A hundred years after tax concessions for charitable contributions were introduced as part of the personal income taxes that many countries enacted during the First World War, these countries continue to debate the appropriate level and structure of tax concessions for charitable gifts. This chapter considers the tax treatment of charitable contributions in a personal income tax, reviewing and evaluating alternative rationales for tax recognition of charitable gifts as well as the implications of these rationales for the form that tax recognition should take, and examining recent Canadian experience in light of these rationales.


Autoimmune responses against posttranslationally modified antigens are a hallmark of several autoimmune diseases. For example, antibodies against citrullinated protein antigens (ACPA) have shown their relevance for the prognosis and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and have been implicated in disease pathogenesis. It is conceivable that other autoantibody systems, recognizing other posttranslationally modified proteins, are also present in RA. Here, we describe the presence of an autoantibody system that discriminates between citrulline- and homocitrulline-containing antigens in the sera of RA-patients. IgG antibodies recognizing carbamylated (homocitrulline-containing) antigens were present in sera of over 45% of RA-patients. Likewise, anticarbamylated protein (anti-CarP) IgA antibodies were observed in 43% of RA-sera. ACPA and anti-CarP antibodies are distinct autoantibodies because, in selected double-positive patients, the anti-CarP antibody binding to carbamylated antigens could be inhibited by carbamylated antigens, but not by control or citrullinated antigens. Similarly, ACPA-binding to citrullinated antigens could only be inhibited by citrullinated antigens. In line with this observation, 16% of ACPA-negative RA-patients, as measured by a standard ACPA assay, harbored IgG anti-CarP antibodies, whereas 30% of these patients tested positive for IgA anti-CarP antibodies. The presence of anti-CarP antibodies was predictive for a more severe disease course in ACPA-negative patients as measured by radiological progression. Taken together, these data show the presence of a unique autoantibody system recognizing carbamylated, but not citrullinated, protein antigens. These antibodies are predictive for a more severe clinical course in ACPA-negative RA-patients, indicating that anti-CarP antibodies are a unique and relevant serological marker for ACPA-negative RA.


The respiratory function of the lungs was examined in 68 patients with diffuse peritonitis of different origin in the early postoperative period by laboratory, instrumental, and statistical methods and assessed by expert evaluation. The training sampling included 275 cases expertly classified as follows: health, stage I respiratory distress syndrome of adults (RDSAI), RDSAII, RDSAIII, and RDSAIV. Discriminant analysis was carried out fir the first four classes of patients. The best results were obtained when the following 6 variables were used: respiration rate, assessment of the irregularity of ventilation perfusion ratio (delta p/delta t), end-expiration maximal tension of carbon dioxide (FetCO2), resistance of the body site between the measuring electrodes in the course of tetrapolar chest rheography (Z), and arterial capillary blood pCO2 and pO2. The resultant discriminant functions permit the diagnosis of RDSA and help determine the stage of the syndrome development with a probability of at least 90%, which may be used clinically to validate the conclusion of a physician concerning correction of the treatment policy in this patient population.


Thresholds for low density regions (microbubbles) and microplasma light emissions generation in liquid are studied. With nanosecond microdischarges at different applied peak voltages with the different sizes of microelectrode tip, the low density regions (microbubbles) are captured by a high speed ICCD camera and the microplasmas light emissions are detected by both the ICCD camera and a Photomultiplier Tube (PMT). Deionized water with NaCl was employed as the experimental liquid. Different concentrations of NaCl present different conductivities. With the high conductivity (17600μS/cm), the mciroplasmas light emissions are always accompanied with microbubbles generation at various applied peak voltages (-3kV to -12kV). For a low conductivity (1990μS/cm), there were thresholds of applied peak voltage for different phenomenon of the microplasmas and the microbubbles. With the applied peak voltage in the range of 0kV to -4kV, neither the microbubble formation nor the detectable microplasma slight emission was observed by ICCD and PMT. With the applied peak voltage in the range of -4kV to -6kV, the visible microbubbles was able to be observed, but no microplasma light emission could be detected by both ICCD and PMT. With the applied voltage larger than -6kV in magnitude, both of the visible microbubbles and microplasma light emission can be observed. The thresholds of applied peak voltages are determined from observations. With different applied voltage and same conductivity, the energy inputs are proportional to the applied voltages. Experimental results presented by ICCD and PMT suggest that there exist a correlation of the generation of microplasmas and microbubbles to the applied peak voltages and energy inputs. Different scenarios for the appearances of both of microbubbles and microplasmas, only microbubbles without microplasmas or neither of microbubbles and microplasmas assist our investigation of the mechanism of microplasmas in liquid.


We propose a knowledge model for capturing dietary preferences and personal context to provide personalized dietary recommendations. We develop a knowledge model called the Personal Health Ontology, which is grounded in semantic technologies, and represents a patient's combined medical information, social determinants of health, and observations of daily living elicited from interviews with diabetic patients. We then generate a personal health knowledge graph that captures temporal patterns from synthetic food logs, annotated with concepts from the Personal Health Ontology. We further discuss how lifestyle guidelines grounded in semantic technologies can be reasoned with the generated personal health knowledge graph to provide appropriate dietary recommendations that satisfy the user's medical and other lifestyle needs.


Land surface-atmosphere interaction is one of the most important characteristic for understanding the terrestrial climate system, as it determines the exchange fluxes of energy and water between the land and the overlying air mass. In several current climate models, it is common practice to use an unphysical approach to close the surface energy balance within the uppermost soil layer with finite thickness and heat capacity. In this study, a different approach is investigated by means of a physical based estimation of the canopy heat capacity (SkIn). 5 Therefore, in a first step, results of an offline simulation of the land component JSBACH of the MPI-ESM – constrained with atmospheric observations – are compared to energyand water fluxes derived from eddy covariance measurements observed at the CASES-99 field experiment in Kansas where only shallow vegetation prevails. This comparison of energy and evapotranspiration fluxes with observations at the site-level provides an assessment of the model's capacity to correctly reproduce the coupling between the land and the atmosphere throughout the diurnal cycle. In a further step, a global coupled land-atmosphere 10 experiment is performed using an AMIP type simulation over thirty years to evaluate the regional impact of the SkIn scheme on longer time scale, in particular, in respect to the effect of the canopy heat capacity. The results of the offline experiment show that SkIn leads to a warming during the day and to a cooling in the night relative to the old reference scheme, thereby improving the performance in the representation of the modeled surface fluxes on diurnal time scales. In particular: nocturnal heat releases unrealistically destroying the stable boundary layer disappear and phase 15 errors are removed. On the global scale, for regions with no or low vegetation and a pronounced diurnal cycle, the nocturnal cooling prevails due to the fact that stable conditions at night maintain the delayed response in temperature, whereas the daytime turbulent exchange amplifies it. For the tropics and boreal forests as well as high latitudes, the scheme tends to warm the system.


The location of motor-related activity in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus (SC) is thought to generate a desired displacement command specifying the amplitude and direction of saccadic eye movements. However, the amplitude of saccadic eye movements made to visual targets can be systematically altered by surreptitiously moving the target location after the saccade has been initiated. Depending on whether the target is moved closer to or further from the fixation location, adaptation of saccade amplitude results in movements that are either smaller or larger than control movements. It remains an open question whether the SC specifies the desired movement to the original target location or whether SC activity specifies the vector of the amplitude-altered movement that is observed as adaptation progresses. We investigated this question by recording the activity of saccade-related burst neurons in the SC of head-restrained rhesus monkeys during both backward and forward saccadic adaptation. During adaptation in each direction, we find no evidence that is consistent with a change in the locus of SC activity despite changes in saccade amplitude; the location of SC motor-related activity does not appear to be remapped during either forward or backward saccadic adaptation. These data are inconsistent with hypotheses that propose a key role for the SC in mediating the changes in saccade amplitude observed during adaptation.


We measured and compared levels of plasma free 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl (ethylene)glycol (pMHPG), a major metabolite of noradrenaline, and natural killer (NK) cell activity in 26 patients prior to their undergoing an operation for cardiovascular diseases; 11 of whom expressed delirium and 15 who did not. In conclusion, we found that pMHPG levels before an operation were higher in patients with postoperative delirium than in the patients without, while NK cell activity showed no difference between the two groups. It is possible that hyperactivity of noradrenargic neurons is connected with the development of postoperative delirium. Furthermore, we considered that measurement of pMHPG level before operation might be a useful tool to predict the occurrence of postoperative delirium.


Abstract Objective  This study aimed to establish a novel grading system, based on the craniovertebral junction compression severity index (CVJCSI) for multidirectional quantification at the foramen magnum plane for Chiari malformation type I (CMI). Methods  The CVJCSI grading system was established to stratify patients based on the ventral (modified clivoaxial angle < 138°), dorsal (tonsil herniation), and central (brainstem herniation) CVJ (craniovertebral junction) compression, the CVJCSI grading system was established to stratify patients. The optimal surgical method for each grade was recommended by intragroup comparisons regarding the efficacy of the three operations. Finally, according to the CVJCSI grading system, a prospective validation trial was performed and surgically treated for internal validation. Results  Based on the retrospective study ( n  = 310), the CVJCSI included six grades: I: syrinx alone without compression; II: dorsal compression; III: dorsal and central compression; IV: ventral compression; V: dorsal and ventral compression; and VI: ventral, dorsal, and central compression. Among all available variables, only the CVJCSI and surgical methods significantly affected the CCOS. The CCOS scores, overall and for each CVJCSI grade, increased in the prospective cohort ( n  = 42) compared with that in the retrospective analysis. Conclusions  The CVJCSI can be used to stratify CMI patients. The higher the CVJCSI grade, the more severe the CVJ compression and the worse posterior fossa deformity. Meanwhile, the CVJCSI was negatively correlated with the CCOS. The lower the CVJCSI grade, the better the response to surgery, and the less-invasive surgical procedures were warranted. Finally, the prospective cohort study validated the proposed CVJCSI-based surgical protocols.


This paper proposes an automatic method to detect road traffic signs in natural scenes. There are three main stages in the proposed algorithm: 1) segmentation based on the brightness and color features to find the possible candidate road sign regions; 2) sign detection by using two shape classification criteria; and 3) recognition of the road sign by employing a fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation (FJTC) technique. The proposed framework provides a novel way to detect a road sign by integrating image features with the geometric shape information. Experimental results on real life images demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is invariant to translation, rotation, and scale.


Human papillomavirus (HPV) is frequently associated with cervical carcinoma and derived cell lines. In primary tissues of the carcinoma, the viral genome may be present in episomal or integrated configuration. In cell lines, however, only integrated HPV sequences have been reported. In this article, we describe the presence of episomal type 16 HPV (HPV16), demonstrated by electron microscopy and two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis, in a cervical carcinoma cell line, CC7T/VGH, established in 1980 in Taiwan. In CC7T/VGH, the HPV16 sequences are transcriptionally active, and at least three major HPV16 RNA species were detected in Northern blots. Results from restriction enzyme and S1 nuclease analysis suggest a composition of oligomeric HPV16 molecules in dimeric repeats. In addition, the HPV16 oligomers exist as catenated molecules of interlocking rings instead of concatemers. A monomeric copy of the HPV16 episome was cloned from a Hirt supernatant of CC7T/VGH by using a plasmid vector. Mapping and partial sequencing studies revealed an internal deletion of 163 base pairs within the L1 open reading frame. However, insertion of an A.C nucleotide pair at the deletion junction restored the otherwise frame-shifted L1 open reading frame. Two base transitions were also found within the E7 and the E1 open reading frames. Our findings suggest the need for closer examination for HPV episomal catenation in other cervical carcinoma cell lines as well as in primary carcinoma tissues of the uterine cervix and the anogenital tract. With CC7T/VGH, a way is now available for studies of many important aspects of the biology of HPV such as replication and gene expression of the extrachromosomal viral genome.


Deep learning has achieved notable success in 3D object detection with the advent of large-scale point cloud datasets. However, severe performance degradation in the past trained classes, i.e., catastrophic forgetting, still remains a critical issue for real-world deployment when the number of classes is unknown or may vary. Moreover, existing 3D class-incremental detection methods are developed for the single-domain scenario, which fail when encountering domain shift caused by different datasets, varying environments, etc. In this paper, we identify the unexplored yet valuable scenario, i.e., class-incremental learning under domain shift, and propose a novel 3D domain adaptive class-incremental object detection framework, DA-CIL, in which we design a novel dual-domain copy-paste augmentation method to construct multiple augmented domains for diversifying training distributions, thereby facilitating gradual domain adaptation. Then, multi-level consistency is explored to facilitate dual-teacher knowledge distillation from different domains for domain adaptive class-incremental learning. Extensive experiments on various datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method over baselines in the domain adaptive class-incremental learning scenario.


We perform a complete analysis of the supersymmetric particle spectrum in the Minimal Supergravity (mSUGRA) model where the soft SUSY breaking scalar masses, gaugino masses and trilinear couplings are unified at the GUT scale, so that the elec-troweak symmetry is broken radiatively. We show that the present constraints on the Higgs boson and superparticle masses from collider searches and precision measurements still allow for large regions of the mSUGRA parameter space where charginos, neutralinos, sleptons and top squarks as well as the heavier Higgs particles, are light enough to be produced at the next generation of e + e − linear colliders with center of mass energy around √ s ∼ 800 GeV, with sizeable cross sections. An important part of this parameter space remains even when we require that the density of the lightest neutralinos left over from the Big Bang, which we calculate using standard assumptions , falls in the range favored by current determinations of the Dark Matter density in the Universe. Already at a c.m. energy of 500 GeV, SUSY particles can be accessible in some parameter range, and if the energy is increased to √ s ≃ 1.2 TeV, the e + e − collider will have a reach for high precision studies of SUSY particles in a range that is comparable to the discovery range of the LHC.


T. S. I. a l -Faruq i : "Music, Musicians and Muslim Law" . Sawa: "On Musical Practices in the Writings of a l ls fahani" B. Denny: "Music and Musicians in Islamic Figural A r t " J . Racy: "Social Status vs. Social Power: The Case of Musicians in Contemporary Egypt" ,M. Neuman: "Muslim Folk Musicians in India" D. Schuyler : "Professional Musicians and the Rural Religious Elite in Morocco" Podstavsky: "On Muslim Musicians in Northern Nigeria" .L . Sakata: "Rel igion, Ethnic i ty , Local i ty: Indigenous Conceptions of Being an Afghan Musician" el-Shawan : "On the Western-Oriented Composer in Egypt" Lev in : "The Soviet Nationalities Policy and Tradit ional Musicians in Uzbekistan" [va tory" Halman : "On the Tradit ional Musician in the Turk i sh ConserBlum: "Ideas of Music, Musicians and Revolution in 20thcen tu ry I ran"


Lung cancer in never smokers (LCINS) is a growing health problem. The WHO estimates that 25% of lung cancer worldwide occurs in never smokers (10-15% in Western countries). LCINS is the 7th largest cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. There is a predominance of women among never smoking lung cancer patients. The most important LCINS risk factor is residential radon exposure. We designed a multicentric hospital-based case-control study to assess the relationship between lung cancer risk and residential radon exposure in never smokers in Galicia (Spain), a radon prone area. Eight hospitals took part in the study. We included 352 never smoking women (140 cases of primary lung cancer and 212 controls). All participants fulfilled the WHO definition of never smoker (<100 cigarettes in lifetime or <1cig/day during 6 moths) and all of them were interviewed by trained personnel with a standardized questionnaire. A radon detector (alpha-track) was placed for 3 months in the participant dwelling. Median age of participant women was 70.5 (interquartilic range: 63-78). Results were analyzed through logistic regression and they are expressed as OR and adjusted by age and environmental tobacco exposure.

View this table:

Residential radon exposure and risk of lung cancer

These results suggest that never smoking women exposed to residential radon concentrations above 200 Bq/m3 have a close to 3-fold higher risk of lung cancer.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of working capital management on firm valuation, profitability and risk. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a panel data set of 497 firms covering the period 2007 to 2016. The authors test the effects of working capital management on firm valuation, profitability and risk using the panel data methodology that includes firm and year fixed effects regressions. Findings – The authors find a significantly negative relationship between net working capital (NWC) and firm valuation, profitability and risk. The results suggest that, in managing working capital, firm managers must make a trade-off between their objectives for profitability and risk control. Working-capital management is of particular importance in firms with less access to capital; it is also important when firms are expanding their investments during periods of economic recovery. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature in several ways. First, to my knowledge, it provides the most comprehensive investigation, to date, on the relationship between working capital management and firm valuation, profitability and risk in an emerging market. Second, this study documents the existence of an optimal level of NWC in an emerging market. Third, firm performance, as measured in both market and accounting value, can be improved with efficient working capital management. Finally, the study includes the impact of the business cycle in an analysis of the effects of working capital management on firm performance.


11 informants who were mourning relatives or friends who had died during the last five years were interviewed by a priest, who asked about their relationship to the deceased, their participation in funeral rituals and their experience of their own mourning process. The respondents endorsed the following scales: SCL-90 Depression subscale, Intrinsic, Extrinsic and Quest Scales, Doctrinal Orthodoxy Scale, Liberal Belief Scale, Moral Conservatism Index and Humanistic Mortality Scale. Each respondent was evaluated hermeneutically in a pastoral-clinical way, and the whole material was treated statistically. The extrinsic person uses his religion to attain comfort, security, and social acceptance, and it is not deeply integrated in his personality. The extrinsic religious orientation correlated positively with a prolonged mourning process and depression. It can be tentatively concluded that extensive participation in funeral rituals seems to prevent a prolonged mourning process and resulting depression.


When detailed product information is not available to consumers inferences are made using product cues to reduce uncertainty and to form perceptions of products. Advertisers can make use of sport sponsorship and sport celebrity endorsement as extrinsic cues to influence consumers' pre-purchase attitudes. These cues are expensive forms of advertising. Managers need to establish whether they provide a satisfactory return on investment. This study explored consumers' attitudes and the effect of sport event sponsorship and sport celebrity endorsement on key brand/manufacturer related variables such as brand quality, product uniqueness, manufacturer esteem and corporate citizenship. A total number of 201 respondents participated in the study. A non-probability sample was used. Results indicate that sport event sponsorship was perceived by participants as a product uniqueness, manufacturer esteem and corporate citizenship cue, significantly enhancing responses on product related variables. The sport celebrity endorsement cue had a significant effect on uniqueness and esteem, but did not significantly influence brand quality. Using these results managers can substantiate the use of sport event sponsorship to increase consumers' pre-purchase attitudes of product uniqueness, manufacturer esteem and corporate citizenship; and sport celebrity endorsement to increase their pre-purchase attitudes of product uniqueness and manufacturer esteem; thus positively affecting consumers' pre-purchase attitudes that may influence buyer behaviour.


We have reported a marked decrease of lymphocyte sensitivity to prostaglandins (PGs) in patients with untreated cervical carcinoma and other solid neoplasias. Particularly, Ea and ME rosette formation was inhibited only slightly by PGs in all cancer patients studied, as compared with the high inhibition values observed in normal individuals (Clin Immunol Immunopathol, 1981). In the present work, the PG-induced inhibition of Ea and ME rosette formation has been studied in patients with stage 0 cervical carcinoma up to 180 days after hysterectomy. It has been found that in these patients the PG sensitivity increased gradually up to or higher than the levels seen in normal control subjects. However, the PG sensitivity of Ea is restored earlier after surgery, while ME show a delayed recovery. Since the PG sensitivities correlate well with the clinical status of patients, it is suggested that such sensitivity may represent a useful test for following patients with cervical carcinoma.


We report the case of a child with myotonic dystrophy (DM) with symptoms begining at the age of seven, whose genetic study showed an additional DNA fragment, greater than of his father, an asymptomatic carrier. The clinical and molecular analysis of this parent-child pair are probably the first described in Brazil, since the recent discovery of genetic abnormality in DM by American and European researchers, that explained the long-debated phenomenon of "anticipation" in this disease. The main advances in molecular genetics in DM and its correlation with increasing severity and earlier onset of the symptoms in sucessive generations of a family are commented briefly.


toxicity necessitates the wearing of a helmet and respirator. The recommended protective clothing in the State of New South Wales consists of overalls, buttoned at neck and wrist, impervious gloves and footwear and, where operators may come into contact with spray drift, an approved respirator fitted with agricultural cartridges. The protective helmet shown in the illustration is neither suitable for use in the spraying of herbicides nor is it approved for any application in this State.


Lipids are essential compounds for all living organisms. Agents that inhibit fat digestion are of theoretical benefit in the treatment of obesity. A total of 18 species (21 hydroalcoholic extracts) of edible plants from Calabria region (Italy) were evaluated for their in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. Lipase activity was measured by monitoring the hydrolysis of p‐NPC, which releases the yellow chromogen, p‐nitrophenol. The aqueous ethanol extracts of Portulaca oleracea (leaves) and Silene vulgaris (leaves) exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on lipase. The amounts of total phenolics, measured by Folin‐Ciocalteu method, varied widely in the different analysed extracts and ranged from 29 to 482 mg/g of extract. In this study, the findings do not show any relationship between lipase inhibitory activity and total phenolic content. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The era of creative nonfiction (CNF) is probably here exerting its influence before us. Its popularity is off to continue invading even the classroom. This study looked into the potentials of CNF as a writing technique that leads to thinking and eventually to self-discovery and gaining power. Using phenomenology and coordinated management of meaning as framework, the study used textual analysis as a means to make sense of the CNFs written by selected Communication Arts II students. The study eventually found that the CNF texts (the language, words used) are hegemonic. They empower the very writers who wrote or produced them. As a writing technique or strategy, CNF can indeed be a tool of drawing out individual realities translated into words that manifest on paper. For future studies, grounded theorizing can be used to analyze CNF textual messages and implications. *A Communication Research conducted for CR 284 (Message Analysis) under Dr. Fernando Paragas, 1st semester, AY 2008-2009, UPD-CMC


The present study examines Egyptian publications and research collaboration in health sciences using Thomson Reuters InCitesTM over the period of 1980-2014. Egypt, in clinical, pre-clinical and health, is ranked 44 among all countries according to the Web of Science documents (quantity) and total citations (quality). It is ranked at 40 and 55 respectively for international collaboration and the total number of highly cited papers. The total publications of Egyptian scientists in health sciences were 31 382, of which 27 693 articles were multi-authored, indicating a co-authorship ratio of 88 percent. It reveals that Egyptian scientists have a great tendency to collaborate. The collaborated papers show a greater citation impact, category normalized citation impact, and journal normalized citation impact and h-index compared to single authored papers. This reveals that the visibility and impact of co-authored papers are higher than that of single authored ones, as well as the visibility and impact of internationally co-authored publications are higher than the single authored or domestic papers. Egyptian scientists, in clinical, pre-clinical and health, had joint publications with their colleagues in 166 countries during the period under study. These countries were grouped according to geographic position, scientific capacity and economic development rate. The results show that Egypt's main partners were USA, Saudi Arabia, Germany, England and Japan. In addition, Egyptian researchers mostly co-published with colleagues in Europe, scientifically advanced countries and high income countries. The findings could inform policy makers to develop research policies aiming to foster and support collaborations at all levels -researchers, institutions and countries.


It is well recognized that consumption of alcohol leads to liver disease in a dose‐dependent manner; however, the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Hypoxia subsequent to a hypermetabolic state may be involved; therefore, when it was observed recently that inactivation of Kupffer cells prevented stimulation of hepatic oxygen uptake by alcohol, the idea that Kupffer cells participate in early events that ultimately lead to alcohol‐induced liver disease became a real possibility. The purpose of this study was to test that hypothesis. Male Wistar rats were exposed to ethanol continuously by means of intragastric feeding for up to 4 weeks using the model developed by Tsukamoto and French. In this model, ethanol causes fatty liver, necrosis and inflammation — changes characteristic of alcohol‐induced liver disease in human beings. Kupffer cells were inactivated by twice weekly treatment with gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), a selective Kupffer cell toxicant. AST levels were elevated to 192 ± 13 and 244 ± 56 IU/L in rats exposed to ethanol for 2 and 4 wk, respectively (control value, 88 ± 7). This injury was prevented almost completely by GdCl3 treatment. Fatty changes, inflammation and necrosis were also all reduced dramatically by GdCl3 treatment. The average hepatic pathological score of rats treated with ethanol for 4 wk was 4.3 ± 0.6, which was reduced significantly in ethanol‐ and GdCl3‐treated rats to 1.8 ± 0.5 (p<0.05). Rates of ethanol elimination were elevated 2‐ to 3‐fold in rats exposed to ethanol for 2 to 4 wk. This elevation was blocked by GdCl3 treatment. These results demonstrate that GdCl3 prevents alcohol‐induced liver injury and suggest strongly that Kupffer cells participate in the early phases of the disease process. Thus, pharmacological manipulation of Kupffer cell function might represent a new approach to clinical management of alcohol‐induced liver injury. (Hepatology 1994;20:453‐460.)


Background:Electrocardiographic changes and elevated serum troponin are frequent findings in acute stroke. They may reflect what is known as the neuro-genic myocardial injury. However, as stroke and cardiac diseases share the same risk factors. Coexistence of the two is highly susceptible.Objectives:To determine the electrocardiographic changes and serum troponin level in acute stroke patients and to correlate these changes to the anatomical location and pathological type of the stroke.Methods:A prospective descriptive analytical study was conducted at the national center of neurological Science, from January to December 2019 Study was done at the neurological center in Sudan, The National Center of Neurological sciences. All cases presented with acute stroke during the study period were included. Non-probability sampling, with total coverage during study period was considered. 50 patients were included in the study. Data were analyzed by using (SPSS) version 25. 12 standards ECG were performed in the first hours of admission. 2 samples from each patient were obtained for serum troponin with at least 8 hours apart.Results:All patients had wide variants of ECG changes. But tachycardia was the most frequent one identified in 54% of patients (27/50). Half of them were found to have an anterior circulation stroke. 14% of patients (7/50) have positive troponin; ECG changes identified in all of patients who represent positive troponin100 %( 7patients). Moreover, anterior circulation stroke was recognized in all patients with positive troponin I marker.Conclusion:This study suggests that ECG abnormalities in patients with acute stroke are very common, especially tachycardia. The site of lesion appears to play major factor as a cause of genesis of arrhythmia. Concomitant cardiac diseases may present .Serum troponin elevation may play a role in diagnosing neuro-cardiogenic injury but, ECG appears to be more sensitive and familial.


New repertories of action : how French activists use
Internet.
The traditional forces behind the actions of associative engagement are changing. They
have moved on from the path of classic militancy to a more restrained form of engagement.
The symptoms of this evolution can be seen as much in the renewed modes of collective
action as in the various forms of sociability. In addition, the development of Internet uses by
some of these associations would clearly seem to indicate the technological expression of this
neo-militancy. The present article aims at examining some of the communication practices
linked to the development of these « new » telecommunications networks, concentrating, in
particular, on the renewal of associative militancy.


The idea of adaptive perturbation theory is to divide a Hamiltonian into a solvable part and a perturbation part. The solvable part contains diagonal elements of Fock space from the interacting terms, which is different from the standard procedure of previous perturbation method. In this letter, we use the adaptive perturbation theory to extract the solvable elements in the twoparticle system and obtain the energy spectrum of the solvable part. Then, we diagonalize the Hamiltonian to obtain the numerical solution. Finally, we compare two kind of values. The results show that the adaptive perturbation theory can be well applied to the strong coupling regime of two-particle system, and on the whole, with the increase of quantum number, two values are closer.


Organosilicon layers have been deposited from 1,3,5-trivinyl-1,3,5-trimethylcyclotrisiloxane (V3D3) by means of the initiated-chemical vapor deposition (i-CVD) technique in a deposition setup, ad hoc designed for the engineering of multilayer moisture permeation barriers. The application of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows that the polymerization proceeds through the scission of the vinyl bond and allows quantifying the degree of conversion of vinyl groups, which is found to be larger than 80% for all the deposited layers. In situ real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) allows following all the i-CVD growth stages, i.e., from the initial monomer adsorption to the layer bulk growth. Finally, the combination of SE and FTIR has allowed defining the process window for the deposition of stable and highly cross-linked poly(V3D3) layers by tuning a key process parameter, i.e. the surface monomer adsorption.


Medulloblastoma is the most common paediatric brain cancer. Standard treatment approaches, including craniospinal irradiation (CSI), can result in severe lifelong side effects and have not changed for decades resulting in a stagnation of survival outcomes for children with aggressive medulloblastoma. Despite successes in other cancers, no immunotherapies have been approved for use in paediatric medulloblastoma. Unlike other solid tumours, medulloblastomas are myeloid dominant, and immunotherapies must be rationally designed with the tumour microenvironment in mind. Anti-CD47 antibody therapy activates macrophages against cancer cells by blocking anti-phagocytic signalling mediated by CD47-SIRPa ligation and has shown preclinical efficacy in brain cancer models. We have developed preclinical CSI protocols that mimic clinical treatment response using a small animal radiotherapy platform. We show that CSI depletes adaptive immune cells in the brain, increasing the proportional abundance of myeloid cells, suggesting an opportunity to combine radiation with myeloid-targeted immunotherapy. We show that anti-CD47 therapy is ineffective as a single agent against a patient-derived xenograft model of Group 3 medulloblastoma (SJ_MB002), and that while the CSI protocol causes temporary tumour regression, the combination of anti-CD47 with CSI results in marked and persistent tumour regression. To enhance our preclinical evaluation of CSI and anti-CD47, we have developed new mouse models that more accurately reflect the developing microenvironment of children and show that immune populations in paediatric brain are distinct from adult mouse brain. Future work will elucidate the mechanisms by which radiotherapy alters the medulloblastoma microenvironment to enhance the anti-tumour activity of myeloid immune cells in the brain. By evaluating this novel combination of immunotherapy with standard medulloblastoma treatments, in age-appropriate models, our research should facilitate the rational selection and rapid translation of optimised treatment combinations for future medulloblastoma clinical trials.


The System of Rice Intensification(SRI) is an agro-ecological methodology for increasing the productivity of irrigated rice by changing the management of plants, soil, water and nutrients. Weed infestation is regarded as one of the major causes of low crop yields throughout the world and can cause 50-60% reduction in grain yield under puddled conditions and 91% yield reduction in non-puddled conditions. The issue of weeding is always important because it entails costs as well as benefit. The higher amount of labour for weeding is one of the most criticized aspects of SRI. Viewing these facts, a field experiment was conducted at a farmer's field at Shivanagar-3, Chitwan, Nepal during the rainy season of 2008 A.D. The study recommends to use the variety Ram and follow three soil-aerating weedings as weed control practice for rice cultivation along with the other elements for crop management under SRI where there are assured facilities for irrigation and drainage. The findings of this study should be useful to farmers, researchers, development workers, policy makers or anyone who may consider the optimum, efficient and effective use of limited inputs for producing higher yield.


This paper integrates Prospect Theory and the concept of framing in a study of consumer negotiated pricing in a real estate context. Building on previously conducted experimental designs, a field survey indicated that home sellers using sales price as a reference point display greater willingness to make concessions than those who use equity as their reference point. Further, the third-party influence of the realtor was shown to alter Prospect Theory predictions so that even equity-based sellers became concessionary. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


espite the ban on use of plastic paper bags, large amounts of plastic litter still exist in our environment. Plastic bottles form a greater percentage of the litter. The growth of the consumer market for cosmetics and soft drinks which are usually packaged in plastic containers continues to give rise to plastic pollution. To maintain the quality of the environment while achieving sustainable development plastic litter could be viewed as raw and innovative materials for making new items. Plastics can be recycled and made into furniture, ornamental products, and building blocks among others. This paper describes how recycling plastic waste into products of plastic sheets and blocks is conducted for multi-purpose use. The resultant sheets and blocks can be designed to have slots and extensions on the edges such that they allow interlocking the same way concrete interlock blocks work. The sheets and blocks can be used to make furniture, office partitions, and interior design. The sheets for furniture making can be craftily decorated with beads while they are still in molten state to produce ornamental furniture. This can be achieved through arranging beads in molds before introducing the molten polymers into them. The plastic blocks and sheets can also be used to make swimming pools and fish ponds. Heating temperature and oxidation should however be monitored to prevent degradation of the polymers. The resultant products are durable, attractive and affordable.


[Background] Discovery and utilization of microorganisms with biocontrol activity is important to keep crop health and yield in agricultural production. [Objective] Our study aimed to clarify the taxonomic status of Bacillus sp. SK007 isolated from soil, and to validate its antagonistic effect on multiple plant pathogens and, therefore uncover its potential biocontrol functions. [Methods] We first used 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome sequencing analysis to determine the taxonomic status of strain SK007. Plate isolate-antagonistic experiments were applied to explore the antagonistic effect of strain SK007 on Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria brassicicola, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium solani. AntiSMASH was used to predict antibiotic genes of strain SK007. [Results] Based on the analysis of 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome sequencing, average nucleotide identity and digital 2592 微生物学通报 Microbiol. China Tel: 010-64807511; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; http://journals.im.ac.cn/wswxtbcn DNA-DNA hybridization, the results demonstrated that strain SK007 belonged to Bacillus velezensis, and possessed the genes in producing the lipopeptide antibiotics and polyketone antibiotics. In addition, SK007, with a large number and high abundance of antibiotic gene clusters in genome, exhibited strong resistance to a variety of plant pathogenic fungi. [Conclusion] Bacillus velezensis SK007 has excellent traits in plant disease resistance, and thus has potential roles in facilitating plant resistance to disease and promoting crop yield.


The data acquiring mechanism on the criteria of users-interaction to the users-interface has been developed in the initial stage of this applied science research. The input system gets multiple inhomogeneous texts about the interface actions of a specific user, whereas the vector has been demonstrated by the results that describe the user in a consolidated manner. Moreover, the vector collection for various users has been employed as an input of clustering algorithm (i.e. K-means), the outcomes of behaviors of users are among the one of these (k-clusters) that differentiates the users by their behavioral types. Almost, 67.8% of the Interactional data of the interface of the user is accessible to GlobalLab platform users. However, for the electronic diary (i.e.Diary.ru) there is no corresponding data. Although not every user of the GlobalLab system takes the initiative to create the projects, ideas, questionnaire task, and educational resources, the proportion of learners have been 9.7 thousand whose value with all 4 variables varied according to a neutral one.


The photolysis of nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides (NA) was enhanced by phosphate under irradiation of medium pressure mercury lamp (MPML). Uracil and Cytosine in phosphate solution were selected to study the mechanism of phosphate effect. Photoproducts were produced in the irradiated uracil and cytosine of phosphate solution which have been isolated by anion exchange resin. Ultraviolet irradiation (190-220nm) of uracil in 0.05 mol/dm3 phosphate buffered solution at pH 8-9 leads to the production of a novel compound C4H5N2O6P which has been identified by UV, 1H-NMR spectroscopy and LC/MS/MS. The formation mechanism of the photoproduct and the kinetics were studied.


The effects of anomalous oceanographic conditions on growth, abundance, spawn-date distributions, and diet of early-juvenile Pacific hake Merluccius productus were examined in nursery grounds off the coast of central California, USA. Spring collections from 2 consecutive years of El Nino conditions, 1997 and 1998, 1 year of La Nina conditions, 1999, and 1 non-anomalous year, 1995, were examined. During spring of 1997, the first year of the El Nino event, early-juvenile hake appeared to compensate for anomalous ocean conditions by ingesting a wider variety of zooplankton taxa and sizes. Continuation of El Nino conditions through spring 1998 appeared to have a strong impact on the 1998 year class. Very low levels of macrozooplankton biomass in February 1998 resulted in poor growth and reduced survival of hake from early spawns.


In this paper we present a model-based approach for designing quality of service adaptive applications. We have developed a prototype distributed QoS modeling environment (DQME) that captures important elements of dynamic QoS adaptation at the model level. This modeling environment is designed independent of and can be integrated with, specific application domains to capture their QoS features and adaptation strategies. It combines the domain-specific modeling capability of the generic modeling environment with the QoS adaptation mechanisms of the quality objects middleware framework. DQME captures both the QoS and the functional concerns of distributed real-time embedded systems, and provides clear separation of these two. Integrated code-synthesis tools facilitate code generation and model refinement. We present a signal analyzer case study to demonstrate the use of the DQME modeling tool in real world applications.


[When it comes to the language of "imitation" (mimesis) in Paul's letters (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6-7; 2:14), divisions among scholars are most clearly manifest. At one end of the scholarly spectrum, Paul follows a Stoic model of imitation, according to which the teacher exhorts pupils to follow him, based upon his authority established (demonstrated) by good conduct. Accordingly, Paul is viewed as an advocate of the Hellenistic ideal of unity at the expense of diversity. At the other end of the spectrum, Paul is seen as a social conservative and an obstacle to true liberation. Here the idea of imitation serves as a means of control and domination of others, as post-colonial and feminist scholars have pointed out. So Paul's exhortation to "be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1) is understood as a demand for sameness, an appeal to copy Paul. However, the language of imitation can be read through the eyes of "embodiment"—a way of life, as an alternate meaning of imitation in 1 Corinthians, which will lead to the involvement of three aspects of God, Christ and the believer. I argue that imitation in 1 Corinthians is neither a copy or sameness nor a type or model to be emulated by the Corinthians. Rather, it should be understood as a way of life rooted in the image of Christ crucified, which plays a central role in the letter, deconstructing abusive, destructive powers in a community and society and reconstructing a beloved community for all., When it comes to the language of "imitation" (mimesis) in Paul's letters (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6-7; 2:14), divisions among scholars are most clearly manifest. At one end of the scholarly spectrum, Paul follows a Stoic model of imitation, according to which the teacher exhorts pupils to follow him, based upon his authority established (demonstrated) by good conduct. Accordingly, Paul is viewed as an advocate of the Hellenistic ideal of unity at the expense of diversity. At the other end of the spectrum, Paul is seen as a social conservative and an obstacle to true liberation. Here the idea of imitation serves as a means of control and domination of others, as post-colonial and feminist scholars have pointed out. So Paul's exhortation to "be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1) is understood as a demand for sameness, an appeal to copy Paul. However, the language of imitation can be read through the eyes of "embodiment"—a way of life, as an alternate meaning of imitation in 1 Corinthians, which will lead to the involvement of three aspects of God, Christ and the believer. I argue that imitation in 1 Corinthians is neither a copy or sameness nor a type or model to be emulated by the Corinthians. Rather, it should be understood as a way of life rooted in the image of Christ crucified, which plays a central role in the letter, deconstructing abusive, destructive powers in a community and society and reconstructing a beloved community for all.]


This article analyzes the legitimacy of the software license as a institution of governance for computer programs. The question of the open source license is used as a starting point. Having conducted a broader inquiry into the several possible bases for the legitimacy of software licensing in general, the article argues that none of the grounds on which software licensing in general rests are sound. With respect to open source software in particular, the article concludes that achieving a legitimate institutional form for the goals that open source proponents have set for themselves may require looking beyond licensing as such.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the longterm morbidity and mortality in a cohort of 169 patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated by a single rheumatologist with remittive agents used in combination. The effectiveness of a regimen combining pulse oral methotrexate, azathioprine and an antimalarial drug (MAH) was examined in detail.

METHODS
All outpatient visits by patients followed for at least one year and up to 18 years (mean 7 years) were abstracted. Remittive antirheumatic drugs were used in combination to achieve progressive improvement. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the differences between first and last visit results in 9 process or outcome variables were calculated for the entire cohort, for those patients receiving or not receiving MAH at last visit, and for those patients taking methotrexate but not in combination with both azathioprine and an antimalarial. The numbers of patients in remission (Lansbury articular index zero), and near remission (articular index < 6) were determined for each of these groups. A survival curve was calculated.

RESULTS
The entire patient cohort showed improvement in every variable except hemoglobin at the time of the last visit (p < 0.0004). On multivariate analysis MAH patients were improved only in American Rheumatism Association functional class compared to the other groups (p < 0.0001). Remission and near remission rates overall were 43 and 61%; for MAH patients 45 and 69% (p = n.s.). Survival was no different from that of the general population. Herpes zoster (17 patients) and second attacks of varicella (2 patients) were the most striking side effects. Prednisone use was reduced from 34 to 19% of patients and the mean daily dose was lowered from 9.3 to 5.9 mg.

CONCLUSION
Combination therapy with multiple antirheumatic agents successfully controlled joint inflammation in 167 of 169 patients with seropositive RA; complete remission was achieved in 43% of patients. Survival of this patient cohort did not differ from that of the general population.


Candida albicans biofilms play a key role in denture stomatitis, one of the most common oral pathologies in elderly people. Because biofilms are highly resistant to antifungals, new pharmacological strategies are needed. Aspirin and nitric oxide-donor molecules have both shown antibiofilm effects on C. albicans, making them promising candidates for treatment. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal/antibiofilm effect of a nitric-oxide releasing aspirin (NO-ASA) on C. albicans isolates from denture stomatitis patients in vitro. Disk diffusion assays showed that while NO-ASA had no antifungal effect, the drug potentiated fluconazole inhibition zone diameters, increasing the effect of fluconazole by 20–30% (p<0.05). The effect of NO-ASA on the morphogenesis of C. albicans was evaluated using light microscopy after inducing hyphae formation. For all clinical strains assayed, 125 μM NO-ASA significantly decreased the number of filamentous cells present (p<0.01). Adhesion to abiotic surfaces, a critical event for biofilm formation, was evaluated in 96-well polystyrene plates using crystal violet assay; 125 μM NO-ASA significantly inhibited adhesion. Biofilms were observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantified using XTT reduction assay. NO-ASA decreased biofilm formation (IC50 ranging from 300 μM to 700 μM), consistent with SEM findings of altered biofilm microarchitecture. PGE2 and carboxy-PTIO (an NO scavenger) both blocked the antibiofilm effects of NO-ASA, suggesting that the efficacy of NO-ASA may be associated with both inhibition of PGE2 synthesis and release of NO. NO-ASA is a promising novel antibiofilm agent for treating fluconazole-resistant strains of C. albicans.


Background: There are limited prospective data on long-term exposure to air pollution and effects on childhood respiratory morbidity. We investigated the development of asthma and related symptoms longitudinally over the first 12 years of life in relation to air pollution from road traffic. Methods: The Swedish birth cohort BAMSE (Children, Allergy, Milieu, Stockholm, Epidemiological Survey) includes 4089 children who were followed up with repeated questionnaires and blood samples for up to 12 years of age. Residential, daycare, and school addresses, time-activity patterns, emission databases, and dispersion models were used to estimate individual exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10 &mgr;m (PM10) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from traffic. Results: Overall, the data suggested possible associations between exposure to air pollution during the first year of life and asthma and wheezing in children up to 12 years of age. Asthma risks seemed to be particularly increased in children age 8 to 12 years; the overall odds ratio was 2.0 (95% confidence interval = 1.1–3.5), and for nonallergic asthma, the odds ratio was 3.8 (0.9–16.2) for a 5th to 95th percentile increase in time-weighted average exposure to PM10 (corresponding to 7.2 µg/m3). Results were similar using exposure to traffic-NOx. Conclusions: We found modest positive associations between air pollution exposure from traffic during infancy and asthma in children during the first 12 years of life, with stronger effects suggested for nonallergic asthma.


This study evaluated the environmental impacts for landfill treatment of the wastewater treatment sludge (WTS) from petrochemical firms by life cycle assessment (LCA) and reviewed the impact reduction by landfill gas (LFG) utilization. The functional unit was 'landfill of 1 ton of WTS', and the system boundary included the process of input and treatment for WTS in landfill site. The impacts were high at landfill process (LP) and leachate treatment process (LTP). Global warming (GWP) and photochemical oxidants creation (POCP) were high at LP, while abiotic depletion (ADP), acidification (AP), eutrophication (EP), ozone depletion (ODP) were high at LTP. The major substances of various impact categories were crude oil (ADP), NOX (AP, EP), CH4 (GWP, POCP), Cl2 (ODP), respectively. The major factor of ADP, AP, EP was attributed from the generation of electricity used in LTP, and the methane within uncollected LFG was main factor of GWP and POCP. Therefore, electricity consumption reduction is identified to be an impact improvement option, and the flaring system installation or enhanced LFG recovery could be an alternative to reduce impacts. Among the various categories, GWP accounted the highest impact (≥ 90%) followed by ADP, POCP. In the avoidance impact resulted from the utilization of LFG, to substitute B-C oil or LNG showed the impact reduction of 32.7% and 12.0%, respectively.


Neural entrainment to continuous speech is typically observed within the language network and can be modulated by both low-level acoustic features and high-level meaningful linguistic units (e.g., phonemes, phrases, and sentences). Recent evidence showed that visual cortex may entrain to speech envelope, however its putative role in the hierarchy of speech processing remains unknown. We tested blindfolded participants who listened to semantically meaningful or meaningless stories, either in quiet or embedded in multi-talker babble noise. Entrainment to speech was assessed with forward linear modeling of participants' EEG activity. We investigated (1) low-level acoustic effects by contrasting neural tracking of speech presented in quiet or noise and (2) high-level linguistic effects by contrasting neural tracking to meaningful or meaningless stories. Results showed that envelope tracking was enhanced and delayed for speech embedded in noise compared to quiet. When semantic information was missing, entrainment to speech envelope was fastened and reduced. Source modeling revealed that envelope tracking engaged wide neural networks beyond the auditory cortex, including early visual cortex. Surprisingly, while no clear influence of semantic content was found, the magnitude of visual cortex entrainment was affected by low-level features. The decrease of sound SNR-level dampened visual cortex tracking, suggesting an active suppressing mechanism in challenging listening conditions. Altogether, these findings provide further evidence of a functional role of early visual cortex in the entrainment to continuous speech.


We pursue in this paper our study of approximations of values and $\epsilon$-saddle-point policies in dynamic zero-sum games. After extending the general theorem for approximation, we study zero-sum stochastic games with countable state space and unbounded immediate reward. We focus on the expected average payoff criterion. We use some tools developed in [M. M. Tidball and E. Altman, SIAM J. Control Optim., 34 (1996), pp. 311--328] to obtain the convergence of the values as well as the convergence of the $\epsilon$ saddle-point policies in various approximation problems. We consider several schemes of truncation of the state space (e.g., finite state approximation) and approximations of games with discount factor close to one for the game with expected average cost. We use the extension of the general theorem for approximation to study approximations in stochastic games with complete information. Finally, we consider the problem of approximating the sets of policies. We obtain some general results that we apply to a pursuit evasion differential game.


We structurally estimate an investment-based asset pricing model, where firms' exposure to macroeconomic risk is unknown. Bayesian beliefs about this parameter are updated from firms' and industry peers' comovement between their productivity and consumption growth. The model implies that discount rates rise endogenously with the perceived risk exposure of firms, thereby depressing investment and valuation ratios. We test these predictions in the data and find strong support for them. In particular, we find that cross-sectional learning from peers is crucial in this context and alternative risk estimates, which ignore peer observations, do not predict firm variables.


The aim of the study is to assess the positive relation between expected return of asset or portofolio with its consumption beta, using consumption-based capital asset pricing model (CCAPM) (Breden, 1979) in Indonesia Stock Exchange market. Hypothesis testing in this research utilizing two-step econometric models: frst pass regression and second pass regression. Based on the test, there is no linear and positive relation between expected return and consumption beta. The results suggest the limited correlation between the aggregate of consumption level and historical return movement. The research does not support CCAPM theory. The results indicate another factor aside from consumption in determining stock exchange return. It shows the fact that the small proportion of investor compared to the population of the country afects how the consumption data should be interpreted carefully since the data refect more on non-investor consumer consumption.


In this work, a new material for in vitro plant rooting based on highly dispersed polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) enriched with amber powder was synthesized and investigated. PAAG was synthesized by homophase radical polymerization with ground amber addition. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and rheological studies were used to characterize the materials. They showed that the synthesized hydrogels have physicochemical and rheological parameters similar to those of the standard agar media. The acute toxicity of PAAG-amber was estimated based on the influence of washing water on the viability of plant seeds (pea and chickpea) and Daphnia magna. It proved its biosafety after four washes. The impact on plant rooting was studied using the propagation of Cannabis sativa on synthesized PAAG-amber and compared with agar. The developed substrate stimulated the rooting of the plants to more than 98% in comparison to standard agar medium (95%). Additionally, the use of PAAG-amber hydrogel markedly enhanced metric indicators of seedlings: root length increased by 28%, stem length—by 26.7%, root weight—by 167%, stem weight—by 67%, root and stem length—by 27%, root and stem weight—by 50%. This means that the developed hydrogel significantly accelerates reproduction and allows obtaining a larger amount of plant material within a shorter period of time than the standard agar substrate.


Long considered an "index fossil" for the migration of the Slavs to Greece, "Slavic" bow fibulae have never been understood in relation to female dress. The "exotic" character of their decoration has encouraged speculations con- cerning the ethnic attribution of these artifacts, but no serious attempt has been made to analyze the archaeological contexts in which they were found. It is argued here that bow fibulae were more than just dress accessories, and that they may have been used for negotiating social power. The political and military situation of the early seventh century a.d. in the Balkans, marked by the collapse of the early Byzantine power in the region, may explain the need for new emblemic styles to represent group identity.


Being one of the important pulse crops grown throughout India, Black gram requires several nutrients for optimum growth. The use of chemical fertilizers to add these nutrients has been known to boost production but at a cost of harming the soil, air, water, and living organisms. To address this issue, nano formulations have been proposed as a potential solution. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of applying nano-nutrients, N and Zn on the morphological and yield-related characteristics of black gram. The experiment was conducted with Randomized Complete Block Design having 8 treatments and replicated thrice. Among various treatments, the highest germination percentage and seedling vigour were observed in treatment T5 (50% RDN+ Seed priming with nano-Zn+ Foliar spray of nano-urea at 45 DAS), whereas the higher yield parameters viz., test weight, pods, seeds per pod, pods per plant, biological yield and grain yield observed in T8 (Seed priming with nano-Zn+ Foliar spray of nano-urea at 30 DAS+45 DAS).


[1] The pattern of density-induced flow influenced by basin's width, friction, and Earth's rotation is investigated as a function of the Ekman (Ek) and Kelvin (Ke) numbers. A semianalytical solution is used to determine the conditions under which the density-induced exchange flow is vertically sheared or horizontally sheared. Solutions are obtained over diverse laterally varying bathymetries. It is found that the exchange flow is horizontally sheared under high frictional conditions (Ek > 1) independently of the width of the basin (Ke). The horizontally sheared pattern describes inflow in the channel and outflow over shoals, with the inflow occupying the entire water column. The exchange flow pattern is also horizontally sheared under weak friction (Ek → 0) and in wide (Ke > 2) basins. In that case, however, the outflow is concentrated on the left (looking into the basin in the Northern Hemisphere) portion of the cross section and inflow appears on the right. Also, under weak friction, the exchange pattern becomes more vertically sheared, with outflow at surface and inflow underneath as the width of the basin becomes small (Ke < 1). Bathymetry is not very influential in the weak friction exchange patterns. Finally, under moderate friction (0.01 < Ek < 0.1), the exchange pattern is both horizontally and vertically sheared for all widths. The horizontally sheared pattern is best defined in wide basins (high Ke), whereas the vertically sheared pattern practically dominates in narrow basins (low Ke). These findings allow classification of various estuaries in the Ek-Ke parameter space.


Based on structural information from the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank, the contact surfaces of the proteins lysozyme, trypsin, and BPTI (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor) with a spherical test particle of the size of a water molecule have been calculated and systematically analyzed. It is our purpose to establish (i) self-similarity as a statistical concept for the characterization of surface roughness and (ii) the Hausdorff dimension as a measure of the local surface complexity. It is found that the proteins statistically show self-similarity within a yardstick range 1.2 A less than R less than 20 A, and that this concept also holds reasonably for parts of the surface which are not too small.


We have developed Si-based tandem solar cells with a certified 1-sun efficiency of 29.8% (AM1.5g). The four-terminal tandem devices consist of 1.8 eV rear-heterojunction GaInP top cells and silicon heterojunction bottom cells. The two subcells were fabricated independently in two different labs and merged using an optically transparent, electrically insulating epoxy. Work is ongoing to further improve the performance of each subcell and to push the tandem cell efficiency to > 30%.


Qualitative research with convergent approach kind with an objective to know the father's expectations regarding their participation women's and children's care for the health staff in the rooming-in. Nine fathers participate in the sample at the obstetric hospitalization unit of a university hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The study finding showed his expectations and father's desire to stay together with his family and participate on that which is also his. The data warning for the health staff include the father in the cares on the rooming-in.


Thirty-one consecutive patients who sustained acetabular fracture or posterior femoral head dislocations were examined by computed tomography (CT). By analysis of closely spaced, thin CT images, it was possible to characterize the three-dimensional nature of these injuries. Traditional classification into anterior column, posterior column, and complex two-column fractures was facilitated. CT was especially useful in evaluation of the two-column fractures in which unique information concerning the configuration of the fracture, integrity of the acetabular dome and quadrilateral surface, and identification of the stable fragment was obtained. Surprisingly constant fracture patterns were identified. CT was also useful in determination of presence or absence of loose bodies in the joint and in evaluation of the femoral head and sacroiliac joint in all types of fracture.


The most recent tectonic deformation of the Zagros, and in particular the late Quaternary right-lateral wrench movement along the Main Recent Fault, is summarized in the context of the general tectonic history of the range. The seismicity along the Main Recent Fault between latitudes 33 and 35° N is examined, and details are given for several destructive earthquakes, including the 1909 Selakhor earthquake which was associated with over 40 km of surface faulting along a segment of the Main Recent Fault and which is described here for the first time. The relation between the seismicity and the individual fault segments forming the Main Recent Fault is studied and interpreted in terms of a continuing right-lateral strike slip deformation. The implications of this contemporary deformation for the seismotectonics of the Zagros are considered, and in particular its bearing on the problem of the relative motion of the Arabian Plate with respect to Central Iran.


Previous English-language diachronic change models based on word embeddings have typically used single tokens to represent entities, including names of people. This leads to issues with both ambiguity (resulting in one embedding representing several distinct and unrelated people) and unlinked references (leading to several distinct embeddings which represent the same person). In this paper, we show that using named entity recognition and heuristic name linking steps before training a diachronic embedding model leads to more accurate representations of references to people, as compared to the token-only baseline. In large news corpus of articles from The Guardian, we provide examples of several types of analysis that can be performed using these new embeddings. Further, we show that real world events and context changes can be detected using our proposed model.


A consecutive series of 14 patients with anterior abdominal stab wounds and omental evisceration treated at the Kingston Public Hospital Jamaica over a 3-year period is presented. During this period 223 patients with abdominal stab wounds were seen of which 66 had omental evisceration. Conservative surgical management was the approach followed in 14 patients who presented without signs of peritonitis. There were no late complications or missed visceral injuries necessitating laparotomy. Serial physical examination was the method used to select patients for conservative surgical management with the exclusion of patients with deteriorating clinical signs or peritonitis. Omental evisceration through an abdominal stab wound in a patient with stable clinical signs and without evidence of peritonitis is not an absolute indication for exploratory laparotomy.


Understanding the human brain is one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st century. This project aims to contribute to a key aspect of this challenge: revealing the neural interconnection underlying decision making processes. In order to do so we will take advantage of the latest developments in econometric time series analysisNew studies have shown that, besides the formation of multiple networks, the human brain forms one integrated complex network, linking all brain regions and sub-networks together into one complex system. Exploiting new methods for examining the overall organization of this network can provide new valuable insights into how the human brain operates: How the functional connections between brain-regions are organized. What determines the brain's capability of integrating information between different sub-systems? And how does it affect human decision-making? Decoding this amazingly complex wiring diagram of neural network, referred to as the Connectome, has the potential to uncover more about what makes us uniquely human and what makes every person different from all others.In modern Neuroscience there is a major conceptual belief that the computational properties of the brain are a direct consequence of its circuitry (Freund 2002). This insight has received unparalleled attention in the past decades as technological advances transformed the acquisition of neural connectivity data from a slow paced, tentative groping, into a high throughput process of massive multimodal data acquisition including morphological, neurochemical and functional variables. There is no further advanced, nor better established method for the detection and delineation of regions of the brain that change their level of activation in response to experimental external incentives than functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI. Based on changes in the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal reflecting neuronal activation, although indirectly, fMRI produces activation maps which typically depict the average level of engagement during a specific task or in response to a specific stimulus, of different regions in the brain. Although fMRI has a temporal resolution less than the true speed of neural interactions, it provides whole-brain coverage at spatial resolutions of millimeters, and is an ideal tool for measuring intrinsic, steady-state hemodynamic fluctuations. Evidence continues to accumulate that connectivity measures by fMRI reflect meaningful aspects of cognitive processing in terms of task, load, behavior and decision making. As such, the aims within this proposal are focused on: (i) Designing innovative decision-making experiments able to capture how context- or condition-specific changes in connectivity modify underlying cognitive decision-making processes. (ii) Devising novel methodologies useful in identifying neural connectivity data elucidating decision making operations recorded in the fMRI scanner


Kernels shipped with general-purpose operating systems often contain extraneous code. The unnecessary kernel code is a security liability. The code may contain exploitable vulnerabilities or may be pieced together using return/jumporiented programming to attack the system. Run-time kernel minimization can be used to improve the security of an operating system kernel. Our hypothesis is the following: It is possible to strengthen the defenses of commodity, general-purpose computer operating systems by increasing the diversity of, validating the integrity of, and ensuring the minimality of the included kernel components without modifying the kernel source code. Such protections can therefore be added to existing, widely-used, unmodified operating systems to prevent malicious software from executing in supervisor mode. To test our hypothesis we design and implement six distinct kernel security mechanisms, protect many unmodified commodity operating systems kernels using the mechanisms, and assail the protected kernels using common attack techniques including return-oriented programming and kernel rootkits.


Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), which amplify and detect pathogen nucleic acids, are vital methods to diagnose diseases, particularly in cases where patients exhibit low levels of infection. For many blood-borne pathogens such as HIV or Plasmodium, it is necessary to first extract pathogen RNA or DNA from patient blood prior to analysis with NAATs. Traditional nucleic acid extraction methods are expensive, resource-intensive and are often difficult to deploy to resource-limited areas where many blood-borne infections are widespread. Here, we describe a portable, paper-and-plastic device for instrument-free nucleic acid extraction from whole blood, which we call SNAPflex, that builds upon our previous work extracting RNA in a 2D platform from nasopharyngeal swabs. We demonstrated improved extraction of HIV RNA from simulated patient samples compared to traditional extraction methods and long-term stability of extracted RNA without the need for cold storage. We further demonstrated successful extraction and recovery of Plasmodium falciparum DNA from simulated patient samples with superior recovery compared to existing extraction methods. The SNAPflex device extracts and purifies DNA and RNA from whole blood which can be amplified with traditional NAATs, and was designed to easily manufacture and integrate into existing health systems.


In intact red cells diamide had no strong influence on monoester phosphate group turnover of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and phosphatidic acid (PA) due to the potent GSH protection of these pathways in vivo. Following the complete GSH oxidation diamide impaired the turnover of PIP and PA dramatically. However that of PIP2 did not show any change. Indeed, a drastic irreversible decrease of PIP- and PA turnover was caused by a mild oxidative stress with diamide in G6PD deficient red cells.


Corporate performance can be demonstrated through overall effects of competitive capability and e-Business application according to the company size. The most of early research regarding those subject has limitations in their study areas and the extents to the relationship of capability with the performance or e-Business applications. This study considers three factors simultaneously under Korean situation, the effect on corporate performance is statistically investigated. Even from in that, the competitive capability impacts are partially supported, also e-Business application factor impacts are partially supported to prioritize. The measurement of the effect which three factors makes on corporate performance must be investigated not only in individual dimension but also in synthetic dimension, the interpretation of the result will be changed consequently depending on the industrial and environmental condition where the enterprise is placed. Specially, when considering e-Business package introductions to the enterprise, it is necessary to make a synthetic decision considering the mentioned factors.


Recently there has been a renewed activity in the physics of violations of Lorentz invariance in the neutrino sector. Flavor dependent Lorentz violation, which generically changes the pattern of neutrino oscillations, is extremely tightly constrained by oscillation experiments. Flavor independent Lorentz violation, which does not introduce new oscillation phenomena, is much more weakly constrained with constraints coming from time of flight and anomalous threshold analyses. We use a simplified rotationally invariant model to investigate the effects of finite baselines and energy dependent dispersion on anomalous reaction rates in long baseline experiments and show numerically that anomalous reactions do not necessarily cut off the spectrum quite as sharply as currently assumed. We also present a revised analysis of how anomalous reactions can be used to cast constraints from the observed atmospheric high energy neutrinos and the expected cosmogenic ones.


Shallow traps influence the radiation damage behaviour of lead tungstate scintillation crystals when exposed to continuous low dose rate radiation. Radiation initiates diffusion of Oxygen vacancies in the crystal giving rise to their aggregation if their density is high enough, which creates deeper traps than single vacancies. The situation may occur in high luminosity experiments where scintillation crystals are exposed for long periods of time to irradiation. The experimental results presented in this paper illustrate the importance of optimizing the crystals by reducing the concentration of the shallow traps and not only of the deep traps.


OBJECTIVE. To examine among adolescents (1) the prevalence of neck/shoulder, low back, and arm pain within different sociodemographic groups and (2) the association of neck/shoulder, low back, and arm pain with computer use, physical activity, depression, and stress. METHODS. A school-based questionnaire survey in 2002 and 2003 of neck/shoulder, low back, and arm pain, computer use, physical activity, depression, and stress. The survey was given to 3485 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years who attended secondary schools in Amsterdam, Netherlands. RESULTS. The overall prevalence of neck/shoulder, low back, and arm pain was 11.5%, 7.5%, and 3.9%, respectively. The prevalence of neck/shoulder pain was higher among girls and adolescents not living with both parents. The prevalence of low back pain also was higher among girls. Depressive symptoms were associated with neck/shoulder pain, low back pain, and arm pain. The stress experienced was associated with neck/shoulder pain and with low back pain. CONCLUSIONS. This study strengthens the findings that musculoskeletal pain is common among adolescents and is associated with depression and stress but not with computer use and physical activity.


Nonlinear dynamics of the sliding process of a chain driven with a constant velocity at one end in a periodic substrate potential is investigated. The driven chain exhibits distinctly different dynamical characteristics at different velocities. In the low velocity region, the chain moves in a stick–slip manner. When the driving velocity is increased, the stick–slip behaviour is replaced by complicated and regular oscillatory motions. The dependence of the dynamics on the coupling strength is studied and the step-like behaviour is found, where different steps correspond to different dynamical phases.


Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mycobacteria. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis usually develops more than two years after infection or many years later. Factors favoring onset of the disease are malnutrition, older age, renal failure, diabetes, cancer, immunosuppression and biological treatment, e.g. tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) inhibitors. The paper presents a case of a 56-year-old patient with ankylosing spondylitis treated with infliximab, diagnosed with tuberculosis of the spleen. The unusual location and uncharacteristic symptoms created a lot of diagnostic difficulties, particularly as during qualification for biological treatment tests are performed to exclude infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Pharmacological treatment of tuberculosis is typical, but in the case of tuberculosis of the spleen, splenectomy also is a method of treatment. The decision was made to implement pharmacological treatment, which proved to be effective, so the patient avoided surgery.


The retinofugal pathways of an "archaic" Anura Discogossus pictus were examinated with Fink-Heimer method following ablation of the retina and after survival times of 5--105 days at 14 degrees C. A description of the diencephalic and mensencephalic architectonics has been done in order to replace the visual system into the general pattern. The scheme of primary optic pathways and centers is similar in Discoglossus and Rana. However, some retinofugal fibers reach the posterolateral part of the ipsilateral tectum opticum. Beside this study, a Golgi study has shown the link which exists between the degeneration territories (neuropils) and the periventricular cell-masses by the way of the dendritic trees of multipolar, bipolar and pear-shaped neurons. An hypothesis about the notion of visual center is formulated. In the tectum, the distribution of degenerations allows to understand the existence of two visual behaviors: avoidance and prey-catching. The signification of the ipsilateral retinotectal pathway is discussed.


The aim of the present study was to improve solubility and dissolution of the poorly aqueous soluble drug, etoricoxib by solvent evaporation technique using various sugar carriers, such as lactose, sucrose, and mannitol. Etoricoxib solid dispersions and their respective physical mixtures using lactose, sucrose, and mannitol were prepared in different ratios by solvent evaporation technique. The percent yield, drug content, saturation solubility, and in vitro dissolution of etoricoxib solid dispersions and physical mixtures were analyzed. Etoricoxib solid dispersions were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, and DSC analysis. The FTIR spectroscopic analysis revealed the possibility of intermolecular hydrogen bonding in various solid dispersions. The XRD and DSC studies indicated the transformation of crystalline etoricoxib (in pure drug) to amorphous etoricoxib (in solid dispersions) by the solid dispersion technology. Both the aqueous solubility and dissolution of etoricoxib were observed in all etoricoxib solid dispersions as compared with pure etoricoxib and their physical mixtures. The in vitro dissolution studies exhibited improved dissolution in case of solid dispersion using lactose than the solid dispersions using both sucrose and mannitol. The in vitro dissolution of etoricoxib from these solid dispersions followed Hixson-Crowell model.


Impairments in memory and new learning secondary to neurological illness or injury pose significant problems for school age children. This paper describes the development and implementation of compensatory memory aids for an adolescent girl who demonstrated significant memory impairment following irradiation for an intracranial tumour. Strategies for integrating the system with the student's academic programme and school-related activities, and involvement of school personnel are emphasized, as is a theoretically and behaviourally based training programme.


In science news around the world, the U.S. federal government targets four national monuments for downsizing, Romania slashes its science budget, and a sexual harassment case roils the University of Rochester in New York. Also, the National Institute of Standards and Technology gets a new leader, and the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launches a new initiative to save 100 million lives through better health. In the physical sciences, the biggest U.S. radio astronomy observatory launches a 7-year sky survey, and cats are—according to one of this year9s Ig Nobel Prize winners—both a solid and a liquid. Plus, a sting on predatory journals willing to sell authorship and the long tale of the Christmas Island bat, now officially extinct.


Established scalar electrocardiographic criteria for left atrial enlargement are based on abnormalities of the P-terminal force, total P-wave duration, and the relationship of total P-wave duration to PR-interval duration. These electrocardiographic signs may also result from left atrial hypertension, left atrial hypertrophy, and interatrial conduction defects. This article describes the scalar electrocardiographic criteria for left atrial enlargement in current use, and provides a critical appraisal of their efficacy in diagnosis.


SIMCA pattern recognition is used with amino acid chromatographic profiles in a large homemade collection of natural protein binders obtained following old recipes traditionally used by painters and considered here as the standard of classification. An initial cluster analysis of the full dataset made it possible to distinguish three main classes of protein binders: albumin, casein and collagen-like substances. An additional iterative study of each class revealed a new subclass, i.e., glair, yolk and whole egg for the albumin class; goat, sheep and cow for the casein class; and mammals and fish for the collagen class. Optimized SIMCA models for each class and subclass were obtained with good results in terms of sensitivity (90–100%), specificity (73–100%) and interclass distance (>1.4), providing identification of the protein binder present in a set of samples of different origins such as natural products, commercial binders and works of art considered cultural heritage.


The incorporation of environmental issues to the public health field resulted, more recently, in the flourishing of the term environmental health, which is related to environmental degradation on a global scale, as a result of human activity whose consequences affect population's health. Food production for human consumption affects the environment and can also affect human health through the production and marketing processes. Cattle slaughter, a major source of animal protein used in Brazil, in spite of regulatory legislation, is often an activity that degrades the environment and jeopardizes the health of workers employed in the production chain and consumers. This study aimed to identify and evaluate risks to the environment and to human health due to the implantation and operation of public slaughterhouses in all the 75 municipalities of the state of Sergipe. To achieve this goal, a census was made of the municipal slaughterhouses operating in the state, their physical, sanitary and technological conditions were examined, as well as livestock slaughtering and meat storage conditions and, the existence of environmental licensing and veterinary supervision. Data were gathered by direct observation in the field and through the existing registers at Sergipe's Environment Administration offices (Administracao Estadual do Meio Ambiente de Sergipe). The study concluded that there is significant damage to natural environment, particularly water resources and very high risk to the health of slaughterhouse workers and of consumers who receive a product without quality control and without any sanitary inspection.


Conventional dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) usually involves extensive removal of bone at the lacrimal fossa and hence risks disruption of the lacrimal pump mechanism. A physiological operation for nasal lacrimal blockage is described whereby only the inferior portion of the lacrimal sac and the adjacent duct are marsupialized into the nose. The operation is safe, quick and does not involve sophisticated instruments. Result of 81 consecutive endoscopic inferior DCRs reveals a success rate of over 90% which is maintained with time. Most patients had a wide lacrimal window with preserved lacrimal pump movement at the superior sac remnant.


Celiac disease (CD) affects around 1-2% of the world population. Many current CD patients live with their symptoms for years before diagnosis, and are therefore exposed to the consequences of the disease, including an impaired bone mineralization. In this chapter we provide an updated discussion on the relationship between low bone mineral density (BMD), osteopenia and osteoporosis, and celiac disease. Review of the literature shows, low BMD affects up to 75% of patients with celiac disease and 40% of those diagnosed during adulthood. It can be found at any age, independently of positive serological markers and presence of digestive symptoms, contributing to deterioration in the quality of life. The prevalence of CD among osteoporotic patients is also significantly increased. Two theories try to explain the origin of low BMD: Micronutrients malabsorption (including calcium and vitamin D) determined by villous atrophy has been related to secondary hyperparathyroidism and incapacity to achieve the potential bone mass peak; chronic inflammation was also related with RANKL secretion, osteoclasts activation and increased bone reabsorption. As a consequence, CD patients have a risk for bone fractures that exceeds 40% that of matched non-affected population. Treatment of low BMD in CD comprises gluten-free diet, calcium and vitamin D supplementation, and biphosphonates, although its effects on CD have not been specifically assessed. It can be concluded that a relevant proportion of CD patients present a low BMD and a variable increase in the risk of bone fractures. Epidemiological changes in CD make bone density scans more relevant for adult celiacs.


Pediatric endoscopy has evolved into an indispensable tool in the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal diseases in children. However, there is limited literature focusing on quality improvement initiatives in pediatric endoscopy. The primary goal of this project was to reduce the no-show rate in the pediatric endoscopy unit. Also, we aimed to improve patient and family satisfaction with the procedure by identifying opportunities for improvement. A checklist was designed based on the potential causes of no-show. The endoscopy nurse coordinator reviewed the checklist when scheduling the procedure to identify patients at high risk for non-compliance. Once a risk factor was identified, appropriate actions were taken. She also made a pre-procedure phone call as a reminder and to address any of these risks for non-compliance if present. A patient satisfaction survey was used to identify potential areas for improvement. The no-show rate decreased from an average of 7% in the pre-intervention phase to 2% in the post-intervention phase (p = 0.009). 91% of the patients/family recorded an overall satisfaction of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1–5 (5 being best). Quality improvement strategies decreased the no-show rate in the pediatric endoscopy unit. A patient satisfaction survey helped in identifying areas for improvement.


Reporting crimes to the police is a two-stage process. Victims and families first recognize whether a crime has occurred and, if so, are influenced by a variety of considerations in deciding whether to report it. In a national sample of physical and sexual assaults against juveniles, recognition of the assault as a crime was more likely for episodes involving adolescent (vs. preadolescent) victims, adult and multiple offenders, physical injuries, female victims, and when families had prior experiences with police. Among families who recognized the episode as a crime, actual reporting to police was more likely when the perpetrator was an adult, the family had been advised to report, the family had prior experience with the police, the family believed the police would take the episode seriously, and when the child was believed still to be in danger from the perpetrator. Reporting was less likely for assaults that occurred at school.


We identify necessary and sufficient conditions under which a coarse data set can be coarsely rationalized by a linear order (or weak order). The conditions are easy to check, and efficient algorithms are provided. We apply our theory to investigate the observable restrictions of several economic models including (1) rational choice with imperfect observation; (2) multiple preferences; (3) monotone multiple preferences; and (4) minimax regret.


The resistive switching characteristics of SrTiO3 metal-insulator-metal capacitors are investigated. The current-density versus voltage (J-V) characteristics show asymmetry at all temperatures examined, with resistive switching behavior observed at elevated temperatures. The asymmetry is explained by the relative lack of electron traps at one electrode, which is determined from the symmetric J-V curve obtained at room temperature due to the redistribution of the dominant electrical defects in the film. We present evidence for the model of resistive switching originating from defect diffusion (possibly oxygen vacancies) at high temperatures.


Abstract Liquor is the drink that contains alcohol when consumed excessively and constantly can harm and harm both physically and mentally that will affect the behavior and way of thinking. As a result it will further affect their social life with family maupun hubungan well with the surrounding community. Subjects were adolescent users liquor in the village district Jatigono Kunir Lumajang district. This research method is quantitative cross-sectional approach, primary data was collected through questionnaires, sample of 43 respondents was chosen by quota sampling method, where researchers will contact the subjects that meet the characteristics of the population are easily found to amount / quota set are met. The results of the study in mind that teenagers who get good knowledgeable as many as 20 (46.5%), teenagers who are less knowledgeable either no 7 (16.3%). Meanwhile, teens who behave as many as 24 (55.8%), teenagers who behave poorly there were 4 (9.3%). While teens are having good action by 25 (58.1%), adolescents who have poor measures a total of 18 (41.9%). For research on adolescent behavior change is known that the majority of respondents did not want to change as much as
48.8%, and do not know want to change or do not want to change as much as 16.3%. While the number of respondents who want change as much as 34.9%. Conclusions taken from this study is the average respondent behaved but the views from The studies coheren sense of the majority of respondents did not want to turn in because of experiencing stress and depression.

Keywords Behavior, Teens, Liquor


The purpose of this research is to examine the factor which is influence the stock return of sector in restaurant, hotels and tourism. The research used independent variables are inflation rate, interest rate and exchange rate. The population is firms in subsector of restaurants, hotels and tourism. Purposive sampling technique is used to taking sampel which only 8 firm's as sampels. Time series data from stocks return in year 2005 – 2010. Multiple regresion for  data analysis. Results shows that : 1). Inflation rate has significant negative influence on stock return ; 2) interest rate has unsignificant positively influence on stock return and 3) exchange rate has unsignificant positively infleunce on stock return .


The Zingiberaceae, the largest family in Zingeberales, comprises generally 300 genera and 1000 species,and in pantropical, concentrated mainly in the old world, chiefly in Indonasia. Members of the family yield spices,dyes, perfumes, medicines, and number of ornamental species are cultivated for their showy flowers.Recently this plant has acquired great importance in the present day world with its antiaging, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-alzheimer's diseases, and varity of other medicinal properties due to its significant potential. The present study aims at comparing the Phenolics content, Flavonoids and Antioxidant activity of Curcuma amada and Zingiber officinale. The antioxidant activity and phenolic contents of the leaves as determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the total amounts of phenolics and flavonoids were higher than those of the rhizomes. Zingiber officinale had higher antioxidant activities as well as total contents of phenolic and flavonoid in comparison with Curcuma amada. This study validated the medicinal potential of the leaves and rhizome of Zingiber officinale and the positive relationship between total phenolics content and antioxidant activities in Zingiber officinale.