We have investigated the changes in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) from the tibial nerve during brief periods of microgravity (microG) for approximately 20 s produced by parabolic flight. MSNA was recorded microneurographically from 13 quietly seated human subjects with their knee joints extended in a jet aircraft simultaneously with the electrocardiogram, the blood pressure wave (measured with a Finapres), the respiration curve, and the thoracic fluid volume (measured by impedance plethysmography). During quiet and seated parabolic flight, MSNA was activated in hypergravity and was suppressed in microG phasically. At the entry to hypergravity at 2 G just before microG, the thoracic fluid volume was reduced by 3.2 +/- 3%, and the arterial blood pressure was lowered transiently and then gradually elevated from 89.5 +/- 1.7 to 100.2 +/- 1.7 mmHg, which caused the enhancement of MSNA by 91.4 +/- 14.2%. At the entry to microG, the thoracic fluid volume was increased by 3.4%, which lowered the mean blood pressure to 77.9 +/- 2.3 mmHg and suppressed the MSNA by 17.2%. However, this suppression lasted only approximately 10 s, followed by an enhancement of MSNA that continued for several seconds. We conclude that MSNA is suppressed and then enhanced during microG produced by parabolic flight. These changes in MSNA are in response not only to intrathoracic fluid volume changes but also to arterial blood pressure changes, both of which are caused by body fluid shifts induced by parabolic flight, and these changes are quite phasic and transient.


Perchloric-acid extracts of axenic Entamoeba histolytica were investigated by 31P-NMR spectroscopy. All major 31P resonances observed were assigned to specific compounds. The cells contained inorganic phosphate (1039 nmol/g wet cells), pyrophosphate (16 nmol/g wet cells), nucleoside diphosphates (91 nmol/g wet cells), nucleoside triphosphates (275 nmol/g wet cells), NAD(P) (60 nmol/g wet cells), phosphocholine (184 nmol/g wet cells), phosphoethanolamine (214 nmol/g wet cells), cytidine 5'-diphosphocholine (41 nmol/g wet cells) and cytidine 5'-diphosphoethanolamine (55 nmol/g wet cells). The latter four compounds may act as intermediates in the salvage pathway for the synthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. E. histolytica trophozoites also contained two inositol phosphates in large quantities, InsP3 (0.26 mumol/g wet cells) and InsP7 (0.11 mumol/g wet cells). These components were identified by 31P-NMR, using homonuclear J-resolved and two-dimensional 1H-31P correlative, analyses as myo-inositol trisphosphate, Ins(2,4,6)P3, and pentakisphospho-myo-inositol diphosphate, Ins(1,2,3,4,6)P5(5)P2.


Under some simplifying assumptions, the transient electromagnetic response of a homogeneous conducting infinite cylinder is derived. Two types of primary disturbances, represented by step‐function and ramp‐function pulses, are considered. Based on the theoretical results, response and decay constant curves are plotted and their utility in time‐domain electromagnetic surveys for conductive elongated ore deposits is described.


—The aquatic Andean frogs of the genus Telmatobius have evolved closely with the aquatic ecosystems of the Andes of South America. The Laguna de Los Pozuelos' Rusted Frog (Telmatobius rubigo) is a Threatened and endemic species of the Central Andean Puna ecoregion in Argentina. This species has a specialized feeding mechanism which relies on the inertial suction of prey, but our knowledge about its natural history is still incomplete. This study examined the feeding habits of T. rubigo by the stomach flushing technique. The relevance of the registered prey items was assessed using the dietary importance value index, and the relationship between frog body size and prey volume was determined. In total, 189 prey items were identified in 29 stomach content samples, reaching a representative number of diet samples for this species. Telmatobius rubigo had a fully aquatic diet, with a clear predominance of adult aquatic coleopterans, immature stages of benthic insects, and crustaceans; and a high incidence of non-nutritive elements (sand and vegetation debris) was also found in the stomach contents. The results indicate that the species exhibits generalist feeding habits, and the volume of consumed prey items is positively related to the body size of the frogs. We suggest that the species develops mainly an active search mode of their benthic prey. This study represents one of the most complete dietary records for a Telmatobius species, and helps us to understand the ecology of this species in the extreme desert environment of the high Andes Puna. These results can contribute to the conservation efforts being made for Telmatobius species.


Summary Beetroot was stored in four different clamps until mid-May in two seasons and the quality of pickled sliced roots from the clamps was satisfactory, provided pickling was done by mid-April. The results indicated that the length of the storage period influenced quality to a greater extent than the type of clamp in which the roots were stored. Clamps with the roots covered with polythene were warmer than those with no polythene and in Season 2 this resulted in a loss of dry matter in roots in the former. Forced ventilation had little effect on the quality of the stored roots. Skin and flesh texture became tougher during the period of storage, but was not correlated with the texture after processing. Stored roots lost more pigment in Season 2 than in Season 1 and the colour of roots processed from - storage on 26- May was still acceptable in Season 1 while in Season 2 the colour was not acceptable by the end of April; Flavour of roots processed from storage at any stage in Season 1 was acceptable, but those p!ckled after 29 April in Season 2 had an inferior flavour to those processed earlier. In both storage diseases did to any until April; they were more prevalent where clamps were fan-ventilated.


A family of orthonormal bases of ultrametric wavelets in the space of quadratically integrable with respect to arbitrary measure functions on general (up to some topological restrictions) ultrametric space is introduced. Pseudodifferential operators (PDO) on the ultrametric space are investigated. We prove that these operators are diagonal in the introduced bases of ultrametric wavelets and compute the corresponding eigenvalues. Duality between ultrametric spaces and directed trees is discussed. In particular, a new way of construction of ultrametric spaces by completion of directed trees is proposed.


Objective: Mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) rises sharply in winter, a phenomenon known as excess winter mortality. It is partially explained by cold exposure induced hypertension. Nevertheless, existing countermeasures for the prevention of hypertension and CVDs place emphasis only on improving lifestyle habits. Improving life environment has attracted attention recently because people spend 60–70% of their time at home. Therefore, we aimed to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between housing thermal environment and blood pressure (BP) in a real-world setting. Design and method: We conducted a nationwide prospective intervention study named the Smart Wellness Housing survey in Japan, as a nonrandomized controlled trial. The intervention was the thermal insulation retrofitting of homes. Participants were recruited by construction companies throughout all 47 prefectures of Japan. Home BP and indoor temperature were measured for 2 weeks before and after the intervention in winter (November-March) of FY 2014 to 2019. Results: Cross-sectional analyses before intervention involving about 2900 participants (1840 households) showed that systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the morning had significantly higher sensitivity to changes in indoor temperature (8.2 mmHg increase/10°C decrease) than that in the evening (6.5 mmHg increase/10°C decrease) in participants aged 57 years (mean age in this survey). Interaction terms between age/women and indoor temperature were significant, indicating that SBP in older residents and women was vulnerable to indoor temperature change. The association between BP variability and indoor temperature instability was also analyzed using the morning-evening (ME) difference as an index of diurnal variability and the standard deviation (SD) of 2-week data as an index of day-by-day variability. The analyses showed that the ME difference in indoor temperature was closely correlated with the ME difference in SBP (0.85 mmHg/°C). The SD of indoor temperature was also associated with the SD of SBP (0.61 mmHg/°C). In the comparison of before and after intervention, insulation retrofitting significantly reduced morning SBP by 3.1 mmHg. In addition, there was heterogeneity in the effect of insulation retrofitting on morning SBP in hypertensive patients compared with normotensive occupants (-7.7 versus -2.2 mmHg). Conclusions: Hypertension might be not only lifestyle diseases but also life-environment diseases. Residents should keep the indoor temperature high to reduce BP level and keep it stable to reduce BP variability through strategies such as installing high thermal insulation. We expect that these results will be useful to prevent excess winter mortality due to CVDs.


A new factor that not only inhibits brain microtubule assembly but also causes depolymerization of pre-assembled microtubules was purified from unfertilized sea urchin egg cortices. The purified fraction contained neither proteins nor nucleic acids. The inhibitory activity of the fraction was heat-stable and insensitive to various proteases, but decrease on treatment with glycosidases or with periodic acid. The purified factor was identified as a polysaccharide by analysis of the sugar composition. The sedimentation constant of the factor was estimated to be 9S by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the factor revealed a single broad band stained with periodic acid-Schiff reagent. The factor completely inhibited microtubule assembly at a factor: microtubule protein ratio of 0.03 (w/w). The polysaccharide was found to bind to microtubule-associated proteins, thereby inhibiting microtubule assembly.


One reason people falsely confess is to protect the true perpetrator. The current study examined whether relationship closeness influences people's self-reported willingness to falsely take the blame. Utilizing theoretical work from the prosocial area, three potential mediators were investigated. Participants (N = 131) were randomly assigned to think of either a close or a casual friend and then read one of two scenarios that described a minor offense committed by the friend. Participants' willingness to take the blame was assessed, as well as their perceptions of reciprocity, feelings of empathy, and distress concerns related to their relationship with the offending friend. Results showed that, in both scenarios, participants more often took the blame in the close friend condition than in the casual friend condition. Reciprocity and empathy each uniquely and independently mediated relationship closeness, whereas distress concerns did not. Differences in the two scenarios, which describe different offenses, are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The author attempted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of local application of Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and normal saline for aphthous ulcers minor (AUM). Fifty four patients with AUM were enrolled in this study between January, 2002 and December, 2004. They were divided blindly into 3 equal groups , 18 patients managed with local application of 30% TCA ,18 treated by local 6% H2O2 and the last group by 0.9% normal saline locally also (control group), all patients were followed up after 3 7 days. Assessments by clinical examination were performed, depending on 3 criteria, tingling and pain, tenderness and surrounding erythema. Thirty two patients = 42.5% belong to (20 29) years age group, the male to female ratio was 0.6:1. Commonest site of AUM was labial and buccal mucosa (14 patients = 25.9%), 38 patients =70% were non smoker, there were 3 male patients and one female affected when they give up cigarette smoking, 19 out of 54 patients (35%) treated with the three agents went into remission. Treatment success was observed in 13 out of 18 (72.2%) patients with 30% TCA, whereas only 5 out of 18 (28%) patients treated by local application of 6% hydrogen H2O2 went into remission and only one patient improved in control group (5.5%). Based on our findings, 30% TCA was a potential agent with minimal side effects for treatment of AUM. Further extensive prospective controlled study is warranted to verify our statements. However, as for local application of (H2O2), further investigation with different concentration is compelling.


A patient arriving for their first Radiotherapy appointment can exhibit an array of behaviours, such as anxiety or aggression, which are generated by intense emotions. Each patient will have their own individual concerns and their needs should be addressed, to make their first experience in the Radiotherapy Department as smooth and stress free as possible. The radiographer's role at this point is undoubtedly to provide patients with information, whilst demonstrating a compassionate and genuine nature. This can make all the difference to the way a patient reacts and copes with the entire course of radiotherapy. The skills that will allow a radiographer to handle these situations are, in the first instance; good communication skills, but in addition to this the development of some basic counselling skills could further enhance patient care. The aim of this article is to discuss the benefits of utilising basic counselling skills to create the best environment possible for the patient, and possibly answer some questions about their legitimate nature.


This research was conducted to 1) Analyze the perception of consumers on the attributes of chili, and 2) Know which chili products are selected by consumers based on shape,  size and which are most wanted to buy. Forty consumer respondents were taken by accidental sampling technique.  Consumers are asked to assess 10 types of the UNIB chili varieties, both monoculture and combination polyculture between varieties. The results showed that the majority of respondents stated that the size and shape attributes were important as the basis for the decision to buy chili, while the attributes of uniform size and shape are considered normal.  The variety of chili which consumers like because of their size, shape and desire to be purchased were UNIB C H13. While for this type of combination, the combination of UNIB C H13 and UNIB C H53 is desired to be purchased by consumers. This type of combination should be cultivated by farmers because it is resistant to pests, high productivity and preferred by consumers.


Phase development during the first few minutes of heat treatment of first generation (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub y/ (Bi-2223) multifilamentary wires determines to a large extent the overall microstructure, the efficiency of primary phase development, competing secondary phase development, texture evolution, and grain-to-grain connectivity. It is shown that the filament structure of these wires can be described in terms of a shell model. The shell next to the silver sheath is comprised of well-formed Bi-2223 colonies grapho-epitaxially aligned to the silver sheath and only a few grains (average one colony) thick. Inside this shell is a less well-aligned, less phase pure, more porous Bi-2223 structure through which current is carried in a nonuniform manner as shown by MOI.


The paper presents the Orator computer system – it is a system for detection and therapy of stuttering. The system comes out to the need of stuttering people. It consists of three modules: stuttering detection, stuttering therapy and automatic control of therapy process. The main idea of the system is based on the useful device – DAF (Delayed Auditory Feedback). The method drawn from DAF is implemented and the computer program can be used in manual mode as a DAF device. The main advantage of the Orator system is the automatic mode of therapy, and it is free. The paper gives introduction to the stuttering problem, presents the developed modules and used methods. The two techniques have been used for stuttering detection: SOM network and simple fuzzy rules. The latest proves to be considerably better. The paper ends with some remarks about the system.


We investigate whether analysts have an incremental contribution, beyond financial statement information, to investors' ability to detect and react to earnings management. Using both return and price analyses in a short-window design, we show that investors"fixate"on reported earnings and seem unable to disentangle earnings management information, at least during the ten days following the publication of financial statements. Markedly, thirty days after the date of disclosure, with additional timely information released by analysts (as captured by analyst recommendations and target prices), investors appear to reassess the quality of managed earnings. We show that analysts react negatively to firms that artificially inflate earnings and that this negative reaction is followed by an even stronger negative reaction by the market. The results are supported by a set of sensitivity tests that consider the robustness of our findings to the measure and extent of earnings management.


Martin Heidegger has retrospectively characterized his philosophy as "phenomenology of the invisible". This paradoxical formula suggests that the aim of his thinking was to examine the origin of the phenomena. Furthermore, Heidegger has also stated that his philosophy is ultimately motivated by a theological interest, namely the question of God's absence. Following the guiding thread of those remarks, this essay analyzes the essential traits of Heidegger's thought by interpreting them as an attempt to develop a phenomenology of the invisible. Heidegger's attitude towards physics and metaphysics, his theory of truth, his reading of Aristotle, his concept of Dasein, his understanding of nothingness are all situated within the problematic context of the relation between the invisible and the revealed. Heidegger's thought is thereby posited at the point of intersection of phenomenology, ontology, and theology.


The transport of particles through a pipe by fluid flow is controlled by three basic processes: their arrival to a surface; whether the particles stick or bounce upon impact; and when (if ever) they resuspend. In this paper an equation is developed for both the temporal and spatial variation of particles along a pipe. The authors show that the variation of particulate concentration with time at the outlet of the pipe (following the injection of a pulse of particles at the inlet) varies at a rate almost inversely proportional to the time since injection (after the passage of the initial pulse). This variation is due to the longer term resuspension of particles. A series of experiments is described which confirms this prediction.


Experiments have been devised to study the rate of ingrowth of bone into porous metal with pore sizes up to 100 mu and to study the significance of a gap between the porous metal surface and bone. When the porous coat was in direct apposition with bone, the implant was firmly locked in place after a three week period and the plateau value of implant-tissue shear strength was reached at four weeks. A gap of 1.5 mm between the bone and the implant was bridged by new bone within four weeks.


Research has shown that two-way bilingual immersion (TWBI) programs provide positive outcomes for all students to become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural. Yet, studies have shown that there can be challenges in student-to-student interaction in TWBI programs. This study reports on peer interaction dynamics during content instruction in two 90/10 programs through lesson observations, teacher interviews, and reflections. Teachers in Grades 4-6 provided their perspectives concerning the status of English and Spanish in their classrooms. Teachers also shared instructional strategies to support students' progress in Spanish. This study presents important instructional implications for sociocultural and sociolinguistic goals pertaining to English and Spanish speakers in TWBI programs.


Due to the aging population and the growing need for hospitals and care for the elderly and limited hospital resources, the need for a mechanism that can handle the limited hospital resources is felt more than ever. Wireless Body Area networks are one of the technologies that monitor people's health remotely, thus avoiding unnecessary hospitalization and thus managing resource constraints. Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) face with energy limitations. The battery in WBANs has limited energy. However, it is not possible to replace or charge batteries in many of these networks. Therefore, it is needed to save energy and extend network life. One of the important methods that have been proposed for this purpose is sampling rate management-based methods. In this paper due to the efficiency of the sampling rate management, an efficient sampling rate method has been proposed. For this purpose to minimize unnecessary data transmission, Flat- Top Pulse Amplitude Modulated (PAM) method has been used. Then in order to make the signal from PAM suitable for data transmission, Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) method to digitize the pulses has been used. Finally, the results and outputs show that significant energy savings have been achieved. The results showed that data transmission is reduced by up to 92.7% and energy saving is achieved significantly


Abstract. To ensure the reliability of existing buildings, facilities and building structures, objective information is required, the receipt of which is mainly associated with the use of non-destructive methods of control. Current normative documents regulate the strength and deformability characteristics of the material, which are used mainly in the design of structures. The normalized value is obtained on the basis of probabilistic and statistical processing and is characterized by some conditional value. Improvement of methods of calculation of constructions connected with the account of elastic-plastic properties of concrete is based on application of the standardized diagrams of work of concrete received on the basis of laboratory experiments. In the real structure due to differences in the composition of laboratory and real concrete, technologies of its manufacture and laying, there may be significant differences from the acquired value "Concrete strength" and "Modulus of elasticity", which was taken to calculate the structure. The above-mentioned influence of the stress level on the readings of the device in determining the strength of concrete by non-destructive testing methods was investigated on concrete samples of six different compositions. Concrete cubes measuring 150×150×150 mm were used to study the stated assumptions. The determination of the strength of concrete samples by the non-destructive method was performed. A sclerometer (Schmidt's Hammer MSH-225) was used to determine, which implements the method of elastic rebound. The determination was performed at different load levels, which was added to the test sample, followed by determination of the strength of concrete on a hydraulic press with a load up to 1250 kN. The analysis of the obtained results shows that the attempt to obtain a generalized calibration curve, which would take into account the change in the stress level in the structure, leads to a decrease in the accuracy of determining the physical and mechanical characteristics of concrete. The presented dependences demonstrate the significance of the influence of the stress level in the structural element on the results of determining the physical and mechanical characteristics of concrete by non-destructive methods. The analysis of these dependences shows the need to modernize non-destructive methods for determining the physical and mechanical characteristics of concrete.


In order to improve the error resilient ability and transmission efficiency for image transmission over wireless frequency selective fading channels, a joint source-channel coding ( JSCC) scheme was proposed. In which, MlMO-OFDM and adaptive wavelet pretreatment were combined together. MlMO-OFDM was used to deal with frequency-selective, time dispersive characterize of wireless fading channels; adaptive wavelet pretreatment was adopted to decrease the encoder complexity whilst maintaining the transmission quality to acceptable level. To guarantee the quality of reconstructed image, the wavelet pretreatment block was adopted or removed adaptively according to the variety of channel condition. Here, the channel condition was indicated by the variety of the source packet size allocated to OFDM sub-channels, rather than the feedback information from the receiver as usual. Simulation results show that: the proposed scheme can support robust image transmission with high quality and low complexity in various channel conditions; When the channel condition is good (SNR = 9 dB) the complexity of the encoder decrease to 1/3, but the PSNR of the received image lose less than 3 unit. When channel is worse (SNR<4 dB) the pretreatment block is removed adaptively


Objective: Sedentary behavior (SB) has been shown to have an acute negative effect on glucose and insulin metabolism in people who are healthy and those with diabetes. It is unknown whether habitual SB will negatively affect long-term glycemic control as measured by HbA1c. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between habitual SB and HbA1c in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Objective assessment of SB and overall daily physical activity was collected in people with T2D in this cross-sectional analysis by asking the participants to wear an activity monitor with accelerometer and inclinometer measures (ActivPAL) for 7 days. The following variables average were included to examine the relationship with HbA1c (measured via disposable blood finger stick test using (A1cNow+) kit): total sitting time (TST), standing time (ST), walking time (WT). Results: Total of 31 participants (65 ± 7.64 years, 10 males) were included in the analysis. The main outcomes averages were as follow: HbA1c 7.33 ± 1.41, TST 11.43 hr. ± 2.21, ST 3.86 hr. ± 1.65, WT 1.49 hr. ± 0.7. Person correlation coefficients test showed that HbA1c was positively correlated with TST (r= 0.365, p Conclusion: The results of this study indicates that SB level is an important modifiable factor in glycemic control in people with T2D. This effect appears to be independent of daily physical activity level. Future studies should focus on establishing causality between SB and long-term glycemic control. As many people with T2D struggle to meet recommended physical activity levels, targeting SB may be an important step in the process of reaching a healthy lifestyle. Disclosure S. Alothman: None. M. Alshehri: None. A.M. Alenazi: None. P. Kluding: None.


Prior studies hypothesize that older people are motivated to regulate their emotions, which, consequently, improves their emotional well-being. The present study aims to examine age differences in emotion regulation among adults by using the revised emotion regulation scale. Studies 1 ( N = 153) and 2 ( N = 518) examined adolescence and early to late adulthood and confirmed one factor structure of the revised scale for the total sample and for each age group except for adolescence. The model fit and internal consistency were lower in adolescence. Although the revised scale was positively associated with optimism, extraversion, adaptive coping, positive affect, and cognitive appraisal, it was not related to neuroticism, maladaptive coping, negative affect, and expressive suppression, which proved construct validity. As predicted, older participants exhibited better emotion regulation than younger participants. Longitudinal evidence needs to be obtained to investigate whether the development of emotion regulation could improve people's emotional well-being.


Background: Coccidiosis is a serious protozoal disease of poultry. The identification of Eimeria species has important implications for diagnosis and control as well as for epidemiology. The molecular characterization of Eimeria species infecting Egyptian baladi chickens was investigated. Methods: Eimeria species oocysts were harvested from intestines of naturally infected Egyptian baldi chickens. The morphometry characterization of oocysts along with COCCIMORPH software was done. The DNA was extracted initially by freezing and thawing then the prepared samples was subjected to commercial DNA kits. The DNA products were analyzed through conventional polymerase chain reaction by using amplified region (SCAR) marker. Results: The PCR results confirmed the presence of 7 Eimeria species in the examined fecal samples of Egyptian baldi breed with their specific ampilicon sizes being E. acervulina (811bp), E. brunette (626bp), E. tenella (539bp), E. maxima (272bp), E. necatrix (200bp), E. mitis (327bp) and E. praecopx (354bp). A sequencing of the two most predominant species of Eimeria was done, on E. tenella and E. máxima. Analysis of the obtained sequences revealed high identities 99% between Egyptian isolates and the reference one. Similarly, E. maxima isolated from Egyptian baldi chickens showed 98% nucleotide identities with the reference strain. Only single nucleotide substitution was observed among the Egyptian E. tenella isolates (A181G) when compared to the reference one. The Egyptian isolates acquired 4 unique mutations (A68T, C164T, G190A and C227G) in compared with the reference sequence. Conclusion: This is the first time to identify the 7 species of Eimeria from Egyptian baladi chickens.


Cellular and humoral immunoreactivity to neuronal antigens was investigated in patients with motor neurone disease (MND). Lymphocytes from patients with MND and normal healthy controls were cultured with a membrane fraction prepared from cultured spinal cord neurones. 4 out of 14 patients with MND and 0 out of 9 normal controls showed a significantly increased stimulation index. An enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) was established to detect antibodies to synaptic membrane fraction prepared from human motor cortex. Sera from MND patients showed a significantly increased immunoglobulin binding with respect to normal control sera. Antineuronal antibody production by MND lymphocytes was studied by using Epstein-Barr virus transformation followed by fusion with a mouse myeloma cell line. Antibody-producing clones were isolated. This procedure would allow a more detailed analysis of the antineuronal antibody production in MND.


Prologue: 30-60-90: A Short Meditation on Age and Perspective Introduction: Living at Home and Making it Work Lesson 1: Continue to Do What You Did Lesson 2: (Re) Design Your Living Space Lesson 3: Live in Moderation Lesson 4: Take Time for Self Lesson 5: Ask for Help Mobilize Resources Lesson 6: Connect with Peers Lesson 7: Resort to Tomfoolery Lesson 8: Care for Others Lesson 9: Reach out to Family Lesson 10: Get Intergenerational Redefine Family Lesson 11: Insist on Hugs Lesson 12: Be Adaptable Lesson 13: Accept and Prepare for Death Conclusion: New Perspectives on the Oldest Old Postscript: On Doing Ninety (by Ann, research participant) Epilogue: Updates on Study Participants Appendix: Best Practices in Supporting Aging in Place References Index


Background Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) can cause sudden cardiac death. Previous studies have reported that J waves and fragmented QRS complexes (f-QRS) are arrhythmogenic markers and predictors of cardiac events. We evaluated the prevalence and clinical significance of J waves and f-QRS in patients with IVF. Methods We studied 81 patients who received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) due to IVF between October 1999 and June 2015. We assessed the prevalence of J waves and f-QRS using electrocardiograms (ECGs). Patients were classified into three groups: J wave group (n = 35), f-QRS group (n = 20), or normal ECG group (n = 26). The control group included 81 subjects without heart disease who were matched for age, sex, and race. We compared syncope, sudden cardiac arrest, and appropriate ICD shock between the three groups. Results The follow-up duration was 4.1 years. J waves and f-QRS were more frequent in patients with IVF than in control subjects (43.2%, 21% vs. 24.7%, 19.7%, P < 0.001). Out of the three groups, clinical cardiac events were most frequent in the f-QRS group (50% vs. 45.7% vs. 11.5%, P = 0.028). A comparison of the combined group of J wave and f-QRS versus the normal ECG group revealed that the combined group had a higher frequency of clinical cardiac events than the normal ECG group (47.3% vs. 11.5%, respectively, P = 0.009). Conclusions Patients with IVF had higher prevalence of f-QRS or J waves. And patients with f-QRS or J waves were at higher risk of recurrent ventricular fibrillation.


Epidermal enzymes play an important role in the process of differentiation of keratinocytes. The present preliminary in vitro study was undertaken to observe if topical enzyme treatment influenced permeation of compounds across the skin. Due to the noted function and importance of phosphatidylcholine metabolism during maturation of the barrier lipids, the effects of topical application of the phosphatidylcholine dependent phospholipase C enzyme (not present in epidermis) on skin penetration of three model drugs, viz. benzoic acid, mannitol and testosterone, were studied. Similar studies were also carried out using epidermal enzymes like triacylglycerol hydrolase, acid phosphatase, and phospholipase A2 (present in epidermis). Pretreatment of skin with phospholipase C significantly enhanced permeation of benzoic acid, mannitol, and testosterone relative to untreated skin. Triacylglycerol hydrolase (neutral) increased the penetration of mannitol 3-fold and had no effect on benzoic acid penetration. Topical application of acid phosphatase did not alter the permeation of any of these compounds. Phospholipase A2 significantly enhanced permeation of benzoic acid and mannitol while it did not have any effect on the penetration of testosterone. These results for the first time demonstrate that enzymes may remarkably affect and/or regulate the permeation of topically applied compounds.


Properties of Thermal Spraying Ni-Al Alloy Coatings The article presents the results of testing of Ni-Al alloy coatings with different chemical and phase composition, which might replace currently used electrolytic chromium coatings. Crust chromium coatings are suitable for reconditioning of machine parts because of their very good maintenance properties. However, due to toxicity of electrolytic chromium bath, their application tends to be restricted. Thermal flame and plasma spraying technologies were chosen for nickel aluminium coating application. Obtained coatings were distinguished by significant porosity of structure and surface roughness. The thickness of coatings ranged from 440 to 683 μm. Microhardness of coatings was not related to applied metal plating technology but to chemical and phase composition. The more aluminium content in coating the harder the coatings were. The hardness of coatings which resulted from NiAl phase was ca 250 HV 0.04. Flame spray coatings are distinguished by nearly 10 times higher corrosion current density compared comparatively with plasma spray coatings. The value of corrosion potential is influenced by structure and chemical composition of coatings. The more aluminium content caused the lower Ecorr.


Temporal correspondence - linking pixels or objects across frames - is a fundamental supervisory signal for the video models. For the panoptic understanding of dynamic scenes, we further extend this concept to every segment. Specifically, we aim to learn coarse segment-level matching and fine pixel-level matching together. We implement this idea by designing two novel learning objectives. To validate our proposals, we adopt a deep siamese model and train the model to learn the temporal correspondence on two different levels (i.e., segment and pixel) along with the target task. At inference time, the model processes each frame independently without any extra computation and post-processing. We show that our per-frame inference model can achieve new state-of-the-art results on Cityscapes-VPS and VIPER datasets. Moreover, due to its high efficiency, the model runs in a fraction of time (3×) compared to the previous state-of-the-art approach.


Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of dietary crude protein (CP) levels on growth performance of growing-finishing pigs. In experiment 1, a total of 1,035 pigs (47.53 kg ± 1.12 kg) were allotted to a randomized complete block design with 5 dietary treatments (9 pens/treatment; 23 split sex pigs/pen) and fed experimental diets for 5 wk. The concentration of CP in each diet was 13.35, 14.10, 14.85, 15.60, and 16.35%, respectively, and CP was manipulated by soybean meal and crystalline amino acid inclusion. Diets were formulated to be isocaloric and contained equal provisions of standardized ileal digestible Lys, Met+Cys, Thr, and Trp. Diets met or exceeded NRC (2012) estimated nutrient requirements. In experiment 2, the same pigs as used in experiment 1 were randomly reallotted (initial body weight = 107.56 ± 1.77 kg) by pen following a washout period to 5 dietary treatments containing 10.70, 11.45, 12.20, 12.95, or 13.70% CP, respectively. Experimental diets were fed for 3 wk. Results of both experiments were analyzed using the lme4 package of R 4.0.2, and the statistical models included the fixed effect of CP and the random effect of body weight block. Orthogonal contrasts were used to test linear and quadratic effects of increasing dietary CP. Results of experiment 1 indicated final body weight, average daily gain (ADG), and gain:feed (G:F) linearly increased (P < 0.05) as CP in the diet increased (Table 1). Average daily feed intake (ADFI) did not differ among treatments. In experiment 2, dietary CP did not affect body weight, ADG, nor ADFI. As dietary CP increased, however, G:F tended (P < 0.10) to increase. In summary, greater dietary CP improved the performance of growing-finishing pigs by increasing ADG and G:F in the grower phase and tended to increase G:F in the finishing phase.


Background US guidelines now call for expanded extragenital testing for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) in HIV infected individuals. In January 2012, we instituted a new policy to promote routine three-site testing (genital, oropharyngeal, rectal) for GC/Ct among HIV-infected persons in our clinic population. The purpose of this study is to assess implementation of the "triple-dip" programme, as well as the prevalence and incidence of STI at each site. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of HIV-infected patients seen in our clinic before (Jan.-Dec. 2011) and after (Jan.-Dec. 2012) implementation of a routine three-site testing policy, to compare GC/Ct prevalence during these two time periods. Self-reported behavioural data were also evaluated. Results For the three months after the transitioning from symptom-triggered testing to routine three-site screening for GC/Ct, the number of oropharyngeal tests performed increased from 38 to 325, and the number of rectal tests increased from 32 to 290, an 8 to 9 fold increase in testing. Although the rate of infection at most sites decreased with increased screening, the rate of rectal GC/Ct remained unchanged (13% pre-expanded testing verses 12% after initiating broader testing, p = n.s.). This suggests that the prevalence of asymptomatic rectal infections in patients living with HIV in our clinic is high. Preliminary analyses indicate that rectal infections are more common in our tested patient population (12%) than at other sites of testing (4.5% oropharyngeal tests were positive, 1.5% genital tests were positive). Conclusion Although extragenital testing increased with expanded testing, not all patients at risk were screened. Given the higher percentage of positive rectal tests, enhanced testing should focus on increasing awareness of rectal infection, treatment intervention, and risk counselling.


Stomatogenesis of the marine scuticociliate Metanophrys sinensis, collected from a molluscan culturing pond in Qingdao, China, was studied using protargol impregnation method. The morphogenetic sequence develops in the proter: the remnant of parental paroral membrane gives rise to the paroral membrane and scutica, and the three parental membranelles were inherited. In the opisthe: the paroral membrane, membranelles 1, 2 and the scutica originate from the parental paroral membrane, while parental scutica gives rise to the membranelle 3. This suggests that M. sinensis has a relatively similar morphogenetic pattern to the members of the genus Uronema.


In the State of Schleswig-Holstein the strategy of economic policy is based on a concept which is known as "Cluster Building". An economic cluster initiates the networking of all participants in a value-added chain. The objective is to bundle the potentials and competences for increasing the innovation power and competitiveness of the partners in a cluster. Because of internet-technology, business and government networking in a rural area will obtain a driving force. Internet-technologies, like infrastructure, applications, platforms, broadband, enable the business processes between companies, research institutes and government to be networked. eBusiness and eGovernment/eAdministration will cause a fundamental structural change of the private and public sector. Owing to this development, there is a new demand for Economic Policy and Technology Policy. With the strategy of eClustering this demand is taken into account. The partners in an eCluster are networked by processes which are more and more standardised and so able to be supported by online-applications. An eCluster needs a central infrastructure and services. Knowledgemanagement, eLearning, eMarketplaces, personnel management and last but not least eGovernment are the main processes and services of an eCluster. Funding activities focuses on innovative eClustering-projects in the State of Schleswig-Holstein: They should on the one hand increase the demand for broadband infrastructure and services and therewith for the regional development of TIMES (Telecommunication, Information Technology, Multimedia, Entertainment, Security) and on the other hand support networking and eBusiness.


Glycoconjugate polymers with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) backbone were synthesized via a chemoenzymatic method. The sugar alcohols of maltose and lactose were submitted to transesterification in the presence of lipases. The esterification was achieved with high selectivity and yield, and the resulting maltitol and lactitol 6-vinyl sebacates were polymerized by a conventional radical initiator with hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid. The glycoconjugate polymers carrying alpha-glucose and beta-galactose as recognition signals showed the biological activity such as lectin recognition abilities and hepatocyte adhension. The biodegradability of these polymers was modest but higher than PVA.


Prostaglandin (PG)F2 alpha, E2, D2 and 6-keto-F1 ALha were determined in human cerebrospinal fluid by a mass spectrometric technique. The samples were obtained from 12 patients with suspected intracranial disease. A 64 fold variation in PG levels was observed. The major PG was 6-keto-F1 alpha (0.12--15 ng/ml). PGF2 alpha and PGE2 were present in lower concentrations PGD2 was below the level of detection (0.05 ng/ml) except in one patient with extremely high total levels of PGs.


Bad Water: Nature, Pollution, and Politics in Japan, 1870-1950, by Robert Stolz. Asia-Pacific: Culture, Politics, and Society. Durham, Duke University Press, 2014. xi, 288 pp. $24.95 US (paper). Robert Stolz argues that a sense of environmental crisis overturned an existing paradigm of scientific mastery of nature, beginning with the poisoning of Kanto waterways by industrial waste from the Ashio copper mine. He further contends that efforts to confront this sense of crisis began within Meiji liberalism as manifested in the career of politician cum environmental protester Tanaka Shozo (1841-1913), a "liberal" politician who, ultimately disillusioned with political action, turned to developing a new understanding of nature itself as powerful. Stolz argues that while Tanaka is often treated as an idealized, isolated figure, his awareness of environmental issues continued in the careers of anarchist Ishikawa Sanshiro (1876-1956) and Kurosawa Torizo (1885-1982), the founder of the early "green" corporation Snow Brand Dairy. Throughout, the author seeks to "combine environmental history with political philosophies of the subject to explore the extremely rich and still urgent search for a form of political subjectivity and social organization adequate to the environmental crisis of capitalist modernity" (p. 10). Drawing in part on perspectives of Actor-Network Theory (ant) and Science, Technology and Society (STS) studies, Stolz seeks to explore interactions among objects and the "agency of the non-human" (p. 11) but explicitly adopts a Marxist framework to add an historical dimension to these approaches. Stolz effectively strips away the idealized images of Tanaka that permeate many contemporary assessments of him as part of an effort to take early environmentalism beyond discussion of its role in Meiji liberalism. His analysis is well documented and convincing. An emphasis on "participatory democracy" (p. 36) in local elections conveys an impression of broad participation, yet suffrage in these realms, like later national parliamentary elections, had property qualifications that restricted suffrage in local governments (institutions that had limited financial resources other than those from the central government)--all of which suggests that Tanaka was even less representative of broad popular sentiment than Stolz indicates. All that said, the degree to which this perspective changes our broader understanding of modem Japanese history is not clear, for all the key people Stolz analyzes were clearly exceptional individuals, especially anarchist Ishikawa. Underlying Bad Water's historical trajectory is a clear demarcation between modem economic activities and those of pre-modern eras, which oversimplifies the divide. …


The present work has been supported by the European Community Horizon 2020 Program for European Research and Technological Development (2014-2020) inside the framework of the project 656889 – GEOTeCH (Geothermal Technology for Economic Cooling and Heating)


B. Zhelezov, Deputy-Director for International Relations, State University - Higher School of Economics, MBA, PhD in Political ScienceThe paper provides the synthesis review of the EC in-depth research study The extent and impact of higher education governance reform across Europe. Contract 2006-1407/001-001 S02-81AWB.The study implemented by the group of EU experts was aimed to discover the recent developments within the key areas of higher education governance across Europe including the latest changes in funding structures, mechanisms for decision-making process and system of quality assurance on national and institutional levels. The study was also aimed to provide the assessment of these changes by key stakeholders involve in educational process such as HEIs leadership, students, academic staff, employers and local communities. It is envisaged that research creates the good basis for further benchmarking of broad EU countries' experience in higher education reforms which is potentially useful for Russia as well as for EU-Russia common European Higher Education Area.


A variety of growth forms, analogous with those developed by Silurian colonial organisms, are constructed by modern scleractinian corals living in south Florida carbonate banks. The fauna of the Silurian bioherms is thought to have formed under broadly similar conditions and not as a patch or barrier reef as suggested by earlier workers. First approximations as to the extent of the ancient sediments' lithification can be made on the evidence of the coral growth form present.


We explore the prospects to control by use of time-dependent fields quantum transport phenomena in nanoscale systems. In particular, we study for driven conductors the electron current and its noise properties. We review recent corresponding theoretical descriptions which are based on Floquet theory. Alternative approaches, as well as various limiting approximation schemes are investigated and compared. The general theory is subsequently applied to different representative nanoscale devices, like the non-adiabatic pumps, molecular gates, molecular quantum ratchets, and molecular transistors. Potential applications range from molecular wires under the influence of strong laser fields to microwave-irradiated quantum dots.


Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension hence, considerable effort is required to improve concrete's tensile strength by the use of pre-stressed concrete and addition of admixtures or additives. In this study, the use of recycled iron and steel slag (RISS) aggregate to improve the tensile strength of concrete was considered. The paper assessed the mineralogical composition of RISS and granite aggregates, and gradation. It also determines the effects of RISS aggregate on the flexural strength of concrete beams of 150 × 150 × 600 mm containing 0, 10, 20, 40 and 60% RISS aggregate replacement in mix ratios 1:1½:3, 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 with water cement ratios 0.65,0.60 and 0.55 respectively. Diffractograph of RISS and granite aggregate showed that RISS contains Magnetite, Ilmenite and Quartz, while granite contains Quartz, Annite, Microcline and Albite as the predominant minerals. The coefficient of uniformity and concavity of RISS and granite aggregate for maximum aggregate size of 37.5 mm are 4.35 and 1.33; and 4.64 and 1.76 respectively. Both aggregates contain quartz as the predominant mineral and are well graded. The result of the Flexural strength at 28 days curing is within 0.135 – 0.250 MPa specified byBS8500 – 2:2015. Flexural strength of concrete beams cast with RISS aggregate is relatively higher than concrete cast with granite aggregate. Flexural strength, a measure of tensile strength of concrete is improved as percentage RISS aggregate increased.


A deep neural classifier trained on an upstream task can be leveraged to boost the performance of another classifier in a related downstream task through the representations learned in hidden layers. However, presence of shortcuts (easy-to-learn features) in the upstream task can considerably impair the versatility of intermediate representations and, in turn, the downstream performance. In this paper, we propose a method to improve the representations learned by deep neural image classifiers in spite of a shortcut in upstream data. In our method, the upstream classification objective is augmented with a type of adversarial training where an auxiliary network, so called lens, fools the classifier by exploiting the shortcut in reconstructing images. Empirical comparisons in self-supervised and transfer learning problems with three shortcut-biased datasets suggest the advantages of our method in terms of downstream performance and/or training time.


Large amounts of sodium barbital or sodium phenobarbital inhibit complement hemolysis, and prevent the coagulation of citrated plasma and of whole blood.
 Relatively small amounts of sodium barbital or sodium phenobarbital have no effect on the complement or on the coagulation of plasma and whole blood.
 Barbital and phenobarbital even in saturated solutions have no effect on the complement or on the coagulation of plasma and whole blood.
 The injection of large amounts of sodium barbital into an animal will neither change the complement activity of its blood serum, nor alter the coagulation of the plasma or whole blood.
 Sodium carbonate in amounts sufficient to reach the hydrogen ion concentration existing in the mixtures after the addition of the sodium salts of the barbiturates produces similar effects on the complement activity of the serum, on the coagulation of citrated plasma, and of whole blood.
 The inhibition of complement hemolysis, the prevention of coagulation of heated citrated plasma and of whole blood is due to the alkalinity of the medium.


The Biosphere 2 Virtual Field Trip was created to bring students into the wonders of this experimental space. In this field trip we explore the Rainforest biome and provide a variety of learning tools for students to connect to the projects and experiments conducted both within the Biosphere2 as well as in Biosphere1 (Earth!) while learning about systems such as photosynthesis and the carbon cycle. Biosphere2 is uniquely positioned to conduct experiments that can be done in a simulated setting as a way to evaluate possible outcomes and interventions in the real world and viewers will have several opportunities to learn more about the research happening now and in the past. Experimentation with drought, with temperature, and CO₂ levels help us understand more about climate change and what the future holds for Planet Earth. Students will explore concepts that help forge connections to the real world and focus on problem identification, experimentation and possible solutions. Each location is centered around themes that bring climate change into a broader conversation. Most importantly, each location shares threats but also actions that can be part of a solution to combat rising temperatures and other effects of climate change. This is also a great opportunity to address local issues and solutions.


ABSTRACT Objectives: This study examined the effects of savoring valuable life lessons on perceptions of aging and on well-being among older adults. Method: A total of 303 adults (mean age = 68.12 years) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: savoring life lessons (n = 95), reflecting on negative aspects of aging (n = 129), or untreated-control condition (n = 79). Participants in the savoring condition wrote about a valuable lesson they had learned in growing older, whereas participants in the negative-aging condition wrote about physical losses they had experienced in aging. Results: After controlling for baseline happiness, health, gender, and age, participants who savored valuable life lessons reported greater positive perceptions of aging and life satisfaction, compared to participants in the negative-aging and untreated-control conditions. There were no differences across conditions in negative perceptions of aging or in anxiety. Conclusion: These findings suggest that savoring valuable life lessons could be an effective addition to psychoeducational programs designed to improve perceptions of aging.


This research has goals to reveal Fergus Boggs' imbalanced system of personality and the causes of it, and the types of defense mechanism he shows in this novel. This is a qualitative research which the source of the data is a novel from Cecelia Ahern, The Marble Collector. The data used in this research is the expressions related to the imbalanced system of personality and defense mechanism used by the character and the narrative texts. The researcher read and re-read the text, collected the data, categorized and analyzed them. The data was analyzed using Freud's psychoanalysis theory especially in ego defense mechanism. To maintain the trustworthiness of the data, the researcher used proof-reading methods.
 The finding of the study finds that Fergus Bogg's imbalanced system of personality is caused by the domination of the id. The domination can be seen when Fergus does everything when it is related to marbles, he often lies, and does something impulsively. His id domination can also be seen when he has affairs with several women. The id domination is caused by two reasons, they are the family and the priest that lead him in having traumatic experience. The second finding is Fergus Bogg's types of defense mechanism. The types of defense mechanism portrayed by Fergus are repression, rationalization, projection, reaction formation, sublimation, and displacement.


The invention discloses a multimedia broadcast mobile signal anti-interference framing modulation method and in particular relates to a framing modulation scheme with mixing of time domains and frequency domains. The multimedia broadcast mobile signal anti-interference framing modulation method has the advantages that the peak-average power ratio is low, the synchronization time is short, the interference resistance is achieved, and the multiple services can be controlled and the like.


This study shows that characterization of the molecular mobility in the cytoplasm of pollen provides a new understanding of the effects of moisture and temperature on ageing rates. Using EPR spectroscopy, we determined the rotational motion of the polar spin probe, 3-carboxy-proxyl, in the cytoplasm of Typha latifolia pollen, under different temperature and moisture content conditions. Increasing the temperature resulted in faster rotational motion, analogous to faster ageing rates. With decreasing moisture content, rotational motion first decreased until a minimum was reached, after which rotational motion slightly increased again. The moisture content at which this minimal rotational motion was observed increased with decreasing temperature, comparable to the pattern of ageing rate. A significant linear relationship was found between ageing rates and rotational motion in the cytoplasm, suggesting that these parameters are causally linked. Upon melting of the intracellular glass, a twofold increase in activation energy of rotational motion and ageing rate was observed. In contrast, melting of the sucrose glass resulted in an increase in rotational motion of five orders of magnitude. The difference in rotational motion upon melting glasses of pollen or sucrose suggests that other molecules beside sugars play a role in intracellular glass formation in pollen.


Purpose: Laparoscopic continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) catheter insertion is used instead of open CAPD insertion because additional measures to prevent complications can be made without a conventional laparotomy. This study compared the early experience of laparoscopic CAPD catheter insertion with open CAPD insertion in children. Methods: Between January 2006 and May 2011, 52, 16 and 36 patients who underwent CAPD insertion, laparoscopic CAPD insertion and open CAPD insertion, respectively, for end stage renal disease at Seoul National University Children's Hospital were enrolled in this study. The clinicopathological factors, operative factors and outcomes were analyzed by a retrospective medical record review. Results: The mean operative time of the laparoscopic group was longer than that of the open groups (78 minutes vs 60 minutesm, p value=0.079). In the laparoscopic group, 3 patients underwent closure of the processus vaginalis and the occurrence of an inguinal hernia was prevented, whereas 3 patients in the open group underwent herniorrhaphy for an inguinal hernia. The mean period of catheter use in the laparoscopic and open group was 201 and 984 days, respectively. Complications occurred more frequently in the open group than in the laparoscopic group (14 patients (38.9%) vs. 2 patients (12.5%), p value=0.059). Peritonitis (19.4%) was the most common complication, which occurred only in the open group, followed by catheter obstruction due to omental wrapping. Catheter migration occurred more frequently in the open group (20%) than the laparoscopic group (12.5%). Conclusion: These results suggest that laparoscopic CAPD catheter insertion can be a suitable method for CAPD catheter insertion in children.


Plant growth promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strains A3 and S32 have been shown to promote the growth of Brassica juncea under chromium stress which has been related to the microbial production of siderophores and indole 3 acetic acid (IAA). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the importance of siderophores and IAA producing PGPR on the growth of Brassica juncea under chromium stress. The production of IAA and siderophores were observed in the strains A3 and S32, respectively. Both PGPR strains promote the growth of Brassica juncea under chromium stress. The maximum growth was observed in plants inoculated with siderophores producing strain 32. Both the bacterial inoculum did not influence the uptake of chromium by plants. The present observation showed that PGPR isolates A3 and S32 are capable of protecting the plants against the inhibitory effects of chromium by producing the siderophores and IAA.


Using the recently developed Fraunhofer plane particle size analyzer, comparisons have been made between direct and holographically recorded particle field measurements. The usefulness of the combination is discussed in terms of the considerable time factor gain in hologram analysis and the improvement in time resolution of the instrument to that of pulsed lasers. The time resolution is demonstrated by the observation of the time development of the particle size distribution associated with a fuel injector during and after the few milliseconds of nozzle opening.


Fire prevention and suppression approaches that exclusively rely on silvicultural measures and containment infrastructure have become increasingly ineffective in stopping the spread of wildfires. As agroforestry landscape mosaics consisting of a mix of different land cover and use types are considered less prone to fire than forests, approaches that support the involvement of rural people in agriculture and forestry activities have been proposed. However, it is unknown whether, in the current socio-economic context, these land-use interventions will nudge fire-prone landscapes towards more fire-resistant ones. We report on a case study of the Gata river catchment in Sierra de Gata, Spain, which is a fire-prone area that has been a pilot site for Mosaico-Extremadura, an innovative participatory fire-risk-mitigation strategy. Our purpose is to assess the efficacy of project interventions as "productive fuel breaks" and their potential for protecting high-risk areas. Interventions were effective in reducing the flame length and the rate of spread, and almost 40% of the intervention area was in sub-catchments with high risk. Therefore, they can function as productive fuel breaks and, if located strategically, contribute to mitigating wildfire risk. For these reasons, and in view of other economic and social benefits, collaborative approaches for land management are highly recommended.


The population in sub-Saharan Africa is growing faster than increases in food production, resulting in a net decrease in food production per capita. The Food and Agriculture Organization has stated that there is a "risk of widespread hunger" which could be prevented by "effective planning of water resources". However, the potential effects of such schemes on the human population are often inadequately assessed and the effect of large dams on human health is not clear. The potential risk to human health of water resources was emphasized a few years ago but no effective preventive programs were implemented, probably because of inadequate availability of information and lack of awareness. The effects on health of "large" water resource projects are not uniform within a population. Decision-makers have tended to focus on the positive effects, to obtain support for their plans. These include: 1) improvement in the well-being of the population (safe water more readily available, new infrastructure, better access to health care) and 2) increases in the food supply (more vegetables and fish available due to irrigation). Thus, there has been a logical expectation that more, better quality food will become available as a result of these schemes, whereas in fact, health and nutrition has often worsened, particularly in young children. Most of the diseases associated with water resource management are communicable, including diseases directly related to the presence of large quantities of water, such as: malaria, which increases in incidence immediately after the building of the dam, after which a new balance develops between the human population and the parasites, schistosomiasis, the disease which increases most in response to the building of dams, particularly in its most severe gastrointestinal form, diarrhea, as water is a major means of dissemination for many organisms, including those causing digestive tract infections and gastroenteritis (amebiasis, salmonellosis, cholera), due to poor sanitation, other parasitic infections, such as onchocerciasis and trypanosomiasis, which should be monitored as they may also threaten the population. Other communicable diseases may appear or increase in incidence with the influx of migrants to the irrigated area. Sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV infection are a particular problem. The large numbers of insects (mosquitoes, blackflies) may also have harmful effects on populations adapting to the new environment. These effects are related to each other and to the environmental changes. New types of food affect people's feeding habits and generate new sources of income. However, they may also lead to new and higher expenditure. There are also likely to be major socio-demographic changes associated with changes in reproductive behavior and women's activities. The location and nature of new homes and infrastructure (e.g. schools, health centers, roads) also contribute to the success or failure of the dam project. There are many constraints to be considered and a more comprehensive approach to the problem is required. Health and nutritional status may be used as simple indicators of the ability of the population to adapt to a new environment. This makes it possible to construct a causal model to identify the most effective and relevant areas of intervention. Health and nutrition issues are of vital importance and scientific findings should be used in decision-making processes for planning future large dam schemes.


ABSTRACT Does crime exposure impair levels of political knowledge? The literature on crime has focused on its causes as well as its scope, while ignoring how it might influence the practice of political citizenship. Informed citizens are more able to practice their political citizenship. Exploring the impact of experiencing an insecure environment in itself, this article contributes to a deeper understanding of how the citizen responds to crime (burglary and physical attacks). Working memory has limitations and previous research has shown how resource scarcity limits cognitive capacities. This article suggests that crime might produce a situation of security scarcity, i.e. insecurity, which limits cognitive capacity in a similar fashion. This hypothesis is tested in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa, using survey data from the Afrobarometer (Round 4). The findings demonstrate how experiencing a security scarcity decreases political knowledge among male citizens, but not among female citizens.


This study emphasis the reconstruction of vowels, and diphthongs in ancient Jugra dialect (DJP) that exist in Selangor. This study uses a comparative qualitative method to gather data through check and speak method. The data gathering techniques were directed and nondirected interview, as well as recording and picture showing. Reconstruction process of the vowels, and diphthongs was done by employing internal reconstruction. Reconstruction criteria was carried out to determine the cognate words, find the correspondence of phonemes, discover recurrence of phonemes and phoneme ancient gain. The Jugra variants (VJ) in Selangor are variant in Sungai Buaya (SB), Pulau Nyatoh (PN) and Kelanang (KLNG). This study proofs that reconstructed DJP has 6 vowel phonemes which are *i, *e, *a, *ə, *u and *o, two diphtongs, which are *-aj and *-aw. The existence of these ancient phonemes that is made of phonemes vowel, and diphthong took place systematically and can be predicted. The innovation on the five vowel phonemes, for instance, DJP *i, *e, *a, *u *o, took place due to resettlements rural development. Meanwhile, diphthongs in DJP show the existense of linear reconstruction from MP which is *-aj and *-aw. The significance of this study is its contribution towards reconstruction of Ancient Malay Language (AML). Keywords: innovation; internal reconstruction; Jugra; qualitative comparison; reconstruction


Abstract The errors in ship wind reports of light winds tend to significantly bias their mean. This occurs because wind speed is a scalar quantity that is constrained to zero or positive values. Therefore, observations tend to overestimate the light winds because of the one-sided distribution of errors, but the bias disappears under stronger winds. A method for removing this bias from ship data is presented. In particular, the method is applied to interpreting the ratios of wind speeds observed by ships to those obtained from tracking low level clouds. Contracted ratios allow low cloud speeds to serve as proxy data for surface based observations.


Abstract:This article employs previously underutilized tax records to quantify the level of economic distress in Virginia in the 1780s. Historians have offered sharply contrasting interpretations. While some scholars emphasize postwar prosperity, others suggest an economic crisis that may have rivaled the Great Depression. Tax records offer an opportunity to evaluate and reconcile these conflicting narratives. By counting the number of individuals who could not pay their taxes and dividing by the taxable population found in the assessment lists, the insolvency rate produces an indicator comparable to a modern bankruptcy rate. Regional insolvency patterns reveal that historians have tended to generalize from localized phenomena that are unrepresentative of the larger economy. Tax records demonstrate that the critical period was not imagined. Local commodity prices were most important in shaping economic outcomes. Insolvency trends support and contextualize existing interpretations of tax resistance and voting patterns during the ratification debates.


The corpus of texts produced by Afrosporic authors in Europe is characterized in the first place by plurality: plurality of the languages used, of the authors' African heritages, and of their European locations, all this adding to the specificities of individual experience. Moreover, Afrosporic literatures develop in different European countries at different times and follow very different patterns. Does it make sense then, at a time when even the notion of Europe itself is called into question, to talk about an Afro-European literature? This essay seeks to trace commonalities and differences of Afrosporic literary production in different European contexts and argues that a comparative perspective at both a diachronic and synchronic level is paramount to the understanding of new literary configurations across linguistic and national boundaries.


We investigate constraints on early dark energy (EDE) from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy, taking into account data from WMAP9 combined with latest small scale measurements from the South Pole Telescope (SPT). For a constant EDE fraction we propose a new parametrization with one less parameter but still enough to provide similar results to the ones previously studied in literature. The main emphasis of our analysis, however, compares a new set of different EDE parametrizations that reveal how CMB constraints depend on the redshift epoch at which Dark Energy was non negligible. We find that bounds on EDE get substantially weaker if dark energy starts to be non-negligible later, with early dark energy fraction Omega_e free to go up to about 5% at 2 sigma if the onset of EDE happens at z < 100. Tight bounds around 1-2% are obtained whenever dark energy is present at last scattering, even if its effects switch off afterwards. We show that the CMB mainly constrains the presence of Dark Energy at the time of its emission, while EDE-modifications of the subsequent growth of structure are less important.


This thesis shows how heritage conservation can engage in cultural work. In the course of preserving an object, it can reveal social patterns and stimulate dialogue about representing the past. At the same time, the cultural "findings" can enter into the physical intervention of conservation. The aim is to use a more participatory process of conserving material culture that simultaneously opens up relationships between communities and objects, while enabling people to take greater control over elements of their environment. Such a practice has potential for creating culture and community in the process of conserving objects and cultural sites. It expands the focus of conservation from its product to its process. In so doing it addresses heritage industry critics that charge conservation of freezing inauthentic versions of the past to sustain elite ideological control or facilitate commercial exploitation. The "participatory conservation" of the Kamehameha I monument in North Kohala, Hawai'i, provides the case-study basis for the research. Commissioned in 1878 to commemorate Captain Cook's "discovery" of the Hawaiian Islands and promote a western style monarchy, the monument lends itself to revealing complex and contested meanings. The image of Hawaii's first monarch is a cultural hybrid; he stands in the posture of a Roman emperor while wearing highly symbolic feathered garments of Hawaiian sovereignty. Over the monument's history, the community deliberately altered its physical appearance by painting it in life-like colours. The monument physically deteriorated, with surface elements obscured by the heavy layering of paint. Conservation of the monument proceeded through ethnographic and other methods of qualitative methodology, combined with archival research, materials analysis, and technical intervention. The project shows how complex networks of symbolic meaning can become an intrinsic part of the conservation process. Participatory conservation is proposed as a conservation method that is applicable to other circumstances and world settings.


An 82-year-old man was resuscitated following cardiac arrest suffered outside the hospital. Conjunctival oxygenation (PcjO2), as measured by a conjunctival PO2 monitor, increased in the immediate post-resuscitation period (60 min) and neurologic status improved. The PcjO2 steadily declined over the next three hours. During the period of declining PcjO2, the systolic blood pressure tended to remain stable (104 mm Hg +/- 18), the arterial PO2 (PaO2) was greater than or equal to 103 mm Hg, and the PcjO2/PaO2 ratio initially increased, while the PcjO2/arterial oxygen content (CaO2) ratio and neurologic status declined. The rise and subsequent fall of PcjO2 in this patient paralleled the neurologic status and may be consistent with the cerebral reperfusion/hypoperfusion phenomena observed in experimental preparations of resuscitation from circulatory arrest.


1. The marine form Nerita fulgurans is unable to osmoregulate, and regulates ions only to a very minor degree. The kidney plays no part in controlling the ionic or osmotic composition of the haemolymph.

2. The freshwater neritid Neritina latissima produces a dilute urine. Salts are removed from the urine by the glandular part of the kidney. The composition of haemolymph in the freshwater Theodoxus fluviatilis has been analysed. It contains surprisingly little calcium.

3. Observations on terrestrial species of Eutrochatella and Alcadia showed that these snails all produce a dilute urine. The site of salt reabsorption is not clear, but the results indicate that it may be reabsorbed by the glandular part of the kidney, the bladder, and also by the mantle epithelium. The haemolymph of the terrestrial species is similar in composition to that of Theodoxus .

4. The renal systems of marine, freshwater and terrestrial neritaceans are compared. Without much gross structural reorganization from the marine species, the Kidney of the freshwater forms have been developed into organs for reabsorbing salts from the urine. The terrestrial species have probably evolved from these freshwater ones, and have retained the production of a dilute urine; this is certainly appropriate because they live in very damp environments.


This paper proposes an audio watermark extraction technique which adopts independent component analysis (ICA) for blind watermark decoding. Unlike the existing work, our method allows to combine data synchronization and watermark decoding into one optimization procedure, thus robust to transmission over different channels. Watermark encoder is designed as a nonlinear data embedding machine which is compatible to MPEG Layer 1 Model 1. It is shown that the proposed ICA based watermark decoding scheme allows decoding watermark info accurately even though the watermark to signal ratio is less than -20 dB. The method is robust to stereo-to-mono conversions and performs very well when the channel noise level is high.


Pain was a sensory experience and unpleasant consequences was emocional of the actual or potencial tissue damage. A baby needs a variety of basic immunizations required for body and immune one at them given by injection intramuskuler immunization (DPT-combo). Injections intramuskuler has pain reaction that make a baby to show pain signs , to assist in reducing the pain there are various treatments to do include bounding attachment and cutaneous stimulus, two second act at them has a good effectiveness to relieve pain due to injection intramuskuler in infants. bounding (arms) psychological help your baby feel comfortable, safe in the arms of a mother while the cutaneous stimulus help the baby feel caressed by the gentle caress and touch it to make baby .This research using analytic study designs with an experimental method with a one shot case study approach and using sampling techniques with systematic random sampling, test results with the independent t test p value <0.05 then result shows that the response changes p = (0.000) pain in the bounding rata average 2.60 (1.06) differs from the change in pain response cutaneous stimulation in the group average of 7.53 (1:06) independent t test the p value < 0.05 then the results show that there was a change when p = (0.000) minutes, the time the group bounding the averaget 4.20 (0, 77) in contrast to the time change in the group of cutaneous stimulation on average 9:26 (1:33), so we can conclude that there was difference in effectiveness between the bounding and cutaneous stimulation in reducing pain on injection intramuskuler injections in infants aged 2 months at the Sawahan health center


Drawing on longitudinal data, this study explores the dynamic relationship between the development of conceptual knowledge of language and the emergence of sociostylistic variation in second language (L2) speech. Participants include eight intermediate-level US university learners of French who participated in a concept-based pedagogical enrichment program over the course of two months. After presenting an overview of the study's design, this article analyses the co-development of conceptual knowledge and one type of sociostylistic variation in French: the variable presence versus absence of the proclitic negative particle ne of verbal negation. The analysis centers on learners' orientations to scenarios to be performed as spoken-interactive tasks, including reasons for choosing different negative structures, their use of negative structures in actual performance, and the emergence of mediated and independent performance abilities.


The article is devoted to the analysis of lyrics by Flor Vasiliev (1934–1978) which is a new page in the history of Udmurt Soviet poetry. The young poet went beyond the generally accepted standards thanks to the rich literary context. This article is devoted to the study of the early lyrics of Flor Vasilyev in the aspect of the dialogue of cultures. The subject of analysis is poems written in the early 1960s. The purpose of the study is to identify and describe literary contacts with representatives of different cultures. The method of analysis is comparative studies. The result of the study is as follow: Flor Vasiliev introduces the names Remarque, Picasso, Grieg, Rembrandt into his poems to depict the general cultural atmosphere of Russia in the 1950s – 1960s, the poet follows the tradition of Russian pop lyrics. Interest in impressionism (Renoir and others) helps to hone style when portraying landscapes and the inner world of the hero. Irony begins to play a large role in the poems of early Flor Vasiliev, the poet learns in this direction from Heinrich Heine. Thus, thanks to the dialogue of cultures, there is a transition from «loud» to «quiet lyrics», humanistic traditions raise the poetry of Flor Vasiliev to a new qualitative level.


While single crystals and epitaxial thin films of high temperature superconductors can carry large current densities, devices useful for applications such as power transmission and magnets cannot be produced because polycrystalline material cannot carry sufficient current densities. Efforts are underway to produce polycrystalline material in which grains are aligned to carry high current densities. We report x-ray and electron microdiffraction measurements of local grain alignment and models of how this grain alignment affects the critical current densities. TlCa2Sr2Cu3Ox samples can be grown on polycrystalline substrates with good c axis alignment but no overall a axis alignment. In TlCa2Sr2Cu3Ox, high critical current occurs in regions in which there is local a axis alignment. X-ray microdiffraction measurements of grain orientation were made with a monochromatic, 100 micrometer diameter beam produced by inserting a pinhole at the focus of an NSLS bending magnet beamline. Local grain orientation was measured by observing Bragg reflection as the sample was rotated. While x-ray data was taken at this low resolution over large areas, the orientation of individual grains was measured over small regions by measuring the Kikuchi pattern produced by inelastic scattering from a 100 nm electron beam. In both cases, the sample position was scanned to map grain orientation. With advanced x-ray optics currently under development, high-resolution maps of grain orientation will be available without the elaborate surface preparation required for electron diffraction. This will facilitate study of samples prepared in a wider variety of forms.


Four Holstein steers (261 +/- 2 kg) with cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment to evaluate the interaction of dietary Ca (.45 vs. 90%) and supplemental fat (0 vs 5% yellow grease) on characteristics of digestion. There were no treatment interactions (P > .10). Supplemental Ca did not influence (P > .10) digestibility of OM, NDF, starch, N, and fatty acids. Supplemental fat decreased ruminal (21%, P < .05) and total tract (3%, P < .01) digestibility of OM and ruminal (25%, P < .10) and total tract (20%, P < .01) digestibility of NDF. Supplemental fat increased (P < .10) ruminal microbial efficiency. Ruminal free Ca was not affected (P > .10) by Ca intake but was closely associated with ruminal pH and fatty acid intake (R2 = .84). Apparent ruminal Ca absorption was generally negative, being increased (P < .05) by Ca supplementation and decreased (P < .10) by fat supplementation. Postruminal (P < .05) and total tract (P < .01) apparent Ca absorption was increased by Ca supplementation. Supplemental fat did not influence (P > .10) postruminal or total tract Ca absorption. One hundred forty-four medium-frame crossbred steers were used to evaluate treatment effects on feedlot growth performance. There were no treatment interactions (P > .10). Increasing dietary Ca did not influence (P > .10) steer performance. Supplemental fat decreased (P < .01) DMI and increased NE value of the diet (P < .01). It is concluded that increasing dietary Ca from .45 to .9% in high-grain finishing diets will not affect the feeding value of supplemental fat and that high levels (5%) of supplemental fat will not have a detrimental effect on Ca absorption.


One can observe that more and more companies are focusing on their core compenetency and are outsourcing parts or even complete business processes to service providers. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are used as a contractual basis to define certain non-functional properties (e.g. response time) a service has to provide. To determine the SLA of a business process a priori, the SLAs of the invoked services need to be aggregated into a single SLA for the business process. This paper defines a method how a service provider can aggregate the SLAs of the individual services within a business process into a single SLA. This provides a service provider with the capability to annotate the service that the business process implements with an appropriate SLA. We propose a framework that helps in carrying out the SLA aggregation within business processes. The framework consists of two parts: (i) a formal model for SLAs and (ii) a concept to aggregate SLAs, where algorithms can be plugged in.


This paper examines the role of peer effects in smoking behavior using data of middle and high school students in the United States. I present a random utility model that explicitly incorporates complementarity between individual and peer smokings. A Markov process model of smoking interactions between individuals is presented, under the assumption that such interactions occur frequently. I estimate the structural parameters of the model using a steady state distribution that is uniquely determined by the Markov process. The empirical results strongly support the presence of positive peer effects in smoking behavior among young people. Interestingly, peer interactions are found to be stronger within the same gender than across genders. The same result is found for race. Moreover, a multiplier effect is found. The impact of a tax on youth smoking increases by a factor of 1.5 when peer interactions are present.


A series of new diphenyltin(IV) complexes of the type Ph2SnL (L1: N-phenacyl-5-bromosalicylideneimine, Ph2SnL1; L2: N-phenacyl-3,5-dichlorosalicylideneimine, Ph2SnL2; L3: N–phenacyl-4-methoxysalicylideneimine, Ph2SnL3) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H, 13C, 119Sn NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry techniques. The C―Sn―C angles in the complexes were calculated using equations with the 1J(117/119Sn―13C) values from 13C NMR spectra. The possible structures, NMR and electronic properties of the studied molecules were calculated through density functional theory and results compared with experimental data. All the complexes were found to be mildly active against several microorganisms and some fungi. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In 2005, India amended its Patent Law to bring the country into compliance with the WTO TRIPS Agreement. Criticisms have arisen over a flexibility in the law, Section 3(d), which attempts to reduce evergreening by granting patents to only those inventions that enhance the drug's known efficacy. The lack of a clear definition in the law has raised worldwide concerns over its misuse which was exacerbated by the 2013 Supreme Court denial of Novartis's Appeal of Section 3(d)based patent rejection for the cancer treatment drug, Glivec. To analyze the importance of Section 3(d) and this ruling on patent decisions in India, a database of 500 pharmaceutical patent cases between 2005 and 2016 was created. The determinants of patent decisions were estimated using a binomial logit regression and conducted a statistical analysis to identify their confounding factors. The results show that if a patent application has Section 3(d) objection, the odds of the case being rejected and/or abandoned more than double. Also, although the odds of patent rejections have fallen since the 2013 Supreme Court ruling, this result is driven by non-Section 3(d) cases. Thus, it was concluded that Section 3(d) will play an increasingly important role in patent rejections.


The orbits of fluid particles in two dimensions effectively act as topological obstacles to material lines. A spacetime plot of the orbits of such particles can be regarded as a braid whose properties reflect the underlying dynamics. For a chaotic flow, the braid generated by the motion of three or more fluid particles is computed. A "braiding exponent" is then defined to characterize the complexity of the braid. This exponent is proportional to the usual Lyapunov exponent of the flow, associated with separation of nearby trajectories. Measuring chaos in this manner has several advantages, especially from the experimental viewpoint, since neither nearby trajectories nor derivatives of the velocity field are needed.


This paper describes an automated approach to the benchmarking of Web sites. The author reviews the approaches which have been taken by UKOLN's WebWatch work to auditing and evaluating Web sites across a number of public sector communities, initially through use of locally-developed software, but more recently through use of freely-availably Web services. The benchmarking surveys have provided useful information to members of the communities. However comparisons of results from use of different tools have revealed significant differences. The paper argues that there is a need for standard definitions in order to allow benchmarking results provided by different services to be comparable. The paper concludes by describing some of the technical limitations of the approach described and suggesting that a "Web Service" approach is needed.


Abstract Introduction: Breast cancer in young women is usually considered as breast cancer occurring in women younger than 40 years and is the most frequent cancer-related cause of death in these patients. In the past few years, there seems to be an increasing trend in the prevalence of breast cancer in young women, which, associated with poorer prognosis, more aggressive histologic features, and more frequent recurrence rates, makes it a rising threat to young women. This study aimed to evaluate the biological behavior of breast cancer in young women in our institution. Material and methods: A retrospective, unicentric, cohort study was conducted between 2012 and 2016. All consecutive patients with breast cancer were enrolled in the study. Cases were divided into two groups: case group, those younger than 40 years, and control group, those 40 years or older. The exclusion criterion was nonoperative treatment. Several clinical and pathologic parameters were evaluated, as well as were overall survival time and disease-free survival time. Results: The incidence of breast cancer in young women presented a rising tendency over the study period. Significant differences were observed in the comparison of the groups according to body mass index, age at menarche, age at birth of the first child, and proliferation rate. There were no differences in overall survival and disease-free survival rates between the groups. Conclusions: Young women had a more symptomatic presentation, a greater tumor proliferation rate, but similar outcomes compared with older patients. Greater multicentric studies are needed to confirm or refute these results.


Conversion rate (CVR) prediction is one of the core components in online recommender systems, and various approaches have been proposed to obtain accurate and well-calibrated CVR estimation. However, we observe that a well-trained CVR prediction model often performs sub-optimally during sales promotions. This can be largely ascribed to the problem of the data distribution shift, in which the conventional methods no longer work. To this end, we seek to develop alternative modeling techniques for CVR prediction. Observing similar purchase patterns across different promotions, we propose reusing the historical promotion data to capture the promotional conversion patterns. Herein, we propose a novel Historical Data Reuse (HDR) approach that first retrieves historically similar promotion data and then fine-tunes the CVR prediction model with the acquired data for better adaptation to the promotion mode. HDR consists of three components: an automated data retrieval module that seeks similar data from historical promotions, a distribution shift correction module that re-weights the retrieved data for better aligning with the target promotion, and a TransBlock module that quickly fine-tunes the original model for better adaptation to the promotion mode. Experiments conducted with real-world data demonstrate the effectiveness of HDR, as it improves both ranking and calibration metrics to a large extent. HDR has also been deployed on the display advertising system in Alibaba, bringing a lift of 9% RPM and 16% CVR during Double 11 Sales in 2022.


Properties of approximations of sets establish that lower approximation of union of sets is not equal to the union of their lower approximations in general and a similar result holds for upper approximation of intersection of sets. This confirms to the observation that there is a loss of information in a distributed knowledge base than in an integrated one. We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for equalities to hold in the above two properties. We find that there are ambiguities in types of union and intersection of rough sets and establish theorems to reduce these ambiguities. Novotny and Pawlak introduced three (bottom, top and total) types of rough equalities, which show that comparison of domains depends upon our knowledge about the universe. We obtain suitable conditions under which the top and bottom rough equalities can be interchanged in these properties. Example of a distributed database of employees is used throughout.


Validated RNRRS Output. Modified farm stores are providing vital solutions to long-standing storage problems in Africa and elsewhere. While grain storage structures help protect against crop losses from insects, rodents, moulds, theft and fire, traditional designs are not always effective and building them is difficult for poor communities where hardwood supply is limited. Smallholders in Zimbabwe are using PVC pipes filled with concrete to replace timber, with the added advantage that rodents and termites don't attack these posts. A manual and video are facilitating extension to other countries. More than 1000 farmers in Ghana are using mud silos successfully, and guidelines for their promotion are available. Finally, metal silo storage is widely used in Latin America as well as in Swaziland.


The effects of interharmonic distortion on measurement instruments based on PLL systems are analyzed. After some brief recalls on the general scheme of a three-phase PLL, a linearized analysis in the presence of interharmonics is developed in terms of PLL phase angle and frequency errors. Finally, the results of a numerical case-study on a Power Quality measurement instrument are discussed.


For figuring out the distribution and transportation characteristics of heavy metals Mn, Pb, Cu and As among overlying water-pore water-surface sediments so as to offer a scientific basis for the development of urban construction and protection of karst groundwater, overlying water, pore water and surface sediment samples were collected in December 2013 ( winter) and June 2014 (summer) respectively. Results show that the detection rates of Mn, Pb, Cu and As are 100% both in overlying water and pore water with the concentration Mn > Pb > Cu > As, summer > winter, pore water > overlying water, respectively, and the groundwater could not be a source of drinking water because of the excessive content of Mn and Pb. In addition, the concentration of heavy metals Mn, Pb, Cu and As in pore water are higher than that in overlying water, indicating that heavy metals could diffuse into overlying water from pore water because of concentration gradient, especially in summertime. Moreover, study also finds that heavy metals are accumulated in surface sediments, the total content of four heavy metals has a decreasing trend between UGR6( sampling site 7) and UGR5 (sampling site 6), but has an increasing trend from UGR5 (sampling site 6) to URG0 (sampling site 1). Mn, in surface sediments, has strong instability and mobility, which can not only cause the pollution of overlying water but also enlarge contaminated area. In a word, Laolongdong subterranean river has strong capacity of self-purification, especially the surface sediments.


Cereal grains have represented the principal component of the human diet for thousands of years. Modern cereal production cannot be imagined without the use of mineral fertilizers, particularly in terms of better utilization of biological potential of the yield of growing plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the energetic efficiency of wheat and barley production, with special reference to the share of the use of mineral fertilizers in total energy consumption. Input data and yield of wheat and barley fields were collected in the experimental trials in Serbia. Results showed that total energy inputs of wheat and barley fields were 22178.04 and 15921.16 MJ·ha-1, respectively. Total energy outputs for wheat and barley fields were 80037.83 and 104496.08 MJ·ha-1, respectively. The results obtained indicate that mineral fertilizers claim a share of the total energy consumption in cereal production ranging from 49.19% in barley to 52.01% in wheat. Specific energy input, energy output–input ratio (energy use efficiency), energy productivity and net energy gain were 5.13 MJ·kg-1, 3.61,0.19 kg·MJ-1 and57859.79MJ·ha-1in wheat system and 2.75 MJ·kg-1, 6.56, 0.36 kg·MJ-1 and 88574.92 MJ·ha-1 in barley system, respectively. According to the results, it seems that barley production is more efficient from different aspects of energy consumption compared to wheat in the studied region. In general, production in barley fields was more sustainable than wheat production because, in view of ecological indices such as amount of energy use and renewable energy consumption, it was more environment-friendly production.