State fragility is becoming increasingly alarming as an epidemic in our world today. It breeds crippling crises and can have irrevocable effects. According to Robert I. Rotberg, fragile states are hubs for both: local and international crimes, human and drug trafficking, terror and human rights violations amongst other problems acting as a social menace to the globe (Rotberg, 2003, p.6). One of the main reasons why fragile states are alarming is that the problems they bring about are rarely contained. They automatically overspill due to the complexity of some of the problems as well as the interdependence of the world's structure becoming an international issue and concern rather than a regional one. This paper starts with the premise that one of the possible solutions to state fragility is development from within which is achieved partly through civil society and states' self-help. It tries to establish first and very briefly the relationship between civil society and state fragility and the definitions used in this paper. Then, it tries to determine what civil society could do to reconstruct fragile states in general. Finally, it applies parts of the latter to Angola examining the successes and failures of its civil society focusing only on NGOs. Through this methodology, it tries to answer the question " To what extent is Civil Society successful in reconstructing/rebuilding Angola as a Fragile State ?". This topic is significant because as mentioned above state fragility is on the rise and it is hard to control. Once a country spirals down the fragility index, sometimes the damage is permanent and its threats are imminent. The paper argues that although Angolan civil society is rather weakened and limited by the state and international organizations, there are opportunities for increasing effectiveness. It might not be significantly successful today however, with all limitations considered, it is bringing about small positive changes that will impact the future of Democracy in Angola in the long run.


There have been few studies of DNA ploidy and cell cycle kinetics in endometrial hyperplasia. The authors studied archival cases of proliferative endometrium, simple, complex and atypical endometrial hyperplasia and well, moderately, and poorly differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma by flow cytometry and also evaluated the significance of the degree of cytologic atypia (low versus high) in endometrial hyperplasia relative to the occurrence of carcinoma. All proliferative endometria, all types of hyperplasia and well and moderately differentiated carcinomas were diploid. Two-thirds of poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas were aneuploid. Neither S-phase fractions or proliferative fractions (S+G2M) could distinguish among the different types of hyperplasia or predict which hyperplasias were associated with carcinomas. The degree of cytologic atypia in atypical hyperplasia was not predictive of the occurrence of carcinoma. Poorly differentiated carcinomas showed significant differences in DNA ploidy, S-phase, and proliferative fractions from endometrial hyperplasia and lower grade carcinoma. These results support the concept that there are two fundamentally different types of endometrial carcinoma.


PAGE is a direct response to the Rio+20 Declaration, The Future We Want, which called upon the United Nations System and the international community to provide assistance to interested countries in developing, adopting and implementing green economy policies and strategies. PAGE aims to catalyze a transition to a green economy (leverage change) in developing countries by obtaining consensus on policy reform at a high political level. The Mid-term Evaluation of PAGE is being undertaken approximately three years into project implementation to analyze whether the project is on-track, what problems or challenges the project is encountering, and what corrective actions are required.


Based on a previous study, a pGL3-5'UTR plasmid was constructed by substitution of the SV40 promoter with HCV 5'UTR cDNA. A set of deletion mutant plamids: pGL3-5'UTR1 comprising the full sequence of 5'UTR; pGL3-5'UTR2 containing domains II, III and IV; pGL3-5'UTR3 containing domains I, II and III; pGl3-5'UTR4 with domains III and IV; pGl3-5'UTR5 with domains I and II were constructed. HepG2 cells were transfected with the above plasmids. The plasmid carrying the full-length of 5'UTR was transfected into hepG2, Hela, HEK293 and Hela cells. The luciferase mRNA and the enzymatic activity were then detected. The relative luciferase activity associated with the pGL3-5'UTR1, pGL3-5'UTR2, pGL3-5'UTR3, pGL3-5'UTR4 and pGL3-5'UTR5 were 5.91±0.65, 9.52±0.32, 2.72±0.45, 2.64±0.25 and.32±0.09, respectively. The luciferase activity was evident in all four cell lines. The data suggested that the DNA sequence of stem-loop III was the core structure and the domain I, II and IV had a regulating effect. It also showed that cells originated from various tissues could provide efficient accessory factors for HCV 5'UTR sequence than strictly act as a promoter and that the original cells may be the most suitable.


Natural selection favours females who can correctly assess the predation risk and hence avoid high-risk oviposition sites and reduce the mortality rate of their offspring. In spite of the potential significance of such behaviour, relatively few studies have assessed the relationship between oviposition behaviour and predation risk. 2. The present study aimed to determine the sublethal effects of predators on oviposition site selection by gravid females, the foraging activity of larvae, and the life history traits of two mosquito species that breed in different habitats, Aedes albopictus Skuse (container breeder) and Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (wetland breeder). 3. Female C. tritaeniorhynchus avoided laying eggs at oviposition sites in the presence of a predator cue. In contrast, female A. albopictus laid eggs in both the absence and presence of the predator cue. 4. To examine the effects of predator cues on larval behaviour, experiments were conducted in the absence and presence of a predator cue. Although larval activity was lower in the presence of the predator cue than that in its absence in both species, C. tritaeniorhynchus responded to the predator cue more strongly than A. albopictus. Female A. albopictus that had been reared with caged predators exhibited an extended larval development period, whereas the adult C. tritaeniorhynchus reared in the presence of predators were smaller than those reared in their absence. 5. This finding might explain why C. tritaeniorhynchus avoid laying eggs in predator-conditioned water, for example to increase the fitness of their offspring, but A. albopictus either cannot detect predator cues or are not sensitive to them.


Even a trivial increase in intracranial pressure is likely to induce cerebral ischemia, hernia, and neurogenic pulmonary edema in patients with intracranial hypertension. In this article, I have described several issues that are essential for safe perioperative management in patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures for treatment of subarachonoid hemorrhage, and intracerebral and subdural hematoma, as well as relevant information on basic physiology and pathology of the brain.


A radiation model is developed to obtain evolution of band intensities according to the state-to-state (STS) approach by considering vibration-translation and vibration-electronic jumps and dissociation. Investigation of the behavior of a nonequilibrium N(2) gas flow behind a shock shows that the radiation intensity remains weak and the flow is far from radiative equilibrium. Similar intensities are predicted by pure STS and hybrid approaches based on existing radiation models. However, the coupling between physicochemical and radiative processes increases with radiation intensity.


[1] Despite the thickness of subducting oceanic plates being identified as a control on slab and hinge behavior during subduction, there have been few attempts to quantify its effect with fully dynamic models. This paper presents a series of dynamic laboratory experiments of progressive subduction of a narrow plate into an upper mantle reservoir in which plate thickness is systematically varied from 4 mm (scaling to 20 km), up to 24 mm (120 km). The experiments investigate its effect on bending radius, subduction kinematics and the rate of energy dissipated at the hinge as a percentage of the total potential energy released through subduction. The bending radius of the hinge is found to have a strong linear relationship with plate thickness, where an increase in plate thickness corresponds to an increase in bending radius. Subduction velocity increases with plate thickness due to the increased negative buoyancy of thicker slabs, which is not compensated for by any significant increase in mantle drag on the slab. This increase is almost entirely accommodated by an increase in trench retreat rate, with a fivefold increase over the whole thickness range, while subducting plate velocity remains relatively constant. The energy dissipation ratio (ΦBe/ΦBu) is low across all plate thicknesses, with the plates falling within a range of ∼4–10% during steady state subduction. The models show a moderate trend toward decreasing ΦBe/ΦBu with increasing plate thickness.


Security policy model is the groundwork for secure or trusted system. Bell-LaPadula model with its good adaptability has comprehensive applications to multilevel security system, but it is short of the rules about integrity and consistency. Based on that model, an extended policy model is proposed, which is founded on the extended object hierarchy. By this way, the integrity becomes one of the inherence properties of the model. The object domains, extended security axioms and operation rules are also introduced or redefined. The proposed model more suits the requirements of multilevel security databases, and guarantees the consistency among policy model, system specification and other high-level security model. The extensions and enhancements, especially other properties besides security, are the necessary steps for transforming a policy model into a practical system.


Fatigue is the main in-service failure mode for automotive chassis & suspension parts, especially weld fatigue. Over the years, Tata Steel Automotive Engineering (TSAE) has developed techniques for CAE durability assessment including the optimisation of seam-welded chassis/suspension structures. Seam weld optimisation at TSAE has previously been based on a constant weld length and constant gap between welds for each weld run. This method has two drawbacks; weld patterns generated are regular in nature, reducing the flexibility to position welds where they are most effective and· excessively short welds are often left at the end of a run of welds. The objective was to develop an improved optimisation technique using Isight that always produced a manufacturing feasible design and allowed more flexible and irregular positioning of welds. Manufacturing constraints considered were minimum weld length, minimum gap length and minimising the number of start/stop operations. To reduce the number of design variables, a new load-case-weighted optimisation scheme was developed using a single weighting factor for each load case. These factors were used to generate weld patterns by scaling the strain energy density in finite elements from an initial fully welded design. Weld elements were selected for retention/deletion by comparing a weighted sum across all load cases with a threshold value. During each optimisation, Isight varied the weighting factors as "design variables" to minimise overall weld length, while achieving stiffness and fatigue life targets. The process has been extended to function for laser weld designs where an intermittent weld pattern is generally the most effective.


Racial differences in the characteristics of urinary calculi are poorly described in the South African context, limiting our local understanding of urolithiasis pathology and thwarting our efforts in designing appropriate preventative interventions. We sought to investigate differences in urinary calculi characteristics among the main racial groups in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with urinary calculi at a quaternary hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, during 2018–2019. We collected data on the patient's age, sex, race (Caucasian, Asian, Black African), residence, and pre-stenting. Five study outcomes were investigated across racial groups: number of calculi, location of the calculi, size of the calculi, density of the calculi (Hounsfield Unit measurement >600), and the number of operative interventions performed. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test, and unadjusted/adjusted logistic regression. Our study sample consisted of 147 patients (10.9% Caucasian, 55.8% Asian, and 33.3% Black African). Most patients (86.4%) were from urban areas. A higher proportion of Black Africans had urinary calculi with Hounsfield Unit measurements >600 (P = 0.002). In the logistic regression models, Black Africans had a higher probability of having urinary calculi with Hounsfield Unit measurements >600 (Unadjusted Odds Ratio: 7.17, 95% Confidence Interval: 2.00–27.80; Adjusted Odds Ratio: 18.75, 95% Confidence Interval: 3.37–157.57). Our analysis suggests that Black Africans are at higher risk of having harder urinary calculi than other race groups. This has implications for urolithiasis management and highlights the importance of primary prevention in this group. We recommend additional research to confirm our findings.


A series of pivaloylthiourea derivatives, N-(2-nitrophenyl)-N-(pivaloyl)thiourea (I), N-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-(pivaloyl)thiourea (II) and N-(4-nitrophenyl)-N-(pivaloyl)thiourea (III) were synthesised and characterised by typical spectroscopic methods and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The IR spectra show the important stretching bands for ν(N-H), ν(C=O), ν(C-N) and ν(C=S) at around 3300 cm -1 , 1600 cm -1 , 1300 cm -1 and 700 cm -1 , respectively. There are two vital chromophores, C=O and C=S were observed in the UV spectra with maximum absorption at 230 nm and 290 nm, respectively. The crystal structures of (II) and (III) have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Both of the molecules adopt cis-trans configuration with respect to the position of the phenyl and pivaloyl groups relative to the thiono S atom, across their C-N bonds. There is an intramolecular hydrogen bond, N-H... O in both molecules that lead to the formation of a pseudo-six-membered ring. In the crystal lattice, the molecules are linked by intermolecular hydrogen bonds N-H … S, C-H … S and N-H … O forming dimer (II) and 3- dimensional network (III). 1 H NMR spectra show chemical shift at δH 12.70 - 12.88 ppm and δH 10.84 - 10.94 ppm were assigned for both NH proton. Whereas, the chemical shift for 13 C NMR analysis for C=O and C=S presence at δC 179-180 ppm.


A partial cover of a string or sequence of length n, which we model as an array x=x[1..n], is a repeating substring u of x such that "many" positions in x lie within occurrences of u. A maximal cover u*-introduced in 2018 by Mhaskar and Smyth as optimal cover-is a partial cover that, over all partial covers u, maximizes the positions covered. Applying data structures also introduced by Mhaskar and Smyth, our software MAXCOVER for the first time enables efficient computation of u* for any x-in particular, as described here, for protein sequences of Arabidopsis, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and humans. In this protein context, we also compare an extended version of MAXCOVER with existing software (MUMmer's repeat-match) for the closely related task of computing non-extendible repeating substrings (a.k.a. maximal repeats). In practice, MAXCOVER is an order-of-magnitude faster than MUMmer, with much lower space requirements, while producing more compact output that, nevertheless, yields a more exact and user-friendly specification of the repeats.


Lichen planus is a relatively common skin disorder of unknown etiology. A wide variety of drugs have been implicated in its cause. Using five or more cases of drug‐induced lichen planus reported in at least three separate reports with at least one case of probable cause by the scale of Naranjo et al as criteria, sufficient evidence exists that β‐blockers, methyldopa, penicillamine, quinidine, and quinine play a role in this disorder. Evidence is insufficient for angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, sulfonylurea agents, carbamazepine, gold, lithium, and a host of miscellaneous drugs. Given available epidemiologic evidence, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents probably should also be considered causative. Differentiating drug‐induced lichen planus from the idiopathic disorder is difficult; most evidence is based on the dechallenge and rechallenge with the drug when these data are available.


AIMS
The timely diagnosis and exclusion of acute coronary syndromes in the Emergency Department (ED) remains a challenge. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I assay (Siemens TNIH) on serial sampling for ED patients as standalone test and in rule-out algorithms as recommendations remain assay specific.

METHODS AND RESULTS
This secondary analysis from a prospective diagnostic accuracy study at 14 centres included ED patients presenting with chest pain of suspected cardiac nature. Serum drawn on arrival and 3 h later was batchtested for TNIH. The target condition was an adjudicated diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of absolute and relative delta criteria and four rule-out strategies. Of 802 included patients, 13.8% had AMI. Absolute delta criteria had superior accuracy to relative criteria (C-statistic 0.94 vs. 0.76, P < 0.001). However, no delta criteria achieved >95.5% sensitivity for AMI when used alone. Ruling out AMI with TNIH below the 99th percentile at 0 and 3 h had 88.3% (95% confidence interval 80.8-93.6%) sensitivity. The adapted European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 0/2 h algorithm had higher sensitivity (98.2%) than both High-STEACS (93.7%, P = 0.03) and the ESC 0/3 h algorithm (79.3%, P < 0.001). These pathways ruled out 63%, 74%, and 88% patients, respectively.

CONCLUSION
With serial sampling over 3 h, the Siemens TNIH assay should be used with a validated algorithm incorporating bespoke cut-offs and absolute delta criteria. In our analysis, the adapted ESC 0/2 h algorithm had greatest sensitivity. 'Ruling out' AMI using the 99th percentile of the assay cannot be recommended.


This paper reports on our analysis of the 2011 CAMRa Challenge dataset (Track 2) for context-aware movie recommendation systems. The train dataset comprises 4 536 891 ratings provided by 171 670 users on 23 974 movies, as well as the household groupings of a subset of the users. The test dataset comprises 5 450 ratings for which the user label is missing, but the household label is provided. The challenge required to identify the user labels for the ratings in the test set.
 Our main finding is that temporal information (time labels of the ratings) is significantly more useful for achieving this objective than the user preferences (the actual ratings). Using a model that leverages on this fact, we are able to identify users within a known household with an accuracy of approximately 96% (i.e. misclassification rate around 4%).


In this paper, we introduce photon-added and photon-subtracted squeezed vacuum state (PASV and PSSV) and obtain their normalized factors, which have the similar forms involved in Lengendre polynomials. Moreover, we give the compact expressions of Wigner function, which are related to single-variable Hermite polynomials. Especially, we compare their nonclassicality in terms of Mandel Q-factor and the negativity of Wigner function.


The phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4)-cAMP pathway plays a predominant role in mediating skeletal muscle proteolysis in burn injury. The present investigations to determine the PDE4 isoform(s) involved in this action revealed that burn injury increased the expression of rat skeletal muscle PDE4B mRNA by sixfold but had little or no effect on expression of other PDE4 isoforms. These observations led us to study the effects of burn in PDE4B knockout (KO) rats. As reported by us previously, burn injury significantly increased extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle total and myofibrillar proteolysis in wild-type (WT) rats, but there were no significant effects on either total or myofibrillar protein breakdown in EDL muscle of PDE4B KO rats with burn injury. Moreover, burn injury increased PDE4 activity in the skeletal muscle of WT rats, but this was reduced by >80% in PDE4B KO rats. Also, burn injury decreased skeletal muscle cAMP concentration in WT rats but had no significant effects in the muscles of PDE4B KO rats. Incubation of the EDL muscle of burn-PDE4B KO rats with an inhibitor of the exchange factor directly activated by cAMP, but not with a protein kinase A inhibitor, eliminated the protective effects of PDE4B KO on EDL muscle proteolysis and increased muscle proteolysis to the same extent as in the EDL of burn-WT rats. These novel findings confirm a major role for PDE4B in skeletal muscle proteolysis in burn injury and suggest that an innovative therapy based on PDE4B-selective inhibitors could be developed to treat skeletal muscle cachexia in burn injury without the fear of causing emesis, which is associated with PDE4D inhibition.


Preface. About the Authors. Part One: Introduction and Cases. 1. Introduction to Theories of Career Development and Choice: Origins, Evolution, and Current Efforts (Duane Brown). 2. Case Studies (Duane Brown). Part Two: Sociological Perspective. 3. Career Choice and Development from a Sociological Perspective (Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, Jeylan T. Mortimer). Part Three: Developmental and Postmodern Theories. 4. Gottfredson s Theory of Circumscription, Compromise, and Self Creation (Linda S. Gottfredson). 5. Career Construction: A Developmental Theory of Vocational Behavior (Mark L. Savickas). 6. A Contextualist Explanation of Career (Richard A. Young, Ladislav Valach, Audrey Collin). Part Four: Career Development Theories Anchored in Learning Theory. 7. Social Cognitive Career Theory (Robert W. Lent, Steven D. Brown, Gail Hackett). 8. A Cognitive Information Processing Approach to Career Problem Solving and Decision Making (Gary W. Peterson, James P. Sampson Jr., Janet G. Lenz, Robert C. Reardon). Part Five: Trait Factor Theories and Summation. 9. Holland s Theory of Personalities in Work Environments (Arnold R. Spokane, Erik J. Luchetta, Matthew H. Richwine). 10. Person Environment Correspondence Theory (Rene V. Dawis). 11. The Role of Work Values and Cultural Values in Occupational Choice, Satisfaction, and Success: A Theoretical Statement (Duane Brown). 12. Status of Theories of Career Choice and Development (Duane Brown). Name Index. Subject Index.


Introduction 767 I. FAA Modernization Act 769 A. The FAA and the Petition for a Drone Privacy Rulemaking 771 B. The FAA, Drones, and Privacy 772 C. EPIC v. FAA 775 II. Privacy Issues 776 III. Lack of Legal Protections 778 A. Fourth Amendment Law, Drones, and Aerial Surveillance 780 B. The Third Party Doctrine and Drone Surveillance 782 IV. Potential Market for Drone Data Collection 785 V. Importance of Privacy in Public 787 VI. Why the FAA Should Regulate Drones 789 A. Privacy Must be Addressed to Safely Integrate Drones into the National Airspace 789 B. The FAA Modernization Act Requires the FAA to Address Privacy Issues 790 Conclusion 792 INTRODUCTION Imagine a scenario not too far off in the future where drones in the sky are a regular occurrence over densely populated urban areas. These drones do not need to be in the line of sight of an operator and do not need to be actively operated at all as they fly around autonomously. Some of the drones you can see but more are present then the eye can discern. Some are flying too high to see and are too quiet to hear. The drones constantly flying overhead are delivering packages, transporting people, monitoring traffic, checking infrastructure, providing building security, and monitoring the environment. You know that the drones carry all sorts of high-tech equipment. But you do not know exactly what technology is on the drone, what the surveillance capabilities are, what information these drones could be collecting about you and anyone else who happens to be in a public space, or how this information could be used or to whom the information could be disclosed. Going into public essentially means giving up your privacy in a way never imagined before with little to no say in the matter. To maintain any semblance of privacy in public requires extraordinary efforts that limit your ability to participate in modern society. You do not carry your smartphone or any other mobile device that connects to the internet, (1) you wear a hood and special tinted glasses to thwart ear, (2) iris, (3) and facial recognition, (4) and you randomize your gait. (5) You also wear gloves to prevent the capture of your fingerprints, (6) avoid driving your own car, (7) and avoid using the new self-driving/flying drone cars (8)--you stick to walking, biking, or mass public transportation. The description above sounds a lot like the beginning of a dystopian novel, but it is the current track we are on as drones are being integrated into the National Airspace with no privacy protections for public space. In 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") was tasked by Congress with integrating drones into the National Airspace. Five years later, the agency is still working on domestic drone integration but refuses to address privacy as the agency works to establish safety rules for drones despite identifying privacy as an important issue to address as drones are integrated into the National Airspace. (9) Part I of this Article discusses the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The subsections of this Part will discuss some of the relevant details of the Act, the petition of the FAA to address drone privacy after the Act was passed, and the FAA's changing relationship with privacy. Part II highlights the privacy issues created by the integration of drones. …


G.H. Gonnet and P.A. Larson (1982) proposed a hashing scheme for external files which guarantees single access retrieval. They provided an asymptotic analysis of the scheme assuming uniform distribution of the signatures. This paper addresses an open problem posed by them in a second work (J. ACM, vol.35, no.1, p.161-84, 1988) about the performance of signatures having a skew distribution. An optimization problem is formulated to obtain the optimal signature distribution which maximizes the resulting load factor. Numerical results indicate that the optimal signature distribution results in significant reduction in the cost of insertions, which is of practical significance. >


Abstract : This report provides an overview of various aspects of numerical simulation of the dynamics of impacting continuous bodies. Emphasis is placed on impact scenarios, wherein the loading conditions are sufficiently intense to produce large deformations and penetrations. Such events are characterized by loading and response times in the microsecond regime. Furthermore, the deformations are highly localized and are governed by properties of the materials within the affected region as opposed to the global characteristics of the structure in which they are contained. Selected two- and three-dimensional examples of high velocity penetration are presented. Practical aspects of performing large-scale simulations of penetration phenomena on modern supercomputers are discussed. Keywords: Penetration mechanics, High velocity impact, Kinetic energy penetration, Terminal ballistics.


Electric Hybrid Vehicles (EHVs) play a crucial role in the development towardsa more environmental friendly transportation. An alternative to solve someactual challenges with hybridization of vehicles is studied at the Division ofIndustrial Electrical Engineering and Automation (IEA) at Lund Universityin cooperation with the automotive industry. A key component of this drivetrain is a highly dynamic Electric Machine (EM) which will make possible tohybridize a conventional car at reduced costs while maintaining the performanceand comfort of the vehicle.The first part of this thesis work describes the design and optimization processof this multipurpose EM and presents the final prototype.The second part of this thesis presents a convenient, fast and precise methodfor measuring the mechanical and electromagnetic properties of this EM andsimilar motors. This Dynamic Test Method is based on state of the art controland measurements system and makes possible to characterize an EM withoutthe need of a Brake Bench.Finally the measured properties of the EM are analyzed and the results showthat the EM has the required performace in speed, torque and dynamics for theintended EHV application.The results of the thesis reduce the need of heavy and expensive components for the EHV and for the measurements, by using very fast, dynamic and accuratetools instead. (Less)


The aims of this research were improving the understanding of concepts and exhaustiveness of student learning outcomes on science lesson using online learning. It was a classroom action research that using Kemmis and Mc Taggart model. Subject of this research were student of mathematics education program on even semester. Data collection techniques include tests, observations, and questionnaires. It was analyzed descriptively qualitative. From this research founded that student's understanding concept on the first cycle is 70.1%, and the second cycle is 91.5%, the average of student learning outcomes in cycle I is 65 and the second cycle is 83.5. Based on those findings, it could be concluded that the implementation of online learning can increase understanding of concepts and exhaustiveness of student learning outcomes on science lesson.


Abstract.  Cox's proportional hazards model is routinely used in many applied fields, some times, however, with too little emphasis on the fit of the model. In this paper, we suggest some new tests for investigating whether or not covariate effects vary with time. These tests are a natural and integrated part of an extended version of the Cox model. An important new feature of the suggested test is that time constancy for a specific covariate is examined in a model, where some effects of other covariates are allowed to vary with time and some are constant; thus making successive testing of time‐dependency possible. The proposed techniques are illustrated with the well‐known Mayo liver disease data, and a small simulation study investigates the finite sample properties of the tests.


Development of Acacia hybrid is important to be done due to their superiority such as high productivity, good wood quality, more tolerance to pest/disease and adaptive to marginal sites, although its wood durability to wood-destroyer organism attacks is still unknown yet. This study aimed to observe the wood natural durability of Acacia hybrid to drywood termites (Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light.) attack. The wood samples used were taken from 6 years old trees of Acacia hybrid in Wonogiri, Central Java. The experimental design used is completely randomized design using two factors, axial and radial of wood section with the number of trees as replication.Parameters measured were extractive content, termite mortality and wood mass loss.The results showed that the axial section of wood significantly affected the wood extractive content at the level of 0.01, while termite mortality and the mass loss of wood were not significantly affected by the wood section. The largest average percentages of termite mortality and mass loss of wood found on the middle of wood section (96.67%) and near the bark (1.14%) respectively. Based on this result, the Acacia hybrid wood is categorized as very durable wood and potential to be developed as raw material for solid wood-based industries


Time of Arrival (TOA) detection is essential successful Acoustic Emission (AE) based structural health monitoring (SHM) system. During high burst rate results AE waves could overlap. AE waves shows similar narrowband, low frequency content thus overlapping of AE waves leads to overlap in both in time and frequency. As a result, the TOA information is lost in the coda of the previous wave and cannot be (reliably) detected by conventional techniques. In this paper, the problem was addressed through creation of a) Wave (Overlapping) Identification (WI) b) Wave Cleaning (WC) c) Arrival Detection (AD) approaches. In this paper, specifically the Wave Detection and Wave Cleaning approaches are introduced and described in detail. 3D Fingerprinting is meticulously designed to exploit wave arrival characteristics thus autogenously identifying the overlapping of waves for completing the WI system. Positive identification activates Wave Cleaning system which eradicates the influence of the Intersecting Wave using adaptive spectral subtraction (ASpS). Post removal of the TOA for the Intersected Wave was identified.


A 26-year-old man, who was training in bad weather for a mountain ultramarathon, became hypothermic after running for 4 h. He deteriorated and was unable to continue. His running partner went for help. The man suffered an unwitnessed hypothermic cardiac arrest. The on-site management and evacuation are described and included the use of intermittent cardiopulmonary resuscitation and a mechanical device during transport. The patient was successfully resuscitated and rewarmed by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) after more than 2 h of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After 14 h of ECMO support and five days of ventilation, the patient subsequently made a good neurological recovery. At hospital discharge, he had normal cerebral function, and an improving peripheral polyneuropathy affecting distal limbs, with paraesthesia in both feet and reduced coordination and fine motor skills in both hands.


A study of the various biological parameters of the blood in the genetically obese Zucker rat, the nonobese Zucker rat, and the Wistar rat has revealed great similarity between the two latter types of animals. On the other hand, in genetically obese Zucker rats as compared with the nonobese ones, (1) the blood mass per unit of weight was lower; (2) the level of nitrogenous degradation compounds was the same; (3) the lipase activity was lower; (4) the levels of substances for which liver plays a crucial role--all lipid and protein fractions, glucose, and the enzyme GPT--were higher; (5) the levels of Ca, Zn, Fe, Cu and Pi were high; (6) the blood and bone-marrow cells were unremarkable.


Background:Previous studies have suggested that &bgr;1-receptor blockers benefit septic shock patients. This study aimed to determine whether &bgr;1-receptor blockers benefit tissue perfusion in sepsis and to identify parameters to reduce the risk of this drug in sepsis. Methods:Consecutive septic shock patients were recruited from the Intensive Care Unit of Peking Union Medical College Hospital within 48 h of diagnosis. All patients were hemodynamically stable and satisfactorily sedated with a heart rate (HR) ≥100 beats/min. Esmolol therapy achieved the target HR of 10–15% lower than the baseline HR. Clinical and physiological data of patients were collected prospectively within 1 h prior to esmolol therapy and 2 h after achieving the targeted HR. Results:Sixty-three patients were recruited. After esmolol therapy, blood pressure was unaltered, whereas stroke volume (SV) was increased compared with before esmolol therapy (43.6 ± 22.7 vs. 49.9 ± 23.7 ml, t = −2.3, P = 0.047). Tissue perfusion, including lactate levels (1.4 ± 0.8 vs. 1.1 ± 0.6 mmol/L, t = 2.6, P = 0.015) and the central venous-to-arterial carbon dioxide difference (5.6 ± 3.3 vs. 4.3 ± 2.2 mmHg, t = 2.6 P = 0.016), was also significantly decreased after esmolol therapy. For patients with increased SV (n = 42), cardiac efficiency improved, and esmolol therapy had a lower risk for a decrease in cardiac output (CO). Therefore, pretreatment cardiac systolic and diastolic parameters with (n = 42)/without (n = 21) an increase in SV were compared. Mitral lateral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSElat) in patients with increased SV was significantly higher than that in those without increased SV (1.3 ± 0.3 vs. 1.1 ± 0.2 cm, t = 2.4, P = 0.034). Conclusions:SV of septic shock patients is increased following esmolol therapy. Although CO is also decreased with HR, tissue perfusion is not worse. MAPSElat can be used to predict an increase in SV before esmolol use. Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01920776; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01920776?term=NCT01920776&rank=1.


The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a model called Video-Based Learning (VBL). VBL is designed to improve the learning of higher education courses, especially those based on activities performed on a computer screen, or learning related to the understanding of visual objects, such as formulas, equations, diagrams, etc. The present study aims to examine the effectiveness of the model for quantitative courses, such as statistics, mathematics, computer courses, or equivalent. The research was based on six samples of students (n =14, n =41, n =17, n =27, 1 n =27, n =19, n =145) who studied three quantitative courses: Fundamentals of PSPP, Introduction to Statistics, and 5 total Math for Business Administration. The learners were asked to answer an online questionnaire to assess the characteristics and advantages of VBL for their studies. The findings of the study indicate that according to the students' perceptions, VBL has a significant advantage for students' learning in quantitative courses in higher education: The learning process is outstanding and is much better than reading texts or listening to live lectures and it is considerably flexible. Therefore, it is recommended to adopt the model in faculties of higher education teaching quantitative courses.


We present an ongoing implementation of a dependent-type theory (Δ-framework) based on the Edinburgh Logical Framework LF, extended with Proof-functional logical connectives such as intersection, union, and strong (or minimal relevant) implication. Their combination opens up new possibilities of formal reasoning on proof-theoretic semantics. We provide some examples in the extended type theory and we outline a type checker. The theory of the system is under investigation. Once validated in vitro, the proof-functional type theory could be successfully plugged into existing truth-functional proof-systems.


Four Southern Hemisphere and one Northern Hemisphere species of Jassa (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Ischyrocerini) are removed from this genus. The south temperate Jassa barnardi Stephensen, 1949 is synonymized with Ventojassa frequens (Chilton, 1883). The south temperate and subantarctic Jassa multidentata Schellenberg, 1931 and Jassa wandeli Chevreux, 1906 are transferred to Pleojassa n. gen., with the addition of P. lowryi n. sp., P. moorei n. sp. and P. orientalis n. sp. Hemijassa Walker, 1907 is resurrected for the Antarctic Jassa goniamera Walker, 1903. The Northern Hemisphere Jassa ocia (Bate, 1862) is transferred to Plumulojassa n. gen. and shown to range throughout the temperate coasts of the northeastern Atlantic and its eastern seas. Placed in context of the other genera of the Ischyrocerini Stebbing, 1899, Jassa, Pleojassa, Hemijassa and Plumulojassa join Parajassa Stebbing, 1899 in having a unique uropod 3 morphology. Characteristics of the uropod 3 and other appendages are used to revise four other genera of the Ischyrocerini. Ischyrocerus Krøyer, 1838 now becomes a temperate to polar genus, with Neoischyrocerus Conlan, 1995 embracing tropical species of Ischyrocerus and all members of Coxischyrocerus Just, 2009 and Tropischyrocerus Just, 2009. A new diagnosis and illustrated key to the 18 genera of Ischyrocerini is given.


We analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of fault geometries from seismicity induced by fluid injection at The Geysers geothermal field. The consistency of these faults with the local stress field is investigated using (1) the fault instability coefficient I comparing the orientation of a fault with the optimal orientation for failure in the assumed stress field and (2) the misfit angle β between slip vectors observed from focal mechanisms and predicted from stress tensor. A statistical approach is applied to calculate the most likely fault instabilities considering the uncertainties from focal mechanisms and stress inversion. We find that faults activated by fluid injection may display a broad range in orientations. About 72% of the analyzed seismicity occurs on faults with favorable orientation for failure with respect to the stress field. However, a number of events are observed either to occur on severely misoriented faults or to slip in a different orientation than predicted from stress field. These events mostly occur during periods of high injection rates and are located in proximity to the injection wells. From the stress inversion, the friction coefficient providing the largest overall instability is μ = 0.5. About 91% of the events are activated with an estimated excess pore pressure <10 MPa, in agreement with previous models considering the combined effect of thermal and poroelastic stress changes from fluid injection. Furthermore, high seismic activity and largest magnitudes occur on favorably oriented faults with large instability coefficients and low slip misfit angles.


Four studies under preclinical and clinical conditions were performed to evaluate the efficacy of a new trivalent vaccine against Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) infection. The product contained inactivated PCV-1/PCV-2a (cPCV-2a) and PCV-1/PCV-2b (cPCV-2b) chimeras, plus M. hyopneumoniae inactivated cell-free antigens, which was administered to piglets in a two-dose regime at 3 days of age and 3 weeks later. The overall results of preclinical and clinical studies show a significant reduction in PCV-2 viraemia and faecal excretion, and lower histopathological lymphoid lesions and PCV-2 immunohistochemistry scores in vaccinated pigs when compared to non-vaccinated ones. Furthermore, in field trial A, a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of PCV-2-subclinical infection, an increase in body weight from 16 weeks of age to slaughterhouse and an average daily weight gain over the whole period (from 3 days of age to slaughterhouse) was detected in the vaccinated group when compared to the non-vaccinated one. Circulation of PCV-2a in field trial A, and PCV-2b plus PCV-2d in field trial B was confirmed by virus sequencing. In conclusion, a double immunization with a cPCV-2a/cPCV-2b/M. hyopneumoniae vaccine was efficacious against PCV-2 infection by reducing the number of histopathological lymphoid lesions and PCV-2 detection in tissues, serum, and faeces, as well as reducing losses in productive parameters.


A patient with pleural blastomycosis developed hyperprolactinemia with amenorrhea and galactorrhea. These abnormalities were corrected by treatment with amphotericin B. Chest wall stimulation secondary to the pleural infection might have resulted in these endocrine abnormalities.


Initiation of host cell infection by an enveloped virus requires a viral-to-host cell membrane fusion event. This event is mediated by at least one viral transmembrane glycoprotein, termed the fusion protein, which is a key therapeutic target. Viral fusion proteins have been studied for decades, and numerous critical insights into their function have been elucidated. However, the transmembrane region remains one of the most poorly understood facets of these proteins. In the past ten years, the field has made significant advances in understanding the role of the membrane-spanning region of viral fusion proteins. We summarize developments made in the past decade that have contributed to the understanding of the transmembrane region of viral fusion proteins, highlighting not only their critical role in the membrane fusion process, but further demonstrating their involvement in several aspects of the viral lifecycle.


As described in the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice, school nurses bridge the realities of health and education policy within the school community every day. This role is inclusive of helping teach sexual health education (SHE) to students. We were interested in characterizing how school nurses navigate requirements of health education policy to provide their students with the SHE content that they need. Using data from a larger study, we organized a subset of school nurse data within the street-level bureaucracy framework to better understand the many challenges school nurses face in implementing SHE policy. School nurses' involvement in SHE policy implementation was congruent with characteristics of the framework. This included using their professional discretion to manage dilemmas, working with inadequate resources, unclear policy expectations, lack of support, and ambiguous policy goals. Trusted relationships with teachers and students helped school nurses with their SHE policy implementation responsibilities.


City Officials M. Mieto, Chief Administrative Officer, R. Falcioni, Acting General Manager of Infrastructure Services; C. Matheson, General Manager of Community Development; R. Sauve, Acting General Manager of Growth & Development; L. Webster, Acting Chief of Emergency Services; J. Dolson, Acting Executive Director, Administrative Services; L. Hayes, Chief Financial Officer/ Treasurer; P. Thomson, Director of Human Resources & Organizational Development; E. Stankiewicz, Manager of Financial Planning & Policy; D. Dumontelle, Manager of Financial Support and Budgeting; C. Gore, Manager of Volunteerism & Community Development; T. Parmar, Manager of Quality, Administration & Financial Services; K. Rossi, Coordinator of Seniors' and Health Development Community Services; J. McKechnie, Executive Assistant to the Mayor; K. Lang, Business Development Officer; A. Hache, City Clerk; P. Pelletier, Mail Clerk; F. Bortolussi, Council Secretary


Financial inclusion has been a trend since post 2008 crisis especially derived from the effects of the crisis towards the class in the bottom of the pyramid. Financial inclusion rate in Indonesia, if seen from three main indicators, is still low. Indonesians who have an account in financial institutions is at 35,95 percent and those who save is at 25,56 percent. Meanwhile, Indonesians who borrow in formal financial institutions are only at 13,3 percent. This study aims to examine individual characteristics in influencing three main indicators of financial inclusion, the ownership of the account, saving, and borrowing from formal financial institution in Indonesia. The data used is the micro-level data with 1000 respondents of the Indonesian population obtained from Global Findex 2014 issued by the World Bank. In accordance with the objectives of this study, the method used is the logit regression model. The results of the research shows that individual characteristics such as income level, education level, and age significantly affect ownership and savings accounts in formal financial institutions. While gender has no significant effect. In the third indicator which is the borrowing from formal financial institutions, only the poorest income quintile and age has a significant effect.


The following investigation was undertaken in the hope that actual photographic records might be submitted of the renal vessels in the later stages of their distribution and that the evidence produced might definitely eliminate the doubt that exists regarding certain features of their finer circulation. A review of the literature reveals an inconsistency of findings, together with a certain looseness of terminology. Slight differences in terminology are to be expected, but one does not expect to find such diversity of opinion regarding the finer circulation of an organ of such importance as the kidney. The two outstanding points of controversy seem to be ( a ) the origin of the arteriae rectae of the medulla and ( b ) the existence or nonexistence of any blood supply to the cortex from the renal artery, which has not previously traversed a glomerulus. In 1842, Bowman 1 wrote his classic account of the renal circulation. He


Mesoscopic injection solar cells operate in an entirely different fashion than conventional solar p‐n junction devices. Mimicking the principles that natural photosynthesis has used successfully over the last 3·5 billion years in solar energy conversion, they achieve the separation of light harvesting and charge carrier transport. The semiconductors used in conventional cells assume both functions simultaneously imposing stringent demands on purity and entailing high material and production costs. The prototype of this new PV family is the dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSC). The DSC has made phenomenal progress since its discovery was announced in the scientific literature only 14 years ago. 1 Conversion efficiencies of 11·3% and excellent stability have been reached rendering it a credible alternative to conventional p‐n junction photovoltaic devices. The industrial development is advancing rapidly. Several enterprises currently produce modules and flexible cells on a pilot scale and commercial manufacturing of the DSC has recently been announced. It is asserted that this type of cell is a viable contender for large‐scale future solar energy conversion systems on the bases of cost, efficiency, stability and availability, as well as environmental compatibility. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We propose a new method to compute asymptotics of periods using tropical geometry, in which the Riemann zeta values appear naturally as error terms in tropicalization. Our method suggests how the Gamma class should arise from the Strominger-Yau-Zaslow conjecture. We use it to give a new proof of (a version of) the Gamma Conjecture for Batyrev pairs of mirror Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces.


Previous studies have suggested an association between air pollution and lung disease. However, few studies have explored the relationship between chronic lung diseases classified by lung function and environmental parameters. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the relationship between chronic lung diseases, air pollution, meteorological factors, and anthropometric indices. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Taiwan Biobank and the Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Database. A total of 2889 participants were included. We found a V/U-shaped relationship between temperature and air pollutants, with significant effects at both high and low temperatures. In addition, at lower temperatures (<24.6 °C), air pollutants including carbon monoxide (CO) (adjusted OR (aOR):1.78/Log 1 ppb, 95% CI 0.98–3.25; aOR:5.35/Log 1 ppb, 95% CI 2.88–9.94), nitrogen monoxide (NO) (aOR:1.05/ppm, 95% CI 1.01–1.09; aOR:1.11/ppm, 95% CI 1.07–1.15), nitrogen oxides (NOx) (aOR:1.02/ppm, 95% CI 1.00–1.05; aOR:1.06/ppm, 95% CI 1.04–1.08), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) (aOR:1.29/ppm, 95% CI 1.01–1.65; aOR:1.77/ppm, 95% CI 1.36–2.30) were associated with restrictive and mixed lung diseases, respectively. Exposure to CO, NO, NO2, NOx and SO2 significantly affected obstructive and mixed lung disease in southern Taiwan. In conclusion, temperature and air pollution should be considered together when evaluating the impact on chronic lung diseases.


ATM, primarily activated by DNA double-strand breaks, and ATR, activated by single-stranded DNA, are master regulators of the cellular response to DNA damage. In primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, ATR signaling is considered to be switched off due to ATR downregulation. Here, we hypothesized that ATR, though expressed at low protein level, could play a role in primary resting CLL cells after genotoxic stress. By investigating the response of CLL cells to UV-C irradiation, a prototypical activator of ATR, we could detect phosphorylation of ATR at Thr-1989, a marker for ATR activation, and also observed that selective ATR inhibitors markedly decreased UV-C-induced phosphorylation of ATR targets, including H2AX and p53. Similar results were obtained with the purine analogs fludarabine and cladribine that were also shown to activate ATR and induce ATR-dependent phosphorylation of H2AX and p53. In addition, ATR inhibition was found to sensitize primary CLL cells to UV-C by decreasing DNA repair synthesis. Conversely, ATR inhibition rescued CLL cells against purine analogs by reducing expression of the pro-apoptotic genes PUMA and BAX. Collectively, our study indicates that ATR signaling can be activated in resting CLL cells and play a pro-survival or pro-apoptotic role, depending on the genotoxic context.


Helmholtz resonators are often applied for the sound equalization of control rooms in recording studios, through adequate leveling of the low frequency acoustic modal room responses. The number of controlled acoustic modes depends on the central frequency and damping of resonators, as well as on the modal density of the controlled system within the resonator's frequency range. In a recent paper, we proposed to improve the efficiency of such devices by, instead of using basic Helmholtz resonators, develop shape optimized multimodal resonators in order to cope with a larger number of intrusive room modes. In spite of the promising results thus obtained, further work is needed to demonstrate the feasibility of such an approach. The present paper is a further step in that direction by analyzing the acoustics of the fully coupled room/resonators system including dissapative effects. More specifically, using an acoustical substructure computational approach, we theoretically derive the coupled modes of rooms fi...


We present an approach to studying theoretically the regularities and the kinetic characteristics of influenza A virus (IAV) infection in man. The estimates of the "numbers" (Zinkernagel et al., 1985) characterizing evolutionary established interferon and immune responses in uncomplicated IAV infection are explored by developing a multiparameter mathematical model which allows direct quantitative references to the biological reality. The system of equations of the mathematical model of antiviral immune response, applied earlier to acute hepatitis B virus infection (Marchuk et al., 1991a, b), is modified and extended to describe the joint reaction of the interferon and immune systems in IAV infection. Macrophages infiltrating the airway's epithelium are considered to be the principal source of interferon that induces antiviral resistance in lung epithelial cells. The model is formulated as a delay-differential system with about 60 parameters characterizing the rates of various processes contributing to the typical course of IAV infection. The key aspect of the adjustment between the model and various data on the immunity to influenza is the derivation of a consistent data set--the generalized picture of uncomplicated IAV infection. It serves as a consistent theoretical definition of the structure of the normal course of the infection and the antiviral immune response suitable for model fitting. The parameter estimates for the processes considered in the model are carefully discussed. The quantitative model is used to study the organization and dynamic properties of the processes contributing to IAV infection. The threshold condition for immune protection of virus-free host to infection with IAV is analyzed. The relative roles of humoral, cellular and interferon reactions for the kinetics of the uncomplicated IAV infection are studied. The contribution of parameters of virus-sensitive tissue, interferon and IAV-specific immune processes to the variations of duration and severity of the infection is quantitatively estimated by sensitivity studies. It is shown that the variations in the parameters of a virus-epithelial cell system are more influential on the severity of the infection rather than that of the antiviral immune response. The need for fine co-ordination of the kinetics of the non-specific interferon response and the adaptive antigen-specific immune reactions to provide recovery from the infection is illustrated.


We present convolutional neural networks for the tasks of keypoint (pose) prediction and action classification of people in unconstrained images. Our approach involves training an R-CNN detector with loss functions depending on the task being tackled. We evaluate our method on the challenging PASCAL VOC dataset and compare it to previous leading approaches. Our method gives state-of-the-art results for keypoint and action prediction. Additionally, we introduce a new dataset for action detection, the task of simultaneously localizing people and classifying their actions, and present results using our approach.


Baggage inspection systems using X-ray screening are crucial for security. Only 90% of threat objects are recognized from the X-ray system based in human inspection. Manual detection requires high concentration due to the images complexity and the challenges objects points of view. An algorithm based on Bag of Visual Word (BoVW) with Selective Search is proposed in this paper for handguns detection in single energy X-ray images from the public GDXray database. This approach is an adaptation of BoVW for X-ray baggage images context. In order to evaluate the proposed method the algorithm effectiveness recognition was tested on all bounding boxes returned by selective search algorithm in 200 images. The most relevant result is the precision and true positive rate (PPV = 80%, TPR= 92%). This approach achieves good performance for handgun recognition. In addition, it is the first time the Selective Search localization algorithm was tested in baggage X-ray images and showed possibilities with Bag of Visual Words.


E-invoicing has the potential to reduce supply chain transaction cost, space, and time as well as unnecessary administrative burdens on Nigerian companies. Both the supplier and the buyer will enjoy the benefits of cost reduction, increased efficiency and enhanced productivity. Job creation will be the reward from e-invoicing to Nigeria as a country as its adoption will pave the way for the new start-up companies as e-invoicing service providers. Above all, the practical implication of this book on behavioural intention to adopt e-invoicing on Nigerian society is the smallest carbon footprint of invoicing through reduction in carbon dioxide (C02). All these add up to present e-invoicing as the need of the moment.


The Cannabis Act legalized the possession and sale of nonmedical cannabis in Canada on October 17, 2018. Evaluating the impact of cannabis legalization requires a more thorough understanding than is provided by most existing measures of cannabis use. The aim of this study was to pretest a range of cannabis consumption measures used in a population-based survey and to share insights gained in the process. Cognitive interviewing was conducted among 10 cannabis users aged ≥16 years. Comprehension and self-reporting of consumption types and amounts, sources of purchase, and cannabinoid levels were examined. Findings revealed areas for improvement in a number of survey items, including unclear wording and reference images. Identified issues were used to improve the survey for use in the International Cannabis Policy Study. The authors discuss important principles (e.g., use of visual cues, user-selected units, and time frames) that should be adopted when assessing cannabis use in population-based studies.


We image the dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons in gold and silver thin films of 30 and 50 nm thickness, using angle-resolved white light spectroscopy in the Kretschmann geometry. Calibrated dispersion curves are obtained over a wavelength range spanning from 550 to 900 nm. We obtain good qualitative agreement with calculated dispersion curves that take into account the thickness of the thin film.


Soft-templating synthesis of nanoporous carbons with incorporated alumina nanoparticles Soft-templated microporous-mesoporous carbons with embedded alumina nanoparticles were synthesized using resorcinol and formaldehyde as carbon precursors, different inorganic acids as a catalyst and poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer as a soft template. The carbons studied have very good adsorption properties such as high specific surface area, uniform pore size distribution and a large total pore volume. The choice of catalyst seems to play an important role for the incorporation of aluminum species to the carbon framework, which after thermal treatment form aluminum oxide nanoparticles. This simple approach seems to be very promising for the design of carbon-based materials for a broad range of applications.


To study the bioequivalence of Clavulanate Potassium and Amoxicillin (1:7) dispersible tablets, a randomized cross-over study was conducted in 18 healthy volunteers. A single oral dose of 1,000 mg Clavulanate Potassium and Amoxicillin (1:7) dispersible tablets (Tested formulation, T) or Augmentin syrup (Reference formulation, R). Concentrations in plasma were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography. The main parameters of T were: for Clavulanate Potassium and Amoxicillin, Cmax: 2.46 +/- 1.11 micrograms/ml and 18.81 +/- 7.26 micrograms/ml, Tmax: 1.12 +/- 0.23 h and 1.30 +/- 0.34 h, AUC(0-6 h): 5.18 +/- 2.24 micrograms.h/ml and 45.09 +/- 14.53 micrograms.h/ml, t1/2: 1.43 +/- 0.44 h and 1.09 +/- 0.22 h., respectively. The relative bioavailability of T to R were 96.5 +/- 19.2% and 98.4 +/- 26.1%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the two formulations were bioequivalent.


An investigation was carried out in the Department of Olericulture, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara for screening brinjal genotypes for tolerance/ resistance to jassids. The accessions SM 363, SM 364, SM 366, SM 384 and SM 385 were found resistant to jassid infestation in the field screening as well as in artificial screening in cages. The morphological and anatomical bases of resistance were also unraveled. High midrib hair density and longer midrib hairs were found to impart resistance to jassids in the resistant accessions. Anatomical studies of midrib of susceptible and resistant accessions revealed variation in cuticle thickness, cell wall thickness of epidermal cells and intercellular space of hypodermal cells. These characters, either alone or in combination, may be contributing resistance to oviposition or feeding of jassids in brinjal .


The author reminds the reader that Christianity originated from Jerusalem and throughout the centuries spread to all continents. Christianity rightful claim over the city is justified by the fact that Jesus Christ's three years of public life and His subsequent crucifixion happened in the Holy City. Modern times Jerusalem is subject of religious discrimination imposed by the occupying forces. The only solution for the three monotheistic religions is mutual tolerance and sharing.


s). "Seismic Attribute Mapping of Structure and Stratigraphy" by Marfurt (SEG/EAGE DISC course, 2006). "Attribute extraction: An important application in any detailed 3D interpretation study" by Rijks and Jauffred (TLE, 1991). "Curvature attributes and their application to 3D interpreted horizons" by Roberts (First Break, 2001). "The Austin Chalk: Simulation of horizontal wells in a heterogeneous formation" by Schnerk and Madeen (SPE 20716, 2000). "Curvature attributes and seismic interpretation: Case studies from Argentina basins" by Sigismondi and Soldo (TLE, 2003). TLE Acknowledgments: We thank Chuck Blumentritt of Geotexture Technologies for processing the volume curvature attributes and preparing the image shown in Figure 17. We thank Arcis Corporation for permission to show the data examples and publish this work. Corresponding author: email@example.com 414 THE LEADING EDGE APRIL 2007 Figure 17. Interpretation of lineations corresponding to subtle faults carried out on the most-negative curvature horizon slice 120 ms below the horizon shown in Figure 4. The lineation interpretation is carried out on three separate compartments as distinguished by the two main faults running north–south and color. Rose diagrams prepared for the three sets of lineations are shown in their respective colors and can be compared with similar diagrams available from FMI logs (data courtesy of Arcis Corporation).


An interferometric method is presented to measure the differential refractive index Delta n of a liquid solution. The procedure is based on the spectroscopic analysis of the phase of a light beam which travels through the sample. The interferogram is recorded by a linear array of CCD photodiodes. The analogue signal so obtained is automatically processed by a microcomputer in order to get the refractive index. Precision of 2*10-7 in Delta n is obtained. Experimental examples and alternative methods of data processing are presented.


As global warming is causing a significant reduction in the extent and the thickness of Arctic sea ice, a narrative for future large-scale commercial shipping in the Arctic has started to evolve. However, while most efforts have aimed to assess the financial benefits along with potential savings in greenhouse gas emissions, few studies have explored risk patterns and safety issues associated with Arctic shipping and its current commercial alternatives in a geospatial manner. This study aims at addressing this gap in the literature, by assessing the risk factors associated with Arctic shipping, in particular, risks along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) connecting European and Asian ports. Its main component includes a global least-cost analysis, aiming to assess global and Arctic risk factors associated with commercial shipping, to derive the least risk paths from 10 major ports in Europe to 10 in Asia. To project the results into the future, and thus assess the future potential of the NSR as a viable and less risky alternative, a dataset on predicted sea ice thickness within 2010–2099, restricted the analysis based on the penetration capabilities of three selected vessel types. Ultimately, the study concludes that maritime transportation, bound for East-Asia, commencing from most northern European ports, could benefit from the NSR, not just in terms of distance savings, cost reduction and less CO2 production, but also as a safer alternative. Lastly, two recommendations drawn from our results aim to assist decision-makers in facilitating future Arctic transportation by addressing accessibility and safety issues. Highlights We explore risk patterns and safety issues associated with Arctic shipping and its current commercial alternatives in a geospatial manner. We assess the future potential of the northern sea route (NSR) as a viable and less risky alternative for European-Asian shipping. We provide a discussion on pros and cons of utilising the NSR in terms of distance savings resulting in cost reduction as well as less CO2 production, and as a safer alternative.


Introduction
The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of ablation and surgery in solitary Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) measuring ≤5 cm with a large HCC cohort database.

Methods
The study included consecutive 2067 patients with solitary HCC who were treated with either ablation (N=1248) or surgery (N=819). The patients were divided into three groups based on the tumor size and compared the outcomes of the two therapies using propensity score matching.

Results
No significant difference in recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) was found between surgery and ablation groups for tumors measuring ≤2 cm or >2 cm but ≤3 cm. For tumors measuring >3 cm but ≤5 cm, RFS was significantly better with surgery than with ablation (3.6 and 2.0 years, respectively, p = 0.0297). However, no significant difference in OS was found between surgery and ablation in this group (6.7 and 6.0 years, respectively, p = 0.668).

Discussion/Conclusion
The study suggests that surgery and ablation can be equally used as a treatment for solitary HCC no more than 3 cm in diameter. For HCCs measuring 3-5 cm, the OS was not different between therapies; thus, ablation and less invasive therapy can be considered a treatment option; however, special caution should be taken to prevent recurrence.


AACR Centennial Conference: Translational Cancer Medicine-- July 20-23, 2008; Monterey, CA

A23

In this new age of utilizing complex biomarkers as metrics for describing disease types or making therapeutic decisions, translating discoveries at the benchtop to efficacious therapies in the clinic remains an overwhelming obstacle. Cancer of any tissue type is still a heterogeneous disease when evaluated among affected individuals. Developing new therapeutics requires understanding of the disease process, particularly avenues that lead to therapies appropriate for the heterogeneity observed in the clinic. We hypothesize that by combining knowledge-driven and data-driven approaches in analyzing gene expression data new pathways and targets for lung cancer therapeutics can be rationally ascertained. Lung adenocarcinomas frequently have genetic lesions affecting EGFR or K-ras. The consequence of either mutation may be deregulation of one or more downstream signaling cascades, namely MAPK, PI3K/AKT, and STAT pathways. This knowledge was utilized to develop gene expression signatures of activation of each pathway in airway epithelial cells. The gene expression signatures derived from each dataset were compared to the genes in signatures that describe K-ras activity or sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors in lung cancer cell lines to determine co-expression. The genes that were found to be in common among the individual signatures may be potential hubs for normal control of the activity of PI3K/AKT, MAPK and STAT signaling cascades. To test genes for activity among signaling pathways, the list of commonly-deregulated genes was narrowed to candidate genes chosen fit two criteria: 1) enzymatic activity and 2) likely regulation of activity by gene expression or protein turnover but not post-translational modification. Published data from similar gene expression studies, but using different cell systems, was evaluated to determine if our candidates are system specific. Following this evaluation, phosphatases that were deregulated in the gene expression signatures of pathway activity arose as an interesting subset of activities across all systems evaluated. Of the phosphatases screened by probesets on the array, the dual specificity phosphatases (DUSP) became the focus of our efforts, specifically DUSP4/MKP2. DUSP4 activity was characterized among lung cancer cell lines and airway epithelial cells. The expression, localization and substrates of DUSP4 suggest that this phosphatase may link the MAPK and AKT pathways which are both deregulated in EGFR and K-ras active lung cancers. Thus, our proof-of-concept exercise in combining knowledge-driven and data-driven approaches to select targets for novel lung cancer therapeutics may yield a reasonable target.


Botulism poisoning results in a presynaptic failure of neuromuscular transmission, and may be expected to impair Eustachian tube and stapedius reflex function. The audiologic findings in five normal-hearing patients with type A botulism poisoning are presented. Results were varied. Two patients demonstrated type B or C tympanograms during the early stages, while three with normal middle ear function demonstrated marked bilateral or unilateral stapedius reflux threshold elevation. One patient had a reversible reflex decay, and the superimposition of a second stimulus upon the first resulted in complete recovery of reflex amplitude. A number of possible pathophysiological mechanisms are discussed.


NICE have issued a new quality standard (QS163, February 2018) for the management of the mental health of adults in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS). The QS focuses solely on the early part of the care pathway for individuals who need to access psychiatric care at the point of, or, after police arrest. This is a significant point of entry for many people with mental health problems, whose help‐seeking behaviour is often disguised.


In this paper, Spatial Access Methods, like R-Tree and k-d Tree, for indexing data, are used to speed up the training process and performance of data analysis methods which learning algorithms are kind of competitive learning. Often, the search for the winning neuron is performed sequentially, which leads to a large number of operations. Instead of using the common sequential determination of the winning neuron, which has a computational complexity of O(N) (where N is the number of candidate units to be the winner), the approach proposed here allows to find the winning neuron in, approximately, log N steps. Results obtained by incorporating k-d-tree, R-Tree into Self-Organizing Maps are presented and compared with their sequential counterpart implementation of SOM. The methods of SOM family used are: k-means, Kohonen network and GNG network. Several database has been used for demonstrating that a dramatic speed up can be achieved, what is very significant when large-scale and high dimensional databases are being considered.


In Italy, organic egg production farms use free-range housing systems with a big outdoor area and a flock of no more than 500 hens. With additional devices and/or farming procedures, the whole flock could be forced to stay in the outdoor area for a limited time of the day. As a consequence, ozone treatments of housing areas could be performed in order to reduce the levels of atmospheric ammonia and bacterial load without risks, due by its toxicity, both for hens and workers. However, an automatic monitoring system, and a sensor able to detect the presence of animals, would be necessary. For this purpose, a first sensor was developed but some limits, related to the time necessary to detect a hen, were observed. In this study, significant improvements, for this sensor, are proposed. They were reached by an image pattern recognition technique that was applied to thermografic images acquired from the housing system. An experimental group of seven laying hens was selected for the tests, carried out for three weeks. The first week was used to set-up the sensor. Different templates, to use for the pattern recognition, were studied and different floor temperature shifts were investigated. At the end of these evaluations, a template of elliptical shape, and sizes of 135 × 63 pixels, was chosen. Furthermore, a temperature shift of one degree was selected to calculate, for each image, a color background threshold to apply in the following field tests. Obtained results showed an improvement of the sensor detection accuracy that reached values of sensitivity and specificity of 95.1% and 98.7%. In addition, the range of time necessary to detect a hen, or classify a case, was reduced at two seconds. This result could allow the sensor to control a bigger area of the housing system. Thus, the resulting monitoring system could allow to perform the sanitary treatments without risks both for animals and humans.


for cirrhotic patient. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using the MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases through June 2021 to identify studies that compared clinical outcomes of interest, including thrombosis recanalization, bleeding events, and all-cause mortality between cirrhotic patients who used DOAC and TAC for splanchnic vein thrombosis. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method. Results: Four studies met our eligibility criteria and were included in analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between DOAC group and TAC group on thrombosis recanalization (pooled OR 5 3.01, 95% CI: 0.43-20.78, p 5 0.26), all bleeding events (pooled OR 5 0.27, 95% CI: 0.01-7.59, p 5 0.44), or all-cause mortality (pooled OR 5 0.27, 95% CI: 0.01-7.33, p 5 0.44). The forest plots are shown in figure 1. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis found no significant differences in thrombosis recanalization, bleeding events, and all-cause mortality between cirrhotic patients who used DOAC and TAC for splanchnic vein thrombosis. However, DOAC showed some promising outcomes in safety and efficacy. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm our findings.


ABSTRACT Evaluations of resources and environmental carrying capacities (GRECC) are the premise of land space planning and use control. Resource allocations and environmental capacity are the basic conditions that restrict development in a region. In this paper, based on a systematic review of China's geological environment, groundwater resources, mineral resources, other geological resources and the environmental carrying capacity research status, the relationship between the natural resource environmental system and the socio-economic system is studied. Then a "coordination theory of resources and environmental carrying" is proposed. Next, on the basis of an evaluation experiment performed at different scales and for different types of regions, the technical methods for an evaluation of the geological resources and environmental carrying capacity at the regional (inter-provincial) and provincial scales in China are established for the first time. This paper presents a standardized method based on technical ideas, evaluation methods, and index systems for geological resource and environmental carrying capacity evaluation. Finally, an evaluation of the groundwater resource carrying capacity in China is used as an example for the demonstration of the groundwater resource background and use of state evaluation methods.


There is growing opposition among many Latin American and Caribbean governments, and from a broad spectrum of civil society organizations, to the hemispheric free trade regime that the United States government and the international financial institutions and US transnational corporations have been trying to impose on the region. This opposition represents a serious challenge to US hegemony and growing conflict over the nature and direction of capitalist development in the region. It seems increasingly possible that these forces and conditions will transform the nature of inter-American relations and bring about the regional integration of Latin America and the Caribbean. Further, it may do so in accordance with a progressive regional agenda rather than Washington's neoliberal agenda for integrating the western hemisphere under US hegemony.


The promotion, at local level, of resource recycling chains, with low environmental impact and costs, appears of great interest for the production of green composts to replace peat in ornamental crops. In this work, two green composts, differing for the criterion of raw material selection for composting, were tested for the cultivation of two bedding plants in comparison with 100% peat based substrate. Leaf chlorophyll (SPAD index), biometric and growth parameters, and tissue mineral composition were measured to assess growing media-plant system performances. Both growing media and plants gave heterogeneous responses depending on substrate characteristics and plant requirements and/or tolerance to abiotic stress. Plant biomass was reduced by 63% (on average) in the most sensitive species due to the high Cl concentration detected in one of the two green composts; a similar trend was observed for SPAD index. The results support the shared idea that the selection of raw material is a strategy of primary importance in the composting process to obtain high quality green compost.


This article explores the lexical problems of court interpreters interpreting from Setswana to English and from English to Setswana in Botswana. Data for the study were collected from audio CDs and transcripts of court proceedings of criminal trials at Lobatse High Court. Among the major fi ndings are the poor interpretation of some of the lexical items in Botswana's elaborate kinship and cattle naming systems into English, and that of certain English legal jargon and slang expressions into Setswana. Evidence of a tacit collective resolve, especially by judges, to ensure that interpreters perform adequately in the Botswana law court exists in the data.


The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a radio frequency (RF) communication system that consists of transmitters on the satellites and receivers on the ground. Because of substantial path loss, the received signal power from satellites is extremely weak and even below the thermal noise floor and as such is very sensitive to changes in the underlying noise floor. The goal of this work is to investigate the radio spectrum environment in the GPS band along with two additional bands, the Unified-S band and 2.4 GHz Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band. The spectrum survey was conducted at various locations in the San Francisco Bay area including various urban, rural areas and airports and harbors which are operational significant to GPS. The measurement data collected in this study will provide a more accurate representation of the current status and the characteristics of the spectrum environment. Geographical variation within the sites will reveal correlation between the spectrum environment and the level of urbanization and also a comparative study on the frequency bands under different level of regulations can be used to investigate the effectiveness of the current spectrum policy.


This research demonstrates that coming support for hardware transactional memory can be leveraged to significantly reduce the cost of implementing true speculative multithreading. In particular, it explores the path from eager conflict detection HTM to full support of efficient speculative multithreading, focusing on the case where frequent memory dependencies exist between speculative threads. The result is a unified memory architecture capable of effective support for transactional parallel workloads and efficient speculative multithreading.


Based on the study of 43 patients with acute psychosis due to the use of synthetic cannabinoids, the authors showed that the inclusion of neuroleptic drugs in the complex therapy increases the efficacy of therapy. In choosing a neuroleptic it is important to take into account not only the psychopathological structure of psychosis, but also the severity of somatic and neurological disorders associated with psychosis.


It is argued that the inner Solar System is chemically fractionated with regard to the bulk Solar System. It is enriched in refractory and depleted in volatile elements. Carbonaceous chondrites reflect the major fractionation trends of the present inner Solar System material. Other groups of meteorites are indicative of processes in more local environments. Although the element pattern of material in the inner Solar System bears some resemblance to that in grains of the interstellar medium (ISM), Solar System materials have, with few exceptions, no memory of their ISM origin. After decoupling of the Solar System from ISM, isotopic and elemental remixing occurred followed by metal, forsterite and volatile element fractionations.


In April 2006, Massachusetts passed its third major health care access reform law since 1988. This law establishes new structures and requirements that have never been attempted by any state. Key features include a shift of federal Medicaid dollars from institutional support to individual insurance subsidies, establishment of an insurance "Connector," individual and employer responsibility, a small-firm and individual insurance market merger, and provisions to address racial and ethnic health disparities. Massachusetts will engage in a multiyear implementation process. Only after this process is complete will the law's significance be clear.


The Bloodworth Northeast field was discovered in February 1967. The discovery well was the Tucker Drilling Co., Inc., and Peter Henderson Oil Co. No. 1 Foster S. Price, 0.5 mi south of the Nolan County line in Coke County, Texas, and approximately 15 mi northwest of Robert Lee. The producing reservoir is a Canyon (Upper Pennsylvanian) sandstone having 44 ft of unbroken permeability and 18% porosity. A drill-stem test was run in the upper 14 ft of the sandstone section. Gas surfaced in 5 minutes and oil, flowing strongly, surfaced in 30 minutes. In December 1968 there were 28 producing wells and 6 dry holes; 9 of these are multiple completions. This oil field was discovered as a result of drilling along a productive trend; isopach maps provided the principal lead to the discovery. The writer had observed that all sandstones within a 350-ft-thick zone contain hydrocarbons regardless of structural position or any other geologic characteristic. Accordingly, cumulative sandstone isopach maps were prepared from spontaneous potential curves. The isopach map on which the discovery well was drilled indicated that 50 ft of sandstone would be present. The writer believes that the sandstone was deposited originally by turbidity currents in compaction troughs adjacent to the Pennsylvanian reef mounds of the area. The Texas Railroad Commission recognizes three separate sandstone zones in this field. End_of_Article - Last_Page 209------------


Sulfate radical (SO4·-)-based advanced oxidation technologies (SR-AOPs) are widely used for remediation of contaminated groundwater and soils. This study investigated the reaction kinetics, products, and transformation pathways of triclosan, a widely used antimicrobial agent, during its degradation by heat activated persulfate oxidation. Experimental results revealed that increasing temperature or initial persulfate concentration significantly enhanced the degradation of triclosan. The reaction could be fitted in the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the activation energy (Ea) was determined to be 142 kJ·mol-1. The presence of humic acid markedly inhibited triclosan degradation, whereas chloride (Cl-) showed a more complicated effect. Triclosan degradation was slightly accelerated in the presence of 5 μmol·L-1 Cl-, however, a higher concentration of Cl- (e.g., 10 μmol·L-1) showed an inhibitory effect. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, a total of six transformation products, including 4-chlorocatechol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and 2-chloro-5-(2,4-dichloro-6-hydroxyphenoxy)-1,4-benzoquinone, were identified. Accordingly, the cleavage of the ether bond and hydroxylation of the phenol ring were proposed as the principal pathways of triclosan degradation upon reaction with SO4·-. The findings of this study can be used to evaluate the feasibility of decontamination of triclosan by SR-AOPs.


Simultaneous indirect assessment of multiple and diverse plant parameters in an exact and expeditious manner is becoming imperative in irrigated arid regions, with a view toward creating drought-tolerant genotypes or for the management of precision irrigation. This study aimed to evaluate whether spectral reflectance indices (SRIs) in three parts of the electromagnetic spectrum ((visible-infrared (VIS), near-infrared (NIR)), and shortwave-infrared (SWIR)) could be used to track changes in morphophysiological parameters of wheat cultivars exposed to 1.00, 0.75, and 0.50 of the estimated evapotranspiration (ETc). Significant differences were found in the parameters of growth and photosynthetic efficiency, and canopy spectral reflectance among the three cultivars subjected to different irrigation rates. All parameters were highly and significantly correlated with each other particularly under the 0.50 ETc treatment. The VIS/VIS- and NIR/VIS-based indices were sufficient and suitable for assessing the growth and photosynthetic properties of wheat cultivars similar to those indices based on NIR/NIR, SWIR/NIR, or SWIR/SWIR. Almost all tested SRIs proved to assess growth and photosynthetic parameters, including transpiration rate, more efficiently when regressions were analyzed for each water irrigation rate individually. This study, the type of which has rarely been conducted in irrigated arid regions, indicates that spectral reflectance data can be used as a rapid and non-destructive alternative method for assessment of the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of wheat under a range of water irrigation rates.


Healthcare in Bulgaria is a universal and free right as per legislation. However, due to limited government funding from a singular state-run insurance fund and the inequities in the distribution of limited healthcare professionals, access to quality healthcare is difficult for most citizens. Pathology is one of the most severely affected specialties as it is not only regarded as one of the most difficult ones due to its aspects and difficulties in obtaining it but also due to the lack of funding. The healthcare fund does not reimburse immunohistochemistry or genetic tests; however, hospital reimbursement relies on pathological diagnosis in most cases, prompting peer and institutional pressure towards adapting the diagnosis. A relatively good aspect of all of these is the low cost of immunohistochemistry if the patient chooses to pay for such, albeit when compared to the mean monthly salary within the country, the cost is still high. Lack of funding is not only limited to biopsy diagnosis, with research funding being minimal at best, while autopsy practice receives no funding whatsoever.


In this paper we use a correlation analysis technique of random pattern to calculation of shift velocity of auroral image. The velocity thus obtained is a kind of apparent "average" velocity of whole image. instead of the velocity of some certain points or parts in the auroral pattern. The technique is used to an example of aurora australis recorded at Zhongshang Station of Antarctica in 1997. The typical velocity of the auroral pattern for the studied cases is about 3 km/s.


In line with the development of today's economy is increasingly dynamic, as
a result of competition between firms are becoming increasingly stringent.
Therefore companies need to periodically monitor the position of its products
against competitors products in order to analyze its product market share and
market share of changes that occur. One of the competing product is a GSM
mobile operators for mobile phones.
In Indonesia there are different kinds of GSM mobile operators for mobile
phones that many people used them IM3, XL, Sympathy and Axis. These
moments are the problems faced by manufacturers of GSM mobile cellular
operators are the percentage of sales this product progressively declined compared
to previous years. This decline occurred because many emerging mobile operators
for a variety of products the new GSM phones.
Given these problems then conducted research using Marcov Chain method
to predict the transition of each product and the GSM mobile cellular operators
using the SWOT analysis to determine appropriate marketing strategies in hopes
of mobile operator GSM phone manufacturers.
In the first period to period to 11 percent market share of mobile operators
to brand IM3 is 43%, 44%, 44.6%, 44.9%, 45%, 45.1%, 45.2%, 45.2%, 45.3%,
45.3%, 45.3%; brand Sympathy at 27%, 27%, 27.2%, 27.4%, 27.6%, 27.7%,
27.8%, 27 , 9%, 27.9%, 27.9%, 28%; brand XL is 19%, 19%, 18.9%, 18.8%,
18.7%, 18.6%, 18.5% , 18.5%, 18.4%, 18.4%, 18.4%; Axis brand that is 11%,
10%, 9.3%, 9%, 8.7%, 8.6%, 8, 5%, 8.4%, 8.4%, 8.4%, 8.4%. Based on internalexternal
matrix in SWOT analysis, Axis is in cell 5 is GROWTH (concentration
through horizontal integration) and Stability (No change in profit strategy) based
on the SWOT Matrix, among others, provide the main services to consumers from
shifting to other products and expansion of marketing networks.


Telecommuting projects, besides being established for transportation objectives, may enable employers to accommodate the disabilities of qualified applicants, or existing employees. This project identified telecommuting projects initiated to provide accommodations under ADA, those established prior to the passage of ADA to serve the employment needs of employees with disabilities, and those created to reemploy employees on workers' compensation. Principal findings were: (1) Telecommuting involving persons with disabilities has been extensive, yet data are scarce and unsystematically collected; (2) Projects usually have not been started because of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and (3) Most telecommuting involving persons with disabilities has occured primarily because of efforts by specialized, private, non-profit organizations to train and place individuals. Telecommuting for persons with disabilities appears to be on the verge of a major expansion if appropriate safeguards are established to prevent disabled employees from being segregated from other employees. This research will be of most use to human resource professionals and those in the disabled community seeking methods of enhancing the employment of individuals with disabilities. The cases identified in the report can be used as potential telecommuting prototypes for future, larger projects.


A major role of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase family of enzymes is to catalyze the production of superoxides and other reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS, in turn, play a key role as messengers in cell signal transduction and cell cycling, but when they are produced in excess they can lead to oxidative stress (OS). Oxidative stress in the kidneys is now considered a major cause of renal injury and inflammation, giving rise to a variety of pathological disorders. In this review, we discuss the putative role of oxalate in producing oxidative stress via the production of reactive oxygen species by isoforms of NADPH oxidases expressed in different cellular locations of the kidneys. Most renal cells produce ROS, and recent data indicate a direct correlation between upregulated gene expressions of NADPH oxidase, ROS, and inflammation. Renal tissue expression of multiple NADPH oxidase isoforms most likely will impact the future use of different antioxidants and NADPH oxidase inhibitors to minimize OS and renal tissue injury in hyperoxaluria-induced kidney stone disease.


EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUTOMATICITY AND ORAL READING COMPREHENSION IN ENGLISH LEARNERS Annamaria M. Miller This doctoral dissertation examined the relationship between automaticity and oral reading comprehension in English Learners (ELs) by comparing outcomes with nonEnglish Learners. High fluency rate, or automaticity, is often used as a predictor of reading comprehension in students. Much of the prior research conducted on the relationship between reading rates and oral reading comprehension involved monolingual populations. Few studies have investigated this correlation among EL populations. In this present study, secondary assessment data were retrieved for third-grade students (N = 1,583) across 13 public schools within a single diverse school district in southern Colorado during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. The school district includes 20.8% EL students. The researcher chose this approach as most appropriate to examine the relationship between oral reading rate and reading comprehension in ELs and nonEnglish learners. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Oral Reading Fluency (DORF) was utilized as the measure for assessing third-grade reading fluency (word-level decoding and accuracy) and the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) was used as the measure for assessing third-grade reading comprehension in language arts. Results indicated that ELs who read at a high automatic rate still scored significantly lower on reading comprehension than non-English learners who read at the same rate. Future research should consider conducting additional studies that analyze EL comprehension levels within the context of automaticity.


This thesis presents a real-time human activity analysis system, where a user's activity can be quantitatively evaluated with respect to a ground truth recording. Multiple Kinects are used to solve the problem of self-occlusion while performing an activity. The Kinects are placed in locations with different perspectives to extract the optimal joint positions of a user using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP). The extracted joint positions are then fed through our Incremental Dynamic Time Warping (IDTW) algorithm so that an incomplete sequence of an user can be optimally compared against the complete sequence from an expert (ground truth). Furthermore, the user's performance is communicated through a novel visual feedback system, where colors on the skeleton present the user's level of performance. Experimental results demonstrate the impact of our system, where through elaborate user testing we show that our IDTW algorithm combined with visual feedback improves the user's performance quantitatively.


In a prospective study, the effectiveness of a newly available peroxyacetic acid solution (Dialox) as a cleansing and sterilizing agent for the reuse of conventional hollow-fiber hemophan dialyzers was evaluated. The effects of reprocessing dialyzers with peroxyacetic acid on leukocyte and platelet counts, dialyzer performance, acute intradialytic symptoms and cost effectiveness were studied. A total of 250 sessions using new dialyzers and 3,227 sessions employing reused dialyzers were monitored. Dialyzers were withdrawn after a maximum of 21 sessions, and the mean number of uses was 13.9 +/- 5.1. It was found that peroxyacetic acid reprocessing of hemophan dialyzer membranes improved hemodialysis leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. It was also proved that, compared to new ones, the reused dialyzers were associated with significantly fewer intradialytic symptoms. Clearances of small molecules and ultrafiltration rate after multiple dialyzer reprocessing remained within the acceptable limits. The duration of hemodialysis has been prolonged 30 min after the 10th dialyzer reuse and dialysis adequacy remained unaffected. About 100,000 DEM were saved during the one year due to the reuse procedure. The authors conclude that automated dialyzer reprocessing with peroxyacetic acid as a sole cleansing and sterilizing agent is a safe, efficacious and money-saving method.