Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease in central nervous system. The etiology is still unknown. The pathogenesis may be related to autoimmune response. Clinical features are dissemination in time (multiple attacks) and dissemination in space (multifocal episode). The common used examinations including brain or spinal MRI, CSF analysis and evoked potentials. The latest diagnostic criteria is McDonald criteria published in 2010. It is now accepted that neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is different from MS in clinical, pathology, imaging and so on. Due to the diversity in clinical manifestation and the lack of specific biological parameters, the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is still challenging.

 DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2012.02.005


An improved method is described for the isolation from horny layers of a fraction with a high mucopolysaccharide content. The yields were about 0.5%-1 % per gram of horny layer extracted. In the fractions isolated from scales of patients with psoriasis or ichthyosiform erythroderma the hexosamine was mostly in combined form; in callus it was largely free. The fractions contained varying amounts of sulfate. The material was split by elastase, but was resistant to hyaluronidase. The findings are compatible with the assumption that psoriatic scales contain chondroitin sulfate B (dermatan sulfate). Homogenates of guinea pig skin are capable of splitting acetylhexosamine from crude chondroitin sulfate. The question of the existence of hyaluronidase-like enzymes in skin cannot be regarded as settled. The disturbed mucopolysaccharide metabolism in the psoriatic epidermis may be due to an abnormal substrate, an enzymatic deficiency, or both. These possibilities are open for experimental study.


This paper describes an innovative fuzzy-based adaptive approach to the metering of power and RMS voltage and current employing the genetic algorithm. The fuzzy-based adaptive metering engine adjusts the number of points per cycle to be processed and the location of these points based on the optimal fuzzy rules constructed bp the genetic algorithm to satisfy overall metering error criteria under different operating environment while minimizing the number of points actually employed in the metering computation. This results in a reduction in the metering computation effort which frees up the processor for other tasks such as communication or power quality measurements. The fuzzy-based adaptive metering algorithm has been implemented on a microcontroller-based power metering system which operates under a multi-tasking operating system which exploits the efficiencies achieved by the reduced metering rite. The fuzzy-based adaptive metering algorithm has been tested with a variety of actual and synthesized power system waveforms and the experimental evaluations have demonstrated excellent accuracy in the metered power system quantities.


To perform effective integration test of avionics equipments, the importance of a setup for integration test environment has been increasing in recently developed aircraft. Especially, the development of integration test equipment is necessary for minimizing the development period and reliability of integration test. This paper treats the model development for optimal working of integration test after analyzing the characteristics of each MEP equipments for Surion(KUH). Models, whose main role is troubleshooting of equipment and simulation for missing equipments, consists of dynamic, behavior, and ICD models depending on the dynamic characteristics. Software test for both unit level and system level are performed to verify the model reliability. By conducting integration test using SIL, it is confirmed that the developed models are suitable for integration function test of the MEP system.


The goal of this paper is to investigate access to financial services and prospects for the wealth assimilation of immigrants by studying the financial market behavior of U.S. immigrants, compared to the native-born. Compared to similar natives, immigrants are less likely to own a wide range of financial assets, including savings and checking accounts. We find that lower rates of financial market participation tend to persist even for immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for several years. Our results suggest that a large share of the immigrant-native gap in financial market participation is driven by group differences in education, income, and geographic location. For a given immigrant, the likelihood of financial market participation decreases with higher levels of ethnic concentration in the metropolitan area.


Exposure to an enriched environment has been shown to have many positive effects on brain structure and function. Numerous studies have proven that enriched environment can reduce the lesion induced by toxic and traumatic injuries. Impoverished environment, on the other hand, can have deleterious effects on the outcome of neuronal injuries. We have previously shown that enriched conditions have protective effects in retinal injury in newborn rats. It is well-known that the efficacy of neuroprotective strategies can depend on age and gender. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to examine the effects of environmental enrichment and social isolation in retinal ischemia. We used bilateral common carotid artery occlusion to induce retinal hypoperfusion in adult Wistar rats of both genders. Groups were housed in standard, enriched or impoverished conditions. Impoverished environment was induced by social isolation. Retinas were processed for histological analysis after two weeks of survival. In the present study, we show that (1) enriched environment has protective effects in adult ischemic retinal lesion, while (2) impoverished environment further increases the degree of ischemic injury, and (3) that these environmental effects are gender-dependent: females are less responsive to the positive effects of environmental enrichment and more vulnerable to retinal ischemia in social isolation. In summary, our present study shows that the effects of both positive and negative environmental stimuli are gender-dependent in ischemic retinal lesions.


The global consumption of dairy produce is forecasted to increase by 19% per person by 2050. However, milk production is an intense energy consuming process. Coupled with concerns related to global greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, increasing the production of milk must be met with the sustainable use of energy resources, to ensure the future monetary and environmental sustainability of the dairy industry. This body of work focused on summarizing and reviewing dairy energy research from the monitoring, prediction modelling and analyses point of view. Total primary energy consumption values in literature ranged from 2.7 MJ kg −1 Energy Corrected Milk on organic dairy farming systems to 4.2 MJ kg −1 Energy Corrected Milk on conventional dairy farming systems. Variances in total primary energy requirements were further assessed according to whether confinement or pasture-based systems were employed. Overall, a 35% energy reduction was seen across literature due to employing a pasture-based dairy system. Compared to standard regression methods, increased prediction accuracy has been demonstrated in energy literature due to employing various machine-learning algorithms. Dairy energy prediction models have been frequently utilized throughout literature to conduct dairy energy analyses, for estimating the impact of changes to infrastructural equipment and managerial practices.


The effect of an external continuous wave (cw) on the motion of solitons of the complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation is investigated. It is shown that soliton motion, which is prevented by a strong braking due to finite gain bandwitdh, can be induced by the cw. Then the effect of the cw on the collective behavior of a large number of dissipative solitons is considered. Starting from a soliton crystal, we demonstrate that the soliton motion is induced by the cw, so that either the soliton gas, liquid, or crystal can be obtained depending on the intensity and the frequency of the cw.


To the Editor-The artide by Colt and Shapirol on drug-induced illness as a cause for admission was of great interest to us. However, we were s u r p M at the low percentage of admissions for adverse drug reactions (ADRs), even in the 65 and older age group (only 11.6%). In our department, all the patients admitted are over the age of 75 years. Taking a retrospective sample of 77 admissions over a period of 2 months, we found 16 patients (20.8%) had been admitted for ADRs (see Table 1). In the literature quoted by the authors, Trunet et al found that 6 of the 23 patients admitted for ADRs were over the age of 75 years, a rate that relative to its age group may be higher than the 7% quoted.' The study of lves et a1 actually shows 32.5% admission for ADRs for the age group 75 years and older, much higher than the 15.9% q ~ o t e d . ~ In the study by Caranasos et al,' the highest percentage of admissions for ADRs was in the age group 70 years and over, 4.9% compared with the 2.9% quoted. In the article by Grymonpre et al,5 13% of the admissions were for ADRs, but there was no differentiation for the age group over 75 years. Even in the artide by Colt and Shapiro, it can be seen that in the age group 65 years and older, 12 of the 18 patients were over the age of 75 years.' We therefore think it is important to emphasize the fact that in those who are 75 years and older, ADR is a major cause for admission. Also, when taking into account admissions for intake of multiple drugs, we find that both together form a significant percentage (41.6%) of the admissions to our geriatric department. This is also our most rewarding area for functional improvement of our patients. In conclusion, we would once again like to emphasize the importance of ADR as a major cause for admission in the advanced age group.


Abstract Field trials were conducted at three California locations near Oxnard, Salinas, and Watsonville from 2002 to 2006 to evaluate broadleaf weed control and tolerance of strawberry to oxyfluorfen. Oxyfluorfen applied at 0.3 and 0.6 kg/ha before strawberry transplanting reduced densities of broadleaf weeds such as California burclover, hairy nightshade, little mallow, shepherd's-purse, and yellow sweetclover 70 to 100% compared with nontreated plots but did not control horseweed. Oxyfluorfen application resulted in 9% and 19% greater visible injury to strawberry for the two rates, respectively, compared with nontreated plants in 1 yr but did not reduce strawberry yield. After oxyfluorfen application at 0.6 kg/ha, strawberry plants had 5 to 48% more injury than nontreated plants in subsequent years but early-season yields were similar. Hand-weeding time was reduced 30 to 50% compared with nontreated plots regardless of oxyfluorfen rate. Both water-based and solvent-carrier formulations of oxyfluorfen resulted in similar weed control, strawberry injury, and fruit yield. Plastic mulch installation after oxyfluorfen application but before planting reduced injury to strawberry more than 50% compared with nonmulched beds. Oxyfluorfen applied 30 d before strawberry transplanting had similar crop injury and yield to applications made 15 and 7 d before planting. These results suggest that oxyfluorfen can be used safely in California plasticulture strawberry production for control of common weed species and to reduce labor inputs associated with hand weeding. Nomenclature: Oxyfluorfen; California burclover, Medicago polymorpha L. MEDPO;hairy nightshade, Solanum physalifolium Rusby SOLSA; horseweed, Conyza canadensis L. ERICA; little mallow, Malva parviflora L. MALPA; shepherd's-purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris L. CAPBP; yellow sweetclover, Melilotus officinalis L. MEUOF;strawberry, Fragaria×ananassa


The percentage of older adults using social media has increased substantially in recent years, yet little research has been done to understand the foundations underlying social media technology usage by older adults. Such an understanding is useful for developing intelligent user modeling and personalization techniques specific to this growing community. The current work first compared characteristics of Facebook users to non-users among adults age 51 to 91 and found that older adult Face- book users were significantly more satisfied with their current social roles than non-users. Second, we explored several charac- teristics of active older adult Facebook users, providing detailed data regarding the ways in which they access social media, the kinds of personal information they typically share, and information about their public versus private communication practices, preferences, and concerns. Finally, we examined specific relationships between older adults' Facebook communication habits and their attitudes regarding perceived loneliness and social role satisfaction. Controlling for factors such as age, gender, eth- nicity, socioeconomic status (education and income), and marital status, we found that directed communications (as opposed to broadcast communications or passive consumption of content) was correlated with reduced loneliness as well as increased social role satisfaction among this distinct population.


Social psychology plays an important role in explicating mechanisms of legal effect. Social psychological theories offer theoretical constructs that help explain the web of psychological and social causes and mediators of intentions and behaviors that legal processes seek to modify. Social psychology pertains primarily to the "Changes in Behavior" mediator in model of public health law research, positing a number of possible causal pathways by which legal systems and policies may influence behavior. From a social psychological perspective, laws and regulations can be classified according to the type of causal pathway by which behaviors are modified, for example, through changing attitudes, normative beliefs or self-efficacy concerning a specific behavior. We outline plausible pathways for many types of laws/regulations, including: 1) prevention and safety laws; 2) environmental exposure regulations; 3) laws regulating availability of health-enhancing and health-inhibiting products and resources; and, 4) "soft" laws that prompt or inform rather than command the ultimate actor (for example, labeling laws).Given the large number of social psychological theories and the need to structure disparate theories in relation to each other, the theory of triadic influence (TTI) is a comprehensive and integrative model that we use for describing relationships among various theoretical constructs. The TTI posits that laws and regulations influence behavior through multiple causal pathways, from ultimate causes, through distal influences and proximal predictors, all mediated by the proximal influences of attitudes toward, social normative beliefs about, and self-efficacy regarding a particular behavior. Reliable measures for these and other constructs are readily available.


Health research often gives rise to data that follow lognormal distributions. In two sample situations, researchers are likely to be interested in estimating the difference or ratio of the population means. Several methods have been proposed for providing confidence intervals for these parameters. However, it is not clear which techniques are most appropriate, or how their performance might vary. Additionally, methods for the difference of means have not been adequately explored. We discuss in the present article five methods of analysis. These include two methods based on the log‐likelihood ratio statistic and a generalized pivotal approach. Additionally, we provide and discuss the results of a series of computer simulations. Finally, the techniques are applied to a real example. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract Background Thumb arthritis at the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint is one of the most common sites of arthritis, especially in women. Thumb arthroplasty is an effective method of relieving pain and improving function. Materials and Methods Qualitative and quantitative outcomes were assessed clinically and radiographically in 58 patients (66 thumbs) with thumb basal joint arthritis limited to the trapeziometacarpal joint, treated with hemiresection arthroplasty of the trapezium, flexor carpi radialis (FCR) ligament reconstruction, and allograft costochondral interposition graft. Description of Technique The thumb CMC joint arthroplasty is performed using an FCR tendon for ligament reconstruction combined with removal of the distal half of the trapezium, which is replaced with a life preserver–shaped spacer that is carved out of allograft cartilage. Results Results of the validated Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire at a mean follow-up time of 56 months (range, 24–103 months) revealed that 90% of the patients had a high level of function with minimal symptoms. Important improvements in web space with increased palmar and radial abduction and grip and pinch strength measurements were observed. The trapeziometacarpal space had decreased 21% after surgery, while trapeziometacarpal subluxation was 14% compared with 21% before surgery. There was an inverse correlation between the loss of trapezial height and subluxation and clinical outcome. Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate that, although the preoperative trapezial height was not maintained, the reconstructed thumbs remained stable, with little subluxation and improved clinical outcomes. Level of Evidence IV, retrospective case series


We report the case of a 28-year old man victim of left ocular trauma. Ophthalmologic examination showed visual acuity 8/10 (without correction), cloudy patch at 7 o'clock (A) with foreign body in the iris at the level of cloudy patch (B).


This paper introduces a software defined device driver layer that enables new ways of wiring devices within and across cloud environments. It builds on the split driver model, which is used in paravirtualization (e.g., Xen) to multiplex hardware devices across all VMs. In our approach, called the Banana Double-Split Driver Model, the back-end portion of the driver is resplit and rewired such that it can be connected to a different back-end driver on another hypervisor. Hypervisors supporting Banana cooperate with each other to (1) expose a consistent interface to rewire the back-end drivers, (2) allow different types of connections (e.g., tunnels, RDMA, etc.) to coexist and be hot-swapped to optimize for placement, proximity, and hardware, and (3) migrate backend connections between hypervisors to maintain connectivity irrespective of physical location. We have implemented an early prototype of Banana for network devices. We show how network devices can be split, rewired, and live migrated across cloud providers with as low as 1.4 sec of downtime, while fully maintaining the logical topology between application components.


It was shown previously that a multi-ink printer can reproduce spectral reflectances within a specified tolerance range using many distinct ink combinations. An algorithm was developed to systematically analyze a printer to determine the amount of multi-ink variability throughout its spectral gamut. The advantage of this algorithm is that any spectral difference metric can be used as the objective function. Based on the results of the analysis for one spectral difference metric, six-dimensional density map displays were constructed to illustrate the amount of spectral redundancy throughout the ink space. One CMYKGO ink-jet printer was analyzed using spectral reflectance factor RMS as the spectral difference metric and selecting 0.02 RMS as the tolerance limit. For these parameters, the degree of spectral matching freedom for the printer reduced to five inks because the chromatic inks were able to reproduce spectra within the 0.02 tolerance limit throughout the printer's gamut. Experiments were designed to exploit spectrally stable multi-ink variability within the analyzed printer. The first experiment used spectral redundancy to visually evaluate spectral difference metrics. Using the developed database of spectrally similar samples allows any spectral difference metric to be compared to a visual response. The second experiment demonstrated the impact of spectral redundancy on spectral color management. Typical color image processing techniques use profiles consisting of sparse multi-dimensional lookup tables that interpolate between adjacent nodes to prepare an image for rendering. It was shown that colorimetric error resulted when interpolating between lookup table nodes that were inconsistent in digital count space although spectrally similar. Finally, the analysis was used to enable spectral watermarking of images. To illustrate the significance of this watermarking technique, information was embedded into three images with varying levels of complexity. Prints were made verifying that information could be hidden while preserving the visual and spectral integrity of the original image.


Distinct phospholipase C activities capable of hydrolyzing lysophosphatidylinositol (lysoPI-PLC) or phosphatidylinositol (PI-PLC) have been demonstrated in rat brain membranes. Treatment of brain membranes with 1 M NaCl or 1% sodium cholate solubilized a majority of PI-PLC activity from the membranes, whereas a significant level of lysoPI-PLC activity still remained membrane-associated. Most of the lysoPI-PLC activity was recovered in a 0.5% sodium deoxycholate-0.25 M NaCl extract which contained only low levels of PI-PLC activity. Using the separated fractions, differences between lysoPI-PLC and the known PI-PLC isoforms were examined. A specific peptide inhibitor of PI-PLC, which was previously shown to interact with active site regions common to known PI-PLC activity. Immunoblot analysis of both the lysoPI-PLC-rich and PI-PLC-rich fractions revealed that an antiserum against PI-PLC delta 1 cross-reacted with other PI-PLC isoforms, but not significantly with lysoPI-PLC. Furthermore, lysoPI-PLC was more resistant to sulfhydryl reagents than was PI-PLC. Our results indicate that lysoPI-PLC is an enzyme distinct from PI-PLC and that lysoPI-PLC possesses a different active site than known PI-PLC isoforms.


A hybridisation analysis of a genomic clone library of Rhizobium galegae HAMBI 1174 located four EcoRI fragments homologous to the nod-box promoter sequence of Sinorhizobium meliloti in two separate gene regions. Two of the five nod-boxes detected in the R. galegae genome were carried on a single cosmid clone, pRg30, upstream from the nodABCIJ and nodF genes, whereas the other three nod-boxes were carried on a different cosmid clone, pRg10. Hybridisations with various nod gene probes from S. meliloti and Rhizobium leguminosarum species detected a nodD homolog in pRg10. The sequence data obtained from regions adjacent to each nod-box in pRg10 confirmed the presence of a second nodD in the R. galegae genome and, in addition, revealed the presence of nodN, nodU, dctA nifH and nifQ-like genes in pRg10. Thus, by using a promoter-specific nod-box probe we could identify a new region carrying genes involved in nitrogen fixation and host specificity functions.


We are in the midst of cascading political, economic, health, and environmental crises. Perhaps most evident is the Republican Party's introduction of over 360 legislative bills primarily aimed at making it harder for people of color and urban residents to vote. Meanwhile, we are slowly emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic that exacerbated the pre-existing economic crisis stemming from out of control wealth inequality. All of these problems have common origins in elite control of an economy organized around capital accumulation, and popular racism cultivated over centuries by elites to divert white workers away from multi-racial solidarity with workers of color.


This paper is devoted to cognitive development of preschoolers in correlation with implicit theories of their parents. There are four positive mindsets of intelligence and learning motivation: (1) growth intelligence mindset, (2) growth personality mindset, (3) acceptance of learning goals, (4) positive learning self-esteem. We hypothesized that cognitive and intellectual parameters and self-esteem of preschoolers correlatewith parents' growth mindsets. The study involved 120 subjects-40 preschoolers in age of 6 ± 0.5 years old (20 boys and 20 girls) and their 80 fathers and mothers. The parents ' sample consisted of subjects aged from 27 to 54 years average age was 37.9 ± 6.7 years old). To investigate the cognitive differences of preschoolers we used: (1) two subtests of WISC (for examining attention and short-term memory); (2) Method of Verbal Thinking of Kern-Yirasek; (3) Method of Express Diagnostics of Intellectual Abilities (MEDIA) I. S. Averina, E. I. Shabanova and E. N. Zadorina. To explore parents' mindsets Questionnaire of Implicit Theories of Intelligence and Personality (by C. Dweck, in the adaptation of T.V. Kornilova et al, 2008) was used. It was determined that the indicators of cognitive development and intelligence of girls are more related to parental attitudes than boys. In this case, the closest relationship is observed in the dyad "father – daughter". Indicators of attention, short-term memory, understanding of quantitative and qualitative relations, logical thinking are associated with mindsets of growth intelligence and adoption of their fathers' high learning value. Girls 'mathematical abilities are positively related to fathers' and negative mothers ' growth mindsets.
Keywords: parents' influence, growth intelligence mindset, growth personality mindset, learning goals, learning self-esteem, cognitive and intellectual development.


We have evaluated the prospects of phosphorus-based compounds in extreme ultraviolet multilayer optics. Boron phosphide (BP) is suggested to be used as a spacer material in reflective multilayer optics operating just above the L-photoabsorption edge of P (λ ≈9.2 nm). Mo, Ag, Ru, Rh, and Pd were considered for applications as reflector materials. Our calculations for multilayer structures with perfect interfaces show that the Pd/BP material combination suggests the highest reflectivity values, exceeding 70% within the 9.2 – 10.0 nm spectral range. We also discuss the potential of fabrication of BP-based multilayer structures for optical applications in the extreme ultraviolet range


This study aimed to analyze the scientific literature on the aspects and/or positive and negative impacts of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Brazil. There was conducted a literature search on the Lilacs database, finding nine articles analyzed by categorical content. The data revealed positive impacts of PHC in Brazil: best performance of the FHS than to Traditional Basic Units, users recognize the PHC as the gateway of the health system, increasing the professional/user relationship and municipalities those invest in innovative strategies attention. The challenges for the consolidation of PHC excel in studies: classified in most cities studied as regular/partially effective, incipient/unsatisfactory, little impact on improving the health conditions of the population, incipient social participation, difficulties in organizing the PHC, professional devaluation. It is concluded that there are incipient positive impacts of PHC, requiring changes, such as increased planning, organization and qualification, to the consolidation of PHC in Brazil. Studies which evaluate the PHC are extremely important for the reorganization of the health system and overcoming the challenges that still exist in the primary level of attention.


The angiographic findings of a metastatic neoplasm of the greater omentum are presented, and a survey of the angiographic features of previously reported omental tumors, primary and metastatic, is given. The angiographic pattern seems to be quite uniform with no specific relation to the histologic origin of the tumors and angiography is probably at the present time the best diagnostic modality.


Peptide-based materials (PBMs) generate by the aggregation of amphiphilic monomers represent a rapidly growing tool within materials science. They have been considered for several applications in different fields from electronic to nanomedicine.
According to an appropriate design, amphiphilic peptides can spontaneously assemble in well-structured supramolecular materials as result of an intricate network of inter- and/or intra-molecular interactions between hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions. The interaction manner can strongly influence both morphology and properties of the final supramolecular materials.
Aromaticity is the terms used to describe the particular molecular stability associated to a cyclic shaped and planar chemical entity with a ring of resonance bonds. The peculiar electronic structure of aromatics molecules arouses their interesting physicochemical properties. All the classes of intermolecular forces known as the aromatic interaction give raise from it. The knowledge and the study of aromatic interaction contaminated peptide based material field too.
To this day, using self-assembly as instrument of bottom-up nano-plenning, it is a clear evidence that aromatic peptide sequences, containing phenylalanine (Phe), tyrosine (Tyr) or tryptophan (Trp), can be opportunely modulated to the aim of generate the required supramolecular architecture.
The forefather of this new class of peptide monomers is the well-known diphenylalanine (FF) homopeptide. Through a combination of π-π staking and hydrogen-bonding, different method of preparation, specific pH values or solvent, FF is able to self-organize in different kinds of nano- and macro- morphologies (hollow nanotubes, fibers, vesicles, metastable hydrogels or organogels). By this evidence, many structural analogues of diphenylalanine were studied and peptide nanostructures containing the FF motif or more extended aromatic sequences have been investigated for their mechanical, electrochemical and optical properties, and more recently for some nanomedicine applications. Nevertheless, the majority of studies reported in literature are principally focused on clarifying the physicochemical aspects responsible for array stability in FF based nanostructures, whereas only few studies have been devoted in the investigation of FF aggregates for biomedical applications. This essentially because of the intrinsic low water solubility of these peptide sequences.
According to these considerations, during the three years of the PhD project, novel poly-phenylalanine self-assembling conjugates were carefully designed, synthetized and fully characterized.
The final peptide materials were evaluated for potential applications in bio-imaging field (with particular bearing to Magnetic Resonance Imaging and fluorescence imaging). It was also appreciate as the chemical modification of the aromatic framework with chelating agents, gadolinium (Gd) complexes, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) fragments with different length can affect the structural organization and the supramolecular behavior of the nanomaterial.
The result produced on the hierarchical organization by the chemical replacement of the Phe with others aromatic amino acids (such as tryptophan, tyrosine and 2-naphthylalanine) was also investigated.
The entirety of collected data during this PhD project permits to highlight the possible relationship existing between the chemical structure of the proposed building blocks, the final supramolecular nanostructure, and their functional features.
In order to simplify the comprehension and the discussion of the results (Chapter III), they will be argued in three separate sections:

• Section I: PBMs as supramolecular contrast agents for MRI.

• Section II: PBMs as photoluminescent supramolecular probes.

• Section III: PBMs obtained by punctual chemical modifications of homophenylalanine sequences.

In Section I, an innovative class of supramolecular CAs for MRI, based on peptide self-assembly monomers, is described and analyzed. Different design strategies were applied to obtain and improve the aggregation phenomenon. The structural and relaxometric properties of each self-assembling system are discussed and mutually compared. The improved values of relaxivity and the exanimated capability to encapsulate the doxorubicin anticancer drug suggest a potential use of the proposed nanostructures as new theranostic platform.
Photoluminescent (PL) phenomena in peptide-based materials are the subject of Section II. A class of novel PEGylated homo-phenylalanine was synthetized and, due to the high content of β-sheet, the final self-assembled systems show blue PL emission. A red-shift of the fluorescence was actualized by FRET phenomena between the nanostructure and a internalized NBD dye. Committing to the hydrogen bonding hypothesis, a relationship between observed PL and the number of interaction sites in nanostructures was developed.
In Section III the effect of a punctual chemical modification on peptide primary sequence will be elucidated. Hetero- and homo-sequences were derived simply by the replacement of Phe residues with tyrosine and tryptophan ones. Characteristic gelification behavior was found for peptides containing Tyr. WAXS/SAXS studies and molecular dynamic simulations supported the structural analysis of the new peptide-based materials.
The experimental protocols are totally collected in the dedicated Experimental section.
The full characterization of synthetized peptides, conjugates and derivatives is reported in Appendix I, meanwhile additional information, Tables and Figures are gather together in Appendix II.


The tree-of-heaven (TOH), Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae), is an invasive weed tree distributed throughout most of the continental United States. It is a hardy pioneer species that colonizes disturbed sites, such as road medians, rights-of-way, and forest settings. It produces allelopathic chemicals, millions of seeds, and sprouts back when cut, making it an extraordinarily good competitor, resulting in the displacement of native plant species. Herbicide treatments can provide short-term relief, but are expensive and nonsustainable.


Objectives: Prostasin is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored serine protease that is released in urine and is involved in epithelial Na channel activation. A direct association between urinary prostasin (u-prostasin) concentration and activation of the aldosterone-driven pathway has been suggested; however, in previous studies on primary aldosteronism, a semiquantitative evaluation, rather than a precise quantification, of prostasin was performed. We aim to investigate if u-prostasin concentrations are higher in patients with primary aldosteronism than in patients with essential hypertension and whether u-prostasin measurements could be a useful marker for diagnosing primary aldosteronism in hypertensive patients. Methods: A total of 62 primary aldosteronism and 56 essential hypertension patients were enrolled. Biochemical and hormonal parameters were measured by applying routine laboratory methods, and u-prostasin levels were assessed by ELISA. Results: Primary aldosteronism patients had higher u-prostasin levels than did essential hypertension patients. Prostasin levels were positively correlated with the aldosterone-to-renin ratio and inversely correlated with plasma K and urinary Na levels. In the highest concentration quartile, u-prostasin levels were associated with a several-fold higher probability of primary aldosteronism diagnosis in hypertensive patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that prostasin was specific but poorly sensitive as a diagnostic marker for primary aldosteronism. Conclusions: The study shows that an elevated u-prostasin concentration in humans is a specific marker for primary aldosteronism, which involves the classical model of epithelial Na channel activation. There was no statistically significant difference in prostasin concentrations among patients with different primary aldosteronism subtypes. Studies with a larger series of patients are necessary to clarify the clinical usefulness of the prostasin assay.


Recent measurements at the LIGO Hanford Observatory have confirmed the predicted high-frequency dynamic response of km scale Fabry–Perot cavities to length and laser frequency variations. The dynamic response functions have been exploited to determine a number of cavity parameters including the cavity length and the resonance width. A new technique based on a variation of these measurements has been utilized to measure the interferometer arm cavity lengths with a precision of 80 µm. We present an overview of these measurements and discuss how the dynamic field responses could be used to measure the cavity g factors which are related to the mirror radii of curvature.


The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Europe has furnished a 'package' of archaeologically visible innovations that are claimed to refl ect modern human behaviour. McBrearty and Brooks (2000) documented the gradual assembling of the package over a 200,000 year period in the African Middle Stone Age and proposed that it was later exported to other regions of the Old World. Mellars (2006) recently proposed that modern humans quickly spread from Africa with the package of modern human behaviours and colonised not only Europe but also southern Asia and ultimately Australia. In this paper, we examine the late Pleistocene-early Holocene archaeological record of Sahul to establish if the package was brought here by the earliest colonising groups. We fi that the package is not evident at the earliest sites; rather, its components were gradually assembled over a 30,000 year period following initial occupation of the continent by anatomically and behaviourally modern humans. The review further supports the view that there is currently no package of archaeologically visible traits that can be used to establish modern human behaviour, as the components not only appear in different continents at different times, but also at different times and locations within continents such as Australia. This review also identifi es chronological and geographical patterning of the individual 'traits' and proposes six 'zones of innovation' across Sahul.


In the present work rhombohedrally distorted LaCoO3-based materials have been studied using transmission electron microscopy, in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction during uniaxial compression/decompression, and ex situ X-ray diffraction after compression. In addition, macroscopic stress-strain behavior has been measured. Focus has been on the understanding of the ferroelastic behavior as a function of stress, chemical composition and temperature, from the atomic to the macroscopic scale. In La1-x(Ca,Sr)xCoO3-􀄯 with low degrees of substitution (x 􀂔 0.2) transmission electron microscopy revealed (100) and (110) twins. In addition, microdomains with a onedimensional superstructure corresponding to a tripling of the pseudo cubic lattice parameter, ac, were found in some grains. The superstructure vanished over time and was sensitive to external mechanical stress. In highly substituted La1-x(Ca,Sr)xCoO3-􀄯(0.3 􀂔 x 􀂔 0.5) materials no normal twinning was observed, but microdomains with a one-dimensional superstructure corresponding to a doubling of ac were observed. The superstructures have been interpreted as a periodic miniaturization of the ferroelastic twin structures. The microdomains consisted of two alternating rhombohedral domain states, separated by (100) twin walls, which gave the observed superstructures. A theory of an adaptive ferroelectric phase has previously been developed to describe similar miniaturized domains in ferroelectric materials and intermetallic phases with martensitic transitions. Here the theoretical framework for the formation of miniaturized domains due to an adaptive phase in ferroelastic rhombohedral perovskite materials is derived. The stability of the adaptive phase is discussed in terms of conceptual phase diagrams based on present and previous experimental findings. Mechanical stress–strain behavior of La1-xCaxCoO3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.3) was studied under compression at 25°C and 300°C. A hysteresis in the stress–strain relationship due to reorientation of the ferroelastic domains was observed, and a remnant strain was measured after unloading. The coercive stress increased with substitution of Ca for La and decreased with increasing temperature. LaCoO3 can be regarded as a soft ferroelastic material while the 30 % Ca substituted material is a hard ferroelastic. The hysteresis of the stress–strain relationship was clearly dependent on both composition and temperature. The effects of uniaxial stress during compression/decompression have been studied in situ in La0.8Ca0.2CoO3 using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffractograms were simultaneously detected, parallel and perpendicular to the stress axis. With increasing stress, reorientation of the four rhombohedral domains was demonstrated. The fraction of domains with the unique hexagonal c-axis parallel to the stress axis increased at the expense of domains with c-axis perpendicular to the stress axis. The crystal structure evolved inhomogeneously in the materials with increasing stress. In favorable domains, with c-axis parallel to the stress axis, the rhombohedral distortion increased. In unfavorable domains, with c-axis perpendicular to the stress axis, the structure became closer to cubic. The ferroelastic behavior of successive cycling to higher and higher loads was compared to the behavior of a single compression/decompression cycle and to the mechanical stress-strain behavior.Finally, secondary phases and grain boundaries in LaCoO3, La0.7Sr0.3CoO3-? and La0.5Sr0.5Fe0.5Co0.5O3-􀄯 ceramics have been studied by transmission electron microscopy. The materials contained small amounts of grains with Co3O4 as a secondary phase. These grains were an agglomerate of several smaller grains, which had a face centered cubic spinel structure. High resolution electron microscopy combined with annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum imaging were used to analyze grain boundaries in LaCoO3 and La0.7Sr0.3CoO3-? weresharp with ? constant content of La, Co and O across the boundaries. In La0.7Sr0.3CoO3-􀄯,a 1-2 nm thick layer between the grains was observed. This layer was rich in O and Co and deficient in Sr and La, compared to the nominal composition of the material.


Graph coarsening is a dimensionality reduction technique that aims to learn a smaller-tractable graph while preserving the properties of the original input graph. However, many real-world graphs also have features or contexts associated with each node. The existing graph coarsening methods do not consider the node features and rely solely on a graph matrix(e.g., adjacency and Laplacian) to coarsen graphs. However, some recent deep learning-based graph coarsening meth-ods are designed for specific tasks considering both node features and graph matrix. In this paper, we introduce a novel optimization-based framework for graph coarsening that takes both the graph matrix and the node features as the input and jointly learns the coarsened graph matrix and the coarsened feature matrix while ensuring desired properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that guarantees that the learned coarsened graph is ϵ ∈ [0 , 1) similar to the original graph. Extensive experiments with both real and synthetic benchmark datasets elucidate the proposed framework's efficacy and applicability for numerous graph-based applications, including graph clustering, node classification, stochastic block model identification, and graph summarization.


This paper focuses on a set of debates surrounding the working of local labour markets in the depressed sugarcane sector of Pernambuco, which faces strong competition from the Centre-South of Brazil. Millowner, planter, labour and union perspectives on current problems in the sugar industry and their solution are reviewed, with particular reference to issues of low productivity, access to land and the potential for diversification out of sugar. Historical antagonisms between (white) landowner classes and (black) labour, and their reworking in recent years, complicated by competing economic rationalities between these groups, make progress towards viable, sustainable socioeconomic improvement difficult. Employer attempts at reconfiguration of the labour market by relocating sites of labour reproduction (thereby breaking old social attachments) while retaining control over labour at sites of production bring continued conflict with the unions.


Universities and colleges worldwide have quickly moved campus-based classes to virtual spaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article explores the impact of this sudden transition of learning and teaching based on experiences and evidence from six institutions across three countries. Our findings suggest that although online and remote learning was a satisfactory experience for some students, various inequities were involved. Many students lacked appropriate devices for practical work and encountered difficulties in securing suitable housing and workspace. Students were stressed, and faculty were, too, especially those in precarious employment. The lack of fieldwork and access to laboratories created special challenges. We are concerned that the lack of hands-on experience could cause a decline in enrollments and the number of majors in geography over the next few years. This issue must be addressed by making introductory courses as engaging as possible. It is too early to determine the extent to which online and remote learning can replace campus-based, face-to-face geography education once the pandemic ends, but the new academic year of 2020–2021 will be revealing. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 crisis has revealed preexisting problems and inequalities that will need our collective effort to address, regardless of the pandemic's trajectory.


Understanding morpho-physiological factors associated with yield decline at high density in soybean (Glycine max L.) can assist in optimizing productivity and seed quality. The objective of this study was to determine effects of different spacing on development and seed quality. The study tested the concept of yield plasticity. Five varieties that included determinate (SC Safari, Dina and Magoye) and indeterminate (Kaleya and Pan 1867) and three densities (300,000, 400,000 and 550,000 plants/ha) were used. A randomized complete block design arranged in 2 factor- factorial with variety and plant density and 4 replications was used. The experiment was done at Seed Control and Certification Institute in Chilanga, Zambia in 2015. Parameters assessed included: height, branches/plant, chlorophyll, nitrogen, 50 % flowering, pod-fill time, maturity duration, biomass, seed quality, yield and yield components. Significant effects for variety were present for all parameters while plant density effects were highly significant for number of branches/plant, biomass yield, pods/plant, seeds/pod and yield. Interaction effects were observed for pods/plant and seeds/plant. Traits positively and significantly correlated to yield were height, canopy biomass yield, pods/plant and seeds/plant. Biomass, pods/plant, seeds/plant and 100 seed weight contributed significantly to total variation of grain yield. Plant height, biomass yield, number of pods/plant, number of seeds/plant and hundred seed weight were critical parameters determining yield elasticity. Kaleya, Pan 1867 and Dina appeared more tolerant of planting at high density.

https://ijeab.com/upload_document/issue_files/35 IJEAB-FEB-2018-32-Morpho-physiological and Yield.pdf


The protected area of Margoon Waterfall is the obvious manifestation of special ecological, environmental, economical, social, cultural and historical features and tourist attractions. Now the lack of compatibility between the capacity of the region and the number of tourists has endangered the area. So, this research has been formed to develop sustainable tourism  of this region. In the current research, survey method in descriptive – analytic ways have been applied. In order to access treats, opportunities, weak and strong points of Margoon waterfall, first, reasonable documents such as maps and photos of the region have been studied and analyzed. Then tourist's priorities for the presence in the area have been scrutinized by preparation questionnaire. Finally, compatibility between tourist's priorities and natural attractive of the region has been measured in order to delete incompatible activities from vicinity of natural attraction of the bed and present suggestion for sustainable tourism development patterns of protected landscape of Margoon waterfall.


Neointima formation due to smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation following injury is a major medical challenge in cardiovascular intervention. However, anti–neointimal drugs often block re‐endothelialization as a side effect. Identification of SMC‐sensitive therapeutic targets will potentially conquer this medical barrier. In the present study, we identified CTP synthase (CTPS) as one of these potential targets. Blockade of CTPS function by shRNA or its specific inhibitor suppressed SMC proliferation and neointima formation. In contrast, targeting CTPS treatments had no side effects on endothelial cell (EC) in vitro, and promoted re‐endothelialization in vivo. Mechanistically, blockade of CTPS pathway activated CTP synthesis salvage pathway in ECs but not in SMCs, which sustained EC proliferation. Meanwhile, blockade of CTPS function induced SMC phenotypic modulation into the contractile phenotype, which characterized by the expression of pro‐angiogenic factors while inhibiting anti‐angiogenic factors in SMCs, leading to enhanced EC proliferation. In summary, for the first time, our study discovered a fundamental difference between SMC and EC in their CTP biosynthesis during pathological proliferation which provided a novel strategy to selectively block SMC proliferation while not disturbing or even promoting re‐endothelialization for effective vascular repair after injury.


Aims This article discusses an approach to ensuring scientific rigour in post-positivist critical realist research using an enhanced model of TAPUPAS: transferability, accessibility, propriety, utility, purposivity, accuracy and specificity, with the additional criterion, modified objectivity (TAPUPASM). Background Philosophical principles should guide the manner in which research is designed, conducted and appraised. Therefore, the more traditional and commonly employed approaches to positivist (validity and generalisability) or interpretivist (trustworthiness) research do not necessarily complement the philosophical principles of post-positivist critical realism. Methods This is a methodological discussion paper illustrating the strategies for rigorous research using TAPUPASM in a critical realist ethnographic study in nurse education. Results This paper presents examples of strategies to ensure TAPUPASM in the planning, design, conduct and dissemination of a realist research study. These include choices about data collection and analysis and also, the role of a dissemination strategy outside of traditional academic methods. Conclusion This article proposes an enhanced version of the quality criteria framework TAPUPAS(M) for the design of critical realist research. It provides a practical example of how TAPUPASM was used to ensure rigour in a critical realist ethnographic study in pre-registration nurse education. For nurse researchers, this article provides a framework for quality in post-positivist critical realist research. It provides examples of the strategies that can be employed for nurse researchers planning, designing, conducting and disseminating critical realist research.


With technology scaling and migration towards low supply low-power designs, supply voltage and threshold voltage fluctuations are becoming increasingly significant for circuit performance. In this paper, we analyze the sensitivity of statistical performance and yield of 65 nm SRAM designs to these fluctuations. The implications of these fluctuations on Vmin and power budgeting are also studied.


The Mosaic Radar System combines the coverage from multiple unsynchronized surveillance radars, each covering adjacent geographical areas. Some new techniques are presented and their application to the design of a complete Air Traffic Control system. One of the important features of the system is the positive radar hand-off capability-the means by which transfer of control is effected between controllers responsible for aircraft in adjoining sectors.


In this article, the quantified expression of criteria weights in decision-making processes is considered. A decision maker is often able to express his or her preferences only linguistically. The concept of fuzzy numbers, or linguistic variables, is used in order to state these vague preferences. A fuzzy number is considered as one with a triangular membership function, which renders an approximate value of the weight of a particular criterion according to linguistic terms about its importance. To set the strict (crisp) value of weights, the optimization model based on the maximin principle is proposed in two modifications. The proposed approaches are compared with other methods. Finally, the introduced methods are applied to a rather illustrative but real case of investment decision making in the capital market. The main results are discussed.


A family of antigenically related proteins present in cells infected with human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7), designated phosphoprotein 85 (pp85), comprises a complex of proteins, of which the 85-kDa species is phosphorylated. pp85 is a major determinant of human response to HHV-7 infection (L. Foà-Tomasi, E. Avitabile, L. Ke, and G. Campadelli-Fiume, J. Gen. Virol. 75:2719-2727, 1994; L. Foà-Tomasi, M. P. Fiorilli, E. Avitabile, and G. Campadelli-Fiume, J. Gen. Virol. 77:511-518, 1996; J. B. Black et al., Clin. Diagn. Lab. Immunol. 3:79-83, 1996). By immunoscreening of a cDNA library from HHV-7-infected cells with monoclonal antibody (MAb) 5E1, directed to the proteins of the pp85 complex, we mapped the gene encoding pp85 to the U14 open reading frame of the HHV-7 genome. A prokaryotically expressed fusion protein containing the U14 open reading frame reacted with MAb 5E1 in an immunoblot assay. A functional role for pp85 was defined by immunoelectron microscopy studies. Immunogold labeling of cryosections of HHV-7-infected cord blood mononuclear cells at high resolution localized the reactivity of MAb 5E1 to the outer surface of the virion tegument. This finding demonstrates that pp85, the product of the U14 gene, is a component of the HHV-7 tegument and suggests that the HHV-7 tegument is not a homogeneous structure but rather is composed of substructures, including an outermost layer containing pp85. The present findings, together with previously reported properties of MAb 5E1, including its ability to react with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, make this antibody a specific tool useful for etiopathogenetic studies of HHV-7 infection in humans and provide the basis for further development of pp85 into a specific recombinant diagnostic reagent.


Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of crystalline organic-inorganic hybrid compounds formed
by coordination of metal clusters or ions with organic linkers. MOFs have recently attracted intense research interest due
to their permanent porous structures, large surface areas and pore volume, high-dispersed metal species, and potential
applications in gas adsorption, separation, and catalysis. CO2 adsorption in MOFs has been investigated in two areas of
CO2 storage at high pressures and CO2 adsorption at atmospheric pressure conditions. In this short review, CO2 adsorption/
separation results using MOFs conducted in our laboratory was explained in terms of four contributing effects; (1)
coordinatively unsaturated open metal sites, (2) functionalization, (3) interpenetration/catenation, and (4) ion-exchange. Zeolitic
imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were also considered as a candidate material.


Performance of simple mental arithmetic provides a sensitive measure of subtle inhibitory and excitatory processes operating in sequential retrieval. Specifically, the probability that an error (e.g., 6 x 7 = 36) matches an earlier answer is below chance for the preceding trial (negative error priming), greater-than-chance for intermediate lags (positive error priming), and returns to chance after about 10 intervening trials (approximately 60 sec) (Campbell & Clark, 1989). Negative error priming suggests that inhibitory processes initially suppress just-produced items and temporarily mask excitatory effects of recent retrievals. To test further the inhibition hypothesis of negative error priming, we examined repetition priming effects at variable lags. The results demonstrate similar non-monotonic functions for error priming and repetition priming as a function of lag, consistent with the hypothesized decay of inhibitory memory processes.


For EUVL to be successful it is essential that reticles can be made without defects and that they can be cleaned without causing any damage. Contamination of reticles can be in two ways: particles due to handling can cause printable defects and carbon contamination due to residual hydrocarbons can cause change in CD and loss of throughput. We have shown in previous work that our Shielded Microwave Induced Remote Plasma (SMIRP) is excellent for cleaning EUV multilayer mirrors without any damage. In this presentation we show that SMIRP also can be used to clean EUVL reticles.


The central question in the comparative history Rus has been its differential development vis-à-vis its western neighbours and the meaning and reasons for this difference. The recent publication by Donald Ostrowski, Europe, Byzantium, and the "Intellectual Silence" of Rus' Culture, is a further contribution to this debate that revisits the reasons for a differential development between Rus and medieval Europe, focussing on the intellectual contributions of the Eastern Christian Church and Latin Church to their respective spheres of influence. Ostrowski's book, along with other analogous studies, produces a regime of knowledge that shapes information about the intellectual history of Rus as diametrically opposed to that of medieval Europe. A postcolonial critique of the treatment of information about the emergence of Rus questions some of the ideas (or yardsticks) (re)produced here and suggests new critical ways to approach the study of early Rus.


An overview of the results of SOFC anode interactions with phosphorus, arsenic, selenium, sulfur, antimony, and hydrogen chloride as single contaminants or in combinations is discussed. Tests were performed using both anode- and electrolyte-supported cells in synthetic and actual coal gas for periods greater than 1000 hours. Post-test analyses were performed to identify reaction products formed and their distribution, and compared to phases expected from thermochemical modeling. The ultimate purpose of this work is to establish maximum permissible concentrations for impurities in coal gas, to aid in the selection of appropriate coal gas clean-up technologies.


This paper used an integrated framework adapting from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Technological-Organizational-Environmental (TOE) framework adapted from a study by Tripopsakul (2018) to examine factors affecting the decision to adopt social media in business by individual and household retailers in Vietnam. Data were collected from 773 respondents through an online self-administered questionnaire survey in the three biggest cities of Vietnam (i.e. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang) using convenient and snowball sampling method. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results showed that social media adoption was significantly influenced by environmental context, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness, respectively. The technological and organizational contexts were proved to have a medium positive impact on social media adoption through perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness as two mediators. It is implied from the research findings that Vietnamese individual and household retailers mainly adopt social media because of the extrinsic forces rather than their intrinsic motives. Moreover, this study revealed that the more self-efficacy, innovativeness and IT experience that the Vietnamese retailers have, the more willing they are to adopt social media in business.


This study investigated how the use of response cards in an 11 grade Physics classroom impacted both students' academic performance and off-task behaviors. This experimental quantitative study applied an A-B-A design, wherein traditional hand raising was used for student response during the first week of the study or the baseline (A), response cards were used for the second week or the intervention (B), and traditional hand raising was used again for the third week of the study or withdraw of intervention and return to baseline (A). The central questions being investigated were as follows: How does the use of response cards impact student academic performance? How does the use of response cards impact student off-task behaviors? With a quantitative approach short daily quizzes were used to measure the students' academic performance and teacher observations recorded on a chart were used to measure the frequency of off-task behaviors over the three week period. The results showed that student academic performance increased while off-task behavior decreased.


Livestock grazing is often thought to enhance native plant species co-existence in remnant grasslands but may also favour exotic invaders. Recommendations for appropriate grazing strategies are needed, for which an understanding of the response of plant species is necessary. We explored the response of plant species and plant functional groups to grazing in temperate grassland of the Monaro Tablelands of south-east Australia by comparing species abundance in adjacent areas that differed in livestock grazing regime (minimal, infrequent and frequent). We also examined whether species with similar responses to grazing share certain traits and consider whether these traits might provide a useful method of assessing grazing impact. At the scale measured (0.25 m 2- ), an infrequent grazing regime maximised plant species co-existence in these grasslands due to widespread invasion by exotic plant species at infrequent grazing intensity. Many native species declined in abundance when grazing frequency increased from minimal to infrequent. Annuals invaded under infrequent grazing while perennials declined most strongly under high frequency grazing. Low levels of grazing apparently reduce cover and create sites suitable for seed recruitment whereas more frequent grazing reduces the persistence of perennials. While there was a tendency for native species to be more susceptible to grazing impact than exotics, plant traits, in particular longevity (perennial, annual) provided a better prediction of the response of plants to grazing. Although a few native plant species persisted at high grazing frequency, even infrequent livestock grazing may not be appropriate for the conservation of many native perennial grassland species. Targeted reductions in grazing frequency may be necessary to enable the long-term coexistence of grazing susceptible species.


Summary: The US Employment Service's (USES) General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), when used with USES‐developed cut‐off scores, has been found to be an accurate predictor of successful job performance. In the present study, results of the GATB scores obtained by vocational rehabilitation clients (n = 15) who were successfully placed into permanent employment were evaluated with reference to published GATB norms and cut‐off scores. The major finding of this study was that the scores were not accurate predictors of successful employment for this population. Subjects' subtest scores averaged between Vi and 2 SD below the published means, with scores on subtests measuring motor speed and dexterity producing the lowest values. Subtests measuring verbal and visual‐spatial ability produced relatively higher values. In only 3 instances was successful employment predicted by the cut‐off scores. For the entire sample, GATB scores were frequently low enough to indicate poor job performance in nearly all occupations covered by published cut‐off scores. Based on the results from the present study, and considering the widespread use of the GATB in the United States, a more comprehensive research project is being implemented to adapt GATB material for use with the targeted population.


Age has been reported as both a decisive and weak variable in recovery from aphasia. A middle aged group of aphasic subjects (50-64) are compared with an older group (65-80) on linguistic task performance, functional communication and quality of life measures administered at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post stroke. Preliminary findings do not suggest any age based recovery discrepancies for middle aged versus older aphasic subjects on these measures in the first post stroke year. An hierarchical pattern of severity across aphasia type emerged, with fluent aphasic subjects being the least and global aphasia subjects the most impaired both at the beginning and end of the first post stroke year. There appear to be differences in the schedule of improvement on different measures, which remain to be confirmed in the final analysis of the data.


Amino acids in the phosphate binding loop of adenylate kinase of Escherichia coli were mutated by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutant proteins with a Pro-9----Gly (P9G) and with a Lys-13----Gln (K13Q) exchange were overexpressed and purified. They were characterized by steady-state kinetics, fluorescence binding, and structural studies, together with the phosphate binding loop mutants P9L and G10V prepared earlier [Reinstein, J., Brune, M., & Wittinghofer, A. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 4712-4720]. The results obtained show that all these mutations change the structure of the protein as evidenced by NMR spectroscopy and temperature-stability studies. All the mutant proteins have increased dissociation constants for substrates and inhibitors, but their catalytic activity, except for K13Q, is not reduced. The results obtained with K13Q suggest that this lysine residue, which is conserved in all guanine and many adenine nucleotide proteins, might have an important role in catalysis.


The aim of the NHS National End of Life Care Programme for adults is to ensure that all dying adults, irrespective of their disease type, receive support and care and die in their place of choice. The website supports the Department of Health's End of Life Care Strategy by providing a rich source of information to facilitate service development and care delivery and by promoting best practice and innovative ideas across the UK. The key motto of the site is 'Making change happen'. The achievement of this goal is enabled by highlighting projects and services that are already working efficiently throughout the UK. With over 1.5 million 'hits' since its launch in 2007, the website is supporting end-of-life care in many clinical areas and is being accessed daily to assist practitioners, managers and commissioners. This article provides an overview of the website and reviews its sections and subsections in order to highlight to practitioners and organisations how the website can help them to improve patient care at the end of life. Conflicts of interest: The NHS National End of Life Care Programme supported this review


The Indonesian Government Budget Appropriations or Outlays for Research and Government (GBAORD) has been analyzed manually every year to measure the government expenditures in research and development. The analysis process involved several experts in making the budget classification. This method, commonly known as manual classification, has its downsides, which are time consumption and inconsistent result. Therefore, a study about implementing the machine learning method in GBAORD budget classification to avoid inconsistency is proposed in the previous research. For further analysis, this paper evaluates the performance of the Naïve Bayes algorithm for the GBAORD budget classification. This paper aims to measure the robustness of the Naïve Bayes to classify GBAORD data taken from 2017 until 2019. This paper uses three models of Naive Bayes with different preprocessing methods and features. This paper concludes that using the Naïve Bayes algorithm in Indonesian GBAORD budget classification is suitable since the robustness of the algorithm is proved to be high with 96.788+-0.185% average accuracy.


Abstract Three different analyses are conducted in this thesis. First there is made a database of ventilation components with life cycle inventory (LCI) data that can be used to optimize duct work systems based on LCA. These values are from cradle to use. Transport, installation, maintenance and demolition are commented. The second part is an example of optimization done on a small duct work system with pressure drop and fan power taken into account. The third part is a case study where kg CO_2-eq/m^2?year is found to see how much a given ventilation system affects the environment. All gathering of LCI-data of components are done based on weight and assumption of material composition. All components are simulated separately in Simapro and the results are presented per component and per meter duct. The compounding of material pieces into the finished components are assumed done in Trondheim, Norway. All components are analyzed with three electricity-mixes; UCTE, NORDEL and Norwegian. For the second part, the LCA of a small duct work system, the LCA is divided into different phases. The gathered LCI-data from the first part are used to optimize the duct work system. The duct work system is a simple system existing of three lengths of ducts and two bends. The main idea with the optimization part is to show the method with using pressure drop in duct work system, find the primary energy factor (PEF) of the fan and optimize the duct work system based on PEF of LCI-data of the components and the PEF of fan. For the third part a case is used; the ventilation systems of Multiconsult offices in Bergen, Norway. This office building is highly energy efficient, and is marked with the grade excellent from Breeam. The results from the LCI-data show that, naturally, the environmental impact increases as the weight and dimension of the component increases. The optimal dimension of the duct work system depends on operation hours, lifetime and electricity-mix used in fan and in the LCI-data for the components. With an operation time of 12 hours a day for a year and a lifetime of 30 years, the optimal duct dimension is found to be 160 mm for both UCTE and NORDEL electricity-mix and 125 mm for Norwegian electricity-mix. The last part, the case part, gave a value of 0, 64, 0, 62 and 0, 62 kg CO_2-eq/m^2?year for the UTCE, NORDEL and Norwegian electricity-mix, respectively with a lifetime of 30 years.


Three active learning schemes are used to generate training data for Gaussian process interpolation of intermolecular potential energy surfaces. These schemes aim to achieve the lowest predictive error using the fewest points and therefore act as an alternative to the status quo methods involving grid-based sampling or space-filling designs like Latin hypercubes (LHC). Results are presented for three molecular systems: CO2-Ne, CO2-H2, and Ar3. For each system, two of the active learning schemes proposed notably outperform LHC designs of comparable size, and in two of the systems, produce an error value an order of magnitude lower than the one produced by the LHC method. The procedures can be used to select a subset of points from a large pre-existing data set, to select points to generate data de novo, or to supplement an existing data set to improve accuracy.


A planned access method on constantly-changing-community unit plan changes and develops based on the periodical situation and also plan theory. In this research, it is to present the link between the theory of complex city change and the plan factor of it, and to show how Korean residential complex plan has changed as time passed and how new concept of city plan came up and by applying new methods how can this affect our real world and the past plan. In the phase of analysis, it analyzed the flow of 'community unit plan' and its theory and investigated the factor of compositional space and built a analysis frame. The factors of community unit plan are space structure, size and shape of block, population, distribution of facilities and movement system. It chose the place that can represent the flow of community unit plan trand and that indicates the obvious development leading to Jamsil (1975), Gwa Chun (1980), Mok Dong (1983), Sang Ge (1985), Ilsan (1989), Dong tan (2001) and Eun Jung (2003) total of 7 places. And to compare a similar size of the city, it selected a small community unit. Based on the result of theoretical study and prior research, it can be said that the space composition style has change from a whole complete complex area to a linked-cross over community unit and the access of urban level was on set. Also, a pedestrian walking area was secured and the dense of building structure and pleasant environment wanting need was in balance. For facility plans, the usage of facility and functional change brought change of type, size and disposition. The walking area for pedestrian became a huge matter. Therefore, market, education, public facilities and green system collaborated to co-build a whole community unit and activated the walking environment. Also, public transportation, environment friendly city organization was built.


The (re)building of the post-communist states offers new perspectives both on the state and on the multiple transitions that followed communism. Specifically, it shifts our analytical focus from states as consolidated outcomes and unitary actors to the process by which states come into being and into action in the modern era. This process consists of elite competition over policy-making authority, which is shaped and constrained by existing institutional resources, the pacing of transformation, and the international context. The four ideal types of state-building that result are exemplified by the post-communist experience: democratic, autocratic, fractious, and personalistic.


The study intends to investigate the role of managerial personality traits on working capital management of Chinese SMEs with the mediating role of overconfidence behavior. Data from the Chinese SMEs managers is collected through a close-ended survey questionnaire using multi-stage cluster sampling and structural equation modeling is applied for empirical analysis. The results shown that extroversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness traits determines overconfidence behavior among the managers. While, conscientiousness and neuroticism traits were found insignificant with overconfidence behavior. Overconfidence behavior significantly mediated during COVID-19 between managerial personality traits (e.g., extroversion and agreeableness traits) and working capital management. Limitted time remained a major limitation in completing this study. The study extended the knowledge by investigating the working capital management practices during COVID-19 in Chinese SMEs and contributed by presenting multiple practical implications for effective working capital management. Our results validated that overconfidence bias (OCB) mediated between personality traits of managers and working capital management. Specifically, OCB negotiated between extroversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness (three dimensions of personality traits), working capital, cash management, and investor management (three dimensions of working capital management). In comparison, other personality traits, such as Conscientiousness and neuroticism, resulted in an insignificant association with OCB and working capital management in both direct and indirect effects. So the study hypothesis (e.g., H1, H2, H3) are accepted. Our findings are parallel to Lang and Presbitero (2018) that biased behaviors have sensed contribution to the management style of the managers. Study results also confirm that demographic factors of managers like age, experience and career track, and consistency are essential factors in managing working capital.


The article presents the experience of surgical treatment of 57 patients with peritoneal pseudomyxoma of appendicular genesis. In 32 (56.1%) patients, the operation was supplemented with intraoperative photodynamic therapy (IOPDT). In the other 25 (43.9%) patients, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) was performed. The analysis according to the value of the peritoneal carcinomatosis index, completeness of cytoreduction, the volume of operations performed, postoperative complications and hospital mortality, as well as long-term treat- ment results in two groups is presented. It was shown that with significantly worse results in terms of cytoreduction completeness obtained in the IOPDT group compared to the HIPEC group, the 5-year survival rate in the HIPEC group was 86.6%, with IOPDT - 65.2%. At the same time, in the IOPDT group, the rate of postoperative complications was significantly lower (11.1%), and there was no mortality; in the HIPEC group, these indicators were 23.8% and 12.0%, respectively. The results obtained indicate that the IOPDT method is an effective and promising direction in the surgical treatment of peritoneal pseudomyxoma.


Oxo-titanium phthalocyanine (TiOPc) derivatives of catechin and hematoxylin (natural ortho-diol type chiral compounds) have been prepared and characterized by spectral and chromatographic techniques. It is demonstrated that the TiOPc unit is an excellent template for chiral recognition through its isolated Q-transitions. The formation of a helical dimeric complex with hematoxylin induces strong CD-activity in the Q-band region. Ab initio geometry optimizations were combined with a Kuhn-Kirkwood coupled-oscillator mechanism to obtain the absolute configuration of hematoxylin. In addition, it is shown that the described chiroptical recognition method is sensitive to slight conformational changes.


In the wine sector are many factors, which cause other change, than a shift in the curve of growth in the demand. Changes with the biggest influence are indicating as the movement changes-form forces. The most important of these include primarily changes in long-term growth industry, changes in technology and new forms of marketing. The further development of the sector will have a significant impact and driving forces are due to factors in the macro-environment, mainly associated with government intervention in the industry, the current social trend, that supports drinking wine and liberalization of the foreign trade.


In this study, the effective factors on the heat transfer and pressure drop in heat pipe heat exchanger design based on the LMTD and effectiveness-NTU has been investigated. Increasing fuel cost and energy conservation, fuel consumption and also, pollution air are the most important consideration to be taken in new heat exchanger design, and modern compact heat exchangers. This paper describes a theoretical method to the design and performance of heat pipe heat Exchanger. Design of heat pipe heat exchanger for identifying of the principal parameters, which can optimize the performance of heat exchanger. Heat pipe heat exchanger efficiency with copper pipes is 10% higher than steel but steel pipe for strength and its ability to heat recovery of hot gases is preferred. Increasing the number of rows of tubes will increase efficiency. The largest diameter pipes and increasing the number of fins improved efficiency. Pressure drop of the heat pipe heat exchanger placed as heat recovery unit in hot gas duct of boilers and furnace depends on velocity and it is very important. Keywords— Heat Pipe, Design of Heat Exchanger, LMTD and ε-NTU method, Pressure Drop


Knowledge management in networks of varying geographical scopes: The example of private equity (PE) in Germany. An analysis of the private equity (including venture capital) value chain shows that private equity firms' strategies integrate and rely on the exchange of knowledge with various external partners in order to reduce investment risk. In our paper we theoretically discuss and empirically examine what type of relationships and positions are aimed for by PE-firms and how this translates into knowledge management and network strategies. Specifically we explore the geographical scope of PE-networks and how PE-firms' knowledge management connects and integrates regional and supraregional networks.We will show that although regional financial centres function as nodes in these networks, PE-activities do not seem to play an important role in (re)stimulating financial dynamics in these centres.


The Insertable B-layer project is planned for the upgrade of the ATLAS experiment at LHC. A silicon layer will be inserted into the existing Pixel Detector together with new electronics. The readout off-detector system is implemented with a Back-Of-Crate module implementing I/O functionality and a Readout-Driver card (ROD) for data processing. The ROD hosts the electronics devoted to control operations implemented both with a back-compatible solution (using a Digital Signal Processor) and with a PowerPC embedded into an FPGA. In this document major firmware and software achievements concerning the PowerPC implementation, tested on ROD prototypes, will be reported.


In PEDAGOGIA there are 7 years which start from 2011 untill 2017, and it consist of 6 volume start from volume 1 until volume 6 and it also consist of 3 years or from 2011 untill 2013 is show about pedagogia description and 4 years other or from 2013 untill 2017 show about the month it is August and February. The cover of PEDAGOGIA's cover is combined with white and gold and it is full of text. Then for all readers consisting of 4 readers from within the country that is 3 readers are from east java and 1 is from central java, for the PEDAGOGIA journal creation team consists of 5 groups and all of its members are from within the university. PEDAGOGIA and JEES article have different discussion. The content article of PEDAGOGIA discuss about the difficulty when learning English lesson. While PEDAGOGIA journal use qualitative method because it shows the result of observation. I think that PEDAGOGIA is advantages because it explain about what students problem when they learn English especially students who come from non English Department. On the other hand, in JEES there are only 2 years which start from 2016 untill 2017, its consist of volume 1 and volume 2 and both show about the month, it is October and April. In JEES' cover is combine with black and it also on the top there are tittle and globe picture which make the cover interested. There are 2 readers from abroad and also 8 readers are from within the country. Then for the team maker consists of 3 parts of the team in the making of this journal and there is one of his team members came from abroad (Lebanon). I also think that JEES is disadvantages because it just describes the result of writing task of student exchange. All in all, every journal research have their advantages and disadvantages, but it also depends on us will take it advantage or not what method we use. In each different method it will also make different analysis. Then use the method that suits the need in making a conclusion of a study.


Lead-free, bismuth-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising, non-toxic, and stable alternatives to lead-based PSCs, which are environmentally harmful and highly unstable under deprived air conditions. However, bismuth-based PSCs still suffer from low-power-conversion efficiency (PCE) due to their large bandgap and poor film morphology. Their poor film-forming ability is the greatest obstacle to Cs₃Bi₂I₉ progress in thin-film solar cell technology. This study synthesizes novel, lead-free perovskites with a small bandgap, excellent stability, and highly improved photovoltaic performance by integrating different amounts of potassium iodide (KI) into a perovskite precursor solution. KI incorporation improves the crystallinity of the perovskite, increases the grain size, and decreases the potential contact distribution, which is demonstrated by X-ray diffraction, electronic scanning microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The Cs₃Bi₂I₉ PSC device with 2 vol. % incorporation of KI shows the highest PCE of 2.81% and Voc of 1.01 V as far as all the Bi-based cells fabricated for this study are concerned. The study demonstrates that incorporating KI in the Cs₃Bi₂I₉ perovskite layer highly stabilizes the resultant PSC device against humidity to the extent that it maintains 98% of the initial PCE after 90 days, which is suitable for solar cell applications. The devices also demonstrate greater resistance to airborne contaminants and high temperatures without encapsulation, opening up new possibilities for lead-free Cs₃Bi₂I₉ PSCs in future commercialization.


We propose a novel algorithm for solving multiparametric linear programming problems. Rather than visiting different bases of the associated LP tableau, we follow a geometric approach based on the direct exploration of the parameter space. The resulting algorithm has computational advantages, namely the simplicity of its implementation in a recursive form and an efficient handling of primal and dual degeneracy. Illustrative examples describe the approach throughout the paper. The algorithm is used to solve finite-time constrained optimal control problems for discrete-time linear dynamical systems.


Medicine is and always has been full of unproven concepts. However, when they are frequently used in clinical practice, they seem established and are therefore seldom questioned. In his book 'Follies and fallacies in medicine' (Glasgow, The Tarragon Press, 1989) Peter Skrabanek clearly proposed a way to improve the quality of medicine by being chronically sceptical towards all 'established' concepts. By cyting Bertold Brecht he proposed 'scepticemia' as a major tool to speed up the progress in medicine: 'The chief cause of poverty in science is imaginary wealth. The chief aim of science is not to open a door to infinite wisdom but to set a limit to infinite error.' In this article we will try to analyze the evidence of the three so-called cornerstones of diabetes therapy – diet, exercise and insulin – with regard to their efficacy in reaching the goals of treatment in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.


In this research, to optimize the surface of the photoanode, two different types of surface coatings were used and their effects on the photovoltaic parameters were investigated. Also, to compare the two different electrolytic systems based on liquid and gel‐state electrolyte, the novel magnetic core‐shell nanocellulose/titanium chloride (Fe3O4@)NCs/TiCl) nanocomposite was introduced into a polymeric system as a nanofiller to decrease the crystallinity of the polymer and enhance the diffusion of triiodide ions in quasisolid‐state dye‐sensitized solar cells (QS‐DSSCs). For this purpose, Fe3O4@)NCs/TiCl was synthesized by coprecipitation of Fe3+ and Fe2+ ions in the presence of nanocellulose and then used as magnetic support for bonding TiCl4 to prepare QS‐DSSCs. Containing a 10.0 wt% magnetic nanocomposite, it displayed a higher apparent diffusion coefficient (Dapp) for I3− ions (4.10 × 10−6 cm2/s) than the gel polymeric electrolyte (GPE) did (1.35 × 10−6 cm2/s). GPEs were characterized using various techniques including current density‐voltage curves, AC impedance measurements, and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The photovoltaic values for the short‐circuit current density (Jsc), open‐circuit voltage (VOC), and fill factor (FF) and the energy conversion efficiency (η) of the novel Fe3O4@NCs/TiCl nanocomposite–based QS‐DSSCs were 14.90 mA cm−2, 0.757 V, 64%, and 7.22%, respectively.


The heat transfer and flow characteristics of rarefied gas confined within a square cavity are investigated. The cavity upper-wall is subjected to a symmetrical sinusoidal temperature with respect to its midline. Two cases are considered, one of them is that the bottom and two sidewalls are kept adiabatic, while in the other, all the enclosure walls are considered diffusely reflecting. Kinetically, the gas is simulated with the direct simulation Monte Carlo method (DSMC) in the slip and transition regimes. The DSMC results are compared with the Navier-Stokes-Fourier equation, with second order boundary conditions of velocity slip and temperature jump, (NSF) in the slip regime. Main outcomes are presented as velocity streamlines overlaid on temperature contours and macroscopic parameters plots. The Knudsen number (Kn) increase shows other vortices, beside the two classical ones that appear in the hydrodynamic and slip regime. The normal heat flux about the sinusoidally heated wall is strengthened by the flow in DSMC rather than that predicted by NSF method. Good agreement is observed between the NSF theory and DSMC method in the early slip regime, but when Kn=0.1 the NSF approach breaks down to show the secondary counter rotating eddies illustrated by the DSMC method.


Emerging research frontiers and computational advances have gradually transformed cognitive science into a multidisciplinary and data-driven field. As a result, there is a proliferation of cognitive theories investigated and interpreted from different academic lens and in different levels of abstraction. We formulate this applied aspect of this challenge as the computational cognitive inference, and describe the major routes of computational approaches. To balance the potential optimism alongside the speed and scale of the data-driven era of cognitive science, we propose to inspect this trend in more empirical terms by identifying the operational challenges, societal impacts and ethical guidelines in conducting research and interpreting results from the computational inference in cognitive science.


This article explores aspects of the relationship between music, place, locality and identity in Aotearoa/New Zealand. While there have been numerous attempts to construct a national identity for New Zealand music (often referred to as 'Kiwi' music), I will argue that there is far more comprehensive evidence of a range of regional musics, which go beyond examples such as the Flying Nun-Dunedin Christchurch and roots-reggae-dub-Wellington nexus, and suggest rather a local-transnational nexus, which combines strong global influences with evocations of particular localities. This transnational orientation suggests a liminal or 'in-between' situatedness for much music produced in New Zealand, in which landscape and 'sonic geography', whether urban or rural, is not related to expressions of national identity, but to a more locally- grounded poetics of home, belonging, and also alienation. In exploring 'psychogeographical' aspects of a range of popular music in Aotearoa, I will examine remixes of taonga puoro music (pre-European Maori musical instruments) by Richard Nunns and Hirini Melbourne by various dub and electronica musicians, music by Neil Finn, Don McGlashan, Bachelorette, Roy Montgomery, and music inspired by places in the South island, especially the 'landscape of trauma' of the Aramoana massacre of 1990.


Prime implicant/implicate generating algorithms for multiple-valued logics are introduced. Techniques from classical logic not requiring large normal forms or truth tables are adapted to certain "regular" multiple-valued logics. This is accomplished by means of signed formulas, a meta-logic for multiple valued logics; the formulas are normalized in a way analogous to negation normal form. The logic of signed formulas is classical in nature. The presented method is based on path dissolution, a strongly complete inference rule. The generalization of dissolution that accommodates signed formulas is described.<<ETX>>


Large metropolitan cities bring together diverse individuals, creating opportunities for cultural and intellectual exchanges, which can ultimately lead to social and economic enrichment. In this work, we present a novel network perspective on the interconnected nature of people and places, allowing us to capture the social diversity of urban locations through the social network and mobility patterns of their visitors. We use a dataset of approximately 37K users and 42K venues in London to build a network of Foursquare places and the parallel Twitter social network of visitors through check-ins. We define four metrics of the social diversity of places which relate to their social brokerage role, their entropy, the homogeneity of their visitors and the amount of serendipitous encounters they are able to induce. This allows us to distinguish between places that bring together strangers versus those which tend to bring together friends, as well as places that attract diverse individuals as opposed to those which attract regulars. We correlate these properties with wellbeing indicators for London neighbourhoods and discover signals of gentrification in deprived areas with high entropy and brokerage, where an influx of more affluent and diverse visitors points to an overall improvement of their rank according to the UK Index of Multiple Deprivation for the area over the five-year census period. Our analysis sheds light on the relationship between the prosperity of people and places, distinguishing between different categories and urban geographies of consequence to the development of urban policy and the next generation of socially-aware location-based applications.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of physical education based intervention program, aiming to help the development of writing skills of primary school children, on fine motor skill precision and fine motor skill integration. A total of 104 primary school children at grade 1 with at least 2 years of preschool education participated in the study. Children in the experimental group, together with the curriculum studies, did adapted ball control drills three times a week, each 40 minutes, for 10 weeks. Fine motor skill levels of the children were examined with tests of Manual dexterity, Upper limb coordination, Fine motor skill precision and Fine motor skill integration sub-dimensions in the complete form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2). The first measurement was made in the first week of school education, and the last measurements were made after a 10-week intervention period. Data were evaluated by repeated measures analysis of variance and simple effect test. At the end of the intervention, dexterity, upper extremity coordination, fine motor skill sensitivity and fine motor skill integration values improved in the experimental group compared to the control group. This difference between two groups was determined to be statistically significant. As a result, it can be said that physical education based intervention programs for small muscle groups positively affect children's fine motor skills development and thus their interest in writing and schooling.


Studies revealing the positive relationship between trade and income are often criticized with the argument that "development should mean more than rising incomes". Taking this argument as a base and utilizing panel data, Davies and Quinlivan [1] have demonstrated that increases in trade are positively associated with future increases in social welfare as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). The purpose of this study is twofold: Firstly, utilizing an income based country classification; it is aimed to investigate whether the positive association between foreign trade and HDI is valid within all country groups. Secondly, keeping the same categorization as a base; it is aimed to reveal whether the positive link between trade and HDI still exists when the income components of the index are excluded. Employing a panel data framework of 106 countries, this study reveals that the positive link between trade and human development is valid only for high and medium income countries. Moreover, the positive link between trade and human development diminishes in lower-medium income countries when only non-income components of the index are taken into consideration. Keywords—HDI, foreign trade, development, panel data.