The low-temperature contribution to the rate of destruction of phase coherence in the effect of weak localization is studied for 3D amorphous Ca75Al25 and Ca65Al35 alloys at temperatures between 0.18 K and 10 K. The relative accuracy of the magnetoresistivity measurements is better than 5 · 10-8. The large change by a factor of two of the electrical resistivity between both metals, offers a way of 1) experimentally testing the recently proposed mechanism and model of dephasing by zero-point motion; as expected on theoretical grounds, no such mechanism can be deduced from the experimental data; 2) for the first time, an anomalous dependence of spin orbit scattering on diffusivity is found for the amorphous metals: D scales with τ-1so not with τso as in crystalline cubic disordered metals. We attribute this to the Dy'akonov-Perel' mechanism of spin relaxation in materials without inversion symmetry.


Objective(s): To evaluate the aspects of the Continuing Nursing Education Programs in Kirkuk Health
Directorate Hospitals
Methodology: A descriptive design, using self-evaluation approach, is employed throughout the present
study. A non-probability sample of (251) staff nurse are recruited from Kirkuk Health Directorate Hospitals;
Kirkuk General Hospital and Azady Hospital. A questionnaire is constructed for the purpose of the study
which comprised of (1) part, (6) aspects and (52) item. Content validity and internal consistency reliability are
determined for the questionnaire through a pilot study. Data are collected through the use of the questionnaire
and structured interview a means of data collection. Data are analyzed through the application of descriptive
statistical data analysis approach of frequency, percentage, mean of scores, total scores and range.
Results: The study indicates that the majority of nurses have evaluated the aspects of the continuing nursing
education program as poor at Kirkuk Health Directorate.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the evaluation of aspects of the continuing nursing education programs
is appraised as poor for the majority of nurses' self-evaluation.
Recommendations: The study recommends that mandatory, periodic, systematic and effective evaluation of
continuing nursing education program can be carried out for the benefit of both staff nurses, these programs
and the quality of nursing care. Further research can be carried out on a large sample size, varied range scale
of variables, large sample size and nation-wide continuing nursing education programs.


Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is produced primarily by CD4+ T cells and regulates immunity against human/simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV/SIV) infection. Activated CD8+ cells and their secreted interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) are crucial for the control of acute HIV/SIV infection. However, whether IL-21 can regulate IFN-γ production by CD8+ cells remains controversial. Rhesus macaques (RMs, n = 8) were infected with SHIV and the levels of plasma IL-21, IFN-γ and the frequency of peripheral blood activated T cells were measured longitudinally. Following infection with SHIV, the levels of plasma IL-21 and IFN-γ increased, peaked at 17 days postinfection and declined later. Furthermore, IL-21 induced IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) and IFN-γ, perforin, but not granmyze B, expression in CD8+ cells from four selected SHIV-infected RMs. The regulatory effect of IL-21 on CD8+ cell function appeared to be associated with increased levels of STAT3, but not STAT5, phosphorylation in CD8+ cells from SHIV-infected RMs. In parallel, treatment with soluble IL-21R/Fc, an inhibitor of IL-21-induced activation of JAK1/3 and STAT3, abrogated IL-21-induced STAT3 activation and IFN-γ production in CD8+ cells from SHIV-infected RMs in vitro. Our data indicated that IL-21 was a positive regulator of IFN-γ-secreting CD8+ cells and increased the STAT3 phosphorylation, regulating T-cell immunity against acute SHIV infection in RMs. Our findings may provide a new basis for the development of immunotherapies for the control of SHIV/HIV infection.


Credit card fraud occurs when user provide their information to the unknown persons or stolen by the unknown persons, that information can be used for unauthorized online purchase and some other situation. A technique is required to detect such fraud events. Many techniques are exist to detect such frauds. But these existing techniques are not efficient to provide better performance to detect such credit card fraud events. In this paper a hybrid technique which uses the properties of PGNN and Cost based model is presented which provides enhanced functionality to detect credit card frauds. The analysis of hybrid technique shows that the proposed technique provides an accurate and efficient way to detect credit card frauds.


The present work aims to address open issues hindering the development of nonlinear wave modulation SHM/NDE methods for the detection of delaminations in composite laminates. Specifically, the mechanisms generating the nonlinear indices are clarified and the relationship of the latter with damage and wave parameters is investigated. A robust and computationally fast time domain spectral finite element containing high-order layerwise laminate mechanics is further extended to model delaminated composite strips. Contact mechanisms enabling impacts between the delaminated interfaces are included in the formulation. Simulations of high-frequency antisymmetric and symmetric ultrasonic wave propagation in Carbon/Epoxy strips with various delaminations sizes are presented. The simulations reveal complex nonlinear phenomena involving interactions between wave conversion and contacts in the delaminated region, which subsequently result in frequency harmonics in the dynamic response, manifesting the presence of delamination. The dependence of the generated harmonics and their modulation factor, to the type of assumed contact, the size of damage and the frequency/wavelength of the excited wave are further studied.


This article discusses the environmental crisis through a dialogue between psychoanalysis, philosophy and the social sciences. It intends to introduce a common axis to the understanding of the relations between psyche and nature in a reflective text about human nature, its complexities and sociopathologies. The environmental crisis in which we are imbedded is approached through the followed propositions: (i) humanity has broken its links with its natural condition; (ii) humanity may be psychologically ill; (iii) humanity is not morally able to delegate the overcoming of the environmental crisis to the new generations because we live in a simulacrum associated with consumerism and alienation. We conclude that there is a subjective root in the environmental crisis, the analysis of which depends on finding the adequate answers to the civilization impasse that we currently face.


Nowadays, the common denominator of involvement of the EastCentral Europe in the international arena, and above all, the premise determining community of interest expressed in the European Union is the migration crisis. Despite the different circumstances of activity in the context of the migration crisis, states in the region express similar opinions on the consequences of immigration for security in the region. Above all, they emphasise the implications of immigration for the internal security of states. Given the complex nature of migration, this article focuses on the phenomenon of immigration in the EU, determining the causes of the escalation of the influx of immigrants and, above all, identifying the consequences for the security of states of East-Central Europe.


Soils play a major role in the global carbon cycle and have a huge potential for either sequestering or releasing carbon (C) to the atmosphere. Globally, large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) are laterally redistributed on sloped arable land by soil erosion. Besides the lateral SOC fluxes, soil erosion also indirectly alters the vertical C fluxes between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere. Whether this results in a net source or sink of atmospheric CO2 is unclear. Global estimates range from a source of ~1 Pg C per year to a sink of the same magnitude. Against this background, this study investigates impacts of soil redistribution processes on SOC stocks and fluxes and the corresponding C source or sink function in a small agricultural catchment (4.2 ha) in Germany. Spatial patterns of SOC stocks were studied by analysis of soil samples of the plough layer and two subsoil layers (up to a depth of 0.9 m) taken in a 17 x 17 m raster. Results revealed a substantial accumulation and stabilisation of SOC in the subsoil at depositional sites, stressing the importance of subsoil C for budgets on agricultural land prone to erosion. In situ measurements of soil respiration were carried out in the most dynamic area with respect to soil redistribution in three consecutive growing periods (2007-2009). No universal relation to modelled patterns of soil redistribution or to other parameters (soil properties, plant parameters, and terrain attributes) was found for the three measurement periods, underlining the large variability of soil respiration. However in two years, heterotrophic soil respiration was significantly linearly related to total erosion (including water and tillage erosion). Hence, a possible C sink at erosion sites might partly be compensated by enhanced mineralisation at depositional sites. Besides bulk SOC, depth distributions of particle-size SOC fractions at erosional, depositional, and reference (without erosion or deposition) sites were compared to improve the understanding of the involved processes. Results showed that the labile SOC pool was depleted in the topsoil of eroding profiles, indicating that the reduced decomposition not only resulted from a general depletion of SOC but also from a relative higher abundance of more passive SOC pools. As the labile SOC pool was also depleted in the topsoil at the depositional profile, this fraction was either mineralised during transport or rapidly after deposition, or it was exported out of the test site. On the one hand, this supports an enhanced mineralisation at depositional sites, and on the other hand, this suggests an enrichment of the labile pool in the exported soil. For a spatially integrated analysis of the impact of soil redistribution on SOC dynamics at the catchment scale, the combined soil erosion and SOC model SPEROS-C was modified and applied at the test site. It was applied for the period from 1950 to 2007, covering first a period of conventional tillage followed by a period of conservation tillage. Measured SOC stocks in the three soil layers were satisfactorily reproduced, indicating a good process representation within the model. Deposition was successfully validated by two depth profiles of 14C measured by accelerator mass spectrometry. The erosion induced net vertical C flux showed substantial spatial variation within the test site. Depositional areas acted as a C source due to the mineralisation of buried C while erosional sites acted as a C sink due to (partial) dynamic C replacement. As erosion sites constituted two thirds of the catchment area, the erosion induced mean net vertical C flux was a sink for atmospheric CO2 at the test site. However, a substantial amount of C was lost laterally due to the export by water erosion. This resulted in an overall negative C balance for the test site. Land management had a profound effect on the lateral and vertical C fluxes. The change from conventional to conservation agriculture reduced the lateral C export and enhanced the vertical C fluxes, leading to a reduced negative C balance. Overall, this study substantially improves the knowledge about the impacts of soil redistribution on SOC stocks and fluxes at the small catchment scale and provides improved and new methods applicable in future research.


This paper sheds new light on aspects of Roman and Anglo-Saxon chicken (Gallus gallus) husbandry and health through integrating analyses of chicken skeletal remains and eggshell from five archaeological sites in England (Fishbourne Roman Palace, Flixborough, Lyminge, Princesshay, and Uley). In addition to standardised archaeozoological study, over 10,400 chicken elements from these sites were subjected to palaeopathological and metrical analyses to clarify the relationship between husbandry methods and signs of disease and injury. Radiographic examination contributed to differential diagnosis of lesions and identification of medullary bone in complete appendicular elements. Eggshell examination was conducted on material from Flixborough using Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy to identify species and developmental stage. Combined, these techniques demonstrate previously-unknown patterns of egg production and consumption. By integrating these approaches, our results reveal previously unconsidered aspects of chicken husbandry and illuminate the broader value and social impact of past chicken-human relationships from the first millennium AD.


Before a prosecutor and defendant may settle their criminal case by plea bargain, they must first obtain the trial judge's approval. The judge is allowed to reject a plea bargain if, in the exercise of sound discretion, the judge finds it is not in the public interest. However, some judges will also reject plea bargains simply because the parties reached their agreement after the court's arbitrary plea deadline expired. At first glance, setting a plea deadline appears to be a routine administrative matter of little significance. However, plea deadlines can implicate important constitutional principles and often have a tremendous negative impact on the parties.

Courts justify their imposition of plea deadlines under the theory of judicial economy. But in reality, arbitrary deadlines are highly inefficient and create several additional problems: they often lead to rushed, unjust plea bargains; they obstruct the defendant from entering his or her plea knowingly and intelligently; they are the antithesis of the case-by-case discretion the judge is obligated to exercise before rejecting a plea; and they violate the separation-of-powers doctrine, infringing upon the prosecutor's discretion to resolve the state's cases when and how the prosecutor deems appropriate.

In light of these and other problems, this Article advocates for simple legal reform: the abolition of arbitrary plea deadlines or, in the alternative, severe constraints on the trial judge's power to impose them. But the legal system is often resistant to change. Therefore, this Article makes a more immediate and useful contribution: it provides a strategy for the parties to obtain the judge's approval of their plea deal, even when that plea deal is reached after the court's arbitrary deadline has expired.


Web users' clustering is a crucial task for mining information related to users' needs and preferences. Up to now, popular clustering approaches build clusters based on usage patterns derived from users' page preferences. This paper emphasizes the need to discover similarities in users' accessing behavior with respect to the time locality of their navigational acts. In this context, we present two time-aware clustering approaches for tuning and binding the page and time visiting criteria. The two tracks of the proposed algorithms define clusters with users that show similar visiting behavior at the same time period, by varying the priority given to page or time visiting. The proposed algorithms are evaluated using both synthetic and real data sets and the experimentation has shown that the new clustering schemes result in enriched clusters compared to those created by the conventional non-time-aware user clustering approaches. These clusters contain users exhibiting similar access behavior in terms not only of their page preferences but also of their access time.


Idiopathic sclerosing orbital inflammation is a rare finding that is poorly delineated, immune mediated, and causes severe symptoms and disability. It has been described affecting the orbit in addition to other sites within the head and neck, but has rarely been described presenting as sinusitis. A case report and literature review were performed. A 14-year-old girl with right-sided face and eye pain and pressure for >1 month presented 3 days after endoscopic sinus surgery for presumed acute sinusitis. She subsequently developed ipsilateral vision loss and hypesthesia of the infraorbital nerve. MRI revealed a mildly enhancing soft tissue intensity lesion extending from the right maxillary sinus into the pterygopalatine fossa and orbital apex through the inferior orbital fissure. Biopsy specimens of the lesion were consistent with a sclerosing inflammatory lesion. High-dose steroids led to rapid improvement in vision and pain; however, the patient was unable to tolerate steroid weaning because of recurrence of eye pain and headache. Repeat imaging showed progression of the lesion. Rheumatology was consulted and the patient's steroid therapy was altered and her medications were expanded to include azathioprine. The patient's symptoms improved and subsequent imaging showed a reduction in the size and extent of the lesion. Idiopathic sclerosing inflammation is characterized by primary, chronic, and immunologically mediated fibrosis. Patients typically have a poor response to corticosteroid treatment or radiotherapy. Immunosuppressive therapy in addition to corticosteroids is the recommended treatment.


Background: Premature Ejaculation is a common sexual disorder which negatively affects men's life. Premature Ejaculation estimate prevalence is 20-30 %. It affects to overall quality of life and associated with anxiety, stress, and other psychological factors. Objective: The purpose of the study was to conduct a review of alternative therapy in the management of Premature ejaculation (PME). Method: A review was conducted using search terms Premature Ejaculation, Yoga Therapy, Alternative therapyand all the probable term in national and international data repositories such as PubMed, Scopus, science direct, google scholar, web of science in English language. Result: The review of alternative therapies in the management of Premature ejaculation suggests that most of the studies used Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ), phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5) and physical activity. There are very few studies conducted in relation to yoga and Premature ejaculation. Further, most of the studies explored effect of alternative therapies on psychological outcomes. Conclusion: Evidence suggests that Pharmacological clinical trial is effective with side effect, Cognitive behaviour therapy and Pharmacological Drugs separately both are less effective. One evidencebased study with integrated yoga therapy should be considered in the management of Premature ejaculation. Higherquality trial with yogic approach needed to first line management of patients presenting with Premature ejaculation .


In his blogs of 2012, Dr. Göte Nyman coined Internet of Behaviors (IoB). In his idea, people's behaviors are very good predictors of their needs, and hence technology companies can network human behaviors and construct behavior-based systems to deliver more timely, responsive, and intelligent services with privacy protection. In 2020, Gartner ranked IoB first among its top nine strategic technology trends and suggested that IoB would touch almost half of the world population. Built on his core idea of IoB, this paper is the first one to comprehensively, systematically, and deeply introduce the IoB concept, essential features, architecture, enabling technologies, applications, and open research issues. In this paper, we first give a formal definition and classification of IoB and reveal its fundamental difference from Internet of Things (IoT). Then, we propose a five-layer IoB architecture (consisting of behavior perception, behavior networking, behavior computing, service provision, and security/privacy) and provide the in-depth analysis of IoB enabling technologies. Particularly, we discuss functional requirements and possible fields of an IoB address (i.e., a human behavior identifier), present the networking and maintenance approaches to behaviors, explore four important implications of behavior computing, i.e., intention inference, behavior derivation, behavior programming, and behavior-chain optimization, as well as give a decentralized privacy-protection solution to Dr. Nyman's behavior-identity-separation idea. Next, we deeply investigate potential IoB applications in smart home/transportation/healthcare/business, and human-robot interaction. Finally, we provide insightful discussions on open research issues. This paper should help researchers and practitioners understand IoB quickly and promote future IoB development.


This phenomenological study focused on single-parent, low-income francophone mothers' relationships with the educational and cultural achievement of their children attending French-speaking schools in Anglo-dominant settings in New Brunswick (Canada). We conducted individual (N = 8) semi-structured interviews to solicit information about the participants' lived world through their articulated voices and experiences. Qualitative data were analyzed using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological approach. Four themes emerged: parenting and financial difficulties; mother's level of education and their involvement in their children's education; relationship with their children's school; and parental role in enhancing language acquisition and building cultural identity. Findings revealed that single-parent, low-income francophone mothers need help with parenting skills as they pertain to improving their children's education achievements. We concluded that the New Brunswick government needs to (a) respect its mandate to ensure that the education system teaches and provides opportunities for building a francophone identity, and (b) respect its pledge to make certain that every child arrives at kindergarten ready to learn, particularly to single-parent women living in poverty, who have limited financial resources.


Deep learning has started to outperform its rivals over the last five years, due to its capability to automatically find the features in the data, and classify them. In this study, deep learning is used to detect a buried target collected by a ground penetrating radar (GPR). The GPR data is generated by the GprMax simulation program, and a deep learning model of two convolution and two pooling layers is proposed to classify this data. The proposed model is trained with two classes, with a hundred targeted targets and a hundred non-targets. At the end of the training, the resulting features were examined in each layer of the deep architecture. The initial results presented in this study emphasize the advantages of deep learning over traditional classification methods, since it allows for high classification rates without the need for feature extraction.


Sir Edward MelIanby had accepted a cordial invitation from the Editorial Committee of the Annual Review of Biochemistry to contribute this Prefatory Chapter. Unhappily, before he had completed his seventy-first year, he died suddenly on Sunday, January 30, 1955, about mid-day, after he had spent the morning at his research. His draft of the introduction to his contribution to this volume is printed below in the section" to British Biochemistry." For nearly six years after retiring from the post of Secretary of the Medical Research Council, he continued to engage in research work and in many scientific affairs. He was, for example, active in the Royal Society, of which he had been a Fellow for 30 years, and he was one of its Vice-Presidents. Sir Henry Dale has recently completed an Obituary Notice of Mellanby for the Royal Society (1955); this tribute is of such grandeur as perhaps only a man of Sir Henry's eminence could contribute, and I shall quote from this to give the weight of wisdom, experience, and...


This paper presents a rescheduling method for solving the conflicts between arriving aircraft which fly their preferred descent paths using the continuous descent approach. The proposed approach is a centralized control solution and based on the 4-D trajectory concept. Each aircraft calculates its 4-D trajectory and the Estimated Time of Arrival before initiating descent procedure, and reports the 4-D trajectory to the terminal area controllers at the destination airport. The reported 4-D trajectories are used for arrival sequencing. The objective is to minimize the total delay while keeping the inbound traffic conflict-free. The rescheduling problem is formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Program and solved with CPLEX. The solution is the delay assignments which aircraft use to adjust the arrival time for conflict avoidance. A minimum in-trail separation is imposed between successive arrivals to meet the arrival rate of the airport. The proposed approach leads to a conflict-free inbound traffic. Most importantly, it benefits the continuous descent approach in a sense that the conflicts are solved without changing the user-preferred trajectories, and the CDA trajectories are keep intact. Simulation results reveal that the re-scheduling algorithm is able to de-conflict all the arriving aircraft with different prescribed horizontal separation settings in a full day terminal airspace operation at Newark Liberty International Airport. The runtime of the algorithm is within a reasonable time horizon. Benefits analysis indicates that 80 tonnes fuel and 638 minutes flight time are saved as a consequence of employing the conflict-free CDA.


The preparation of engineering students for industrial careers after graduating is a vital part of the education process at university. It is the responsibility of the university to teach sound foundations of engineering science but this on its own is not sufficient preparation. The subject of design has been identified as a valuable means by which engineering science can be applied at advanced levels but at the same time teach students skills which are necessary for successful careers in industry.Three years ago, five senior engineers from UK industry were appointed as Visiting Professors in Engineering Design with the support of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In was decided after discussions with academics at the college to undertake a project entitled the Advanced Turbogenerator project (ATG). The project was to be conducted by a large team of undergraduates with the aim of producing a design and finally an actual small gas turbine of 50 kW output. Applications for the small gas turbine include the highly topical hybrid vehicle propulsion powertrain and compact low emissions generator sets.The paper describes the progress made in the project in two years which has involved over 30 final year engineering students in the Mechanical, Electrical, Aeronautical and Materials Science Departments. The students have found the project very challenging but have experienced an unusually high level of motivation and commitment to the work. They have been provided with state of the art software and have demonstrated that realistic designs can be produced with the guidance of experienced gas turbine engineers. The project has been reviewed by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and both have expressed the highest support for the programme. It is intended to continue the project next year with the intention of turning the design into prototype hardware.Copyright © 1998 by ASME


Six design cases of lid-substrate adhesive with various combinations of widths and heights were analyzed to investigate how the size of the adhesive affects the reliability of the solder balls of thermally enhanced flip chip plastic ball grid array (FC-PBGA) packages in thermal cycling tests. Analysis results were compared with data on the reliability of conventional FC-PBGA packages. Thermal-mechanical behavior was simulated by the finite element (FE) method and the eutectic solder was assumed to exhibit elastic-viscoplastic behavior. The temperature-dependent nonlinear stress/strain relationship of the adhesive was experimentally determined and used in the FE analysis. Darveaux's model was employed to obtain the predicted fatigue life of the solder ball. Simulation results reveal that the fatigue life of the solder balls in thermally enhanced FC-PBGA packages is much shorter than that in conventional FC-PBGA packages, and the life of solder balls increases with both the width and the height of the adhesive. However, the effect of the width of the adhesive on the reliability of the solder ball is stronger than that of the height. Moreover, increasing either the width or the height reduces the plastic strain in the adhesive at critical locations, indicating that the reliability of the adhesive can be improved by its size. The predicted results of the life of solder balls for some selected studied packages are also compared with experimental data from thermal cycling tests in the paper


Testes-biased genes evolve rapidly and are important in the establishment, solidification, and maintenance of reproductive isolation between incipient species. The Anopheles gambiae complex, a group of at least eight isomorphic mosquito species endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, is an excellent system to explore the evolution of testes-biased genes. Within this group, the testes are an important tissue in the diversification process because hybridization between species results in sterile hybrid males, but fully fertile females. We conducted RNA sequencing of A. gambiae and A. merus carcass and testes to explore tissue- and species-specific patterns of gene expression. Our data provides support for transcriptional repression of X-linked genes in the male germline, which likely drives demasculinization of the X chromosome. Testes-biased genes predominately function in cellular differentiation and show a number of interesting patterns indicative of their rapid evolution, including elevated dN/dS values, low evolutionary conservation, poor annotation in existing reference genomes, and a high likelihood of differential expression between species.


The study examined the bacteria species associated with the skin of different occupational groups in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. A total of one hundred (100) swab samples were collected from four different occupational groups in Ekpoma, and cultured on Nutrient and Blood agar, and incubated at 37 o C.Bacteria isolates were identified based on macroscopic and microscopic examinations, as well as the catalase, oxidase and coagulase tests. The results showed that the rate of bacterial isolates from the skin of various occupational groups for the population under study was 64%. Out of the 25 samples collected from each occupation, 11(44%) were positive for students, 21(84%) were for bike riders, 12(48%) for office workers, and 20 (80%) for bricklayers. Bike riders appeared to be the occupation with the highest skin-bacterial isolates, followed by bricklayers, office workers and students. Staphylococcus spp . was the bacteria isolated the most with a total number of 64 for all the occupational groups. The distribution of isolates per occupational group were 3.67±2.36 for students, 21.0±9.50 for bike riders, 4.0 ±3.61 for office workers and 6.67±5.35 for bricklayers. Therefore, there is the need to develop newer methods of identifying, monitoring and assessing skin infections because of the distribution of isolates in different occupational groups. Keywords : Bacteria, Colonization, Ekpoma, Occupational, Skin


This work aimed to evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of extracts from Callicarpa longissima. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH method , the results indicated that the dichloromethane extract, ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract showed the strongest antioxidant capacity with the IC50 values of 12.39 μg/mL, 10.51μg/mL and 11.36 μg/mL. The anti-inflammatory activities was measured by NO assay, which showed the dichloromethane extract and ethyl acetate extract possess a significantly NO inhibition with the IC50 values of 8.75 μg/mL and 7.25 μg/mL. The results provide theoretical basis for development and utilization of this plant.


In optical imaging, the resolution of the imaging system is not only limited by the aperture and imperfection of the lens, but also by the CCD nonzero pixel size and separation between the two consecutive pixels. We deal only with the geometric superresolution and assume that the size of the CCD pixels is much smaller in comparison with the separation between the pixels. The separation between the pixels limits the resolution of the CCD camera. Our object is to address this problem. In the proposal, we focus on exceeding the geometric resolution with a new approach in which no moving element of the imaging system is used, but only a mask is placed at the Fourier transform plane. This mask encodes the input data. The encoded image is captured by the CCD. The captured image is then Fourier transformed and a decoding mask is used to nullify the effect of undersampling by the CCD. Mathematical modeling and simulation in one dimension are presented.


The interest in graph partitioning has become quite huge due to growing problem sizes. Therefore more abstract solutions are desirable. In this thesis, hypergraph partitioning is investigated since hypergraphs provide a better level of abstraction than normal graphs. Further, restreaming approaches are examined because the partitioning results of real time strategies are often not satisfiable. It will be shown that they can perform up to 15% better than real time approaches and can sometimes even hold up to polynomial approaches. By putting more thought into the restreaming, the partitioning results become even better. This is shown empirical when proposing Fractional Restreaming a novel 'Partial Forgetting' strategy. Meanwhile, the additional runtime needed is negligible compared to polynomial strategies. Finally SHP, a novel graph partitioning and evaluation framework is introduced.


Seasonal influenzed on plankton of the waters around Riau islands. The observation was conducted during April May 2002. This study was done in relation with observation on environment quality of the waters around Riau Islands. The parameter observed were focus on the plankton communities for tweentyfives points of stations which were grouped into two zone based on the distance of the each station. Plankton abundance varied with location groups from 5090 % respectively. Community structure was dominated by the group of diatoms such as Chaetoceros, Dytilum, Nitzschia, Thalassionema, Thalassiothrix and the genus Ceratium (the group of Dinoflagellata). Community structure of zooplankton was dominated by the group of Copepods (45 – 90 %) and Polychaeta, Chaetognata, Bivalvia, Gastropods and Oikopleura (more than 90 %). The results describe the relationship between the water environmental condition and variation of plankton condition.


In vivo induced antigen technology (IVIAT) is a technique that identifies pathogen antigens that are immunogenic and expressed in vivo during human infection. IVIAT is complementary to other techniques that identify genes and their products expressed in vivo. Genes and gene pathways identified by IVIAT may play a role in virulence or pathogenesis during human infection, and may be appropriate for inclusion in therapeutic, vaccine or diagnostic applications.


The 2019 edition of the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS) is a 'one-stop shop' for all the latest resources on child protection. The CPMS aims to strengthen quality and accountability in child protection programming and improve multi-sectoral approaches to children's safety and well-being. This new edition strengthens the emphasis on principles, evidence and prevention, and increases their applicability in refugee contexts and infectious disease outbreaks. The CPMS standards are grouped around four pillars: ensuring a quality child protection response, understanding risks, developing adequate strategies, and working across sectors. Whether you're planning a rapid response or looking for ways to improve the well-being of children during a protracted crisis, the handbook provides key actions, indicators and guidance notes on a range of approaches, and links to additional resources. The handbook should be used by humanitarian actors -- including those in community groups, non-governmental organisations, government personnel, policy makers, donors, and those working on advocacy, media or communications – as well as students and researchers. The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (the Alliance) is a global network of operational agencies, academic institutions, policymakers, donors and practitioners. Its mission is to support the efforts of humanitarian actors to achieve high-quality and effective child protection interventions in both refugee and non-refugee humanitarian settings. The Alliance achieves this primarily by facilitating inter-agency collaboration on child protection and by producing technical standards and tools. The Alliance envisions a world in which children are protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence in all humanitarian settings.


The dysfunction associated with intersexuality in vertebrates and molluscs is often a serious threat to ecosystems. Although poorly understood, crustacean intersexuality is associated with contamination and includes forms linked to increased sex-ratio distorting parasites at polluted sites. Despite the importance of crustaceans for monitoring vulnerable aquatic habitats, little is known about the molecular basis of this abnormal sexual differentiation and any associated sexual dysfunction. To increase the relevance of crustaceans to environmental toxicologists, we comprehensively analyzed gene expression in amphipods presenting parasite- and nonparasite-associated intersexuality. Our findings reveal existing vertebrate biomarkers of feminization should not be applied to crustaceans, as orthologous genes are not induced in feminized amphipods. Furthermore, in contrast to vertebrates, where feminization and intersexuality is often associated with deleterious demasculinization, we find males maintain masculinity even when unambiguously feminized. This reveals a considerable regulatory separation of the gene pathways responsible for male and female characteristics and demonstrates that evidence of feminization (even if detected with appropriate biomarkers) is not a proxy for demasculinization in crustaceans. This study has also produced a comprehensive spectrum of potential molecular biomarkers that, when combined with our new molecular understanding, will greatly facilitate the use of crustaceans to monitor aquatic habitats.


Estimates of the amplitudes of the forced responses of the surface temperature field over the last century are provided by a signal processing scheme utilizing space‐time empirical orthogonal functions for several combinations of station sites and record intervals taken from the last century. These century-long signal fingerprints come mainly from energy balance model calculations, which are shown to be very close to smoothed ensemble average runs from a coupled ocean‐atmosphere model (Hadley Centre Model). The space‐ time lagged covariance matrices of natural variability come from 100-yr control runs from several well-known coupled ocean‐atmosphere models as well as a 10 000-yr run from the stochastic energy balance climate model (EBCM). Evidence is found for robust, but weaker than expected signals from the greenhouse [amplitude ;65% of that expected for a rather insensitive model (EBCM: 2.38C)], volcanic (also about 65% DT23CO2 expected amplitude), and even the 11-yr component of the solar signal (a most probable value of about 2.0 times that expected). In the analysis the anthropogenic aerosol signal is weak and the null hypothesis for this signal can only be rejected in a few sampling configurations involving the last 50 yr of the record. During the last 50 yr the full strength value (1.0) also lies within the 90% confidence interval. Some amplitude estimation results based upon the (temporally smoothed) Hadley fingerprints are included and the results are indistinguishable from those based on the EBCM. In addition, a geometrical derivation of the multiple regression formula from the filter point of view is provided, which shows how the signals ''not of interest'' are removed from the data stream in the estimation process. The criteria for truncating the EOF sequence are somewhat different from earlier analyses in that the amount of the signal variance accounted for at a given level of truncation is explicitly taken into account.


This guide is designed for students who require alternate text for their classes, and to demonstrate where students can retrieve these texts.


This study presents the development of three new chiral stationary phases. They are based on silica modified with peptides containing phenylalanine and proline. Successful analyses and characterizations were conducted using Fourier transform infrared spectra, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. After this, the enantioselective performance of the three chiral peptide-based columns was evaluated. The evaluation used 11 racemic compounds under normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography mode. Optimized enantiomeric separation conditions were established. Under these conditions, the enantiomers of flurbiprofen and naproxen were successfully separated on CSP-1 column: the separation factor of these was 1.27 and 1.21, respectively. In addition, the reproducibility of the CSP-1 column was also investigated. The results of the investigation illustrated that the stationary phases have good reproducibility (RSD = 0.73%, n = 5).


Objective Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy (PELD) is a modern minimally invasive surgical technique used mainly to remove lumbar disc and has several advantages over open discectomy or microdiscectomy techniques. The purpose of this research is to identifythe characterictics of Herniated Nucleus Pulposus (HNP) patients treated with PELD. Material dan Methods This is a retrospective descriptive research with a cross sectional design held in Medan, Indonesia from June 2019 up until December 2020. Sample was obtained using total sampling method from the medical records of patients diagnosed with HNP undergoing PELD surgery. The information obtained would include the patient's demographic information, length of stay, intraoperative bleeding, duration of operation, HNP type, and HNP location. The data obtained would then be analized and presented through a table and description. Result A total of 7 patients was obtained, 1 male (14.3%) and 6 female (85.7%) The sample's mean age is 47.86 ± 17.325 years old with a range between 20 and 68 years old, the median age is 55 years old. The sample's mean body weight is 61.43 ± 3.952 kg, mean operation duration is 2.29 ± 1.254 hours, length of stay is 3.00 ± 0.816 days, dan intraoperative bleeding is 328.57 ± 111.270 ml. The type of HNP observed is buldging (72%), extruded (14%), and prolapsed (14%). Most HNP occurs at L5-S1 (50%), while at L4-L5 and L3-4 occurrence is 33% and 17% respectively. Conclusion Through the data obtained, it can be concluded that PELD is a minimally invasive surgery, efective for patients of all ages which causes minimal intraoperative bleeding and has shorter operation and post-operative hospital length of stay compared to other surgical methods. PELD can and should be acknowledged to be a good surgical intervention for HNP patients.


A 70-year-old man was diagnosed with retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) complicated by ureteral obstruction 4 months after finishing radiotherapy for prostate cancer. He was treated conservatively with ureteral stent placement. After 3 months, computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed resolution of RPF without any medical or surgical interventions. Although an uncommon event, the possibility of spontaneous resolution of RPF, as demonstrated by this and previously reported cases, has led some to encourage conservative management.


BACKGROUND
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disorder worldwide. Multiple metabolic disorders, such as hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and obesity, have been reportedly associated with NAFLD, but little is known about the detailed mechanisms.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Here, we explored the effects of multiple metabolic disorders, especially hyperglycemia on lipid accumulation in liver using several well-established animal models. We found that liver lipid deposition was increased in both type 1 diabetes and high-fat diet (HFD) induced hyperlipidemia models, suggesting that either hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia alone or together was able to trigger NAFLD. Moreover, we tested whether miR-320, a miRNA promoting lipid accumulation in heart revealed by our previous study, also participated in NAFLD. Though miR-320 treatment further increased liver lipid deposition in type 1 diabetes and HFD-feeding mice, it showed no effect in leptin-receptor deficient db/db mice. Interestingly, miR-320 affected different target genes in cytosol and nucleus, respectively, which collectively led to liver lipid overload.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings illustrated the complex roles of miRNAs in subcellular fractions including nucleus and cytoplasm, which may lead to new insights into the mechanisms and treatment strategies for NAFLD in the future.


Introduction: Estimation of cation exchange capacity (CEC) with reliable soil properties can save time and cost. Pedotransfer function (PTF) is a common method in estimating certain soil properties (e.g. CEC) that has been wieldy used for many years. One of the common techniques that have been used to develop PTFs is multiple linear regressions. In this method, all easily obtained soil properties are linearly related to certain soil properties. In addition to multiple linear regressions method, more complex techniques such as artificial neural networks and regression tree have been used to develop PTFs. The regression tree method is a well-known method for analyzing the environmental science which determines optimal separation point of independent variables.The purposes of this study were to evaluate and compare tree and multiple linear regressions in estimating cation exchange capacity with reliable soil properties.
Materials and Methods: For this work, 106 soil samples of Unsaturated Soil hydraulic database (UNSODA), which contain a wide range of soil texture classes, were used. The examples were divided into 2 sets including 81 and 25 soil samples for developing and validating multiple linear regression and tree regression, respectively. For estimating CEC with tree and multiple regressions, soil texture properties, organic matter, pH and bulk density were used. To develop multiple linear regressions and create the tree structure, at first, correlation between cation exchange capacity with other soil properties were evaluated; then, soil properties that had significant correlation were chosen to introduce software. As well, the suggested linear function and tree structure were compared with 2 famous pedotranser functions including Bell and Van-kolen and Breeuwsma et al., which have been used for estimating CEC.For investigating the performance of multiple linear regression and tree regression to estimate CEC 1:1 lines, determination coefficient (R2), mean error (ME), root mean square error) RMSE), and geometric mean error (GMER) were used. Statistica 8.0 software that was developed by ESRI was used to develop multiple linear regressions and generate tree structure.
Results and Discussion: The results showed for developing multiple linear regression model to estimate CEC among all inputs parameters (sand, silt, clay, organic matter, pH and bulk density) only just two parameters including organic (with r=0.70) and clay percentage (with r=0.59) had a significant coefficient, so organic and clay percentage appeared, and suggested multiple linear regression models based on this two parameters, with coefficient of 3.183 and 0.274, respectively, were developed. Also, only organic matter and clay percentage from inputs parameter in tree were shown. In tree structure most nods were divided into 2 Childs nods based on organic matter and only in the left side of tree structure in the second level clay percentage was appeared. Regression tree in two data sets (validation and development) based on R2, RMSE, ME and GMER had a high quality for CEC estimation than regression methods. Proposed linear regression model had high performance than Bell and Van-kolen and Breeuwsma et al. to estimate CEC.
Conclusions: The main aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of multiple linear regression model and regression tree to predict cation exchange capacity (CEC) based on relationships between CEC and easily measurable soil properties. For this work, 106 soil samples of UNSODA data set were used. Results showed that just clay percentage and organic matter that had higher correlation with CEC appeared in suggested linear regression and tree structure. Based on 1:1 lines, R2 ,RMSE, ME and GMER, tree regression model had higher performance than all linear regression models (suggested function , Bell and Van-kolen and Breeuwsma et. al.) to estimate cation exchange capacity. As well, suggested function had more efficiency than Bell and Van-kolen and Breeuwsma to predict CEC.


This paper presents a water and power utility taps nonoperational data with a power system data mart project. Power utilities have enjoyed predictable success at boosting system efficiency, reducing outages, and managing assets more effectively by investing in substation automation projects. But few utilities seem to realize they are short-changing their investment returns by failing to fully tap into the wealth of information collected by these automated components and delivering it to decision makers throughout the organization. The ubiquity of this information gap is as unfortunate as it is unnecessary. Every utility that has implemented microprocessor-based devices and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology has the ability to a mass an incredibly detailed historical record of operational and nonoperational data relating to the performance of its generation


Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the keeping quality of powder milk sold at local markets in Mansoura City, Egypt, and to isolate the contaminated bacteria particularly Salmonella spp., E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus from these milk samples.
Materials and methods: A total of 50 powder milk samples were collected from different sources at Mansoura, Egypt. The samples were subjected for physical examination to determine their pH and acidity. Microbiologcal assessment of the samples were done by Total Bacterial Count (TBC), Total Coliform Count (TCC), True fecal E. coli count, and Most Probable Number (MPN), and Total mold and yeast count.
Results: Minimum and maximum values of TBC were 0.45×102 cfu/gm and 5.11×103 cfu/gm milk powder, respectively. On the other hand, minimum and maximum values of fungal count were 0.08×102/gm and 2×102/gm samples, respectively. No E. coli and Salmonella spp. could be isolated from the samples. However, 18% (n=9/50) samples were found to be contaminated with Staph. aureus.
Conclusion: Based on the Egyptian Standards, the samples were satisfactory in terms of the association of Salmonella spp., E. coli, and fungi. Contamination with Staph. aureus warrans the public health. Thus, appropriate care and preventive measures are suggested.


Abstract Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) is a common annual legume that has many important uses for humans and wildlife. During the growing season, partridge pea produces numerous flowers that are visited by many bee and wasp species. However, which bees/wasps act as the principle pollinators of partridge pea has not been explored thoroughly. We used mesh cages with different hole sizes (2.5, 0.64, 0.32, and 0.16 cm2) to screen out different sized pollinators and collected data on pod length, seed number, and percentage of pods formed per flower number (pod set). We also collected partridge pea flower insect visitors and estimated pollen loads on their bodies to determine the amount of pollen available for pollination services. Overall, partridge peas in cages with larger holes produced longer pods and more seeds compared to those in cages with smaller holes. However, no significant difference in pod set was observed among plants grown in the various size cages. Thirteen flower visitors were observed to visit open partridge pea flowers. The most common insect visitors were Bombus spp., Agapostemon splendens, and Apis mellifera. Apis mellifera contained significantly less pollen on its body compared to that on all other common bees. Likely pollinators of partridge pea in Florida are larger bees such as Xylocopa and Bombus and possibly Agapostemon splendens, a smaller halictid bee.


The development and progress of the times marked by the advancement of science and technology implications for the structure and mechanism of human life in all lines and dimensions. This fact as well as a challenge, especially in the administration and management of education, including Islamic education. Islamic education is required to transform both institutional and individual, especially for teachers as an important actor in the world of education. The teachers are required to make changes with regard to the approach, strategy and methods applied in the learning activities. There were many theories and learning approaches offered by educational experts. Among them is a fun approach to learning. Truly a fun learning approach in the perspective of Islamic education is not a new thing. But already there and has been practiced since the time of the beginning of Islamic education. As illustrated by the hadith of the Prophet SAW stated; "Give convenience and do not complicate, announce and do not be scared, so they run away leaving you." In this paper, the author tries to discover the truth about the degree and the hadith is doing "Takhrij" against hadith. It is expected that through this paper, has established for us, especially the teachers to make learning fun as a principle in the election and penerapapan various strategies and methods in learning activities.


In 1988, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (ACRL/ALA) marks its thirtieth year as a separate Section within the Association of College and Research Libraries. The origins of a professional organization devoted to the concerns of rare book, manuscript, and special collections librarians go back at least a decade earlier. In 1948, an ACRL University Libraries Section meeting was devoted to rare books in the university library. John Cook Wyllie, speaking on "Why a Rare Book Room?" named "some of the best known curators of rare books in this country," and asked his audience to guess how many belonged to . . .


The invention provides a sika deer gelatine polypeptide series extract product and process for preparation comprising, proceeding micro-encapsulation embedding process to sika deer gelatine polypeptide through double agglomeration method microcapsule granulating technology, obtaining sika deer gelatine polypeptide capsule, charging milk product into belt stirrer for preheating, adding cane sugar, stabilizer for hydration treatment, stirring to fully dissolve the materials, hydrating the colloid completely, subjecting the sika deer gelatine polypeptide microcapsule to disinfection and cooling down, charging in and mixing evenly, circulation stirring, cooling down and fixing volume to required production quantity. The invention can be applied to increase the technological content and added value for the dairy product manufacture.


In the present study, we have developed a virtual reality system for tests and rehabilitation of patients with hemispatial neglect. The system is more compact, portable and easy to set up than the old system the authors previously proposed. Because the system can measure the subject's eyesight information online, we can make rehabilitation scenarios based on eyesight feedback. This technique enabled healthy subjects to become simulated patients with hemispatial neglect by vanishing objects existing in the left side of the point of view. In addition, two kinds of tasks of the training scenario were proposed by using the subject's eyesight information. The results of the experiment showed that the simulated patients also shifted their gazes toward the intact side and that a dynamic cue was effective for encouraging their attention to direct to the neglected side.


Abstract. We consider the Cauchy problem for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with double nonlinearities with opposite sign, with one term is mass-critical and the other term is mass-supercritical and energy-subcritical, which includes the famous two-dimensional cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equaton. We prove global wellposedness and scattering in H(R) below the threshold for non-radial data when 1 ≤ d ≤ 4.


A study of the flow past an oscillatory rotating cylinder has been conducted, where the frequency of oscillation has been matched to the natural frequency of the vortex street generated in the wake of a stationary cylinder, at Reynolds number 300. The focus is on the wake transition to three-dimensional flow and, in particular, the changes induced in this transition by the addition of the oscillatory rotation. Using Floquet stability analysis, it is found that the fine-scale three-dimensional mode that typically dominates the wake at a Reynolds number beyond that at the second transition to three-dimensional flow (referred to as mode B) is suppressed for amplitudes of rotation beyond a critical amplitude, in agreement with past studies. However, the rotation does not suppress the development of three-dimensionality completely, as other modes are discovered that would lead to three-dimensional flow. In particular, the longer-wavelength mode that leads the three-dimensional transition in the wake of a stationary cylinder (referred to as mode A) is left essentially unaffected at low amplitudes of rotation. At higher amplitudes of oscillation, mode A is also suppressed as the two-dimensional near wake changes in character from a single- to a double-row wake; however, another mode is predicted to render the flow three-dimensional, dubbed mode D (for double row). This mode has the same spatio-temporal symmetries as mode A.


This thesis focusses on the level of physical activity after solid organ transplantation and factors associated with this level. Functional recovery after transplantation is not as good as expected. However, higher levels of physical activity after transplantation are associated with better outcomes. This thesis showed that less than 60% of transplant recipients complied to the physical activity guidelines. A higher level of physical activity was associated with better survival after kidney transplantation, independent of cardiac damage. Cardiac damage was, however, a intermediate step in the association. Peripheral muscle strength showed to be an important predictor of exercise capacity after lung transplantation, interventions around six months after transplantation are needed to improve exercise capacity. Qualitative and quantitative studies into barriers and motivators to physical activity after transplantation showed that most factors are comparable to those in the general population. Specific factors for transplant recipients were care for the new organ, medication side-effects, and expertise of personnel. In intervention development physical limitation, fear of negative effects, low expectations and self-confidence, and exercise self-efficacy should be taken into account. During an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro the tolerance to strenuous physical activity after transplantation was studied; this was comparable for carefully selected recipients and controls. Despite of the large variety in physical activity level after transplantation a substantial part of recipients do not fulfill the physical activity guidelines. These results stress the need for interventions. Not the type of transplantation but the experienced barriers, motivators, and psychological factors should be leading.


Background Despite the tremendous progress made in advancing laboratory medicine in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), inadequate quality management systems (QMSs) remain a problem and barrier to provision of reliable laboratory services in resource-limited settings. Therefore, it is useful to study the experience of medical laboratories in LMICs that have successfully implemented QMS. Aim This review identified key success factors (KSFs) for medical laboratories in LMICs implementing QMS in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization standard 15189 as a pathway to improving laboratory quality. Methods Applying Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews procedures, we conducted a targeted search of studies from LMICs published between 2012 and 2022 to identify KSFs. Thirty-two out of 952 references retrieved were considered relevant and included in this review. Grounded theory was used to extract key features of the included studies to derive KSFs. Results Ten KSFs for medical laboratories striving to implement QMS were identified and described. These KSFs were integrated to create a model of success for laboratory QMS implementation. The model consists of three underlying factors, namely preparing for change, resource availability, and effective project management, each comprising three separate KSFs. Institutional commitment was identified as the core of the model and is integral to ensuring the quality of laboratory services. Conclusion Laboratories planning to implement a QMS can benefit from understanding the KSFs demonstrated in this study as this would help them to identify the necessary changes to implement and set realistic expectations about the outcomes of QMS implementation.


This article will examine the female characters in the short stories of the early period (1908–1917) of the Grand Old Man of Estonian literature, Anton Hansen Tammsaare (AHT). The short stories "Long steps", "Young souls", "Over the border", "Shades" and "Fly" have been called psychological, urban or student stories. The main aim of this article is to reveal the new understandings which were brought by AHT into the literary discourse of his time on women. This article also aims to start a discussion with earlier Tammsaare study, by att empting to amend previous arguments. Analysis of these short stories has supported the hypothesis that the female characters of AHT urban stories are not stereotypical or misogynistic, but quite modern for their time. Even though Sonja in "Shades" can be mostly viewed as a femme fragile, the discourse of decadence, which spread in 19th- and 20th-century Western Europe, is not decisive in the characters in Tammsaare's earlier work, which was more infl uenced by the writer's own youthful experiences. It is evident that the female characters of AHT are versatile and ambivalent: in his child-women, one can also fi nd features of the madonna, muse or Femme emancipee, and they develop accordingly in these diff erent directions. Overall, AHT's child-women do not correspond to the negative defi nition of femme-enfant which they adhere to at the start, because the characters outgrow their male partners ethically and/or sophistically. The author of this article states that the child-woman is AHT's favourite character, because of the opportunity to play with her in such a way that everything seems real. AHT gives one of his fi rst thorough insights into the mind and emotional life of a young woman in the character Tiksi in his story "Fly". In polemisizing on the question of females, AHT entered into a dialogue with his contemporary, the great realist Eduard Vilde: AHT's most emancipated female character, Hedvig, is a parallel and expansion to Vilde's character in the story "Against the Stinger" (1898). Vilde's character resembles the new woman known from English and Scandinavian literature, an educated woman who is psychologically and fi nancially independent. It is remarkable that the new woman brings with her a new ethics, based on searching for her own happiness, rather than on outdated patriarchal mores. Keywords women's emancipation and roles in Estonian society at the beginning of the 20th century, aspirations of women's education, women characters, sexual ethics, child-woman, femme fragile, new woman


This research proposes the framework for an
automation tool that facilitates the graphic design process of
image-font pairing or matching. Considering traditional graphic
design principles, a multi-step software algorithm was developed to
emulate the process of determining proportions and visual axes of
both images and fonts. The algorithm then matches these visual
markers using a decision hierarchy to produce a ranking of
appropriate fonts from an existing font dataset. To test the
algorithm, 8 benchmark images were selected with varying
proportions and visual axes. To build the font data set, each image
was manually analyzed through a traditional graphic design process
and then two fonts per image with similar, matching characteristics
were manually selected. The 8 benchmark images and 16 fonts were
then used as inputs into the proposed matching software program.
The results of the manually prescribed font-image pairings and
calculated matches were then compared. Two images had the intended
font in the top 4, two images had one of the intended fonts in the
top 4, and 4 images had neither of the intended fonts in the top 4.
An additional step in image-font pairing includes detail matching
by determining curvature similarities. This detail analysis will
affect the pairing outcomes and should be further investigated.
This research began to analyze these details, and makes
recommendations for continuing this work. Additional future
directions for this work include incorporating a user-interface to
the matching algorithm, introducing expert testing, and
down-selecting the first font pool based on
deviation.


I offer the following helps for use in the open or drop method of administering ether. This is the most popular method in this country, and is without doubt the easiest, simplest and safest for the majority of anesthesias, especially for those of limited experience. This dropper is made from the original ether can (Fig. 1 A) by cutting a circular incision through the soft metal cap of the can, as close to the edge of the neck as possible, holding the knife at right angles to the can. This is extended about four-fifths of the way round (Fig. 1 B). This flap is turned back and a small pledget of cotton inserted (Fig. 1 C); then the flap is turned down to its original position; this will hold the wick in place. Now it is ready for use. Drops of ether will fall from the end of the wick


Ever since I stumbled into doing higher education research as a young academic in the 1980s, I have been trying to understand it as a 'field' of study. My career, as a former business lecturer, then an academic developer and now an associate professor for higher education working in an Education Faculty has given me opportunities to see it from different angles. Hence, in many respects, the map I present here says as much about my own background and experiences as a higher education researcher as about the field more generally. The main point I am seeking to make through the map is the way in which higher education research is crudely split between policy-based and teachingand learningFigure 1. The higher education research archipelago.


Netflix is a film exhibition platform in digital format. Netflix is one of the favourite platforms for film enthusiasts, especially among the respondents in this study. Netflix is included in the Non-Theatrical Exhibition Film category with its popular term Over-The-Top. Netflix is categorized explicitly as SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand). In this study, we do not only look at the categorization of films based on the primary genre but also look at the secondary film genres. According to respondents, the secondary genre of films is one aspect of selecting films on the Netflix platform.This study used a quantitative approach with a cluster random sampling method. The sample used in this research was students of the Film Study Program, Faculty of Art and Design, Multimedia Nusantara University. The results of this study show that in the period January - July 2021, the film Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens is an Indonesian film that many Netflix users watch. In addition, the film Sweet & Sour is the most-watched international film by respondents. Respondents in this study stated that there is a need for film categorization. Still, film categorization is not only based on the primary genre but there needs to be a secondary genre as well. Films in the drama genre are the favourite of the respondents in this study, both primary and secondary drama genres.


Making higher education more accessible for the poor serves the equity objective. Until today, the main policy tool to achieve this objective is funding public higher institutions. This has been shown to have no significant correlation on the enrollment of the poor by earlier studies. This paper assesses a new initiative of the Philippine government called the Students Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA) implemented starting 2012. While there are other grants-in-aid programs, SGP-PA has two important unique features, namely, (a) it is well-targeted to identified Pantawid Pamilya households and (b) it provides a grant amount that is sufficient to cover all normal education expenses including living allowance. The assessment is done by comparing the academic performance of grantees to that of their peers. The results show that their poorer socioeconomic background appears to be reflected only in their poorer grades in the first year. By their second year, they are already performing at par in Math and even better than their peers in Science and English. The study also highlights the importance of entrance exam scores in the academic performance of both grantees and their peers. Finally, the study also documents the challenges that the program is facing and provides recommendations on how to address these challenges.


Purpose: To evaluate the role of antiangiogenic therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods: In this noncomparative, prospective, interventional case series, bevacizumab was injected into the vitreous of patients with ROP in three different groups: group I, patients with stage IVa or IVb ROP who had no response to conventional treatment; group II, patients with threshold ROP who were difficult to treat with conventional therapy because of poor visualization of the retina; and group III, patients with high-risk prethreshold or threshold ROP. Results: Thirteen patients (18 eyes; mean age ± SD, 4 ± 3 months; mean follow-up, 6 months) were included in the study. We found neovascular regression in 17 eyes. One patient with stage IVa ROP had spontaneous retinal reattachment after an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. There were no serious ocular or systemic adverse events. Conclusion: The use of bevacizumab may be promising in the treatment of patients with ROP. Further studies need to be performed to determine the safety and long-term efficacy of intravitreal injection of bevacizumab, either as first-line therapy or after failure of conventional therapy.


This article considers the interaction between labour law and employment policy at European Union (EU) level in the light of recent political and legal developments. It begins with a consideration of the relationship between labour law and policy as a function of the political compromise at the foundation of the EU (i.e., its establishment on an economic rather than social basis). This article then discusses the application of the relationship between labour law and policy in terms of the policy provisions of Directive 2000/78 (derogation on 'employment policy grounds') as opposed to the policy provisions of the atypical work directives (the policy of 'flexicurity'). It considers these directives in the light of the recent development of case law in this area (e.g., Case C-555/07, Ku¨ku¨kdeveci v. Swedex Gmbh & Co. KG and its relationship to C-144/04, Mangold v. Helm ) and illustrates the difficulties of the inclusion of policy objectives within the law. This article then goes on to assess the future relationship between law and policy in the EU and particularly the potential impact of incorporation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms 2000 into the Lisbon Treaty on the development of labour law and policy.


Erythropoietin (EPO) receptor (EPOR) expression in breast cancer has been             shown to correlate with the expression of estrogen receptor (ESR) and progesterone             receptor (PGR) and to be associated with the response to tamoxifen in ESR+/PGR+             tumors but not in ESR- tumors. In addition, the correlation between EPOR and G protein-coupled             estrogen receptor 1 [GPER; also known as G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30)]             has been reported, suggesting the prognostic potential of EPOR expression. Moreover,             the involvement of colony stimulating factor 2 receptor, β, low‑affinity (CSF2RB)             and ephrin type-B receptor 4 (EPHB4) as EPOR potential receptor partners in cancer             has been indicated. This study analyzed the correlation between the expression             of genes for EPO, EPOR, CSF2RB, EPHB4, ESR, PGR and GPER in the MCF-7, MDA-MB-361,             T-47D, MDA-MB-231, Hs578Bst, SKBR3, MCF-10A and Hs578T cell lines. The cell lines             were also treated with recombinant human EPO (rHuEPO) in order to determine its             ability to activate the Jak/STAT5, MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways and modify             cell growth characteristics. Expression analysis stratified the cell lines in             2 main clusters, hormone-dependent cell lines expressing ESR and PGR and a hormone-independent             cluster. A significant correlation was observed between the expression levels             of ESR and PGR and their expression was also associated with that of GPER. Furthermore,             the expression of GPER was associated with that of EPOR, suggesting the connection             between this orphan G protein and EPO signaling. A negative correlation between             EPOR and CSF2RB expression was observed, questioning the involvement of these             two receptors in the hetero-receptor formation. rHuEPO treatment only influenced             the hormone-independent cell lines, since only the MDA-MB-231, SKBR3 and Hs578T             cells responded to the treatment. The correlation between the expression of the             analyzed receptors suggests that the receptors may interact in order to activate             signaling pathways or to evade their inhibition. Therefore, breast cancer classification             upon ESR, PGR and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) may not be sufficient             for the selection of suitable treatment protocol. The expression of EPOR, GPER             and EPHB4 may be considered as additional classification factors.


Joseph South, an educational researcher, technology consultant, and former director of the U.S. Office of Educational Technology participated in a research initiative on Educational Technology Efficacy Research organized by the Jefferson Education Accelerator, Digital Promise, and the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. The working group in which he participated, one of 10, focused on preparing future teachers and educational leaders to make effective decisions related to evaluation of educational technology products and selection of appropriate technology tools. South responded to interview questions developed by members of Working Group E of the Jefferson Education Accelerator initiative on the Efficacy of Educational Technology Research. The U.S. Office of Educational Technology convened a Teacher Preparation Innovation Summit in June 2016 with the goal of "Developing a common set of technology competency expectations for university professors and candidates exiting teacher preparation programs for teaching in technologically enabled schools and post-secondary education institutions" (U.S. Department of Education, 2016c). This summit was followed by a related strand at the 2016 National Technology Leadership Summit in September 2016 and culminated in a meeting at the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education in December, followed by a White House summit on Advancing Educational Technology in Teacher Preparation. The results of this work are summarized in an Education Technology and Teacher Preparation Brief published by the U.S. Department of Education (2016b). Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 17(1) 12 This work was directed by Joseph South, an educational researcher, technology consultant, and former director of the U.S. Office of Educational Technology. In a parallel effort, Joseph South also participated in a research initiative on Educational Technology Efficacy Research organized by the Jefferson Education Accelerator, Digital Promise, and the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. The working group in which he participated, one of 10, focused on preparing future teachers and educational leaders to make effective decisions related to evaluation of educational technology products and selection of appropriate technology tools. The explosion in technological innovation is bringing about disruptive change. An overwhelming number of products are reaching the market. These products outpace the ability of educational researchers to evaluate them. An inadequate amount of trusted information is available about which products are effective. In some ways, the current system has outpaced the ability of teacher education institutions to prepare teachers for a different future. The working group is soliciting perspectives from deans of education regarding thoughts about how their institutions might best adapt to build capacity for preparing teachers and school leaders for this future. These perspectives will inform recommendations that will be presented at a National Symposium on the Efficacy of Technology in the coming year. This work is a first step in identifying the ways to enable and facilitate effective use of technologies to improve learning and instruction in American schools. The goal is to establish what is being done in the preparation of teachers and educational leaders and what deans, department chairs and other leaders in the area of preservice training of teachers and school administrators believe might be done differently to improve those programs.


In the future, solar energy will be a very important energy source. Several studies suppose that more than 45% of the energy in the world will be generated by photovoltaic array. Therefore it is necessary to concentrate our forces to reduce the application costs and to increment their performance. In order to reach the last aspect, it is important to note that the output characteristic of a photovoltaic array is nonlinear and changes with solar irradiation and cell's temperature. Therefore a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technique is needed to maximize the produced energy. This paper presents a comparative study of seven widely-adopted MPPT algorithms; their performance is evaluated using, for all the techniques, a common device with minimum hardware variations. In particular, this study compares the behaviors of each technique in presence of solar irradiation variations.


Chronic hyperglycemia is a risk factor for liver dysfunction. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), glucose intolerance first recognized in pregnancy, may identify a population of individuals at an increased risk for liver complications. However, large prospective studies examining liver function following a GDM pregnancy are lacking. The Diabetes & Women's Health (DWH) Study (2012-2014) followed women with and without GDM in the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC). DNBC was a population-based cohort study of pregnant Danish women (1996-2002). At 9-16 years postpartum, the DWH Study conducted a clinical exam and collected bio-specimens on 607 of 1,274 women with GDM and 619 of a random sample of 1,457 women without GDM during the index DNBC pregnancy. Markers of liver function measured at follow-up included: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Liver function scoring indices were used to assess liver capacity including: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease liver fat score (NAFLD-LFS), fatty liver index (FLI), hepatic steatosis index (HSI), and liver fat percentage. The mean (standard deviation) age (years) at follow-up for women without and with prior GDM was 43.4 (4.5) and 43.8 (4.6), respectively. Women with prior GDM had an increased risk at follow-up of elevated NAFLD-LFS (Adjusted Relative risk [RR], 2.34; 95% CI, 1.68-3.27), FLI (RR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.27-1.99), and HSI (RR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.21-1.71) adjusted for pre-pregnancy BMI and other relevant risk factors compared to women without prior GDM. Women with prior GDM also had a significantly higher fatty liver percentage (Adjusted difference (%), 1.93; 95% CI, 1.10-2.77). Women with GDM during pregnancy were at an increased risk for subsequent abnormal liver function 9-16 years postpartum. GDM may serve as another risk indicator for the early identification and prevention of liver dysfunction. Disclosure S. Donnelly: None. S. Hinkle: None. S. Rawal: None. L. Grunnet: None. J.E. Chavarro: None. A.A. Vaag: Employee; Self; AstraZeneca. J. Wu: None. P. Damm: Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. Other Relationship; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. M. Li: None. A.A. Bjerregaard: None. A. Thuesen: None. R.E. Gore-Langton: None. E.C. Francis: None. F. Hu: None. M.Y. Tsai: None. S.F. Olsen: None. C. Zhang: None.


Borges taught English literature in 1957 in Buenos Aires, and his course allows us to better understand his relationship to literature - that of a hedonistic reader with a phenomenal memory - as well as reconsider the manner in which Borges was understood in the 1960s, a slice of (critical) literary history.


Amartya Sen's famous study of famines found that people died not because of a lack of food availability in a country but because some people lacked entitlements to that food. Is a similar situation now the case for middle-income countries, meaning that national resources are available but are not used to end poverty? This chapter argues that (i) MICs account for a large proportion of global poverty; (ii) most MICs have the financial capacity to end poverty at least at lower poverty lines. Our findings provide a rationale for a stronger consideration of some national redistribution for purely instrumental reasons: to reduce or end global poverty sooner than waiting for growth. Our findings also support the extension of Sen's theory of famines to global poverty meaning global poverty is increasingly a matter of national inequality.


This research report concerns a pilot study carried out in Canada and Belgium concerning the beliefs and attitudes of healthcare professionals--doctors and nurses--regarding parents' participation in ambulatory care for their children. The professionals surveyed see many advantages in such participation, including less stress for parents and children, but they also see some obstacles, most of them related to the parents themselves and the hospital environment.


Signithia Fordham presents an analysis of the tensions high-achieving Black students feel when they strive for academic success. Students are pulled by their dual relationships to the indigenous Black fictive-kinship system and the individualistic, competitive ideology of American schools. By analyzing ethnographic data on six high-achieving Black high school students, the author finds that the characteristics required for success in society contradict an identification and solidarity with Black culture. Students who feel the conflict between "making it" and group identification develop the particular strategy of racelessness.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

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Renal cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 2–3% of all malignancies. Contrary to localized disease, which often can be cured by surgery, there is no effective treatment for metastatic renal cell cancer. Due to the lack of clinically relevant antiproliferative drugs, we investigated several combinatory regimens of recently developed drugs. Using UMRC3 cells as a model for metastatic renal cell cancer, we studied the effect of monotherapy compared to that of a combination of Imatinib, 2-Methoxyestradiol (2ME2) and/or 3-(5′-hydroxymethyl-2′-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1) on cell proliferation. Due to the different mechanisms of action of these drugs - Imatinib, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is known to inhibit the bcr-abl fusion protein, stem-cell factor receptor c-Kit, and platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) signaling; 2ME2, an estrogen metabolite, inhibits hypoxia-inducible factor-1, a key angiogenic transcription factor and stabilizes microtubules while YC-1 known as an inhibitor of platelet aggregation blocks HIF-1 - we evaluated whether an additive or even synergistic antiproliferative effect could be achieved. We identified doses for which cell proliferation is inhibited by 25%. Using these doses, we found additive inhibitory effects using a combination of Imatinib and YC-1 as well as 2ME2 and YC-1. Synergistic antiproliferative effects could be demonstrated by combining Imatinibwith 2ME2 and all three drugs. Our data indicate a greater efficacy of renal cell cancer inhibition by using combinatory drug therapies compared to a single drug application. Due to the low dosage of each drug, a lower toxicity profile could be assumed. We are currently examining the mechanism of these additive and synergistic activities in vitro and in vivo.


This paper presents a scenario of a relocation program carried out for the forest dwelling communities of Padampur Village of Chitwan National Park. The study was carried with an aim to identify the effect of such relocation programs on the conservation of the biodiversity – the park objective and on impact on the livelihood of people. In a more specific terms, the paper assesses the dynamics of access to and control over natural resources due to relocation and identifies the perceptions of the people involved in the relocation program itself and explores the extent that relocated people have generated or regained in terms of power for livelihood generation in new place. The findings showed that people's accesses to the natural resources were limited after the relocation program and their roles over control of forest have increased. Relocated people were found with both opportunities and challenges to sustain their livelihood. However, the result also revealed a questionable implication of the relocation program; that is to say the site where the community from inside the park were resettled, happened to be actually the area, which also requires the conservation to achieve the objective of


Histoplasmosis is a globally distributed systemic infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum (H. capsulatum). This fungus can cause a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, and the diagnosis of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis is often a challenge for clinicians. Although microscopy and culture remain the gold standard diagnostic tests for Histoplasma identification, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has emerged as a method of microbial identification suitable for the confirmation of dimorphic fungi. However, to our knowledge, there are no entries for H. capsulatum spectra in most commercial databases. In this review, we describe the case of disseminated histoplasmosis in a patient living with HIV admitted to our university hospital that we failed to identify by the MALDI-TOF method due to the limited reference spectrum of the instrument database. Furthermore, we highlight the utility of molecular approaches, such as conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing, as alternative confirmatory tests to MALDI-TOF technology for identifying H. capsulatum from positive cultures. An overview of current evidence and limitations of MALDI-TOF-based characterization of H. capsulatum is also presented.


Abstract Ramella, L. & P. Perret (ed.) (2012). Notulae ad Floram paraquaiensem, 112. Candollea 67: 187–189. In Spanish, French and English abstracts. Thirty-seventh installment of a series dedicated to the presentation of taxonomic, nomenclatural or floristic novelties in relation with the project "Flora del Paraguay" as well as complements to already published treatments. Organizational information and accounts on the advancement of the Flora are sometimes added by the editors. — Notula 112. Matelea balansae Morillo & Fontella (Asclepiadaceae), a new species for the flora of Paraguay, by Gilberto Morillo & Jorge Fontella Pereira.


Organophoshorous pesticides are widely used in agriculture, because most of them are high effective and low persistent. Yet their increased usage has elicited extensive research into pesticide effects on non-target organisms, such as algae. Algae are of vital importance in the primary production of aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore they have been considered to be indicators of the bioactivity of industrial wastes and they vary in their response to a variety of toxicants. However little is known about the toxicity of the new pesticides to marine green algae. Laboratory toxicity data concerning responses of aquatic organisms to pesticides are important for focusing on sensitive species exposed to aqueous concentrations of these pesticides in field studies and they also allow prediction of expected responses of aquatic species to a range of pesticides concentrations in situ. The effects of seven organophosphorous pesticides on the green unicellular marine alga Tetraselmis suecica were studied through 96h toxicity tests. The pesticides tested were azinphos ethyl, azinphos methyl, dimethoate, fenthion, parathion ethyl, parathion methyl and disulfoton,. Maximum Specific Population Growth Rates (MSGRs) were calculated for each pesticide tested. Also NOEC, LOEC values and MATC at 96h were estimated when compared to the controls.


Objective: to assess the usefulness of adding atropine 0.5 to 1.0 mg by intravenous injection during peak exercise in patients under beta-blocker effect that are subjected to exercise stress echocardiography. Population: exercise stress echocardiography was performed in 73 patients receiving beta-blocking agents with basal heart rate below 60 beats per minute (BPM). Two groups were established at random: group I (18 patients that did not receive atropine during maximal exercise) and group II (50 patients from whom 28 received 0.5 mg atropine IV 30 seconds to one minute before concluding the exercise and 22 patients who received 1.0 mg atropine IV 30 seconds to one minute before its conclusion). Results: From a demographic point of view, there were no differences between the two groups. Mean age was 59 ± 10.8 years (57% male). Most of the patients received metoprolol (87%) and no significant statistical differences in relation with the doses were found in these two groups. At the end of the exercise, the patients had a mean heart rate of 84% from their maximal heart rate (MHR). The values post-exercise were 76% at 30 seconds, 68% at 60 sec., 62% at 90 sec., and 59% of the maximal heart rate at 120 sec. When comparing the percentage of the maximal heart rate achieved in maximal exercise and the one observed during the first 120 sec. after exercise, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: during the performance of stress exercise echocardiography, the administration of intravenous atropine was of no use for incrementing the peak heart rate post-exercise in patients with significant beta- blocker effect (basal heart rate < 60 BPM).


Relativistic perturbation theory has been applied to the calculation of the energies of 2lj2l'j'[J] states in the range of Z = 10-100. The non-diagonal elements for non-degenerate states are discussed. Numerical results were obtained in the intermediate coupline scheme. The intermediate coupling coefficients were used for calculation of autoionization widths. The decay amplitudes for 2lj2l'j'[J] are calculated with Dirac functions. The influence of relativistic effects on the autoionization widths is discussed.


The paper presents the synthesis of the receptance by using the block diagrams. The presented method is also very useful when the machine or a group of machines is mounted on a flexible roof which is hard to describe analytically. Such a case occurred while analyzing vibrations of a group of pumps installed on a floor of an assembly hall. Pumps, apart from excitations generated by the operation, are subjected to kinematic excitations from a vibrating foundation. A synthesis of the pump connection with a flexible base has been presented in this paper.


A novel and efficient SeCl2-mediated chalcogenative cyclization strategy toward 3-selenophen-3-yl-1 H-indoles from readily available and conveniently substituted propargyl indoles is described. It entails an unprecedented selenirenium-induced 1,2-indolyl shift prompted by the electrophilic addition of SeCl2 to the triple bond of the propargyl indole, followed by cyclization through the intermediacy of a 1-seleno-1,3-diene. The reaction takes place at room temperature and shows excellent selectivity, broad substrate scope, and wide functional group tolerance.


It is the aim, in this article, to identify the reasons why certain designs for courthouses in early-nineteenth-century Ireland remained unexecuted, and to do so by analysing surviving drawings and placing them in the political context at this time of Irish local government and of the efforts of Westminster politicians to institute reform. The funding and erection of courthouses were managed by grand juries, an archaic form of local government which gave few rights to smaller taxpayers and was widely perceived as an unaccountable institution associated with the ancien régime. In addition to hosting court sittings, courthouses were used by these grand juries for their private meetings and functions. By exploring the agendas and pretensions of these bodies, and by looking at the fluctuating availability of funding sources that were needed to initiate building work, I will argue through a series of Irish case studies that a renewed focus on elite patronage and its associated politics allows a new insight into courthouse building, which places less emphasis than is often the case on, for example, the role played by the changing legal profession in the architectural development of the courthouse. In nineteenth-century Ireland, courthouses demarcated the visible and tangible presence in the urban landscape of the law and state-sanctioned justice. Laws passed by the Irish parliament and then, after its abolition in 1800, by the Westminster government, were enforced in assize courthouses by travelling judges on established 'circuits', visiting each city or county town twice a year (in the spring and summer). These judges travelled with great splendour through the countryside, and were welcomed by a high sheriff at the county border and escorted with military pageantry, ritual, and procession to their destination.


In this paper, we investigate channel modeling for visible light communications (VLC) using non-sequential ray tracing simulation tools. We create three dimensional realistic simulation environments to depict indoor scenarios specifying the geometry of the environment, the objects inside, the reflection characteristics of the surface materials as well as the characteristics of the transmitter and receivers, i.e., LED sources and photodioes. Through ray tracing simulations, we compute the received optical power and the delay of direct/indirect rays which are then used to obtain the channel impulse response (CIR). Following this methodology, we present CIRs for a number of indoor environments including empty/furnished rectangular rooms with different sizes and wall/object materials (e.g., plaster, gloss paint, wood, aluminum metal, glass) assuming deployment of both single and multiple LED transmitters. We further quantify multipath channel parameters such as delay spread and channel DC gain for each configuration and provide insights into the effects of indoor environment parameters (e.g., size, wall/object materials, etc.), transmitter/receiver specifications (e.g., single vs. multiple transmitters, location, rotation etc.) on the channel.


Abstract The paper reports the finding of a new locality of Ophrys apifera – the first locality of this species in the Sudeten range and the second in Poland. A new population was found in the Kaczawskie Mts. (Western Sudetes). It consists of 23 flowering plants and occurs in an operating limestone quarry. The detailed data on this population and its habitat are included.


Governmental support for coffee production in the 1980's drove farmers in lesser developed countries to increase plantings of this commodity. In the early 1990's, most supports ended, and coffee prices hit historical lows. The International Coffee Organization has proposed quality and diversification programs to combat the crisis. Coffee is still a main economic activity for producers in Veracruz, Mexico. In this thesis, the production systems of coffee producing villages after the support era are investigated with a production frontier in order to determine how their productivity has been affected. Also factors such as quality, cash crops production and access to markets are tested with respect to how they affect efficiency of production. Results show that access to markets and producing cash crops make villages more technically efficient. Economies of diversification exist between coffee and cash crops and, in general, productivity of these villages is decreasing during the period studied.