SYNOPSIS

Motivation is recognized by many physicians as a critical component of any comprehensive treatment program for the migraine patient. To study the role of patient motivation, eighteen migraine patients were entered into a non-medicinal treatment program to include counselling, biofeedback, stress reduction, dietary restriction, exercise, and sleep pattern adjustment. Patients were divided equally into the following groups: military and civilian flyers who were not permitted maintenance medication to remain on flying status; fertile females who were not practicing birth control; and patients who for various reasons desired no maintenance medication. After six months, the first group (flyers) showed significant improvement in reference to both frequency and duration of headache; the second group (fertile females) showed improvement to a lesser degree; and the third group (varied) showed only minimal improvement. This limited study suggests that patient motivation is a significant determinant in the success of a migraine treatment program.


Of the various operations for prolapse of the uterus, those most used probably are the Watkins-Wertheim, the Mayo vaginal hysterectomy, the Kocher fixation, the modified Gilliam, and various other types of intra-peritoneal shortening of the round ligaments combined with vaginal plastic operations. The technic of each has undergone various modifications and is described in detail in the literature. The value of any one of these procedures as a corrective operation is determined largely by the results obtained from its use, by the ability of the surgeon to execute the technic correctly and by its application to the properly selected case. Masson 1 has stated that the choice of operation depends on several factors. Chiefly these are: the age of the patient, her marital state, the risk of an abdominal or vaginal operation, and the degree of prolapse with its accompanying symptoms. The practice of using an operation as a routine


Planting native trees is an important response to climate change and biodiversity loss in Aotearoa New Zealand, but it can be difficult to relate trees in the ground to measurable benefits. This study uses a community tree planting site next to the Ōtaki River to measure site-specific benefits. These are then used to inform science communication that is directly relevant to the local community. The study has a transdisciplinary approach, with expert input from a variety of fields, including biological science, community engagement, science communication, mātauranga Māori, and design. A participatory method was used, with the author volunteering within the community tree planting group Friends of the Ōtaki River, and meeting with local Māori in Ōtaki as part of community engagement.
In the scientific component of the study, carbon in trees was estimated using allometric equations, and carbon in soil by testing samples in a lab. Biodiversity values were measured by conducting five-minute bird counts, and using pitfall traps to count invertebrates at the site. The trees have been planted over a 20-year period, and changing biological values were measured between planting sites of different ages. Rather than showing clear linear trends, the research showed a complex ecosystem with many elements influencing carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Ecosystem processes such as canopy closure and habitat fragmentation were more influential in bird and invertebrate assemblages than simple tree size. The development of the ecosystem is in turn influenced by biodiversity, such as through seed dispersal.
In order to communicate the complexity of carbon absorption and biodiversity at the site, key messages were developed about the range of ecosystem services provided by trees, ecosystem processes in different stages of growth, the long timeframes required for carbon to accumulate and associated importance of large trees, and that native biodiversity is related to the amount of tree cover. Communication outputs were developed to share these messages in a way that related directly to the community in Ōtaki. Carbon absorption over time was compared to carbon dioxide emissions generated by everyday activities within Ōtaki, and biodiversity values were related to the visible development of the ecosystem as the plantings grow. Signage is proposed for installation along the Ōtaki River walkway to communicate key messages to the local community.


The purpose of this research study is to establish link between perceived human resources internal service quality practices with employee retentions in mediating environment of employee job satisfaction. This study was conducted in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. For the analyses of research work, the data has been collected about the employees of public and privatized banks' employees. A total of 550 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to different bankers of selected areas and 400 copies of the same were collected back. The study finds that employee selection, employee training and development, work design, job definition employee rewards and compensation report high, positive and significant dimensionality to internal service quality in human resource management. The study further finds that internal service quality in human resource has positive and significant effect on employee job satisfaction and employee job satisfaction has positive and significant effect on employee retention. Based on findings of the study that the human resource development departments should review and enhance the motivation, training, and retention of good employees and that employee should support the concept of the ISQ. The employees' selection and their rewards and recognitions, their training and development, work design and job definition all are the most important human resource management areas in enhancing the employees' job satisfaction and the retention of prospective employees. Key words:


The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly expanding, resulting in an exponential growth of IoT devices and an increasing need for secure data storage. Currently, data management and device interaction for IoT devices are centralized, with a central server managing the storage functions. As a novel data storage solution, blockchain technology offers security through its inherent features, such as distributivity, decentralization, immutability, and consensus mechanisms. Consensus mechanisms represents the rule set imposed by the blockchain network on the IoT devices to enhance network security. In this paper, we analyzed three types of consensus mechanisms - Proof of Work, Proof of Stake, and Proof of Authority - to determine which is best suited for use in IoT data storage solution that uses blockchain. Thus, we evaluated the consensus mechanisms on public blockchain test networks using three metrics: transaction latency, average block time, and average query time. Our obtained results show the PoS and PoA consensus mechanisms are more appropriate for IoT, exhibiting lower transaction latency, lower average block time and query time when compared to the PoW mechanism. This suggests that PoS and PoA are promising alternatives for blockchain-based IoT systems that require energy-efficient and low-latency transactions.


A pulsed InGaAsP-Si hybrid laser is fabricated using metal bonding. A novel structure in which the optical coupling and metal bonding areas are transversely separated is employed to integrate the silicon waveguide with an InGaAsP multi-quantum well distributed feedback structure. When electrically pumped at room temperature, the laser operates with a threshold current density of 2.9kA/cm2 and a slope efficiency of 0.02 W/A. The 1542 nm laser output exits mainly from the Si waveguide.


This dissertation argues that the category of the literary emerged in colonial Senegal through the exclusion of some indigenous textual cultures and the translation of others. In readings of Mariama Bâ, Ousmane Sembene, Cheikh Aliou Ndao, Maam Yunus Dieng and others, I examine how postcolonial Senegalese authors working in French and Wolof have responded to this legacy. Through analyses of a variety of 19th-20th century texts, this dissertation explores how the Senegalese literary field has been crosscut by a series of struggles over how to define proper reading and authorship, and what the shape of a future literary public might be. I argue that Senegalese writers working at the interstices of French and Wolof have engaged with a variety of crises of authorship and audience by addressing their work to a public that is yet to come.The dissertation begins in the 19th century with a reading of works by an influential 19th-century metis intellectual, the Abbe David Boilat, in whose scholarly activities one can perceive the discursive preconditions of a future francophone literary field. From there, the dissertation turns to the early 20th century, when literary studies were introduced into the French colonial curriculum as a discipline for cultivating new and putatively modern modes of authorship and reading. The focus then shifts to the 1960s-70s, where I explore the postcolonial politics of language and the emergence of modern Wolof literature and film in Cheikh Aliou Ndao's Buur Tilleen (1967) and Ousmane Sembene's Mandabi (1968). I then investigate how the circulation of Senegalese literature as World literature echoes the ideals of colonial literary study. Here, I reconsider the reception history of Mariama Bâ's Une si longue lettre (1980), contrasting the terms in which that novel became internationally acclaimed with how it has been reworked by a Wolof writer, Maam Yunus Dieng. Finally, in a Coda, I query how the `work' of Wolof literature has been transformed in the age of structural adjustment - through readings of Boubacar Boris Diop's Doomi Golo (2003) and Cheikh Aliou Ndao's Mbaam Aakimoo (1997).


Stroke mortality is associated both with being black and with having low socioeconomic status. However, it is uncertain to what extent that increased risk is related to rates of behavior-related risk factors, such as hypertension, cigarette smoking, obesity, or alcohol consumption. The investigators performed an ecologic analysis to estimate the contributions of behavioral risks, socioeconomic status, and black race to regional variations in stroke mortality rates among persons 55-84 years of age in Florida. They used data from the 1980 census and from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for 1986 through 1988. Weighted multiple linear regression models indicated that regions in Florida with high stroke mortality rates were characterized by high prevalences of poverty, obesity, and hypertension. Although limited by its ecologic design, this study suggests that socioeconomic status and prevalence of behavioral risks contribute independently to interregional disparities in stroke mortality rates in Florida. BRFSS data, now available for more than 45 States, can be used to help clarify the relative contributions of behavioral and other risks to population-based mortality rates.


Electrocardiographic changes defined as probable or suspect ischaemic heart disease and coded according to the Minnesota coding system, were found in 14 (10.3 percent) of 136 Funafutians surveyed. Of these abnormal electrocardiograms, nine were classified as "probable" ischaemia and five as "suspect" ischaemia. There was a higher prevalence of electrocardiographic ischaemia in the female population compared with the male population of Funafuti. This is consistent with the greater degree of obesity and higher prevalence of diabetes previously reported in females in this population.


One of the challenges faced by surveillance video analysis is to detect objects from the frames. For outdoor surveillance, detection of small object like pedestrian is of particular interest. This paper proposes a fast, lightweight, and auto-zooming-based framework for small pedestrian detection. An attentive virtual auto-zooming scheme is proposed to adaptively zoom-in the input frame by splitting it into non-overlapped tiles and pay attention to the only important tiles. Without sacrificing detection performance, we have obtained a fully convolutional pedestrian detection model which can be run on low computational resources. It has been trained on an outdoor surveillance dataset and evaluated on two specially prepared testing sets of small (far) pedestrians in outdoor surveillance. We have compared our framework performance with different single-step customized pedestrian detectors as well as the two-step detector faster R-CNN. The results validate the efficiency of our framework.


Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are widely applied on the induction motors in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to reduce energy consumption and improve power factor (PF) in commercial buildings. On the other hand, VFDs not only consume energy but also create harmonic distortion, which may interfere with sensitive electronic equipment, cause additional motor energy losses, and worsen PF. These negative impacts are more often concealed by the significant energy reduction. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively assess those positive and negative impacts of VFDs in actual HVAC systems. Experiments were conducted on three HVAC systems to quantify the energy reduction, PF improvement, voltage and current total harmonic distortions (THDs), and system efficiency degradation introduced by VFDs. The experiment results reveal that the VFDs significantly reduced the system input power by 85% at 50% rated frequency and increased the PF to 0.95 at 95% rated frequency with the voltage THDs always less than 1%. However, the current THDs increased to 90% at 50% rated frequency, which worsens the improved PF to 0.7. Moreover, the VFDs degraded the system efficiency by 3.5% at the rated frequency and by more percentage, potentially due to increased current THDs, at partial frequencies.


In this paper, we introduced a classifier ensemble approach to combine heterogeneous classifiers together in the presence of class label noise in the datasets. To enhance the performance of our proposed classifier ensemble, we give a preprocessing step to filter out class label noise present in the dataset. This noise free data is further used to learn individual classifier model. After that, a weight learning method is introduced to learn weights on each individual classifier to construct a classifier ensemble. We applied genetic algorithm to search for an optimal weight vector on which classifier ensemble is expected to give best accuracy. The proposed approach is evaluated on variety of real life datasets. The proposed technique is also compared with existing standard ensemble techniques such as Adaboost, Bagging and RSM to show the superiority of proposed ensemble method as compared to its competitors and also to show the sensitivity of competitors to class label noise. We have also given an analysis of the performance of proposed approach on the imbalanced and overlapping classes.


ABSTRACT Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli(EPEC) requires the tnaA-encoded enzyme tryptophanase and its substrate tryptophan to synthesize diffusible exotoxins that kill the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we demonstrate that the RNA-binding protein CsrA and the tryptophan permease TnaB coregulate tryptophanase activity, through mutually exclusive pathways, to stimulate toxin-mediated paralysis and killing of C. elegans.


We examine biases in social workers' assessment of antisocial youths based on the responses of 250 MSW students to clinical case vignettes describing youths engaging in antisocial behavior, all of whom satisfied the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, criteria for conduct disorder. Respondents were to judge whether the described youth had a psychiatric or mental disorder. We manipulated the content of the vignettes to suggest either internal dysfunction (i.e., disorder) or a normal response to a difficult environment (i.e., nondisorder) as the cause of the antisocial behavior. Contrary to the claims of critics, respondents generally appropriately distinguished, based on contextual information, between disordered and nondisordered youth. However, a minority of students did appear to display bias, primarily in the direction of underdiagnosis of disorder.


Since 1967 a syndrome characterized by renal disease, normochromic anaemia and corneal opacities has been described in 7 members of 3 different Norweigan families. The patients have low levels of esterified cholesterol and lack LCAT (lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase) activity in plasma. The genetic basis of the disorder seems to be the presence of a LCAT deficiency gene in double dose. This gene is probably the result of a single mutational event. Linkage studies revealed non-random assortment between LCTA deficiency and serum haptoglobin (Hp) types. After Hp subtyping a combined lod score of 3-41 at a recombination fraction of 0-00 was obtained. Association was revealed between the LCAT deficiency gene and the Hp-1S gene. We propose that the LCAT gene is situated close to the alpha-haptoglobin locus on chromosome no. 16.


We estimated the interobserver reliability (IR) of the diagnosis of rapid eye movement (REM) Sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD) among trained neurologists, with the application of International Classification of Sleep Disorders Revised (ICSD‐R), by means of videotaped interviews of people with motor sleep behaviour disorders of different nature. IR of clinical judgement for the diagnosis of RBD was ''substantial'' (Kappa 0.65); nevertheless, some criteria ('limb or body movement associated with dream mentation', criterion B, and 'sleep behaviours (that) disrupt sleep continuity', criterion C3) showed a 'moderate' IR, resulting from the intrinsic limitations of the patient report and terminological ambiguity. Further clarification of terminology of the ICSD‐R criteria would be useful to improve the reliability.


Since the grid structure of 10kV distribution network has always been in a complex and chaotic state, this paper did some research to effectively standardize it. Firstly, the backbone grid and the secondary grid of 10kV distribution network are presented and defined. Then, based on the grid structure and functional characteristics of secondary grid, three types of analysis models are established to satisfy different requests. At length, considering actual construction and operation situation of a certain city, boundary conditions for various parameters are settled down before analyzing and calculating corresponding models so that the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method can be validated.


The modern Olympics were conceived by their founder Pierre de Coubertin to be competition between individual athletes, not countries (IOC, 2000). The Olympic Spirit emphasizes participation rather than winning. In reality however, the success of a country's athletes is held to be an important source of national prestige. By-country medal tables are widely published. A glance at Olympic history will immediately tell us that not all nations have an equal ability to win medals. In this past August, 199 countries participated in the Athens Olympics, and 124 countries did not win a single medal. On the other hand, the top ten winners collectively took home 514 medals, more than 50% of the medals available at the Athens Olympics. Therefore, a natural question to ask is why some countries are able to enjoy a great success in the Olympic arena, while others never have the chance to do so. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol13/iss1/13


ABSTRACT The Russian authorities' decision to go to war in Ukraine made Kaliningraders trapped inside the EU and forced them to re-organise their daily activities. Successive restrictions and limitations cut off Kaliningraders from the luxury of living a European life. The semi-exclave's residents are forced to face the new reality which responds to the role played by the Kaliningrad region regarding Russia, the EU and NATO. Once again, Kaliningraders are experiencing the primacy of the exclave's military character prevailing over the issues important to local communities. The primary objective of this article is to identify the socio-economic impact of the war in Ukraine. The present article is based on the results of qualitative research conducted with residents of the Kaliningrad Oblast.


Students enrolled in D.M.D. programs often have difficulty understanding the importance of basic science classes, such as physiology, for their future careers as practicing dentists. In order to help alleviate this issue, a series of video modules were created using simulated patients and custom‐designed animations that showcase medical emergencies in the dental practice. Students formatively assessed their knowledge using embedded questions. These responses indicated that while students could initially recognize the cause of the medical emergency, they had difficulty in applying their knowledge of physiology to the scenario. In two of the three videos, students drastically improved their ability to answer high‐level clinical questions at the conclusion of the video. Additionally, when compared to the previous year of the course, there was a significant improvement in unit exam scores on clinically‐related questions (6.2% increase), while no change was found for the basic science questions. Surveys were administered to freshmen and senior dental students to compare their perception of these changes. Freshmen students indicated a more positive perception of the physiology course and its importance for success on board examinations and their dental career. The most positive reported aspects of the clinical scenario modules were the clear applications of physiology to real‐life dental situations, the interactive nature of the videos, and the improved student comprehension of course concepts. These results suggest that online modules may successfully be used to improve student perceptions of the basic sciences, and enhance the ability of students to apply basic science content to clinically‐important scenarios.


Literacy for pupils in the secondary phase of education is a key concern for practitioners and policy makers alike. Tony Lingard is the SENCo at a large comprehensive school in the south-west of England but he is also involved in staff development and school improvement initiatives across the UK. Literacy Acceleration is an intervention strategy for pupils with literacy difficulties that he and his team at school have been developing over many years. He undertook the research reported in this article at a comprehensive school where Literacy Acceleration was well established and being delivered by experienced staff. The research found that Year 7 and 8 pupils with literacy difficulties who followed Literacy Acceleration made significant progress with reading and spelling while similar pupils, who only had access to National English Strategy classes, did less well over the period of the study. The research also found that most of the pupils who experienced Literacy Acceleration in small groups, as well as mainstream English lessons, preferred being taught in smaller Literacy Acceleration groups where they also felt that they were making more progress. In concluding his article, Tony Lingard argues that pupils with literacy difficulties need specific, targeted interventions and that it may be a mistake to assume that the normal secondary English curriculum effectively meets their needs. This small-scale study therefore offers a challenge to a widely accepted policy. It suggests that abandoning strategies that focus on addressing the particular needs of pupils with literacy difficulties (of which Literacy Acceleration is one example) may not best serve the interests of a significant group of learners.


Federal process of Nepal has been guided by some major factors such as elimination of discrimination, equal regional development and political participation. Federalism has been a crucial issue of modern Nepal. The issue of federalism has not been guided by remote past as a vital demand because Nepal has adopted a long history of unitary system. But some regional and marginalized groups have been demanding it since 1950, who were struggling against discriminations. Federalism was not documented even in an initiate part of Interim Constitution 2006. It was also not agenda of Maoist Party which they had put in forty points demand letter. It wasn't materialized till peoples' movement second. It is supposed that federalism can bring miraculous modification as to solve problems of inequity and marginalization than in the unitary system. Some political parties have documented in their manifesto that federal system is only the alternation for prosperity in Nepal. But it might be incorrect supposition. Long route of unitary system of Nepal was led by few elites, who were specially professed Hindus. Monarchy was also surrounded by prevailing castes. Due to these various reasons conflict began in Nepal which has developed as transitional movement of chronic infection. The issue of federal system is emerged by those who are struggling against discriminations and they want to abolish all kind of social discriminations, problems of regional, religion, gender, cast, and poverty. Aspirations of ownership of all segments and development of nation have guided to make federal state in Nepal.


Diabetic neuropathy is one of the chronic complications of diabetes and along with other complications causes a pathology called diabetic foot. The present study analyzed a group of 164 patients admitted to the surgery department of the Clinical Hospital "Doctor Ioan Cantacuzino" Bucharest, between September and December 2019. The results of the study highlight the potential for contamination of neuropathic lesions and the need for curative surgery, most conservative. The conclusion of the analysis emphasizes that the imbalance of the underlying disease changes, in a negative sense, the prognosis of any complication of it.


In this paper, a new method is presented to calculate the exact analytical solution of distributed RC, LC, and RLC interconnects with a random input at an arbitrary point through the line. The proposed method, based on a modified Duhamel theorem, is used to calculate the time-domain transient response of the initially conditioned interconnects. This method is applied to a line driven by ramp and exponential inputs. The new analytical solutions are expressed as an infinite summation of sinusoidal terms. However, a negligible worst case error of <;1% is observed for the expressions compared with HSPICE simulations for Fourier series with tens of terms. In addition, from these results a new model for transient response of a line considering the driver output resistance and capacitance is presented. Good accuracy is observed between the model and HSPICE simulations for various distributed interconnects and drivers. Furthermore, the developed solution is extended to include signal transient and crosstalk noise in multicoupled inductive-effect-prominent lines. In addition, arbitrary switching patterns for identical and nonidentical lines are investigated employing the new method and evaluated with HSPICE simulations.


Do capitalism and conflicts go hand in hand? Are the military and markets complements? Indeed, many conservative advocates of markets also passionately support the military, and many people who oppose war also oppose markets. Nineteenth-century writer Richard Cobden, however, maintained that the military and markets were substitutes: more military entails less market. Although the ideas in The Political Writings of Richard Cobden (1903) are a century and a half old, Cobden considered many arguments for military intervention still made today. He discussed whether military spending was beneficial to the economy, to commerce, and to peace, and in all three cases he answered no. Both conservatives and left liberals can learn much from Cobden's discussion of commerce, markets, and peace. As he demonstrated, the advocate of markets must be an advocate of peace.


Electron density and temperature measurements by repetitively pulsed 90 degrees Thomson scattering from a steady state, low-density plasma with superimposed magnetic field are reported. The density is calibrated by Rayleigh scattering from argon; a pressure scan shows that the stray-light signal is the same as the Rayleigh scattering from 2.7 Pa argon. The detection sensitivity of the Thomson experiment reaches 1010 electrons and an accuracy of 10% is achieved by a nonlinear three-parameter fitting procedure. Electron data are presented resulting from measurements in the middle of the arc. To study plasma-wall interaction the vicinity of the plane anode is investigated, too.


Results of isotope (Sr, C, and O) and geochemical studies of the carbonate deposits of the Yenisei Group of the Azyr-Tal Ridge (Kuznetsk Alatau) are presented. Using the Sr and C isotope chemostratigraphy, the age restrictions for these deposits have been made. It is shown that the sediments of the Charyshtag, Bidzha, and Martyukhina Formations and the lower part of the Sorna Formation accumulated in the Late Vendian and Early Cambrian, at 580–530 Ma, and those of the upper part of the Sorna Formation, at 525–517 Ma. Their successive accumulation in the same sedimentary basin is not confi rmed by the performed geochemical studies. The deposits of the upper part (members 2 and 3) of the Sorna Formation accumulated in a sedimentary basin of other type as compared with the rest underlying deposits of the Yenisei Group. For example, at least two types of shallow-water sea basins are recognized within Kuznetsk Alatau in the Late Vendian: shelf, localized within a block with a passive tectonic regime (Charyshtag, Bidzha, and Martyukhina Formations and lower part of the Sorna Formation), and oceanic, where accumulation proceeded within oceanic islands with underwater hydrothermal activity (upper part of the Sorna Formation).


Introduction : In geriatric patients, urinary tract infections (UTIs) can pose quite a challenge to the treating clinicians regarding the approach for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention as the patients frequently present with symptoms which may be nonspecific and are associated with comorbid conditions. Aims and Objectives: The study aimed to determine the frequency and specificity of the clinical features of UTI in the geriatric group and their relationship with characteristics that define functional ability in them. Materials and Methods : A total of 380 geriatric patients were recruited for the study. Associated symptoms, isolation of recognized pathogen on culture and evidence of white blood cells in the urine were taken as criteria for diagnosing UTI in these patients. Results: Out of 380 patients recruited in our study 56.31% were males and 43.68% comprised of females. Burning micturition was a predominant symptom in both males (66.8%) and females (72.2%). Most common predisposing factor was diabetes mellitus in 61% of the geriatric population in our study. Escherichia coli was the predominant organism isolated from specimens of 59.73% patients. Mortality rate in our study was 10.26%. There was a significant association (P value <0.001) between diabetes mellitus and the mortality rate. Statistically significant high mortality rate was also seen in patients with chronic kidney disease (P value <0.00001) and with increasing number of predisposing factors (P value <0.00725). Conclusion : Considering the potential for serious complications and mortality in the elderly patients with UTI they should be clinically evaluated systematically specifying a necessity for prompt diagnostic vigilance.


ABSTRACT Traditionally the modelling in an activated sludge process has been based on solely the process measurements, but as the interest to optically monitor wastewater samples to characterize the floc morphology has increased, in the recent years the results of image analyses have been more frequently utilized to predict the characteristics of wastewater. This study shows that the traditional process measurements or the automated optical monitoring variables by themselves are not capable of developing the best predictive models for the treated wastewater quality in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant, but utilizing these variables together the optimal models, which show the level and changes in the treated wastewater quality, are achieved. By this early warning, process operation can be optimized to avoid environmental damages and economic losses. The study also shows that specific optical monitoring variables are important in modelling a certain quality parameter, regardless of the other input variables available.


This paper introduces an overview of the speech corpus of Japanese learner English compiled by National Institute of Information and Communications Technology by showing its data collection procedure and annotation schemes including error tagging. We have collected 1,200 interviews for three years. One of the most unique features of this corpus is that it contains rich information on learners' errors. We have performed error tagging for learners' grammatical and lexical errors with originally-designed error tagset. We also evaluated the corpus through the experiment on automatic detection of learners' errors by using error tag information in the corpus. We did this by using a machine learning model, Maximum Entropy (ME) model. Since we had obtained the limited amount of error-tagged data, we needed to make some efforts to enlarge training data. We added the correct sentences and artificially-made errors to the training data, and found that it improved accuracy. We are planning to make this corpus publicly available in the spring of 2004, so that teachers and researchers in many fields can use the data for their own interests, such as second language acquisition research, syllabus and material design, or the development of computerized pedagogical tools, by combining it with NLP technology.


Many cyanobacteria produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) mainly of polysaccharidic nature. These EPS can remain associated to the cell surface as sheaths, capsules and/or slimes, or be liberated into the surrounding environment as released polysaccharides (RPS). The ability of EPS-producing cyanobacteria to remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions has been widely reported in the literature, focusing mainly on the biotechnological potential. However, the knowledge of the effects of the metals in the cell's survival/growth is still scarce, particularly when they are simultaneously exposed to more than one metal. This work evaluated the effects of different concentrations of Cu(2+) and/or Pb(2+) in the growth/survival of Gloeothece sp. PCC 6909 and its sheathless mutant Gloeothece sp. CCY 9612. The results obtained clearly showed that both phenotypes are more severely affected by Cu(2+) than Pb(2+), and that the mutant is more sensitive to the former metal than the wild-type. Evident ultrastructural changes were also observed in the wild-type and mutant cells exposed to high levels (10 mg l(-1)) of Cu(2+). Moreover, in bi-metal systems, Pb(2+) was preferentially removed compared with Cu(2+), being the RPS of the mutant that is the most efficient polysaccharide fraction in metal removal. In these systems, the simultaneous presence of Cu(2+) and Pb(2+) caused a mutual inhibition in the adsorption of each metal.


The Educational facilities is accomplishing the role as the community facilities through various programs that the culture leisure long-life education facilities etc. But The local residents do not use that facilities which is opened in the community actually well. Because it does not consider the various things that convenient for resident users who is not student. With sameness, School library which is opened to local community can not expect as a Public library with modem library services. The purpose of this study is propose the direction of architectural plan that must be considered for the sufficient role the School library which is opened to local community as the Public library.


We investigate the time complexity of SGD learning on fully-connected neural networks with isotropic data. We put forward a complexity measure -- the leap -- which measures how"hierarchical"target functions are. For $d$-dimensional uniform Boolean or isotropic Gaussian data, our main conjecture states that the time complexity to learn a function $f$ with low-dimensional support is $\tilde\Theta (d^{\max(\mathrm{Leap}(f),2)})$. We prove a version of this conjecture for a class of functions on Gaussian isotropic data and 2-layer neural networks, under additional technical assumptions on how SGD is run. We show that the training sequentially learns the function support with a saddle-to-saddle dynamic. Our result departs from [Abbe et al. 2022] by going beyond leap 1 (merged-staircase functions), and by going beyond the mean-field and gradient flow approximations that prohibit the full complexity control obtained here. Finally, we note that this gives an SGD complexity for the full training trajectory that matches that of Correlational Statistical Query (CSQ) lower-bounds.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among health locus of control, resilience, social support, and health promoting behavior in patients with coronary artery diseases. Methods: This study utilized a descriptive correlational design using a survey method. The subjects were 165 coronary artery disease patients at the cardiology out-patient clinic of the C university hospital. Data were collected through Health Locus of Control Scale, Resilience Scale, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and hierarchial regression. Results: There were significant positive bivariate correlations of health promoting behavior with internal health locus of control, doctors health locus of control, resilience and social support respectively, and correlation between resilience and social support. Among predictors, internal health locus of control (β=.28), social support (β=.28) and resilience (β=.25) had statistically significant influences on health promoting behavior. Conclusion: These results proposed that internal health locus of control, social support and resilience have important influences on health promoting behavior. Nursing interventions to enhance internal health locus of control, resilience and social support might be essential for patients with coronary artery disease in order to promote their health behaviors.


Two experiments investigated the network involved in the visual perception of walking. Video clips of forward and backward walk (real walk direction) were shown either as recorded, or reversed in time (rendering). In Experiment 1 (identification task), participants were asked to indicate whether or not the stimulus was time-reversed. In Experiment 2 (free-viewing), participants viewed the video clips passively. Identification accuracy was good with the more familiar scene, that is, when the visual walk was in the direction of the facing orientation, and at chance level in the opposite case. In both experiments, the temporo-occipital junction (TOJ) was activated more strongly by unfamiliar than familiar scenes. Only in Experiment 1 intraparietal, superior temporal, and inferior temporal regions were also activated. TOJ activation signals the detection in unfamiliar scenes of a mismatch between facing orientation and visual movement direction. We argue that TOJ response to a mismatch prevents the further processing of the visual input required to identify temporal inversions. When no mismatch is detected (familiar stimuli), TOJ would, instead, be involved in the kinematic analysis that makes such identification possible. The study demonstrates that unfamiliar walking movements are detected earlier than so far assumed along the visual movement processing stream.


Objective
To assess the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) medical technology in the perioperative management of brain gliomas and its impact on anesthesia and prognosis.

Methods
An observational, retrospective comparative study was conducted. We selected 60 patients who underwent glioma resection at our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020. Patients were divided into two groups based on admission order: the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG), with 30 cases each. Patients in the CG underwent conventional intracranial tumor surgery, while those in the EG underwent supratentorial craniotomy for tumor resection with the assistance of MRI medical technology. We compared perioperative parameters, hemodynamic indices, tumor resection outcomes, postoperative complications, and postoperative physical function between the two groups.

Results
Compared to the CG, the EG had significantly longer surgery preparation time, anesthesia time, and surgery time (P < .001). However, there were no significant between-group differences in infusion volume and intraoperative blood loss (P > .05). Postoperative hemodynamic indicators were significantly higher in the EG than in the CG (P < .001), and postoperative tumor volume was markedly smaller in the EG (P < .001). The EG also achieved a significantly larger volume of tumor resection and a higher tumor resection rate (P < .001), a significantly lower total incidence of postoperative complications (P < .05), and notably higher Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scores (P < .001).

Conclusions
Compared to conventional intracranial tumor surgery, the utilization of MRI medical technology in brain glioma surgery, although it prolongs surgery and anesthesia times, enhances the tumor resection rate, and offers significant advantages in improving the prognosis of patients with brain glioma.


Robust design methods rely on empirical process models that relate an output response variable to a set controllable input variables and uncontrollable noise variables. Model uncertainty is typically neglected, however, when determining the input settings that minimize output variability about a target. Using a Bayesian problem formulation similar to what has been used in cautious adaptive control, this paper develops a cautious robust design method that takes model uncertainty into account. The result is a relatively simple, closed-form expression for the robust design objective function that involves both the parameter estimates and their covariance information. The approach is cautious in the sense that the input settings are generally smaller, more cautious values as parameter uncertainty increases.


At the beginning of this paper, design and manufacturing stages of the 3 degree of freedom test stand for a remotely piloted helicopter is described, in which the helicopter is able to rotate about its three primary accesses. In the next parts the dynamical model of the RPH in the yaw channel is presented and lateral transfer function of RPH (yaw channel) is extracted by performing several tests and gathering dynamical data. Least square method is used for system identification and finally results validation would be possible through comparison between simulated behavior of the RPH and experimental data of the test stand.


The pattern of antimicrobial resistance was determined for 254 strains of Salmonella isolated from clinical sources. Thirty-five strains were found to be markedly resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, streptomycin, or sulfisoxazole. Twenty-five of the resistant strains were capable of transferring resistance to a sensitive strain of Escherichia coli during mixed cultivation. Resistance for one, two, three, or four antimicrobial compounds could be transferred. The levels of antimicrobial resistance transferred to the recipient strains of E coli were identical with those of the donor strains of Salmonella. It is apparent from these and other observations that Enterobacteriaceae capable of transferring resistance factors for single or multiple antimicrobial drugs by bacterial conjugation are widespread in the environment.


—The computing continuum, a novel paradigm that extends beyond the current silos of cloud and edge computing, can enable the seamless and dynamic deployment of applications across diverse infrastructures. By utilizing the cloud-native features and scalability of Kubernetes, this concept promotes deployment transparency, communication transparency, and resource availability transparency. Key features of this paradigm include intent-driven policies, a decentralized architecture, multi-ownership, and a fluid topology. Integral to the computing continuum are the building blocks of dynamic discovery and peering, hierarchical resource continuum, resource and service reflection, network continuum, and storage and data continuum. The implementation of these principles allows organizations to foster an efficient, dynamic, and seamless computing environment, thereby facilitating the deployment of complex distributed applications across varying infrastructures.


In order to elucidate the neural mechanisms involved in the perception of the three-dimensional (3D) orientation of a surface, we trained monkeys to discriminate the 3D orientation of a surface from binocular disparity cues using a Go/No-go type delayed-matching-to-sample (DMTS) task and examined the properties of the surface-orientation-selective (SOS) neurons. We recorded 57 SOS neurons from the caudal part of the lateral bank of the intraparietal sulcus (area CIP) of three hemispheres of two Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata). We tested 29 of 57 SOS neurons using the square plate of a solid figure stereogram (SFS) and random-dot stereogram (RDS) without perspective cues; almost all of the tested neurons (28/29) showed surface orientation selectivity for the SFS and/or the RDS without perspective cues. Eight of these 28 neurons (28.6%) showed selectivity for both the RDS and SFS, 7 (25.0%) were dominantly selective for the RDS, and 13 (46.4%) were dominantly selective for the SFS. These results suggest that neurons that show surface orientation tuning for the RDS without perspective cues compute surface orientation from the gradient of the binocular disparity given by the random-dot across the surface. On the other hand, neurons that show surface orientation tuning for the SFS without perspective cues may represent surface orientation primarily from the gradient of the binocular disparity along the contours. In conclusion, the SOS neurons in the area CIP are likely to operate higher order processing of disparity signals for surface perception by integrating the input signals from many disparity-sensitive neurons with different disparity tuning.


Untangling Food Webs The factors affecting the stability of food webs are important in conservation and ecological restoration. Gross et al. (p. 747) used a generalized modeling approach to evaluate billions of replicates of food webs in order to reveal the properties that stabilize (or destabilize) food webs. Variability in the strength of trophic links between predator and prey strength affected stability in different ways depending on the size of the web—stabilizing only in relatively small food webs and destabilizing in larger ones. Universal topological rules were extracted for the patterns of network links that enhance food-web stability. Analysis of several billion replicates of food webs reveals universal topological rules affecting their stability. Insights into what stabilizes natural food webs have always been limited by a fundamental dilemma: Studies either need to make unwarranted simplifying assumptions, which undermines their relevance, or only examine few replicates of small food webs, which hampers the robustness of findings. We used generalized modeling to study several billion replicates of food webs with nonlinear interactions and up to 50 species. In this way, first we show that higher variability in link strengths stabilizes food webs only when webs are relatively small, whereas larger webs are instead destabilized. Second, we reveal a new power law describing how food-web stability scales with the number of species and their connectance. Third, we report two universal rules: Food-web stability is enhanced when (i) species at a high trophic level feed on multiple prey species and (ii) species at an intermediate trophic level are fed upon by multiple predator species.


. The use of geosynthetics as basal reinforcement in embankments constructed over soft soils provides technical and economic benefits by improving the stability of the structure, reducing horizontal displacements, homogenizing differential settlements, and reducing time of construction. An adequate design should include, however, more than routine limit equilibrium analyses, and should focus on understanding the soil-reinforcement interaction and mobilization of reinforcement strains during construction and with time, aspects that can be assessed with the use of finite elements simulations. This article presents the results of finite elements simulations for a hypothetical embankment over soft soil, applying the conceptual framework developed by Rowe & Soderman (1987), Rowe et al. (1995) and Hinchberger & Rowe (2003). Two approximate methods for obtaining the reinforcement allowable compatible strain at failure without the need for numerical simulations also are compared and discussed. The results in this article highlight the importance of assessing the mobilization of reinforcement strains during construction and taking into account soil-reinforcement interaction, given that reinforcement strains must be compatible with the soil system. An important implication, often overlooked in the past, is that the specification of geosynthetic materials for this application should be based on a minimum reinforcement stiffness modulus, i.e., the ultimate strength of the material may not suffice as a specification parameter.


As part of a study of cytologic automation, microspectrophotometric investigation of Papanicolaou-stained cervical cells was performed, using a Leitz MPV-II scanning photometer connected to a PDP 8/F minicomputer. It was shown that the selection of one single wavelength may result in difficulties in detecting boundries between background and cytoplasm and/or between cytoplasm nucleus. A set of two wavelengths, 530 nm and 570 nm, were found to be optimal for the image processing of these cells.


Despite tremendous success of modern neural networks, they are known to be overconfident even when the model encounters inputs with unfamiliar conditions. Detecting such inputs is vital to preventing models from making naive predictions that may jeopardize real-world applications of neural networks. In this paper, we address the challenging problem of devising a simple yet effective measure of uncertainty in deep neural networks. Specifically, we propose to utilize backpropagated gradients to quantify the uncertainty of trained models. Gradients depict the required amount of change for a model to properly represent given inputs, thus providing a valuable insight into how familiar and certain the model is regarding the inputs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of gradients as a measure of model uncertainty in applications of detecting unfamiliar inputs, including out-of-distribution and corrupted samples. We show that our gradient-based method outperforms state-of-the-art methods by up to 4.8% of AUROC score in out-of-distribution detection and 35.7% in corrupted input detection.


We develop a numerical scheme to determine which planar snake motions are optimal for locomotory efficiency, across a wide range of frictional parameter space. For a large coefficient of transverse friction, we show that retrograde travelling waves are optimal. We give an asymptotic analysis showing that the optimal wave amplitude decays as the power of the coefficient of transverse friction. This result agrees well with the numerical optima. At the other extreme, zero coefficient of transverse friction, we propose a triangular direct wave that is optimal. Between these two extremes, a variety of complex, locally optimal motions are found. Some of these can be classified as standing waves (or ratcheting motions).


317 Background: Electronic health record (EHR) databases are a promising platform for clinical research using real-world data. However, information on potential limitations of these data sources is lacking. We sought to understand how data visualization might be used to identify data inconsistencies and the applicability of previously validated claims-based algorithms used to identify patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Methods: This retrospective study utilized ASCO's CancerLinQ Discovery database derived from EHR data. Subjects included women ≥18 years treated for MBC diagnosed ≥1980. Subjects with MBC were identified using two billing codes for metastasis on separate dates following primary breast cancer diagnosis. Treatment course sequences were visualized. Patients were represented by a horizontal bar on the Y-axis. Treatments were displayed using colored bars (blue: chemotherapy, red: endocrine therapy, green: HER2 targeted, orange: novel therapy) with time of treatment on the X-axis. Visualizations were qualitatively evaluated, and treatment patterns inconsistent with clinical practice were identified. Results: We identified 4,760 women treated for MBC using billing codes for primary breast cancer diagnosis and distant metastasis. Most patients (96%) had a primary breast cancer diagnosed in 2000 later. Treatment patterns inconsistent with clinical practice identified using the visualization technique included: 1% of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy continuously for ≥1.5 years, suggesting missed coding for metastatic disease; 5% of patients did not receive any treatment in the year following metastasis, suggesting the billing code may have been used in workup and not for confirmed metastatic disease. Among patients with MBC, 50% identified as HR+ across all records had not received hormone therapy, while 39% identified as HR- across all records received hormone therapy. Conclusions: Because previously validated algorithms may not translate well to EHR databases, quality auditing should always be performed. The proposed data visualization can be used for improving algorithms, qualitatively identifying errors, and avoiding biased or inaccurate results.


Giant brain abscesses have become a rarity in North American pediatric neurosurgery practice. A high index of suspicion and readily available noninvasive brain imaging have made the diagnosis of brain abscess easier and more prompt than in past decades. There are complicating factors, however, that may delay a timely diagnosis and allow the disease to progress to extremes before becoming evident. Children with hydrocephalus and ventricular shunts can harbor large abscesses. As the volume of purulent material expands, cerebrospinal fluid can be forced down the shunt system, reducing the intracranial pressure (ICP), at least for a time. Infants are typically more tolerant of an expanding mass lesion, allowing considerable time to pass before symptoms of increased ICP manifest. The authors report two cases of brain abscess, which achieved giant dimensions before the children became symptomatic. The pathogens were found to be Gram negative and of several species. The properties of these Gram-negative pathogens to create abscess and the clinical circumstances, including the presence of meningitis and ventricular shunts, which contributed to the process, are explored.


BACKGROUND
Wireless communication technologies are increasingly being used in the fields of healthcare, with platforms such as mobile health (mHealth) being widely implemented in HIV care. The rapid expansion of mobile technologies, including smartphone applications (apps), provides a unique opportunity to effectively remind patients about regular follow-up appointments, thereby ensuring patient retention and resulting in a higher quality of care for HIV patients.

PURPOSE
This study examines mobile phone users' usage patterns, application usage, and challenges associated with the use of a mobile phone reminder system in order to improve retention in HIV care among patients.

METHODS
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to collect data on the usage and patterns of communication technologies from 405 patients.

RESULTS
This study included 384 of the 405 eligible patients, resulting in a response rate of 94.8%. A majority of participants (73.3%) indicated their willingness to receive reminders via a text message regarding their upcoming HIV clinical appointments. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical variables, multiple logistic regression models indicated that the willingness to receive reminder messages was independently associated with having a college-level education (AOR=2.06, 95% CI [1.05, 4.04]) and with having prior experience with using electronic reminders (AOR=4.01, 95% CI [1.51, 10.66]).

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Protection of personal information was identified as the most important factor that must be addressed in order to increase patient willingness to use a cell phone reminder system. Our findings suggest that mobile technologies are a widely used and an acceptable method for improving quality of care for HIV patients.


Mortgage Guarantee Insurance (MGI) provides protection to lenders against default by borrowers who have less than 20 percent equity interest in the mortgaged property. The existence of this form of insurance helps to stimulate home ownership by allowing consumers with less than twenty percent down payment access to credit markets. Initially an invention of lenders, MGI became dominated by government agencies after the Great Depression but recently private insurers have increased their market share to more than 75 percent. The domination of the industry by the private sector appears not to affirm competition, however. Despite varying loss ratios across states, MGI premiums appear to remain relatively uniform, suggesting price inflexibility. This paper uses cross-sectional data on loss ratio, mortgage delinquency rates, and housing prices to test empirically the level of competition in the MGI industry. The paper finds that the level of competition in the industry is not sufficient to drive the premiums to the competitive (efficient) level. The implication is that national cross subsidies occur where high risk insureds are subsidized by low risk insureds.


This study focuses on whether entrepreneurship education increases entrepreneurial interest in students to set up new businesses. Entrepreneurship is a core course taken in the third year by all students of Ho Technical University. Out of the 1329 population of level 300 students of the 2016/2017 academic year, data were collected by convenience sampling from 325 (217 males and 108 females) with mean age of 24.75 years from 14 departments of four faculties. The students responded to 43-survey items derived from reviewed literature on a 5-Point Likert-Scale. It is concluded that more than 84% of the respondents agreed that entrepreneurship education informed students about entrepreneurship through the acquisition of practical skills, knowledge about acquisition of personal orientation, knowledge about business management principles and the availability of entrepreneurial support agencies. This shows that the students are highly confident of setting up their own businesses through the knowledge acquired. The study therefore has important implications for policy makers, management of tertiary institutions, students and educational evaluators on how to ensure that tertiary graduates set up entrepreneurship ventures in order to partially solve the unemployment problem in Ghana. Published In: Munyoki, Bode (Eds.): Universities, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in Africa - Conference Proceedings 2017. Nairobi, Kenya, 19. July 2017


Trenches are fundamental structures used to build advanced optical planar waveguide components. In this letter, the fabrication of trenches across silica-on-silicon waveguides using inductively coupled plasma etching is presented. These trenches were etched deep into the silicon substrate and their widths were varied between 24 and 100 /spl mu/m. The insertion loss for waveguides with 24- and 28-/spl mu/m-wide trenches etched across them were measured for trenches filled with air and oil. The measured results followed those expected from simulations.


Parallelism, the evolution of similar traits in populations diversifying in similar conditions, provides good evidence of adaptation by natural selection. Many studies of parallelism have focused on comparisons of strongly different ecotypes or sharply contrasting environments, defined a priori, which could upwardly bias the apparent prevalence of parallelism. Here, we estimated genomic parallelism associated with individual components of environmental and phenotypic variation at an intercontinental scale across four adaptive radiations of the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), by associating genome-wide allele frequencies with continuous distributions of environmental and phenotypic variation. We found that genomic parallelism was well predicted by parallelism of phenotype-environment associations, suggesting that a quantitative characterization of phenotypes and environments can provide a good prediction of expected genomic parallelism. Further, we examined the explanatory power of genetic, phenotypic, and environmental similarity in predicting parallelism. We found that parallelism tended to be greater for geographically proximate, genetically similar radiations, highlighting the significant contingency of standing variation in the early stages of adaptive radiations, before new mutations accumulate. However, we also demonstrate that distance within multivariate environmental space predicts parallelism, after correction for genetic distance. This study thus demonstrates the relative influences of environment, phenotype and genetic contingency on repeatable signatures of adaptation in the genome.


Modern business environments are characterized by regular crises, and much attention is paid to understanding why certain individuals and businesses endure while others do not. It has been the entrepreneurial ability to see a crisis as an opportunity that has led to many successful business stories emerging from adversity, such as the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Much of the discussion on the subject centres on the abilities and some essential attributes found in leaders and entrepreneurs. Their ability to face such problems is explored in the context of two cases reported in Sri Lanka. The essay's primary goal is to shed light on entrepreneurs' mindsets and how such leaders can contribute their experiences and other skill sets such as creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills, to starting a new business. The essay concludes by attempting to provide some guidance on the widely contested question of whether entrepreneurs are born or produced in the context of a crisis.


From the Publisher:
Achieving Business Value from Technology offers the expert guidance, real-world advice, and practical methodology managers need to ensure that their dollars aren't wasted on IT disasters. It shows them how to assess projects in real time and decide whether to alter, abandon, or continue them with a clear understanding of likely impact on the business.
With the increasing importance of technology in a business world redefined by globalization, high-octane competition, and the shift from mass production to mass customization, it's more important than ever that your IT dollars are well spent in pursuit of efficiency, adaptability, and market mobility. Knowing which initiatives offer real business value can be the competitive advantage your business needs to thrive. Simply put, no matter what your business is, IT is your business.
Achieving Business Value from Technology offers proven techniques, methodologies, governance mechanisms, and best practice guidelines to guarantee your money is transforming your current IT setup from potential value to real value. The approach offered in this book–and developed by the experts in Gartner's Consulting and Measurement practices–has been proven to help managers make the right IT decisions every time.
Author Tony Murphy outlines a systematic process managers can use to identify, track, and realize benefits and value from their IT investments. This methodology helps management bridge the traditional gap between the business and IT sides of the organization and incorporates IT value metrics into conventional management reporting systems.
Managers will learn to monitor opportunities, risks, and impediments at allstages of the investment cycle and rest assured that the money they invest in IT will bring long-lasting and measurable benefits to the organization.
The author also provides guidelines for undertaking post-implementation benefit audits and IT sourcing, as well as tips and techniques for optimizing asset management and minimizing ongoing total cost of ownership.
Author Biography: TONY MURPHY,PhD, is a Vice President in Consulting and a thought-leader in the field of IT investment appraisal and benefits realization at Gartner, Inc., the world's largest technology research organization. With nearly thirty years' experience as CIO, software developer, project manager, consultant, and university lecturer, Tony is a sought-after advisor to many of the world's leading corporations and public sector bodies. In addition, he has played an active role in the development of the Irish software industry and is a former vice president of the Irish Computer Society.


We introduce 2-microlocal Morrey type Besov and Triebel-Lizorkin spaces with
 variable exponents and give some characterizations of these spaces by
 so-called Peetre?s maximal functions. The atomic and molecular
 decompositions of these spaces are obtained. Finally, using molecular
 decomposition and the property of local means, we get the wavelet
 characterizations of these spaces.


Low energy dissipation, punching shear failures and the high lateral flexibility are among the main reasons why it is not recommended to use flat slabs as primary seismic elements in buildings. Punching failures can lead to progressive collapse of the entire building if integrity reinforcement is not provided. Meanwhile, several experimental campaigns have shown that flat slab specimens with enhancement of the punching shear strength via shear reinforcement can achieve considerably large drifts when subjected to horizontal loads. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of such drift capacity enhancement in the overall behavior of regular flat slab buildings towards seismic actions. Pushover analyses of buildings with and without shear reinforcement, with 1, 3 and 5 stories and different column cross sections are presented. The unbalanced moment – drift relationships of the slab – column connections are calibrated based on an experimental campaign performed at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. A simple model, similar to models previously reported in literature, is used to represent the unbalanced moment transfer mechanism by dropping the unbalanced moment to a low value when the joint rotation reaches the experimentally observed value. The presence of shear reinforcement considerably influences the global response of the models. However, several deficiencies in the seismic behavior of the models are observed, even in models where the flat slabs sustain large drift ratios.


Until the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act commonly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law in March 2010, United States was the only industrialized rich country in the world without a universal healthcare insurance coverage. While pioneering works by Burns (1956, 1966) focused on the Social Security Act of 1935 in addressing the health insurance needs of U.S. retired population through Medicare, and later Medicaid was created by the Social Security Amendments of 1965, U.S. health insurance has remained a private, for-profit venture. The passage of ACA was one of the most contentious legislations of modern times. Soon after it was signed into law, various groups of private citizens and a number of States challenged some provisions of the ACA; however, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld its key provisions. A segment of the Congress remains opposed to the ACA on ideological ground and continues to challenge it with a variety of legal maneuvers. Notwithstanding the political or ideological arguments for or against the ACA, the objective of this paper is to analyze the competitiveness of the health insurance marketplace which opened on October 1, 2013. In doing so, the paper will address the structure of the health insurance exchange and suggest ways and means to make it more competitive.


Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases. Cancers arise from various cells and organs at different ages and develop at different rates. However, the reasons for this variation in the cancer progression rate and the age of onset are poorly understood. Especially puzzling is the late-life decrease in cancer incidence, which cannot be explained by previously proposed power law or exponential growth equations. By using the latest publicly available USA cancer incidence statistics, comprised of 20 million cancer cases documented over 14 years, I show that cancer incidence by age closely follows the Erlang probability distribution (R2=0.9543-0.9999), which is a special case of the gamma distribution. The Erlang distribution describes the probability y of k independent random events occurring by the time x, but not earlier or later, with each event happening on average every b time intervals. This fits well with the multiple-hit hypothesis, and potentially allows to predict the number k of key carcinogenic events and the average time interval b between them, for each cancer type. Moreover, the amplitude parameter A likely predicts maximal populational susceptibility to a given type of cancer. These parameters are estimated for 20 most common cancer types, and provide clues for further research on cancer development.


Nebivolol (NBH) is a third-generation B1-blocker with high selectivity and vasodilation activity. Nevertheless, nebivolol exhibits low oral bioavailability, which may adversely affect its efficacy. Recently, supersaturable self-nanoemulsion (Su-SNE) is an advanced SNE approach that can address low bioavailability The study aims to prepare nebivolol-loaded Su-SNE by reduction the amount of the prepared conventional SNE to half. Besides, an appropriate polymer type and concentration to prevent NBH precipitation upon oral administration have investigated.. A conventional self-nanoemulsion (formula A) was prepared by dissolving NBH in 500 mg vehicle mixture of imwitor®988: cremophor-EL: propylene glycol. Then, eight Su-SNE formulas with the absence or presence of four different polymers were prepared and evaluated. In-vitro precipitation assay was performed to assess the precipitation inhibition capacity of polymers. The ex-vivo permeation through rat intestinal mucosa was also conducted for determination of permeability parameters. Results revealed that (Su-SNA formula SAS1) containing 5% soluplus could effectively retard the nebivolol precipitation. There was no statistical difference between formula A and SAS1; both maintained a higher apparent NBH concentration for approximately 240 min in 0.1N HCl. The permeation rate of conventional (formula A) and soluplus-based Su-SNE (formula SAS1) was significantly improved, and the permeation enhancement ratio was found 2.7 and 3.2, respectively, as compared with non-formulated NBH. Consequently, it is concluded that developing soluplus-based nebivolol SNE is a promising alternative approach. It can enhance nebivolol stability and permeability with half the amount of conventional SNE components.


This compelling book advances utilitarianism as the basis for a viable public philosophy, effectively rebutting the common charge that, as moral doctrine, utilitarian thought permits cruel acts, justifies unfair distribution of wealth, and demands too much of moral agents. James Wood Bailey defends utilitarianism through novel use of game theory insights regarding feasible equilibria and evolutionary stability, elaborating a sophisticated account of institutions that real-world utilitarians would want to foster. If utilitarianism seems in principle to dictate that we make each and every choice such that it leads to the best consequences overall, game theory emphasizes that no choice has consequences in isolation, but only in conjunction with many other choices of other agents. Viewing institutions as equilibria in complex games, Bailey negotiates the paradox of individual responsibilities, arguing that if individuals within institutions have specific responsibilities they cannot get from the principle of utility alone, the utility principle nevertheless holds great value in that it allows us to identify morally desirable institutions. Far from recommending cruel acts, utilitarianism, understood this way, actually runs congruent to our basic moral intuitions. A provocative attempt to support the practical use of utilitarian ethics in a world of conflicting interests and competing moral agents, Bailey's book employs the work of social scientists to tackle problems traditionally given abstract philosophical attention. Vividly illustrating its theory with concrete moral dilemmas and taking seriously our moral common sense, Utilitarianism, Institutions, and Justice is an accessible, groundbreaking work that will richly reward students and scholars of political science, political economy, and philosophy.


The causality of preceding atmospheric excess-to-equilibrium CO2-amounts and trailing system temperature increase is captured in terms of the ideal gas law, equilibrium thermodynamics and transition state theory for the first time: the model's performance is excellent, publicly available global mean temperature data from 1880 (13.58 °C / 290.7 ppm) to April 2021 (14.49 °C / 416.2 ppm) are reproduced at less than ±2 % deviation. Eight future global mean temperatures for atmospheric CO2-levels between 450 ppm and 7000 ppm are extrapolated and an empiric expression of the relation is derived. The model's ideal nature allows adaption for other greenhouse gases and provides a reference for conclusions about the energetic weighting and the wider significance of the CO2-based proportion in the total Greenhouse effect.


Abstract. Basin-scale freshening of Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is reported to have occurred in the South Atlantic Ocean during the period from 2005 to 2014, as shown by the gridded monthly means of the Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography (Argo) data. This phenomenon was also revealed by two repeated transects along a section at 30° S, performed during the World Ocean Circulation Experiment Hydrographic Program. Freshening of the AAIW was compensated for by a salinity increase of thermocline water, indicating a hydrological cycle intensification. This was supported by the precipitation-minus-evaporation change in the Southern Hemisphere from 2000 to 2014. Freshwater input from atmosphere to ocean surface increased in the subpolar high-precipitation region and vice versa in the subtropical high-evaporation region. Against the background of hydrological cycle changes, a decrease in the transport of Agulhas Leakage (AL), which was revealed by the simulated velocity field, was proposed to be a contributor to the associated freshening of AAIW. Further calculation showed that such a decrease could account for approximately 53 % of the observed freshening (mean salinity reduction of about 0.012 over the AAIW layer). The estimated variability of AL was inferred from a weakening of wind stress over the South Indian Ocean since the beginning of the 2000s, which would facilitate freshwater input from the source region. The mechanical analysis of wind data here was qualitative, but it is contended that this study would be helpful to validate and test predictably coupled sea–air model simulations.


Now a Days Harmonics in power systems is becoming a crucial issue due to the abrupt rise in the use of nonlinear loads. A Power Filter is one of the best answers to this problem.The filter performs the job by injecting compensatory currents that counteract them at the Point where seclusion has to be provided from non linearities. In order to infuse these compensatory currents unerringly,through the inverter which requires proper gating signals that trail the reference currents precisely through a controller. The reference current provides an estimation of the amount of harmonics. Consequently, perfect calculation of these reference signals foster generation of proper gating signals for the inverter are required.Accurate estimation is done using the P-Q theory, D-Q theory as well as the Adaline for Shunt and Hybrid Power Filter. DC Voltage across the capacitor is regulated using the PI controller and the Neural Network based control.


Modern communication networks handle millions of applications simultaneously, and mechanisms of resource sharing, most prominently sharing of data transmission bandwidth and processing power, between competing jobs have been considered in computer science since its beginning. Classical mechanisms, however, balance claims of cooperating users that do not try to manipulate the system to their advantage. Due to their cost of installation, information technology infrastructure has to be used by clients with no joint interest: by individual users and accross borders of companies. With resources available only in a limited quantity, allocation conflicts do arise. It is natural to apply the classical remedy for conflict resolution and install a market for the system's resources. This thesis proposes market mechanisms for resource allocation in distributed computer systems. We define a new budget-balanced pricing scheme for combinatorial exchanges that allows matching of bids of autonomous buyers and sellers. We suggets a new bid synchronization rule and prove that it performs superior to periodic and random bid clearing. We give an application of a combinatorial exchange to unicast bandwidth allocation. We demonstrate by a simulation that, for a large part of the parameter space, auctioning bandwidth performs superior to fixed price bandwidth sale, while not requiring prior information on the distribution of bids. The situation for unicast cost sharing is more complicated. After proving that the classical equilibrium mechanism of Kelly can't looses much efficiency if applied to group communication, we present a generalization of Feigenbaum's adoption of marginal cost pricing to publish/subscribe settings. We also develop an algorithm for efficient distributed price computation.


About 5% of adults and 8-10% of children in the UK have asthma. Much media attention has been given to the effects on health of air pollution and it is a matter of common conjecture that the rising levels of traffic and resultant emissions are directly responsible for the simultaneous rise in the incidence of asthma. Undoubtedly there has been a significant rise in the number of admissions to hospital for asthma episodes in the UK over the past decade and this is demonstrably synchronous with a rise in the atmospheric levels of air pollution (Department of Health, 1995). This article questions whether there is research evidence that air pollution is responsible for this rise, and whether any such evidence can be used by nurses advising patients.


A case of squamous cell carcinoma with sebaceous metaplasia arising in the epiglottis is reported. Extracutaneous neoplasms that show sebaceous differentiation have been mainly described in the major salivary glands. To date only one case of prominent sebaceous differentiation in a carcinoma arising in the vallecula has been reported. In the present paper we describe a similar case arising in the larynx.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the roles of interleukin-10 (IL-10), proNGF and p75NTR in apoptosis of brain tissues induced by intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
According to the time of sample collection after ICH, brain tissue samples were divided into < 6 h group, 6-24 h group (including 24 h), 24-72 h group (including 72 h) and > 72 h group. Meanwhile, 10 tissues that dropped from the beginning at the cortical stoma (distal part of the hematoma) were harvested as controls. AI in brain tissues around the hematoma after ICH was calculated based on TUNEL staining. Expression levels of IL-10, proNGF and p75NTR in brain tissues were determined by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. Protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by Western blot. Rat cortical astrocytes were harvested and cultured in vitro. After transfection of IL-10 overexpression plasmid, expression levels of IL-10, proNGF and p75NTR were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS
AI increased in 6-24 h group, 24-72 h group and > 72 h group compared with < 6 h group and control group, which achieved the peak at 24-72 h. However, no significant difference in AI was observed between < 6 h group and control group. With the prolongation of ICH, IL-10 level gradually decreased and achieved the lowest level at 24-72 h. After 72 h, IL-10 level began to increase. Additionally, mRNA and protein levels of proNGF and p75NTR started to upregulate within 6 h of ICH, achieveing the peak at 24-72 h. Bcl-2 level gradually decreased after 6 h of ICH, while Bax level increased. We did not found significant difference in mRNA and protein levels of IL-10 in brain tissues around hematoma between < 6 h group and control group. With the prolongation of ICH, IL-10 level gradually decreased and achieved the lowest level at 24-72 h. After 72 h, IL-10 level began to increase. Transfection with IL-10 overexpression plasmid in rat astrocytes markedly downregulated protein levels of proNGF and p75NTR compared with those of controls.

CONCLUSIONS
IL-10 expression is downregulated in brain tissues around the hematoma after ICH. IL-10 alleviates inflammation and apoptosis by inhibiting levels of proNGF, p75NTR and Bax/Bcl-2, thus protecting brain tissue after ICH.


BACKGROUND
It is controversial whether the onset of myocardial infarction occurs randomly or is precipitated by identifiable stimuli. Previous studies have suggested a higher risk of cardiac events in association with exertion.

METHODS
Consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction were identified by recording all admissions to our hospital in Berlin and by monitoring a general population of 330,000 residents in Augsburg, Germany. Information on the circumstances of each infarction was obtained by means of standardized interviews. The data analysis included a comparison of patients with matched controls and a case-crossover comparison (one in which each patient serves as his or her own control) of the patient's usual frequency of exertion with the last episode of exertion before the onset of myocardial infarction.

RESULTS
From January 1989 through December 1991, 1194 patients (74 percent of whom were men; mean age [+/- SD], 61 +/- 9 years) completed the interview 13 +/- 6 days after infarction. We found that 7.1 percent of the case patients had engaged in physical exertion (> or = 6 metabolic equivalents) at the onset of infarction, as compared with 3.9 percent of the controls at the onset of the control event. For the patients as compared with the matched controls, the adjusted relative risk of having engaged in strenuous physical activity at the onset of infarction or the control event was 2.1 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 3.6). The case-crossover comparison yielded a similar relative risk of 2.1 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.6 to 3.1) for having engaged in strenuous physical activity within one hour before myocardial infarction. Patients whose frequency of regular exercise was less than four and four or more times per week had relative risks of 6.9 and 1.3, respectively (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
A period of strenuous physical activity is associated with a temporary increase in the risk of having a myocardial infarction, particularly among patients who exercise infrequently. These findings should aid in the identification of the triggering mechanisms for myocardial infarction and improve prevention of this common and serious disorder.


A simple and practical method is presented for analysing the vibrational symmetries in any perfect crystal. It takes the space spanned by the complete set of normal modes of wave vector q, and factorizes it into a 'cell space' SC, and a 'complex Euclidean space' SE. Two simple equations describe the effect of the crystal symmetry operations in each of these factor spaces, so that the symmetry of all the normal modes can readily be determined. This formalism makes it easy to understand several qualitative features of vibrational spectra: for example, if the unit cell contains only two atoms and they are dissimilar, the irreducible representations inside the Brillouin zone always appear doubled. Similarly, it is shown that the number of different types of atom vibrating in any mode cannot exceed the number of times that modes of the same symmetry appear in the vibrational spectrum: so that if a mode has a unique symmetry, only one type of atom is vibrating in that mode, and all other atoms are stationary. Vibrations in the perovskite structure are discussed briefly by way of an example, and this is followed by a fuller treatment of the zincblende and diamond structures.


TGFbeta (transforming growth factor beta) superfamily signalling is critical both for early embryonic development and later for tissue homoeostasis in adult organisms. The use of gene-disruption techniques in mice has been essential to understanding the functional roles of the components of the pathways downstream of TGFbeta superfamily ligands, in particular, the receptors and the Smads that transduce signals from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. Smad2 functions downstream of TGFbeta, Activin and Nodal, and a number of Smad2 mutant mice have been generated by different laboratories. Although in all cases these Smad2-deficient mice were embryonic lethal, those created by deletion of the first coding exon survived longer than those generated by replacing part of the MH (Mad homology) 1 domain or deleting all or part of the MH2 domain. Moreover, they displayed a less severe phenotype, as they were capable of transiently inducing mesoderm. In the present study, we show that embryonic fibroblasts taken from the Smad2 mutant mice created by deletion of the first coding exon express a small amount of an N-terminally truncated Smad2 protein. We show this protein results from internal initiation at Met(241) and encodes the entire MH2 domain and the C-terminal part of the linker. We demonstrate that this protein is incorporated into Smad heteromeric complexes, can interact with DNA-binding transcription factors and thereby can mediate TGFbeta-induced transcriptional activation from a number of TGFbeta-responsive elements. We propose that this functional truncated Smad2 protein can partially compensate for the loss of full-length Smad2, thereby providing an explanation for the differing phenotypes of Smad2 mutant mice.


Summary
Despite the identification of internal state as a fundamental component of animal movement, the effect of an individual's internal physiological state on movement remains poorly understood. African elephants (Loxodonta africana) alter their behaviour in response to their physiological state, and elevated stress hormone concentrations have been associated with reclusive behaviour and aggression towards humans. Thus, a better understanding of the link between internal physiological state and movement is important in advancing the field of movement ecology, and the ecology and management of elephants.
We compared the movement paths of African elephants in two physiological states (basal and elevated stress hormone levels) to understand the variation in the use of space in relation to the proximity of environmental features and refugia.
We documented differences in the elephants' use of space along movement paths by physiological state. Elephant family groups in a basal physiological state tended to venture away from refugia and commercial tree plantations, and use areas in closer proximity to fresh water. In contrast, elephant family groups in an elevated physiological state tended to use areas near refugia and commercial tree plantations. The use of commercial tree plantations during elevated states highlights an important concern for human safety in the context of human–elephant conflict.
Synthesis and applications. Our findings suggest that fine-scale movement patterns and the use of specific environmental features by elephants are associated with differences in elephant physiological state. Therefore, future attempts to describe or predict typically complex animal movement could be enhanced by incorporating measures of their physiological state. Given that elephants are more prone to habitat disturbance and aggression when in an elevated physiological state, information about elephant movement behaviour could be used in combination with real-time tracking data to predict when and where elephants are potentially in elevated physiological states and limit human access to these areas, which might mitigate human–elephant conflict.


Background: Growing demand for medical assistants (MAs) in team-based primary care has led health systems to explore career ladders as one solution to improve MA recruitment and retention. The practical implementation of career ladders remains a challenge for many health systems, and an improved understanding of MA perspectives on career ladders is needed. Methods: Semi-structured focus groups were conducted August to December 2019 in primary care clinics based in three health systems in California and Utah. MA perspectives of existing career ladders, including acceptability, appropriatness and impact on career intentions were discussed, recorded, and qualitatively analyzed.Results: Ten focus groups conducted with 59 participants showed the MA employment decisions were influenced by a number of factors, with opportunities for economic and professional growth predominating. MA career aspirations varied, with "stepping stone" MAs using their role to advance into other health professions and "contented career" MAs hoping to grow within their MA career. Career ladders were acceptable in theory but MAs felt current implementations could benefit from clear and transparent expectations for advancement, consistent recognition of training, experience and work responsibilities, the ability to advance in place, and career counseling. Conclusion: MAs held positive perceptions of career ladders, yet recommended a number of improvements to their practical implementation across three institutions. The emergence of two distinct clusters of MA professional needs and desires suggests an opportunity to further optimize career ladders to provide tailored support to MAs in order to strengthen the healthcare workforce and talent pipeline.


Abstract We have purified formaldehyde dehydrogenase (EC 22.214.171.124) 1390-fold from human liver. The final preparation, which has a specific activity of 3.20 i.u. per mg of protein (25°) is homogeneous according to electrophoretic criteria. S-Formylglutathione rather than formate is formed from formaldehyde and reduced glutathione in the reaction catalyzed by purified formaldehyde dehydrogenase. The enzyme is not strictly NAD-specific; NADP can also be used although NADP has a much higher Km value than NAD, especially at high pH values. S-Formylglutathione is reduced by the enzyme to formaldehyde with either NADH or NADPH as cofactors. Methylglyoxal and some other ketoaldehydes also can be used as the substrates of formaldehyde dehydrogenase. The product obtained from methylglyoxal is probably S-pyruvylglutathione. S-Formylglutathione is hydrolyzed very actively in crude human liver preparations. All of this activity is removed during the purification of formaldehyde dehydrogenase. Formaldehyde dehydrogenase has an apparent molecular weight of 81,400 according to gel filtration and a subunit molecular weight of 39,500 according to dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Isoelectric focusing experiments gave an isoelectric point, pI of 6.35. The enzyme is very sensitive to mercaptide-forming reagents. NAD and NADH protect the enzyme. NAD and especially NADH stabilize the enzyme during storage and against denaturation at high temperatures.


Anthropometric indicators provide valuable information on nutritional status and living standards. This paper uses these indicators to explore the biological wellbeing of Spaniards during the Bourbon Restoration. From a sample of anthropometric data composed of 119,571 soldiers at age 20, measured between 1903 and 1906 -cohorts which were born between 1883 and 1886-, it presents the provincial results of height, weight, and BMI values and other aspects of biological living standards. Average heights are compared with previous periods to check the biological well-being during the second half of the nineteenth century. Anthropometric outcomes (height, weight and chest circumference) show the inequality of nutritional status in Spanish geography and suggest the influence of environmental and institutional factors in human development.


Ian Berry – An Exploration of the Work of Ian Berry, UK Photojournalist From Early 60s Till the Present.

Co-curator with Val Williams and intern Robin Silas of Ian Berry retrospective (40%, 40%, 20%)

In the North Lowry Centre, Salford, 31 March to 10 June 2007,

The Water project Promenade Gallery, Lowry Centre, Salford 31 March to 10 June 2007,

Ian Berry, the early years of the colour supplement, the Guardian Newsroom, London, 4 April to May 2007, and Ian Berry a print sale exhibition in the Magnum Print Room, London, 20 March – 20 May 2007

In 2003 Lardinois and Williams were commissioned by Magnum to research a retrospective of the work of photographer Ian Berry. The research involved analysis of Ian Berry's works in Magnum's own archive and in the photographer's holdings together with the locating and study of works in a number of external collections.

The three-venue exhibition was developed to present different emphases. In the North, (Lowry Centre, 2007) Berry's photographs captured in the North of England in the 70s put in the context of specially chosen Lowry paintings informed the first venue exhibition. The theme of water and related issues, were shown in the water-side Lowry Centre. In the Guardian Newsroom, which houses the Guardian and Observer archives and visitors centre, Berry's work in the Observer Magazine was showcased. A public symposium held at the Guardian Newsroom, London (8 May 2007) included Michael Rand and Julian Stallabrass as speakers with an accompanying publication with text by Lardinois amd Williams and surveying Berry's career, changing styles and also the shifting markets and audiences.


Although iris neoplasia in the cat is relatively uncommon, melanoma is the most common form encountered (Duncan and Peiffer, 1991). For the practitioner, changes in iris pigmentation in cats present a challenge in diagnosis and advising owners on the best course of action. The aim of this article is to summarise the salient features of iris melanoma and the factors involved in decision-making.


Estimating the remaining energy in high-capacity electric vehicle batteries is essential to safe and efficient operation. Accurate estimation remains a major challenge, however, because battery state cannot be observed directly. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for estimating battery remaining energy using real data collected from the Charge Car electric vehicle. This new method relies on energy integration as an initial estimation step, which is then corrected using a neural net that learns how error accumulates from recent charge/discharge cycles. In this way, the algorithm is able to adapt to nonlinearities and variations that are difficult to model or characterize. On the collected dataset, this method is demonstrated to be accurate to within 2.5% to 5% of battery remaining energy, which equates to approximately 1 to 2 miles of residual range for the Charge Car given its 10kWh battery pack.


The effect of elevated NaCl concentration (from 0.5 to 4.0 M) to the pigment content, O 2 exchange and activities of some oxidative stress enzymes in the green alga Dunaliella salina was investigated. The optimum NaCl concentration (2.0 M) for the intensive biosynthesis of green pigments and function of the photosynthetic apparatus were established. The catalase activity increased up to 5.8 times and reached 0.5703 µmol min -1 mg -1 protein after 7 days of exposure to high salt concentration (3.0 and 4.0 M). The activity of catalase can be used as an indicator of alga cells' resistance to salinity stress.