method the researcher Tried to analyze, explain,and find out the symbols by using Charles Sanders Pierce's theory.
In this case, Charles Sanders Pierce developed a triadic model in illustrating the definition of the sign as a symbol. The triadic model consisted of three components; representamen, object and interpretant. In this research researcher taken the specific objects of the analysis were songs from Westlife the name of album was Coast to Coast.
The song consist of seventeen songs, there were My love, What makes a man, I lay my love on you, When you're looking like that, Close, Somebody needs you, Angel's wing's, Soledad, Puzzle of my heart, Dreams come true, No place that far, close your eyes, You make me feel, Loneliness knows me by name, Fragile heart, Every little thing you do, Uptown girl.
The symbols found are empty heart, enthusiasm, spirit, motivation, loyalty, simplicity, strength, happiness, and sadness. Every lyrics written must have a message aimed at both listeners and readers. The message is directed with the intention of making them impress after listening to and reading the lyrics.


Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is a known issue for short-pulse laser facilities, and will also be an issue for experiments using the advanced radiographic capability (ARC) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The ARC diagnostic uses four NIF beams that are compressed to picosecond durations for backlighting ignition capsules and other applications. Consequently, we are working to understand the EMP due to high-energy (MeV) electrons escaping from targets heated by short-pulse lasers. Our approach is to measure EMP in the Titan short-pulse laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and to employ that data to establish analysis and simulation capabilities. We have installed a wide variety of probes inside and outside the Titan laser chamber. We have high-frequency B-dot and D-dot probes, a photodiode, and fast current-viewing and integrating current transformers. The probe outputs are digitized by 10 and 20 Gsample/s oscilloscopes. The cables and oscilloscopes are well shielded to reduce noise. Our initial measurement campaign has yielded data useful mainly from several hundreds of MHz to several GHz. We currently are supplementing our high-frequency probes with lower-frequency ones to obtain better low-frequency data. In order to establish analysis and simulation capabilities we are modeling the Titan facility using various commercial and LLNL numerical electromagnetics codes. We have simulated EMP generation by having a specified number of electrons leave the target and strike the chamber wall and other components in the chamber. This short impulse of electrons has a correspondingly broad spectrum, exciting high-frequency structure in the resulting EMP. In this paper, we present results of our initial measurement campaign and comparisons between the measurements and simulations.


The concept of mutual fund emerged in Netherlands in 18th century and introduced in India by Unit Trust of India in1960s. As the mutual fund industry provides an option of diversified investment structure with varying degree of risk, it was supposed to be the most lucrative market for Indian investors. It was believed that it will surely tap the savings of common man. But in practice it failed to become a primary choice for investment to Indian investor. During almost six decades (1965-2011) the value of assets under management of mutual fund industry experienced great swings. As against the developed countries where almost every second investor is a mutual unit holder, the product could not get much popularity in India. In this reference, the present paper attempts to investigate the reasons responsible for lesser recognition of mutual fund as a prime investment option. It examines the investor's perception with reference to distinct features provided by mutual fund companies to attract them for investing in specific funds/schemes. The study uses principal component analysis as a tool for factor reduction. The paper explored three factors named as fund/scheme related attributes, monetary benefits and sponsor's related attributes (having respectively six, four and four variables) which may be offered to investors for securing their patronage. The results are expected to provide fruitful insight to mutual fund companies for tailoring their offers suitable to cater the needs and expectations of Indian investors.


Mammalian ovaries are endowed with a huge number of small oocytes in primordial follicles (primordial oocytes). The mechanism regulating initiation of oocyte growth and follicular development is not well understood. Several growth factors and cytokines are known to be involved in oocyte growth and follicular development. Herein, the involvement of KIT, a receptor tyrosine kinase, and its ligand, KIT ligand (KL), in the initiation of porcine oocyte growth was examined. At first, KIT expression was examined immunohistochemically in primordial oocytes from neonatal (10-20 days) and prepubertal (about 6 months) pigs. Similar expression of KIT was detected in all oocytes from both the neonatal and prepubertal pigs. Next, to examine the growth of primordial oocytes, ovarian tissues containing primordial oocytes were xenotransplanted into immunodeficient SCID mice. Primordial oocytes from the neonatal pigs grew with follicular development as described previously, whereas those from the prepubertal pigs did not initiate growth in the xenografts after 2 months. To stimulate the growth of primordial oocytes from the prepubertal pigs, they were cultured in a medium supplemented with KL (50 and 100 ng/ml) for 1 or 3 days before xenografting. After 2 months, however, the oocytes did not grow, and the primordial follicles did not develop, although a higher number of primordial oocytes survived in the KL-treated tissues. These results suggest that KIT-KL might not be associated with the growth initiation of porcine primordial oocytes, although they do enhance the survival of the oocytes.


A qualitative analysis of the performance of a genetic annealing algorithm (GAA) is presented. The GAA is applied in the double frequency modulation DFM parameter optimization problem. It is shown that the GAA can optimize the solution to the global minimum by plotting the solution spaces of one DFM equation for all samples. Dynamic musical sounds were synthesized using the DFM synthesis technique. A recycling process is also proposed to improve the efficiency of the GAA process. The resulting dynamic sounds synthesized by the DFM are presented and compared with those of real samples.


Fully automated vehicles (AVs) hold promise toward providing numerous societal benefits including reducing road fatalities. However, we are uncertain about how individuals' perceptions will influence their ability to accept and adopt AVs. The 28-item Automated Vehicle User Perception Survey (AVUPS) is a visual analog scale that was previously constructed, with established face and content validity, to assess individuals' perceptions of AVs. In this study, we examined construct validity, via exploratory factor analysis and subsequent Mokken scale analyses. Next, internal consistency was assessed via Cronbach's alpha (α) and 2-week test–retest reliability was assessed via Spearman's rho (ρ) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The Mokken scale analyses resulted in a refined 20-item AVUPS and three Mokken subscales assessing specific domains of adults' perceptions of AVs: (a) Intention to use; (b) perceived barriers; and (c) well-being. The Mokken scale analysis showed that all item-coefficients of homogeneity (H) exceeded 0.3, indicating that the items reflect a single latent variable. The AVUPS indicated a strong Mokken scale (Hscale = 0.51) with excellent internal consistency (α = 0.95) and test–retest reliability (ρ = 0.76, ICC = 0.95). Similarly, the three Mokken subscales ranged from moderate to strong (range Hscale = 0.47–0.66) and had excellent internal consistency (range α = 0.84–0.94) and test–retest reliability (range ICC = 0.84–0.93). The AVUPS and three Mokken subscales of AV acceptance were validated in a moderate sample size (N = 312) of adults living in the United States. Two-week test–retest reliability was established using a subset of Amazon Mechanical Turk participants (N = 84). The AVUPS, or any combination of the three subscales, can be used to validly and reliably assess adults' perceptions before and after being exposed to AVs. The AVUPS can be used to quantify adults' acceptance of fully AVs.


We report the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) synthesis and characterization of composite calcium oxide-based sorbents for carbon dioxide capture. Inclusion of a small amount of Al2O3 into the CaO matrix (as low as Al/Ca: 0.03) yielded significant enhancement of resistance to recycling degradation. The effective homogenous dispersion of additives in the CaO matrix and the relatively high surface area materials obtained via USP explain the sorbent's high performance. All materials were characterized by XRD, STEM, TEM, SEM, and TGA (for CO2 uptake measurements). Two common phases of CaAlxOy, Ca12Al14O33 and Ca3Al2O6, were formed during multiple cycles of calcination and CO2 uptake.


A method is presented for developing multiple particle breakage distribution functions that include the shape factor, as well as the particle size. The technique is to first develop a joint probability distribution that accounts for the size and shape factor of each child particle. This is then reduced by successive integration to the marginal probability used in the breakage equation. This technique guarantees mass conservation and exchangeability of child particles while allowing the user to choose the number of child particles formed per breakage. It also allows the user to choose the functional form for the size distribution of particles as well as independently choosing the functional form for the shape factor distribution of particles. To solve the breakage equation, a discretization method is used that conserves particle mass during breakage and correctly predicts changes in the total number of particles. Simulation results show that the shape distribution functions may yield distinguishable shape factor profiles after crushing. Comparison with experimental data indicates that these theoretical functions can be used to model real systems. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 937–952, 2004


Only a little data is available so far on the prevalence of Asperger's syndrome. The prevalence that Fombonne (2003) estimated after considering six European research was 2/10,000. In Ishikawa's study (2006) conducted in Nagoya city, Japan, the prevalence of Asperger's syndrome was 56/10,000. Currently there are not strict diagnostic criteria of Asperger's syndrome and methods of investigation are not consistent in each study. Therefore the prevalence rate for Asperger's syndrome covered very wide range. Although we still don't have a precise prevalence data on Asperger's syndrome, the awareness of this syndrome emerged in these several decades tells us that further research and support for the children of Asperger's syndrome and their family are necessary.


This contemporary textbook and manual for aspiring or new environmental managers provides the theory and practical examples needed to understand current environmental issues and trends. Each chapter explains the specific skills and concepts needed for today's successful environmental manager, and provides skill development exercises that allow students to relate theory to practice in the profession. Readers will obtain an understanding not only of the field, but also of how professional accountability, evolving science, social equity, and politics affect their work. This foundational textbook provides the scaffolds to allow students to understand the environmental regulatory infrastructure, and how to create partnerships to solve environmental problems ethically and implement successful environmental programs.


In this article, the relational-matrix model, as a visualizable representation of the structure of space, will be used to explain, among other things, why the physical relationships that Einstein mathematically described exist. Using the relational-matrix model to explain the behavior of physical reality, we will establish a conceptual basis for understanding how physical reality extends from the structure of space. By the end of this article, we will also have established a conceptual basis for understanding why nothing can truly be separated from anything else—i.e., why nothing can be said to exist independent of all other things. Specifically, within the context of the relational-matrix model, we will account for the following aspects of physical reality: (1) the relationship between space and time, including the basis of temporal relativity, as well as the precise nature of time as a function of the dynamic aspect of the spatial structure; (2) the basis of the speed-of-light constant, including why the frequency and wavelength of electromagnetic radiation are inversely related as a function of that constant; (3) the basis of Planck's constant, including why the energy associated with electromagnetic radiation exists in discrete amounts, or quanta; (4) the nature of gravitation, including why matter  and gravitation are always associated and why gravitation is universally attractive; (5) the equivalence of the gravitational and inertial forces; (6) the relationship between electromagnetic radiation and gravitation; and (7) the nature of energy.


In this article, a novel unknown input interval observer (UIIO) is proposed for systems not satisfying the relative degree condition. In interval estimation, estimation errors are required not only positive but also convergent. For this purpose, some works combined unknown input observer with interval estimation, namely UIIO where by virtue of some transformations, some states are expressed as functions of outputs and other states which are decoupled from the unknown input. Nevertheless, complete decoupling can be guaranteed when the systems satisfy relative degree condition, which does not hold for some practical systems. Although some works have been done to relax the requirement on relative degree condition, they usually construct auxiliary outputs using high‐order differentiators which necessitates that the signals are smooth enough as well as that their derivatives are bounded, limiting the application of existing approaches and also increasing the computational cost. Motivated by the discussions above, a novel UIIO scheme combining the interval observation technique with adaptive sliding mode is proposed, without the relative degree condition and free from differentiating signals, hence the design process is simplified and the computational cost is decreased. Finally, simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.


In this paper we suggest the virtuality of the "parroquial" scale for the analysis of territory. We have studied the changes and the reorganization of the population in the province of Pontevedra.


Herein, a simple and rapid HPTLC method using densitometric analysis was developed and validated for the assay of efinaconazole in pharmaceutical formulations (solution and microemulsion). The chromatographic conditions such as the concentration of the organic phase, chromatographic chamber saturation time and development distance were optimized to obtain a retardation factor (Rf) value in an acceptable range (0.2 < Rf < 0.8) using the Box–Behnken experimental design to develop a robust HPTLC method for the assay of efinaconazole. Using the different solutions provided for optimization by the Design Expert 8.0 software, experimental conditions with a desirability of 1 or near to 1 were selected. Based on the criteria for efinaconazole with Rf between 0.2 to 0.8, a desirability of 1 was obtained, which gave the optimal composition of methanol in the mobile phase together with toluene (9.0 : 1.0 v/v), development distance of 72 mm and chamber saturation time of 18 min. The optimized method was validated according to the ICH Q2(R1) guidelines, and statistical analysis proved that the method is robust, specific (peak purity ≥ 0.9999), sensitive (LOD of 26.09 ng and LOQ of 78.29 ng), accurate (98.62–100.40%) and precise (% RSD < 2.0 for efinaconazole). Thus, the proposed HPTLC method provides a simple and cost-effective tool for the routine quantitative estimation of efinaconazole in quality control laboratories.


Nonpatent innovation policies—including direct spending on grants and procurement, innovation prizes, and R&D tax incentives—are a significant part of innovation policy in practice and are attracting growing attention from legal scholars. When market-based patent incentives undervalue certain inventions, innovation is most efficiently incentivized by using these policies as complements, but in some cases, allowing researchers to claim nonpatent incentives in addition to patent rewards results in significant overcompensation. There are a few potential solutions to this reward-stacking problem, including limiting the patentability of inventions that have received significant alternative rewards, or conditioning nonpatent transfers on some relinquishment of patent rights. When the lost patent rewards are far more valuable than the nonpatent incentives, these solutions might be broader than the problem. This symposium contribution presents and evaluates an additional solution: reducing patent damages to account for the nonpatent rewards (including ex ante risk reduction) an invention has already received. Such an approach could improve not only the incentive side of innovation policy, but also the allocation side, by reducing deadweight loss while maintaining incentives to innovate. The ability of patent damages doctrine to help mediate between different bodies of innovation law is a benefit of recent proposals for patent damages reform that has thus far been overlooked.