Transient decay of the surface potential in an upright cylindrical vessel with a central fill pipe is investigated. The transient problem is solved analytically for the ideal case of the fill pipe extending fully to the vessel bottom. For the practical case in which the fill pipe does not reach the vessel bottom, this problem is studied by numerical calculation. In both solutions, constant ohmic resistivity is assumed and a surface conduction mechanism is introduced for the dissipation of surface charge. It is found that the existence of a fill pipe extending below the liquid surface modestly increases the relaxation rate of surface potential. However, when the fill pipe is located just above the liquid surface, the decay of surface potential is greatly slowed.<<ETX>>


The regular harvesting of tea (two leaves and a bud) implies that nutrients are continuously mined from the soil. On the other hand, integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) which involves the combined use of organic and inorganic fertiliser is good for improved soil health. Therefore, the study was carried out to determine the effect of enriched sheep manure rates on physico-chemical parameters of tea soil. An ongoing field trial in Timbilil Tea Estate in Kericho started in 1985 to study the response of sheep manure, NPK 25:5:5 and a combination of both on tea plants were used. The trial was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Forty-two composite soil samples were collected randomly from each of the experimental plots. The data collection process included soil sampling during the short rain season in 2017 and annual tea yield sampling. The samples were analysed for the total organic matter, nitrogen content, bulk density, porosity, soil pΗ, porosity, particle density and soil moisture content. Results showed that fertiliser types significantly (p<0.05) affected SOM with enriched sheep manure giving the highest values. Fertiliser rates had no significant (p>0.05) difference on SOM. Fertiliser application at the Original Research Article Boiwa et al.; IJPSS, 25(3): 1-7, 2018; Article no.IJPSS.44866 2 highest rate of 240 kg N/ha had the lowest SOM content, which means high fertiliser application, causes more harm than good. Therefore, enriched manures increase SOM content in the soil which could improve productivity in the tea industry.


A number of calcium bismuthates were synthesized (25 to 50 mol% in Ca) and characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, XPS and DRS techniques; the latter provided an estimate of the bandgap energies (Ebg=2.41 to 3.29 eV) via Tauc plots for indirect transitions, whereas XPS established the potentials (vs NHE) of their respective valence bands (and thus the conduction bands). Linear correlations existed between EVB/ECB and Ebg that when compared with those of strontium bismuthates (reported earlier) showed that differences in energies at Ebg=0 eV are related to the difference in the absolute electronegativities of Ca and Sr, from which the following empirical phenomenological rule is postulated: replacing one alkaline earth metal in bismuthates by another causes the points of intersection of the linear correlations ECB(Ebg) and EVB(Ebg) to be displaced by an amount equal to twice the difference in absolute electronegativities of these metals.


Economic growth is seen as the increase in the production capacity of a country. It enables a country to produce more and more material wealth and social benefits. Today, the success of any product on the market is closely related to the issue of branding. The brand is a source of information for a user/consumer, which helps to simplify the choice of goods and reduce consumer risk. The paper studies the role of branding in order to promote Georgian tea brands. The main focus of the research is directed to consumer attitudes regarding Georgian tea brands. The methodology of the paper is based on marketing research. The findings study revealed that the majority of consumers prefer foreign tea brands. The final part of the article presents the main recommendations. Keywords—Marketing research, customer behavior, brand, successful brand.


The authors analyzed the history and follow-up findings and studied neurologic, somatic and psychopathologic status as well as the adaptive function of the olfactory and cutaneous-algesic analyzers and constructive praxis in 175 patients with chronic alcoholism. The regularities of social decompensation are considered and the technique for its objective evaluation and classification is offered. Also specified are both unfavourable and favourable prognostic indicators of the rehabilitation of such patients.


Individuals and communities around the world hold a plethora of beliefs, practices, emotions, and motivations that mark religious diversity. Such diversity is evident in religious attitudes toward sexuality throughout the world. This essay considers the complicated relationship between religions and sexuality, focusing on four key themes in contemporary religious discourse. It first highlights the cosmological value of sexuality as articulated in some religious discourse and through various religious practices. The essay then notes the influence of Cartesian Dualism, patriarchy, and heterosexism on some religious understandings of sexuality. Finally, it illustrates the way sexuality acts as a framework for moral epistemologies.

Keywords:

cosmology;
epistemologies;
morality;
religion;
sexuality


A community-of-practice (CoP) approach is used to analyze rural water sustainability. In combining CoP with the capability approach (CA), a dichotomy is generated between project goals and project practices and whether they are locally or externally driven. Four possible project scenarios are developed from this framework: empowerment (local goals and practices), apprenticeship (local practices and external goals), assistencialism (external practices and local goals) and determinism (external goals and practices). A novel arrangement of indicators is used that incorporates economic (costs), environmental (natural resources) and engineering (skills) sustainability. A meta-synthesis of 23 Egyptian rural water projects indicates that sustainability potential should optimize environmental and engineering sustainability on one hand, with economic sustainability on the other. The policy implication is that managing a series of village-level water projects at a regional level best achieves both economy of scale and adequate cultivation of local practices. However, such a policy is only possible if national institutions enable decentralized regional governance. If institutions resist decentralization, institutional incentives are likely necessary to ensure a more enabling environment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


Federal housing policies aimed at making homeownership more accessible through education and affordable lending have been successful in raising the homeownership rate among minorities. By marketing homeownership to underserved populations and helping them overcome financial and informational obstacles, such programs might be expected to promote equality in housing outcomes, including housing quality, neighborhood composition, and neighborhood conditions, for minority homeowners. This article examines the experience of participants in a national home‐ownership education program. While the transition to homeownership has been associated with modest progress, it does not overcome persistent disparities in housing quality. Homeownership appears to lead to poorer neighborhood conditions for all lower‐income buyers—not just minorities—and may be exacerbating social and spatial isolation rather than helping to overcome it. Differences in neighborhood outcomes, however, may be due to locational preference rather than discrimination in housing and mortgage markets.


Cytokines exert receptor-mediated control over glia. Up-regulation of receptor expression of cytokine production corresponds with the acquisition of a neoplastic phenotype. A modified radial dish assay was used to determine whether in vitro locomotion of glioma cells is modified by the epidermal growth factor, the basic fibroblast growth factor, the bb dimer of platelet-derived growth factor, the nerve growth factor, or the tumor necrosis factor alpha. Human glioma cells were plated in the center of a petri dish with one of these cytokines in 0.5 ml agar (50 ng/ml if the cytokine was distributed evenly throughout the dish) at one edge, and 0.5 ml plain agar at the opposite edge. After 24 hours, a central zone of cells was established; the agar was gelatinized. Feeding medium was added to the dish, and slow elution from the agar established a cytokine gradient. Cell counts were performed daily over 6 to 10 days at predetermined distances on both sides of the central zone to assess directional cellular movement with respect to the cytokine gradient and the plain agar. The epidermal growth factor caused continuous chemoattraction, whereas the tumor necrosis factor alpha caused slight chemorepulsion for 24 to 48 hours, followed by strong chemoattraction. The bb dimer of platelet-derived growth factor, the basic fibroblast growth factor, and the nerve growth factor all maintained chemorepulsion over the entire 6 to 10 days. Therefore, the cytokines did affect glioma cell motility in vitro, and the modified radial dish assay used in this study provided a useful in vitro model for assessing the impact of the cytokines on glioma cell locomotion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Biomaterials (composites and blends) play a major role in the health of modern society. This paper reports on the preparation and characterization of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and hydroxyapatite (HAP) composites, analyzing the incorporation of HAP in PVDF and investigating their mechanical properties and cytotoxicity (biocompatibility) for use in bone restoration and filling. The material was prepared in film form by the casting method. PVDF pellets were dissolved in dimethylacetamide (DMA), a HAP/DMA emulsion was prepared. The materials were mixed in proportions of 100/00, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50, 40/60, 30/70 in weight and left to dry in an oven, resulting in homogeneous, flexible films which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X ray diffractometry (XRD), contact angle measurement, and by mechanical and cytotoxicity tests.


With the popularity of commodity drones in a wide variety of applications, significant security issues have been raised. One of the major problems is that a legal drone may be illegally hijacked by GPS spoofing attacks. Though some GPS anti-spoofing techniques have been proposed, no effective technique has been implemented in commodity drones yet due to practical limitations. Motivated by the ubiquitous WiFi signals around us, we propose WiDrone, a WiFi fingerprint location cross-check based anti-hijacking system on commodity drones in this poster. WiDrone still relies on GPS for navigation but it will authenticate the destination by comparing current WiFi fingerprint (CWF) with the destination WiFi fingerprint (DWF) when the drone receives a landing order. Furthermore, we propose a WiFi fingerprint authentication algorithm to decide whether CWF matches DWF. We have designed and implemented the prototype of WiDrone on DJI Matrice 100 to ascertain the practicability of proposed system.


The effects of different water depths and sediments on the growth of Potamogeton malaianus Miq.were studied from Sept.2006 to Sept.2007 at Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research.Experiments were carried out with Potamogeton malaianus in plastic pots from steel tubes placed on a concrete pond.Two types of sediments,mud and loess;and five water depths of 30,60,90,120 cm and 150 cm were used in this experiment.The objective of the experiment was to determine the best growth habitat of Potamogeton malaianus and provide scientific basis for ecological restoration of submersed vegetation in Lake Taihu.The results show that water depth has a greater effect on the growth of Potamogeton malaianus than sediment type.With increased water depth,the length,dry biomass,and tiller numbers significantly changed;however,these indices experienced no significant changes between the two sediment types(mud and loess).Potamogeton malaianus had a stronger adaptability within water temperatures ranging from 22 to 30C and grows best in water depths ranging from 60-120 cm.In this range,plant length,relative growth rate(RGR)and dry biomass increased with water depth.The tiller numbers produced by Potamogeton malaianus plants also increased with time at these depths.In shallower or deeper water,the plant growth and reproduction may be limited due to many factors,such as light capacity or dehydration.Vegetative growth ability of Potamogeton malaianus decreased while reproductive ability increased through the whole winter.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed at investigating the feasibility and validity of the microdialysis technique for the non-hydrophilic antifungal voriconazole, in settings for established concentric and new linear catheters. Optimal conditions for application of microdialysis in in vivo studies including steady-state conditions were to be elaborated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
For in vitro microdialysis investigations, a robust and easy-to-handle system was developed permitting standardized physiological-like conditions. Various experiments on the influence of flow-rate (0.4 - 10.0 µl/min), voriconazole concentration (1.0 - 50.0 µg/ml) on relative recovery were performed. Additionally, the mass transfer coefficient r of voriconazole was estimated (WinNonlin™).

RESULTS
In vitro microdialysis experiments suggested sufficient voriconazole concentrations in the dialysate for (non-)clinical investigations. The stability of voriconazole was confirmed over 10 h (37 °C). A flow-rate dependency was shown (optimum: 2.0 µl/min) and r was estimated to be 0.09 mm/min and 0.11 mm/min for concentric and linear catheters, respectively. Relative recovery in delivery/recovery experiments was independent of the voriconazole concentration ranging from 96.0% to 97.8%/93.8% to 100.2% (CV 1.7%/ 0.5%) indicating unhampered passage of voriconazole through the catheter. Investigations mimicking steady-state suggested voriconazole concentration of 100 - 200 µg/ml for in vivo catheter calibration solutions.

CONCLUSION
The results demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the microdialysis technique in clinically-mimicked settings despite the higher lipophilicity of voriconazole and support the application of the technique in vivo.


The 125 species of the satyrid butterfly tribe Pronophilini known from the three Andean Cordilleras of Colombia are listed, together with two species whose Colombian status is doubtful. The biological, ecological and biogeographical features of the tribe are described, using the listed species as examples. The features include restriction to moist conditions at high altitudes, endemism in the Cordilleras and in areas and on slopes within them, allopatric speciation and subspeciation, parapatric distributions of related species up the altitude gradients, intraspecific variation and polymorphism and apparent mimicry. The criteria used for classifying the taxa and assessing their relationships are discussed. Seventeen new species, three new subspecies and one new form are described. At the species level, 11 new synonymies are established, two synonymies are rejected, the status of 15 other taxa is revised, and 23 new combinations are made. At the generic level, two new synonymies are established, and one genus is resurrected.


An electrochemical method for monitoring hydrogen content permeated through steel pipe at elevated temperatures (-673 K) was, first time, applied to an actual hydrodesulfurizing plant for light oil. The monitoring equipments include a molten sodium hydroxide electrolyte, a stabilized zirconia reference electrode, Pt-wire counter electrode, a high-purity alumina cell, potentiostat and recorder. The monitoring of ionic current of permeated hydrogen was performed with high reliability during over one month. The measuring currents were fundamentally similar values as ones calculated from the assumption that the process flow was pure hydrogen gas. But, after several days, the permeation currents decreased to 1/2-1/5 of the calculated value. This decrease is closely related to the formation of FeS film at the inner surface of pipe.


Citrus fruits are the main fruit trees grown throughout the world and are well – appreciated for their refreshing juice and health benefits. Numerous therapeutic properties have been attributed to citrus fruits, like anticancer, antiviral, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory activities, and effects on capillary fragility as well as an ability to inhabit platelet aggregation. More recently, therapeutic values related to cardiovascular diseases and age related macular degeneration have been reported. These numerous health benefits of citrus fruits are linked to the high amounts of photochemical and bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals available in citrus fruits. These phytonutrients may act as antioxidants, stimul ate the immune systems; induce protective enzymes in the liver or block the damage of the genetic materials. The phytonutrients and vitamins may be responsible for the antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties of the citrus species. The cit rus species have numerous applications in herbal medicine and as fruits in Nigeria. In this review, the protective effects of citrus flavonoids and carotenoids against cancer, tumor growth, cardio diseases and macular degeneration along with various healin g benefits and nutritional values of citrus fruits have been discussed.


Yi Nao describes a type of violence displayed in Chinese hospitals which involves organised disturbances led by patients' relatives and/or Yi Nao gangs. Drawing on media reports of Yi Nao, we argue that the phenomenon of Yi Nao transforms hospitals into "power arenas" in which a struggle over moral and political resources (capital) takes place between patients, Yi Nao gangs, doctors, government agencies, and hospital management. Two interrelated rules that are crucial to understanding the ad hoc local strategies of the actors involved in Yi Nao are examined: the "publicity rule", and the "rule of risk-avoidance". We also argue that the political discourse of "stability" has been internalised by the officials in the Chinese government and public hospitals in mediating social disputes. At the same time, Yi Nao actors use this discourse to creatively adapt to social resistance, as reflected in the disposition to use performative disturbance in pursuit of material or symbolic compensation.


Traditionally, software development environments have tended to treat a system's development‐time activities separately from its run‐time. After a system is in operation, it frequently needs to be maintained and evolved. In traditional environments, this results in frequent relocations of a system between the disjoint development and run‐time environments, which is undesirable for several reasons. A more effective solution is to couple the development and run‐time environments to directly monitor and adapt running systems. Given the growing need for interaction between development‐time and run‐time aspects of modern software systems, it is important to understand development and run‐time environments, and their relationship. To this end, we study and classify a wide range of software development environments on the basis of their level of interaction with the corresponding run‐time environments. Particularly, we identify, study, and characterize Self‐Adaptive Life‐cycle Environments (SALEs), an emerging class of modern development environments that are tightly integrated with run‐time environments. We reify our study of the development environments into a novel reference architecture, iDARE, that captures and differentiates the architectures of software environments – from those, such as traditional development environments, that have no interaction with the run‐time environments, to the ones, such as SALEs, that are tightly integrated with the run‐time environments. We use iDARE to highlight several shortcomings of existing SALEs. Adherence to iDARE has the potential to improve certain quality properties of the integrated development and run‐time environments, such as adaptability, fault‐tolerance, robustness, availability, and resource consumption. We identify a number of opportunities for future research. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We show that a nonsingular bounce, free of ghosts and gradient instabilities, can be realized in the framework of Horndeski or generalized Galileon cosmology. In particular, we first review that the theoretical no-go theorem, which states that the above is impossible, is based on two very strong assumptions, namely that a particular quantity cannot be discontinuous during the bounce, and that there is only one bounce. However, as we show in the present work, the first assumption not only can be violated in a general Horndeski/Galileon scenario, but also it is necessarily violated at the bounce point within the subclass of Horndeski/Galileon gravity in which becomes zero at X  =  0. Additionally, concerning the second assumption, which is crucial in improved versions of the theorem which claim that even if a nonlinear free of pathologies can be realized it will lead to pathologies in the infinite past or infinite future, we show that if needed it can be evaded by considering cyclic cosmology, with an infinite sequence of nonsingular bounces free of pathologies, which forbids the universe to reach the 'problematic' regime at infinite past or infinite future. Finally, in order to make the analysis more transparent we provide explicit examples where nonsingular bounces without theoretical pathologies can be achieved.


Abstract This note describes how to generate vertically stretched grids within the context of vertical nesting that are consistent with the conservative interpolation formula used by Clark and Farley. It is shown that all nested grids derive their structure directly from the parent grid, where the only flexibility allowed for nested grids is their grid ratio relative to the parent grid. Formulas are presented that can he used to analyze resulting nested grid structures, and an example showing how these formulas were used to generate relatively smooth inner meshes is described. Suggestions for further improvements in grid design are also provided.


ABSTRACT Previously, we reported that small ubiquitin-like modifier-1 (SUMO-1) promotes the degradation of a polyglutamine (polyQ) protein ataxin-3 and proposed that proteasomes mediate the proteolysis. Here, we present evidence that autophagy is also responsible for SUMO-induced degradation of this polyQ protein. The autophagy inhibitor 3-MA increased the steady-state level of ataxin-3 and stabilized SUMO-modified ataxin-3 more prominently than the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Interestingly, SUMO-1 overexpression enhanced the co-localization of ataxin-3 and autophagy marker LC3 without increasing LC3 puncta formation suggesting that SUMO-1 is involved in the substrate recruitment rather than the induction of autophagy. To assess the importance of a putative SUMO-interacting motif (SIM) in ataxin-3 for SUMO-induced degradation, we constructed a SIM mutant of ataxin-3. Substitution of putative SIM (V165G) facilitated the degradation of polyQ-expanded ataxin-3, which is more resistant to SUMO-induced degradation than the normal ataxin-3. These results together indicate that SUMO-1 promotes the degradation of ataxin-3 via autophagy and the putative SIM of ataxin-3 plays a role in this process.


PIXEL - Picture (of) the Universe is a board game developed by INAF - Italian National Institute for Astrophysics in collaboration with GAME Science Research Center. The game simulates the astrophysics research environment, particularly emphasising the observation and study of cosmic bodies at different resolutions. Image resolution is a crucial element in astrophysics, but the intrinsic complexity and challenges of making high-resolution images of the distant Universe are not easily and generally perceivable. We envisioned PIXEL driven by this challenge. Games intended to engage students with science either concentrate on the contents to foster the learning process or focus on life skills solicited by scientific practices. Game mechanics are then either a leverage of scientific knowledge or a science-like behavioural model, depending on the expected outcome of the game-based learning process.   In addition to that, game-based learning in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) generally is designed by science practitioners and science communication and education experts.  The design process of PIXEL has been a novel joint effort between scientists, science communicators, professional game designers, and game-market and award advisors. We produced a game in which the mechanics are the core of scientific learning, implicitly telling about science while making the player experience it. The innovation of this process is to obtain a game that encountered positive feedback both from the community of game experts and the educational context. The final output is a professional board game suitable for STEM education that promotes scientific citizenship in the audience.In this work, we discuss the game design process and describe how we included our scientific educational messages of image resolution and research dynamics as processes within the game mechanics without making them explicit during the gameplay. We also present a preliminary engagement evaluation of PIXEL and its efficacy in delivering implicit scientific messages through its mechanics.


Analysis of 1000 quadrantectomies performed because of malignancy suspicion has been carried out to evaluate the long-term results of this method. Authors underline that only 5% of patients with breast cancer was able to be qualified to quadrantectomy.


Perfusion althesin, pentazocin and an association of halothane was used in more than 500 eye operations. A number of parameters (left humerus arterial pressure, heart rate, CVP, IOT) were measured and assesed statistically in 21 selected patients and a pathogenetic interpretation of observed bulbar hypotonia attempted. The important bulbar hypotonizing action brought on by this anaesthetic procedure, and the favourable course of surgery with the technique are confirmed.


Background Ghrelin increases food intake, body weight, and growth hormone (GH) secretion. Serum concentrations of ghrelin are low in obese hyperinsulinemic persons, are reduced by infusion of insulin into normal-weight subjects, and are increased in underweight hypoinsulinemic patients with anorexia nervosa. Laron syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder of GH insensitivity that results in decreased insulinlike growth factor-I (IGF-I) synthesis and growth failure. These patients have elevated GH levels, excess adipose tissue, and are insulin resistant. Because IGF-I has insulinlike actions and patients with GH insensitivity syndrome (GHIS) exhibit excess adiposity, we sought to determine whether ghrelin levels were elevated in these patients and potentially regulated by IGF-I replacement. Methods Thirteen children with GHIS and 20 normal control children matched for age, sex, and body mass index underwent complete physical examination and a fasting blood draw at baseline. The GHIS subjects then underwent follow-up fasting blood draws during therapy with human recombinant IGF-I (80-120 μg/kg, given subcutaneously twice daily). Fasting glucose, insulin, and IGF-I concentrations were measured at the time of collection. Fasting total ghrelin levels were measured on stored serum samples. Results The GHIS subjects had 2-fold higher fasting ghrelin levels (2926 ± 1869 pg/mL) compared with the normal control children (1492 ± 493 pg/mL; P = 0.009), and mean ghrelin values were reduced 56% during 6.4 ± 0.2 years of IGF-I replacement (P < 0.05). Conclusions Growth hormone resistance and low IGF-I levels are associated with elevated ghrelin levels, which may potentiate GH secretion and adiposity in these children. Suppression of ghrelin during IGF-I treatment suggests a novel mechanism potentially regulating ghrelin levels.


Because engineers are increasingly called upon to develop sustainable solutions, it has become imperative to adapt engineering education to equip students with the knowledge and skills to engage in sustainable design. Recognizing the potential benefits of sustainable engineering, as identified by an international community, many organizations, including ABET, the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) advocate for curricular reforms. Successful educational reform efforts require effective methods for assessing student sustainable design abilities. One approach for both stimulating student learning and facilitating assessment is the use of rubrics. Rubrics can be used by instructors to evaluate the quality of student work, but can also be used prior to assignments to help students learn about different dimensions of sustainability, establish expectations for sustainable design, and self-assess how well principles were applied to design projects. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a sustainable design rubric that can be easily adapted and applied across engineering disciplines or for interdisciplinary problem-solving. A sustainable design rubric was previously developed based on the Nine Principles of Sustainable Engineering for application in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) courses, and was recently updated through systematic literature review to reflect a broader set of evaluation criteria. The rubric's constructs of sustainable design and their measures are being validated in three phases consistent with the Benson model of construct validity. This paper will focus on efforts to iteratively validate the new rubric's content by benchmarking the criteria against well-established sustainable development and design frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, STAUNCH© (Sustainability Tool for Auditing for University Curricula in Higher-Education), and the EnvisionTM Infrastructure Rating System. These three frameworks contain global, program/curriculum-level, and project-level criteria applicable to engineering challenges, respectively. The iterative validation confirmed the importance of many rubric criteria, but also revealed opportunities to add or refine criteria that were not adequately represented in the rubric. In addition, iterative validation supported potential removal or consolidation of criteria that did not seem to be broadly applicable to sustainability or across disciplines. Since the sustainable design rubric is intended for undergraduate student projects, there were also categories within the frameworks deemed inappropriate for studentlevel projects. This paper reviews the validation process and results and presents changes to the draft rubric criteria, which will undergo further validation from an expert panel of engineering educators prior to testing on multiple student design projects.


If bioethical questions cannot be resolved in a widely acceptable manner by rational argument, and if they can be regulated only on the basis of political decision-making, then bioethics belongs to the political sphere. The particular kind of politics practiced in any given society matters greatly: it will determine the kind of bioethical regulation, legislation, and public policy generated there. I propose approaching bioethical questions politically in terms of decisions that cannot be "correct" but that can be "procedurally legitimate." Two procedures in particular can deliver legitimate bioethical decisions, once combined: expert bioethics committees and deliberative democracy. Bioethics so understood can exceed bioethics as a moral project or as a set of administrative principles to regulate medical practice; it can now aspire to a democratic project that involves ordinary citizens as far as reasonably possible. I advance this argument in four steps: (1) using the example of human germline gene editing, (2) I propose a general understanding of proceduralism, and (3) then combine two types and (4) conclude with a defense of majoritarian proceduralism. I develop this argument in terms of one example: germline gene editing.


BACKGROUND
Intramural pregnancy associated with adenomyosis after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer is a rare occurrence.

CASE
A 37-year-old woman presented with a history of 2 dilation and curettage procedures after 2 miscarriages in the first trimester. She underwent transvaginal ultrasound and systemic and sonography-guided local methotrexate injection.

RESULT
The woman was successfully treated, and her fertility was maintained with no complications from the procedure.

CONCLUSION
Early diagnosis of intramural pregnancy by skipped menstruation, elevated beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and intramural cyst not connected the with the endometrium and with no other possible sites of ectopic pregnancy allows the clinician to plan the conservative treatment method at the optimum time, with more opportunity for conservation of fertility.


Distributed monitoring of air quality in the environment requires ultra-low power components for autonomous systems. These include the actual transducer, an analog interface, some local processing capability and a wireless connection. To power the system one needs a battery or energy harvester in combination with smart power management. The approximate target is an overall system power of 100 microWatt, which leaves only a fraction of that for (bio-) chemical sensing. Although a wide range of sensor technologies is available, power consumption of existing technologies is typically high because they require light (e.g. IR for CO2), heating (metal oxides), etc. Consequently, novel sensing technologies are required that work around these limitations. Recent developments in this direction include a mems-based electronic nose for volatile sensing that uses piezo-electrics instead of optics for resonance frequency monitoring; metal oxide CO2/O2 sensors that operate at significantly lower temperatures (or even room temperature); low power NOx sensors that operate in the sub-ppb range. For a few chosen technologies, the sensors are combined with read-out and driver electronics to then implement them in system demonstrators. These are a combination of off-the-shelf components and inhouse developments on read-out, wireless and platform approaches.


Following insights of phenomenology, this paper aims to contribute to a critical understanding of being emplaced and embodied in relation to mobility in organizations. From a relational perspective, being mobile is interpreted as a way of being bodily mediated thus relationally and performatively placed. Recognizing mobility as a dynamic, de-centred event in relation to embodiment, leads to the development of the concept and practice of 'inter-place' in organizations. Following from this, moving bodies at work and tele-presence in organizations are discussed as being situated between moving places and inter-placed movement. Finally, theoretical, methodological and political implications and some limitations are outlined. The conclusion offers some perspectives on alternative, more responsible and sustainable practices of embodied and emplaced mobility in organizational life-worlds.


If manufacturing a safer cigarette is technically possible--an open question--then mandating that tobacco manufacturers improve the safety of cigarettes would likely have both positive and negative implications for the nation's health. On the one hand, removing toxins may reduce the incidence of smoking-related diseases and premature mortality in smokers. On the other hand, smokers might be less inclined to quit, those who have quit might resume the habit, and youth who have never smoked will have one less reason to avoid tobacco use. To assess the expected population health impacts of a legislative or regulatory mandate, we created the Tobacco Policy Model, a system dynamics computer simulation model. The model relies on secondary data and simulates the U.S. population over time spans as long as 50 years. Our simulation results reveal that even if requiring cigarettes to be safer makes smoking more attractive and increases tobacco use, a net gain in population health is still possible.


This work is devoted to events monitoring in complex information systems. Authors depict some aspects of nowadays monitoring systems that make them ineffective. Next, research areas are presented. It is followed by a proposition of a new technique of monitoring based on agents and idea of the molecule. Then system architecture is discussed. Lastly, the advantages of agents based approach is revealed.


Abstract Gillen, ZM, Miramonti, AA, McKay, BD, Jenkins, NDM, Leutzinger, TJ, and Cramer, JT. Reliability and sensitivity of the power push-up test for upper-body strength and power in 6–15-year-old male athletes. J Strength Cond Res 32(1): 83–96, 2018—The power push-up (PPU) test is an explosive upper-body test performed on a force plate and is currently being used in high school football combines throughout the United States. The purpose of this study was to quantify the reliability of the PPU test based on age and starting position (knees vs. toes) in young athletes. Sixty-eight boys (mean ± SD; age = 10.8 ± 2.0 years) were tested twice over 5 days. Boys were separated by age as 6–9 years (n = 16), 10–11 years (n = 26), and 12–15 years (n = 26). The PPU test was performed on a force plate while rotating from the knees vs. the toes. Measurements were peak force (PF, N), peak rate of force development (pRFD, N·s−1), average power (AP, W), and peak power (PP, W). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2,1), SEMs, coefficients of variation (CVs), and minimum detectable changes (MDCs) were calculated to quantify reliability and sensitivity. Peak force from the knees in 10–15-year-olds, PF from the toes in 12–15-year-olds, and pRFD from the knees and toes in 12–15-year-olds were comparably reliable (ICC ≥ 0.84). Neither power measurements (AP or PP) for any age group, nor any measurements (PF, pRFD, AP, or PP) for the 6–9-year-olds were comparably reliable (ICC ⩽ 0.74). When considering the reliable variables, PF was greater in the 12–15-year-olds than in 10–11-year-olds (p ⩽ 0.05). In addition, in 12–15-year-olds, PF and pRFD were greater from the knees than from the toes (p ⩽ 0.05). For reasons largely attributable to growth and development, the PPU test may be a reliable (ICC ≥ 0.80) and sensitive (CV ⩽ 19%) measure of upper-body strength (PF), whereas pRFD was also reliable (ICC ≥ 0.80), but less sensitive (CV = 30–38%) in 10–15-year-old male athletes.


Underwear is a very important segment for people with sensitive skin and patients with dermatological diseases.
Since it is in direct contact with skin, it has an important role in the postoperative period, in which it is used as
a function of protection and support of the operative part of the body. The main task of the underwear for this
purpose is to protect the skin from harmful effects such as microorganisms and to keep the skin's condition
in remission if no improvement can be achieved. In accordance with the specific requirements, a functional
design of a medical undershirt with microbial barrier was proposed. Functional design was carried out based
on previously published research. Digitization of the human body was carried out by 3D scanning and based
on the cloud of points measures have been taken as well as defined forms of body parts for whom the cutting
pattern is being developed. The model is divided into several zones where it is possible for each area to determine
the required compression for the support.


The emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a zoonotic pathogen, has led to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and brought serious threats to public health worldwide. The gold standard method for SARS-CoV-2 detection requires both reverse transcription (RT) of the virus RNA to cDNA and then polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the cDNA amplification, which involves multiple enzymes, multiple reactions and a complicated assay optimization process. Here, we developed a duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)-based signal amplification method for SARS-CoV-2 detection directly from the virus RNA utilizing two specific DNA probes. These specific DNA probes can hybridize to the target RNA at different locations in the nucleocapsid protein gene (N gene) of SARS-CoV-2 to form a DNA/RNA heteroduplex. DSN cleaves the DNA probe to release fluorescence, while leaving the RNA strand intact to be bound to another available probe molecule for further cleavage and fluorescent signal amplification. The optimized DSN amount, incubation temperature and incubation time were investigated in this work. Proof-of-principle SARS-CoV-2 detection was demonstrated with a detection sensitivity of 500 pM virus RNA. This simple, rapid, and direct RNA detection method is expected to provide a complementary method for the detection of viruses mutated at the PCR primer-binding regions for a more precise detection.


PURPOSE
The management of simultaneous renal and ureteral calculi usually require staged procedure or change of position from supine lithotomy for ureterorenoscopic lithotripsy to prone for conventional percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). We review our experience with endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS) in the management of this condition.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 43 patients with simultaneous renal and ureteral calculi underwent ECIRS in Galdakao-modified supine Valdivia (GMSV) position from June 2012 to March 2016. Relevant demographic and clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical outcomes such as stone-free rate, complications, and hospital stay were evaluated. Factors predicting stone-free rate were also evaluated.

RESULTS
The mean ureteral stone size was 9.79 ± 2.11 mm and the mean renal stone size was 28.0 ± 11.4 mm. All patients with ureteral calculus were stone free after first intervention. The overall immediate renal stone success rate was 81.4%, which increased to 97% after auxiliary procedure. The overall complication rate was 32.5% with majority of complications (86%) classified under Clavien grade 1 and 2. Two patients had Clavien grade 3 complication with no grade 4 or 5 complications. The mean operative room occupation time was 132.09 ± 35.3 minutes. The median hospital stay was 6 days (range: 2-31). On analyzing for risk factors, only the number of involved calices by stone was significantly associated with stone-free rate following ECIRS (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION
ECIRS is a novel and excellent approach for the treatment of simultaneous renal and ureteral calculi with stone clearance and morbidity profile comparable to traditional prone PCNL. We believe that the advantage provided by this approach to the surgeon, patient, and anesthetist may lead to widespread adaptability of this technique in the management of complex urolithiasis.


This book reappraises the constitutional fundamentals of EU foreign relations law. The essays in the book examine and reassess the basic principles of EU foreign relations law that have emerged over 50 years of incremental Treaty-based and judicial development and explore the particular character of the EU's "external constitution". They have been written against a background of change and debate: the deliberation over the character of the appropriate constitutional framework which has surrounded the drafting of the Constitutional and Reform Treaties, the increasingly cross-pillar nature of much EU external action, and renewed interest in the accountability of foreign relations policy and practice to democratic and judicial review within and without the EU. This collection will be of interest not only to EU foreign relations law specialists but also to those concerned with broader constitutional issues within EU law. In exploring the legal context in which the EU seeks to develop an international identity, and to structure and execute policies at the international level, the collection will also interest those working in international relations.


Interpersonal power involves how much actors can influence partners (actor power) and how much partners can influence actors (partner power). Yet, most theories and investigations of power conflate the effects of actor and partner power, creating a fundamental ambiguity in the literature regarding how power shapes social behavior. We demonstrate that actor and partner power are distinct and have differential effects on social behavior. Six studies (total N = 1,787) tested whether actor and partner power independently predicted behavioral inhibition (expressive suppression) and communal behavior (prioritization of partners' needs) within close relationships, including during couples' daily life (Study 1), lab-based social interactions (Studies 1-5; 1,012 dyadic interactions), and general responses during conflict (Studies 5 and 6). Actor power was negatively associated with behavioral inhibition, indicating that actors' low power prompts self-focused inhibition to prevent negative outcomes that low power actors are unable to control. Partner power was positively associated with actors' communal behavior, indicating that high partner power prompts other-focused behavior that prioritizes partners' needs and goals. These differential effects of actor and partner power replicated in work-based relationships with bosses/managers (Study 6). Unexpectedly, partner power was negatively associated with actors' behavioral inhibition within close relationships, consistent with a desire to prevent negative outcomes for low power partners. We present a framework that integrates the approach-inhibition and agentic-communal theories of power to account for the differential effects of actor and partner power. We describe the implications of this framework for understanding the effects of power in both close and hierarchical relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).


Aquaculture produce a great portion of aquatic derived proteins for human in the world. It has the highest and the fastest growth rate among the protein producing industries. Fish meal (FM) is the main and the most expensive ingredient for aquafeeds production. It provides protein, essential amino acids, energy, minerals and vitamins in aquafeeds. Given the current rapid development of aquaculture industry the competition for limited global supplies of FM may reduce its availability and elevate its price. Thus, finding high quality, economic and environmentally friendly alternative protein sources (APS) for aquafeeds production is vital for sustainability of the aquaculture industry. Among various APS, legumes have been proved to be promising APS because they have medium protein content with suitable amino acid profile, high digestible protein and energy levels, and appropriate minerals and vitamins for the most cultured aquatic species. They also are cost-effective and highly accessible. However, they contain various anti-nutritional factors that may reduce feed palatability and may negatively affect growth and health of cultured aquatic animal species. This chapter provide information regarding legumes and their derivatives as APS, their nutritional quality and their potential drawbacks. In addition, strategies for increasing the efficiency of legumes in aquafeeds are reviewed and discussed.


A new synthetic method of some p-lactamic antibiotics containing an asparagic acid residue is described which is based on the acylation of the 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) and of the 7-aminodesacetoxycephalosporanic acid (7ADCA), respectively, by acid dichlorides of the N-(o,m,p)-nitrobenzoyl asparagic acids at low temperatures in nonaqueous medium. The structure of the newly synthesized compounds has been elucidated by means of elemental analysis and spectral dam (IR, UV, NMR) and their antibacterial activity has been evaluated.


Polycrystalline Si films have been amorphized by implantation with 130‐KeV Ge ions and subsequently recrystallized by conventional heat treatment. It is found that, after amorphization with a low ion dose, recrystallization produces a structure which is morphologically similar to the original film. By contrast, after high Ge dose implantation, recrystallization proceeds dendritically. An initial rationale for this behavior is proposed in terms of the lattice disorder introduced by ion implantation.


Point cloud analysis is still a challenging task due to the disorder and sparsity of samplings of their geometric structures from 3D sensors. In this paper, we introduce the homotopy equivalence relation (HER) to make the neural networks learn the data distribution from a high-dimension manifold. A shuffle operation is adopted to construct HER for its randomness and zero-parameter. In addition, inspired by prior works, we propose a local mutual information regularizer (LMIR) to cut off the trivial path that leads to a classification error from HER. LMIR utilizes mutual information to measure the distance between the original feature and HER transformed feature and learns common features in a contrastive learning scheme. Thus, we combine HER and LMIR to give our model the ability to learn non-Euclidean features from a high-dimension manifold. This is named the non-Euclidean feature learner. Furthermore, we propose a new heuristics and efficiency point sampling algorithm named ClusterFPS to obtain approximate uniform sampling but at faster speed. ClusterFPS uses a cluster algorithm to divide a point cloud into several clusters and deploy the farthest point sampling algorithm on each cluster in parallel. By combining the above methods, we propose a novel point cloud analysis neural network called PointShuffleNet (PSN), which shows great promise in point cloud classification and segmentation. Extensive experiments show that our PSN achieves state-of-the-art results on ModelNet40, ShapeNet and S3DIS with high efficiency. Theoretically, we provide mathematical analysis toward understanding of what the data distribution HER has developed and why LMIR can drop the trivial path by maximizing mutual information implicitly.


When do girls begin performing household work? While there is clear research discussing household work among women, the development of time-use patterns in household work among girls is not well understood. Around the globe, long before adulthood, many girls begin devoting significant amounts of time to unpaid housework and childcare. In developing coun- tries, girls often make vital contributions to family welfare through caring for family members, transporting water, and gathering fuel. In the United States, a developed country, most girls' participation in housework begins at a young age, but the time spent performing home duties is substantially less than the time spent by their peers in developing countries. This study de- scribes the evolution of time-use patterns in the United States for girls relative to boys during the childhood and adolescent years. It also illustrates participation rates in home duties, the proportion of girls performing housework on a given day. This study finds that girls partici- pate in home duties significantly more often than boys by age eight and that among girls in- volved in home duties, the time spent in home duties gradually increases through adolescence but remains significantly lower than rates seen among American adult women. Young girls' and boys' participation rates in domestic work vary by race, ethnicity, family income, number of parents in the home, and mother's employment level.


Water distribution networks (WDNs) represent a class of critical infrastructure networks. When a disaster occurs, component failures in a WDN may trigger system failures that result in larger-scale reactions. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the evolution of system reliability and failure propagation time for a WDN experiencing cascading failures, and find the critical pipes which may reduce system reliability dramatically. Multiple factors are considered in the method such as network topology, the balance of water supply and demand, demand multiplier, and pipe break isolation. The pipe-based attack with multiple failure scenarios is simulated in the paper. A case WDN is used to illustrate the method. The results show that the lowest capacity gets stronger when a WDN is short of supply, becoming the dominant factor that decides the evolution of system reliability and failure propagation time. The valve ratio (VR) and system reliability present a flattened S curve relationship, and there are two turning points in VR. The critical pipes can be identified. With the fixed 5% valves, a WDN can improve system reliability and resist cascading failures effectively. The findings provide insights into the system reliability and failure propagation time for WDNs experiencing cascading failures. It is proven to be useful in future studies focused on the operation and management of water services.


The structure of GaAs quantum wires embedded in Al0.33Ga0.67As and the interfaces between the wires and the matrix were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in diffraction-contrast and high-resolution (HREM) modes. The quantum wires were regrown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on patterned Al0.33Ga0.67As buffer layers on GaAs substrates. Depending on the orientation of the quantum wires within the (100) surface of the substrate, different characteristic facets develop during MBE regrowth of the mesa-etched samples. The surface structure for (011)- and (011)-oriented wires is dominated by (111) and (311) facets. The (111) planar defects like stacking faults and twins are frequently observed in the case of (111) facet growth. Mainly (110) facet formation is found for (001)- and (010)-oriented wires; planar defects are not detected in this case.


Several highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses were isolated from swine populations in Fujian Province, China, since 2001. Because it is thought that H5N1 infection in pigs might result in virus adaptation to humans, we surveyed swine populations in Fujian Province in 2004 and 2007 for serological evidence of the infection. Twenty‐five pig farms covering all nine administrative districts of Fujian Province were sampled and a total of 1407 serum specimens were collected. The haemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests revealed no evidence of H5 infection and only a few cases of H9 infection. The negative results for H5 infection were further verified by micro‐neutralization tests. By contrast, H1 influenza virus infections were prevalent in swine in both surveys according to the results of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The H3 infection rate was reduced dramatically in 2007 compared with 2004, when examined by HI and ELISA. In summary, the results imply that the swine populations in Fujian Province had not been affected greatly by the H5N1 avian influenza virus, given that there is no serological evidence that H5N1 influenza virus has infected the pig populations. The reported isolates represent only sporadic cases.


The study of protective film formation on Mg alloys by exposure to sodium selenite solutions was conducted. Anodic polarization studies, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies, morphological analysis, and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were performed on AZ31 Mg alloy after coating treatment in different concentrations of sodium selenite. The corrosion resistance was improved by around 5 times compared with control. Improved resistance to localized corrosion was observed in the coatings treated by 5 mM or 10 mM sodium selenite. The protection mechanism was ascribed to the transformation of selenite to insoluble selenium, the formation of insoluble MgSeO3 hydrate, and polymerization of amorphous selenium.


This exploratory study examined the relationship of perfectionism (from a recently devised multidimensional measure) with female athletes' reactions to athletic competition and coaches' ratings of reactions to mistakes during competition. Athletes who rated high in Concern Over Mistakes (one dimension of perfectionism) reported more anxiety and less self-confidence in sports, displayed a general failure orientation toward sports, reacted negatively to mistakes (by their report and by coaches' ratings), and reported more negative thinking in the 24 hours prior to competition. A second dimension of perfectionism, High Personal Standards, was associated with a success orientation toward sports and more dreams of perfection prior to competition. The possible influence of perfectionism on motivation and performance in sports is discussed.


To investigate the occurrence and outcome of bacteremia associated with otitis media, charts were reviewed from patients who were 3 to 36 months of age, had temperatures greater than or equal to 39 degrees C, and were diagnosed with isolated clinical otitis media. A total of 2982 patients were identified. Blood cultures were obtained from 1666 (56%). Of the 1666 patients, who had blood drawn for cultures, 50 (3.0%) had bacteremia. These included 39 with Streptococcus pneumoniae, 4 with Haemophilus influenzae, 2 with Neisseria meningitidis, 3 with Salmonella species, and 2 with Staphylococcus aureus. The incidence of bacteremia increased at higher temperatures, being 1.9% at temperatures less than or equal to 40 degrees C and 5.0% at temperatures greater than 40 degrees C. Younger children were more likely to have bacteremia; 3.7% less than or equal to 12 months of age, 2.4% 13 to 24 months of age, and 1.9% 25 to 36 months of age had blood culture results that were positive (not significant). Reevaluation of the 50 bacteremic patients showed that 9 patients had continued fever, 3 patients had persistent bacteremia, pneumonia developed in 1 patient, and meningitis developed in 1 patient. It was concluded that (1) 3% of young febrile children with otitis media have bacteremia at the time of evaluation, a rate comparable to that previously reported in children with no focus of infection; (2) the incidence of bacteremia increases at higher temperatures; and (3) most febrile children with otitis media do well. The clinician must therefore weigh the potential benefit of drawing a blood culture to identify children at risk for complications against the inherent cost, inconvenience, and discomfort.


Objective: Coronary flow velocity reserve (CFR) by pulsed Doppler echocardiography is a useful hemodynamic index to evaluate the coronary microcirculatory dysfunction in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The present study was designed to evaluate the long‐term predictive value of CFR for mortality in patients with right (RC) and/or left circumflex coronary artery (CX) stenosis without epicardial LAD disease. Methods: A total of 49 patients with significant RC and/or CX stenosis were enrolled in this prospective follow‐up study. All patients had undergone coronary angiography demonstrating significant RC and/or CX stenosis without LAD disease and dipyridamole stress transoesophageal echocardiography as CFR measurement. Results: The success rate of follow‐up was 43 out of 49 (88%). During a mean follow‐up of 97 ± 29 months, 14 patients suffered cardiovascular deaths (12 sudden cardiac deaths and 2 strokes), and 1 patient died of pulmonal tumor. Patients who died during the follow‐up had significantly lower CFR values (1.85 ± 0.43 vs. 2.31 ± 0.57, P < 0.05). Using ROC analysis, CFR <2.09 had the highest accuracy in predicting cardiovascular survival (sensitivity 80%, specificity 57%, area under the curve 73%, P = 0.003). The logistic regression model identified only CFR as an independent predictor of survival (hazard ratio [HR] 6.26, 95% CI of HR 1.23–19.61, P = 0.024). Conclusions: Long‐term prognostic significance of CFR for the prediction of mortality has been demonstrated during a 9‐year follow‐up in patients with significant coronary artery disease not involving the LAD. (Echocardiography 2010;27:306‐310)


Two matters are considered in this paper.(i) The identification of the first version of Kaaps, the progenitor of Afrikaans. The earliestversion of Kaaps was recorded during the first period of the history of Afrikaans – theperiod prior to 1652. This period commences with the first visits to the Cape by Dutchmariners. The written records of Kaaps dating from that period are older than anyother manifestation of forms in Afrikaans. Some of these early words are currently stillin use among speakers of Kaaps, while others have been incorporated into StandardAfrikaans, or appear in dictionaries and the AWS (Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls –Wordlist and Spelling rules for Afrikaans). Some even continue to survive in the spokenAfrikaans of a number of regional dialects. Reference is also made in this chapter tohow Kaaps eventually developed and played an important role in the shaping of othervarieties of Afrikaans.(ii) The circumstances leading to the incorporation of elements of other varieties into the coredescription of Afrikaans. In describing Afrikaans, language historians usually ask whereparticular words and constructions come from. But the question how is actually ofgreater value when investigating the development of Afrikaans. Ek (I) is a word inKaaps which was, over time, absorbed into general use in Afrikaans. An analysis ofhow this process took place reveals that the 'how' questions are of greater importancein the history of the language than the 'when' and 'where' questions. The true story ofAfrikaans is a socio-historical one. Destigmatization, and the circumstances leading tochanging norms, are evoked by the 'how' questions.


Abstract Fabric Touch Tester (FTT) is a relatively new device from SDL Atlas to determine touch properties of fabrics. It simultaneously measures 13 touch-related fabric physical properties in four modules that include bending and thickness measurements. This study aims to comparatively analyze the thickness and bending measurements made by the FTT and the common standard methods used in the textile industry. The results obtained with the FTT for 11 different fabrics were compared with that of standard methods. Despite the different measurement principle, a good correlation was found between the two methods used for the assessment of thickness and bending. As FTT is a new tool for textile comfort measurement and no standard yet exists, these findings are essential to determine the reliability of the measurements and how they relate to the well-established standard methods.


MapReduce is emerging as a generic parallel programming paradigm for large clusters of machines. This trend combined with the growing need to run machine learning (ML) algorithms on massive datasets has led to an increased interest in implementing ML algorithms on MapReduce. However, the cost of implementing a large class of ML algorithms as low-level MapReduce jobs on varying data and machine cluster sizes can be prohibitive. In this paper, we propose SystemML in which ML algorithms are expressed in a higher-level language and are compiled and executed in a MapReduce environment. This higher-level language exposes several constructs including linear algebra primitives that constitute key building blocks for a broad class of supervised and unsupervised ML algorithms. The algorithms expressed in SystemML are compiled and optimized into a set of MapReduce jobs that can run on a cluster of machines. We describe and empirically evaluate a number of optimization strategies for efficiently executing these algorithms on Hadoop, an open-source MapReduce implementation. We report an extensive performance evaluation on three ML algorithms on varying data and cluster sizes.


Background: Hypertensive disease of pregnancy remains a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Four subcategories of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are recognized by the international society for the study of hypertension in pregnancy: chronic hypertension; gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, & white coat hypertension. Pre-eclampsia is defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 on two occasions at least 4 hours apart after 20 weeks of gestation with accompanying signs of end organ damage in a woman with previously normal blood pressure. The majority of cases present ante-partum or immediately post-partum. I review the case of a woman diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 2 weeks post-partum. Case presentation: A 38-year-old woman presented with increasing dyspnea, orthopnea, intermittent palpitations, and central chest pain 2 weeks after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. On arrival, she was hypertensive at 168/117, spO2 of 100% on BiPAP. Exam was notable for diffuse rales, a regular rhythm, no JVD, and 1+ peripheral edema. Urine was positive for hemoglobin and protein and the liver panel revealed transaminitis (AST=50 ALT=53), Chest X-ray demonstrated increased pulmonary vasculature congestion, confirmed on CT angiography which was negative for venous thromboembolism. Echocardiography found a preserved ejection fraction without diastolic dysfunction or valvular abnormalities. She was managed with a nitroglycerin infusion and parenteral diuresis with resolution of her pulmonary edema. Conclusion: Pre-eclampsia affects 4-9% of all pregnancies and confers a high risk for both fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. The definitive treatment for preeclampsia is delivery of fetus and placenta but there is limited information to guide the management of post-partum pre-eclampsia. It has been hypothesized that activation of maternal platelets in the placental bed play a role in preeclampsia through activation of inflammasomes such as sFlt-1. Yes, further research is needed to explore the benefit of suppressing these inflammasomes. Although peri-partum cardiomyopathy and venous thromboembolism usually come to mind in women with cardio-pulmonary complaints post-partum. In the appropriate setting, post-partum pre-eclampsia should also be entertained in the differential.


This study aims to determine the exact nature of the business and tempeh in Ponsok Jeruk Village, whether it is correct or not. Analysis of aspects of the use of analysis of non-financial aspects of production and marketing aspects. While the analytical tools used for the financial aspect use Payback Period (PP), Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Profitability Index (PI), to determine whether a business is feasible or not. The results showed that the tofu and tempeh business in Pondok Jerik village from the production aspect was feasible, because the business location was strategic and easily accessible to consumers, the technology used was modern, the production process was easy. The aspect of proper marketing, with high quality products, because of imported raw materials, affordable prices, so that all circles of society can ensure, wide enough distribution, and promotions that the owner is enough to give consumers aware of the products they sell. And the results of the analysis from the financial aspect show that the Tofu and Tempe business is feasible to run with a project age of 10 years at a discount rate of 10%. Analysis) Criteria produce Payback Period (PP for 8 months 7 weeks, Net Present Value (NPV) is Rp.137,689,134, Profability Index (PI) is 1.14% and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is 32%.
Keywords: Business Feasibility Study. Production Aspect; Marketing Aspect; Financial aspect.


Hotel is one of the important factors to the development of tourism sector. In the
hotel business, customers' satisfaction is the most important. Agas International Hotel is
one of three star hotel in Solo which always improves its qualities to get the customers'
satisfaction. There are many ways done by the hotel management to get customers'
satisfaction. One of the efforts is improving the quality of Food and Beverage
Department. This department has important responsibility to provide and to keep the
quality of the food and beverage in the hotel. Food and Beverage department can be
divided into two divisions that are Food and Beverage Product and Food and Beverage
Service. Food and Beverage product has responsible to produce all kind of food and
beverage in the hotel. Food and Beverage product has important role to the other sections
in the Food and beverage department. Food and Beverage product has big section called
kitchen. This final project has purposes to find out the role of food and beverage product
to the banquet event and Sekar arum restaurant at Agas International Hotel and to
describe the job description of Chef de Partie of kitchen.
Chef de Partie of kitchen has daily job to prepare all of food and beverage for
daily breakfast and produce the food that are ordered by the guest. Chef de Partie also has
several duties such as, providing and producing food and beverage for daily breakfast,
lunch and dinner, menu planning and making store room requisition. There were also
several apprentices who have duty to help Chef de Partie. Besides helping the kitchen
chef, the apprentices can observe and learn how to produce and serve the food from
kitchen chef.
Food and Beverage product is one of divisions that is very busy because this
division has responsibility to provide the food and beverage for several sections in the
Food and Beverage department. There are only four kitchen chefs and two cook helpers
in this division. Because there are many activities in the Food and Beverage product, it
will be better for Food and Beverage department to add more kitchen chef and cook
helper. Food and Beverage product should also try to make new variety of menu in order
to attract more customers.


Automated head chamber systems (AHCS) configured to offer known quantities of feed to individual animals may potentially be used to dose animals with an indigestible marker. Fecal marker analysis commonly assumes steady-state fecal concentration represented by average measured concentration. Due to irregular voluntary use of an AHCS, it's not likely steady-state fecal concentrations would be achieved. Our objective was to determine whether steady-state assumptions could be relaxed and fit measured concentrations to multi-dose digesta kinetics models to produce reliable fecal output estimates when dose times and amounts are known but irregular. We used individually penned, rumen fistulated Dexter steers (n = 4, initial BW = 322 ±15 kg) limit fed a diet of hay and protein supplement in two experiments. First, after a 7-d acclimation period, steers were given a dose of TiO2 through the rumen fistula. On d 14, the steers received another dose. Over a period of 120 h after each dose, 14 fecal samples were collected. In Exp. 2, 7-d after the steers had received their 2nd dose, steers received the first of 6 daily doses, then on d 7 no dose, and on days 8 to 12 daily doses resumed. Beginning on d 7, when dose was skipped, fecal sampling began and over a 120-hr period, 14 fecal samples were collected. During both experiments total fecal collections were also made. For Exp. 1, marker concentration data were fit to a G2 digesta kinetics models and for Exp. 2, concentration data were fit to a multi-dose G2 digesta kinetics model. The multi-dose approach models over time, the sum of each known pulse, assuming identical digesta kinetics for each dose. Measured fecal output in Exp. 2 averaged 2,525 g/d, but the estimates obtained from fitting measured concentrations to multi-dose digesta kinetics models was significantly less (P = 0.005, 2,265 g/d).


Persuasive social robots can influence human behavior through giving advice. The current study investigates whether references to prior discourse and signals of empathy make an advice-giving robot an even more effective persuader and whether participants follow the robot's advice and drink even more water when the robot additionally uses these strategies. We recruited students and university staff for a lab-study in which three different robot personalities on the same robot type presented health-related information. In one condition, the robot gave advice and referred to something mentioned earlier in the conversation (i.e., to dialog history), in another condition, the robot gave advice and used empathic signals, and in the third condition, the robot gave advice only. Our results show that participants drank significantly more when the advice-giving robot also used the persuasive strategies of empathy and references to dialog history than when the robot only gave advice. This study shows that both strategies increase the persuasiveness of the robot and makes it more influential.


Top-k queries have become extremely popular in the database community. Such a query, which is issued on a set of elements each carrying a real-valued weight, returns the k elements with the highest weights among all the elements that satisfy a predicate. As usual, an index structure is necessary to answer a query substantially faster than accessing the whole input set.

The existing research on top-k queries can be classified in two categories. The first one, which is system-oriented, aims to devise indexes that are simple to understand and easy to implement. These indexes, typically designed with heuristics, are reasonably fast in practical applications, but do not necessarily offer strong performance guarantees - in other words, they are small but not sweet. The other category, which is theory-oriented, aims to develop indexes that promise attractive bounds on the space consumption and query overhead (sometimes also update cost). These indexes, unfortunately, are often excessively sophisticated in the adopted techniques, and are rarely applied in practice - they are sweet but not small.
This talk will discuss the progress of an on-going project that strives to take down the barrier between the two categories, by crafting a framework for acquiring simple top-k indexes with excellent performance guarantees - namely, small and sweet. This is achieved with reductions that produce top-k indexes automatically from the existing data structures for conventional reporting queries on unweighted elements (i.e., finding all elements satisfying a predicate), and/or the existing data structures on top-1 queries. Our reductions promise nearly no performance deterioration with respect to those existing structures, are general enough to be applicable to a huge variety of top-k problems, and work in both the external memory model and the RAM model.


PURPOSE
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of stroke patient care education on the knowledge and practice of caregivers of stroke patients.

METHOD
Data was collected from December 15, 2004 to March 30, 2005. The research design was a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. The subjects were forty primary caregivers of stroke patients who were hospitalized in a neurology unit of a university hospital. Forty caregivers, twenty in the experimental group and twenty in the control group were assigned. The experimental group participated 2 times in an education class given by the researcher. Data analysis included -test, and t-test using the SPSS program.

RESULT
Knowledge(t=5..87, p=o.oo) and practice(t=5.53, p=0.00) of the experimental group were significantly different from the control group.

CONCLUSION
The stroke patient care education developed in this study shows a significant promotion of knowledge and practice of caregivers. Thus this program can be recommanded as an intervention model for stroke patients and caregivers.


Motivated by experimental advances [e.g. A. Ga{\"e}tan {\it et.al.} Nat. Phys. 5 115 (2009)] that the collective excitation of two Rydberg atoms was observed, we provide an elaborate theoretical study for the dynamical behavior of two-atom Rabi oscillations. In the large-intermediate-detuning case, the two-photon Rabi oscillation is found to be significantly affected by the strength of the interatomic van der Waals interaction. With a careful comparison of the exact numbers and values of the oscillation frequency, we propose a new way to determine the strength of excitation blockade, well agreeing with the previous universal criterion for full, partial and none blockade regions. In the small-intermediate-detuning case we find a blockade-like effect, but the collective enhancement factor is smaller than $\sqrt{2}$ due to the quantum interference of double optical transitions involving the intermediate state. Moreover, a fast two-photon Rabi oscillation in $ns$ timescale is manifested by employing intense lasers with an intensity of $\sim$MW/cm$^2$, offering a possibility of ultrafast control of quantum dynamics with Rydberg atoms.


In many situations, the system failures depend on the operating environmental conditions that vary on time, usually with periodical manners. We use nonhomogeneous Poisson processes whose rate functions exhibit cyclic behavior as well as a long-term evolutionary trend to model the stochastic process of the failures when the rate of occurrence of the failures varies periodically, for example from day to day or between seasons. In this study, we compare optimal policies under the nonho-mogeneous process with/without a cyclic component in the failure rate function. The analytical re-sults for various situations are presented along with numerical examples using simulated data.


Motion blur is a result of finite acquisition time of practical cameras and the relative motion between the camera and moving objects. Traditionally, the image degradations caused by motion blur are treated as undesirable artifacts and usually have to be removed before further processing. In this work, we propose a novel approach for vehicle speed detection based on a single motion blurred image as opposed to the most commonly used RADAR and LIDAR devices for traffic law enforcement. The motion blur parameters are estimated from a single motion blurred image and the length of motion blur is used for image restoration. The restored image is then used to obtain other parameters for vehicle speed estimation. The images taken with the vehicle's license plates are used for both the assistance of image restoration and the identification of the vehicle. We have established a link between the motion blur information of a 2D image and the speed information of a moving object. Experiments have shown the results of less than 2% error for both local and highway traffic compared to video-based speed estimation methods


Five genetic traits in man and laboratory animals have major effects on iron transport. The heterogeneous condition, hemochromatosis, in some families appears to segregate as a Mendelian trait, and is associated with defective control of intestinal iron absorption. In the very rare human autosomal recessive trait, atransferrinemia, there is an almost total lack of transferrin and gross maldistribution of iron through the body. In mice, sex-linked anemia (an X-linked recessive trait) causes iron deficiency through defective iron absorption, at the "exit" step; a similar defect probably exists in placental iron transfer. In microcytic anemia of mice, an autosomal recessive trait, iron absorption is also impaired because of a defect of iron entry into cells, which is probably generalized. Belgrade rat anemia, less understood at present, also may involve a major disorder of iron metabolism. Study of these mutations has provided new knowledge of iron metabolism and its genetic control Their phenotypic interaction with nutritional factors, especially the form and quantity of iron in the diet, may provide new insights for the study of nutrition.


Inspired by the life and work of the late anthropologist Nancy Abelmann (1959–2016), this essay reflects upon public evocations of human vulnerability as central to understanding recent cultural phenomena and political transformations leading up to and during the Candlelight Revolution in South Korea. In this regard, how did the color vivid yellow come to define both spaces of protest and markers of dissident identity? Considering the prevalence of yellow ribbons, yellow balloons, yellow butterflies, and yellow paper lifeboats, what does it mean for such objects to have been circulated and recirculated in layered metaphorical assemblages that constituted new forms of public memory and new practices of political mobilization? This article addresses both the massive, peaceful Candlelight protests of 2016–17 that took place in downtown Seoul and the decade-long peace movement centered on Jeju Island's Gangjeong Village in order to theorize a vital politics of fragility that has imbued influential narratives, activist coalitions, and the material culture of protest in South Korea.


The evolution of the microelectronics manufacturing industry is characterized by increased complexity, analysis, integration, distribution, data sharing and collaboration, all of which is enabled by the big data explosion. This evolution affords a number of opportunities in improved productivity and quality, and reduced cost, however it also brings with it a number of risks associated with maintaining security of data systems. The International Roadmap for Devices and System Factory Integration International Focus Team (IRDS FI IFT) determined that a security technology roadmap for the industry is needed to better understand the needs, challenges and potential solutions for security in the microelectronics industry and its supply chain. As a first step in providing this roadmap, the IFT conducted a security survey, soliciting input from users, suppliers and OEMs. Preliminary results indicate that data partitioning with IP protection is the number one topic of concern, with the need for industry-wide standards as the second most important topic. Further, the "fear" of security breach is considered to be a significant hindrance to Advanced Process Control efforts as well as use of cloud-based solutions. The IRDS FI IFT will endeavor to provide components of a security roadmap for the industry in the 2018 FI chapter, leveraging the output of the survey effort combined with follow-up discussions with users and consultations with experts.


The present study aims to understand whether genotypic differences in grain iron (Fe) concentration in four rice genotypes are related to its association with protein bodies containing phytate-rich inclusions. Rice genotypes with high and low grain Fe concentrations in unpolished brown rice were grown in a greenhouse at Chiang Mai, Thailand, and grains were harvested at maturity. The presence of protein bodies and phytate-rich inclusions in rice grain tissues were examined by means of light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The composition of mineral elements in different grain tissues was examined using energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) and chemical analysis. The relative distribution pattern of protein bodies in the tissues was similar among the four rice genotypes, which resembled the pattern of grain N concentrations in these tissues. The high grain Fe genotypes (based on brown rice Fe concentration) had more protein bodies containing phytate-rich inclusions in the embryo and aleurone layer tissues than the low Fe genotypes. Phytate-rich inclusions were not detected in the endosperm tissues in all genotypes. In conclusion, the presence of protein bodies with phytate-rich inclusions predominantly in the embryo and aleurone regions of the grain is an important parameter contributing to the variation in brown rice Fe concentration among the genotypes, but not in the white rice (the endosperm). Iron associated with the phytate-rich inclusions present in the embryo and aleurone layer tissues are largely lost during the polishing process to produce white rice.


A stationary Markovian decision model is considered with general state and action spaces where the transition probabilities are weakened to be bounded transition measures (this is useful for many applications). New and improved bounds are given for the optimal value of stationary problems with a large planning horizon if either only a few steps of iteration are carried out or, in addition, a solution of the infinite-stage problem is known. Similar estimates are obtained for the quality of policies which are composed of nearly optimal decisions from the first few steps or from the infinite-stage solution.


Securing group communications in resource constrained, infrastructure-less environments such as mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) has become one of the most challenging research directions in the areas of wireless network security. MANETs are emerging as the desired environment for an increasing number of commercial and military applications, addressing also an increasing number of users. Security on the other hand, is becoming an indispensable requirement of our modern life for all these applications. The inherent limitations of such dynamic and resource-constraint networks impose major difficulties in establishing a suitable secure group communications framework. This is even more so for the operation of Key Agreement (KA), under which all parties contribute equally to the group key. The logical design of efficient KA protocols has been the main focus of the related research to-date. Such a consideration however, gives only a partial account on the feasibility and performance of a KA protocol in a multi-hop network. This is because protocols have been evaluated only in terms of the group key related messaging in isolation from the underlying network functions that interact with the logical scheme (i.e. routing). In this work, we contribute towards efficiently extending a number of Diffie-Hellman (DH)-based group KA protocols in wireless multi-hop ad hoc networks, and measuring their performance over these networks. Towards this end, we introduce a number of new algorithms that merge the logical design of KA protocols with the underlying routing and produce protocols that substantially improve one or more metrics of interest. Indeed, the resulting protocols are significantly more efficient in some or all of the above metrics, as our analytical and simulation results indicate.


Body fat accumulation is a major concern in the poultry industry. Therefore, knowledge about the molecular mechanisms that control de novo fatty acid synthesis and applied nutritional research that limits fat production in chickens is of critical value to the poultry industry. The ability for increased dietary protein concentrations to decrease de novo fatty acid synthesis in birds is correlated with a decrease in malic enzyme activity that is preceded by a decrease in malic enzyme mRNA expression (Adams and Davis, 2001). More importantly, the changes in malic enzyme mRNA expression occur with in 3 h of a change in the dietary protein level (Adams and Davis, 2001). The current research established that the changes in malic enzyme mRNA expression are proceeded by changes in the mRNA expression of the transcription factor spot 14. The current research also indicates that dietary protein's influence on spot 14 mRNA expression may be mediated by glucagon and/or thyroid hormone. In conclusion, it is well established that increasing dietary protein concentrations will reduce de novo fatty acid synthesis in birds and subsequently body fat content. As researchers continue to delineate the biochemical mechanisms by which protein causes this effect, practical dietary manipulations may be identified to control the body fat content of broilers and the identification of critical biochemical mediators in the process may lead to their use as genetic markers in the selection of broilers for leanness. INDEX WORDS: Lipogenesis, Spot 14, dietary protein, chicks. mRNA expression. INFLUENCE OF DIETARY PROTEIN ON FATTY ACID SYNTHESIS IN CHICKS


The primary goal of this work was to establish a model system wherein a controlled level of damage is induced to a sample of normal cartilage, such that damage and repair can be observed by the dGEMRIC method of MR imaging. Primarily this included the iterative design of a cartilage tissue holder and testing of its ability to approximate uniaxial diffusion, as well as observation of glycosaminoglycan degradation induced by ADAMTS using dGEMRIC and DMMB assays. The mean uniaxial degradation rate for 20nM ADAMTS was 0.17 mm/day ± 0.08 (1 , n = 4). The shape of the diffusion front was mostly flat, with attributable factors such as vascular structures affecting the shape. These consistencies made ADAMTS an acceptable choice for a degradation agent in the model system. A final holder design was created that proved largely successful in limiting access of ADAMTS to a single surface, as demonstrated by the flat diffusion/degradation front. This led to a good approximation of uni-axial diffusion and fit well with simple mathematical models of diffusion and previously determined diffusivities of Gadolinium agents in cartilage. A model system using ADAMTS as a degradation agent and dGEMRIC methods of observation can now be implemented for exploration of cartilage's ability to repair itself. Thesis Supervisor: Martha Gray Title: Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical & Electrical Engineering


The exhaust gas flow in the inlet collector of close coupled catalyst(CCC) adapted to the exhaust manifold is very complex flow because the exhaust gas is a pulsation flow with several port flow. The distribution of gas flow and temperature in inlet collector effect to the efficiency of catalytic converter. In this study, it measures temperatures on several point in inlet collector with two kind of inlet collector volume. And it analyzes with CFD to exhaust manifold and close coupled catalyst for temperature and flow. Comparing to measured and analyzed result, it find increasing of collector volume effects to catalyst temperature distribution and uniformity of catalytic converter


The present invention provides a no problems in terms of environmental pollution, by processing the existing product may have equal or above its corrosion resistance, a sealing treatment agent and does not cause deterioration of solder wettability, sealing processing method, and a printed circuit board were treated with the sealing treatment agent. That is, the present invention provides a sealing treatment agent containing a total of less than 0.001 to 0.1% by weight of a heterocyclic compound of one kind or a salt thereof, and 0.01 to 1 wt% of a surfactant containing a mercapto group, and the solution the pH is adjusted in the range of 10 or less; the invention also provides a method for sealing treatment using the sealing treatment agent, and a printed substrate with the treatment agent.


Until recent years, school nursing practice consisted mainly of screenings and first aid. However, the changing health, social, and emotional needs of children in the school setting have brought about an expansion of school nursing services. Now school nurses must not only perform routine first aid and screenings, but they must also carry out independent health assessments, monitor various medications, counsel students from troubled homes, collaborate with their educational partners, and complete numerous reports. Historically, school nurses began their careers with little specialized education or orientation. However, with the increased demands in school nursing, it is important to guide, advise, and mentor new school nurses so they can reach a level of competency and confidence more quickly. In this descriptive study, new school nurses were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with the School Nurse-Mentoring Program. The findings of this study indicate that a mentoring program for new school nurses results in increased career satisfaction, a higher level of competency, and health benefits for the students being served.


Msezane and colleagues have developed a `universal formula' to interpolate between the optical oscillator strength (OOS) and generalized oscillator strengths (GOS) as a function of the square of the momentum transfer K. They have inferred regions of applicability of their formula, then made deductions about theoretical and experimental differential cross sections and estimated integral cross sections for optically allowed transitions in atoms and molecules. This comment raises some questions about their work.


In Portugal, as in other countries, questions regarding social mediation for promoting personal development and autonomy, citizenship and cohesion and as a methodology of communication, facilitation and interaction between people and groups, have developed in various areas of social organisations. Mediation practices have been strengthening their conceptual and empirical grounding for the following reasons: an increased recognition of their social and educational potential, and as a result of the high level of fragility regarding the stability, convenience, and social cohesion of current society. Mediation, as a qualification and empowerment of individuals, is centred on people, social groups, and communication skills for coping with multiple problems. Mediation is, therefore, recognised as a potential practice that increases the development of a desire in individuals and groups to construct the dynamics of non-violent and participatory interactions. Bearing in mind the relevance of mediation practices an...


FAVISM IN ASIA. hypothesis that there is a gaseous precursor, gimletogen, which is acted upon by a gaseous horozyme." This statement is only partially correct, as a state of disequalibrium ensues, wherein the gaseous precursor, "gimletogen", is rapidly deoxofluorized before it is actually formed, and the gaseous horozyrne is then liquified and disappears in the characteristic oxoplasmic blue flame. Yours, etc., S. G. (BUL) ROWE, D.Sc. (Oxom.) , G.O.P.R.H" Past President, Oxometrical Society, Sydney. Broughton Hall Psychiatric Clinic, Leichhardt, N.S.W. July 3, 1959.


Summary Background: a concern for breeders is whether an animal ranking based on genetic evaluations is similar to that obtained from show-ring judging. Objective: to determine the association between rankings for Braunvieh (BR) and Brown Swiss (BS) cattle of Mexico based on show-ring judging and their respective expected progeny differences (EPDs) or predicted transmitted abilities (PTAs). Methods: ranking values from judging were transformed using the rankit transformation. For each breed, Pearson correlation analyses were performed between the transformed rank values of the animals obtained from judging at the show-ring and their EPD or PTA values. Results: using the complete databases, in both breeds the correlation coefficient estimates were low (<0.18) but different from zero (p<0.05). The correlation coefficient considering PTAs for milk yield in BS was slightly higher than those obtained for any EPD for growth traits in BR. Correlations in adult animals (0.18 to 0.23) were different from zero (p<0.05) and higher than those of young animals or calves, while those within males or females were similar. Correlations within years of judging in the show-ring were variable and did not indicate any specific trend. Conclusions: show-ring rank results are associated with genetic evaluation of animals, although the magnitude is low. Selection of breeding animals based on show-ring judgment could be used as a complementary tool to genetic evaluation.


Balabanian suggests that an "ideology of technology" has emerged, one that assumes a value-neutrality for technology while ignoring political power and economic interests, one that blames "man" when things go wrong. The author thinks Balabanian is correct to argue that there are many different "we's" in society who bear responsibility for technological choice and that as such we should distinguish levels of responsibility that may range from corporate production decisions to individual and collective consumer choices. Balabanian is also correct to suggest that technology is not neutral, that it is inherently value-laden. That is, there is inherent in the decision to design an artifact in a certain way a specific set of human needs, desires, and values. This is inescapable and has little to do with "proper/improper" use of the product or process, even though the latter may well happen, and more often than we might wish or recognize. Thus, technology is neither autonomous, nor is it neutral


Data from a prospective study of the clinical course in 223 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus followed for 655 patient-years were analyzed by computer to determine the influence on frequency of infection of 1) corticosteroid dose; 2) azathioprine; 3) active disease, measured by new disease exacerbations, elevated ESR, hypocomplementemia, active urinary sediment, and proteinuria; 4) uremia; and 5) leukopenia. The frequency of all infections, and of bacterial and opportunistic infections specifically, increased progressively with increasing steroid dose. Azathioprine use, independent of steroid dose, did not account for an increased risk of bacterial, opportunistic, or nonspecific viral infections. Leukopenia did not predispose to infection, except possibly when associated with azathioprine-induced bone marrow suppression. Active renal disease, especially when manifested by abnormal urine sediment, was associated with an increase in infection frequency.