After an almost 40-year search for a primary regulatory of platelet production, thrombopoietin has recently been purified and cloned. Thrombopoietin regulates all stages in the production of platelets by promoting both the proliferation of megakaryocyte progenitors and their maturation into platelet-producing megakaryocytes. In preclinical studies in normal mice and non-human primates, administration of thrombopoietin resulted in a rapid rise in platelet counts to levels previously unattainable with other thrombopoietic cytokines. In myelosuppressed animal models, use of thrombopoietin following chemotherapy, radiation, or stem-cell transplantation accelerated megakaryocyte and platelet recovery. Thrombopoietin has rapidly moved from the laboratory to the clinic in the last 3 years. Preliminary results of clinical trials using truncated or full-length forms of the molecule indicate that thrombopoietin is a powerful stimulus in the production of megakaryocytes and normal platelets in humans and enhances platelet recovery following chemotherapy. Although the peripheral effect is selective on platelet lineage, thrombopoietin mediates stimulatory effects on progenitors of multiple cell lineages at the bone marrow level and mobilizes progenitor cells into the peripheral blood. These biological effects suggest that thrombopoietin holds promise as a useful agent for the prevention and treatment of thrombocytopenia in cancer patients and for other disorders of thrombocytopenia.


We examine how location in a gated community affects the value of a single-family home and the valuation of a beach. Using data on 2,358 sales on barrier islands near Charleston, South Carolina, the empirical results indicate that homeowners pay a premium of 18.6% for a property in a gated community. The value of location near a beach is greater in gated than nongated communities. (JEL R21, Q51)


The study of city-country relationships in the classical world has long been a widely recognized field of research. While recent studies tend to reconsider the well-established traditional town centric approach and new perspectives emphasize the agrarian dimension of towns, little attention has been devoted to the distinctive materiality of rural and urban life. The main focus of this paper falls on comparative patterns of consumption of, and specific material culture used by, communities inhabiting larger settlements as opposed to those distinctive households at smaller rural sites. By focusing on ceramic material assemblages from a range of excavated and surveyed sites dating to the Punic and Republican period on the island of Sardinia, I explore the urban rural divide and use portable material culture as evidence of consumption and daily activities carried out at urban and rural sites. Based on these data, I emphasize the wide diversification within the rural world and the long-term development of larger settlements through the lens of ceramic material culture in use. I suggest that the detailed study of ceramic assemblages may shed new light on human activities and the distinctive ways of life in urban and rural contexts; I also propose that the availability of a wider range of goods and more sophisticated patterns of consumption are specific attributes of urban life.


Objectives : This study was conducted to estimate No Observed Effect Level (NOEL) or no observed adverse effect level of Swarna Bhasma an Ayurvedic classical preparation of gold in Wistar rats. Materials and Methods : Swarna Bhasma was prepared as per classical Ayurvedic text and analyzed for physicochemical properties. A total of 40 Wistar rats of either sex with an average body weight of 150-200 g were divided into four groups with 10 animals of both sexes in each group. Group I served as control and was given vehicle (Honey:Water in 2:3 ratio) Group II, III, IV were orally administered Swarna Bhasma @ 13.5, 6.75, 1.35 mg/kg body weight for 90 consecutive days. The effect of the drug was observed on ponderal changes, hematological, and biochemical parameters. At the end of the study, all animals were sacrificed and examined for gross pathological changes. Histopathological evaluation was performed only for control and high-dose group and of animals that were moribund sacrificed. Results : Swarna Bhasma was found to be safe at all levels tested. No significant treatment-related clinical signs were noted in all groups studied. The food and water consumption was not affected at highest given dose, i.e., 13.5 mg/kg body weight. No major alterations were observed during histopathological evaluation. Conclusion : This study indicates 13.5 mg/kg body weight as NOEL for Swarna Bhasma in Wistar rats.


[Abstract]: The need for this research project has arisen principally due to the economic cost incurred from poor reliability of a pump group within the Rio Tinto Alcan Gove Alumina refinery. This poor reliability issue concerns the glands on a pump group whose reliable operation is critical to the success of the business. This research project has identified the root cause of the problem and in turn provided a solution.

The Alumina industry relies heavily on slurry pumps to transport liquids and solids throughout the refining process. The failure of these pumps can significantly impact on a refineries ability to produce and consequently the reliability of the equipment is a major focus. Slurry pumps often utilise tradition stuffing box style glands to seal the wet end of the pump from the atmospheric and
are usually the first part of a pump to fail. At the Rio Tinto Alcan Gove alumina refinery the mill injection pump group have been experiencing repetitive gland failures which have been costing the operation approx $12,000 per day. It is these pumps that the project has concentrated on.

The critical objectives of this research project include
• Identification of the reliability project
• Identification of the root cause
• Proposal of a solution to mitigate the effect of the root cause.
• Implementation of the solution.

To achieve these objectives several methodologies have been employed.
• Comprehensive review of production and maintenance cost associated with these pumps.
• Literary review to examine past works involving pump gland on site and globally.
• Detailed failure investigation.
• Conducting of an Apollo root cause analysis to identify the root cause and provide the best solution to mitigate it.
• Implementation and validation of the solution.

With all objectives achieved the completed project has obtained it desired results. Since the solution has been implemented there has been a significant reduction in gland failures with no recorded production losses. The time and capital expedited on this project has returned many times its value.


OBJECTIVES
The aim was to assess the combined influence of biological risk for hypertension and patterns of emotional control upon cardiovascular responses to mental stress tests.

DESIGN
The study involved the administration of mental stress tests in the laboratory, designed to elicit substantial blood pressure and heart rate responses accompanied by suppression of cardiac baroreflex sensitivity.

METHODS
Thirty-seven young men were selected as being at relatively high or low risk through having high or low normal blood pressure. Blood pressure, recorded continuously using the Finapres, heart rate, cardiac baroreflex sensitivity, skin conductance and respiration rate were monitored at rest and during mental arithmetic and mirror drawing tasks.

RESULTS
Hypertension risk category had no overall effect upon cardiovascular reactions to mental stress. Two dimensions of emotional coping were identified through factor analysis of psychological questionnaires--anxious emotional inhibition (ratings of trait anxiety, anger in and self-concealment), and anger experience and expression (ratings of trait anger and anger out). Subjects with high and low scores on these dimensions were equally represented in the two blood pressure risk categories. Hypertensive risk interacted with anxious emotional inhibition, with the greatest systolic blood pressure and heart rate responses (accompanied by cardiac baroreflex inhibition) being recorded in subjects at high risk coupled with high anxious emotional inhibition. Anger experience and expression did not interact with hypertension risk, but had a direct effect upon cardiovascular responses to mental stress. No differences were seen in skin conductance or respiratory responses, suggesting specific disturbances of cardiovascular regulation.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that normotensives at risk for future hypertension are likely to show heightened stress-related cardiovascular responses if they also tend to inhibit the expression of negative emotions. This pattern may be relevant to the postulated links between hypertension and emotional inhibition.


The etiopathogenesis of endometriosis still remains unknown. Recent data provide new valuable information concerning the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of the disease. It has been proved that levels of different lipid peroxidation end products are increased in both peritoneal fluid (PF) and serum of endometriotic patients. We assessed the concentration of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) in PF of 110 women with different stages of endometriosis and 119 women with serous (n = 78) or dermoid (n = 41) ovarian cysts, as the reference groups. PF oxLDL levels were evaluated by ELISA. We found that concentrations of oxLDL in PF of endometriotic women were significantly higher compared to women with serous but not dermoid ovarian cysts. Interestingly, by analyzing concentrations of oxLDL in women with different stages of the disease, it was noted that they are significantly higher only in the subgroup of patients with stage IV endometriosis as compared to women with ovarian serous cysts. In case of minimal, mild, and moderate disease, PF oxLDL levels were similar to those noted in reference groups. Our results indicate that disrupted oxidative status in the peritoneal cavity of women with endometriosis may play a role in the pathogenesis of advanced stages of the disease.


A common problem in rabbits is the occurrence of digestive disorders just after weaning. This problem is usually associated with instability of the cecal microflora and characterized by diarrhea, loss of appetite and increased mortality. In the current study the effects of a mannan oligosaccharide (MOS, Bio-MOS ® , Alltech Inc. USA) was compared to a commonly used antibiotic (AGP, Zn-Bacitracin). The current study investigated the effects of MOS and AGP on intestinal morphometry and cecal VFA production. A total of 220 weaned mixed-sex rabbits (32d) were divided into 5 experimental treatments and housed in groups of 4 in 55 flat deck cages located in an experimental rabbit house. The 5 experimental treatments were as follow: Control (no additives);MOS 1 (1 kg MOS/t); MOS 1.5 (1.5 kg MOS/t); MOS 2 (2 kg MOS/t) and AGP (0.1 kg/t). Experimental diets were based on alfalfa, sunflower meal and wheat and beet pulp and were offered ad libitum through out the experiment. Intestinal morphology and cecal fermentation was determined in 8 rabbits per treatment slaughtered at day 46. Histologic examination showed significantly longer villi (P<0.05) in rabbits fed MOS (503.1, 518.6 and 508.8 for MOS 1, MOS 1.5 and MOS 2, respectively) or AGP (502.5) compared to the control group (403.0). This was also translated into a numerically increased absorption surface. Cecal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration differed significantly (P<0.05) between treatments. Rabbits fed MOS at 1 kg/t had the highest total VFA concentration (98.02 vs. 51.57 in MOS 1 and Control) and higher butyric acid (14.09 vs. 4.59 in MOS 1 and Control). Furthermore cecal pH was significantly lower in rabbits fed MOS at 1 kg/t and 2 kg/t (5.79 and 5.92) compared to the control (6.33). Results for this study suggest that MOS has a stimulating effect on villi development and production of cecal VFA and reduce cecal pH, which could improve the health status of growing rabbits.


On the last 15 August 2008, President Lee Myung-bak proposed the so-called "green growth" concept, which is a economic and environmental harmony, and balance. Since then, the concept of green growth is being used routinely in our lives, I think it is a problem. This Article is intend to criticize a use of the "green growth", proposes to use the "sustainable development" which is a strategic concept that is combination of economic development and environmental protection from the theoretical and practical perspective. This article in order to achieve these objectives are being claimed by the government to clean up the green growth Theory(Ⅱ), the existing claims in the general persistence will organize the sustainable development theory(Ⅲ). Under this base, in terms of green growth conceptual and theoretical aspects and practical aspects after reviewing the "green growth" concept than the concept of "sustainable development" and the vague and abstract, theoretical, and practical perspective, the concept of the problem is will argue(Ⅳ). Finally, by discussing and writing more (Ⅴ). The concept of green growth requires interpretation. Even though using of the expression of green growth is familiar to researchers, the concept of green growth is abstract and vague in actual. We need to consider another expression, "sustainable development". "Sustainable development" and "green growth", both are in the same level in concept, however "sustainable development" is used worldwide and for a long time and more popular. By the government`s line of view, the economic development and environmental protection are two sections in consideration of the concept of green growth. On the contrary, the concept of sustainable development, economic development, environmental protection and social justice are three elements to the content. Therefore, in the concept of sustainable development, social justice between the layers of social justice, between generations and between international communities is essential and must to be premised. On the contrary, the concept of green growth seems to neglect the social justice element. In addition, the concept of green growth is still incomplete as a strategic concept for environmental policy. The concept of green growth is the uncertain theoretical and practical issues. That is causing the problem. Finally, the "Low Carbon, Green Growth Act" as enacted into Law, "Sustainable Development Act" to refine this legislation changing its nature that relatively larger to carry out the policy up to the top of the law resulted in a logical contradiction, resulted in the confusion legislation.


This paper analyzes the variation of suicide by day of the week in alcohol dependence, with public holidays taken into consideration. From 1949 through 1969, 1,312 patients with alcohol dependence were admitted to the Department of Psychiatry in Lund. By 1997, a total of 102 (99 men) alcoholic patients had taken their own life. Suicide victims with severe depression and other diagnoses were compared. There was a suicide peak on the first two days after weekends and holidays in patients with alcohol dependence (p < .05). Alcohol withdrawal is proposed as a contributor to the suicide peak.


The design, microfabrication, packaging, surface functionalization and in vitro testing of a complete electrochemical cell-on-a-chip (ECC) that uses the microdisc electrode array (MDEA) working electrode design is presented. The device is for eventual intramuscular implantation as an electrochemical biotransducer for the continuous amperometric monitoring of glucose and lactate in a vertebrate animal trauma model. The microfabricated ECC MDEA5037 comprises two discrete electrochemical cells-on-a-chip, each with a shared reference electrode, a discrete counter electrode, and an MDEA working electrode. Each MDEA consists of 37 openings, each 50 mum in diameter, and separated within a hexagonal close packed array by center-on-center distances of 100 mum. The 4 mm by 2 mm biotransducer was packaged for implantation and electrochemical signal acquisition by mounting onto a ceramic chip carrier to which it was gold wire-bonded and the chip carrier soldered to a five-conductor, shielded, silicone insulated hookup wire. Robust first level packaging was developed to withstand harsh chemical, elevated temperature and plasma surface treatments. The use of cross-linked SU-8 as a second level packaging layer reduced the qualifying device failure rate from 90% to almost <1% (n = 65). Finally, the packaged biotransducer was coated with a layer of bioactive hydrogel as a means to confer molecular recognition, specificity and biocompatibility in preparation for implantation. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and microscopic examination were performed for packaged biochip qualification.


The research in this paper considers the question of the possible sources of total factor productivity (TFP) change in the Victorian dairy sector between 2007–08 and 2010–11. The analysis explores the components of TFP growth for a sample of dairy enterprises in Victoria using farm monitor data collected by the Department of Primary Industries Victoria (DPI). Specifically, the research considers the contributions of technological progress and technical efficiency changes to TFP growth using the Malmquist index based on a decomposition of TFP change. The productivity estimates are compared to financial measures of farm performance and to qualitative farm performance assessments made by DPI field staff.


Background: Radio-guided surgery is a reliable approach used for localizing ground-glass opacities, lung nodules, and metastatic lymph nodes. Lung nodules, lymph node metastatic involvement, and ground-glass opacities often represent a challenge for surgical management and clinical work-up. Methods: PubMed research was conducted from January 1997 to June 2023 using the keywords "radioguided surgery and lung cancer". Results: Different studies were conducted with different tracers: technetium-99m-albumin macroaggregates, cyanoacrylate combined to technetium-99m-sulfur colloid, indium-111-pentetreotide, and fluorine-18-deoxyglucose. A study proposed naphthalocyanine radio-labeled with copper-64. Radio-guided surgery has been demonstrated to be a reliable approach in localizing a lesion, and has a low radiological burden for personnel exposure and low morbidity. The lack of necessity to conduct radio-guided surgery under fluoroscopy or echography makes this radio-guided surgery an easy way of performing precise surgical procedures. Conclusions: Radio-guided surgery is a feasible approach useful for the intraoperative localization of ground-glass opacities, lung nodules, and metastatic lymph nodes. It is a valid alternative to the existing approaches due to its low cost, associated low morbidity, the possibility to perform the procedure after several hours, the low radiation dose applied, and the small amount of time that is required to perform it.


Test case selection techniques schedule test cases for execution in an order that attempts to maximize some objective function. Regression testing is a maintenance activity that is performed to ensure the validity of modified software. The activity takes a lot of time to run the entire test suite and is very expensive. Thus it becomes a necessity to choose the minimum set of test cases with the ability to cover all the faults in minimum time. A variety of objective functions are applicable: one such function involves rate of fault detection — a measure of how quickly faults are detected within the testing process. An improved rate of fault detection during regression testing can provide faster feedback on a system under regression test and let debuggers begin their work earlier than might otherwise be possible. In this paper, we describe several techniques for prioritizing test cases and report our empirical results measuring the effectiveness of these techniques for improving rate of fault detection. The results provide insights into the tradeoffs among various techniques for test case prioritization.


I thoroughly enjoyed reading the May issue of the journal – another eclectic collection. I admit I struggled with the article about the student curriculum program from Lester-Smith et al. The program was described as a 'mini-clinical evaluation exercise style formative assessment component', and I remain uncertain about what was 'mini' and which adjectives in that phrase attach to which nouns, but an interesting read. Then I went to the Image of the Month showing the child with purplish urticarial lesions after antibiotics. Re the diagnosis of 'purple urticaria', it is worth noting that the purplish colour is often non-blanching and, therefore, can indeed be considered true purpura. Finally, there is the probably coincidental juxtaposition of two articles by Frank Shann. The first corrects the Journal for inaccuracies in editorial comments about Richard Dawkins, religion and warfare. The second is the challenging article on children and warfare, pointing out that the diversion of resources to warfare affects the health of the world's children much more than the actual traumas of war do. That is a message that we should all help to spread.


We explore the use of segments learnt using Byte Pair Encoding (referred to as BPE units) as basic units for statistical machine translation between related languages and compare it with orthographic syllables, which are currently the best performing basic units for this translation task. BPE identifies the most frequent character sequences as basic units, while orthographic syllables are linguistically motivated pseudo-syllables. We show that BPE units modestly outperform orthographic syllables as units of translation, showing up to 11% increase in BLEU score. While orthographic syllables can be used only for languages whose writing systems use vowel representations, BPE is writing system independent and we show that BPE outperforms other units for non-vowel writing systems too. Our results are supported by extensive experimentation spanning multiple language families and writing systems.


1. Four cases of sural nerve entrapment lesions in the ankle and foot are reported.

2. All the patients gained complete relief of symptoms following neurolysis.

3. The presence of a ganglion in relation to the sural nerve in the ankle and foot is a helpful sign in the diagnosis of this condition.


With the advent of data warehouses and OLAP-technology, and subsequently many other systems that output information for decision-making, all such systems began to be referred to as decision support system (DSS). Thus, the original purpose of DSS has been forgotten: the selection of an effective solution from the set of possible alternatives for poorly structured or unstructured management decision-making tasks based on mathematical methods and information technology. Therefore, it would be more correct to call systems of this class Unstructured decision-making support systems (UDMSS), and other support systems, DSS. Currently, new terms are appearing, the purpose of which is to combine DSS into certain classes; for example, System DSS, Business DSS and Intelligent DSS. Research objective is the following: to develop a new UDMSS that combines elements of expert systems, data warehouses, group DMSS, author's UDMSS, and can be called Expert UDMSS (EUDMSS). The following main results are presented in the article: features of an expert unstructured decision making support system; system architecture; decision-making method selection module (expert system shell); decision-making module, including 50 mathematical methods (decision-making methods using the majority principle, Pareto and Bayes principle, in partial and full uncertainty, in dynamic formulation, vector optimization, methods combining various principles of matching evaluations of alternatives and other methods); system functionality.


Background Patients with inflammatory rheumatic conditions and psoriasis are often treated with immunosuppressive medications that can increase risk for infections but relatively little research has focused on the risk of recurrent infections with these agents. Objectives To compare the incidence of recurrent serious infections (RSI) among patients taking TNF inhibitors (TNFi), other biologic DMARDs (OB), and non-biologics DMARDs (NB). Methods Patients with rheumatic conditions (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS)) or psoriasis (PsO) with a serious infection (defined by hospitalization or outpatient visit with IV antibiotic use), between 1/1/2006 and 12/31/2011 were identified in the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Databases. Index date was defined as the date of hospital discharge or end of IV antibiotic use for an infection diagnosis. Patients were required to be continuously enrolled for 12 months prior to the index date and to have at least one claim for a TNFi, OB or NB during the pre-index year. Follow up time for identification of RSIs began 61 days after the latter of hospitalization discharge or end of IV antibiotic use. Patients were followed for up to 18 months. The primary outcome was RSI during the follow-up period, defined as an infection diagnosis on 1) two non-diagnostic outpatient claims between 2 and 30 days apart plus a claim for IV antibiotic administration or 2) an inpatient claim. Incidence rates (IR) per 100 patient-years (PY) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results 26,840 patients met inclusion criteria; 42% used a TNFi, 2.8% used an OB, and 55.2% used a NB in the year prior to the index infection. Mean age was 61.1 (SD=14.0) and 71.6% were female. The average length of follow-up was 376 days (SD=179). The majority of patients had RA (85.8%), followed by PsO (17.2%), PsA (13.4%) and AS (4.5%). The rate of RSI was lowest among patients with pre-index TNFi use 21.0/100 PY (95% CI: 20.2, 21.8), followed by patients using NB (23.4/100 PY, 95% CI: 22.6, 24.1) and patients using OB agents (28.2/100 PY, 95% CI: 24.3-32.0). RSI rates were higher for patients over age 60 (25.0/100 PY, 95% CI: 24.2-25.8) than those under age 60 (19.6/100 PY, 95% CI: 18.8-20.3). RSI rates appeared modestly lower for patients with post-index TNFi use (16.9/100PY, 95% CI: 16.1-17.7) compared to patients with post-index methotrexate use (19.0/100PY, 95% CI: 18.2-19.7). Among TNFi users, RSI risk was greater for patients treated with a concomitant corticosteroid (19.2/100 PY, 95% CI: 18.2-20.3) than those without (12.5/100PY, 95% CI: 11.4-13.7); the same was true for methotrexate users (21.1/100PY vs. 14.3/100PY, respectively). RSI rates appeared similar within the most commonly used TNFi post-index (etanercept: 16.1/100 PY, 95% CI: 15.0-17.2; adalimumab: 15.2/100 PY, 95% CI: 13.9-16.5; infliximab: 18.1/100 PY, 95% CI: 16.4-19.9). Conclusions Rates of recurrent serious infections were lowest among patients treated with TNF inhibitors compared to patients treated with other biologic agents or non-biologic DMARDs. Acknowledgements Study funded by Immunex, a wholly owned subsidiary of Amgen Inc. Disclosure of Interest N. Accortt Shareholder of: Amgen, Employee of: Amgen, M. Bonafede: None declared, D. Collier Shareholder of: Amgen, Employee of: Amgen, J. Iles Shareholder of: Amgen, Employee of: Amgen, M. Anthony Shareholder of: Amgen, Employee of: Amgen, J. Curtis Grant/research support: Amgen, Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Centocor, CORRONA, Crescendo, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, UCB, Consultant for: Amgen, Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Centocor, CORRONA, Crescendo, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, UCB DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.3771


The Intercultural and Bilingual Education program in Chile requires intercultural and bilingual preschools to work collaboratively with Mapuche communities to offer a relevant education for Indigenous children; however, no researchers have studied this partnership. In this context, the main objective of this study is to examine the relationships within the communities that have emerged around intercultural and bilingual preschools in Region Metropolitana, Chile. Using the notion of contact zone (Pratt, 1992) we analyze characteristics of the ties developed between members of the preschool institution and the participants of the Mapuche communities. To address this goal, we conducted a qualitative case study, and with ethnographic techniques we collected data using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and group conversations in two preschools; data were codified and categorized with thematic analysis. The main findings show that in this contact zone, the Mapuche communities participate primarily in cultural events, the Educators of Indigenous Language and Culture (ELCIs) are poorly valued and, outside the classrooms these partnerships are seen as learning spaces by the preschool teachers.


Electrospinning is one of the most versatile methods used to fabricate nanofibers. Sub micron and nano level fibers can be continuously produced with the help of an external electric field induced on the polymer melt. These nanofibers can be used in a large variety of applications such as biosensors, three dimensional tissue scaffolds, composites, electronic devices, etc. A unique feature of electrospinning is its ability to work with different fiber assemblies. This helps in making application specific changes and also increases the quality and performance of the fibers. PEO (polyethylene oxide) and electrostrictive graft elastomer (an electroactive polymer developed by NASA) were used in our experiments which focus on controlling the shape and alignment of the fibers. Electroactive polymers (EAP's) are seen as the basis for future artificial muscles because of their ability to deform when external voltage is applied and quickly recover to their original form when the polarity of the applied voltage is reversed. Hence, aligned fibers of the electrostrictive graft elastomer were produced to mimic the alignment in human muscle fibers. Alignment of fibers is the main objective of this research and was facilitated using vacuum technology. The research was basically divided into three phases, starting with checking of the repeatability of the previously developed techniques using polyethylene oxide. Next, the electrostrictive graft elastomer was spun using the electrospinning techniques and was checked for alignment using the Coaxial Electrode method and PLC controlled secondary electric field method. Finally, a vacuum chamber was designed and built with new components and the elastomer was tested for improved alignment in vacuum using the PLC controlled secondary electric field method.


The online environment dramatically expands the number of ways people can encounter news but there remain questions of whether these abundant opportunities facilitate news exposure diversity. This project examines key questions regarding how internet users arrive at news and what kinds of news they encounter. We account for a multiplicity of avenues to news online, some of which have never been analyzed: (1) direct access to news websites, (2) social networks, (3) news aggregators, (4) search engines, (5) webmail, and (6) hyperlinks in news. We examine the extent to which each avenue promotes news exposure and also exposes users to news sources that are left leaning, right leaning, and centrist. When combined with information on individual political leanings, we show the extent of dissimilar, centrist, or congenial exposure resulting from each avenue. We rely on web browsing history records from 636 social media users in the US paired with survey self-reports, a unique data set that allows us to examine both aggregate and individual-level exposure. Visits to news websites account for about 2 percent of the total number of visits to URLs and are unevenly distributed among users. The most widespread ways of accessing news are search engines and social media platforms (and hyperlinks within news sites once people arrive at news). The two former avenues also increase dissimilar news exposure, compared to accessing news directly, yet direct news access drives the highest proportion of centrist exposure.


By participating in the business ecosystems, customers make both positive and negative impacts in the ecosystem. In particular, users of platform businesses participate in the business ecosystem as partial employees who voluntarily create and manage content. According to the organizational behavior literature, employees' psychological ownership toward the organization has an influence on the organizational competitiveness. Thus, with an assumption that customers gain psychological ownership toward the business that they participate in, it is important to analyze the process and the factors that influence their psychological ownership. This study proposes a research model that describes the process: customers undertake customer socialization, which then lead them to participate in the business-level and the business ecosystem-level activities. Through the participation, customers gain psychological ownership toward the business. Based on a structural equation model, this study analyzes the data regarding the factors in the research model. Data was collected by surveying college students who represent themselves as Facebook and DaumKakao users. By analyzing the collected data, the relationships are validated between customer socialization and customer participations (i.e., both business-level and business ecosystem-level participation), and between the participations and customers' psychological ownership. Based on the validation, this study confirms the importance of managing customers' psychological ownership and offers customers' participation by their socialization as a solution for increasing customers' psychological ownership. Also, this study proposes the business ecosystem research model as the general research framework for future research and expands the scope of strategic management from the individual level strategy to the business ecosystem wide perspective.


Experimental uremia created by obstructing the urethra of 7 cross-bred bulls was associated with significant (P less than 0.05) increases in PCV, blood urea nitrogen concentration, arterial and venous pH and PCO2, arterial bicarbonate, and base excess. Total serum protein concentration decreased nonsignificantly. Arterial PO2 reduced significantly during later stages of uremia. Arterial and venous oxygen saturation, arteriovenous oxygen difference, oxygen extraction ratio, and arteriovenous pH difference were not affected significantly. Uremia was characterized by progressive metabolic alkalosis with, as a compensation, hypercapnia, and arterial hypoxemia. There was no evidence of systemic shunting of blood except in 1 animal.


This thesis is a pre-study of lead acid battery charging for variable speed generators connected to vertical axis wind turbines. A system that controls the turbine to optimize the energy absorption while the batteries are charged at a healthy and efficient way is proposed. The system is made for applications that are sited far away from the main grid, such as vacation cottages, boats, caravans and radio base stations. The system should be able to work without maintenance for periods up to a year. The thesis includes theory of aerodynamics, lead acid batteries and battery charging. The main subjects are the optimization of the energy absorption from the wind, how to obtain a long battery life and the integration of a battery bank in the system without interfering with the consuming load. The system is going to be built and tested with a vertical axis wind turbine in Marsta north of Uppsala.


The ability to recognize the facial expressions of emotions was investigated in 30 borderline hypertensive patients, 16 with high intralymphocytic sodium content (ILSC) and 14 with normal ILSC, and in 34 normotensive matched controls. To this aim, 48 slides with the facial expressions of emotions and with neutral expressions were shown to the subjects by means of a tachistoscope. Two brief questionnaires, the Affective Communication Test and the Dimensions Rating Scale, were used to assess the ability to express emotions and the intensity of emotional experience in the subjects. Results show in borderline hypertensives a difficulty in recognizing emotions, with differences between the two subgroups of patients.


Abstract An experiment was conducted in Boulder, Colorado in the summer of 1983 to forecast probability of precipitation over a 70 000 square km area for periods up to 8 hours beyond forecast time. The forecasts were issued from an advanced workstation that included high-resolution computer displays of Doppler radar and satellite images and numerous graphics products. The forecasts were compared with probabilities given by climatology, conditional climatology, and persistence. Brier scores and skill scores were used to evaluate the forecasts. Results show that positive forecast skill was achieved for most of the forecast periods. However, the forecasters normally tended to overforecast precipitation from rare events. It is speculated that future forecast experiments will show improved skill as more feedback and experience are gained.


Cystinuria is a recessively inherited genetic disease causing recurrent kidney stones with risk of kidney failure. The discovery of hyperechoic colonic content on an antenatal ultrasound is considered to be a pathognomic sign of cystinuria. Herein, we present a clinical case with antenatal diagnosis of cystinuria in an ultrasound finding, which eventually revealed a multisystem disease, characterized by the association of renal Fanconi syndrome, hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, and hepatic dysfunction. Genetic investigations evidenced the recurrent heterozygous missense HNF4A (p.Arg76Trp) variant. Our case report shows that antenatal hyperechoic colonic content can hide a complex proximal renal tubulopathy, and questions the genetic counseling provided to families in the antenatal period.


The nonequilibrium processes of the angular momentum dissipation of fragments in deeply inelastic heavy-ion collisions have been investigated through consideration of the nondiagonal elements of the diffusion tensor. The diffusion tensor has been calculated microscopically.


The study was carried out at the Germplasm Centre of Fruit Tree Improvement Programme (GPC-FTIP), Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period February, 2011 to March, 2012 to find out the effect of shoot bending and fruit thinning on productivity of guava. The treatments of the experiment were four varieties of guava viz., Swarupkathi, BAU piyara-5, Chiang Mai (round) and Chiang Mai (long) and six different management practices viz., (i) control (no shoot bending + no fruit thinning); (ii) shoot bending; (iii) 25% fruit thinning; (iv) 50% fruit thinning; (v) 75% fruit thinning and (vi) 100% fruit thinning. The ages of the plants were 4-5 years. Results revealed that the variety Chiang Mai (round) showed superiority over BAU piyara-5, Chiang Mai (long) and Swarupkathi in respect of fruit yield (15.63 kg/plant) and fruit retention (72.92%) during on-season but during off-season, Swarupkathi showed superiority over Chiang Mai (round), BAU piyara-5 and Chiang Mai (long) in case of number of flowers set per plant (127.44), number of fruits set per plant (75.28), fruit retention (88.66%) and yield (11.78 kg/plant). Different management practices had significant effect on all studied parameters in both seasons. Fifty percent fruit thinning treatment showed the highest fruit yield (20.46 kg/plant) and 75% fruit thinning treatment performed lowest fruit yield (10.06 kg/plant) during on-season but during off-season shoot bending performed highest fruit yield (13.50 kg/plant). Highest fruit retention in both seasons (on-season 89.28% and off-season 90.47%) was observed in 50% fruit thinning treatment. In case of combined effect of variety and different management practices, 50% fruit thinning treatment combined with Chiang Mai (round) produced highest yield (23.15 kg/plant) and fruit retention (92.72%) during on-season, but shoot bending treatment combined with Swarupkathi gave the highest yield (16.06 kg/plant) and 50% fruit thinning combined with Swarupkathi showed highest fruit retention (94.12%) during off-season. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jesnr.v5i2.14808 J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 5(2): 167-172 2012


Children and adolescents undergoing posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis experience high rates of bleeding and blood product transfusion. Antifibrinolytic therapy is one key strategy to decrease blood loss and transfusion in pediatric scoliosis surgery. Here we review 172 pediatric scoliosis patients (birth to 21 y) who underwent posterior spinal fusion at our institution from 2017 to 2018. We reported rates of blood loss and transfusion, compared patients receiving tranexamic acid to a ε-aminocaproic acid, and evaluated antifibrinolytic agent and laboratory parameters as predictors of blood loss and transfusion. Intraoperatively, 62% received tranexamic acid and 38% received ε-aminocaproic acid. Overall, blood loss (mean intraoperative estimated blood loss=14.9±9.7 mL/kg, 22% with clinically significant blood loss [>20 mL/kg], and mean calculated hemoglobin mass loss=175.9±70.1 g) and transfusion rates (15% with intraoperative allogeneic red blood cell transfusion and mean intraoperative allogeneic red blood cell transfusion volume=12.5±7.1 mL/kg) were similar to previous cohorts studying intraoperative antifibrinolytics. There was no difference in intraoperative estimated blood loss, clinically significant blood loss, calculated hemoglobin mass loss, or transfusion rates between the antifibrinolytic groups. Antifibrinolytic choice was not predictive of blood loss or transfusion. Routine hematologic laboratory parameters and antifibrinolytic choice were insufficient to predict blood loss or other outcomes. Future prospective laboratory-based studies may provide a more comprehensive model of surgical-induced coagulopathy in scoliosis surgery and provide a better tool for predicting blood loss and improving outcomes.


This paper presents a minimum-time trajectory planning method and a tracking control scheme for robot manipulators. In the first step, we find the minimum-lime trajectories by optimizing cubic polynomial joint trajectories using the evolution strategy. In the second step, by the use of the evolution strategy we tune the sliding mode controller parameters for the robot manipulator to track precisely the trajectories found in the previous step. Experimental results show that the proposed method is very useful.


Abstract : This Handbook is designed to be a reference for policy makers to monitor, prevent, and, if necessary, respond to genocide and other mass atrocity situations. It addresses topics promulgated in the August 2011 Presidential Study Directive on Mass Atrocities (PSD-10) as well as recommendations contained in Preventing Genocide, the 2008 study published by the Genocide Prevention Task Force (GPTF). Effective mass atrocity prevention and response options (MAPRO) should happen early. The longer it takes to act, the greater the risk that mass atrocities will occur and more people will die. On the other hand, inadequate time devoted to planning and risk assessment can result in ineffective MAPRO measures or undesired second-order effects. This is why it is essential for the U.S. Government and the international community to have in-place policies, plans, doctrine, and procedures before we are faced with mass atrocity situations. Failure to respond to mass atrocities is often attributed to lack of political will, but ineffective policy processes also are culpable. This Handbook has been developed to assist members of the interagency policy community in developing whole-of-government prevention and response options to assist senior leaders who are deliberating genocide and/or mass atrocity (GMA) situations. The templates in this Handbook are intended as aids in this process, and should be adapted as appropriate to fit the circumstances and personalities involved. They may serve as useful points of departure for seasoned practitioners as well as relative newcomers to policymaking.


Neuroblastoma (NB) is a frequent pediatric tumor. After combined treatments of chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, surgery and/or radiotherapy, metastatic NBs still have a poor prognosis. Therefore, finding new therapeutic strategies to increase the survival rate of patients with NB is essential. Autophagy is a self-degradative process induced primarily by starvation and, with the intermediate of lysosomes, damaged macromolecules and cell organelles are degraded. This degradation insures cell survival by adapting to stress conditions. In addition, recent studies proposed that autophagy may contribute to cancer resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, in some circumstances, autophagy can induce non-apoptotic programmed cell death. The aim of this study is to determine how autophagy is regulated and whether it is associated with chemoresistance in NB. Firstly, tissue Microarray blocks containing 184 patients NB were used for an immunohistochemistry study in order to identify the expression of LC3, a cytosolic protein required for autophagic vacuole (autophagosome) formation, and beclin 1, a positive regulator of autophagy. Secondly, in vitro and in vivo (NOD/SCID/IL2Rαc-null mice) studies were performed to determine the level of autophagy in NB cells following chemotherapy. Finally, autophagy was inhibited in NB cells with shRNA targeting Atg5 (an essential protein for autophagy) or with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a pharmacological inhibitor of autophagy. NB cells were further treated with conventional drugs used in NB treatments to evaluate if they retain their ability to resist to chemotherapy. Cell survival was measured using MTT cell proliferation assay. Autophagy was detected by labelling the autophagic vacuoles with monodansylcadaverine (MDC) and by Western blot analysis of LC3 cleavage and Atg5 expression. Our study demonstrated that autophagy is present at low levels in a majority of NB. LC3 expression was not correlated with any clinical pathological data. On the other hand, Beclin1 expression in NB was higher in children older than one year of age who have a poor prognosis. Also, it had a higher level in primitive tumors than in metastases. In our in vitro and in vivo studies, autophagy, which was detected by cleavage of LC3 and by MDC test, was correlated with increasing concentrations of therapeutic agents. Interestingly, inhibition of autophagy with either Atg5 shRNA or HCQ strongly increased the sensitivity of NB cells to chemotherapy.Overall, these results suggest that autophagy contributes to NB cells resistance to chemotherapy. Therefore, inhibition of autophagy in combination with current treatments may be of great interest in order to improve therapeutic strategies of NB. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2477. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2477


In this paper the basics of a proposed method that handles the stereo and especially multiple view coding problem in a geometrical way, are explained. For this purpose, estimation of the depth maps of the multiple views, captured by fully calibrated cameras, are done. In depth map estimation problem Markov random field modeling is used to have a depth map in a desired smoothness and in an efficient coding fashion. The geometric structure which is acquired by the depth map estimation is used to reconstruct the all camera views and the PSNR values of the reconstructed images are calculated for the coding aspects


A highly integrated direct conversion receiver for cellular code division multiple access (CDMA) and GPS applications is successfully developed using a 0.5-/spl mu/m SiGe BiCMOS technology. The receiver consists of two low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), a dual-band mixer, two voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), a local-oscillator signal generation block, and channel filters. The CDMA LNA achieves a noise figure of 1.3 dB, an input-referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) of 10.9 dBm, and a gain of 15.3 dB with a current consumption of 9.8 mA in the high-gain mode. The mixer for the CDMA mode achieves an uncalibrated input-referred second-order intercept point of 53.7 dBm, an IIP3 of 6.4 dBm, a noise figure of 7.2 dB and a voltage gain of 37.2 dB. The phase noise of the CDMA VCO is approximately -133 dBc/Hz at a 900-kHz offset from a 1.762-GHz operating frequency. It exceeds all the CDMA requirements when tested on a handset.


Cardiothoracic surgery patients have the risk of developing surgical site infections which cause hospital readmissions, increase healthcare costs, and may lead to mortality. This work aims to tackle the problem of surgical site infections by predicting the existence of worrying alterations in wound images with a wound image analysis system based on artificial intelligence. The developed system comprises a deep learning segmentation model (MobileNet-Unet), which detects the wound region area and categorizes the wound type (chest, drain, and leg), and a machine learning classification model, which predicts the occurrence of wound alterations (random forest, support vector machine and k-nearest neighbors for chest, drain, and leg, respectively). The deep learning model segments the image and assigns the wound type. Then, the machine learning models classify the images from a group of color and textural features extracted from the output region of interest to feed one of the three wound-type classifiers that reach the final binary decision of wound alteration. The segmentation model achieved a mean Intersection over Union of 89.9% and a mean average precision of 90.1%. Separating the final classification into different classifiers was more effective than a single classifier for all the wound types. The leg wound classifier exhibited the best results with an 87.6% recall and 52.6% precision.


Smooth muscle tumors are the most common type of uterine neoplasm. The vast majority of such tumors are benign leiomyomas. Leiomyosarcomas fortunately are relatively infrequent. A variety of gross and microscopic features may be found in both benign and malignant tumors and great care must be taken not to mistake leiomyomas with atypical or unusual features of leiomyosarcomas. Individual features, such as hypercellularity, necrosis, nuclear atypia, mitotic figures, and intravascular growth, are ominous but must be interpreted with caution because variants of benign leiomyoma may contain such changes.


Brazil is seen as being the largest producer of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) and of mastering all stages in the production of sugar and ethanol. Currently this production is being expanded into the semi-arid regions of Brazil, where there are soil-types prone to salinity. This study aimed to evaluate the response to salinity in two sugarcane genotypes, RB867515 and RB863129. Salinity caused an increase in chlorophyll fluorescence and a reduction of chlorophyll concentration in both varieties. The reduction of chlorophyll however was higher in RB867515. In this same type, an increase in the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) was observed, while in genotype RB863129 there was a reduction in the activity of these two enzymes. These results show that RB867515 has a mechanism which better protects the plant against damage to the photochemical system and the action of reactive oxygen species, particularly H 2 O 2 .


ABSTRACT
Madina Priska Diani. D 0206069. HIGH CONTEXT CULTURE
REPRESENTATION IN FILM (Semiotic Study on Cultural Representations
of Japan as a High Context Culture in The Last Samurai Film). Thesis.
Communication Studies Program Faculty of Social and Political Sciences,
Sebelas Maret University Surakarta. 2011.
High Context Culture is part of intercultural communication studies. The
cultural context is the result of local tradition for thousands of years which taught
its followers to reveal all things not directly and more emphasis on non-verbal
communication. Japan is one of this cultural context follower. Where high-context
cultures are represented in a cinematographic work of Hollywood film production
titled The Last Samurai.
The Last Samurai told the story of Japanese life during modernization in
the era of Emperor Meiji. In this film, there is a conflict between the samurai who
want to preserve the traditional culture of Japan with the reign of Emperor Meiji
who adopt western progress and its cultures as a whole. The values of Japanese
culture are trying maintained by the Samurai is represented in various forms of
local customs and traditions that are part of non-verbal communication.
The purpose of this research is to know what kind of non-verbal
communication symbols which represents Japanese culture in The film The Last
Samurai and also the meaning contained in it. This research is part of a qualitative
descriptive study using semiotic analysis based on Roland Barthes approach
contained in the book written by Alex Sobur Communication Semiotics (2004).
The results of this study showed that non-verbal symbols in The Last
Samurai represented High Context Culture in Japan hich are applied in Bushido
values. The values are part of the Samurai's codes. Where in such high context
culture, further highlight the importance of the dignity, honor and distinction of
social status. In terms of quantity, the largest representation category is dominated
by Kinesic as non-verbal symbol followed by the Procsemic and Paralingualistic
categories.
Suggestions from this study is the individual as part of a nation and local
culture should be prudent when they adopted the technological advances of other
nations who also simultaneously brought its native culture. The goal is to make
every individual doesn't lose and forgets their native cultures because it is a form
of true identity as a human being, groups and nations.


In a field experiment comparing the effect of treatment with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and the pyrethroid insecticide, cypermethrin, on leaf microflora across the growing season, no significant differences were found, apart from more bacteria on cypermethrin‐treated leaves on 24 September (P < 0·05). No effect was seen on fungal diversity or numbers. In contrast, the pyrethroid insecticide inhibited growth of 44% of bacterial isolates tested in vitro; Bt was not inhibitory. Bacillus thuringiensis numbers on treated leaves increased throughout the season, following repeated applications.


Face detection is widely used in portable consumer handheld devices aimed at low area, low power, and high performance applications. The boosted cascade algorithm is one of the fastest face detection algorithms in use, but its hardware implementation requires a huge amount of SRAM to store the input data, integral image, and classifiers. This paper proposes a novel cascade face detection architecture based on a reduced two-field feature extraction scheme for faster integral image calculation and feature extraction. This scheme reduces the required memory for storing integral images by 75%, and employs multiple register files instead of a single SRAM to speed up the integral image updating and feature extraction processes. The reduced integral images have only 5% of the features of original images. Although this approach requires more weak classifiers, the proposed parallel cascade detection architecture reduces the average detection time for one feature to 63% that of the original. A 0.64 mm2 15 mw (@390 fps) boosted cascade face detection is implemented under the UMC 90-nm CMOS technology. Experimental results show that this face detection system can achieve a high face detection rate in processing 160 × 120 grayscale images at a speed of 390 fps.


Once a center of transatlantic cultural exchange and the avant-garde arts, New York City has transformed into a global metropolis. This book traces a shift that took shape as cultural practices and media underwent dramatic changes: it takes us from modernist visions of urban sublimity to postmodernist cityscapes; from Hart Crane's Brooklyn Bridge to the Flushing Meadows fairgrounds; from Mina Loy's poetics to Klaus Nomi's transgressive musical performances and Jem Cohen's multimedia experiments; from Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and the Magnum Photos portfolio to post-9/11 cinema and the photo blogs of the internet age. As we visit these urban spaces and dreamscapes, we enter territories that remain contested, dynamic locales in a city that keeps unfolding its transformative force.


Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The large number of the Muslim population makes Indonesia has a large potential for zakat. Through zakat, it is hoped that Indonesia will be able to realize the country's goals. As stated in the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, namely "advancing the welfare and the intellectual life of the nation". This type of research used in this research is qualitative research. Qualitative research is a research method based on the philosophy of postpositivism, used to examine the natural conditions of objects. This research is descriptive. Descriptive research is research that is intended to investigate conditions or other things that have been mentioned, the results of which are presented in the form of a research report. The implementation and implications of Law Number 23 Year 2011 in BASNAS Bandar Lampung City are carried out well. And BAZNAS Bandar Lampung City through funds obtained from zakat through several excellent programs such as the Healthy Bandar Lampung program, the Smart Bandar Lampung program, the Mandiri Bandar Lampung Program, the Bandar Lampung Care Program, the Bandar Lampung program, the Bandar Lampung Prosper and Justice.Keywords: Zakat, BAZNAS, Welfare, Bandar Lampung City


This article aims to investigate the influence of factors that stimulate university students in relation to the attitude towards the use of the Blended Learning (BL) approach. The study was carried out in a private Higher Education Institution located in the city of São Paulo in undergraduate courses. The proposed model was adapted from Sabah (2019) in a survey (n=532). The research presents a quantitative approach and the use of Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicated that only 3 of the 25 formulated hypotheses were not supported having in common the Perceived Utility construct. In view of this, it was found that online activities were not mandatory, and it is up to the teacher to point out the importance of accessing materials before classes, as well as employing active methodologies; for tutors to be available when required and to stimulate awareness of the importance of online activities, and for course colleagues to recognize the importance of online discussions in the learning process. Finally, students who have demonstrated "high intensity" in liking AVA have a greater facility in perceiving the characteristics of BL. This effect also occurred in the intergroup average of the technical domain of AVA (low and high domain).


Given their pervasive use, social media, such as Twitter, have become a leading source of breaking news. A key task in the automated identification of such news is the detection of novel documents from a voluminous stream of text documents in a scalable manner. Motivated by this challenge, we introduce the problem of online (cid:96) 1 -dictionary learning where unlike traditional dictionary learning, which uses squared loss, the (cid:96) 1 -penalty is used for measuring the reconstruction error. We present an efficient online algorithm for this problem based on alternating directions method of multipliers, and establish a sublinear regret bound for this algorithm. Empirical results on news-stream and Twitter data, shows that this online (cid:96) 1 -dictionary learning algorithm for novel document detection gives more than an order of magnitude speedup over the previously known batch algorithm, without any significant loss in quality of results.


AIMS
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) but the prevalence of NAFLD in the Czech Republic is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the latter in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) and to compare the noninvasive fibrosis scores with ultrasound findings in those patients.

METHODS
180 consecutive patients with DM2 (mean age 64.2±9.3 years, 63% men) were examined for liver biochemistry, MS parameters and had liver ultrasound. MS was diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation. The diagnosis of NAFLD was based on liver ultrasound. Other aetiology of liver lesion was ruled out. Additionally, AST/ALT ratio, APRI, NAFLD fibrosis score, FIB4 and BARD scores were calculated.

RESULTS
93% of patients met the MS criteria, 79% had NAFLD and 13% had ultrasound signs of fibrosis/cirrhosis. NAFLD patients had greater weight (96.9±19.3 vs 84.7±14.7 kg; P=0.003), BMI (32.6±5.2 vs 29.4±5.4 kg/m(2); P=0.007), waist circumference (113.8±12.8 vs 107.1±10.3 cm; P=0.033), ALT (0.73±0.57 vs 0.55±0.53 µkat/L, P=0.007) and triglyceridaemia (1.9±1.4 vs 1.4±1 mmol/L; P=0.005) than patients without NAFLD. There were no significant differences in age, sex, cholesterol, fasting glycaemia or glycated haemoglobin. Of calculated scores only the NAFLD fibrosis score revealed significant differences between patients with and without ultrasound signs of fibrosis/cirrhosis (1.027±2.228 vs -0.118±1.402, P=0.026).

CONCLUSION
Patients with DM2 had in the majority of cases NAFLD which was related to weight, BMI, waist circumference and serum triglycerides. The validity of the liver fibrosis scoring system has to be assessed in those patients in the future.


The 2017 hurricane season in the North Atlantic (NAT) was active in terms of 6 major hurricanes (MHs) –including 3 MH landfalling events (Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria) causing widespread damage over the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean. A number of factors might have been linked to enhancements of 2017 MH activity, such as marked sea surface warming over the tropical Atlantic and off coast of North America as well as teleconnection modulated by the moderate La Niña condition in the Pacific. Here we show, through a suite of idealized seasonal predictions with a high-resolution global coupled model, that the active 2017 MHs was not induced by the 2017 La Niña condition, but by pronounced sea surface warming in the tropical Atlantic. This warming is associated with a positive phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Mode (AMO) or Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM), indicating major contribution of natural variability to the active 2017 MH season. It is further shown that increase in green house gasses and decrease in aerosol loading will further increase in MH frequency in the future even given the same spatial pattern of sea surface temperature anomaly like the 2017 summer. Thus, continued anthropogenic forcing will further amplify the risk of MHs in the NAT, with corresponding socio-economic implications. The key factor controlling MH activity in the future appears how much the tropical Atlantic gets warmer than the other open oceans rather than absolute warming in the tropical Atlantic alone, as is also reported for weaker storms in the previous studies.


provides open access, publishing delivers a research scholars Abstract: The paper examines the determinants of trust in religious institutions in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia—three countries with low levels of religiosity as measured by attendance, prayer and fasting, yet high levels of trust in religious institutions. The analysis employs individual-level survey data from the Caucasus Research Resource Centers' (CRRC) 2007 Data Initiative and uses OLS regression to show that while religious practices do not determine trust in religious institutions, the importance of religion in one's daily life is a strong indicator of trust in religious institutions in each country. However, the results show some differences between the three countries with regard to two types of control variables—trust in secular institutions and socioeconomic factors. Georgia is the only country in which interpersonal trust is a significant indicator of trust in religious institutions. Residence in the capital is only significant in Azerbaijan. Armenia is the only country in which both education and age are significant. In addition, two theories of trust in institutions are tested: a cultural theory of interpersonal trust and secularization theory relating to declining religious authority. The results show that secularization theory has inadequately operationalized the concept of religiosity overwhelmingly as practice and as declining religious authority. The paper maintains that Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are considered secular under earlier secularization theories that viewed declining religious practices as a form of secularization. However, these countries are non-secular with respect to more recent adaptations of the theory that regard declining religious authority—measured by trust in religious institutions —as a form of secularization. Thus, the presence of both low religious practice and high trust in religious institutions challenges more recent reformulated secularization theories. Abstract: The paper examines the determinants of trust in religious institutions in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia—three countries with low levels of religiosity as measured by attendance, prayer and fasting, yet high levels of trust in religious institutions. The analysis employs individual-level survey data from the Caucasus Research Resource Centers' (CRRC) 2007 Data Initiative and uses OLS regression to show that while religious practices do not determine trust in religious institutions, the importance of religion in one's daily life is a strong indicator of trust in religious institutions in each country. However, the results show some differences between the three countries with regard to two types of control variables—trust in secular institutions and socioeconomic factors. Georgia is the only country in which interpersonal trust is a significant indicator of trust in religious institutions. Residence in the capital is only significant in Azerbaijan. Armenia is the only country in which both education and age are significant. In addition, two theories of trust in institutions are tested: a cultural theory of interpersonal trust and secularization theory relating to declining religious authority. The results show that secularization theory has inadequately operationalized the concept of religiosity overwhelmingly as practice and as declining religious authority. The paper maintains that Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are considered secular under earlier secularization theories that viewed declining religious practices as a form of secularization. However, these countries are non-secular with respect to more recent adaptations of the theory that regard declining religious authority—measured by trust in religious institutions—as a form of secularization. Thus, the presence of both low religious practice and high trust in religious institutions challenges more recent reformulated secularization theories. Additionally, cultural theories of interpersonal trust prove ambiguous in the region. The paper is one of few analyses to employ a multidimensional view of religiosity that takes into account the "privatization of religion" and also to test theories of trust in religious institutions in the South Caucasus—an often neglected area and frequently the second most trusted type of institution in the post-communist region after the military. This paper examines religiosity and trust in religious institutions in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Specifically, it seeks to understand the determinants of trust in religious institutions among societies with low levels of religiosity. The analysis employs data from the Data Initiative (2007)—a nation-wide survey conducted by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) regarding an array of social, political and economic issues in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. i The paper differs from more common literature regarding trust in political and democratic institutions in post-communist countries. Rather, it explores trust in religious institutions—an often neglected area, and frequently the second most trusted type of institution in the post-communist region after the army. In addition, the paper tests a cultural theory of interpersonal trust and evaluates recent reformulated secularization theories related to trust in institutions.


General aspects of vielbein representation, ADM formulation and canonical quantization of gravity are discussed using pure gravity in three dimensions as a toy model. The classical part focuses on the role of local observers in general relativity, who will later be identified with quantum observers. A precise definition of gauge symmetries and a classification of inequivalent solutions of Einstein's equations in the dreibein formalism is given as well. In the quantum part the construction of the physical Hilbert space is carried out explicitly for a torus- and cylinder-type space manifold, which has not been done so far. Some conceptual problems of quantum gravity are considered from the point of view of an observer sitting inside the universe.


In the vast majority of cancer types, as demonstrated and exemplified in colorectal cancer (CRC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a high density of CD8+ T cells associated with high densities of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in the tumor microenvironment correlates with a good prognosis for the patient. However, an opposite association has been reported in primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and several other cancers. Our team studied the immune infiltrates of pulmonary metastases from CRC and RCC. As in the primary tumors, a high density of CD8+ T cells correlated with good prognosis for CRC metastases, while it correlated with a bad prognosis for RCC metastases. These results suggested that the identity of the tumor cells, rather than the organ where they grow, is critical for shaping the immune contexture of a given tumor. Transcriptomic analyses of large cohorts of human CRC and RCC allow to define molecular subgroups associated with distinct risks of tumor progression. We therefore characterized the immune microenvironments of the molecular subgroups of CRC and RCC. In CRC, the MSI-enriched subgroup identified patients with high cytotoxic T cells infiltration and favorable prognosis. In CRC and RCC, we confirmed that patients with low tumoral T and B cell infiltrations presented with high risk of death; In addition, in both cancer types, we identified subgroups of poor-prognosis patients with high tumoral lymphocyte infiltration, in the context of high expression of genes related to inflammation, immunosuppression, and angiogenesis. Integration of molecular and immune tumor phenotypes refines prognostic cancer groups. Moreover, these classifications allow to select immunotherapies appropriate to specific, potentially responding, groups of patients. Citation Format: Etienne Becht, Nicolas A. Giraldo, Aurelien De Reynies, Pierre Laurent-Puig, Benoit Beuselinck, Jessica Zucman-Rossi, Marie Caroline Dieu-Nosjean, Catherine Sautes-Fridman, Wolf H. Fridman. Cancer subtypes and their immune microenvironments. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr IA20.


Abstract : This technical note (TN), part of an ongoing Software Engineering Institute (SEI) series on Agile in the Department of Defense (DoD), addresses key issues that occur when Agile software teams engage with systems engineering functions in the development and acquisition of software-reliant systems. Published acquisition guidance still largely focuses on a system perspective, and fundamental differences exist between systems engineering and software engineering approaches. Those differences are compounded when Agile becomes a part of the mix, rather than adhering to more traditional ?waterfall?-based development lifecycles. For this TN, the SEI gathered more data from users of Agile methods in the DoD and delved deeper into the existing body of knowledge about Agile and systems engineering before addressing them. Topics considered here include various interaction models for integrating systems engineering functions with Agile engineering teams, automation, insight and oversight, training, the role of Agile advocates/sponsors and coaches, the use of pilot programs, stakeholder involvement, requirements evolution, verification and validation activities, and the means by which Agile teams align their increments with program milestones. This TN offers insight into how systems engineers and Agile software engineers can better collaborate when taking advantage of Agile as they deliver incremental mission capability.


to be still present, and I finally extracted it by means of a Killian's tube spatula and Paterson's forceps from beneath the mucous membrane of the posterior wall of the lower pharynx. The coin was an old one, and its thin, worn edge had perforated the posterior wall of the oesophagus, and been drawn up behind the mucous membrane of the hypopharynx during the attempt at removal with the coin-catcher. Such cases illustrate the danger of blind efforts at the removal or propulsion of foreign bodies in the oesophagus. Fortunately the damage in this instance was not irreparable and the patient made a good recovery, but, as is well known, this is by no means always so, and the use of probangs, bougies and coin-catchers in these cases can nowadays scarcely be defended.


We present a novel approach for the detection of events in systems of ordinary differential equations. The new method combines the unique features of Taylor integrators with state-of-the-art polynomial root finding techniques to yield a novel algorithm ensuring strong event detection guarantees at a modest computational overhead. Detailed tests and benchmarks focused on problems in astrodynamics and celestial mechanics (such as collisional N-body systems, spacecraft dynamics around irregular bodies accounting for eclipses, computation of Poincare' sections, etc.) show how our approach is superior in both performance and detection accuracy to strategies commonly employed in modern numerical integration works. The new algorithm is available in our open source Taylor integration package heyoka.


Drawing on fieldwork conducted at eight women's music festivals, Eileen M. Hayes shows how studying these festivals--attended by predominately white lesbians--provides critical insight into the role of music and lesbian community formation. She argues that the women's music festival is a significant institutional site for the emergence of black feminist consciousness in the contemporary period. Hayes also offers sage perspectives on black women's involvement in the women's music festival scene, the ramifications of their performances as drag kings in those environments, and the challenges and joys of a black lesbian retreat based on the feminist festival model. With acuity and candor, longtime feminist activist Hayes elucidates why this music scene matters. Veteran vocalist, percussionist, producer, and cultural historian Linda Tillery provides a foreword.


Experimental and numerical investigations were carried out on turbulent flow in a staggered tube bundle. In the experiment, a hot-wire anemometer was employed to investigate the developments of the flow at the Reynolds number of 9160. In microscopic numerical study, the standard k - ε model was used with a boundary fitted coordinate system to calculate velocity, pressure drop and kinetic energy of turbulence. The new macroscopic turbulence model with volume averaging and additional source terms was proposed for turbulent flows in tube bundles or packed beds. The turbulence constants were determined by the microscopic numerical experiments. The microscopic and macroscopic numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental results, or the empirical equation in the axial velocity and kinetic energy of turbulence.


Foreign language learning styles are aimed at facilitating students' learning and therefore the teaching style used is important in terms of matching learners' styles to their educational needs. The present study was aimed at investigating several dimensions of primary school students' language learning styles and the ways in which certain styles are shaped and favored by teachers' teaching styles. The primary aim was to find out whether or not the measures taken by the Turkish Ministry of Education regarding rectifying the shortage of teachers of English as a foreign language have had an effect on the learning styles of primary school students. The secondary aim was to examine the varying learning styles of EFL students in two primary schools and to establish whether or not there has been a change in these learning styles. Finally, the researcher examined whether or not the economic conditions of the schools had an influence on the students' learning styles.


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the occurrence of complications, as well as the survival rates, in elderly people having neurological diseases and undergoing enteral nutrition therapy (ENT). METHODS: Patients aged over 60 years, assisted by a home medical service from a healthcare plan in the city of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, were thoroughly evaluated. The mentioned evaluation occurred at their homes after hospital discharge with enteral nutrition (EN) after a three-month period, a six-month period, and at the end of the study. A nutritional assessment was performed along with data collection performed on the patients' electronic medical records, and interviews performed with patients' family members and caregivers. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients aged 82.9 ± 10.4 years old were evaluated; of these, 49.4% presented dementia, and 50.6% presented other neurological diagnoses. 100% of patients presented a high dependence level, assessed by the Katz index. The majority of patients (91.2%) presented some complications such as: pneumonia, catheter loss, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, fluid leakage, periostotomy, tube obstruction, reflux, and myiasis. Pneumonia was the most frequent complication, occurring in 55.9% of cases. The mortality rates were 15.2% at a three-month period, 22.8% at a six-month period, and 43% at the end of study. The median survival after starting EN was 364 days. Differences among the mortality rate and neurological diagnosis, EN routes of access, and complications were not observed. The survival rate was lower in patients having inadequate nutritional status and albumin levels < 3.5 mg/dL. Conclusion: The population followed presented a high rate of complications and death at the end of the study. Diagnosis of dementia, EN routes of access, as well as complications, did not influence the survival rates. However, inadequate nutritional status according to the clinical assessment and albumin levels lower than 3.5 mg/dL significantly influenced the survival rates.


Objectives It is clinically important to determine whether adenocarcinoma present in a biopsy or curettage is of endometrial or endocervical origin. When tumors are difficult to distinguish based on routine histologic sections, immunohistochemistry and human papillomavirus (HPV) in situ hybridization may be used. Materials and Methods We compare immunohistochemical profile and HPV expression in 76 tumors, including various types of endocervical adenocarcinoma and the most common endometrioid type of endometrial adenocarcinoma using tumor tissue microarray. Immunostaining for p16, mammaglobin, vimentin, monoclonal carcinoembryonic antigen, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and PAX-8 as well as HPV in situ hybridization was performed in 37 endocervical adenocarcinomas and 39 endometrioid-type endometrial adenocarcinomas. The staining patterns were analyzed with Bayesian network model. Results The markers with the highest discriminatory values were p16, HPV, vimentin, estrogen receptor, and monoclonal carcinoembryonic antigen. The various histologic types of endocervical adenocarcinoma showed similar immunohistochemical profile, and most were positive for p16 (86%) and HPV (65%). Most (90%) of the endometrial adenocarcinomas were positive for vimentin and estrogen receptor, all were negative for HPV, and 97% were negative for carcinoembryonic antigen. Conclusions Immunohistochemical testing with multiple markers and HPV testing aids in diagnostic evaluation of adenocarcinomas of endocervix and endometrium and is recommended in tumors of uncertain origin.


Multilateral conferences are the bread-and-butter of international politics. In such settings, countries may pursue their interests individually, but most of the time they prefer to act through coalitions. Such coalitions are overlapping, creating a network structure. States build and utilize networks to get agenda items pushed through or to block unfavorable ones. While sometimes they are formed on the basis of formal institutions (such as the NAM or the EU), frequently their membership is based on either ad hoc cooperation or existing informal bodies (such as the NSG, New Agenda Coalition, or Zangger Committee). The attention to such networks is, however, still in its infancy. This paper looks at how state networks within one of the most important recurring diplomatic conferences—the quinquennial NPT Review Conference—develop and transform over time. By doing so, the paper maps the existing networks and explains their transformation as an instrument of global governance.


We present two methods for estimating Random Preference (RP) models of risk attitudes. Our first method is intended for any class of RP models, including those addressing multidimensional risk attitudes as per non-expected utility theories. Existing methods cannot be used to estimate such models without imposing severe constraints on the model and data. We present a fully versatile alternative. Our second method is intended for models of unidimensional risk attitudes that display single-crossing properties. We show that these models are dual to seemingly non-structural regression models. One can thus use standard regression models in structural estimation of unidimensional risk attitudes.


Hughes M. 2011. — A new species of fleshy-fruited Begonia (Begoniaceae) from the Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar. Adansonia, sér. 3, 33(1): 81–85. ABSTRACT A new species of Begonia (B. masoalaensis M. Hughes, sp. nov.) is described from the Masoala Peninsula in north-east Madagascar. The species has fleshy fruit, but bears no other similarity to other fleshy fruited Begonia from Madagascar, and hence probably represents a secondary acquisition of this character, possibly to facilitate zoochory. Begonia masoalaensis possesses an unusual spicate inflorescence architecture, derived from a highly modified monochasial cyme. It is considered to be in the "Vulnerable" IUCN Red List category (VUD2).


Vehicular Networks (VANETs) are an emerging network that enables the communication among the vehicles, in order to promote a safe and efficient traffic, avoiding crashes and preventing hazards. These vehicles transit on the streets and highways, and during their trajectories, they can communicate with each other or with another network, through interactions among them and road side units. Aiming to better understand these interactions, in this work, we characterize the vehicular mobility through a detailed analysis of dataset traces, which portray the mobility of a group of taxis in a great city. We perform the analysis using statistical techniques, graph theory and network analysis, extracting properties and behaviors from the mobility traces. The results reveal the existence of regularity and common interests in the studied traces.


Tetrastichus hagenowii (Ratz.) and T. asthenogmus (Wtstn.) are parasitic in cockroach oothecae and may themselves be attacked by a species of Tetrastichus of the group of T. miser (Nees). In Bangalore in 1976–79, the primary parasites were reared from oothecae of Periplaneta americana (L.), P. australasiae (F.) and P. brunnea Burm., and laboratory colonies of them were established on oothecae of P. americana . The hyperparasite, reared from field-collected oothecae of Periplaneta spp., was bred in the laboratory on oothecae of P. americana containing larvae of T. hagenowu . The immature stages of the three species of parasites were compared and their biologies studied. The eggs of the three species can be differentiated on the basis of their shape as can the pupae, but the larvae of the two primary parasites are indistinguishable. The duration of the developmental stages of the three species overlapped but the hyperparasite had a slightly shorter pupal period. Host finding by the T. hagenowii female was investigated. The two primary parasites were similar in most of their biological attributes. However, T. asthenogmus was inherently superior to the Bangalore strain of T. hagenowii in having lower levels of female sterility and its greater preference for the oothecae of P. brunnea , the predominant species of cockroach in Bangalore. T. hagenowii proved to be more tolerent of low temperatures than T. asthenogmus . The hyperparasite had an advantage over the other two species in possessing longer life-span and synovigenic females, and individual females parasitised more oothecae in their life-span than the primary parasites; but it was unable to distinguish healthy oothecae from those containing larvae of the other two species until it had drilled into them.


The promise of genetics has been partly realized in our understanding of human brain development as this relates to disorders of gyral formation. Cerebral gyral dysplasias are disorders of brain formation that result in phenotypes with the common feature of abnormal cerebral gyri. This review emphasizes the recent progress made in understanding the human lissencephalies and related disorders. LIS1 heterozygous loss-of-function deletions and point mutations, as well as Doublecortin mutations in males, lead to a very similar phenotype, termed type 1 lissencephaly. Additionally, Doublecortin mutations in females lead to a more variable subcortical band heterotopia. Given the similarities between the lissencephaly phenotypes that result from aberrations in these genes, it is important to review the genetics of these disorders. In order to begin to understand the cell biology of the LIS1 protein and the Doublecortin protein, potentially interacting pathways need to be emphasized. Another human genetic disorder with an interestingly similar phenotype has a mouse correlate that has been well characterized. This surprising finding may lead to further understanding of LIS1 protein and of Doublecortin protein. Furthermore, mouse modeling of the aforementioned human disorders now holds promise for enabling us finally to understand the formation of the most complex organ that nature has produced - the human brain.


Marine Diel Vertical Migration (DVM), perhaps the largest movement of animals on Earth, is composed of mesopelagic species migrating vertically every night to feed in epipelagic depths and return to deeper water during the day. The objective of this study infers potential taxonomic identity of organisms in the DVM via their association with bacterioplankton signatures.   High   throughput   sequencing   of   the   16S   rRNA   V4   region   and   the use of bioinformatics and statistics provided evidence to which bacteria appeared associated with either upward or downward vertical migration during two cycles.
Seawater samples were collected during a DEEPEND (Deependconsortium.org) research cruise in May 2017 using a niskin bottle array from 0-326 meters depth. Real-time acoustic echosounder data was used to direct sample collection in order to capture seawater samples above, during, and below the DVM. DNA was extracted from the water samples and sequenced. Data analysis was performed using R Studio software.
Our results confirm the vertical movement of bacterial taxa throughout the pelagic depths. The most abundant bacteria present during the Vertical Migration were of Genera Marinobacter, Alteromonas, Prochlorococcus, and class Gammaproteobacteria. These taxa occurred at depth of 320 meters which is the mesopelagic zone. Proteobacteria was only found during the vertical migration at mesopelagic depths, whereas Cyanobacteria was only found during the vertical migration at epipelagic depths. This indicates that these two phyla of bacteria are distinct to their respective zones.


Flavonoids are ubiquitous compounds commonly found in vegetables, fruits and other plant foods. Although not considered nutrients per se, consumption of various flavonoids is associated with established health benefits. Their biosynthesis, and therefore concentrations, are influenced by genetic, geographic and environmental conditions. Flavonoid content in foods can be seasonal, potentially influencing their total intake and biovailability. In view of the potential role of flavonoids in human health, studies published over an 11-year period (2009 to 2020) investigating links between flavonoid content and season in edible and medicinal plants, were examined. The limited studies to date focus on a small range of plant species. Within this, there is consistent evidence that flavonoid content varies according to season, particularly in relation to plant genotype and environmental conditions such as temperature, geographic location, light conditions/UV radiation and drought/water stress. Seven studies detected highest total flavonoid content at the end of winter and lowest in mid-autumn. From the included studies, rutin was the most commonly studied flavonoid, showing its highest levels in both spring and winter. These findings suggest studies on flavonoid intake should include seasonal considerations. Further studies on seasonal variations of common dietary flavonoids are warranted to enable such studies.


This paper describes a portion of the Carnegie-Mellon University Design Automation (CMU-DA) research. This part involves the design and construction of a data-memory allocator, consisting of a set of algorithms and data structures which synthesize hardware at the register-transfer level from a behavioral description written in ISP. The allocator selects registers and data operators and interconnects them with data paths to form a data part capable of implementing the data operations specified in the behavior. Results indicate that the allocator's performance compares favorably with a human designer when designing an elevator controller and a reduced PDP-8/E. Although optimal designs cannot be guaranteed, upper bounds for the number of components used can be derived from the ISP description.


Liv. vii. 1. 7. ne quando a metu ac periculis vacarent pestilentia ingens orta, etc. Ib. 27. 1. ne nimis laetae res essent pestilentia civitatem adorta coegit etc. Ib. x. 1. 4. tamen, ne prorsus inbellem agerent annum, parva expeditio in Umbria facta eat, etc. Ib. 6. 3. tamen, ne undique tranquillae res essent, certamen iniectum inter primores civitatis, etc. Ib. vi. 34. 5. ne id nimis laetum parti alteri esset parva—causa intervenit, etc. There is some difficulty about the neclauses here. Purpose-clauses they are, but they do not stand in a simple relation to the leading verbs. Weissenborn's note on the first passage is: die Absicht statt der Folge. The two first examples might be made ordinary purpose-clauses by personifying pestilentia. The word nimis occurs in two of these passages, and quando, undique, prorsus strike the same note in the other three. All the sentences alike sound the note of doom. I t is fate, it is the Gods to whom ' nimietas' is distasteful. In every case ne may be taken to mean dels nolentibus ut. We may compare the parenthetic piwposeclause for an analogous construction, but that is more detached from the sentencestructure in sequence. There was probably never a feeling of ellipsis here. I t is perhaps explanation enough of the usage in question to describe it as an ironical use of the parenthetic purpose-clause.


The present study has highlighted the similarities and the differences between American English (AE) and Moroccan Arabic (MA) in terms of the speech act of invitation. In fact, several strategies have been used to make, accept, and decline an invitation. The study's data has been collected via two online questionnaires using Google Forms. In fact, there is one questionnaire which was used to collect data from Americans who speak English as their mother tongue and another one for Moroccan whose mother tongue is Moroccan Arabic. Both questionnaires comprise a number of parts. The first part is where personal information is provided. As a matter of fact, the participants are asked about their region and city as well as their age and sex. They are also asked about their level of education. The second part is composed of four situations for each questionnaire. The participants have to answer in American English when filling out the questionnaire designed in English, whereas others have to answer in Moroccan Arabic when filling out the one in Arabic. The results have shown that there are some similarities between MA and AE in terms of the speech act of invitation. Therefore, it is worthwhile to note that in both AE and MA, there are some indirect and direct strategies which are used to make an invitation. In fact, there are many strategies shared by both MA and AE which indicates that there are similarities. However, there are also some differences given that each language has its own socio-cultural background.


Although gender-based violence is no longer a new issue, the number and intensity tend to increase instead. Indonesia is one of the developing countries with high-leveled gender-based violence. Indonesia's government has attempted various attempts to overcome it by involving a number of NGOs and forming service-providing partner institutions. To make Indonesia succeed in actualizing "zero violence" policyinterorganizational communication and enforcement activities between partner institutions and government's institutions are absolutely needed. The article studies the extent of inter-organizational communication and enforcement activities between partner institutions and government institutions in overcoming genderbased violence. The research was conducted in Sragen regency, Indonesia. The primary data were obtained from the interviews with key informants, namely those in the institutions providing accompaniment to gender-based violence victims, particularly Aliansi Peduli Perempuan Sukowati(Alliance of Women-Care Sukowati) of Sragen regency and the government institutions handling gender-based violence. The secondary data were obtained from policy documents and the data of gender-based violence victims. The data were analyzed qualitatively by using Miles and Huberman's model whereas the categorizing of interorganizationalcommunication and enforcement activities refers to Van Horn and Van Meter's implementation theory. The research result finds that inter-organizational communication and enforcement activities between the partner institutions and government's institutions in coping with gender-based violence has not been maximally carried out. Although the standard and goal of the program have been understood by the responsible individuals, there is still difficulty in its implementation. Due to the hierarchical power the officials and the institutions handling the gender-based violence make the execution mechanism and the institutions' procedures in handling gender-based violence hindered. Meanwhile the countermeasure of gender-based violence requires consistent actions with standards and objectives (either between thesuperior and subordinate or between the partner institutions and the government). This is necessarily conducted since the countermeasures of gender-based violence must be urgent and quick. The lateness in handling such case can endanger the victim. Accordingly it is recommended to set up collegial relation in handling the case


This study aims to examine the effect of good corporate governanceon financial performance. The independent variable in this study isgood corporate governance which is proxied as board of directors, board ofindependent commissioners, audit committees, managerial ownerships, andinstitutional ownerships, while the dependent variable of this study is financialperformance which proxied as return on assets (ROA). The sampleused in this study were 24 state-owned companies listed on IDX for the2015–2019 period. The sampling method used is non-probability sampling.This study uses secondary data in the form of annual reports for the 2015–2019 period which obtained from the company's official website. The datacollected were then analyzed by multiple linear regressions using SPSS 25.The results of this study show that board of independent commissionershave negative effects on ROA. This means that the greater the number ofboard independent commissioners, the lower the ROA will be. The resultsalso show that other independent variables, namely board of directors, auditcommittees, managerial ownerships, and institutional ownerships haveno effect on ROA.


Subarray spatial smoothing of the covariance matrix decoheres a signal from its multipath. Since computations grow as fast as M3, where M is the subarray size, we should keep M to a minimum. Since the accuracy is found to improve as M increases and quickly asymptotes around a knee point, we suggest to choose M right after that point and use spatial smoothing to speed up MUSIC in general, even if signal coherence is of no concern. We also introduce a root finding algorithm working on a 2(M-1)th order polynomial as an efficient way of finding the peaks of the super resolution pattern.