TRANSFAC is a database on transcription factors, their genomic binding sites and DNA-binding profiles (http://transfac.gbf.de/TRANSFAC/). Its content has been enhanced, in particular by information about training sequences used for the construction of nucleotide matrices as well as by data on plant sites and factors. Moreover, TRANSFAC has been extended by two new modules: PathoDB provides data on pathologically relevant mutations in regulatory regions and transcription factor genes, whereas S/MARt DB compiles features of scaffold/matrix attached regions (S/MARs) and the proteins binding to them. Additionally, the databases TRANSPATH, about signal transduction, and CYTOMER, about organs and cell types, have been extended and are increasingly integrated with the TRANSFAC data sources.


The placental and lactational transfer of ochratoxin A (OA) was investigated in a cross-fostering study in rats. Dams were given 50 microg OA(-1) kg body weight by gastric intubations 5 times a week for 2 weeks before mating, during gestation and then 7 days a week during lactation. Neonates from OA-treated dams were cross-fostered at birth to control dams treated with only vehicle. In the same way, neonates from control dams were cross-fostered to OA-treated dams. Treatment with OA did not result in any effects on birth weight or growth development of the pups during the first 21 days of life. There were no effects on milk quality as measured by milk lipids, protein or lactose concentrations, or on milk production, assessed by the mammary gland content of RNA and DNA. A mean milk:blood ratio of approximately 0.6 was found. The dose of OA from milk to the suckling pup at 14 days of age can be calculated to about 50 microg kg(-1) body weight(-1) day, which is similar to the dose given to the dams. Pups exposed to OA only via milk had blood and kidney levels of OA approximately 3 times higher than their dams, indicating a high absorption and/or a low excretion of OA in the sucklings. At 14 days of age the highest blood and kidney levels of OA were found in offspring exposed both via placenta and milk, with the highest contribution from milk. Offspring exposed only via milk had about 4-5 times higher levels of OA in blood and kidney compared to offspring exposed only via placenta. As milk could be a significant source of OA exposure in newborns, adverse health effects resulting from postnatal exposure should be studied and evaluated in the risk assessment of OA.


Enterprises are increasingly deploying large camera networks for video analytics. Many target applications entail a common problem template: searching for and tracking an object or activity of interest (e.g. a speeding vehicle, a break-in) through a large camera network in live video. Such cross-camera analytics is compute and data intensive, with cost growing with the number of cameras and time. To address this cost challenge, we present ReXCam, a new system for efficient cross-camera video analytics. ReXCam exploits spatial and temporal locality in the dynamics of real camera networks to guide its inference-time search for a query identity. In an offline profiling phase, ReXCam builds a cross-camera correlation model that encodes the locality observed in historical traffic patterns. At inference time, ReXCam applies this model to filter frames that are not spatially and temporally correlated with the query identity's current position. In the cases of occasional missed detections, ReXCam performs a fast-replay search on recently filtered video frames, enabling gracefully recovery. Together, these techniques allow ReXCam to reduce compute workload by 8.3x on an 8-camera dataset, and by 23x - 38x on a simulated 130-camera dataset. ReXCam has been implemented and deployed on a testbed of 5 AWS DeepLens cameras.


The starting point for filters and group delay equalisers design is the appropriate solution of the approximation problem. Through the presented technique is possible to design a transfer function standard even no standard filters with respect to their poles and zeros quality and group delay responses. The technique was also used for transfer function design of group delay equaliser. In this case there were prescribed requirements on group delay response and quality of poles and zeros as well. To solve these large constraint problems, modifying Differential Evolution (DE) is used, as an effective way for penalty function minimisation.


The low background aerosol loadings prevailing over much of the Australian continent necessitate careful attention to the calibration of sun photometers. The validity of such calibrations can only be assessed objectively by intercomparison of independent systems operating side by side. This paper documents two intercomparisons: the first between three dissimilar photometers collocated at Alice Springs using independent calibration methods, and the second between identical photometers sited at Tinga Tingana in the Strzelecki Desert of South Australia. The intercomparison of total optical depth derived from two Cimel CE318 systems at Tinga Tingana shows negligible biases (,0.0004) at all four wavelengths. Instantaneous differences in total optical depth are used to infer 95% uncertainty intervals, which range from 0.003 at 670 nm to 0.005 at 870 nm. The Alice Springs intercomparison shows negligible bias between the Carter‐Scott SPO1A and Cimel CE318 at 500 nm, while a bias of 0.004 between the two at 868 nm is identified as sideband leakage in one of the filters. The 95% uncertainty interval for each instrument is ,0.007 at both 500 and 868 nm. The multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) shows a consistent positive bias of 0.012‐0.014 at the three wavelengths studied, most probably related to issues of alignment and angular response characterization. The 95% uncertainty interval is greater than 0.02, comparable with the typical background midvisible aerosol optical depth at these sites. Hence this instrument is unsuitable for the measurement of background aerosol under Australian conditions without careful characterization. The impact of uncertainties in surface pressure and ozone on aerosol optical depth is shown to be negligible for the case where the surface pressure is measured on site, and the ozone amount is taken from monthly mean data from stations of commensurate latitude to the observing site. Comparison with previous work suggests that calibration of collimated sun photometers at remote inland sea level Australian sites yields accuracy exceeding that obtained from techniques presently in use in the Northern Hemisphere involving calibration at high altitude sites.


A convenience sample of 40 native-born pregnant Korean women receiving prenatal care at a U.S. military facility in a major metropolitan area in Korea completed a questionnaire about attitudes toward pregnancy and prenatal care. Responses revealed a family life characterized by positive maternal and paternal perceptions of the pregnancy and less preference for a male child than we had anticipated. Traditional beliefs in Tae Mong, a conception dream, and Tae Kyo, rituals for safe childbirth, were followed. Food taboos, including protein sources, were reported. Attitudes toward prenatal care services, care providers, and maternal health habits are described.


Derivatives of 1,4-benzodiazepines have found wide application as minor tranquilisers. Moreover, compounds of this class are of interest for the investigation of problems in stereochemistry, tautomerism, and mutual effects of atoms in heterocyclic systems and also for the determination of the relation between pharmacological activity and structure. This review deals with the methods of preparation and the chemical properties of 1,4-benzodiazepines and also their dihydro- and tetrahydroderivatives and the stereochemistry and applications of these substances. The bibliography includes 195 references.


The paper describes our recent progress on key technologies and components for realizing optical packet switching, including an out-of-band optical label switching technique, an optical packet synchronizer and a burst-mode optical receiver.


Rice is among the most important staple crops consumed worldwide. Segmentation of consumer acceptability of rice flavor can be used as a tool to improve consumer satisfaction. Consumer tests were conducted to determine differences in the acceptability of aromatic and non-aromatic rice among different ethnicities. Consumer acceptability of rice was found to vary widely among different ethnicities and nationalities. Research directed towards improving rice flavor should highly be cognizant of differences among nationalities when determining acceptability of rice samples. Combination of sensory descriptive analysis with consumer testing yielded predictive equations that helped to identify key descriptors contributing to acceptability. Breeders can potentially use these specific characteristics to further enhance rice quality.


During the past 23 years, 603 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus have been admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital, Hines, Ill. An analysis of these patients has been undertaken to determine the incidence of this disease in relationship to total admissions and to malignancies of other organs and to note any change in its frequency. As this time interval covers periods of various forms of therapy, a comparison of results has been computed. Prior to 1946, "Hines" was a tumor center for veteran patients from the entire country. This explains the higher percentage of admissions of patients with malignant diseases before this date. In 1946, Deans Committees were established to help supplement professional staffs of Veterans Hospitals. Tumor services were developed throughout the country to handle malignant disease locally. As a result, statistics at "Hines" depict the incidence of malignant disease in the veteran population of the local community


The number of physicians and clinicians using e-prescribing increased by 67% in 2011 and they filled 75% more medication orders electronically, according to a new downloadable report by Surescripts, which operates a nationwide network connecting the computer systems of physicians and pharmacies.


The Maastrichtian shallow marine deposits exposed at the south margin of the Lago Argentino within the Austral-Magallanes Basin are known as the Calafate Formation. In order to interpret the depositional systems and reconstruct the sequence stratigraphic architecture for this unit at its type locality (Cerro Calafate), we acquire new data from seven stratigraphic sections. We recognized six facies associations (FA-1 to FA-6) corresponding to shallow marine deposits, which are organized vertically displaying a transition from shallower to deeper conditions, representing a ~90 m thick transgressive succession. The Calafate Formation deposits are differentiated into a lower wave-dominated coast (FA1, FA2 and FA3) and an upper tide-dominated coast (FA4, FA5 and FA6), each marked by the dominance of wave and tidal sedimentary processes, respectively. The Calafate Formation overlies the fluvial deposits of the Chorrillo Formation by a transgressive surface (TS), which is overlaid by a transgressive marine succession characterized by a retrogradational stacking pattern. The latter is finally covered by offshore transition marine deposits marking a progressive deepening of the depositional system that culminates with the maximum flooding surface (MFS). From here, an aggradational stacking pattern dominates the upper sandstones of the unit representing the highstand systems tract (HST), which is interpreted to be the cause of short-term periods when the accommodation space rate was nearly equaled to the sediment supply rate during the Maastrichtian.


The election projection of the 1980 presidential contest by NBC raised much speculation concerning its possible impact on voting in states where the polls were still open. Research on the subject has started from different assumptions, used different data and methods, and come to different conclusions concerning the real-world effects of such early calls. Using district-level voting and demographic data and focusing on deviations from normal voting patterns, this study finds the early call to have had a small but measurable impact on presidential and congressional turnout, and a somewhat larger impact on depressing the vote for Democratic candidates at both levels. In addition, higher income, white collar, and better educated populations appear to have been affected to a greater extent. While the overall impact was too small to have affected the outcome of the presidential race, at the congressional level as many as fourteen races were won by margins smaller than the estimated impact of the early call in those districts.


The current social dilemma literature lacks theoretical consensus regarding how individuals behave when facing multiple simultaneous social dilemmas. The divided-loyalty hypothesis, from organizational theory, predicts that cooperation will decline as individuals experience multiple social dilemmas with different compared to the same group members. The conditional-cooperation hypothesis, from behavioral economics, predicts that cooperation will increase as individuals experience multiple social dilemmas with different compared to the same group members. We employ a laboratory experiment to create consensus between these literatures and find support for the conditional-cooperation hypothesis. The positive effect of interacting with different group members comes from participants having an opportunity to shift their cooperative behavior from the less cooperative to the more cooperative group.


No, this book is not a universal guide to laboratory medicine, nor is it concerned with pathology as a scientific discipline. It is the manual of practical procedures employed by one British contract research firm which was compiled to satisfy the 'Good Laboratory Practices' regulations of the US Food and Drug Administration, a curious attempt to legislate for accuracy in toxicity testing. The regulations have made it necessary to describe in full how safety studies are done, and this book lists methods used at Inveresk Research International to check the health of animals, to conduct necropsies on common species, to collect and process tissues for histological examination, for experiments in reproductive toxicology, and to obtain samples for biochemical and haematological tests. It also describes the operations of the Quality Assurance Unit, which is required to confirm the veracity of results (but demonstrably not of proof reading). The details of procedures are inadequate for the book to be of general use at the bench, and in any case a laboratory would be better served by writing its own manual as a blend of experience and local practice. The overall value of this work appears limited, except perhaps to demonstrate the contortions of science under political pressure.


The purpose of this paper is to study the roles of the distributor in the supply chain and to explore its positive contributions. We find that the distributor should act as a push and pull boundary (also called decoupling point) of the supply chain. The definition of decoupling point is needed to be enhanced when the concept of the decoupling point is applied to an industry, like the electronics industry, due to the fact that several decoupling points along a supply chain are possible. The distributor, as a decoupling point, needs to resolve the overstock risk pooled from the upstream parties due to the economies of scale in the production process. On the other hand, the distributor needs to provide fast delivery service with small order quantities and to satisfy the high availability requirement from its downstream parties by providing postponement services to her partners in the supply chain.


As veterinary educators, we have a responsibility to ensure that our graduates are prepared for working life. Veterinary practices, like any other businesses, rely on good employees, and the implications of a poor match between newly employed veterinarian and employing practice could be extremely costly in terms of personal well-being and enjoyment of work as well as the time, financial, and goodwill costs of high staff turnover for the practice. Contemporary veterinary curricula encompass a range of teaching to complement the clinical content; including communication, teamwork, problem solving, and business skills, to support good practice and increase the employability of new graduates. Previous studies have examined the qualities required of early career veterinarians as viewed by educators, recent graduates, pet owners, and practitioners; however, nobody has previously constructed a picture of the employment market for new veterinary graduates by exploring the nature of its recruitment advertising. Three months of UK veterinary job advertisements were examined. Content analysis yielded 10 distinct characteristics desired by employers of early career veterinarians. The most common by far was "enthusiasm," followed by an interest in a particular area of practice, being an "all-rounder" (i.e., having a broad range of skills), demonstrating good communication skills, teamwork, client care, and independence, as well as being caring, ambitious, and having high clinical standards. While several of these qualities are expected and are specifically taught in veterinary school, the dominance of "enthusiasm" as a specifically desired trait raises interesting questions about the characteristics of veterinary students who we are supporting, encouraging, or maybe even suppressing, during veterinary training.


ABSTRACT Adipose tissue is the energy buffer in mammals. The cellularity of adipose tissue has a major role in determining the response of adipose tissue to insulin action. A reduction in the ability of adipose tissue to store ingested caloric excess can lead to dyslipidemia and lipotoxicity, impacting insulin action systemically. The dynamic response of adipose tissue to changes in diet is therefore a crucial aspect of metabolism, and has attracted attention in the context of the ongoing worldwide increase in overweight and obesity and resulting metabolic syndrome dysfunctions. We investigated in a mouse model if there is a specific delay between an increase in caloric intake and the recruitment of new adipocytes, and if there are other changes in adipose tissue dynamics concomitant with such a diet change. By developing a dynamic mathematical model, we found that there is a delay of 3 days between the start of a high fat diet and the recruitment of new adipocytes, and that the rate of fat mass increase modulates lipid turnover and adipose cell hypertrophy.


A description of the design and setup of an experimental technique for measurement of the response function in shear sensitive liquid crystals has been reported. Utilizing the selective reflection characteristics of cholesteric liquid crystals, the method is capable of measuring the delay, rise, and relaxation times in response to a given dynamic shear stress as a function of the wavelength of the incident light. Application of a step input shear stress results in a liquid crystal time response that can be described as consisting of an initial delay, a shear induced helix deformation, and a relaxation to the initial state through diffusion processes. The method has been used for quantitative calibration of a shear sensitive liquid crystal by observing the peak in reflected light intensity, at a given wavelength, as a function of the shear stress. The selective reflection wavelength (λs) decreases linearly with an increase in shear stress (σ) and has a slope dλs/dσ≊10 nm/psi. The results suggest that in or...


This study qualitatively examines the literacy experiences of three Southwest Borderland Latinos who left high school before graduating. Addressing a gap in the literature that reveals the limited attention paid to how students who left high school before graduating generate and use community cultural wealth (Burciaga & Erbstein, 2012), this investigation explores the vibrant role and contribution of community cultural wealth in literacy development. Through the frameworks of New Literacy Studies (NLS) and family literacy within the context of the Southwest Borderlands, and employing the tool of counternarratives through a Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) lens, this study provides a platform for validating and affirming the voices, stories, experiences, and knowledges of the research participants. Utilizing portraiture as the methodology illuminates the living literacies that transpired when the participants read their world and the word (Freire, 2006).


March 2004 has again been designated as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. This is the fifth year that March has received this designation and despite the efforts of multiple organizations, our progress in eliminating or significantly reducing colorectal cancer has been slow. As specialists in the field, we know that colorectal cancer is common and can be prevented, and that survival is related to tumor stage at diagnosis. As such, colorectal cancer fulfills the criteria for a disease in which screening is appropriate.1 Unfortunately, screening is not universally performed. Several factors continue to limit our efforts. The more important ones are knowledge, compliance, availability, and economics.

From the standpoint of knowledge, we must continue to educate our patients and colleagues on colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related deaths and one of the few truly preventable cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates we will diagnose 135,400 new cases of colorectal cancer in 2004 and over 57,000 of our patients will die from this disease.2 Prognosis is related to disease stage and screening identifies precursors of cancer (e.g., polyps) as well as cancer in its early stages.3,4,5 A reduced mortality results from removing adenomatous polyps and screening is cost-effective.6,7,8

Screening has been shown to be less expensive than treating colorectal cancer if compliance rates are high and the cost of screening tests is reasonable.6 Colonoscopy is the preferred screening method and Medicare has reimbursed screening colonoscopy since July 1, 2001. Despite these facts, compliance with colorectal screening remains low for patients and providers.6,7,8 Screening recommendations are not always provided to patients and too many physicians and their families have not been screened.

Even if all patients at risk were compliant, availability of colonoscopy remains a concern. It is estimated that there are over 50 million US patients at risk for colorectal cancer. Currently, there are ∼12,000 gastroenterologists, 1,200 colorectal surgeons, and 20,000 general surgeons practicing in the United States. If all these physicians spent 50% of their time doing colonoscopy (150 days a year) and completed 15 colonoscopies a day, they would perform fewer than 5 million colonoscopies a year. Unfortunately, not all of these physicians perform colonoscopy (especially the general surgeons), many don't spend such a high percentage of their time doing colonoscopy, and often they don't do as many procedures per day. These limitations have led to waiting times of several months for screening colonoscopy in many locations. Possible solutions are to train more endoscopists (especially our general surgery residents) and to build enough endoscopy space.

Scheduling also plays a role in efficiency. The most efficient use of physician time is to allow endoscopists to have two rooms available when they scope. Maximum unit efficiency is obtained if the procedure time can be kept to less than half the room turnaround time. CT or MRI colonography is under development, but currently requires more physician time to interrupt the study than most colonoscopists require to perform an exam. Patients still require a bowel preparation, the accuracy is limited, and there is no therapeutic potential. Until radiologists' time and equipment can be economically competitive and other limitations can be resolved, colonography will have a role, but not a major one.9

Multiple efforts continue to push for expanded colorectal screening. Dr. Ernestine Hambrick is a leading advocate with the Stop Colon/Rectal Cancer Foundation (http://www.coloncancerprevention.org/). The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons has organized educational seminars for patients and the news media at our national meetings and supports public relations activities promoting colorectal cancer screening. In addition to supporting such organizations, we must make screening a daily component of our patient care and train an adequate number of endoscopists. We are making progress, but each of us must increase our efforts to expand screening until it becomes universal. This remains our best chance to eliminate this major health concern.


Embryonic development is a crucial time window within an organism's life history. Relatively few studies have focused on understanding the potential effects of endocrine disruptors on embryogenesis in invertebrates. Mysids (Crustacea: Mysidacea) have been used extensively in regulatory toxicity testing and they are the only invertebrate model currently included in the U.S. EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Program. We developed a method for studying mysid embryonic development in multiwell plates until the release of free-swimming juveniles. This method was used to evaluate the potential effects of the insecticide methoprene, a juvenile hormone analog, on mysid embryogenesis. Embryos were exposed to nominal concentrations 0.01, 1, and 100mg methoprene/L. Average percentage survival, hatching success, total development time and duration of each developmental stage were analyzed. Embryos exposed to 1 and 100mg methoprene/L had a significantly lower hatching success and lower survival rates. Our study indicates that in vitro embryogenesis can be used as a valuable tool to study the impact of endocrine disruptors in mysids. r 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Comparative X-ray views are rarely indicated. Skull X-ray should not be performed as a routine for trauma. If there is any clinical indication for imaging the head in the trauma setting, it should be performed with non-contrast CT scanning. The value of sinus radiographs in children is limited for diagnosis, detection of complications and planning treatment. Children with sinus complaints should be treated empirically without imaging except when there are features of a complication. X-rays of orbits, optic canal, mastoids, petrous bones and pituitary fossa are of little use. When an abnormality is shown, it requires further characterisation. CT or MRI is indicated in all cases, and should be requested in the first instance. Neck trauma in children There is still a significant role for plain radiographs in imaging the spinal column, particularly in South Africa. X-rays of the pelvis are not very useful for assessing developmental dysplasia of the hip in children prior to ossification of the femoral heads. Ultrasound of the hips, however, especially in neonates, is an excellent way of obtaining both static and dynamic images. Even though the lateral chest radiograph is not in routine use in the UK, it is still considered valuable for detecting TB lymphadenopathy and is currently used extensively in south Africa. Repeat fluoroscopy to evaluate voiding after removal of the catheter in boys is no longer considered necessary for diagnosing posterior urethral valves and control films have all but been eliminated. Diagnosis of intussusception should be made on ultrasound. Ultrasound should be the diagnostic method of choice for hypertrophic pyloric obstruction. Intravenous urography / pyelography is avoided by paediatric radiologists worldwide as it delivers a high radiation dose. Indications include the need to view calyces or ectopic ureteric insertions (e.g. in duplex kidneys with enuresis). IVU no longer falls within the arsenal for the imaging of UTI. However, ultrasound should be performed in all cases to determine if there is hydronephrosis, calculus or anomaly. Multislice CT is now commonly used in paediatric practice. A combination of CT for anatomical localisation and FDG positron emission tomography (PET) is allowing for accurate determination of tumour response to therapy and sites of metabolic activity for biopsy in oncology. MRI should be the panacea for all imaging requirements in children. it offers excellent contrast resolution (even in the absence of excessive fat planes, as needed for good CT images) without any radiation.


The peoples in the arctic regions have experienced unprecedented cultural change in the last 40 years. The Dene, Metis, Samis, Athapaskans, Inuit and other aboriginal people in these regions have all seen their traditional lifestyles altered dramatically with the increased influx of southern peoples, with their baggage of modern technology, bureaucracy and assorted economic/political social cultural systems. This paper focuses on the Inuit regions of Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland, for the Inuit have experienced more cultural changes since 1945 than in any other concentrated time span before. Although the changes have often resulted in great human tragedies, such as suicide epidemics and alcoholism, many positive changes have also occurred, as shown by major events in the three Inuit regions examined, as well as the establishment of some cultural and educational institutions. The paper draws on interviews with contemporary Inuit leaders. It concludes that the Inuit culture is now in the process of being re-affirmed and will indeed be of increasing worldwide importance as the Arctic emerges as a new international and transnational region. Key words: Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Inuit, cultural change


This study focuses on the concept of Ki Hajar Dewantara's thinking for its relevance to education in Mi at this time. MI. Practically, this research is expected to provide clarity on the concept of education according to Ki Hajar Dewantara, thus providing a bright spot on its relevance to education at MI today, and can contribute to finding solutions to the problems that are being faced by the Indonesian nation. This research is a qualitative research with the type of library research, namely exploring Ki Hajar Dewantara's thoughts on education. The data collection technique that the author uses is to collect books, journals and others related to the subject matter. The data that has been collected was analyzed using descriptive methods, namely research methods that seek to reveal the facts of an event, object, activity, and process. The results of this study indicate that Ki Hajar's educational concept is still relevant today. Judging from his thoughts in accordance with the concepts that are still being implemented, namely education and teaching which is a deliberate effort to liberate the outer and inner aspects of humans.


Every science is based on certain principles. The science of law i.e. the jurisprudence is no exception to it and Islamic Jurisprudence is more so. This world is so made that while doing something difficulties do arise. How to solve those difficulties requires a methodology. There is more than one way to do so. The easiest, the safest, the nearest, the least expensive and least time consuming solution is to be searched out. People are blessed with vision. They see and think and then propose their outlook which they consider the most practicable and fit on all available tests for a standard solution. Thus a theory or view point comes to light. Those who found or propound or make out such principles are called its founders or propounder. Then come forward the supporters or opponents, followers or criticizers. The reason of this support and opposition is that human dispositions and level of understandings differ as such the differences arise and some times those are reconciled and some times the differences remain as such. This reflects upon the existence of freedom of thought and expression which when remains within the proper limits to find the truth and to act upon it sincerely it is a mercy of God on his servants and when the conflicts take the shape of arrogance and falsehood mixes in it the same is undesirable and should be avoided.Points on which there is not dispute among schools of thought. All Muslims are to follow the injunctions of Islam and there is no dispute on this point. The injunctions of Islam are commandments as well as prohibitions of Allah Almighty. There is no dispute on this point as well. The Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علیہ و ا لہ وسلم) are the two primary sources of Islamic Law. There is no dispute over it. The problems are many and multiple, easy and complex, while the verses of the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علیہ و آلہ وسلم) are numbered. There is no dispute on this. People have different levels of knowledge, wisdom, intellect, thinking, approach, and understanding. There is no dispute in this behalf. All persons neither have time nor capability to have access to the whole knowledge and there are persons who devote their time and find solutions of the issues from the sources they can tap and have access to them. There is no dispute over it. During the period of revelation of the Holy Qur'an matters were solved as the revelation came. The Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علیہ و آلہ وسلم) gave answer of any question put to him.


Abstract Ethanol extracts obtained from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits and leaves were active against Escherichia coli with MIC of 78 μg mL−1 for both extracts. Phytochemical analyses revealed a major presence of phenolic acids, tannins, fatty acids and acid triterpenes in the leaves and phenolic acids, fatty acids, acid triterpenes and biflavonoids in the fruits. Major compounds isolated from the plant, such as the acid triterpene schinol, the phenolic acid derivative ethyl gallate and the biflavonoids agathisflavone and tetrahydroamentoflavone, showed very little activity against E. coli. Bioautography of the ethanol extracts on silica gel plate showed inhibition zones for E. coli. They were removed from the plate and the compounds identified as a mixture of myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, heptadecanoic, stearic, nonadecanoic, eicosanoic, heneicosanoic and behenic fatty acids.


Improving detection rates for elusive species with clumped distributions is often accomplished through adaptive sampling designs. This approach can be extended to include species with temporally variable detection probabilities. By concentrating survey effort in years when the focal species are most abundant or visible, overall detection rates can be improved. This requires either long-term monitoring at a few locations where the species are known to occur or models capable of predicting population trends using climatic and demographic data. For marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum) in Massachusetts, we demonstrate that annual variation in detection probability of larvae is regionally correlated. In our data, the difference in survey success between years was far more important than the difference among the three survey methods we employed: diurnal surveys, nocturnal surveys, and dipnet surveys. Based on these data, we simulate future surveys to locate unknown populations under a temporally adaptive sampling framework. In the simulations, when pond dynamics are correlated over the focal region, the temporally adaptive design improved mean survey success by as much as 26% over a non-adaptive sampling design. Employing a temporally adaptive strategy costs very little, is simple, and has the potential to substantially improve the efficient use of scarce conservation funds.


We are in the process of upgrading the VERITAS array of Cherenkov telescopes with new, high efficiency photomultipliers (PMT) that will considerably lower the energy threshold of the instrument and improve the overall sensitivity. The upgrade will be finished in Summer 2012 when the PMTs will be installed in the existing cameras. We discuss the performance of the new photon detectors and the status of the project.


In the last 20 years, discoveries about the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein and its critical role in immune tolerance have provided fundamental insights into understanding the molecular basis of autoimmunity. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the effect of AIRE on immunological tolerance and the characteristics of autoimmune diseases in Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy‐Candidiasis‐Ectodermal Dystrophy (APECED), which is caused by biallelic AIRE mutations. A better understanding of the immunological mechanisms of AIRE deficiency may enlighten immune tolerance mechanisms and new diagnostic and treatment strategies for autoimmune diseases. Considering that not all clinical features of APECED are present in a given follow‐up period, the diagnosis is not easy in a patient at the first visit. Longer follow‐up and a multidisciplinary approach are essential for diagnosis. It is challenging to prevent endocrine and other organ damage compared with other diseases associated with multiple autoimmunities, such as FOXP3, LRBA, and CTLA4 deficiencies. Unfortunately, no curative therapy like haematopoietic stem cell transplantation or specific immunomodulation is present that is successful in the treatment.


Background: Lactose maldigestion is usually diagnosed by means of the H2 breath test. When 13C-lactose is used as substrate, a 13CO2 breath test can be performed simultaneously. In an earlier publication we described the relation between both the H2 and 13CO2 exhalation in breath and the measured intestinal lactase activity after consumption of 13C-lactose. We found a discrepancy between both breath test results in 36% of the cases. To investigate the possible cause of these incongruous breath test results, we studied gas production from carbohydrate in the colon, using 13C-lactulose as a non-absorbable substrate. Methods: Experiments were performed in 21 subjects, by applying 5 different doses of 13C-lactulose. Repeatability studies were performed in six of these subjects, using 10 g substrate (three tests with 1-week intervals). Results: Both the H2 and the 13CO2 excretion in breath varied strongly interindividually and intraindividually after consumption of 13C-lactulose. In both cases no dose-response relation was observed. A significant positive linear relationship was found between H2 and 13CO2 exhalation (r = 0.45, P < 0.005). Extrapolation of these results to 13C-lactose breath tests indicates that the colonic contribution of 13CO2 production to the total 13CO2 excretion in breath varies but is on the average large enough to cause false-negative 13CO2 breath test results. Conclusions: Excretion in breath of 13CO2 produced in the colon during a 13C-lactulose breath test correlates with the breath H2 excretion. This could explain the occurrence of false-negative 13CO2 lactose breath tests when colonic gas production is high and false-negative lactose H2 breath test results when gas production is low. It can also explain the improved sensitivity of the combined H2/13CO2 lactose breath test compared with both breath tests alone.


This study aimed at investigating the ability extent of high secondary school principals in processing education research from their point of view in Jordon. In addition the differences between teachers having such skills due to gender , education level, school administration experience. The involved study sample consisted of (254) males and females principals distributed on three education directorates belonged to the Jordanian Ministry of Education. To answer the research objectives the researcher developed a questionnaire of (73) items SPSS was used to analyze the data. In addition descriptive analysis were used to find the frequencies and percentage for identifying sample's characteristics. Means and standard deviations of subject responses were computes . One way ANOVA and ( T ) test have been used. The study concluded the following result , means indicated that secondary school principals have , to a great extent , the skills for educational research . Results also revealed that there are statistical differences between the study sample averages due to gender in favor of males and there aren't any statistical differences related to scientific qualification , school administration experience . In conclusion the researcher recommends more specialized courses to be held for male and female principals on the basic skills of educational research in order to make use of them in the school administration process.


Electrical energy became essential commodity in the present day lively hood. There is a rapid demand for its generation both by conventional and renewable energy recourses. To address the environmental concerns and for overall economic development of the country, addition of major renewable sources of energy and transition from conventional energy systems to those based on renewable resources became necessary. Among several renewable energy resources, solar is identified as the main source for reliable power generation. In terms of cost of energy photo voltaic solar plants located in high solar radiation zones will have a greater economic and logistical advantage. In India about 58% of total land area (1.89 million km2) receives average Global Horizontal Incidence (GHI) above 5kWh/m2/day and can generate at least 77 W/m2. Andhra Pradesh State is one of the suitable locations in India for installing solar power plants due to the availability of about 300 sunny days in a year with solar insolation of about 5.5 to 6 KWh/m2/day. The proposed paper presents feasibility and energy yield analysis for a 5 MW photo voltaic based solar plant that can be erected at Rentachintala, one of the solar hotspot regions in Andhra Pradesh. This may attract investments and independent power producers for the establishment of solar power plant at that area and to some extent meets the objective of Indian solar power policy.


Swedish horse breeders have generally very few mares producing a few foals a year and the
breeders have relatively few traditions, little knowledge and experience to breed foals
successfully. It is therefore important to provide adequate information about new findings in horse nutrition. However, there is not much research about feeding the suckling foal to ensure a sound growth. Current feeding recommendations in the literature seems to be different. This gives a confusing message and the information is difficult to apply.
This paper reviews some publications in the area of feeding the suckling and weaning foal.
Most authors stress that it's important to start feeding the foal early in life. When the foal is three months old, the mare will start to have difficulties to fully supply nutrients to the foal. It is also natural for the foal to seek more additional feed sources at this age. Depending on the availability of grass, additional feeding may be necessary. The best way to do this is to feed the foal with a balanced concentrate and secure the availability of grass or high quality hay.
The feeding of the concentrate is readily done by the use of creep feeding technology. The
foal can here feed ad libitum without competition from mares. This allows them to feed in
small portions, which is advantageous for the digestion. Foals should eat about 2 kilo
concentrates at the time of weaning in order to avoid a growth depression because of low
nutrient intake.
A survey was also made among horse breeders and how they feed and wean their foals. The
breeders were situated in Southern and Northern Sweden. Most breeders had the same type of
feed management, but only few breeders fully used creep feeding technology at early age of
the foals. Feeding of foals was mainly done a short time before weaning. Conclusively, it
seems that breeders are not very aware of the benefits of when and how to creep feed foals
and thus misses the opportunity to avoid problems like growth depressions at weaning and to have an optimal growth of the foal.


This research reports the first-ever study on abundantly available, environmentally friendly, low-cost and ready-for-use Nutraceutical Industrial Cumin Seed Spent (NICUS) as an innovative adsorbent for bioremediation of a bisazo Acid Red 119 (AR119) dye, a probable mutagen from textile industrial effluents (TIEs). The experiment at the laboratory scale is designed to suit the concepts of sustainability and valorisation under the domain of circular economy. The experimental qe value obtained was 96.00 mg g−1. The optimised conditions of parameters are as follows: pH of 2; adsorption time, 210 min; adsorbent dosage, 0.300 g L−1; particle size, 175 µM; initial dye concentration, 950 mg L−1; orbital shaking, 165 rpm and temperature, 50 °C, producing an impressive value of 748 mg of dye adsorbing on 1 g of dry NICUS. The adsorption capacity of NICUS obtained from the quadratic model developed for process optimisation gave values of 748 mg g−1. As a prelude to commercialisation, five variables that affect the adsorption process were experimentally studied. For the feasibility and efficiency of the process, a two-level fractional factorial experimental design (FFED) was applied to identify variables that influence the adsorption capacity of NICUS. The identified variables were applied to scale experiments by three orders. Nine isotherm models were used to analyse the adsorption equilibrium data. The Vieth–Sladek adsorption isotherm model was found to be the best fit. The pseudo-second-order reaction was the appropriate mechanism for the overall rate of the adsorption process. Mechanistic studies related to mass transfer phenomena were more likely to be dominant over the diffusion process. Techniques such as SEM, FTIR and CHN analysis were used to characterise NICUS. The dye-adsorbed NICUS obtained as "sludge" was used as a reinforcing material for the fabrication of composites using plastic waste. The physicomechanical and chemical properties of thermoplastic and thermoset composite using dye-adsorbed NICUS were evaluated and compared with NICUS composites. Prospects of integrating Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) into the circular economy of Nutraceutical Industrial Spent (NIS) are discussed.


SUMMARY
Scaffold network generator (SNG) is an open-source command-line utility that computes the hierarchical network of scaffolds that define a large set of input molecules. Scaffold networks are useful for visualizing, analysing and understanding the chemical data that is increasingly available through large public repositories like PubChem. For example, some groups have used scaffold networks to identify missed-actives in high-throughput screens of small molecules with bioassays. Substantially improving on existing software, SNG is robust enough to work on millions of molecules at a time with a simple command-line interface.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION
SNG is accessible at http://swami.wustl.edu/sng


Silicon-encapsulated hollow carbon nanofiber networks with ample space around the Si nanoparticles (hollow Si/C composites) were successfully synthesized by dip-coating phenolic resin onto the surface of electrospun Si/PVA nanofibers along with the subsequent solidification and carbonization. More importantly, the structure and Si content of hollow Si/C composite nanofibers can be effectively tuned by merely varying the concentration of dip solution. As-synthesized hollow Si/C composites show excellent electrochemical performance when they are used as binder-free anodes for Li-ion batteries (LIBs). In particular, when the concentration of resol/ethanol solution is 3.0%, the product exhibits a large capacity of 841mAh g-1 in the first cycle, prominent cycling stability, and good rate capability. The discharge capacity retention of it was ∼90%, with 745mAh g-1 after 50 cycles. The results demonstrate that the hollow Si/C composites are very promising as alternative anode candidates for high-performance LIBs.


This paper presents a waveform modeling and generation method for speech bandwidth extension (BWE) using stacked dilated convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with causal or non-causal convolutional layers. Such dilated CNNs describe the predictive distribution for each wideband or high-frequency speech sample conditioned on the input narrowband speech samples. Distinguished from conventional frame-based BWE approaches, the proposed methods can model the speech waveforms directly and therefore avert the spectral conversion and phase estimation problems. Experimental results prove that the BWE methods proposed in this paper can achieve better performance than the state-of-the-art frame-based approach utilizing recurrent neural networks (RNNs) incorporating long shortterm memory (LSTM) cells in subjective preference tests.


A radial hydrodynamic flow in cylindrical freely suspended films of HOAB, OOBA, DOBA, PAA and BOBT around the nematic-isotropic phase transition is observed. The flow is explained by the existence of a nonlinear temperature dependence of the surface tension. The infusion of a warmer isotropic liquid into the nematic layer due to the flow and vice versa generates bubble domains around the N-I interface in HOAB, OOBA and DOBA.


1.  Diet overlap among age and sex classes of sympatric dasyurid carnivores (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) at Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia, was determined to assess the likelihood of current interspecific competition, which could influence and explain the disparate population densities of the three species.

2.  The carnivore guild divided into two groups based on body size and prey size, within which diet overlapped: Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus laniarius) and male spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus), which consumed larger prey species, and female spotted-tailed quolls and eastern quolls (D. viverrinus), which consumed smaller prey species. Male spotted-tailed quolls overlapped in diet with adult devils in winter, but not in summer. However, in summer the small number of male spotted-tailed quolls overlapped in both body weight and diet with a large cohort of young devils. Too few data were obtained to repeat these analyses with female and young spotted-tailed quolls and eastern quolls, but results indicated that a similar pattern of overlap may occur.

3.  Spotted-tailed quolls would experience the highest degree of dietary overlap with another species of carnivore, with all age and sex classes experiencing overlap for much of the year. Adult devils and young eastern quolls would both be free of overlap for more than half the year.

4.  No indications of seasonal food limitation, when competition is most likely to occur, were found during this study, but this may occur over a longer time scale.

5  If the high degree of diet overlap experienced by spotted-tailed quolls means higher competitive pressure, this may explain the low density of this species at Cradle Mountain.

6.  These results, high levels of interference experienced by spotted-tailed quolls, and the behavioural and numerical dominance of devils, the largest species in the guild, support Brown & Maurer's (1986) and Cotgreave's (1993) ideas that competitive dominance may be more important than energetic equivalence in determining relationships between body size and abundance in local assemblages of animals.


Abstract This paper presents selected results of an experimental study using portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) for the non-destructive analysis of rock art pigments in northern Australia. During two weeks of fieldwork in the dry season of 2011 at the Red Lily Lagoon area in western Arnhem Land, 32 rock art motifs in four rockshelter sites were analysed. A total of 640 analyses were undertaken, including of white, red, black, yellow and blue pigments from both early and contact art motifs. This paper discusses the geochemical analysis of one particular motif painted with black pigment. It was determined that processed metal lead was the most likely pigment base. Contrary to previous stylistic analysis that suggested the motif had an old age, our analysis suggests that the motif was painted within the last 200–300 years.


Steganography is the art of hiding the fact that communication is taking place, by hiding informatio n in other information. Many different carrier file form ats can be used, but digital images are the most po pular because of their frequency on the internet. For hiding secr et information in images, there exist a large varie ty of Steganography techniques some are more complex than ot ers and all of them have respective strong and weak points. Different applications may require absolute invisibility of the secret information, while othe rs require a large secret message to be hidden. This paper intends to give an overview of image Steganography, its uses a nd techniques. It also attempts to identify the requir ements of a good Steganography and briefly reflects on which steganographic techniques are more suitable for whi ch applications.


The effect of nitrogen (N) and phosphate (P) concentrations on crude oil biodegradation by two bacterial strains PG01 and PG02, previously isolated from Persian Gulf, was assessed. In order to determine the optimum concentration of N and P sources for oil consumption bye the isolates, bacteria were cultured in mineral salt medium containing crude oil as sole carbon source and with different concentrations of ammonium chloride (N source) and di-sodium hydrogen phosphate (P source). Culture flasks were incubated at 30 degree centigrade agitating 150 rpm for 5 days. Measuring total protein, as an indicator of petroleum biodegradation, revealed that the optimum N and P concentrations for oil consumption by strain PG01 are equal to 0.146 gram ammonium chloride and 0.024 gram di-sodium hydrogen phosphate per gram crude oil. The other strain, PG02, needed more N source for optimum growth and the results were 0.146 gram ammonium chloride and 0.024 gram di-sodium hydrogen phosphate per gram crude oil.


ABSTRACT Acute renal infarction is a rare and often underdiagnosed condition with estimated incidence of 0.5–1.5%. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been shown to cause a hypercoagulable state in patients leading to arterial and venous thromboembolism. Renal infarction as a consequence of COVID-associated coagulopathy has been reported, sometimes resulting in acute kidney injury. Most of the patients so far reported had other existing comorbidities and risk factors that compounded the risk of precipitating an infarction. Here, we present a 37-year-old, the youngest patient reported so far, with no pre-existing comorbidities or risk factors, who developed bilateral renal infarction with COVID-19 pneumonia. The patient was treated with anticoagulation for renal infarction and discharged on apixaban. Anticoagulation is an important part of current treatment strategies for COVID-19 pneumonia and should extend beyond the acute phase of the disease to prevent long-term sequelae, especially in young patients.


The paper presents the application of the Multiple Criteria Decision Aid/Making (MCDA/MCDM) methodology in the assessment of the development of different scenarios for an urban public transportation system (UPTS). This methodology allows considering several conflicting objectives and performing the evaluation process in a comprehensive manner. This approach also corresponds to the holistic philosophy: different aspects (economic, technical, social etc.) and interest groups – stakeholders (operators, passengers, city government etc.). The MCDA/MCDM methodology is specifically customized to the real life case study – urban public transportation system in the city of Cracow (Poland). A family of 10 criteria is proposed to evaluate several solutions (W) for a UPTS in terms of their usefulness and attractiveness for different stakeholders. These criteria take into account: travel time and standard, effectiveness of the fleet use, environment friendliness, the level of integration and reliability of the UPTS, safety and security, the profitability and availability of the UPTS, investment costs. Considering the possible solutions, the 6 alternatives were designed heuristically and compared with the current state (denotation of alternative W0). Based on the analysis, for the final considerations compared with the current alternative, 7 new solutions of the integrated urban public transportation in Cracow were adopted, denoted as: W1 (bus/rail alternative: integration of high-speed agglomeration rail with bus transportation), W2 (rail/tram/bus alternative: integration of high-speed agglomeration rail with tram and bus transport system), W3 (alternative with the underground: integration of the underground with high-speed agglomeration rail and with tram and bus transport system), W4 (tram/rail alternative: integration of high-speed agglomeration rail with tram transport), W5 (Tram alternative: integration of tram transport with bus transport), W5A (tram alternative: sub-alternative to the alternative W5, integration of tram transport), W6 (dual-mode tram alternative: integration of dual-mode tram transport). The variants of the scenarios for the urban public transportation system were generated by VISUM computer macro-simulation software. The computational experiment was carried out with the practical application of different Multiple Criteria Decision Aid/Making methods: AHP (Expert Choice program) and Electre III (software package Diviz).


AIM
To analyze the impact of the GNAS1 T393C polymorphism on prognosis and histopathology of gastric cancer.

METHODS
Genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues of 122 patients with primary gastric carcinoma and from the blood of 820 healthy white individuals. Allelic discrimination was performed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Genotyping was correlated with histopathologic parameters and with overall survival according to the Kaplan-Meier approach and with multivariate analysis by multiple stepwise regression.

RESULTS
Thirty-nine (32%) patients displayed a CC genotype, 57 (46.7%) a CT genotype and 26 (21.3%) a TT genotype. The frequency of the C allele (fC) in the patient group was 0.55, which was not significantly different from that of healthy blood donors. The distribution was compatible with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Analysis of clinicopathological parameters did not show any significant correlation of the T393C genotype with gender (P = 0.50), differentiation (P = 0.29), pT-category (P = 0.19), pN-category (P = 0.30), pM-category (P = 0.25), R-category (P = 0.95), the classifications according to WHO (P = 0.34), Laurén (P = 0.16), Goseki (P = 1.00) and Ming (P = 0.74). Dichotomization between C+ (CC+CT) and C-genotypes (TT), however, revealed significantly more advanced tumor stages (P = 0.023) and lower survival rates (P = 0.043) for C allele carriers.

CONCLUSION
The present study provides strong evidence to suggest that the GNAS1 T393C allele carrier status influences tumor progression and survival in gastric cancer with higher tumor stages and a worse outcome for C allele carriers.


Simultaneous scanning tunneling and frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy (STM/FM-AFM) was applied to a DNA molecule on a Cu(111) surface to analyze transverse electron transfer which is related to the electron transfer and the electrical contact in DNA-based devices. In particular, we demonstrated correlation mapping of the electron transfer parameters by visualizing specific combinations of the decay constant β and the contact conductance G. The results clearly revealed that electron transfer across the DNA strand varies spatially in the DNA molecule. This spatial variation is probably correlated with deformation of DNA on the surface. From quantitative analysis, the decay constant β was estimated to be 3.3 nm(-1), which is consistent with previously reported values for π-conjugated molecules.


Inpatient pneumococcal vaccination remains underutilized, and little data exist to guide hospital personnel in improving their performance. The authors report their experience with a stepwise program to improve vaccination assessment rates for hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. They assessed barriers to vaccination and applied a stepwise educational and intranet-based decision support implementation program for hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Preintervention vaccination rates were 0%. Primary nursing and physician barriers were assessed. An educational intervention increased vaccination assessment rates to 35%, a nursing decision-support tool to 42%, and approval of a standing order policy to 96%. For patients older than 65 years, vaccination assessment rates increased 33%, 67%, and 100%, respectively. An educational program combined with a decision support tool and a standing order policy can improve vaccination assessment rates to high levels. This study suggests that a multidimensional intervention is required to improve compliance with inpatient vaccination best clinical practices.


A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between   November 2010 and February 2011 to assess the prevalence of intestinal nematode infections among children aged 1 – 14 years living in two communities of rural Ebonyi State, Nigeria, characterize the risk factors for infection and develop environmental health indicator for use for infection preventive activities. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on sanitation, hygiene and socioeconomic variables. Stool samples were examined using existing standard protocols for parasitological detection and identification of nematode eggs/larvae. Results revealed that one or more nematodes infected the study  population providing an overall prevalence of 57.9%. Dominant parasites encountered were A. lumbricoides (21.1%), hookworm (17.0%), T. trichiura (12.8%), and S. stercoralis (5.9%). One species of intestinal nematodes was detected in 26.2% of infected population whereas 14.5% and 2.5% harboured two and three nematode species respectively. Identified risk factors were environmental, sanitation, hygiene, socioeconomic, crowding in households and availability of washbasin with water in toilets. The environmental health indicator developed summarized the biological, environmental and social factors associated with risk infection. This could be incorporated into environmental and community-based health  surveillance in line with  the primary health-care delivery system initiative. Keywords : Intestinal nematode, Prevalence, Intensity, Risk factor, Environment, Helminthiases


Social networks have become an unlimited source of information, for that several applications have been proposed to mine information from social networks such as: recommender systems. The rapidity and scalability of such a recommender algorithm is as important as the actual logic behind the algorithm because such algorithms generally run over a "huge" graph and implementing these normally would probably take a lot of time for recommending items even if there is one user. The basic idea of recommendation system is to recommend items to users. In this paper various recommender systems are classified are discussed. This paper focuses on providing the overview about the various categories of recommendation techniques developed till now. This paper we present review on recommendation system for find friend on social networks..


Intense competition in the UK charity fundraising market and the near continuous need for charities to acquire new supporters, reactivate lapsed donors and encourage first time donors to make further gifts has resulted in charities needing repeatedly to initiate novel fundraising campaigns. The starting point for an innovative campaign is an idea or set of ideas that will attract public attention, differentiate a charity from other fundraising organizations and distinguish the charity's current marketing activities from those undertaken in the past. An important but neglected issue in the charity idea creation field is the question of where and how fundraising organizations source their ideas for new campaigns. This empirical study identified (i) the main sources of fresh ideas for fundraising employed by a sample of 417 British charities, and (ii) certain antecedents of a charity's use of various categories of sources. Potential connections between particular types of idea source and managerial satisfaction with both the creative quality of the ideas obtained and the financial revenues derived from these ideas were also examined.


We solve the Gauss law of SU(2) lattice gauge theory using the harmonic oscillator prepotential formulation. We construct a generating function of a manifestly gauge invariant and orthonormal basis in the physical Hilbert space of (d+1) dimensional SU(2) lattice gauge theory. The resulting orthonormal physical states are given in closed form. The generalization to SU(N) gauge group is discussed.


This paper introduces an application of R programming language for geostatistical data processing with a case study of the Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean. The formation of the Mariana Trench, the deepest among all hadal oceanic depth trenches, is caused by complex and diverse geomorphic factors affecting its development. Mariana Trench crosses four tectonic plates: Mariana, Caroline, Pacific and Philippine. The impact of the geographic location and geological factors on its geomorphology has been studied by methods of statistical analysis and data visualization using R libraries. The methodology includes following steps. Firstly, vector thematic data were processed in QGIS: tectonics, bathymetry, geomorphology and geology. Secondly, 25 cross-section profiles were drawn across the trench. The length of each profile is 1000-km. The attribute information has been derived from each profile and stored in a table containing coordinates, depths and thematic information. Finally, this table was processed by methods of the statistical analysis on R. The programming codes and graphical results are presented. The results include geospatial comparative analysis and estimated effects of the data distribution by tectonic plates: slope angle, igneous volcanic areas and depths. The innovativeness of this paper consists in a cross-disciplinary approach combining GIS, statistical analysis and R programming.


Introduction: The second messengers cAMP and cGMP mediate fundamental aspects of brain function relevant to memory, learning, and cognitive functions. Consequently, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs), the enzymes that inactivate the cyclic nucleotides, are promising targets for the development of cognition-enhancing drugs. Areas covered: PDE4 is the largest of the 11 mammalian PDE families. This review covers the properties and functions of the PDE4 family, highlighting procognitive and memory-enhancing effects associated with their inactivation. Expert opinion: PAN-selective PDE4 inhibitors exert a number of memory- and cognition-enhancing effects and have neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties in preclinical models. The major hurdle for their clinical application is to target inhibitors to specific PDE4 isoforms relevant to particular cognitive disorders to realize the therapeutic potential while avoiding side effects, in particular emesis and nausea. The PDE4 family comprises four genes, PDE4A-D, each expressed as multiple variants. Progress to date stems from characterization of rodent models with selective ablation of individual PDE4 subtypes, revealing that individual subtypes exert unique and non-redundant functions in the brain. Thus, targeting specific PDE4 subtypes, as well as splicing variants or conformational states, represents a promising strategy to separate the therapeutic benefits from the side effects of PAN-PDE4 inhibitors.


The study investigated the fundamental determinants of equity share prices of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study specifically examined the nature and direction of causality among macroeconomic factors, industry-specific factors, firm-specific factors and share prices. This is with the view to providing empirical evidence on the nature and relationship among macroeconomic factors, industry-specific factors, firm-specific factors and equity share price of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. The data on macroeconomic variables were sourced from Central Bank Nigeria statistical bulletin, while data on industry-specific factors and firm-specific factors were obtained from the bank's annual reports and accounts for the period 2011 to 2015. Panel data regression analysis was used to determine the nature of relationship among the four classes of variables, while the pair wise granger causality test was used to ascertain the direction of causality among the variables. Result showed that the macroeconomic factors (GDP and INTR), industry-specific factor (SBC) and firm-specific factor (DPS) are significant determinants of market price of shares. This result was also confirmed by the causality result which showed that macroeconomic factors, industry-specific factors and firm specific factors granger cause market price of shares. It is therefore recommended that private investors, institutional investors and financial analyst consider all these factors when making investment decision.


Abstract Vertex detectors allow high precision reconstruction of particle tracks and therefore make possible the investigation of the decay topology of short-lived particles in collider experiments. In the ALEPH experiment at LEP a minivertex detector will be installed. It consists of silicon microstrip detectors arranged on two concentric "cylindrical" surfaces around the interaction point. With this geometry it will be possible to measure the r − ϕ − z coordinates of particles traversing the detector. The expected position resolution is 10 μm in r − ϕ and 20 μm in r − z . For optimum signal processing monolithic CMOS readout electronics are under development. Each chip consists of 60 charge sensitive preamplifiers, multiplexed into one output channel. Fast power switching will reduce heat dissipation. Details about construction and expected device performance will be described.


In an interbedded sequence of sand and shale, most compaction water would move horizontally from the basin center to its edges. The cumulative volume of water that has been expelled from, and moved through, sediments increases with the horizontal distance of migration. This volume also increases for the same horizontal distance with increase of burial depth or compaction. In thick shales unbroken by sandy zones, the main direction of water movement is vertically upward. In a vertical-movement model, the cumulative-water volume gradually increases with depth to a maximum at intermediate depths, then gradually decreases toward the base of the sedimentary column. The cumulative-water volume in this case generally is smaller than in the horizontal model with relatively long migration distance. The Tertiary sequence in the Gulf Coast area may resemble a third model, which combines features of the other two in that it consists of an upper interbedded sand-shale sequence (horizontal migration) and a lower monotonous shale sequence (vertical migration). The depth of the boundary between these two zones varies, ranging probably from 3,000 to 15,000 ft (900 to 4600 m) over all. A combination plot of the water volumes corresponding to the horizontal- and vertical-migration models would, therefore, simulate the volumes of water movement in this area; the cumulative-water volume increases rapidly toward the base of the interbedded zone, and then decreases in the underlying shale zone. It is interesting to note that these expelled-water volume plots resemble the oil-production freque cy plots constructed by Burst for this area. The similarity may suggest that explusion and movement of water in sediments is of primary importance in hydrocarbon occurrence.


Air pollution has a major influence on health. It is thus not surprising that air quality (AQ) increasingly becomes a central issue in the environmental information policy worldwide. The most common way to deliver AQ information is in terms of graphics, tables, pictograms, or color scales that display either the concentrations of the pollutant substances or the corresponding AQ indices. However, all of these presentation modi lack the explanatory dimension; nor can they be easily tailored to the needs of the individual users. MARQUIS is an AQ information generation service that produces user-tailored multilingual bulletins on the major measured and forecasted air pollution substances and their relevance to human health in five European regions. It incorporates modules for the assessment of pollutant time series episodes with respect to their relevance to a given addressee, for planning of the discourse structure of the bulletins and the selection of the adequate presentation mode, and for generation proper. The positive evaluation of the bulletins produced by MARQUIS by users shows that the use of automatic text generation techniques in such a complex and sensitive application is feasible.


The underlying physics triggering core collapse supernovae is not fully understood but observations of material ejected during such events helps to solve this puzzle. In particular, several satellite based γ -ray observations of the isotope 44 Ti have been reported recently. Conveniently, the amount of this isotope in stellar ejecta is thought to depend critically on the explosion mechanism. The most influential reaction to the amount of 44 Ti in supernovae is 44 Ti ( α , p ) 47 V. Here we report on a direct study of this reaction conducted at the REX-ISOLDE facility, CERN. The experiment was performed with a 44 Ti beam at E lab = 2 . 16 MeV / u, corresponding to an energy distribution, for reacting α -particles, centred on E cm = 4 . 15 with a 1 σ width of 0.23 MeV. This is, for the first time, well within the Gamow window for core collapse supernovae. The material from which the 44 Ti beam was extracted originates from highly irradiated components of the SINQ spallation neutron source of the Paul Scherrer Institute. No yield above background was observed, enabling an upper limit for the rate of this reaction to be determined. This result is below expectation, suggesting that the 44 Ti ( α , p ) 47 V reaction proceeds more slowly than previously thought. Implications for astrophysical events, and remnant age, are discussed.


Objective. To compare the equivalent optic nerve head (OHN) parameters obtained with confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT3) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in healthy and glaucoma patients. Methods. One hundred and eighty-two consecutive healthy subjects and 156 patients with open-angle glaucoma were divided into 2 groups according to intraocular pressure and visual field outcomes. All participants underwent imaging of the ONH with the HRT3 and the Cirrus OCT. The ONH parameters and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were compared between both groups. Results. Mean age did not differ between the normal and glaucoma groups (59.55 ± 9.7 years and 61.05 ± 9.4 years, resp.; P = 0.15). Rim area, average cup-to-disc (C/D) ratio, vertical C/D ratio, and cup volume were different between both instruments (P < 0.001). All equivalent ONH parameters, except disc area, were different between both groups (P < 0.001). The best areas under the ROC curve were observed for vertical C/D ratio (0.980 for OCT and 0.942 for HRT3; P = 0.11). Sensitivities at 95% fixed-specificities of OCT parameters were higher than those of HRT3. Conclusions. Equivalent ONH parameters of Cirrus OCT and HRT3 are different and cannot be used interchangeably. ONH parameters measured with OCT yielded a slightly better diagnostic performance.


Author(s): McFarland, Teresa Ann | Advisor(s): Inkelas, Sharon | Abstract: AbstractThe phonology and morphology of Filomeno Mata TotonacbyTeresa Ann McFarlandDoctor of Philosophy in LinguisticsUniversity of California, BerkeleyProfessor Sharon Inkelas, ChairThis dissertation constitutes a descriptive grammar of the phonology and morphology of Filomeno Mata Totonac that highlights typologically unusual phenomena of theoretical interest. Filomeno Mata (FM) Totonac is a member of the Totonac-Tepehua family (eastern Mexico), spoken in and around the municipality whose name it borrows in the state of Veracruz. It is a polysynthetic, highly agglutinating, head-marking variety with VSO word order and complex verbal morphology that has not previously been described by linguists. This grammar is based on fieldwork conducted by the author between 2003 and 2009.Some of the grammatical phenomena described herein which may be of interest to theoreticians and typologists include:* Glottalization or aspiration and vowel devoicing to mark prosodic boundaries* Postlexical nasal epenthesis at word-word and clitic-stem boundaries between a vowel and a stop or affricate* Stress shift as a marker of interrogative utterances, which may occur on the verb or other sentencial elements* A large set of ideophones marked by reduplication and sound symbolism in the categories of sound and manner of motion adverbials, colors, odors/flavors, and descriptive adjectives* Complex inflectional combinatorics that feature long distance blocking, compositionality of certain person agreement markers, and glottalization and suppletion to mark second person subjects* Typologically unusual free variation in the ordering of verbal morphemes in a middle zone of affixes on either side of the root, without scopal or semantic significance; mostly involving derivational affixes, but also including one inflectional prefix* A gradient rather than categorical distinction between clitics and affixes, with the four relevant tests often giving conflicting results* An unusually large number of object-related deverbal nominalization constructions, including agentive, locative, instrumental, purpose, and result nominalizations, as well as an unusual deverbal `ought to' construction.


Abstract Recently, Abbas et al. [Enriched multivalued contractions with applications to differential inclusions and dynamic programming, Symmetry 13(8) (2021), 1350] obtained an interesting generalization of the Nadler fixed point theorem by introducing the concept of enriched multivalued contraction in the framework of Banach spaces. In this article, we define a new class of metrics on the family of closed and bounded subsets of a given metric space. Furthermore, fixed point theorems were established for enriched multi-valued contractions by substituting the Hausdorff metric with metrics from a specific class that are either metrically or sequentially equivalent to the Hausdorff metric. Some examples are provided to illustrate the concepts and results presented herein. These results improve, unify, and generalize several comparable results in the literature.


Ailing multibillionaire P. Oscar Utopia wishes to endow a university in honor of Rose B. Utopia, his beloved wife and long-practicing engineer. He will be at FIE to draw upon the expertise of our community to design the master plan for a university of the next millennium, unburdened by the assumptions of the present and the past. Conference attendees who subscribe to Utopia's vision are encouraged to participate in this workshop, challenge the assumptions inherent to the current practice, and brainstorm a plan for educating the engineer of 3030. During this session, we will identify and challenge assumptions that are inherent to the current practice of how we educate engineers. Participants will engage in a series of rapid planning sessions based on the "what if" scenario of being able to establish a new engineering school unfettered by standard constraints of money, facilities, or current educational practice


Abstract Soil microbiome is composed of groups of microorganisms which are structurally and functionally very different. For many years soil microbiome has been the subject of numerous studies, but still is not fully recognized. It is well known that soil microorganisms play a key role in biogeochemical processes. Knowledge of their structural and functional diversity makes it possible to assess the condition of the soil environment, which is extremely important for agronomy and ecology. The agricultural and industrial activities of humans cause changes in soil activity, which should be monitored. There are many different research methods developed to analyze soil activity and microbiological soil diversity and refined by researchers from around the world in. Biochemical methods used to analyze microbial activity are based on the determination of the ability of microorganisms to synthesize, assimilate or decompose specific chemical compounds, as well as on the analysis of microbial cell components. This study presents the research methods used for the analysis of both: the functionality of microorganisms and their structural diversity. 1. Introduction. 2. Determination of enzymatic activity. 3. CLPP technique. 4. Analysis of fatty acid profiles. 5. Analysis of protein profiles. 6. Summary


This article is a personal account of my experiences in developing control experiments for the purpose of control research. The article does not address the important questions surrounding the development of control experiments for undergraduate education. Rather, the emphasis is on research, specifically, the role that control experiments can play in motivating new theoretical ideas. To stimulate discussion about these issues I organized a session for the 1997 American Control Conference entitled "Control Experiments: What Do We Learn From Them?" The reader is invited to peruse the various papers that were contributed to that session for further insights into this question.


Ageing is doubtless complicated, lifelong process regarding many body systems, including endocrine system. Human hormonal system changes with age. Although these changes concern secretion of many hormones, they are not unidirectional, there are hormones secretion of which is diminished, whereas secretion of the others is augmented or not changed with age. A possible role of hormones which are often termed "hormones of youth"(growth hormone, melatonin, and dehydroepiandrosterone) in the ageing process is discussed in the present article. Although some experimental and clinical data indicate that these hormones may play some role in the human ageing process, it appears from presented data that we are still far away from conclusion that, indeed, one (or more) of the discussed hormones could be considered as "hormone of youth", which may slow down ageing process. However, some symptoms of the quality of life improvement following administration of dehydroepiandrosterone, melatonin, and growth hormone may suggest that they may promote so called "successful aging".


This poster acquaints new pest control technicians with proper procedures to manage an unscheduled pesticide release. The poster has quick response (QR) codes that direct a smartphone to online videos highlighting the steps of cleaning up a pesticide spill site, beginning with controlling the spill and ending with decontamination of the site. This poster will serve as a valuable training tool for new technicians and a refresher tool for pesticide applicators. Designed by R.W. Baldwin, S.K. Hill, Philip Koehler, P.A. Mitola, and J.C. Medley, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, August 2012.
ENY-2011/IN961: Pesticide Safety Miniposter: Pesticide Spill Control (ufl.edu)


Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a very rare, benign, non-neoplastic lesion that typically occurs in the early life, usually before the 3rd decade, it's exceptional in younger than 10 years. We report the diagnosis and treatment of an 8 years old girl with an ABC in the left temporal bone, a very unusual location. Although the histologic characteristics have been well defined, its pathogenesis remains obscure and not totally explained. Total excision nowadays is the treatment of choice.


Mobility is essential to life, human needs, and economic development. Diminishing oil reserves, a growing dependency on oil and global warming will all strongly impact on mobility. However, innovative solutions exist. To keep mobility affordable it is likely that fossil-oil-based mobility will not be substituted by just one technology. Secondand third-generation biofuels and electric vehicles are some of the best ways to be energy and CO2 efficient in a well-to-wheel view. In contrast, fuel cells do not seem to be an alternative. Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and suppliers will be firmly impacted by this evolution. The fastest and most innovative of them can take advantage of these challenges and find new interesting business opportunities.


Nanometer size semiconductor particles coated with another semiconductor can exhibit unusual and interesting phenomena associated with the redistribution of the electron and hole wavefunctions. Using the band offsets and effective-masses, the band gap as well as the wavefunctions can be altered by changing the core radius of the particles. CdS/PbS coated semiconductor nanoparticles are synthesized by ion displacing method and experimental results are discussed along with the theoretical calculation. Optical absorption as well as TEM, Electron diffraction results provides for the evidence that the particles are coated.


Wetdeck slamming is studied theoretically by a hydroelastic beam model. The problem is simplified by introducing an initial structural inertia phase and a subsequent free vibration phase. Forward speed effects are included. The theoretical model is validated by comparing with drop tests of elastic plates on waves. The stresses in the plates have a linear dependence on the impact speed and are neither sensitive to the radius of curvature of the waves nor where the waves initially hit. Hydroelasticity is important. The maximum impact pressures can be extremely high and have a stochastic nature even under deterministic environmental conditions, but they are not important for maximum bending stresses.


Putra, Willy R., 2018, A Pragmatic Analysis of Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID) Comprehension Through Quiz-Based Test. A graduating Paper. Educational Faculty. English Department. Counselor: Faizal Risdianto, S.S., M.Hum

This research was conducted to identify whether the students have the comprehension in making IFID in their utterance. This research also analyzes their ability to classify IFID they create using Searle's classification of Speech Act. This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The researcher chooses sixth semester students in English Education Department of IAIN Salatiga in Academic year 20117/2018. The data obtained through a quiz-based test as written record and voice recording as audio record. The data was analyzed using descriptive qualitative method. The result of this research shows that the students are able to uttered IFID. The IFIDs being used are Performative verb, Stress, Intonation and Questions. Performative verb is uttered in 50 sentences, stress is uttered in 105 sentences, intonation uttered in 75 sentences, question uttered in 3 sentences, and 17 sentences didn't use any IFID. The results show tendencies of students that they are making utterance in Indonesian or Javanese language and translate it into English which influenced their utterances. The results also show there are students who cannot classify their utterance well and their score are relatively lower in answering classification of IFID.


One of the most criticism in Real Estate appraisal processes based on sales comparison approach is the reliability of data about market prices of comparable properties. The lack of information on house prices is particularly relevant in Italy, where householdsi preference for housing wealth is very high, due also to the market orientation of Italian households for owner-occupation (Di Addario, 2002; Faiella et al., 2008). In this context, the use of evaluation methods based on hypothetical markets, most widely used in the field of the evaluation of environmental goods or cultural heritage, could solve that problem. It has been found (Mattia et al., 2003) that estimating the willing to pay (WTP) for a sample of goods with different features brings to reliable outcomes with negligible gaps by comparison with the values obtained by the more traditional real estate appraisal methods. According to these general assumptions, the paper suggests the use of stated preference methods with the aim of replace in the appraisal models the market prices (historical data) of a sample of properties with the willing to pay for the same goods. More in deep, of the various valuation stated preference (SP) techniques available, Contingent Valuation Method (Dichotomous Choice Model) has been used in order to estimate the market value of a sample of residential properties in the city of Milano. Even if the two main features of this method n the hypothetical character of the questions and the fact that actual behaviour is not observed but only predicted n has been broadly criticized (Adamowicz, Louviere, and Williams 1992), in this study the WTP can be considered the behaviour of potential buyers selected by a real estate agency and advertisements on real estate reviews in the face of real choices. Strategic bias has been reduced by pre-testing the valuation questionnaire and using different bidding mechanism according to two different groups of buyers selected, the one who answer that the property meets is needs and the second who is not really interested in it. To this end, itis meaningful to specify that the possible strategic character of the answers to the questionnaires given by individual interview is consistent with the real estate pricesi formation process. Starting from the critical analysis of the outcomes of this first case study, the paper suggests an evaluation procedure for the systematic production of economics data n median WTP n to use in statistical pluriparametric appraisal models in order to build up a databank of real estate prices according to the principle of transparency.


The purpose of this work is related to sociological study of adaptive and motivational aspects of educational activities of Chinese students in Russia to determine the trends and prospects of Chino-Russian cooperation in the field of higher education. This problem is relevant, since it is a part of the range of issues related to improving competitiveness of national higher education system of the Russian Federation and its attractiveness for foreign (in particular, Chinese) students, the number of which, in many respects, determines the rating and status of the university in the international educational space. The methodological framework of research is formed by a complex of conceptual ideas and theoretical approaches, among which the most actively used ones were the theory of global transformations multiplicity, the concepts of globalization and internationalization, which allowed us to consider Chino-Russian cooperation in the coordinates of a particular type of global transformation, considering the dual nature of globalization in the sphere of education. The study identified some positive achievements in the field of Chino-Russian educational cooperation, as well as the factors that negatively affect the assessment of Russian higher education by Chinese students. There were identified the reasons for adaptation difficulties of this category of students in conditions of Russian realities. It is concluded that the development prospects for educational Chino-Russian cooperation (from the point of view of increasing the attractiveness of Russian higher education in the eyes of Chinese citizens) depend on certain changes, both of conceptual and organizational character.


In the United States an average of approximately 1,100 people die and 40,000 people are injured annually as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones. For addressing the safety in the work zones, a clear understanding of work zone traffic control devices and the dangers they pose to the drivers, pedestrians and workers should be obtained. This would be valuable for highway agencies in setting up proper traffic management plans based on the prevailing conditions. The purpose of this paper is to educate transportation departments, consulting engineers, and others on the safety benefits of Longitudinal Channelizing Devices as an alternative to drums and temporary concrete barrier for work zone traffic channelization. The results show that the acceleration of vehicles in case of water-filled longitudinal channelizing devices is much lesser than concrete barriers, hence, the former proves to be a much safer and efficient tool for work zone areas.


This thesis documents the employment of a system of Process and Inquiry as it serves
 as a structural foundation for an investigation of the manner in which Reality is represented in visual portraiture. Through a vigorous exploration of the concept of Reality and its singular nature, it is hypothesized that intrinsically unique experiences could potentially be communicated through the perceptive abilities of the emotional quotient. The effects of media, timing, complexity, abstraction, and authenticity are examined for their effect on the apparent clarity of concepts transmitted in this manner. The inquiry ultimately manifests in the daily creation of self-portraiture, as well as a multimedia exhibition inspired by the theatrical arts, that speak to the communal understanding
 of the Human Experience.


In this article, I argue that the mythological figure of the Trickster may be read as a premodern avatar of postmodern research practice or what Denzin and Lincoln called the sixth and seventh moments of qualitative inquiry. I begin by describing the key imperatives of the sixth and seventh moments. These imperatives include (a) a commitment to morally sound, praxis-oriented research; (b) strategic use of eclectic constellations of theories, methods, and research strategies; (c) production of dialogic, nonrepresentational texts; and (d) conduct of mindful inquiry resulting in sacred texts. In a modest attempt to write not only about but also in the sixth and seventh moments, I offer extensive descriptions and interpretations of the extant narratives of the Winnebago Trickster, Wakdjunkaga, making indirect or oblique connections to sixth and seventh moment imperatives along the way. I return to these connections in the end of the article and make them more explicit.


As part of a research project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) a series of expert interviews was performed with renowned researchers in the fields of Information Systems (IS) and Wirtschaftsinformatik - the corresponding IS field in German speaking countries. The interviewees selected have been in the field from its beginning and have not only observed the field's development but have shaped it, for example, through the initiation of conferences and associations, curriculum efforts and by establishing new IS departments. The study's objective is to reconstruct the development and status of the discipline by taking advantage of the diverse perspectives and experiences of the researchers. This report presents in detail the research approach of the interview study, including the selection of interview partners, the interpretation process, and the topical areas of interview schedule.


The promotion of zircon (ZrSiO4) crystallization by ZnO from a zirconium-based frit glaze was studied and the possible mechanism was discussed. X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the relative quantities of zircon and other transitional crystals in the samples. The results show that ZnO can significantly decrease the crystallization temperature of zirconium-based glaze, depress the formation of Ca2ZrSi4O12, and promote the devitrification of transitional crystals t-ZrO2 and Ca2ZnSi2O7, as well as lead to the formation of more zircon than the ZnO-free glaze. It was also found that zircon not only can form from the interaction between t-ZrO2 and SiO2 but also can devitrify directly from the glass phase of zirconium-based glaze.