How can we know what is worth seeking or avoiding in life? Is there anything to know? If so, is it in some sense personal? This fresh and engaging work by noted philosopher Joel Kupperman addresses these questions as it examines the epistemology of value. Kupperman looks first at how judgments of values manifest themselves, whether there can be evidence for them, and whether a realistic account is appropriate. Focusing on emotional states, he rejects the notion that there is one primary value, arguing instead for a pluralistic understanding of value. He contends that value is strongly contextual; the value of a particular set of experiences in one's life can depend heavily on how they fit in with or provide contrast to other elements. Kupperman argues both for a realistic account of value-some things really do have a value about which we can have reasonable confidence-and for skepticism about how much we can actually know about value. The study moves on to explore the relations between judgments of value, and moral or social policy decisions of how we should behave. Acknowledging strong objections to the attempt by any group to impose its vision of a good life in a pluralistic society, Kupperman nevertheless argues that proper attention to value leads to perfectionism in social policy. Emphasizing the importance of detail in ethics, he focuses on variations among cases, and examines the weight cultural values can have in the social policy of a liberal society. Going further than previous works in determining what counts as evidence for a judgment of value, this book fills a substantial gap in the literature of ethical philosophy. Tackling difficult issues in an accessible manner, it will interest philosophers and students of ethics, epistemology, and social theory.


In this paper, on the basis of analyzing the principle of multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) technique, by employing the optimized complex wavelet packet as multi-carrier modulation and the turbo codes as channel coding, we propose a novel MC-CDMA system based on complex wavelet packet and turbo coding, and investigate the system bit error rate (BER) performance in Rayleigh fading channel. The system can overcome the decrease of spectrum efficiency and energy of conventional MC-CDMA due to inserting cyclic prefix (CP); and make full use of the turbo codes' good capacity against fading channel to improve the BER performance further. Theoretical analysis and simulation results all show that the proposed system outperforms conventional MC-CDMA system, and its performance is superior to that of the conventional MC-CDMA with CP. Meanwhile, the application of turbo coding strengthens the system ability to cope with multi-path fading and multi-access interference (MAI) significantly.


Anna Negri, a Director in Search of an Identity The transition to an autobiographical novel format in 2009 is the illustration, on paper, of a personal and intimate narrative that offers the reader a definition of cinescrittura ( cinematic writing ). Moreover, this evolution illustrates how the language of television and film has influenced Anna Negri's narrative and stylistic choices in prose. The reading of the filmic image demands, as in the reading of a textual passage, a fundamental decoding of linguistic, ethical, aesthetic, and narrative processes Additionally and above all, one must also analyse the emotional system at work in the narrative, as it is the emotional area that is most stressed when both watching a film, and when reading a book (for instance when reading a book so compelling that one cannot put it aside until done). That is to say, the narrative's emotional system emotionally involves the reader or viewer, causing him or her to interact with images and stories. Negri's literary-cinematic production favors an abundance of dialogue, fast beats, contamination between different genres such as autobiography and mockmumentary, the use of musical and film vocabulary, intermixed with dialect. When directly confronted with this array of aspects, the viewer-reader's task is to decode and interpret. In Con un piede impigliato nella storia Anna Negri succeeds in condensing the wish to offer a space to dream, by using cinematic writing as a means of making concrete references, in private or collective memory, to the personal and social history of her country. The stylistic choice of dialect, or of a 'foreign' cadence, serves to render the text/film more accessible. The viewer/reader both imagines the film when reading the book, and reads textually while watching the film.


Metalloproteases with a disintegrin domain (ADAM) has already been implicated in various cellular processes such as cytokine and growth factor shedding, proliferation, migration, and degradation of extracellular matrix. Their role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis in carotid lesions is however unknown. The aim of the study was to analyze expression of proteolytic ADAMs (8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17) and their inhibitors TIMP-1, -3 in patients with high-graded carotid artery stenosis. Atherosclerotic plaques were obtained from 44 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and analyzed by histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and SYBR green-based real-time PCR. All ADAMs analyzed in our study were expressed in early as well as in advanced atherosclerotic carotid lesions. The highest expression within the plaque was observed for ADAM15 followed by ADAM8. Furthermore, a significant increase was observed in the expression of ADAM10 and ADAM12 in unstable plaques compared to unstable lesions (p = 0.05 and p = 0.036, respectively). In contrast, expression of TIMP-1 was significantly reduced in the same lesions (p = 0.020). Macrophages and smooth muscle cells showed the highest staining intensity and were positive for all ADAMs and TIMPs tested, with the exception of ADAM9. Endothelial cells at the lumen side were positive for ADAM 15 and TIMP-1, neovessels were positive also for ADAM12. In conclusion, the ADAM family of proteases seems to play an important role in the maintenance of proper vessel physiology and some ADAMs such as ADAM10 and ADAM12 might also contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis.


The review presents current data on the management of patients with atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities. The main approaches to medical rehabilitation of patients with diseases of the arteries of the lower extremities are considered, tools for determining the rehabilitation potential depending on the stage of lower limb ischemia are proposed. The programs of physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as the methods of physical and balneotherapy in accordance with the stages of medical rehabilitation, are determined. Modern rehabilitation methods are presented.


The research outlined below established theoretical proof-of-concept using ab initio calculations that {sup 3}He can be separated from {sup 4}He by taking advantage of weak van der Waals interactions with other higher molecular weight rare gases such as xenon. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only suggested method that exploits the physical differences of the isotopes using a chemical interaction.


A number of novel wireless networked services, ranging from participatory sensing to social networking, leverage the increasing capabilities of mobile devices and the movements of the individuals carrying them. For many of these systems, their effectiveness fundamentally depends on coverage and the particular mobility patterns of the participants. Given the strong spatial and temporal regularity of human mobility, the needed coverage can typically only be attained through a large participant base.
 In this paper we explore an alternative approach to attain coverage without scale -- (soft) controlling the movement of participants. We present Crowd Soft Control (CSC), an approach to exert limited control over the temporal and spatial movements of mobile users by leveraging the built-in incentives of location-based gaming and social applications. By pairing network services with these location-based apps, CSC allows researchers to use an application's incentives (e.g. game objectives) to control the movement of participating users, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the associated network service. After outlining the case for Crowd Soft Control, we present an initial prototype of our ideas and discuss potential benefits and costs in the context of two case studies.


In order to assess the frequency, and epidemiological and microbiological features, of respiratory and blood stream infection due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in high-risk patients, all S. aureus strains cultured from reliable clinical specimens (respiratory secretions obtained by tracheo-bronchial aspirate or bronchoalveolar lavage, or blood cultures), were prospectively evaluated over a three-year period, in six inpatient wards selected on the ground of an elevated frequency of severe and/or nosocomially-acquired infections, because of the prevalence of immunocompromised patients, organ transplant recipients, or need of intensive care. Repeatedly positive cultures obtained from a single patient within 30 days were considered as one isolate. Of 507 S. aureus strains responsible for pneumonia or sepsis in the selected wards, 317 (62.5%) proved methicillin-resistant, in absence of significant variations throughout the study period, and according to the specimen origin. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains prevailed over sensitive ones in all examined wards (from a 95% rate of the respiratory intensive care unit, to 55.9% of the pneumology department), save the neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit (41.4%). Most of methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates were recovered from lower airways, compared with blood cultures (p<.0001). The majority of the 317 methicillin-resistant strains were found in the general intensive care unit (42.6%), followed by the pneumology department (18%), and the respiratory intensive care unit (16.4%). Among methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, a broad variation of sensitivity to other antimicrobial agents was observed: from 3.3% of erythromycin, to 76.9% of chloramphenicol, and 79.7% of cotrimoxazole; glycopeptide antibiotics remained effective against all cultured strains. In our three-year survey of more than 500 episodes of documented staphylococcal infection involving high-risk patients, methicillin resistance was a very common feature, observed at a greater frequency than that reported in literature studies focusing on surgical, pneumological, or intensive care settings. A long-term microbiological monitoring of high-risk inpatient wards may allow a continued update of local antimicrobial susceptibility maps, and significantly add to both chemoprophylaxis and empiric treatment strategies of patients which are either immunocompromised or hospitalized for a long period.


Purpose of review This review was conducted to examine current evidence focusing on the effect of nasal steroid sprays on nasal ciliary function. Recent findings Review of current literature suggests that long term effects of topical corticosteroid nasal sprays are safe and fail to cause damage to local nasal structure and function. Summary The use of corticosteroid nasal sprays for the treatment of allergic rhinitis is widely accepted. Popularity of this class of medications is based on a well-established combination of efficacy, tolerability, and safety. Although current literature suggests that the use of intranasal steroids is indeed safe, increasing indications for prolonged administration continue to fuel debate regarding the long-term effect on local nasal structure and function. The purpose of this article is to review current literature addressing the effects of the components of local intranasal steroid sprays on the structure and function of the nasal mucosa.


: Catalysis by AuCu nanoclusters is a promising scientific field. However, our fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanisms of mixing in AuCu clusters at the sub-nanometre scale and their physico-chemical properties in both the gas-phase and on oxide supports is limited. We have identified the global minima of gas-phase and MgO(100)-supported AuCu clusters with 3-10 atoms using the Mexican Enhanced Genetic Algorithm coupled with density functional theory. Au and Cu adatoms and supported dimers have been also simulated at the same level of theory. The most stable composition, as calculated from mixing and binding energies, is obtained when the Cu proportion is close to 50%. The structures of the most stable free AuCu clusters exhibit Cu-core/Au-shell segregation. On the MgO surface however, there is a preference for Cu atoms to lie at the cluster-substrate interface. Due to the interplay between the number of interfacial Cu atoms and surface-induced cluster rear-rangement, on the MgO surface 3D structures become more stable than 2D structures. The O-site of MgO surface is found to be the most favourable adsorption site for both metals. All dimers favour vertical (V) configurations on the surface and their adsorption energies are in the order: Au Cu < Cu Cu < Au Au < Au Cu (where the bold atom is bound to the O-site). For both adatoms and AuCu dimers, adsorption via Cu is more favourable than Au-adsorbed configurations, but, this disagrees with the ordering for the pure dimers due to a combination of electron transfer and the metal-on-top effect. Binding energy (and second difference) and HOMO-LUMO gap calculations show that even-atom (even-electron) clusters are more stable than the neighbouring odd-atom (odd-electron) clusters, which is expected for closed-and open-shell systems. Supporting AuCu clusters on the MgO(100) surface decreases the charge transfer between Au and Cu atoms calculated in free clusters. The results of this study may serve as a foundation for designing better AuCu catalysts.


Ice nucleation was studied in field-fresh and acclimated (4 degrees C without food for 11-20 days) samples of the springtail Cryptopygus antarcticus Willem (Collembola, Isotomidae) at Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island on the Antarctic Peninsula. Ice nucleator activity (INA) was measured by a freezing droplet technique in addition to supercooling point (SCP) profiles and polyol, sugar, and water contents. Field and acclimated samples showed bimodal SCP distributions with a distinct high group (HG; mean SCP -8 to -10 degrees C) and low group (LG: mean SCP -23 to -25 degrees C), which were significantly different. Acclimation at 4 degrees C increased the proportion of individuals in the LG relative to that in the HG without significant effects on the mean SCP of both groups. INA of the HG was significantly greater than that of the LG, and acclimation further reduced the INA of the LG. The number of active ice nucleator agents (INAs) calculated for the HG of field samples increased by 23-100 times over the temperature range -5 to -8 degrees C compared to only 7 times for the LG over the same range. These differences were accentuated in the acclimation experiments. Glucose and galactose were the main carbohydrates in both field and acclimated springtails, with the latter compound occurring in almost twice the concentration in the LG compared with that in the HG. Acclimation reduced the concentration of both compounds (glucose by 77% and galactose by 54%), whereas water content increased significantly. Digestion of food may have continued during acclimation at 4 degrees C, which could reduce the LG INA. Lowering of temperature over time is more likely to elicit a cold hardening response than constant temperature acclimation. INA numbers calculated at the nucleation temperatures for C. antarcticus samples were higher in the LG than in the HG. However, inactivation of INAs may be a key mechanism underlying cold hardening in this species, either by sequestration within the cellular matrix or by being only seasonally active.


The obesity problem in the world is growing bigger and today even our companion animals are becoming heavier. In this paper the importance of a balanced diet for the companion animal is emphasised. There are many disadvantages for the animal and for the owner if the animal becomes obese and it is important to stress the facts on what the consequences might be. There are several medical conditions connected to obesity and a short summary of these will be discussed. It is often easier to prevent obesity rather than loosing the overweight and some ideas of how to do this is looked in to.

In many veterinary clinics today, the veterinary nurse is the first and sometimes the only person to see the animal. It is therefore of great importance that the veterinary nurse is educated in how to help these animals and their owners. Some owners may have difficulties realising or coping with the fact that their animal is obese and this paper will suggest a few ideas on how to increase the compliance of the owners.

When dealing with obese animals and their owners, there are several ways this can be managed. This paper will not provide the reader a handbook on how to deal with this problem, but merely some guidelines on how it may be handled. Since every animal and owner is an individual, there can never be just one way to proceed in helping them with a balanced and harmonic life.


The properties of cationic surfactant-clay mixtures were examined by measurements of the electric conductivity, absorption spectra, and X-ray diffraction patterns. The orientation of N-[[4-(aminoiminomethyl)amino]butyl]dodecanamide (DAG) as a intercalated cationic surfactant and the thickness of the interlayer space of clay using Na-saponite (Sumecton SA) were investigated. DAG molecules were intercalated in a 1 nm gap in the interlayer space of clay. It is speculated that alkyl groups of the surfactant molecules are placed not parallel, but inclined slightly vertical to the internal surface of Na-saponite.


As the frequency and duration of grid outages increase, backup power systems are becoming more important for ensuring that critical infrastructure continues to provide essential services. Most facilities rely on diesel generators, which may be ineffective during long outages owing to limited fuel supplies and high generator failure rates. Distributed energy resources such as solar, storage, and combined-heat-and-power systems, coupled with on-site biofuel production, offer an alternative source of on-site generation that can provide both cost savings and resilience (i.e., the ability to respond to catastrophic events with longer-term consequences). A mixed-integer linear program minimizes costs and maximizes resilience at a wastewater treatment plant in Wilmington, North Carolina. We find that the plant can reduce life-cycle energy costs by 3.1% through the installation of a hybrid combined-heat-and-power, photovoltaic, and storage system. When paired with existing diesel generators, this system can sustain full load for seven days while saving $664,000 over 25 years and reducing diesel fuel use by 48% compared with the diesel-only solution. This analysis informed a decision by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority to allocate funds for the implementation of a combined-heat-and-power system at the wastewater treatment plant in fiscal year 2023. The benefits of deploying hybrid combined-heat-and-power technologies and the utilization of on-site biofuel production extend, on a national scale, to thousands of wastewater treatment facilities and other types of critical infrastructure.


A spaceflight has enormous influence on the health of space voyagers due to the combined effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation. Known effects of microgravity (μg) on cells are changes in differentiation and growth. Considering the commercialization of spaceflight, future space exploration, and long‐term manned flights, research focusing on differentiation and growth of stem cells and cancer cells exposed to real (r‐) and simulated (s‐) μg is of high interest for regenerative medicine and cancer research. In this review, we focus on platforms to study r‐ and s‐μg as well as the impact of μg on cancer stem cells in the field of gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and osteosarcoma. Moreover, we review the current knowledge of different types of stem cells exposed to μg conditions with regard to differentiation and engineering of cartilage, bone, vasculature, heart, skin, and liver constructs.


Evaluation of the x‐ray reflectivity and the effects of thermal annealing on both reflectivity and the layered structures of Mo‐based and W‐based multilayers showed that the x‐ray reflectivities and periodic lengths of Mo/Si, Mo/B, W/Si, W/B, and W/LiF multilayers markedly decreased after annealing at around 400 °C in Ar atmosphere for one hour, whereas the reflectivity of Mo/SiC, Mo/C, Mo/B4C, Mo/BN, MoSi2/Si, Mo5Si3/Si, W/C, W/B4C, and W/BN multilayers changed only slightly. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the thermally induced deterioration in the layered structures of the Mo/SiC, Mo/B4C, Mo/BN, MoSi2/Si, and Mo5Si3/Si multilayers was smaller than that in the Mo/Si and Mo/B multilayers. In addition, the deterioration of the layered structures of the W/C, W/B4C, and W/BN multilayers was smaller than that in the W/Si, W/B, and W/LiF multilayers. These results suggest that Mo/SiC, Mo/C, Mo/B4C, Mo/BN, and MoSi2/Si, and Mo5Si3/Si multilayers are superior to a Mo/Si multilayer in terms of the...


Graduation Monografh Law School Federal University of Santa Maria SURVEILLANCE IN SOCIETY NETWORKING: THE COLLECTION OF PERSONAL DATA ON THE INTERNET AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY Author: Eduardo Steffenello Ghisleni Adviser: Rafael Santos de Oliveira Date and Place of the Defense: Santa Maria, December 2, 2015. The emergence of the Internet led to a transformation in the mechanisms for the collection and dissemination of information. With the expansion of surveillance forms, the laws protecting privacy have become insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the current wave of surveillance made possible by collecting data over the internet, especially with regard to the breach of personal data privacy. Behold, the next problem arises: the current dimension assumed by indiscriminate surveillance in society is moving towards the end of the right to privacy? To address this issue, if approached, at first, the context of enhanced surveillance and its effect on the rights to privacy and data protection. Then, based on the revelations of Edward Snowden, looked to government surveillance, checking the need to rethink the balance between the right to privacy and the protection of public safety. To this end, the study was conducted through the dialectical method of approach, investigating the conflicting nature of the subject, in that, there is an alleged public interest in data collection (public security) and at the same time, the need the preservation of privacy. The methods of procedures, in turn, were the historical, the monographical and the comparator. The first, in investigating the context in which the current surveillance systems emerged. The second, in the analysis of surveillance technologies, generated problems and possible solutions. The third procedure was used to establish the contrast between public safety protection and preservation of privacy based on the justifications presented. Finally, it was found that although the technology environment is hostile to privacy, the emergence of a new global consciousness has provided new ways to maintain this important right.


A study of 181 cases of Brodie's abscess, in which the diagnosis was histologically confirmed, was made in order to demonstrate radiographic factors common to other conditions, and therefore likely to pose questions of differential diagnosis. Some of the pathological characteristics of Brodie's abscess are described and correlated with the differing radiographic appearances of this inflammatory bone lesion.


Vascular endothelial hyperproliferation is involved in the pathophysiological process of angiogenesis, which is indispensable for tumor growth and spread in hypoxic adaptation. There is increasing evidence indicating that statins have potential anti-angiogenesis benefits. However, the intracellular signaling mechanism underlying the effect of statins in vascular endothelial cells is undefined. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of fluvastatin on cell proliferation and apoptosis in normoxic and hypoxic human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Flow cytometric analyses revealed that statins reversed hypoxia-induced cell proliferation by slowing down G1 to S transition and inducing cell apoptosis. To get further insights into the downstream effects of statins, we measured the expression of various apoptosis-associated proteins in hypoxic HUVEC using human apoptosis antibody array. The results suggested that cell apoptosis was accompanied by upregulation of caspase-3, p27, IGFBP-6 and a decrease of bcl-2, survivin levels. Subsequent studies confirmed the results of array and demonstrated that fluvastatin activated mitochondrial apoptosis through enhancing bax/bcl-2 ratio, releasing cytochrome c, in turn activating caspase-9 and caspase-3, and eventually cleaving PARP. Further experiments showed that inhibition of cell proliferation by fluvastatin was associated with elevated IGFBP-6, p27, p53 levels and reduced survivin, cyclin B1, cyclin D1 and VEGF expression. Taken together, fluvastatin suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of HUVEC in hypoxia via multiple signaling pathways, providing a theoretical basis for statins in the therapy of cancer.


This chapter focuses on the use of microbial nucleic acid sequences for the detection, localization, and characterization of microbes in the human intestine, with emphasis on cultivation-resistant pathogens and commensals. Organisms are recovered from diseased tissues by inoculating axenic media and classified based on their ability to grow, using defined substrates at particular temperatures and atmospheres. Having a cultivated microbe is again critical for making antibodies for serological or immunohistochemical detection of infection. Fluorescence in situ hybridization can be used to localize microbes to cells in the intestine by targeting microbial nucleic acid sequences with fluorescently labeled probes and visualizing them with fluorescence microscopy. Leser and colleagues performed an exhaustive study of the bacterial flora of pig intestines using PCR of bacterial 16S rDNA with cloning and sequence analysis. The microbial cause of Whipple's disease was first revealed by studies showing that this fatal disease could be cured with antibiotics. In 1997, Schoedon and colleagues reported the successful propagation of Tropheryma whippelii in human macrophages by using cytokines to deactivate intracellular killing of bacteria. Cyclospora cayetanensis infection causes prolonged diarrhea and is treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.


During investigations of new sources of higher plant lipids, seed fatty acid compositions and the tocopherol contents of some Isatis sp. (Isatis cappadocica subsp. steveniana, I. kotschyana, I. candolleana, I. spectabilis, I. glauca subsp. glauca and I. kozlowskyi) (Brassicaceae) were investigated by using GC and HPLC system. Some of the species are endemic to Turkey. All the Isatis species showed the same pattern of fatty acids. Linolenic and erucic acids were found as the abundant compounds. Tocochromanol derivatives of the seed oil showed more differences between Isatis species. Alpha, beta, gamma and delta tocopherols were the main compounds. Total tocopherol contents of Isatis species studied were found higher than the total tocotrienols. Polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration of Isatis genus patterns were found higher than most of the family and genera patterns in higher plant groups.


ABSTRACTWe obtain a maximal inequality for sub-fractional Brownian motion with Hurst index analogous to the Burkholder–Davis–Gundy inequality for fractional Brownian motion derived by Novikov and Valkeila [Statist. Probab. Lett. 44(1999):47–54] and an integral inequality for Wiener integrals with respect to a sub-fractional Brownian motion with Hurst index .


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to establish a novel paradigm to facilitate radiologists' workflow - combining mutually exclusive CT image properties that emerge from different reconstructions, display settings and organ-dependent spectral evaluation methods into a single context-sensitive imaging by exploiting prior anatomical information.

METHODS
The CT dataset is segmented and classified into different organs, for example, the liver, left and right kidney, spleen, aorta, and left and right lung as well as into the tissue types bone, fat, soft tissue, and vessels using a cascaded three-dimensional fully convolutional neural network (CNN) consisting of two successive 3D U-nets. The binary organ and tissue masks are transformed to tissue-related weighting coefficients that are used to allow individual organ-specific parameter settings in each anatomical region. Exploiting the prior knowledge, we develop a novel paradigm of a context-sensitive (CS) CT imaging consisting of a prior-based spatial resolution (CSR), display (CSD), and dual energy evaluation (CSDE). The CSR locally emphasizes desired image properties. On a per-voxel basis, the reconstruction most suitable for the organ, tissue type, and clinical indication is chosen automatically. Furthermore, an organ-specific windowing and display method is introduced that aims at providing superior image visualization. The CSDE analysis allows to simultaneously evaluate multiple organs and to show organ-specific DE overlays wherever appropriate. The ROIs that are required for a patient-specific calibration of the algorithms are automatically placed into the corresponding anatomical structures. The DE applications are selected and only applied to the specific organs based on the prior knowledge. The approach is evaluated using patient data acquired with a dual source CT system. The final CS images simultaneously link the indication-specific advantages of different parameter settings and result in images combining tissue-related desired image properties.

RESULTS
A comparison with conventionally reconstructed images reveals an improved spatial resolution in highly attenuating objects and in air while the compound image maintains a low noise level in soft tissue. Furthermore, the tissue-related weighting coefficients allow for the combination of varying settings into one novel image display. We are, in principle, able to automate and standardize the spectral analysis of the DE data using prior anatomical information. Each tissue type is evaluated with its corresponding DE application simultaneously.

CONCLUSION
This work provides a proof of concept of CS imaging. Since radiologists are not aware of the presented method and the tool is not yet implemented in everyday clinical practice, a comprehensive clinical evaluation in a large cohort might be topic of future research. Nonetheless, the presented method has potential to facilitate workflow in clinical routine and could potentially improve diagnostic accuracy by improving sensitivity for incidental findings. It is a potential step toward the presentation of evermore increasingly complex information in CT and toward improving the radiologists workflow significantly since dealing with multiple CT reconstructions may no longer be necessary. The method can be readily generalized to multienergy data and also to other modalities.


The issue of financial autonomy has always generated a lot of interest amongst stakeholders and it continues to do so. However, opinions on the association between financial autonomy and rural development are diverse. Hence, this study is fixated on investigating the perspectives of stakeholders regarding the nexus between Financial Autonomy and Rural Development inselected local governments in Ogun State. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design method. Data were obtained through the administration of 400 copies of a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire in three-selected local councils in Ogun State, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics as well as the Kruskal-Wallis H test were the analytical techniques adopted. The study reveals a consensus in the different occupation/workgroups, i.e. that financial autonomy accelerates rural development in Ogun State Local Governments. The result suggests that local councils will be better positioned to contribute to the national economy if their resources are managed with little or no interference from the state government. The paper recommends the enactment of legislation that will give autonomy to local governments to generate and manage their financial resources without undue meddling by other tiers of government, and hence, engender better service delivery and rural development.


Abstract Background A time-geographic diary approach is of interest in occupational therapy due to the inclusion of the diarist's subjective experiences. There are several methods for detecting doing in time, but details needed for analysis are still lacking. The smartphone application POrtable Diary Data collector (PODD), a 24-hr diary based on the time-geographic diary has recently been introduced. Aim To test the usability of PODD as a tool for diary data collection to detect and visualize sequences of daily activities. Material and methods An exploratory sequential design was used, where diary data was first collected and then followed by a questionnaire assessing usefulness. Thirty-one occupational therapy students participated. Usability testing was applied, exploring how participants experienced the use of the device. Data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results The PODD visually presents activity sequences and thus assists in detecting patterns of daily occupations (PDO). The students agreed on the supportive statements concerning learnability, efficiency and memorability. Regarding errors and satisfaction, participants agreed that the device was easy to use. Conclusions Using a mobile application to collect data about students' daily activities was effective. However, the PODD needs to be further evaluated among other groups and contexts as well as for its usefulness for PDO analyses.


A defect in any step of hemostasis can lead to potentially catastrophic results. The purpose of this article is to review hemostatic physiology, laboratory studies, and management of platelet and coagulation disorders to familiarize the advanced practice RN (APRN) with this often overlooked but critical system. Learning the underlying mechanisms allows for better understanding of the various disease states that can occur in the hematology and oncology settings.


Objectives This study aimed to assess the effect of educational program concerning osteoporosis on the knowledge, attitude, and practice among secondary school female students (Shebin El-Kom City, Menoufia Governorate). Background Osteoporosis is a systemic disease characterized by a decrease in skeletal bone mass. It is considered a worldwide health problem, including Egypt. Raising awareness about its burden and risk factors is an essential step in modifying behaviors related to it. Participants and methods The study was conducted on 302 secondary school female students. They were chosen randomly from three secondary schools during the scholastic year 2013/2014. A predesigned questionnaire was used to test their knowledge, attitude, and practice on osteoporosis (a pretest). In addition, a health education program was conducted for improving their knowledge, attitude, and practice. A post-test was conducted after 3 months for 294 of the pretest participants (response rate = 97.4%). Results The mean score of knowledge on osteoporosis risk factors, diagnosis, and protective measures (e.g. nutritional and physical activity) showed a significant improvement. The mean score of attitude as regards calcium-containing food and barrier to have calcium, healthy intentions such as attitude toward disease (regular exercise and barriers to exercise) showed significant improvement. Healthy nutritional practice and regular exercise showed significant improvement after osteoporosis preintervention and postintervention program. Conclusion The applied health education program improved female secondary school students′ knowledge, attitude, and practice as regards osteoporosis, which is a cornerstone in its prevention through modification of related risk factors.


Organotypic cultures of neuronal tissue were first introduced by Hogue in 1947 1,2 and have constituted a major breakthrough in the field of neuroscience. Since then, the technique was developed further and currently there are many different ways to prepare organotypic cultures. The method presented here was adapted from the one described by Stoppini et al. for the preparation of the slices and from Gogolla et al. for the staining procedure 3,4. A unique feature of this technique is that it allows you to study different parts of the brain such as hippocampus or cerebellum in their original structure, providing a big advantage over dissociated cultures in which all the cellular organization and neuronal networks are disrupted. In the case of the cerebellum it is even more advantageous because it allows the study of Purkinje cells, extremely difficult to obtain as dissociated primary culture. This method can be used to study certain developmental features of the cerebellum in vitro, as well as for electrophysiological and pharmacological experiments in both wild type and mutant mice. The method described here was designed to study the effect of apoptotic stimuli such as Fas ligand in the developing cerebellum, using TUNEL staining to measure apoptotic cell death. If TUNEL staining is combined with cell type specific markers, such as Calbindin for Purkinje cells, it is possible to evaluate cell death in a cell population specific manner. The Calbindin staining also serves the purpose of evaluating the quality of the cerebellar cultures.


The etiopathogenesis of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) seems to be complex and many patients probably involves interactions among local, systemic, and/or psychological factors in the pathophysiologic mechanism. Although there are controversies over whether the psychological factor is a cause or a result of BMS, several studies have supported strong relationships between psychological factors and chronic pain. It has been suggested that somatic complaints from unfavorable life experiences may influence both individual personality and mood changes; however, initiation of BMS symptoms is not necessarily correlated with stressful life events despite their elevated psychological stress. If the psychological distress is not a causal factor of BMS, it seems that BMS patients may be particularly vulnerable to psychological problems, primarily depression, anxiety, and hostility due to the characteristic entities of BMS such as chronic persistent pain itself. It seems likely that both physiological and psychological factors play a role in causing, perpetuating and/or exacerbating BMS; therefore, both two components of the patient's symptoms must be addressed. The acceptance of psychological factors by the patient is often an important element of BMS, management. The evaluation of psychological and emotional status of BMS patient enables clinicians to recognize prolonged negative and subclinical factors which can complicate the management of pain or indirectly perpetuate other physical factors. This evaluation improves the doctor-patient relationships, motivation, and compliance through a correct understanding of the clinical problem. Appropriate emotional and psychological evaluation may be required prior to developing a treatment plan in order to gain the successful treatment outcome.


The purpose of this document is to specify extensions to ANCP (Access
Node Control Protocol) (RFC6320) to support PON as described in
RFC6934 and some other DSL Technologies including G.fast. This
document updates RFC6320 by modifications to terminologies, flows and
specifying new TLV types. This document updates RFC6320 by
modifications to terminologies, flows and specifying new TLV types.


In this paper, Fe3O4 and MgFe2O4 as magnetic samples were successfully synthesized by coprecipitation and combustion methods, respectively, to be used for adsorption of toxic methyl orange molecules from the aqueous solution. Characteristics of the synthesized samples were evaluated using various analyses. The results of crystalline and surface bonding assessment confirmed the successful synthesis of both samples with an appropriate structure. Moreover, Fe3O4 presented higher magnetic properties and surface area as well as lower pore diameter than MgFe2O4 sample. However, the maximum adsorption of methyl orange was obtained for MgFe2O4 (56.54 mg/g) which was around three times of Fe3O4 in the same conditions. This may be related to larger pore diameter of MgFe2O4 and the ease of access to the internal surface of the adsorbent by the adsorbate molecules. Among the evaluated isotherms, the predicted Freundlich model showed well correlation with actual results of the adsorption process and the process could kinetically explained by the pseudo-second-order equation. Thermodynamic investigation of the process showed the adsorption of methyl orange was exothermic and spontaneous. The results revealed that MgFe2O4 sample (qmax = 181.34 mg/g) can be suggested as a good adsorbent for the removal of toxic dyes and water pollutants.


Background: Treating cancer increasingly relies on targeting kinases, because their oncogenic activity drive tumorigenesis. Discovering which active mechanisms of disease progression can be efficiently targeted, and knowing whether kinase networks circumvent therapeutic interventions, are challenges researchers and clinicians face. Surprisingly however, measuring the phosphorylating activity of kinases, and potentially monitoring the functionality of the entire human phospho-reactome at once, remains largely unexplored. We developed a semi-high throughput assay to monitor the phospho-catalytic activity of kinase enzymes, using their biological targets as phospho-sensors. We successfully used this assay to identify oncogenic phospho-signatures prevalent in breast cancer, and can be used to establish drug-sensitivity profiles in models of kinase-targeted therapies. Methods: We first defined how to computationally build a library of peptide sensors established from confirmed kinase substrates' phosphorylation sites. Precisely, we used computational methods to create a unique phospho-repertoire cataloguing 3,408 peptide sequences established from validated human proteins' phosphorylation sites, curated from 38 public databases. Second, we experimentally used these biologically relevant probes in multiplex assays to quantify the catalytic state of kinases. Specifically, a kinome-representative 242-peptide set was developed into an ATP-consumption screen to identify the activity signatures of EGFR, MAPK, AKT, ABL and SRC family kinases, and explore 642 kinase/substrate nodes. Next, we described analysis methods to derive phospho-signatures from semi-high throughput ATP-consumption measurements. We validated the assay using isogenic culture model of basal-like breast cancer (HMT-3522 S1 and T4-2), and cell lines harboring EGFR/HER2-oncogenic alterations such as MDA-MB-231, MCF7 or T47D. Results: The differential phosphorylation activity of 25 recombinant, active kinase enzymes was successfully captured. In cancer cell extracts, hyper-activated EGFR, ERK, MEK, AKT, and SRC kinases originally identified by immuno-detection were reliably and specifically detectable using the peptide-based kinase-activity assay. The phospho-sensing assay revealed the heterogeneity of active kinase signaling circuits among different breast cancer cells. Conclusion: This unique strategy and resources allow to comprehensively measure the catalytic activity of multitude kinases at once, representing a new molecular dimension to characterize biological samples. We will use such new phospho-reactome profiling system to determine the efficacy of new combinatorial therapies, and define how chemotherapeutic interventions lead to the reprogramming of phospho-circuits. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P4-05-02.


Background and Aim: COVID-19 is a pandemic infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus has made dramatic changes in people's individual, family, and social lifestyle. Most countries have implemented some regulations including wearing face masks, face shields, and gloves and physical, and social distance in public places to reduce the spread of the virus. However, these global recommendations may be associated with significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges for hearing-impaired people. This review explains the problems that hearingimpaired people may experience in the COVID19 outbreak and also some helpful solutions that can be implemented by audiologists, healthcare professionals, and other members of the society that somehow interact with these people in such conditions that communication barriers increase.
Recent Findings: Recent findings indicate that wearing face masks, physical, and social distancing, e-learning and virtual communications during COVID-19 pandemic have provided some problems for people with hearing loss. This can, in turn, have negative consequences including increased feelings of loneliness, isolation and also some limitations in access to educational materials and rehabilitation training of lockdowns of schools and rehabilitation centers or some challenges of online learning at home.
Conclusion: People with hearing loss may experience problems during COVID-19 pandemic. There are some strategies that can be implemented to partially solve some communicative and social problems in this group. The use of transparent face masks, compensatory strategies, as well as optimization of virtual, and telehealth, telerehabilitation and tele-education services can be helpful for hearing-impaired people during this pandemic era.

Keywords: COVID-19; face mask; social distancing; hearing-impaired people; communication; compensatory strategies


Migrating alternate bars form in alluvial channels as a result of morphodynamic instability. Extensive literature can be found on their origin and short‐term development, but their long‐term evolution has been poorly studied so far. In particular, it is not clear whether migrating bars eventually reach a (dynamic) equilibrium, as in previous studies bars were observed to elongate with time. We studied the long‐term evolution of alternate bars by performing two independent long‐duration laboratory experiments and some numerical tests with a physics‐based depth‐averaged model. In a straight flume with constant water flow and sediment recirculation, migrating bars followed a cyclic variation. They became gradually longer and higher for a while, then quickly much shorter and lower. In one case, all migrating bars simultaneously vanished almost completely only to reform soon after. At the same time, steady bars, two to three times as long, progressively developed from upstream, gradually suppressing the migrating bars. We also observed simultaneous vanishing of migrating bars in an annular flume experiment, this time at intervals of 6–8 d. Numerical simulations of long alluvial channels with constant flow rate and fixed banks show periodic vanishing of a few migrating bars at a time, occurring at regular spacing. Under constant flow rates, migrating bars appear as a transition phenomenon of alluvial channels having a cyclic character. These observations, however, might hold only for certain morphodynamics conditions, which should be further investigated.


While critical attention has recently turned to racialized police violence in US cities, another quiet development in urban policing is taking place. Hundreds of police departments have begun to wed database software with geographic information systems to represent crime cartographically. Focusing on the Chicago police's digital mapping application, CLEARmap, the article interprets this development from the standpoint of racialized carceral power. It puts critical geographic information systems theory into discussion with critical ethnic studies and builds the case that CLEARmap does not passively "read" urban space, but provides ostensibly scientific ways of reading and policing negatively racialized fractions of surplus labor in ways that reproduces, and in some instances extends the tentacles of carceral power. CLEARmap's data structure ensures that negatively racialized fractions of surplus labor, the places they inhabit, and the social problems that afflict them are only representable to state authorities and the public as objects of policing and punishment. CLEARmap is also used at police–community meetings and via the Internet to adapt public perceptions of crime to that of the policing apparatus, and mobilize the public as appendages of police surveillance. By tracing these phenomena, the article casts a heretofore untheorized dimension of the carceral power into sharp relief.


Background: Widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has enabled secondary use of EHR data for clinical research and healthcare delivery. Natural language processing (NLP) techniques have shown promise in their capability to extract the embedded information in unstructured clinical data, and information retrieval (IR) techniques provide flexible and scalable solutions that can augment the NLP systems for retrieving and ranking relevant records. Methods: In this paper, we present the implementation of Cohort Retrieval Enhanced by Analysis of Text from EHRs (CREATE), a cohort retrieval system that can execute textual cohort selection queries on both structured and unstructured EHR data. CREATE is a proof-of-concept system that leverages a combination of structured queries and IR techniques on NLP results to improve cohort retrieval performance while adopting the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM) to enhance model portability. The NLP component empowered by cTAKES is used to extract CDM concepts from textual queries. We design a hierarchical index in Elasticsearch to support CDM concept search utilizing IR techniques and frameworks. Results: Our case study on 5 cohort identification queries evaluated using the IR metric, P@5 (Precision at 5) at both the patient-level and document-level, demonstrates that CREATE achieves an average P@5 of 0.90, which outperforms systems using only structured data or only unstructured data with average P@5s of 0.54 and 0.74, respectively.


For the past few years, the meaning of innerwear was just for protecting their body and basic clothes to wear under their outerwear, however it has been changed since last a few years because of the improvement of the consumers life styles and the changing of what they need. For example, most of consumers in the past were tend to buy innerwear either sanitary reasons or comfort to move, the other side, consumers today take a cautious attitude when they purchase innerwear not only comfort and function but also trend such as design, color and styles. As a matter of fact, the lingerie looks which is not distinguish between innerwear and outerwear were welcomed by famous designers after the 21th century. The many number of popular designers and entertainers make innerwear brand by their own name and make a big profit. They have something in common how they success their innerwear brand in that they immediately react latest trend for innerwear as well as outerwear. In these days, innerwear is one of the most important fashion trend. Recognizing to how innerwear is important to react fashion trend, this research will analysis the latest fashion trend and will focus on innerwear trend. After analysing carefully what`s going on underwear upcoming trend, this research will suggest 2008/9`S FW innerwear trend divided into 5 main theme including items, color, print, pattern and details.


Impoliteness has recently been of interest to scholars as a linguistic study in the field of pragmatics. It has emerged as the opposite orientation to politeness strategy, theory and studies. This paper explores how the impoliteness strategies mapped out by Jonathan Culpeper (1996) are employed in dramatic texts. It examines Culpeper's impoliteness strategies designed to investigate face in the dramatic text. This paper tests the strategies through Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues (1985). This dramatic comedy is used for three reasons: (1) as a drama, it is a mirror of life and real-life speech events; (2) impoliteness strategies provide a resource to analyse impolite interactions between the characters in dialogic discourse; (3) dramatic texts provide a rich context to interpret and analyse verbal and non-verbal impoliteness strategies. Impoliteness strategies can cause disharmony and conflict between characters in a dramatic text. The interactions exchanged by the characters in Biloxi Blues are analysed according to Culpeper's five impoliteness strategies: bald on record impoliteness, positive impoliteness, negative impoliteness, sarcasm or mock politeness, and withhold politeness. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method to determine how face-threatening acts are incorporated into the play in line with Culpeper's impoliteness strategies propounded in his article entitled Towards an Anatomy of Impoliteness (1996). The paper also examines how the characters react to face-threatening acts. In the twelve selected dramatic extracts, seventeen cases of positive impoliteness, ten cases of bald on record impoliteness, eight cases of sarcasm or mock politeness, and four cases of negative impoliteness have been observed. Moreover, it has also been observed that the characters use taboo words and abusive and strong language. The bald on record impolite acts are aggravated mainly by abuses, sexual insults and name-calling strategies. Racial slurs have also been identified as a part of positive impoliteness.


UNLABELLED
Carvedilol is a beta-blocking agent with antioxidant properties that has been shown to improve survival in chronic heart failure (CHF). Previous open-label studies have suggested that its use may have positive effects on the abnormalities of cardiac sympathetic innervation integrity and functioning. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that carvedilol exerts its beneficial effects on hemodynamics in parallel with an action on myocardial sympathetic activity and with its antioxidant property.

METHODS
A randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of carvedilol was conducted on 64 CHF patients. Patients underwent-before and after 6 mo of therapy with either carvedilol or placebo-measurements of cardiac sympathetic activity, circulating catecholamine level, and hemodynamic indices. Myocardial meta-(123)I-iodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) uptake was used to assess the changes in myocardial sympathetic activity. The antioxidant properties of the plasma were assessed by measuring the percentage of nonhemolyzed erythrocytes and the volume of plasma capable of inhibiting 50% of hemolysis after an oxidative stress. Echographic left ventricular (LV) diameters, radionuclide LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and exercise cardiopulmonary capacity were measured to evaluate the hemodynamic response.

RESULTS
End-diastolic and end-systolic LV diameters decreased (both P < 0.05) and LVEF increased (P = 0.03) in the carvedilol group, whereas these parameters remained unchanged in the placebo group. Carvedilol did not alter the submaximal exercise cardiopulmonary capacity or the circulating catecholamine level. The beneficial hemodynamic effects in the carvedilol group were associated with an increase in myocardial (123)I-MIBG uptake as assessed by both planar and tomographic imaging (P < 0.01). Carvedilol had no detectable effect on antioxidant properties of the plasma.

CONCLUSION
The benefits of carvedilol on resting hemodynamics appear to be associated with a partial recovery of cardiac adrenergic innervation functioning without detectable antioxidant effect in the plasma.


This article questions the traditional concept of drafters as "scribes" who faithfully convert the legislative policy decisions of public officials into bills. It maintains that the relationship between drafter and text is quite different from the technical, value-neutral enterprise so often portrayed. The article contends that legislative drafting is inherently political, that it inescapably demands policy choices by drafters, and that no legislative drafter can fully escape the ethical and political implications of the enterprise. Numerous examples drawn from legislative practice demonstrate how the subjectivity of drafters influences the shape and substance of legislation.Part II of the article reviews ethical and professional guidelines governing the drafting process. Part III urges drafters to recognize that they play a more active role in drafting than that of stereotypical scribe. By acknowledging the numerous advocacy opportunities inherent in the drafting process, drafters can apply their more informed understanding to minimize inappropriate personal or political influences on the process.


Abstract Laccase-based bioprocesses represent a fascinating prospective for the removal of contaminants of emerging concern in wastewaters. In this work, immobilized laccase from Trametes hirsuta was used to transform carbamazepine (CBZ) and acetaminophen (ACE) in spiked single and binary solutions. The effects of pH, time course and reaction pathways on the transformation were studied. T. hirsuta secreted only laccase. The immobilized laccase was able to degrade 40% and 70% of CBZ and ACE, respectively, in the binary system, while only 5% and 25% of transformation was achieved in the single system for ACE and CBZ, respectively. The maximum removal of acetaminophen was found at pH 7. These obtained results confirm that the acetaminophen is a good laccase mediator compound. The most probable pathway in the binary system involved the formation of acetaminophen dimers and ACE-ACE-CBZ oligomers.


In this paper, we introduce a noisy framework for SFTs, allowing some amount of forbidden patterns to appear. Using the Besicovitch distance, which permits a global comparison of configurations, we then study the closeness of noisy measures to non-noisy ones as the amount of noise goes to 0. Our first main result is the full classification of the (in)stability in the one-dimensional case. Our second main result is a stability property under Bernoulli noise for higher-dimensional periodic SFTs, which we finally extend to an aperiodic example through a variant of the Robinson tiling.


Learning Objectives: In the age of surviving sepsis campaign, it is easy to miss severe sepsis mimics like the hyper inflammatory syndrome of HLH. Here, we describe the case of a 71-y/o M, from Connecticut who presented with weakness and shortness of breath for 3 days while on a cruise on the Columbia River. Methods: His PMH includes hypertension, Lyme disease and urinary tract infections. Physical exam was unremarkable. Labs revealed; WBC: 29.41 K/uL, HGB: 12.7 mg/dl, platelets: 110K/ uL, BUN/creatinine: 49/2, lactic acid: 1.4 mmol/L, ALK phos: 62, AST/ALT: 66/36 with a normal CXR. Sepsis from UTI was suspected given his history of UTI's and started on azithromycin and meropenem. The patient was transferred to the ICU on day 2 for respiratory distress and shock. He was intubated and started on norepinephrine. Atovaquone was added to the antibiotic regimen as babesia was suspected given his exposure to ticks. On day 3, fluconazole and doxycycline were added empirically as patient was requiring 3 pressors with acute renal failure. Testing for Lyme disease, Rickettsiosis, Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis were negative. HLH was suspected on day 4 due to persistent fevers, worsening clinical course despite broad-spectrum antibiotics, HGB of 8.6, and platelet count of 72K/uL. Further testing revealed ferritin: >40,000 ng/mL, triglycerides 1148 mg/dL, LDH: 2040 U/L, IL2 receptor (CD25): 12,140 pg/mL (ref <1034 pg/mL). Bone marrow biopsy showed hypercellular marrow with megakaryocytic hyperplasia and hemophagocytosis in histiocytes. Peripheral smear showed neutrophilia with intracytoplasmic morulae suspicious for granulocytic anaplasmosis. A diagnosis of HLH secondary to human granulocytic anaplasmosis was made and dexamethasone 10 mg/m2 IV daily started. Etoposide was held due to renal insufficiency and was started on day 6 after presentation. The patient was weaned off of mechanical ventilation and renal replacement and was eventually sent to a rehabilitation center. Results: Multi-organ failure from secondary HLH can be easily attributed to refractory septic shock. Given the radically different treatment approaches, a high degree of suspicion and timely diagnosis of HLH is essential in initiating the right treatment. In our patient a dramatic response was noted following initiation of immunosuppression.


Five watersheds drained by first-order streams and containing timber that was 80+ years old were selected to study the impacts of clearcutting and planting site preparation on water quality in the presence and absence of streamside management zones (SMZs). One watershed was maintained as a reference with no treatment while the remaining 4 were clear cut harvested. Two of the harvested watersheds were clearcut to the stream banks and two maintained 10 m SMZs on each side of the stream. Site preparation included mechanical (shearing, root-raking and windrowing) or chemical, each in the presence and absence of SMZs. Chemical site preparation was accomplished by the aerial application of a mixture of imazapyr plus glyphosate (1.12 plus 3.36 kg ai/ha). Water temperature, sediment yield, periphyton biomass, macroinvertebrate population dynamics, and herbicide off-site movement into streams were measured and differences identified as a function of the treatments versus the reference channel using Randomized Intervention Analysis (RIA). RIA identified differences in water quality among the various treatments at all stages (i.e. harvest and site preparation) of the study. In general, mechanical site preparation resulted in greater impacts on the physical, chemical and biological aspects of water quality than chemical site preparation.


Mergers, acquisitions and takeovers often imply dramatic changes for employees, competitors, customers and suppliers. Not surprisingly, the market for corporate control has generated controversy and is frequently regulated by law or business custom. Though transfers of control take place in many countries, explicit and public struggles for control occur most frequently in the U.S. and U.K. During most of the 20th century, critics of mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. pointed to the danger of monopoly and increased concentration. Partly in response to the emergence of new control transactions such as the hostile takeover and leveraged buyout, more recent criticism has focused on the consequences for corporate productivity, profitability and employee welfare. Subject to qualifications, the market for corporate control reallocates productive assets ? in the form of going concerns ? to the highest bidder. In cases where the bidder uses his own money or acts on behalf of the bidding firm1s shareholders, the asset goes to the highest value use. In cases where managers of the bidding firm are able to serve their own interests rather than the interests of shareholders, the market for corporate control plays a paradoxical role. It simultaneously provides (1) a means by which managers may acquire companies using other people's money and (2) a means by which they may themselves be disciplined or displaced.


Objectives : A Pregnancy becomes a developmental challenge and a life-turning point for both the woman herself and her family. The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation amomg the family support, intention of pregnancy and the antenatal self-care of pregnant women. Method : The data were collected from 129 pregnant women by a questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, using the SPSS program. Result : The findings of the study are as fellows : Statistically significant variables related to family support were age, religion, educational level, occupation, relationship with husband, relationship with mother. Statistically significant variables related to intention of pregnancy were religion, abortion history. Statistically significant variables related to antenatal self-care were age, religion, occupation, abortion history, relationship with mother, the term of marriage. There was a significant correlation between family support and intention of pregnancy, family support and antenatal self-care, intention of pregnancy and antenatal self-care. Conclusion : Therefore, it is proposed that family support is an appropriate nursing intervention to improve the antenatal self-care and intention of pregnancy in pregnant women.


INTRODUCTION: The most recent United Kingdom (NICE, 2009) guidelines recommend neoadjuvant chemotherapy as the most appropriate initial treatment for locally advanced breast cancer followed by mastectomy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy should also be offered to patients with early breast cancer who are considering breast conserving surgery that is not advisable at presentation. However, the evidence base is still gathering. This study reviews the recent experience of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a large United Kingdom breast unit according to breast cancer subtype. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer at University Hospitals of Leicester between January 2008 and March 2011. Patients were identified from the unit database. Breast cancers were typed according to immunehistochemical marker profile: luminal A (ER or PR positive, HER2 negative), luminal B (ER or PR positive, HER2 positive), triple negative (ER and PR negative, HER2 negative), and HER2 positive (ER and PR negative, HER2 positive). RESULTS: Of 2,489 new patients with breast cancer seen during the study period, 153 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. 20 patients had lobular-type cancers, and the remaining 133 patients had ductal- or mixed-type histology. 101 patients had locally advanced disease and 52 patients presented as early breast cancer. 24 of all patients (15 %) achieved complete pathological response. 18 patients (12 %) never proceeded to surgery, eight of whom died during the study period. In total to date, 23 patients (15 %) have died including one death due to complications from chemotherapy. Of 120 patients initially scheduled for mastectomy, the tumor was downsized in 26 patients (22 %) so that they were able to undergo breast conserving surgery (BCS), with margins involved in six patients. The outcome of neoadjuvant chemotherapy according to breast cancer subtype is presented (Tables 1 and 2). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, patients receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer for a variety of indications. Compared to our standard population of breast cancer patients, early mortality remains relatively high, particlularly in the hormone receptor negative subtypes. BCS conversion rates were similar across breast cancer subtypes, but BCS was less likely to be successful in the Luminal A group. Luminal A cancers were also significantly less likely to achieve pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Breast cancer subtype should be taken into account when scheduling patients for neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-14-15.


Nigerian economy is mono-cultural dependence on a single commodity-oil, while other sectors of the economy have been relegated or neglected since the discovery of oil, and the management of oil revenues has proven inefficacious in driving the economy to bring about the needed level of growth talk less of development. This has the serious negative implementation of the nation's development, as good percentage of Nigerians still live in abject poverty and unemployment is on the increase in the country. In respect of this, the paper seeks possible ways to diversify the productive base of the Nigerian economy. It is revealed that considering Nigeria's peculiar circumstances and successes recorded before the advent of oil, for Nigeria to break loose from the problems inherent in a monotype-economy dominated by oil, which is subject to depletion, international price shocks and unfavourable quota arrangement, there is a need for diversification of Nigerian economy for National development. This paper, therefore, describes the importance of Entrepreneurship as a realistic mechanism for the diversification of Nigerian economic development. It discusses that entrepreneurship has been instrumental in the economic development and job creation in most of the developing economies, and training on entrepreneurship is one of the possible options for diversification of the Nigerian economy. The paper recommended that Review Article Mukhtar et al.; JEMT, 21(6): 1-11, 2018; Article no.JEMT.41679 2 government should have interest and support entrepreneurship with finance, access to licences/ permits, taxes and to be included in the curriculum of studies from primary school to tertiary level.


Small pelagic fish lack clear stock-recruitment relationships. This is a problem because such relationships are taken to be the primary descriptors of density dependence, responsible for regulating population density. In this paper, we show that small pelagic fish species, anchovy (Engraulis spp, Engraulidae), living in a stochastic environment, can be strongly regulated without a stock-recruitment relationship emerging. This is done through numerical analysis of a size-spectrum model, in which fish grow by eating and die in part from being eaten, with the result that birth, growth and death are all density dependent. The model includes cannibalism, and growth-dependent larval mortality, both of which have been suggested as regulatory mechanisms in anchovy, together with growth and reproduction later in life. Despite the lack of a clear stock-recruitment relationship in the presence of stochasticity, signals of density dependence in the vital rates remain clear, suggesting that they might prove to be better indicators of density dependence than stock-recruitment relationships in small pelagic fish.


The invention discloses a progressive identifying method for damaged cable concentrated loads and support angular displacement based on angle monitoring. The progressive identifying method determines whether the mechanical calculation reference model of a cable structure needs to be updated or not based on the angle monitoring through monitoring cable structure temperature and environmental temperature, so that a mechanical calculation reference model, considering the cable structure temperature and the environmental temperature, of the cable structure is obtained. On the basis of the model, a unit damage monitored angle numerical value change matrix is obtained through calculation. According to the approximate linear relation existing between the current numerical value vector of monitored angles and the current initial numerical value vector of the monitored angles, the unit damage monitored angle numerical value change matrix and a current evaluated object nominal damage vector to be solved, the non-inferior solution of the current evaluated object nominal damage vector is calculated, and therefore when temperature changes happen, the support angular displacement, the variable quantity of the concentrated loads and a damaged cable can be identified.


Buasbuas (Premna pubescens) is a plant that is traditionally known to have medicinal properties. This study aims to determine the content of bioactive compounds contained in the petiole by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrophotometer (GCMS) method. Preparation of ethanol extract of petiole using maceration method with 96% ethanol solvent. The study used gas chromatographic tools and mass spectra which were evaluated using MASSLAB program. The data obtained from the GCMS machine is then analyzed using the NCBI database pubchem software (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). The results of this study indicate that the content of bioactive compounds on the petioles of buasbuas more than 50 libraries contains about 150 species of compounds with a range of RT and% area respectively 4.684 to 28.155 and 0.16 to 15.56%. The content of bioactive compounds shown this data indicates that very large potential of buasbuas plants to be explored and exploitation as a nutritious plant. The results of this study can be used as the foundation in the development program of the potential utilization of bioassemblance of buasbuas plants. In further research it is necessary to analyze the other parts of the plant and make comparisons to complete the available databases.


Author(s): Jarvis, Justin | Advisor(s): Brueckner, Jan | Abstract: The three chapters in this dissertation analyze data from studies done with a focus on understanding marginalized people groups. The first analysis (in Chapter 1) looks at the lives of children in poor households in Ecuador, in particular by estimating the effects of the household-level determinants on educational achievement and on the incidence of child labor. The second two analyses (Chapters 2 and 3) attempt to understand the determinants of homelessness in Costa Mesa.Chapter 1 finds that the Bono Desarrollo Humano in Ecuador has a positive effect on reducing child labor in the current generation, and perhaps secondary effects into subsequent generations. I also find that child labor and household educational attainment have a negative correlation, even after controlling for other observables. Chapter 2 utilizes a novel dataset and to study homelessness and finds that the self-reported cause of homelessness is a determining factor. It also finds, as would be expected, that education and the presence of family nearby lessens the intensity of homelessness.Chapter 3 investigates how a homeless individual's intensity of homelessness is predicted by the individual's discount rate and attitudes toward risk. The ex-ante hypothesis is that an increase in homeless intensity could be driven by an decrease in patience and/or an increase in risk tolerance. The hypothesis is tested by using a novel application of weighted least squares to regress the individual's homeless intensity (HIM) on the risk and discount variables mentioned above, as well as on the clearly exogenous individual-level characteristics. Evidence is found to support the hypothesis, in that a decrease in patience is associated with an increase in the individual's HIM. Increasing levels of risk tolerance are associated with an increase in the HIM as well, and this effect appears to be significant even with the inclusion of observably risky behaviors.The data for Chapter 1 was obtained from the Ministry of Social Development of the Government of Ecuador. The data for Chapters 2 and 3 come from two surveys the author conducted himself. The first took place in October of 2012 and the second occurred in April 2014.


Co-ordination compounds of the new ligand 1,8-bis(3,5-dimethyl-1 -pyrazolyl)-3,6-dithiaoctane (bddo) with MCl2(M = Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Zn, Cu, or Cd), MBr2(M = Mn, Co, Ni, or Zn), Cu(BF4)2, and CuX (X = BF4, NCS, Cl, Br, or I) are described. The general formula for the divalent metal is [M(bddo)X2] and for copper(I), [Cu2(bddo)X2]. With CuCl2 two modifications were obtained. The green modification of [Cu(bddo)Cl2] crystallises in space group P21/n with a= 9.019(2), b= 28.671(5), c= 8.431(2)A, β= 113.65(2)°, R= 0.055, and R′= 0.066 for 1 578 unique reflections [I > 2σ(I)]. The compound consists of Cu(bddo)Cl2 units. The copper atom is co-ordinated by two pyrazole nitrogens and two chloride atoms, in trans positions, in a distorted square-planar geometry. The red modification of [Cu(bddo)Cl2] crystallises in space group Pbcn with a= 9.397(4), b= 15.093(4), c= 15.142(4)A, Z= 4, R= 0.069, and R′= 0.089 for 864 unique reflections [I > σ(I)]. This compound consists of CuCl2 units linked together by ligand molecules, thus forming chains with distinct C2 symmetry perpendicular to the chain axis. The copper atom is co-ordinated in a distorted-tetrahedral geometry by two pyrazole nitrogens and two chloride atoms in cis positions. The sulphur atoms do not participate in the co-ordination, although molecular-mechanics calculations show that the ligand bddo is not sterically hindered to form tetradentate mononuclear chelates, i.e. with a MN2S2 chromophore. The structures of the other divalent metal halides were established as being very similar to that of the red modification. For [Cu(bddo)(BF4)2] semi-co-ordination of one or both tetrafluoroborates is indicated by the i.r. spectrum. Solid-state 13C n.m.r. spectra of the copper(I) compounds indicate that the S atoms show significant shifts, suggesting co-ordination. In the thiocyanate and iodide compounds both thioether sulphurs co-ordinate in an identical manner, whereas in the chloride and bromide compounds they co-ordinate in a different manner.


Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with a complex vascular pathophysiology that includes activation of coagulation and inflammation. However, the crosstalk between these 2 systems in SCD has not been investigated. Here, we examined the role of tissue factor (TF) in the activation of coagulation and inflammation in 2 different mouse models of SCD (BERK and Townes). Leukocytes isolated from BERK mice expressed TF protein and had increased TF activity compared with control mice. We found that an inhibitory anti-TF antibody abrogated the activation of coagulation but had no effect on hemolysis or anemia. Importantly, inhibition of TF also attenuated inflammation and endothelial cell injury as demonstrated by reduced plasma levels of IL-6, serum amyloid P, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. In addition, we found decreased levels of the chemokines MCP-1 and KC, as well as myeloperoxidase in the lungs of sickle cell mice treated with the anti-TF antibody. Finally, we found that endothelial cell-specific deletion of TF had no effect on coagulation but selectively attenuated plasma levels of IL-6. Our data indicate that different cellular sources of TF contribute to activation of coagulation, vascular inflammation, and endothelial cell injury. Furthermore, it appears that TF contributes to these processes without affecting intravascular hemolysis.


Laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) bioprinting has been viewed as a new and actively developed three-dimensional bioprinting technology due to its high accuracy and good cell viability. The printing quality is highly dependent on the jet formation and its stability in the LIFT bioprinting process. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of a graphene Energy Absorbing Layer (EAL) and alginate hydrogel (SA) (w.t. 1% and 2%) viscosity on jet generation in the LIFT bioprinting process. Since SA exhibits a shear-thinning behavior, it is a non-Newtonian fluid. The effect of EAL thickness and SA's viscosity were addressed for various experimental conditions. After the laser irradiated on the quartz substrate, small holes caused by laser interaction appeared in the interaction area on the EAL. The EAL substrate with multiple holes was examined using an optical microscope, and the morphology of holes was observed and compared. The images of jet generation showed that graphene EAL can assist in the transfer of SA with a low laser energy absorption rate. The viscosity of the SA also plays a significant role in the generation of a stable jet for SA transfer. For the cases with the same laser energy input, the jet generated using higher viscosity bioink had a smaller initial velocity, which eventually led to a shorter jet length. The findings in this study will facilitate the development of new EAL in LIFT bioprinting.


Summary In this paper we present a new method for the detection of resistance to activated protein C (APC) that is based on direct measurement of the effect of APC on the cofactor activity of plasma factor Va. The factor V present in a diluted plasma sample was activated with thrombin and its sensitivity towards APC was subsequently determined by incubation with phospholipids and APC. The loss of factor Va cofactor activity was quantified in a prothrombinase system containing purified prothrombin, factor Xa and phospholipid vesicles and using a chromogen-ic assay for quantitation of thrombin formation. The reaction conditions were optimized in order to distinguish normal, heterozygous and homozygous APC-resistant plasmas. Maximal differences in the response of these plasmas towards APC were observed when factor Va was inactivated by APC in the absence of protein S and when the cofactor activity of factor Va was determined at a low factor Xa concentration (0.3 nM). Addition of 0.2 nM APC and 20 μM phospholipid vesicles to a 1000-fold diluted sample of thrombin-activated normal plasma resulted in loss of more than 85% of the cofactor activity factor Va within 6 rnin. Under the same conditions, APC inactivated ∼ 60% and ∼20% of the factor Va present in plasma samples from APC-resistant individuals that were heterozygous or homozygous for the mutation Arg506⟶Gln in factor V, respectively. Discrimination between the plasma samples from normal and heterozygous and homozygous APC-resistant individuals was facilitated by introduction of the so-called APC-sensitivity ratio (APC-sr). The APC-sr was defined as the ratio of the factor Va cofactor activities determined in thrombin-activated plasma samples after 6 min incubation with or without 0.2 nM APC and was multiplied by 100 to obtain integers (APC-sr = {factor Va+APC/factor Va−APC} × 100). Clear differences were observed between the APC-sr of plasmas from normal healthy volunteers (APC-sr: 8-20, n = 33) and from individuals that were heterozygous (APC-sr: 35-50, n = 17) or homozygous APC resistant (APC-sr: 82-88, n = 7). There was no mutual overlap between the APC-sr of normal plasmas and plasmas from heterozygous or homozygous APC resistant individuals (p <0.0001). In all cases our test gave the same result as the DNA-based assay. Since the test is performed on a highly diluted plasma sample there is no interference by conditions that affect APC resistance tests that are based on clotting time determinations (e.g. coagulation factor deficiencies, oral anticoagulation, heparin treatment, the presence of lupus anticoagulants, pregnancy or the use of oral contraceptives). Furthermore, we show that part of the factor Va assay can be performed on an autoanalyzer which increases the number of plasma samples that can be handled simultaneously.


This paper deals with the compensation of analog imperfections in a Ka-Band FMCW SAR. Due to the presence of phase distortion in the up-conversion and down-conversion block, we demonstrate that the calibration of the VCO based on a reference beat signal is range-limited. We propose a post-processing method to compensate the residual sinusoidal nonlinearities of the VCO characteristic as well as the phase distortion coming from the up-conversion and down-conversion block. Processing of SAR data acquisition demonstrates the efficiency of the method.


Now if ABCD is self-conjugate, then alaati = a^n etc., and the equation of the quadric S' becomes evanescent, and <S" is thus indeterminate ; this corresponds to the fact tha t the four generators at 0 are insufficient to determine the quadric S'. The conditions a13a^t = ai3all etc., imply ^ 2 3 / ^ 2 4 -^-13/4-14 © t C which is the condition for the concurrency of AA', BB', CC, and DD'. T. J . WILLMOBE.


The effect of propranolol hydrochloride in the long-term treatment of angina pectoris was evaluated in 65 patients with severe ischemic (coronary artery) heart disease; 57 were followed up for 6 to 24 months and of these, 37 exhibited a sustained 50% reduction in the frequency of anginal pains and 36 of 54 had a 50% reduction in nitroglycerin requirements. Each patient had a dose threshold (between 160 to 400 mg per day) at which maximum relief was attained. Eight of 65 patients died of myocardial infarction or suddenly; 6 had congestive heart failure; 2, asthma; and 3, severe gastrointestinal symptoms. The results indicate a long-term beneficial effect of propranolol in angina pectoris for periods up to two years. Despite significant symptomatic improvement, a mortality of 12.3% suggests that propranolol does not alter the natural history of severe coronary artery disease.


The authors analyse hot-electron transient transport in a Bloch-type superlattice miniband, under conditions leading to saturation in the regime of negative differential conductance (NDC), using a balance equation approach with a dynamical force-balance equation for the centre-of-mass acceleration, and a dynamical energy balance. They solve these balance equations numerically for a GaAs-based superlattice, considering Gamma -valley electrons with a tight-binding miniband structure. Both impurity scattering and phonon scattering are taken into account. For a step electric field in the NDC regime, the drift velocity exhibits very pronounced overshoot. In GaAs systems, the maximum drift velocities occur within 0.1-0.3 ps after turning on an electric field of 10 kV cm-1. About this time, the instantaneous inverse effective CM mass for perpendicular transport falls within the range of negative values. The rise of the electron temperature, however, is much slower, such that the behaviour of the drift velocity response to an impulsive electric field is markedly dependent on the duration of the impulse.


A study has been made of the feasibility of accurate numerical determinations of the transmission of gamma-rays through large thicknesses of materials. The first procedure investigated consists in regarding the total probability of photon transmission, Nt, as the sum of the probabilities Nn, where Nn is the probability of photon transmission with exactly n scatterings. The total expected transmitted energy, Et is similarly considered to be given by ΣEn. A numerical calculation of Nn and En has been made for n=0, 1, 2, 3 for a slab of uranium 20 cm thick, upon which photons are incident normally with energy α=10 mc2. The maximum value of Nn/N0 occurs at n=2 and of En/E0 at n=1. These calculations are also adapted to a slab of lead 35 cm thick. Consideration has been given to the behavior of Nn and En for large n, and estimates are thereby made for Nt and Et. The second procedure consists in deriving the transmission through a thick slab from a succession of transmissions through thin slabs. The transformation of an incident photon distribution into the distribution transmitted through a thin slab is conveniently expressed as a matrix, and the total transmission is then given by the iteration of the matrix on the successive transmitted distributions. Numerical results obtained by this procedure for particular incident photon distributions are presented.


In the Himalayas, geo-hazards are natural events occurring more or less frequently and of a greater or lesser magnitude. But when natural hazards affect people and property, then it becomes disasters. It's believed that natural disasters as such do not exist. Everything is just natural hazard and anything can turn into disasters due to anthropogenic activities. Thus, natural phenomenons are hazards while disasters are anthropogenic. In this regard, a case study was being conducted in the Ghatte Khola (Dana) of Myagdi District in Western Central Nepal, where in a context of growing population and haphazard construction of infrastructures, natural dynamics have turned into disasters. The Ghatte Khola is an intermittent, right bank tributary of the Kali Gandaki, which behaves occasionally as a debris flow, in relation with slope instabilities that affect its upstream catchment. The debris flows are usually triggered during heavy cloudbursts, and can cause damages and losses downstream, along the wide alluvial fan built at the tributary junction and upon which Dana village (Myagdi District) is settled. Inhabitants are aware of this ephemeral, yet threatening behaviour of the stream that may also affect the Kali Gandaki valley upstream from the confluence (Lat. 28°32'22" N and Long. 83°39'03" E). The Ghatte Khola is often affected by debris flows bringing sediment fluxes that are eroding its banks every year. A motor bridge was being built over Ghatte Khola near the confluence with Kali Gandaki and further, a large electric power station is being built on the right bank of Ghatte Khola. Sadly, the bridge was washed away by the flash flood in Ghattekhola on 25th May 2019. This study was focused on vulnerability of these man made infrastructures and their future on Ghatte Khola debris flow dynamics, with hazard that might occasionally transform into disaster.


When big data are widely used in all walks of life, obsolete numerous information is processed by high-speed operation of the computer system: data collection, data cleaning, data mining, data presentation; thus, seemingly disorganized data rapidly become logical and interconnected. Numerous results not only can be seen but the trend can also be accurately predicted. The human brain is the most complicated system, known as the human body data center and computing center. A large number of neurons produce huge amounts of signals controlling the human body. So far, the exploration of the brain's computation on near-death experiences and dreams, because of the limitation due to the relatively small number of samples, is limited from the perspective of biology and dualism. Inspired by the principle of big data, I tried to analyze the origins of various illusions generated by the human brain from the perspective of big data. The analysis is based on four steps of large data processing-data gathering, data cleaning, data mining, and data presentation-to represent how the human brain works when collecting signals, examining signals, forming the corresponding algorithm, and storing the algorithm. This paper discusses the consistency of big data and how the brain work, which further illustrates that the experiences in the near-death experience and dreams are nothing but the results of the neuron activities. However, the results are different because of individual differences. What's more, through the research of these two specific conscious stages, this paper is dedicated to helping people who had negative emotions during near-death experiences or dreams by guiding them to objectively understand the processes.


Langkat as one of rice centra region in North Sumatera need to be inspected on wet rice fields condition to hold out and increase production. The purpose of this research was to study the rice potential production on Namu Sira-Sira irrigation fields in Sei Bingai district Langkat regency in achieving the maximum level of rice production based on sun radiation level, time to grow rice, and rice variety. This research also studied the ratio between irrigation field and crops field, the ratio between technical irrigation and pre technical and conventional irrigation and realibility of existing irrigation networks. In the year of 2009-2013, the results indicated that the irrigation network realibility was good enough. The average ratio between irrigation field and crops field was 2,2, the average of ratio between technical irrigation and pre technical and conventional irrigation was 5,82 and the rice production target was 70,68%. Keyword : irrigation network , potential production, production target, rice


A quantum stochastic product is a binary operation on the space of quantum states preserving the convex structure. We describe a class of associative stochastic products, the twirled products, that have interesting connections with quantum measurement theory. Constructing such a product involves a square integrable group representation, a probability measure and a fiducial state. By extending a twirled product to the full space of trace class operators, one obtains a Banach algebra. This algebra is commutative if the underlying group is abelian. In the case of the group of translations on phase space, one gets a quantum convolution algebra, a quantum counterpart of the classical phase-space convolution algebra. The peculiar role of the fiducial state characterizing each quantum convolution product is highlighted.


The sulfonylurea herbicides are commonly used in the cereal belt of south-eastern Australia and there is concern that their persistence in alkaline soils is long enough to damage subsequent rotational crops such as legumes and oilseeds. In this study, we investigated leaching and persistence of 3 commonly used herbicides (chlorsulfuron, triasulfuron and metsulfuron-methyl) in alkaline soils of south-eastern Australia (pH range 7.4–8.6) for at least 4 years after treatment. In general, chlorsulfuron was predicted to persist for 3–5 years [time to degrade to 1% (DT99) of 33–63 months after treatment depending on the field site], triasulfuron for 1–3 years (DT99 of 13–37 months after treatment), and metsulfuron-methyl for less than 1 year (although data were insufficient for degradation estimates) after its application. However, this varied between sites and years of application. Although, the majority of residues remained in the top 20 cm of the soil profile throughout the study, leaching of a small fraction of the residue to deeper layers of the profiles (up to 1 m) was observed. Despite their slow rate of degradation, the herbicides did eventually dissipate, even in soils with very high pH (8.5). In most cases, the current product labels provide an adequate safety period to protect sensitive rotational crops from potential damage due to excessive persistence. However, in particular years at 3 of the 5 field sites, metsulfuron-methyl and triasulfuron persisted beyond the recommended recropping period (9 months for metsulfuron-methyl and 22 months for triasulfuron in soils up to pH 7.5 or 24 months in soils pH 7.6 and above). An accurate measurement of soil pH and its variability within the paddock is essential to minimise any subsequent crop damage by these herbicides.


This article introduces the infrastructure of public opinion research in Japan by reviewing the development of polling organizations and the current situation of social surveys. In Japan, the polling infrastructure developed through the direction and encouragement of the U.S. occupation authorities. In the early 1969s, however, survey researchers began to conduct their own original polls in not only domestic but also cross-national contexts. An exploration of recent survey trends reveals that polling organizations tended to conduct more surveys during summer, in the mid-range of sample size (1,000-2,999), based on random sampling (response rates of 40-50%), and through the mail between April 2011 and March 2012. The media was the most active polling sector.


Critical systems are described by conformal field theories, whose dynamics can be exactly solved in two dimensions. In the presence of a boundary, with the so-called method of images it is possible to study the surface critical behaviour of these systems, and the conformal boundary conditions can be related to the bulk operator content of the theory. After an overview of the basic concepts of bulk and boundary conformal field theory, we present an explicit calculation of some two-point correlation functions in Virasoro minimal models with boundary. In the second part of the thesis, we summarize the known results about perturbed conformal field theories, which describe the dynamics of systems away from the critical point. We concentrate on cases in which the off-critical massive field theory is integrable, with a corresponding purely elastic and factorized scattering theory, focusing our attention on the bootstrap approach. We also present the basic properties of affine Toda field theories, whose S-matrices are closely related to the ones of some perturbed minimal models. In the presence of a boundary, assuming that the boundary conditions are compatible with integrability, the scattering theory is still elastic and factorized. The analytic structure of the reflection matrix encodes the boundary spectrum of the theory, in the light of a bootstrap approach analogous to the bulk one. Starting from two kinds of known reflection amplitudes, we have performed a detailed study of the boundary bound states structure for the three E_{n} affine Toda field theories and for the corresponding perturbed minimal models.


The iṡotope shift in fourteen singlet lines and four triplet lines of helium was measured interferometrically. Extrapolation of the change of the shift within each series allowed the isotope shift of the terms to be determined. The shifts in the higher 1D terms were found to show anomalies which are ascribed to perturbations and hyperfine structures. The results of this work in conjunction with measurements by Fred, Tomkins & Brody lead to the conclusion that the values of the isotope shifts given by the theory of Hughes & Eckart are too small throughout by amounts up to 20%.


The architecture for Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is described in RFC 3031. A fundamental concept in MPLS is that two Label Switching Routers (LSRs) must agree on the meaning of the labels used to forward traffic between and through them. This common understanding is achieved by using a set of procedures, called a label distribution protocol, by which one LSR informs another of label bindings it has made. This document defines a set of such procedures called LDP (for Label Distribution Protocol) by which LSRs distribute labels to support MPLS forwarding along normally routed paths.


This paper presents the experience of stakeholder participation in the process of identifying issues and possibilities linked with hydropower development. It is concerned with Stage 2 of the National Hydropower Plan (NHP) Study in Vietnam (SWECO 2004). In order to document a general trend in Vietnam it gives a brief account for stakeholder participation level in Stage 1 of the NHP Study. A positive development has taken place over the past decade, much in line with international thinking; towards a systematic grip to upgrade stakeholder involvement.