Lulu is the only indigenous cattle of taurine (Bos taurus) breed that is reared in northern part of central to western Nepal. There have been no recent studies on husbandry practice, health status, productive and reproductive performance of Lulu cattle in Nepal. Therefore, this study was conducted to know the husbandry practice, health, productive and reproductive status of Lulu cattle in Mustang district. Household survey was conducted in Lulu cattle rearing households (n=183) in Mustang; fecal sample of Lulu cow was collected from each household and examined for endoparasitic infection. Body condition score (BCS), hair coat, anemic and milk production status were recorded only from lactating cows (n=242). All of the respondents kept their cows in loose housing system. Among them, 90.2% grazed their cattle, 21.3% provided some cultivated pastures, 3.3% supplemented commercial feed and none of the farmers fed mineral supplementation to their cattle. All the milk produced was used only for home consumption. Only 22% of respondents dewormed their cattle regularly and 29% never dewormed; only 12% vaccinated against foot and mouth disease (FMD) every year and 25% never vaccinated. Cattle of 79.8% households had endoparasitic infection. Among 242 lactating cows, 13.2% cows had poor BCS (<2.75), 95.5% had rough hair coat and 20.4% had anemic (pale) eye mucous membrane. Total 8.3% cows had the history of abortion. Mean (±SD) peak milk yield and lactation length were 2.01±0.30 liter/day and 9.84±0.86 months, respectively. Most of the cows calved in summer (72%) followed by autumn (12%), spring (11%) and winter (5%). Mean (±SD) age of first calving, calving to conception interval, inter-calving interval, dry period and the number of services per conception were 36.0±0.48 months, 3.99±0.68 months, 12.97±1.34 months, 2.71±0.45 months, and 1.47±0.77, respectively. In conclusion, Lulu cattle has the potentiality to increase its productive and reproductive performance through improved health and husbandry practices.


In this study we report on the incidence of the HLA antigens of the histocompatibility system in patients with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. We separated from each group an additional subgroup, as follows: (1) a subgroup of patients with psoriasis in whose families the disease occurred (familial psoriasis) and (2) a subgroup of patients who had psoriatic arthritis with affection of the sacroiliac joints and the spine (psoriatic spondylitis). Patients and Methods The investigation comprised 60 patients (45 men and 15 women) with symptoms of psoriatic arthritis and 65 patients (36 men and 29 women) with psoriasis. In the first group, the sacroiliac joints and the spine were affected in 19 patients (psoriatic spondylitis) and in the second group, 19 patients came from families in which at least one other member suffered from psoriasis (familial psoriasis). The control group consisted of 302 unrelated persons who showed neither psoriatic arthritis nor


A case report of a man 58 years old with a history of surgical treatment for an aortic-abdominal aneurysm by an aortobifemoral bifurcated vascular graft is presented. The patient was admitted on Urgencies with digestive hemorrhage and he was submitted to an emergent surgical procedure. Surgical findings were a secondary aortoduodenal fistula and an aortic abdominal aneurysm located between renal arteries and the bifurcated prosthesis. Duodenal fistula was then closed and aortic aneurysm removed, interposing an straight Dacron prosthesis. Fifteen days after procedure, patient was discharged and a suitable duodenal and aortic restauration was demonstrated by duodenal transit and angiography. Two months latter, patient is asymptomatic. Relevant details in regard to diagnosis and treatment of such relatively rare affection are commented.


Currently, many large and complex systems, such as telecommunication systems, power systems, and automated manufacture systems, require their distributed clocks to be synchronized to the master clock. This paper discusses implementation of a distributed embedded time-synchronized system, based on the IEEE 1588 standard. Two important requirements exist in time synchronization. One is that the clocks be synchronized at maximum speed. The other is that the clocks operate at optimum precision and accuracy over the long term. This paper proposes a switching controller, which combines a fuzzy control scheme and a traditional proportional integral (PI) control scheme to meet the aforementioned two requirements. The traditional PI control scheme was used in the steady state, whereas the fuzzy control scheme was adopted in the transient stage. The experimental results showed that in the fuzzy control scheme, transient time, which is the length of time in the transient state, was reduced to 50% of the transient time in the PI control scheme.


Testosterone secreted by the fetal testes masculinizes and defeminizes the nonhuman primate brain during a defined prenatal critical period. We previously demonstrated the presence of high-affinity, specific androgen receptors (AR) in the developing rhesus monkey brain, but did not present data concerning their capacity for activation. To achieve this end, we analyzed the AR content in brains from intact and gonadectomized rhesus monkey fetuses at approximately 125 days of gestation, 2 h after injection of either 500 micrograms dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or vehicle directly into the fetus. After treatment, plasma DHT concentrations increased five-fold in the fetal circulation. In gonad-intact fetuses, cytosolic AR decreased in preoptic area, medial basal hypothalamus, and septum following DHT treatment. No significant effect of DHT treatment on nuclear AR was seen. In contrast, the increased level of DHT in the maternal circulation decreased cytosolic AR and increased nuclear AR of the maternal myometrium. In gonadectomized fetuses, DHT treatment decreased cytosolic AR as it did in the intact group. In contrast, a significant increase in nuclear AR was seen in preoptic area, medial basal hypothalamus, and tegmentum of these fetuses. Thus AR in fetal rhesus brain can be activated by DHT when the gonads are removed, but not in the intact fetuses. These data suggest that AR in the developing nervous system of rhesus macaques can be activated by exogenous androgen and hence are probably functional.


The paper investigates the relevance of foreign direct investment (FDI) as a factor inhibiting economic growth in Nigeria. This paper inspects the sectorial influence of FDI in manufacturing, mining, oil and the telecommunications sectors on economic growth in Nigeria based on theoretical framework founded on the standard growth accounting theory, detailed analysis of the sectorial FDI over the period 1981 and 2017 was carried out. Various econometric methods are employed, such as the ADF test, Dickey and Fuller test (1979), PP test (Phillips and Perron, 1988) are used for the unit root test, and the Shahbaz and Rahman (2010) method is used for the long-run relationship between the foreign direct investment and economic growth. The paper also adapted the framework provided by M.B. Obwona (2004). The paper formalizes a mechanism of recommendations to allow for the influence of foreign direct investment in the transmission of socio-economic growth generated in Nigeria. In conclusion, government should provide an enabling environment that will encourage foreign investors to invest in Nigeria economy by addressing the security challenges in the country, understanding that investment friendly environment will improved regulatory framework as well as encourage domestic investment.


Columnar phases formed by the stacking of disclike molecules with an intimate π-π overlap forms a 1D pathway for the anisotropic charge migration along the columns. Columnar phases have great potential in organic electronic devices to be utilized as active semiconducting layers in comparison to organic single crystals or amorphous polymers in terms of processability, ease of handling, and high charge carrier mobility. Intelligent molecular engineering of perylene and its derivatives provided access to tune the physical properties and self-assembly behavior. The columnar phase formed by perylene derivatives has great potential in the fabrication of organic electronic devices. There are several positions on the perylene molecule, which can be functionalized to tune its self-assembly, as well as optoelectronic properties. Thus, many liquid-crystalline molecules stabilizing the columnar phase, which are based on perylene tetraesters, perylene diester imides, and perylene bisimides, have been synthesized over the years. Their longitudinal and laterally extended derivatives, bay-substituted derivatives exhibiting a columnar phase, are reported. In addition, several liquid-crystalline oligomers and polymers based on perylene derivatives were also reported. All such modifications provide an option to tune the energy levels of frontier molecular orbitals with respect to the work function of the electrodes in devices and also the processability of such materials. In this feature article, we attempt to provide an overview of the molecular design developed to tune the applicable properties and self-assembly of perylene derivatives as well as recent developments related to their application in the fabrication of organic solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes, and organic field-effect transistors.


A severe, spurious dependence of numerical simulations on the mesh size and orientation can be observed in elasto-plastic models with a non-associated flow rule. Such mesh dependency effects are quite well-known and vastly investigated in problems with the presence of strain softening in the constitutive relation. However, other material instabilities, like non-associated plastic flow, can also cause mesh sensitivity. Indeed, loss of well-posedness of the problem in quasi-static analyses is the fundamental cause of the observed mesh dependence. It has been known since long that non-associated plastic flow can cause loss of stability, but the consequence for mesh sensitivity, and subsequently, for the difficulty of the equilibrium-finding iterative procedure to converge, have remained largely unnoticed. The present thesis deals with exploring the possibility of using non-standard continua, namely the Cosserat continuum models, in non-associated plasticity problems to tackle the pathological mesh dependencies not only on the size of the elements but also on the orientation of them. The motivation in this thesis for using the Cosserat continuum models for this purpose, lies in the additional parameters that are specified in such a model, i.e. the micro-rotations and characteristic length scale. These features make the Cosserat continuum model a suitable choice to simulate and capture the behavior of the granular and geomaterials. The characteristic length scale helps regularise the strain localisation problems and prevent loss of uniqueness of solution.
The mesh size dependency of the results for classical non-associated plasticity models is analysed in depth using an infinitely long shear layer. It is shown that the mesh effect disappears when the standard continuum model is replaced by a Cosserat continuum. Next, the dependence of the shear-band inclination in a biaxial test
on the mesh size as well as on the mesh orientation is investigated. The orientation of the developed shear band is found to be dependent on the orientation of the mesh for classical models. Using a Cosserat continuum model, numerical solutions result for shear-band formation
which are independent of the size and the orientation of the discretisation.


An exponential-type nonlinear mixed-effect model was fitted to estimate and predict bone mineral density (BMD) at three sites -the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and radius -in 89 postmenopausal women. Years since menopause (YSM) and age at menopause (AAM) were used as explanatory variables. The model was assumed as (BMD)ij=α+ai+(β+bi)exp(γ· (YSM)ij) + δ ((AAM)i -sigma) + eij (i: subject; j: time point; α,β,γ and δ are the population means; ai and bi are the random effects among subjects; eij are random error). Because BMD decreases rapidly after menopause and changes slowly thereafter, an exponential model was assumed. The fitted models were as follows: lumbar spine: (BMD)ij=0.792+ai+(0.179+bi)exp(-0.185 x (YSM)ij)-0.00251((AAM)i -50.6), sigma = (0.106)2, sigma =(0.0442)2, sigmaab = 0.0000720, sigma = (0.0185)2 ,femoral neck: (BMD)ij =0.594+ai+(0.161+bi)exp(-0.108 x (YSM)ij)-0.00605((AAM)i -50.6), sigma=(0.108)2, sigma = (0.108)2, sigmaab=-0.00619, sigma = (0.0165)2 ,radius: (BMD)ij = 0.458 +ai+ 0.152+bi)exp(-0.0885 x (YSM)ij)-0.00248((AAM)i -50.6) , sigma = (0.108)2 , sigma = (0.106)2, sigmaab=-0.00987, sigma =(0.0115)2. The maximum likelihood model was done with a specific algorithm which took account of highly unbalanced data. These formulae were also used to derive a prediction formula for each individual using a Bayesian approach. This prediction formula with individual longitudinal data makes it possible to predict the future BMD and to estimate the risk of osteoporosis more accurately in individual subjects than the prediction model in cross sectional data.


THERE is no doubt that the retinal changes which may occur in diabetic patients are by far the most important ocular complication of the disease. It is now generally recognized that there is a type of retinopathy peculiar to diabetics, which is quite distinct from that occurring as a result of hypertension or arteriosclerosis. Ballantyne and Loewenstein (1943), reviewing a large series of diabetic patients, found that 50 per cent. of those with retinal changes had normal blood pressure and that many showed no arteriosclerotic changes in the retinal vessels. Wagener (1945), who at one time (Wagener and Wilde, 1921) had expressed the view that the retinopathy of diabetes was essentially that of arteriosclerosis, stated that, as a result of 25 years' further clinical experience, he was quite definitely of the opinion that neither arteriosclerosis nor hypertension produced retinopathy of the type characteristic of diabetes.


This paper presents a numerical investigation of the Deflagration to Detonation Transition (DDT) of flame acceleration by a shock wave in combustible gas mixture. A model consisting of the reactive compressible Navier-Stokes equations is used. The effects of viscosity, thermal conduction, species diffusion, and chemical reactions are included. Using this model, the generation of hot spots by repeated shock and flame interaction in front and back of flame and the change of detonation occurrence by various shock intensities (Ms=1.1, 1.2, 1.3) are studied. The simulations show that as the incident shock intensity increases, the Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability becomes stronger and DDT occurrence time is reduced.


This dissertation includes studies that tested an integrated model of human abilities. Two individual studies were done to understand the phenomenon of giftedness through common and domain-specific aspects of intelligence. The first study was a conceptual test investigating gifted students with learning disabilities (GLD) in terms of their profiles of abilities or disabilities. A model of intelligence was created to explain giftedness with and without learning disabilities. The second study was an empirical test of gifted and GLD students' feelings of direction toward learning and academic activities. The results suggest that gifted students are gifted in practical and idealistic content domains, and auditory and visual representation domains, whereas GLD students are gifted in the idealistic content and visual representation domains. Giftedness appears in domains that are determined by domain memory and can appear as disabilities in specific domains when the domain memory is weak. Gifted students are more "all-rounded" because their level of domain memory is high and balanced, whereas GLD students are gifted in idealistic and visual domains but disabled in practical, auditory, and language-related domains because practical and auditory domain memory levels are much lower than idealistic and visual domain memory levels (i.e., GLD between-domain differences). The findings suggest that individual differences in terms of abilities or disabilities may be best understood as both giftedness in domains (i.e., ds) and high general intelligence (g). Discussion and new directions for further study were provided.


This study examined the effects of 17‐beta‐estradiol (E2) on chondrocyte differentiation in vitro. Cells derived from male or female rat costochondral growth zone and resting zone cartilage were used to determine whether the effects of E2 were dependent on the stage of chondrocyte maturation and whether they were sex‐specific. [3H]‐incorporation, cell number, alkaline phosphatase specific activity, and percent collagen production were used as indicators of differentiation. Alakaline phosphatase specific activity in matrix vesicles and plasma membranes isolated from female chondrocyte cultures was measured to determine which membrane fraction was targeted by the hormone. Specificity of the E2 effects was assessed using 17‐alpha‐estradiol. The role of fetal bovine serum and phenol red in the culture medium was also addressed. The results demonstrated that E2 decreases cell number and [3H]‐incorporation in female chondrocytes, indicating that it promotes differentiation of these cells. Alkaline phosphatase specific activity is stimulated in both growth zone and resting zone cells, but the effect is greater in the less mature resting zone chondrocytes. The increase in enzyme activity is targeted to the matrix vesicles in both cell types, but the fold increase is greater in the growth zone cells. In male chondrocytes, there was a decrease in [3H]‐incorporation at high E2 concentrations in resting zone cells at the earliest time point examined (12 hours) and a slight stimulation in alkaline phosphatase activity in growth zone cells at 24 hours. Cells cultured in serum‐free medium exhibited a dose‐dependent inhibition in alkaline phosphatase activity when cultured with E2, even in the presence of phenol red. E2‐stimulation of enzyme activity is seen only in the presence of serum, suggesting that serum factors are also necessary. E2 increased percent collagen production in female cells only; the magnitude of the effect was greatest in the resting zone chondrocyte cultures. The results of this study indicate that the effects of E2 are dependent on time of exposure, presence of serum, and the sex and state of maturation of the chondrocytes. E2‐stimulation of alkaline phosphatase specific activity is targeted to matrix vesicles. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of in-service teachers concerning the effectiveness of technology training from a teacher education preparation program to in-service professional development. The findings of the study revealed that inservice teachers have had varying degrees of technology experiences from their teacher education preparation programs to professional development training ranging from no experience to applicable experiences to help foster transition into classroom teaching and learning. An effective training system in teacher education programs should be implemented to ensure that, with the presence and introduction of new technology in the classroom, the teachers are equipped with newly developed skills. The technology skills that in-service teachers placed the most value on achieving related to the technology tools associated with their discipline of teaching. The skills of the teachers should be aligned with the technology integration expectations for school adopted technology. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the technology aspect of in-service teaching is applicable to different academic subjects such as reading and math for example.


Abstract Most of the task allocation models and algorithms in distributed computing system (DCS) require a priori knowledge of the execution time of task on the processing nodes of the DCS. Since the task assignment is not known in advance, the execution time is difficult to estimate. We propose a cluster-based load partitioning and allocation, in a distributed computing system, that eliminates the need to know the execution time of the task a priori. It considers the allocation by clustering both the task and the nodes of the DCS. The clustering of modules of a task and the clustering of processing nodes is done using a fuzzy function. The fuzzy functions are based on the communication requirement of the modules for module clustering and on the interprocessor distance for processor clustering. The algorithm uses dynamic invocation of clustering and assignment routines. A simple example is illustrated to show the clustering and allocation process. Experimental results are presented to support the allocation.


Recent face recognition algorithm can achieve high accuracy when testing face samples are frontal. However, when face pose changes largely, the performance of existing methods drop drastically. In this paper, we propose an improved algorithm aiming at recognizing faces of different poses when each face class has only one frontal training sample. For each sample, a 3D face is constructed by using 3D Morphable Model (3DMM). The shape and texture parameters of 3DMM are recovering by fitting the model to the 2D face sample which is a non-linear optimization problem. The virtual faces of different views are generated from the 3DMM to assist face recognition. Different from the conventional optimization energy function, proposed energy function takes not only image intensity but also shape constraint into account. In this paper, we locate 88 sparse points from the 2D face sample by automatic face fitting and use their correspondence in the 3D face as shape constraint. We experiment proposed method on the publicly available CMUPIE database which includes faces viewed from 11 different poses and the results show that proposed method is effective and the face recognition results towards pose-variant are promising.


Six natural polar glycosides were isolated and identified from indigofera stachyoides radix, they were identified as β-sitosterol-D-glucoside (1), schizandriside (2), kaempferol-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), 3,4,5trimethoxyphenyl-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), 2-methoxy-4-(2'-hydroxyethyl)–phenol-1-O-β-D-glucopyrano-side (5) and 2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl) ethyl 1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6). Meanwhile, four flavonoids including 7, 4'dihydroxyl-3'-methoxyisoflavone (7), calycosin (8), 7-hydroxyl-4'-methoxyflavanone (9), maackiain (10) and one steroid compound, stigmasterol (11) were also reported herein.


The intercalation of solvent particles and polymer chains of concentration Cw = 0.2 and Cp = 0.2, respectively, in a layer of (4) clay platelets is studied by a Monte Carlo simulation on a cubic lattice. Polymer chains and platelets are modeled by bond fluctuations. Besides the excluded volume, a set of polymer-clay (cs) and solvent-clay (ws) interactions with (i) cs = 1, ws = −2, (ii) cs = −2, ws = 1 and (iii) cs = ws = −2 are considered. The global dynamics of platelets is constrained due to the presence of three components, i.e., solvent, polymer, and platelets, which retain their interstitial spacing with well-defined galleries. Intercalation of solvent particles and polymer chains (low molecular weight) occurs with their attractive interaction with the platelets, which further reinforces the layered clay morphology. The density profiles of the solvent particles are similar to previous studies with platelets in a mobile solvent. The density profile of polymer chains differs considerably from the platelets in a polymer matrix alone, particularly with its attractive interaction (ii). For the same attractive interaction of solvent and polymer chains with the clay platelets (iii), the solvent particles (the smallest constituents) intercalate the fastest in the clay galleries, whereas the intercalation of polymer chains decreases with their molecular weight. The polymer density profiles, both longitudinal (x) and transverse (y), show maxima peaks around outer platelets (surface) of the layer and decay sharply both in the adjacent galleries and in the bulk. The amplitude of oscillation in the transverse density profiles, a measure of the degree of intercalation, decreases with increasing molecular weight of the polymer. The intercalation of the polymer is driven by its attractive interaction at the low molecular weight, but reduces considerably at high molecular weight because of both entanglement and larger radius of gyration. Variations of the gyration radius of the diffusing polymer chains with molecular weight and interaction with the clay are consistent with the results of their corresponding density profiles. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2487–2500, 2009


Aim:
The aim of this study was to assess the determinants of SRH service quality among adolescents.
Methods
This study was a cross-sectional survey of four adolescent health facilities in the Tema Metropolis, Ghana. Structured questionnaire was administered to 420 adolescent clients. Data were analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, version 23.0. Results were presented using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses.
Results
Majority (69.0%) of the respondents were females and students (62.0%), with a mean age of 16 years. It was found that of the five (5) quality of care dimensions, four dimensions were significantly associated with overall perception of quality. These include provider attitudes (β= .234, p< .05); facility characteristics (β= .128, p< .05); appropriateness of services (β= .108, p< .05); and health literacy (β= .208, p< .05). However, equity and non-discrimination had no significant association with overall perception of quality of care.
Conclusion
Adolescents perceived quality of SRH services to be good. Adolescents' perceptions were influenced by positive provider attitudes, availability of age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health services, friendly hospital environment and availability of sexual and reproductive health information. This study sends a strong message to stakeholders who have an interest in adolescent health, well-being and development.


In this article, the authors test two different kinds of bias—the favorite-long shot/favorite-underdog bias and the home team bias—and distinguish between the two, using a distinctive feature of the Australian Football League (AFL): the fact that many games are played on neutral grounds. The authors conduct their tests by subjecting 2001-2004 data for the AFL to detailed scrutiny, using standard econometric weak-form efficiency models of point spread and fixed-odds betting markets. They reject the existence of any significant pure favorite-long shot/favorite-underdog bias in either market and demonstrate the existence of a significant bias in favor of teams with an apparent home ground advantage in games played outside Victoria in the point spread market and in the fixed-odds market during 2002, 2004, and the period as a whole. Games in Melbourne and in Geelong are free of such a bias (except for 2003 in the point spread market in Geelong). Betting simulations that attempt to exploit these inefficiencies yield modest profits.


The article identifies the features and conditions of management decisions at the enterprise. It is noted that today in the economic and managerial activities of Ukrainian enterprises one of the main tasks is to identify problem situations and find optimal ways of solving them. Irrational, suboptimal decisions can lead to loss of business stability, bankruptcy or other, even more threatening consequences. It is noted that one of the components of the control subsystem is the subsystem for developing management decisions to implement changes. It plays an important role in the enterprise. It is determined that the management hierarchy plays a significant role in the functioning of the enterprise, because close interaction and clear transfer of information at all levels of management allows to achieve a positive result and make a profit. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the concept of managerial decision-making should cover all changes in strategy, production, management of all processes in the enterprise. If the process approach has not yet become the norm of corporate culture, the transformation of enterprises is a consequence of the fact that they are re-experiencing the state in which they already were. It is noted that the organizational and managerial potential is crucial in the development and implementation of strategies for development and achievement of enterprise's goals. An algorithm for assessing the level of existing organizational and managerial potential of the enterprise is presented, providing an opportunity to determine the main indicators of organizational, informational and managerial potential by various methods, such as expert evaluation. It is concluded that in assessing the managerial capacity it is necessary to take into account not only quantitative indicators, but also qualitative ones, which are more characteristic of it. The study allowed to summarize the problematic aspects of the management decision-making process at the enterprise. This requires rethinking the decision support system, as well as the decision-making mechanism itself in the process of the business entity functioning. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that the decision-making process should, on one hand, have the characteristics of adaptability, adaptability to changes in the environment, and on the other – to ensure sustainable operation and development of the enterprise.


I. A Philosophy for Teaching the Language Arts 1. Teaching for Communication: An Integrated, Literature-Based Approach to the Language Arts Literature in Action: Walking with Rosie Planning for and Teaching the Language Arts: Developing a Philosophy of Instruction A Balanced, Integrated Language Arts Literature-Based Language Arts The Organization of a Language-Learning Community Creative Planning for Communication in Action A Summary Thought or Two: Teaching for Communication Your Language Arts Portfolio Intermezzo: The Integrated Workshop in a Standards-Oriented Setting II. A Knowledge Base for Teaching the Language Arts 2. Diversity in the Multicultural, Inclusive Classroom: Meeting the Social and Language Needs of All Children A Learning Community in Action: Preserving Habitats: A Thematic Unit Language Arts for All Children Children with Behavior Impairments Children with Diverse Language and Cultural Backgrounds Children Who Speak Variant Forms of English Children Who Bring a Learning Disadvantage or Disorder Academically Talented Children Children with Sensory Impairments Children with Speech Problems Continuous Assessment of Children as Language Users A Summary Thought or Two: Diversity in the Multicultural, Inclusive Classroom Your Language Arts Portfolio 3. Language and Children"s Early Language Development: Social Interaction--The Key Language Learning in Action: Mushrooms Now How Young Children Learn to Communicate and Think How Children Develop Language Facility How Children Learn About Language A Summary Thought or Two: Language and Children"s Early Language Development Your Language Arts Portfolio 4. Literature for Life: Journeying into and with Books A Literature Conversation in Action: Racing Life with Willy Ways to Analyze Children"s Stories--Qualities That Trigger Responses Bringing Children and Books Together A Summary Thought or Two: Literature for Life Your Language Arts Portfolio Intermezzo: A Literary Journey III. From Oracy into Literacy 5. Listening for Meaning: Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn Listening in Action: Getting at the Root of Conflict Listening and Learning Informational, or Literal, Listening Listening to Interpret Listening Critically Listening Aesthetically A Summary Thought or Two: Listening for Meaning Your Language Arts Portfolio 6. Oral Expression: The Classroom as a "Talking-Place" A Talking-Place in Action: Dramatizing "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" Storytelling and Dramatics: Let"s Make a Story Together... Choral Speaking: Let"s Do a Poem Together... Conversations: Let"s Talk Together About... Reports: Let Me Tell You About... Assessing Children"s Growth as Oral Language Users A Summary Thought or Two: Oral Expression Your Language Arts Portfolio 7. Oral Language as a Bridge into Literacy and Higher-Order Thought: The Integrated Language Arts Language Experiencing in Action: Billy Goat Language Experiencing: Looking, Talking, and Writing Interactively Vocabulary Development Through Contextually Relevant Word Study Collaborative Workshops: Clarifying Ideas Through Talking and Writing Collaborative Workshop in Action: The Lorax A Summary Thought or Two: Oral Language Activity as a Bridge into Literacy and Higher-Order Thought Your Language Arts Portfolio Intermezzo: CPR in the Classroom: An Oral Communication Unit IV. Literacy for the Twenty-First Century 8. Reading with Meaning: Becoming Literate Reading/Writing in Action: From Communication Circle into Reading-Writing Workshop Decoding/Encoding in a Balanced Literature-Based Language Arts Comprehension: Interacting and Constructing Meaning with Text Study Strategies and Content-Area Reading and Writing Sustained Silent Reading and Library Visits A Summary Thought or Two: Reading with Meaning Your Language Arts Portfolio 9. Writing as Idea Making: Creating Within a Variety of Genres Workshop in Action: Journals, Idea Clusters, and Other Ways to Make Ideas During Workshop Idea Making in Action Idea Making and Emergent Writing Expanding Writing Horizons Making Ideas by Writing and Reading Prose Making Ideas by Writing and Reading Poetry A Summary Thought or Two: Writing as Idea Making Your Language Arts Portfolio 10. Writing Processes in a Workshop Environment: The Child Writer as Author Interactive Writing in Action: The Desert Organizing for Process Writing Reading and Listening Like a Writer Rehearsing for Story and Informational Writing Drafting Revising and Editing Sharing and Publishing: The Child Writer as Author Observing, Profiling, and Assessing Children as Authors A Summary Thought or Two: Writing Processes in a Workshop Environment Your Language Arts Portfolio 11. Writing, Language Conventions, and Grammar: Managing Word and Sentence Patterns in Writing Languaging in Action: Revising Sentences--A Mini-Lesson Writing, Language Conventions, and Grammar Controlling the Sentence Managing Other Conventions of Written Language Grammar: Describing the Language A Summary Thought or Two: Language Conventions and Grammar Your Language Arts Portfolio 12. Spelling, Dictionary Use, and Handwriting: Tools of the Editor"s Craft Spelling in Action: Spelling Patterns and Writing What We Know About Spelling Development Introducing Children to the Logic of English Spelling Making Spelling Speculation a Meaningful Part of Writing Using the Dictionary Teaching Manuscript Letter Forms to Active Young Writers Handwriting in Action: Introducing Manuscript Letter Forms to Young Children Moving from Manuscript Letter Forms into Cursive Forms Handwriting in Action: Introducing Cursive Letter Forms A Summary Thought or Two: Spelling, Dictionary Use, and Handwriting Your Language Arts Portfolio Coda: Accepting the Invitation Teacher Inquiry Reflecting Back Closing Measures Your Language Arts Portfolio Access Pages: The Teacher"s Planning Resource Handbook Caldecott and Newbery Award-Winning Books Dorothy Hennings"s Favorite Books for Organizing Literature-Based Units Bibliography of Multicultural Books A Planning Guide for Literature-Based Activities Plans for Literature-Based Units Plans for Extended Lessons Plans for Mini-Lessons Evaluating Computer-Based Literature and Instructional Software Children"s References. References. Index


Systemic pretreatment of rats with diphenylhydantoin (DPH) or its addition into an in vitro assay increases 5α-reduction of testosterone by the oral mucosa. Enzyme kinetic studies showed that DPH binds to the enzyme and probably activates it by an allosteric mechanism.


Nursing research in China is at an early stage of development and little is known about the practices of Chinese nurse researchers. This interview study carried out at a university in central China explores the informed consent practices of Chinese nurse researchers and the cultural considerations of using a western technique. Nine semistructured interviews were conducted in English with assistance and simultaneous translation from a Chinese nurse with research experience. The interviews were analyzed by one western and two Chinese researchers and major themes were identified. All participants endorsed informed consent as ethically required. Differences were noted between some of the informed consent practices typically recommended in the USA and those identified in this study, such as: recruitment using local and government officials, recruiting directly from medical records without special permission, family consultation in consent and consent control, and not revealing randomization to intervention groups receiving different treatments.


In this paper we first give short overviews of the modelling languages timed Chi and mCRL. Then we present a general translation scheme to translate timed Chi specifications to mCRL specifications. As timed Chi targets performance analysis and mCRL targets functional analysis of systems, this translation scheme provides a way to perform both kinds of analysis on a given timed Chi system model. Finally, we give an example of a timed Chi system and show how the translation works on a concrete case study.


The Z-Backlighter Laser Facility at Sandia National Laboratories was developed to enable high energy density physics experiments in conjunction with the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratories, with an emphasis on backlighting. Since the first laser system there became operational in 2001, the facility has continually evolved to add new capability and new missions. The facility currently has several high energy laser systems including the nanosecond/multi-kilojoule Z-Beamlet Laser (ZBL), the sub-picosecond/kilojoule- class Z-Petawatt (ZPW) Laser, and the smaller nanosecond/100 J-class Chaco laser. In addition to these, the backlighting mission requires a regular stream of coated consumable optics such as debris shields and vacuum windows, which led to the development of the Sandia Optics Support Facility to support the unique high damage threshold optical coating needs described.


Endothelin was tested on isolated ductus arteriosus preparations from mature fetal lambs. At low PO2 (18-24 Torr; 1 Torr = 133.3 Pa), the compound constricted the vessel dose-dependently over the range from about 10(-10) to 10(-7) M. The contraction was sustained and did not subside even after an extended period of washing. Endothelin was also effective on tissues (PO2,217-231 Torr; indomethacin, 2.8 X 10(-6) M) that had been completely relaxed with CO (CO/O2 ratio, 0.28). CO treatment interferes with a cytochrome P-450 mechanism, which is considered crucial for the contractile response of the vessel to oxygen. These findings are consistent with a role of endothelin in the closure of the ductus arteriosus at birth.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate: 1) acanthocytosis and presence of acanthocytes in peritoneal fluid as a diagnostic marker for hemangiosarcoma (HSA) in dogs with non-traumatic hemoabdomen; and 2) the association between other erythrocyte, biochemical, and hematologic abnormalities as a mean of differentiating HSA from other disease.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective double-blinded cohort study.

ANIMALS
Dogs (n = 40) with non-traumatic hemoabdomen.

METHODS
Dogs diagnosed with hemoabdomen (January 2012 to May 2013) had cytologic evaluation of abdominal effusion and peripheral blood smears. Peripheral blood CBC, PT, and aPTT, as well as blood and effusion acanthocytes, keratocytes, schistocytes, lactate, glucose, PCV, and TP results were compared using the paired t-test or Fisher's exact test. Based on histologic confirmation of HSA, dogs were divided into 2 groups (HSA, non-HSA) and variables compared.

RESULTS
There was no significant difference in erythrocyte morphology in abdominal effusion or peripheral blood between dogs with HSA or non-HSA related hemoabdomen. Platelet concentration and peripheral blood PCV were significantly lower in the HSA group.

CONCLUSIONS
A reliable preoperative biochemical or cytologic test to differentiate between HSA and non-HSA related hemoabdomen was not identified.


This book provides a study of first time US Yuppie mothers. These women have all followed careers first and have had their children later, in their thirties. The study reveals the images the mothers have of themselves and the ways they feel about motherhood. "Mothers Images of Themselves" provides original and controversial results, which show that the current theories called upon by psychology and feminism are decidedly lacking.


The rapidly-developing intersection of machine learning (ML) with high-energy physics (HEP) presents both opportunities and challenges to our community. Far beyond applications of standard ML tools to HEP problems, genuinely new and potentially revolutionary approaches are being developed by a generation of talent literate in both fields. There is an urgent need to support the needs of the interdisciplinary community driving these developments, including funding dedicated research at the intersection of the two fields, investing in high-performance computing at universities and tailoring allocation policies to support this work, developing of community tools and standards, and providing education and career paths for young researchers attracted by the intellectual vitality of machine learning for high energy physics.


The boiling and triple points of oxygen have been realized with absolute uncertainties (at the 67% confidence level) estimated at 0.1 mK in both cases. The work completes the implementation at NPL of the International Practical Temperature Scale of 1968. Sources of error are examined in detail, with particular attention paid to the effects of impurities. Although these have been studied experimentally, the results are believed to have been perturbed by persistent sample inhomogeneities.


Soil toxicity tests for metal oxide nanoparticles often include micrometer-sized oxide and metal salt treatments to distinguish between toxicity from nanometer-sized particles, non-nanometer-sized particles, and dissolved ions. Test result will be confounded if each chemical form has different effects on soil solution chemistry. We report on changes in soil solution chemistry over 56 days-the duration of some standard soil toxicity tests-in three soils amended with 500 mg/kg Cu as nanometer-sized CuO (nano), micrometer-sized CuO (micrometer), or Cu(NO3)2 (salt). In the CuO-amended soils, the log Cu2+ activity was initially low (minimum -9.48) and increased with time (maximum -5.20), whereas in the salt-amended soils it was initially high (maximum -4.80) and decreased with time (minimum -6.10). The Cu2+ activity in the nano-amended soils was higher than in the micrometer-amended soils for at least the first 11 days, and lower than in the salt-amended soils for at least 28 d. The pH, and dissolved Ca and Mg concentrations in the CuO-amended soils were similar, but the salt-amended soils had lower pH for at least 14 d, and higher Ca and Mg concentrations throughout the test. Soil pretreatments such as leaching and aging prior to toxicity tests are suggested.


Abstract. The higher education scenario is constantly evolving and COVID-19 restrictions traced a demarcation line with previous behaviours and practices. Even though the European Commission spends many efforts to monitor the progresses, indicate the challenges as well as to give the perspectives, innovating the way in which we teach, especially about heritage & design, is rarely a priority.The article presents an interdisciplinary learning activity carried out within the RAILtoLAND (RtL) project, a co-funded Erasmus+ project under the Key Action 2 "Cooperation for innovation". RtL is a collective ideation platform to develop innovative tools to communicate the European Cultural Landscapes by train and it has the goal to explore the social and educational value of the railway landscape as a common heritage and as a catalyst for European identity.The workshop was carried out in the Sub-Apennine area dealing with two complementary and fundamental topics "Digital Heritage & Design Thinking", experiencing virtual events and innovative practices for the knowledge, narrative and design of heritage and landscape. The workshop stemmed from an interdisciplinary approach: experts in digital cultural heritage, survey and representation techniques, geomatics, and urban and landscape designers brought together their expertise and performed a ground-breaking study activity. The learning activities involved areas in the Marche Region (Italy) through on field activities, and the Porto-Vigo railway line (Portugal-Spain) through the experience of a virtual trip.


As one of the largest subway networks, the Beijing Subway Network has developed with an unprecedented velocity during the last seven years. This paper analyzes the evolution of the Beijing Subway Network during this high-speed period and proposes a new growth model, composed by an expanding mode and an intensifying mode. The two modes appear alternatively so that the network can become larger and denser. However, the expanding mode is more influential from a long-term perspective while the effects of an intensifying mode are more observable in the short-term. Moreover, in order to better understand the characteristics of subway networks, this paper uses a weighted network of lines to define and evaluate networks. Besides the weighted clustering coefficient, the number of possible paths shows better performance in measuring the development of these networks and reveals clearly the evolution of the Beijing Subway Transfer Network.


Abstract. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are important components of soil microbial communities, and EMF biomass can potentially increase carbon (C)
stocks by accumulating in the soils as necromass and producing recalcitrant structures. EMF growth depends on the C allocated belowground by
the host trees, and the nutrient limitation on tree growth is expected to influence this allocation. Therefore, studying EMF production and
understanding the factors that regulates it in natural soils are important to understand C cycling in forests. Fungal mycelium collected from ingrowth mesh bags is commonly used to estimate EMF biomass, but these measurements might not reflect the total
EMF production since turnover rates of the hyphae are not considered. Here we estimated EMF production and turnover in response to
P fertilization (applied as superphosphate) in a Norway spruce forest where nitrogen (N) deposition has resulted in
phosphorus (P) limitation of plant production by using a combination of mesh bags with different incubation periods and with Bayesian
inferences. To test how localized patches of N and P influence EMF production and turnover we amended some bags with a nitrogen source
(methylene urea) or P source (apatite). Additionally, the Bayesian model tested the effect of seasonality (time of mesh-bag harvesting) on
EMF production and turnover. We found that turnover of EMF was not affected by P fertilization or mesh-bag amendment. P fertilization had a negative effect on
EMF production in all the mesh-bag amendments, suggesting a reduced belowground C allocation to the EMF when P limitation is
alleviated. Apatite amendment significantly increased EMF biomass production in comparison with the pure quartz bags in the control plots but not in
the P-fertilized plots. This indicates that P-rich patches enhance EMF production in P-limited forests, but not when P
is not limiting. Urea amendment had a generally positive effect on EMF production, but this was significantly reduced by P fertilization,
suggesting that a decrease in EMF production due to the alleviated P limitation will affect N foraging. Seasonality had a significant
effect on EMF production, and the differences registered between the treatments were higher during the warmer months and disappeared at the end of
the growing season. Many studies highlight the importance of N for regulating belowground C allocation to EMF in northern coniferous forests, but here we
show that the P status of the forest can be equally important for belowground carbon allocation to EMF production in areas with high
N deposition.


A tunable capacitor based on a ferroelectric thin film grown on a dielectric substrate is a promising component for reconfigurable and tunable devices for numerous RF and microwave applications such as phase shifters, tunable filters, and tunable matching networks. The goal of this paper is characterization of the insertion loss in a reflection-type microwave phase shifter based on the ferroelectric tunable capacitor. The reflection-type phase shifter based on ferroelectric planar tunable capacitor was designed, manufactured, and tested. Its simulated and measured insertion loss and phase shift are compared. Two loss mechanisms in the phase shifter were distinguished: the loss in the tunable capacitor and the loss in the associated circuitry (metallization and substrate). The properly organized investigations of the dissipation of energy in metallization and dielectric substrate can result in a sufficient improvement of the quality of the devices. As a final result, one may anticipate that the figure-of-merit of a ferroelectric tunable or switchable phase shifter can reach 200 deg/dB


"We are asked (to put it politely) for whom we are writing..." From his perspective as a composer, Roger Sessions discusses some basic questions raised by the experience of music: what do we mean by "knowing" a piece of music, or "understanding" it? In what ways is the relationship between composer and listener different today from what it was in the past, and what demands can each make on the other? Music, like all nonverbal arts and certainly like mathematics and some branches of science, has its own dialectic, which is not that of words at all." Mr. Sessions warns against the pitfalls of metaphorical terms used to describe music, and explores the nature of musical form and communication. It is the quality and character of the musical gesture that constitutes the essence of the music..." He discusses the performer, why his role is inestimably important, and why the "definitive performance" is a legend we can dispense with. The conception itself is a musical image, and in bringing it to fuller realization, the composer is not pursuing a line of reasoning, but producing an object." Two chapters on composition offer an illuminating view of how a composer's mind works, how a musical idea takes shape and logically develops, what a musical train of thought is like. The willing ear does not imply an undiscriminating ear, but the contrary: only a willing ear is a genuinely discriminating one." Mr. Sessions addresses the question of criteria and how the listener makes judgments about a piece of music. Concerning the new and experimental music now being written, he summarizes his own views in Mahler's comment, "The younger generation is always right."


The purpose of this study was to stabilize EFL students' Foreign Language Anxiety level which affected their speaking performance. The goal was achieved through the implementation of positive feedback, non-offensive manner of correction, and lenience towards making mistakes. The design was a classroom action research. The techniques were implemented to 18 students for six weeks. Speaking tests and the FLCAS were administered before and after the implementation. The results of the speaking test showed that students below the Good level improved at least level higher in speaking. The results of the FLCAS showed that students who previously had high-anxiety shifted to moderate-anxiety and improved their speaking ability.


Auroral radio emissions in planetary magnetospheres typically feature highly polarized, intense radio bursts, usually attributed to electron cyclotron maser (ECM) emission from energetic electrons in the planetary polar region that features a converging magnetic field. Similar bursts have been observed in magnetically active low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, often prompting analogous interpretations. Here we report observations of long-lasting solar radio bursts with high brightness temperature, wide bandwidth, and high circular polarization fraction akin to these auroral/exo-auroral radio emissions, albeit two to three orders of magnitude weaker than those on certain low-mass stars. Spatially, spectrally, and temporally resolved analysis suggests that the source is located above a sunspot where a strong, converging magnetic field is present. The source morphology and frequency dispersion are consistent with ECM emission due to precipitating energetic electrons produced by recurring flares nearby. Our findings offer new insights into the origin of such intense solar radio bursts and may provide an alternative explanation for auroral-like radio emissions on other flare stars with large starspots.


Field-emission electron sources can be used in microwave amplifiers, microthrusters, field-emission lamps, and X-ray tubes. However, both large cathode areas (multiple square millimeters) and large total currents (>; 10 mA) are required in these devices. It has been reported that the average field-emission current density can be very high when the emission area is quite small. However, the current density decreases a lot when the emission area is large. The nonuniform field emission from a large field emitter array and its influences on the total emission current are analyzed in this paper. From the results of the numerical simulations, the relations between the average field-emission current density and the size of the carbon nanotube (CNT) array are found. Due to the standard height deviation of CNTs in an array, some CNTs may be quite high if the array is large. To avoid the current overload from the highest CNT, the total field-emission current has a nonlinear relation with the area of the CNT array. Therefore, the field-emission current is limited even if the emission area is large. According to the results of the theoretical studies, a new way is proposed to enhance the field-emission current. In this method, the field emitter array is divided into a few isolated subregions. After the measurement of the field-emission characteristics of different isolated subregions, the balanced resistances are attached to these regions to improve emission uniformity. Finally, the field-emission current increases from 5 to 13.8 mA after the adoption of isolated subregions and balanced resistances, and the average current density is 1.76 A/cm2.


BACKGROUND: Ambulance inspections make up part of the emergency medical services (EMS) to keep operations running smoothly as well as to maximize and maintain the safety of vehicles used for delivery of both staff and patients. The EMS of Srinagarind Hospital has been using an ambulance inspection report application since January 2020. Nevertheless, there has been no comparative study of the benefits associated with the use of this specification.
AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the advantages of an ambulance inspection report application and paper checklist.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted amid the EMS at a university hospital in Thailand. Data gathering was carried out by employing the Srinagarind Hospital database and ambulance inspection report application throughout January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020.
RESULTS: A total of 2350 ambulance inspections were recorded during the 2-year study period. Recognition times for ambulance inspections incorporating paper checklist and inspection with application were 35.5 ± 9.4 min and 1.02 ± 0.5 min, respectively (P < 0.001). Action times were 25.2 ± 5.1 min and 1.04 ± 0.2 min, respectively. Ambulance inspection compliance rate with the application was 95.3% and 70.1% with a paper checklist.
CONCLUSION: Ambulance inspections carried out with an application can reduce recognition and action time, and increase ambulance inspection compliance rate.


Metabolic syndrome is a worldwide health problem, and obesity is closely related to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer. According to WHO in 2018, the prevalence of obesity in 2016 tripled compared to 1975. D. morbifera reduces bad cholesterol and triglycerides levels in the blood and provides various antioxidant nutrients and germicidal sub-stances, as well as selenium, which helps to remove active oxygen. Moreover, D. morbifera is useful for treating cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Therefore, we study in vivo efficacy of D. morbifera to investigate the prevention effect of obesity and cholesterol. The weight and body fat were effectively reduced by D. morbifera water (DLW) extract administration to high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6 mice compared to those of control mice. The group treated with DLW 500 mg∙kg−1∙d−1 had significantly lower body weights compared to the control group. In addition, High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased in the group treated with DLW 500 mg∙kg−1∙d−1. The effect of DLW on the serum lipid profile could be helpful to prevent obesity. DLW suppresses lipid formation in adipocytes and decreases body fat. In conclusion, DLW can be applied to develop anti-obesity functional foods and other products to reduce body fat.


In a network, a local disturbance can propagate and eventually cause a substantial part of the system to fail in cascade events that are easy to conceptualize but extraordinarily difficult to predict. Here, we develop a statistical framework that can predict cascade size distributions by incorporating two ingredients only: the vulnerability of individual components and the cosusceptibility of groups of components (i.e., their tendency to fail together). Using cascades in power grids as a representative example, we show that correlations between component failures define structured and often surprisingly large groups of cosusceptible components. Aside from their implications for blackout studies, these results provide insights and a new modeling framework for understanding cascades in financial systems, food webs, and complex networks in general.


Introduction: Most forms of human glomerulonephritis (GN) result from immunologic mechanisms that are mediated by the actions of multiple elements of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, thereby resulting in different clinical manifestations. The treatment of immune-mediated kidney disease is based on steroids and immunosuppressive drugs that interfere with the immune processes. These groups of drugs have led to significant benefits, but severe side effects are still frequent. Monoclonal antibodies directed against molecules of inflammation or several cellular components have emerged in clinical practice. Plasmapheresis and new methods to reduce the risks associated with the procedure with standard therapies may be combined. Moreover new therapeutic options have been proposed, as the use of natural anti-inflammatory cytokines or intracellular signaling reducing inflammation. Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic review on the pathogenetic mechanisms of glomerulonephritis and their therapies.
Results: We analized all RCTs and quasi-RCTs evaluating the current knowledge about pathogenetic mechanisms of glomerulonephritis and related therapy were considered.
Conclusion: The pathogenetic mechanisms of glomerulonephritis are complex and strongly influenced by immunogenetic factors. Several clinical trials to identify the best therapeutic options for glomerulonephritis have been conducted, but currently, although significant advancements over the last 10 years have been obtained, important questions are still unanswered. Moreover, we need to consider many and important side effects that have the main therapies for glomerulonephritis. Therefore the development of a web enabled data base to assist nephrologists for the treatment of patients with glomerulonephritis is strongly suggested.


A milky discharge from the nipple and breast hypertrophy are often seen in mature infants, but bloody nipple discharge is very rare in infancy and childhood. In adults, a bloody discharge may be associated with breast carcinoma, but in infants it is a benign, self-limited condition that should be managed conservatively. Surgical procedures should be avoided, because injury to the breast bud may cause permanent damage. We report a 3-month-old girl who presented with a bloody discharge from the left nipple. The discharge diminished gradually in the course of time and ceased completely at the age of 9 months.


Worldwide, the frequency (pitch) of blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) calls has been decreasing since first recorded in the 1960s. This frequency decline occurs over annual and inter-annual timescales and has recently been documented in other baleen whale species, yet it remains unexplained. In the Northeast Pacific, blue whales produce two calls, or units, that, when regularly repeated, are referred to as song: A and B calls. In this population, frequency decline has thus far only been examined in B calls. In this work, passive acoustic data collected in the Southern California Bight from 2006 to 2019 were examined to determine if A calls are also declining in frequency and whether the call pulse rate was similarly impacted. Additionally, frequency measurements were made for B calls to determine whether the rate of frequency decline is the same as was calculated when this phenomenon was first reported in 2009. We found that A calls decreased at a rate of 0.32 Hz yr-1 during this period and that B calls were still decreasing, albeit at a slower rate (0.27 Hz yr-1) than reported previously. The A call pulse rate also declined over the course of the study, at a rate of 0.006 pulses/s yr-1. With this updated information, we consider the various theories that have been proposed to explain frequency decline in blue whales. We conclude that no current theory adequately accounts for all aspects of this phenomenon and consider the role that individual perception of song frequency may play. To understand the cause behind call frequency decline, future studies might want to explore the function of these songs and the mechanism for their synchronization. The ubiquitous nature of the frequency shift phenomenon may indicate a consistent level of vocal plasticity and fine auditory processing abilities across baleen whale species.


A total of eighty bacterial isolates were isolated from pus, sputum, blood , stool and urine of different patients admitted to Sidnawy Hospital, Zagazig University, Egypt. These bacterial isolates were distributed as 50 Gram negative bacterial isolates (62.5%) and 30 Gram positive bacterial isolates (37.5%). The antibiotic susceptibility showed that the most effective antibiotic was amikacin followed by nitrofurantoin, norfloxacin, streptomycin and ciprofloxacin with 80%, 76.25%, 71.25 %, 70% and 60% susceptibility respectively. On the other hand, 87.5% of bacterial isolates were resistant to aztreonam while 77.5% and 67.5% were resistant to clindamycin and oxacillin respectively. The four tested isolates ; Escherichia coli 3 , S taphylococcus aureus 20 , P seudomonas ae ruginosa 58 and K l e bs i ella pneumonia e 65 were selected as multi - drug resistant (MDR) isolates against the tested antibiotics. Identification of the four selected isolates was confirmed molecularly by investigat ion of 16S r R NA gene sequences. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the most three effective antibiotics; amikacin, nitrofuran toin and norfloxacin were determined against the four multi - drug resistant (MDR) isolates . Furthermore, a total of 488 methanolic and aque ous crude extracts derived from different parts of 235 medicinal plant species traditionally used in Egyptian folk medicine belonging to 209 g enera and 88 botanical families, were screened for their antibacterial activity against the highly resistant bacterial isolates. Out of 235 tested plants , 30 plant species belonging to 21 botanical families showed highly significant antibacterial activity by in hibiting all tested MDR isolates , and were more effective against Gram - posi tive than G ram - negative isolates . The microorganisms' susceptibility to different extracts did not correlate with the susceptibility or resistance to particular antibiotics. In most cases the organic extracts ( 80% methanol, 80% ethanol, 80% butanol, acetone, petrole um ether or chloroform) showed the same or greater activity than the aqueous extracts . Also , the methanolic extracts showed the strongest and broadest spectrum. The co mbination between the most potent plant extracts ( Rhus c oriaria , Acacia nilotica or Tamar indus indica ) and antibiotics (amikacin, norfloxacin, vancomycin, tetracycline or amoxycillin) showed synergistic effect against the tested bacteria than each of them alone . ( EL - Zawahry , Y. A.; R eda, F. M. and Azazy, W. M. Synergistic Effects of Combination Treatment between Certain Plant Extracts and Some Antibiotics on the Resistance of Pathogenic Bacteria against Some Common Antibiotics . Life Sci J 2013;10( 4 ): 347 7 - 34 89 ) . (ISSN:1097 - 8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com . 463


Poly-α2,8-sialic acid (polySia) is a unique modification of the neural cell adhesion molecule, NCAM, tightly associated with neural development and plasticity. However, the vital role attributed to this carbohydrate polymer has been challenged by the mild phenotype of mice lacking polySia due to NCAM-deficiency. To dissect polySia and NCAM functions, we generated polySia-negative but NCAM-positive mice by simultaneous deletion of the two polysialyltransferase genes, St8sia-II and St8sia-IV. Beyond features shared with NCAM-null animals, a severe phenotype with specific brain wiring defects, progressive hydrocephalus, postnatal growth retardation, and precocious death was observed. These drastic defects were selectively rescued by additional deletion of NCAM, demonstrating that they originate from a gain of NCAM functions because of polySia deficiency. The data presented in this study reveal that the essential role of polySia resides in the control and coordination of NCAM interactions during mouse brain development. Moreover, this first demonstration in vivo that a highly specific glycan structure is more important than the glycoconjugate as a whole provides a novel view on the relevance of protein glycosylation for the complex process of building the vertebrate brain.


This study evaluated the effects of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) on ultraviolet B (UV-B)-induced damage in cultured human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) cells. The cultured HCE-T cells were treated with 0.003125-0.05% FAD before exposure to 80 mJ/cm2 UV-B. Cell viability was measured 24 h after UV-B irradiation using the MTS assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected 30 min after UV-B irradiation using 5-(and-6)-chloromethyl-2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate acetyl ester. Apoptosis was evaluated 4 h after UV-B irradiation in the caspase-3/7 activity assay. UV-B irradiation reduced cell viability and stimulated ROS production and caspase-3/7 activity in HCE-T cells. Pretreatment of UV-B irradiated HCE-T cells with FAD significantly attenuated cell viability reduction and inhibited the stimulation of both ROS production and caspase-3/7 activity due to UV-B exposure compared with those with vehicle (0% FAD). These results clarified that FAD inhibits ROS-mediated apoptosis by UV-B irradiation in HCE-T cells and suggest that FAD may be effective as a radical scavenger in UV-B-induced corneal damage.


Future climate projections for Southern Africa indicate an increase in the severity of droughts. Drought preparedness and management are important in such regions to minimise impacts on people and the environment. The aim of this study was to explore the responses of different institutions and actors to the 2015/2016 drought in the Komati catchment, and, consequently, what these experiences imply for drought management in the future. This was done through in-depth interviews with 30 key actors in the study area, including farmers, engineers, water managers and weather services personnel. Additionally, we examined data on precipitation, streamflows, reservoir levels, publications and communications in media, and minutes of the Komati Joint Operation Forum (KJOF) meetings. The results indicate that, whereas scientific tools for water resources management and drought forecasting exist in the catchment, the information generated using the tools was not sufficiently utilised in water (re) allocation decision making. This can be explained by the indifference of many stakeholders to early warning information, and by the preference of stakeholders to secure farm water supplies to minimize socio-economic losses in the short term. This resulted in late implementation of drought measures, when the drought had already started. Most of the measures implemented (i.e. water rationing and intensified monitoring) only helped partially in the crisis situation and did not tackle the root causes of vulnerability of the water users, especially for farmers. From the 2015/2016 drought we learnt that pro-active drought management could be supported through developing a drought management plan that is endorsed by all actors. More efforts are needed to improve how weather forecast information is packaged, communicated, deliberated and used by institutions (e.g. KJOF) and end-users (e.g. farmers). Moreover, this case study demonstrates that learning from past drought events is useful for improving evidence-based tools, policies and practices for drought management.


This paper provides a systematic stator winding design scheme that can improve the operational efficiency of commercial single-phase capacitor-run induction motors effectively. Without changing the circuit components and structural constraints, the motor's stator windings will be rearranged based on the devised theoretical basis and design objectives. The design scheme supported by the finite-element emulations will be supplied to show the efficiency improvement of a commercial single-phase 2-pole induction motor. In addition, experimental hardware validations will be accomplished from the motor with rewound stators, and evident performance advances from measurements confirm the design.


Thermal instability (TI) can strongly affect the structure and dynamics of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the Milky Way and other disk galaxies. Thermal conduction plays an important role in the TI by stabilizing small scales and limiting the size of the smallest condensates. In the magnetized ISM, however, heat is conducted anisotropically (primarily along magnetic field lines). We investigate the effects of anisotropic thermal conduction on the nonlinear regime of the TI by performing two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations. We present models with magnetic fields of different initial geometries and strengths, and compare them to hydrodynamic models with isotropic conduction. We find that anisotropic conduction does not significantly alter the overall density and temperature statistics in the saturated state of the TI. However, it can strongly affect the shapes and sizes of cold clouds formed by the TI. For example, for uniform initial fields long filaments of cold gas are produced that are reminiscent of some observed H i clouds. For initially tangled fields, such filaments are not produced. We also show that anisotropic conduction suppresses turbulence generated by evaporative flows from the surfaces of cold blobs, which may have implications for mechanisms for driving turbulence in the ISM.


The temperature and frequency dependence of capacitance versus voltage (C–V) curves was investigated for ceramic CaCu3Ti4O12 samples sintered in atmospheres of vacuum, air and oxygen, respectively. A drastic capacitance rise at higher dc voltages and low ac frequencies was observed for all these CaCu3Ti4O12CCTO samples, and it is especially strong for the sample sintered in vacuum, which has not been found previously. The shape as well as the asymmetry of the C–V curves suggest that the dielectric behavior is related to charged trap states. It also indicates that a slow relaxation process, which is strongly correlated with the re-positioning of oxygen vacancies related trap charges, takes place in CCTO. The main trap charge relaxation process is thought to occur between the boundaries perpendicular and parallel to the external electric field, and the anisotropy of the defect dipoles provide the possibilities for trap charge repositioning which maybe the reason of the huge dielectric constant.


Fault-tolerance is undoubtedly a desirable property of any processor array. However, increased design and implementation costs should be expected when fault-tolerance is being introduced into the architecture of a processor array. When the processor array is implemented within a single VLSI chip, these cost increases are directly related to the chip silicon area. Thus, the increase in area should be weighed against the improved performance of the gracefully degrading fault-tolerant processor array. In addition, a larger chip area might reduce the wafer yield to an unaceptable level making the use of fault-tolerant VLSI processor arrays impractical. The objective of this paper is to devise performance measures for the evaluation of the effectiveness and area utilization of various fault-tolerant techniques. Another goal is to analyze the reduction in wafer yield and investigate the possibility of yield enhancement through redundancy.


During coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the term 'infodemic' was used to depict the abundance of information about COVID-19 on social media that may overwhelm users, as well as misinformation about the virus because of the lack of authentication of information posted on social media. Both the World Health Organization and United Nations have warned that infodemics can become a severe threat to health care if misinformation on social media is not addressed in a timely manner. The objective of this study was to develop a conceptual framework that can be used to mitigate misinformation about the COVID-19 infodemic on social media. A structured literature review of purposively sampled scholarly publications from academic databases was conducted. The inclusion criteria chosen were scholarly papers that investigated infodemics on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic in the past 4 years, which were analysed using thematic and content analysis. The conceptual framework used Activity Theory as the theoretical foundation. The framework identifies a set of strategies and activities for both social media platforms and users to mitigate misinformation on social media during a pandemic. This study, therefore, recommends that stakeholders utilise the developed framework on social media to reduce the spread of misinformation. Contribution Based on the literature review, there are negative health outcomes during a social media infodemic because of the spread of misinformation on social media. The study concluded that by implementing a set of strategies and activities identified through the framework, health information can be managed on social media to improve health outcomes.


The utility of the "International Classification of Epilepsies, Epileptic Syndromes, and Related Seizure Disorders," recognized by the International League against Epilepsy in 1989, was investigated in a neuropsychiatric clinic with a patient population numbering 300. Two hundred and three patients (67.7%) had localization-related epilepsies (LRE), including one idiopathic case. Sixty-six patients (22%) had generalized epilepsies, 50 idiopathic, 2 LennoxGastaut syndrome, and 14 symptomatic. Thirty-one patients (10.3%) with generalized tonic-clonic seizures occurring only during sleep had the epilepsies undetermined whether they are focal or generalized. In the symptomatic LRE cases, 56 had frontal lobe epilepsies, 86 had temporal lobe epilepsies, 8 had parietal lobe epilepsies, 7 had occipital lobe epilepsies, and 34 cases (1 1.4%) could not be classified. Furthermore, seven of the cases with frontal lobe epilepsies were difficult to subtype. Eleven of the symptomatic LRE cases had some independent seizures, multiple foci in surface EEGs and were intractable. These cases may be defined as "multifocal epilepsies" as a new group. The Problems on the Application of DSM-111-R and ICD-10 (DCR) Criteria in Learning Disability (Minimal Brain Dysfunction)


The number of older adults is increasing in high-income countries as survival chances continue to improve. We investigate changes in survival at older ages in highincome countries and show that although survival chances have improved, these improvements are concentrated at the top of the survival distribution where there is a small share of the population. Among females who survive to age 85 in the most recently birth cohort (1925), for example, about half die within 8 years while those in the top 25% of the survival distribution live at least 50% longer (12 years or more). Importantly, these results indicate that having some individuals reach exceptionally old age does not imply that the majority of the population is living longer. In addition, estimates of lifespan inequality at older ages suggests that years of life lost because of death have increased in recent times and among recently born cohorts leading to an increase uncertainty in the age at death at older ages. Thus, slow survival improvements at ages 65+ suggest that most of the population is unlikely to reach long life expectancies in the near future, which may lead to lower than expected fraction of adults reaching older ages.


Summary Gnathostomiasis is a prevalent zoonosis in humans in some regions of the world. The genus Gnathostoma is considered an accidental parasite for humans; G. binucleatum is the endemic species in Nayarit, Mexico. This work was designed to determine the proteolytic activity of the excretory-secretory products (ESP) of advanced third-stage larvae (ADVL3) of Gnathostoma binucleatum against human fibronectin and antibodies from human and sheep. Our findings showed protease activity against human fibronectin as well as sheep and human gamma globulins of the ESP at molecular weights of 80 and 56 kDa. The proteases found in the ESP of G. binucleatum are thus candidate molecules for consideration as pathogenic elements, owing to the fact that they destroy proteins of the host tissue, which probably allows them to migrate through those tissues and degrade molecules involved in the humoral immune response.


The present investigation was design for domperidone floating table preparation and in-vitro characterization. The ultimate target was increasing gastric retention by means of floatability of the tablet. Hydrophilic cellulosic polymers, Methocel K15M and Methocel K100M were used in this experiment for achieving release controlling property. Sodium bicarbonate played the key role of floatation by generating gas. Direct compression was the method of choice for preparing the tablets. The tablets were evaluated for physical parameters, buoyancy study, total floating time determination and dissolution study. Acidic dissolution medium (0.1N HCl), mimicking the environment of the stomach, was used in USP II apparatus for 12 hours to find out the pattern of drug release. The release mechanism was analyzed by exploring the zero order, first order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer equations. All the physical parameters were within acceptable range and Methocel K100M showed more floating lag time and sustained release property than Methocel K15M. All the formulations showed more than 12 hours floating time. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) study confirmed the compatibility of the drug with the excipients.
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 22(2): 170-175, 2019


Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the triacylglycerol component of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins. There are 4 cysteine pairs that are completely conserved among LPLs of all species known. We examined the functional importance of each of the cysteine pairs in enzyme catalysis by examining LPLs produced in Cos cells by transfection. Immunoreactive LPL was produced by vectors encoding the wildtype LPL and each of the 4 cysteine-pair mutant LPLs. Enzyme activity was detectable in the wildtype enzyme, but not in 3 of the 4 Cys-->Ser mutant enzymes (C216S/C239S, C264S/C275S, and C278S/C283S). Interestingly, LPL activity was also present in the mutant (C418S/C438S), which affects the C-terminal cysteine pair, with a specific activity approximately 50% higher than that of wildtype. There is evidence that LPL contains two distinct domains consisting of the N-terminal three-quarters of the sequence connected by a flexible region to the C-terminal domain comprising the rest of the molecule. The conservation of catalytic function despite the disruption of the only disulfide bridge in the C-terminal domain of LPL indicates that the two domains can function independently of each other in enzyme catalysis.


Variations in support for affirmative action were assessed in a sample of 181 African American college students in Massachusetts. These students generally endorsed affirmative action, and endorsement varied positively as a function of the belief that one had personally benefited from affirmative action. Aspects of racial identity, indexed by the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, also predicted variations in attitudes toward affirmative action, over and above background factors and personal benefit. Consistent with realistic group conflict theory, the most influential aspects of identity were centrality (i.e., the degree to which group identity is central to personal identity), private regard (i.e., pride in the group), and an oppressed minority ideology (i.e., a viewpoint that emphasizes the similarities between African Americans and other oppressed groups).


Six wilde-type strains of Enterobacteriaceae able to form a
biofilm were used. After biofilm detection with modified
Christensen method, 24-hours old biofilm in trypticase soy
broth medium on 96-well polystyren microtiter plates was
prepared. Eight antibiotics, namely cefotaxim, ceftazidim,
cefoperazon, cefepim, netilmicin, amikacin, tobramycin,
ciprofloxacin, individually and in combinations (netilmicin +
ciprofloxacin, cefoperazon + ciprofloxacin, cefoperazon +
netilmicin, cefepim + tobramycin, cefotaxim + amikacin,
cefotaxim + tobramycin, cefotaxim + netilmicin, ceftazidim +
amikacin, ceftazidim + netilmicin, cefepim + amikacin) were
tested. Minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) and
fractionate inhibitory concentration (FBIC) were determined.
The combinations were classified as synergistic, partially
synergistic, indifferent, or antagonistic.


It was of interest to determine the water holding effect of the gum from the Acacia senegal var. kerensis in extended beef rounds. Beef rounds injected at two injection levels (30% and 35% over green weight) with curing brines containing gum arabic at 1%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 2.5% and 3.0% of the final product were investigated. A non-injected sample and a product injected with soy protein concentrate (SPC) at 3.5% of the final product weight were prepared for comparison. Mean results indicated that the level of gum arabic from Acacia senegal var. kerensis used in curing brines significantly increased the cook yield and reduced the extractable moisture in cooked extended beef rounds. The injection of beef with curing brine also significantly increased the cook yield and the extractable moisture of the extended beef rounds as compared to the non-injected beef samples. Both injection and gum levels had a significant effect on the proximate composition and sensory properties of the resulting beef rounds. Sensory analysis revealed that samples containing gum arabic at 2.5% were juicier and comparable to those containing SPC at 3.5% injection level. Furthermore, these samples had the highest overall preference comparable to samples injected with curing brines containing SPC. This is the first report on the physicochemical properties of extended beef rounds containing gum arabic from Acacia senegal var. kerensis.


The analytic solution of the multiple scattering m-nth moment equation with different wave numbers and different position is given in the small angle scattering approximation for optical wave propagated through such a random medium that the material parameter fluctuates inhomogeneously in the direction of propagation and homogeneously in the direction transverse to the propagation path. The applications of the solution to the problems related with the optical beam propagation is discussed.


The construction of the 1 200 t/d Electron Road Waste Transfer Station by eThekwini Municipality to serve the Durban area is almost 70% complete, Marc Wright of Durban Solid Waste (DSW) tells Chantelle van Schalkwyk.


Abstract: Twenty‐six gastrointestinal tumors were observed in twenty‐three nonhuman primates during routine necropsies at the German Primate Center, Göttingen. The majority (15 cases) were colorectal mucoid adenocarcinomas in cotton‐top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus), which in two animals were associated with gastric adenomas. Three cases of small intestinal mucoid adenocarcinomas occurred in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). One colonic leiomyoma was observed in a dwarf galago (Galagoides demidovii) and another one in a cotton top tamarin. Singular findings were a tubular adeno‐carcinoma of the ileo‐caecal valve in a saddle‐backed tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis) and a lymphosarcoma of jejunum, ileum, and colon in another saddle‐backed tamarin. Multiple tubular adeno‐carcinomas of the colonic diverticles occurred in an aged rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). The findings are discussed in comparison to the situation in man.


Neurophysiologic studies suggest that migraineurs without aura have a dysfunction of cortical information processing in the pain-free interval. In this study, the advanced method of nonlinear multielectrode sleep-EEG analysis is used to investigate changes of cortical activity in the preictal time span. Five patients (four women, one man; age range, 29 to 58 years) experiencing migraine without aura participated in the study. The patients spent two blocks in the sleep laboratory. The first block was taken in a headache-free interictal time interval, and the second block when the onset of a migraine attack was most likely. After a nocturnal migraine attack, the patient was asked to mark the maximum of migraine pain in a surface-head scheme. The comparison of preictal and interictal EEGs enabled the authors to obtain a topographical view of changes in cortical dynamics. In each patient map, an area was found that displayed a pronounced focus indicating the region of maximum change in dimensional complexity. It shows a clearly recognizable correspondence with the scalp topography of the later pain perception. These findings indicate an association between cortical status and pain lateralization in the preictal time span.


Although alternatives abound, some types of research in applied coastal geomorphology require repititive monitoring of beach profile transects with elevations recorded at fixed intervals. Where the primary purpose of survey profiles is to estimate beach volumes and sediment budgets, only a reasonable approximation of the beach surface or a reliable estimate of mean elevation is necessary. In such cases field time may be minimized with no cost in accuracy by using wider spacing of sample intervals than is usually the case. The semivariance function is proposed as a method or choosing optimal profile sample intervals, and its use for that purpose is illustrated. Semivariance functions reveal spatial dependencies in survey data which typically provide estimates of optimal sample intervals and justification or less intensive surveys.


By an invitation of the association "Trisomiy 21"- Zagreb, a group of 17 postgraduate students from the Institute for Special Education, led by the head of the educational Scientific Council Prof. Dr. Vladimir Trajkovski, made a study visit to several institutions in the Republic of Croatia within the period between 06.06.2010 to 09.06.2010. 07.06.2010 On this date a visit to the Faculty of Education- Rehabilitation in Zagreb was attained. During this visit, Prof. Dr. Drazhenka Blazhi gave a brief description of the history and work of the faculty. The faculty has seven sections arranged in three profiles: Speech therapy, Social pedagogy and Educational rehabilitation. The studies are fulfilled in accordance with the Bologna process 3 +2 +3 pattern since 2005. Studies are divided into: 1. Undergraduate studies, 2. Graduate studies, 3. Postgraduate studies, 4. Doctoral studies The Center for rehabilitation is located within the Faculty of Education-Rehabilitation. The work of the Center for Rehabilitation of ERF is steered towards counseling, setting up diagnoses, prevention, therapeutic healing, education and supervision. The centre for rehabilitation works within the following areas of interest: parental concern about children's behavior, development or learning, neurodevelopment risks, impaired vision and hearing, mental disability, autistic spectrum disorder, motor disorders and chronic diseases, behavioral disorders, difficulties with language, speech and voice, difficulties in reading and writing, ADHD disorders, emotional and communication difficulties. The visit of these institutions was followed with reception by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Prof. Dr. Slobodan Uzelac at the building of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. During the second visit, a discussion was made about the problem of inclusion and deinstitutionalization of people with disabilities in Croatia and Macedonia. The Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, Prof. Dr. Goran Ajdinski and Associate Dean for International Cooperation of the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, Prof. Dr. Lena Damovska, visited the informal meeting. A briefly comparative analysis was made concerning the situation of people with special needs in Croatia and Macedonia. 08.06.2010 The following day visits were made in Zadar, in the special primary school "Voshtarnica" and The University of Zadar. A team of 17 special teachers works in the special primary school "Voshtarnica". Four of the teachers are teaching subjects, four are assistants, one works with Chinese therapy and the remaining seven are associates. The 63 students that are visiting this institution are allocated in groups depending of the severity of their disorder. The school educates children with mild, moderate and severe mental retardation, as well as children with autistic spectrum disorder. …


711532. The objective of this paper is to discuss the adaptations to response strategies that must be considered in spill scenarios with persistent Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). By comparing two scenarios, one where VOCs evaporated before presenting prolonged risk to responder safety and one where they did not, this paper will show how Marine Spill Response Corporation had to adjust traditional approaches to Personal Protective Equipment, shift length, and response resources to account for prolonged presence of VOCs. Further, this paper also seeks to describe additional techniques not used in these responses that could further increase responder safety in a persistent VOC condition. Each of these strategies has a set of unique challenges that must be addressed so they can become a viable tool in the response toolbox.


Automatic weapons are continuously performing their function once the trigger is pressed till the trigger is released. The main characteristic of these is high rate of fire. But, the biggest issue for these weapons is the so-called limitation of fire. There are many limitations of fire, limitation due to increase of thermo-mechanical is my interest. In this paper, limitation due to increase of thermo-mechanical stresses has been analytically and experimentally studied. Some results of the analytical model and experimental study had compared. The same analytical model used to calculate the number of rounds fired before the barrel material reaches its allowable stresses. It was founded that, the weapon theoretically can't reach its limitation of fire due to increase of stresses, but, may be in real the barrel's material characteristics will change by the dramatic change of temperature and it wasn't putted into consideration and it may be the next interest.


The Differential Buoyancy method uses Archimedes' principle to non-invasively determine body fat percentage by measuring the subject's weight in breathable high and low densities atmospheres. We currently use both air and helium/oxygen mixtures in our experiments[1]. When the method was tested on rats, an anomaly was observed. As helium/oxygen mixture was admitted to the weighing chamber, while the atmospheric density monotonically decreased, the rat's weight first increased but then after several minutes decreased. Water loss from the rat's body was found to be the main cause of this anomaly. Therefore it was necessary to compensate for this water loss. Consistent with experimental findings the water loss was modeled as a constant rate process, and determined experimentally from weight measurements at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Making these corrections allowed for accurate predictions of the rat's volume and body fat percentage.


SUMMARY
We propose a parametric model, HiCNorm, to remove systematic biases in the raw Hi-C contact maps, resulting in a simple, fast, yet accurate normalization procedure. Compared with the existing Hi-C normalization method developed by Yaffe and Tanay, HiCNorm has fewer parameters, runs >1000 times faster and achieves higher reproducibility.

AVAILABILITY
Freely available on the web at: http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/∼junliu/HiCNorm/.

CONTACT
firstname.lastname@example.com

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Tyrosine kinases of Csk family play important role in the cell growth regulation and normal cell differentiation and also can participate in the process of cancer genesis as oncoproteins. The main function of these tyrosine kinases is the phosphorylation of the Src family tyrosine kinases at their carboxyl terminus, which is the basis of their activity negative regulation. The disturbance of the csk gene expression leads to the increase of the Src tyrosine kinase activity. We have cloned a full-length encoding cDNA of the tyrosine kinase csk gene of human lymphocytes. 1.6-kilobase cDNA encodes the protein, which consists of 12 exons with conserved SH2 and SH3 domains. The homology between this protein and human Csk tyrosine kinase is 99%. A full-length DNA-copy of human lymphocytes RNA can be used for the analysis of csk gene structure in normal and pathologically changed human cells.


Rapid growth in the share of the nation's gross national product devoted to health expenditure has heightened concern over the survival of government entitlement programs and has led to debate of the desirability of current methods of financing health care. In this article, the authors present the data at the heart of the issue, quantifying spending for various types of health care in 1982 and discussing the sources of funds for that spending.


The structural holes have been a key issue in fuzzy social network analysis. For undirected fuzzy social networks where edges are just present or absent undirected fuzzy relation and have no more information attached, many structural holes measures have been presented, such as key fuzzy structural holes, general fuzzy structural holes, strong fuzzy structural holes, and weak fuzzy structural holes. There has been a growing need to design structural holes measures for directed fuzzy social networks, because directed fuzzy social networks where edges are attached by directed fuzzy relation would contain rich information. In this paper, we extend structural holes theory to directed fuzzy social network and propose the algorithm of unidirectional fuzzy structural holes and bidirectional fuzzy structural holes, which unveil more structural information of directed fuzzy social networks. Furthermore, we investigate the validness of the algorithm by illustrating this method to a case called G-Y Research Team and obtain reliable results, which provide strong evidences of the new measure's utility.


156 New must respond to social change even as the individuals who create the institutions. Social questions arising from such social institutions as government, industry, the church, the school, the family, the community, reflect in greater detail the many perplexing problems confronting the readers of any daily newspaper. Mthough far from giving specific answers to the many social problems presented, the author does point out some definite trends for action and takes a broad and optimistic view of over-all social planning to utilize to the fullest the various resources of nature, technology, capital wealth, the people and their institutions. The second section, Book II of the volume, offers suggestions for acquiring more factual data and other pertinent information for each chapter of the book. Pages of statistical data from the 1940 census and other sources enrich the author's discussion and throw into sharp relief some of the points made, such as distribution of population, of natural resources, of farm land, and infant mortality rates. Photographs of the people, largely furnished by the Farm Security Administration, are also interspersed. As indicated, social problems are treated in extensive array in relation to the people of the present time, and social workers should find the author's interpretation stimulating. The volume seems very valuable to students, especially in a preprofessional social work course. JEANNETTE R. GRUENER Worcester Children's Friend Society Worcester, Massachusetts