When one thinks of the European community (E.C.) and its relationship with the countries of North Africa, many aspects come to mind. Since the independence of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, relations have revolved around trade, the economic, social and cultural aspects of North African labor migration to the E.C., and tourism. More recently an issue on either side of the Mediterranean has been North African worry about the E.C. response to the opening up of Eastern Europe and E.C. anxiety over the North African response to the Gulf Crisis. In the long run, however, two factors will remain central to the future of E.C. - North African relations within the context of a 'New World Order: 1) trade relations and 2) the European perception of Islam as a force for change in the Maghreb. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the evolution of trade relations between the two regions to date and to show that E.C. 1992 represents the first real structural change in trade relations since Maghreb independence. Secondly, the paper will offer some observations about Islam as a social and political force having the potential to serve as a stabilizing factor in the region and thus requiring a more sophisticated understanding on the part of European interests.


This research on Hamas's women's movement explains the contemporary political and social involvement of women with a multilayered perspective of different theories based on a textual analysis of the movement's publications (the Hamas Charta 1988 and the Electoral Program 2006, as well as women's testimonies to popular media outlets). Subsequently, it is claimed that only a comprehensive combination of post‐colonial studies, gender and nationalism studies can fully grasp women's roles within the Hamas movement. Uniting these three approaches, there are three main hypotheses for women's activism and role within Hamas. First, Hamas propagates gendered worldviews and roles within the nationalist project as well as within the movement. Those outlooks intersect with historized notions of Arab–Muslim identity as well as with notions of liberation against foreign (Western) occupation and colonialism. Second, the 'women of Hamas' use such gendered roles in order to pave the way for a pious, yet determined, women's...


Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) is derived from several plants, such as rice, maize, and wheat, and has been reported to retain moisture by functioning as a barrier between the epidermis and the environment. However, there is insufficient research on the effect of GlcCer on dermal elasticity and wrinkles. In this study, we investigated the effects of torula yeast extract and torula yeast-derived GlcCer on dermal elasticity. We measured cell proliferation, collagen production, and collagen gel contraction using human dermal fibroblasts. Torula yeast extract and torula yeast-derived GlcCer increased dermal fibroblast proliferation and collagen production. Collagen gel contraction was promoted by torula yeast extract and torula yeast-derived GlcCer. These results indicate that GlcCer may affect dermal elasticity. Torula yeast extract and torula yeast-derived GlcCer may contribute to the maintenance of dermal elasticity. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In this study, we found that torula yeast-derived glucosylceramide (GlcCer) has an additional function of improving dermal elasticity. With improved elasticity, skin becomes more resilient, thus preventing wrinkles. GlcCer has already been used in cosmetic products to retain skin moisture. Therefore, torula yeast-derived GlcCer can be expected to have several cosmetic applications.


Background: Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) prevents childhood fatal illnesses, and better coverage will raise herd immunity.

Objective: To assess the knowledge of the mothers about Expanded Programme on Immunization of childhood vaccinations and relationship of the immunization coverage with mother's education and Covid-19 pandemic lock-down.

Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study, conducted by using a pretested questionnaire. Settings: Paediatric outpatient department and EPI centre, Sadiq Abbasi Hospital Bahawalpur from 1st September to 15th November 2021. A total of 200 multigravida mothers having children <5 years, were included by convenient sampling technique. Data were collected through a proforma, containing information about demographic characteristics, EPI coverage of the child, and mothers' knowledge and attitude towards the EPI program. Data were analyzed with the help of SPSS version 21.

Results: Among the total of 200 mothers, more than 90% were housewives and only 20% with more than 12 years of formal education. Only 3% of mothers answered correctly about the exact number of EPI vaccines. The awareness about the individual vaccine was 28% to 33%, except in the polio vaccine it was 70%, and in measles, it was 95%. Half of the mothers answered that EPI vaccines are safe, and half believe that they are effective as well. Working women and mothers with higher education status vaccinated themselves against covid-19 and also vaccinated their children according to the EPI schedule.

Conclusion: Awareness regarding EPI is poor and maternal education status significantly affects EPI knowledge and practices, additionally covid-19 pandemic also affected the EPI practices.


Recent meta-analyses have shown that beta diversity through space is jointly driven by species traits, geographical gradients, and ecosystem properties. Spatial variation is, however, only one aspect of beta diversity. The other component is variation in species assemblages through time, that is, temporal turnover. We examined the decrease of assemblage similarity in time in aquatic ecosystems in relation to several ecological, physical, and geographical factors using an extensive data set derived from the literature. The data set was first divided into intra-annual and interannual studies depending on the temporal extent of the studies. Sampling duration was one the most significant variables affecting the degree of temporal turnover, and we found that turnover was faster in studies with shorter temporal extent. Our results further suggested that the rate of temporal turnover increased with increasing ecosystem size, thus contradicting the general species-time-area relationship. Temporal turnover also varied among the ecosystem types: lake assemblages showed faster turnover than stream or marine assemblages in the interannual data set. We found that temporal turnover exhibited large-scale geographical variation, as there was a latitudinal gradient in turnover. Turnover was faster in the tropics in the intra-annual data set, but the pattern was reversed in the interannual data set, where turnover was faster at high latitudes. Finally, we found that the degree of temporal turnover was related to organism characteristics, as larger organisms with active mobility showed slower temporal turnover than smaller organisms. Our results suggest that the degree of species turnover in time is jointly driven by several ecological, physical, and geographical factors in aquatic ecosystems and that the turnover is not uniform across taxonomic groups. Our findings have important consequences for understanding how different biotic assemblages track temporal changes in the environment and how resilient assemblages are toward such changes.


Forest management is key to maintaining and increasing carbon sinks in forests. In the context of climate change mitigation, the exact number of carbon sinks associated with forest management is estimated as the additionality of activities, which means net greenhouse gas (GHG) removals or carbon sequestration over and above those that would have arisen even in the absence of a given activity. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal patterns of forest management activities to present the forest management ratio, of managed area to the total forest area, as an indicator of additionality in forest management in South Korea. Forest management activities based on the IPCC guidelines were spatially constructed, and the characteristics of managed and protected forests from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed. The results indicate that between the managed forests and roads, 90% of the management activities in private forests occurred within 214 m of the road, and 70% of the activities in the national forest occurred within 234 m. Management took place in easy-to-access places with gentle slopes and low elevations. The proportion of protected forests above 40 years old is 87.2%, higher than the average of 72% in South Korea, and it is expected that most forests will age and their carbon absorption capacity will decrease by 2050. The area of tree planting and thinning is approximately 290 thousand ha per year, which could potentially increase the forest management ratio by up to 4.5% per year. However, the actual increase was at an average of 1.4%, owing to the omission of exact information on management activities, such as spatial coordinates and overlapping practices in the same management unit. The forest management ratio in South Korea as of 2019 was 53.4%; therefore, the amount of GHG removal in the forest sectors was 53.4% of total absorption per year. Thus, it is necessary to make efforts to increase the ratio to enhance the contribution of forest sectors to climate change mitigation for the country.


According to the nonworseness claim, it cannot be morally worse to exploit someone than not to interact with them at all when the interaction 1) is mutually beneficial, 2) is voluntary, and 3) has no negative effects on third parties. My aim in this article is to defend the moral significance of exploitation from this challenge. To that end, I develop a novel account of why sweatshop owners have a moral obligation to pay sweatshop workers a nonexploitative wage despite the fact that their relationship is entirely optional. More precisely, I defend two main claims. First, I show that sweatshop owners are morally obligated to pay sweatshop workers a nonexploitative wage even though they have a right not to hire them and even though that will require them to pay sweatshop workers a wage that is higher than the one they voluntarily accepted. Second, I explain why this obligation on the part of sweatshop owners is not defeated by the fact that other individuals not party to the transaction would benefit even more than sweatshop workers from receiving this additional level of pay.


Risperidone can be found in studies of schizophrenic patients which is more effective than haloperidol in reducing the total score of positive symptoms and negative symptoms in a dose of 4-8 mg per day. The objective of this study is to determine the benefits of risperidone on attentional improvements, get a picture and information about the use of  STROOPTES to assess the improvement of attention. This study is an experimental study, in the form of open label clinical trial one group pretest-posttest design. to assess the effectiveness of risperidone on attention in schizophrenic patients. The result showed that the frequency of males is more common that 20 (66.7%), SMA 23 (76.7%), 25-34 age group of 15 people (50%). From this study it was found that risperidone relationship with attentional values ??in Table 2 shows the mean value of the first Test Strooptest before given risperidone 18.3 (SD 2.3) and mean Strooptest Test I after administration of risperidone 4 mg IV at week 17.8 (SD 2.4). From the statistical test using the dependent t test of the obtained mean value of p = 0.007 p> 0.05 it indicates no significant differences before the given risperidone on Test I and after administration of risperidone in Test I. Mean values ??obtained from research Strooptest Test II before being given risperidone 39.5 (SD 2.5) and mean Strooptest Test II after administration of risperidone 4 mg IV at week 38.5 (SD 2.9). From the statistical test using the dependent t-test p-value = 0.0001 obtained by means of P <0.05 it indicates no significant differences after administration of risperidone in the second week of the fourth Test. This indicates significant differences were assessed by means of measuring strooptest. Conclusion is that the results indicated after a four-week study with administration of 4 mg risperidone experienced a significant change in the value of strooptest test I and test II. Keywords: attention, risperidone, schizophrenia


Background Certolizumab pegol (CZP) increased rates of remission and low disease activity (LDA) as an addition to non-biologic DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (pts) with long-standing, low/moderate disease activity (DA).1 Objectives To evaluate the maintenance of remission to week (Wk) 52 in pts with low/moderate DA following treatment (tx) withdrawal after 24Wks of CZP or placebo (PBO). Methods CERTAIN, a double-blind (DB), randomized, Phase IIIb study, enrolled pts with low to moderate DA (CDAI >6 and ≤16) (NCT00674362). Following 24Wks DB phase (CZP 400mg/PBO at Wks 0, 2, 4, then CZP 200mg/PBO every 2 Wks [Q2W]) pts in CDAI remission (≤2.8) at both Wks 20 and 24 stopped randomized tx but remained on conventional DMARDs; remitters who flared between Wk24 and Wk52 were retreated with CZP. Pts not in remission who withdrew at Wk24 entered an open-label extension. Primary endpoint was CDAI remission at both Wks 20 and 24 (NRI). Secondary endpoints included maintenance of CDAI remission when randomized tx was stopped. Results Baseline (BL) characteristics (means) were similar for CZP (n=96) vs. PBO (n=98) pts. A greater proportion of CZP pts than PBO pts were in LDA or remission at Wk12 and Wk24 (Fig.A). Over 3 times as many CZP pts had CDAI remission at both Wks 20 and 24 vs. PBO (18.8% vs. 6.1%, p<0.05).1 Lower HAQ and pain scores at BL were associated with improved CDAI DA status at Wk24 for CZP and PBO. At Wk24, 18 prior CZP (1 pt withdrew before the first efficacy measurement) and 6 prior PBO pts stopped therapy. CDAI remission was retained up to Wk52 in 3/17 prior CZP vs. 2/6 prior PBO pts, with 7/17 vs. 2/6 pts in CDAI remission/LDA at Wk52. SDAI remission was observed in 4/17 prior CZP vs. 2/6 prior PBO pts, and DAS28(ESR) remission in 4/17 pts vs. 1/6 pt. Median time to loss of CDAI remission (all pts) was 42.5 days (Fig.B). Conclusions In RA pts with long-standing low/moderate DA, addition of CZP to non-biologic DMARDs increased rates of remission and LDA and inhibited progression to high DA. On stopping CZP therapy, most pts were unable to maintain remission, which may have implications for stopping TNF inhibitor therapy in this pt population. References Smolen et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70(Suppl3):25 Disclosure of Interest J. Smolen Grant/Research support from: UCB Pharma, Consultant for: UCB Pharma, P. Emery Grant/Research support from: UCB Pharma, Consultant for: UCB Pharma, G. Ferraccioli: None Declared, W. Samborski Consultant for: UCB Pharma, F. Berenbaum Consultant for: UCB Pharma, O. Davies Employee of: UCB Pharma, W. Koetse Employee of: UCB Pharma, B. Bennett Shareholder of: UCB Pharma, H. Burkhardt Consultant for: UCB Pharma


Vinca major L. is an evergreen perennial weed of family Apocynaceae, growing naturally in hilly areas of Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Flowers of this weed were collected from Khanspur, Ayubia during June 2021, shade dried and extracted in pure methanol for two weeks. After filtration, the extract was analyzed by GC-MS for identification of possible bioactive compounds. α-Amyrin was the major compounds (32.49%) followed by lup-20(29)-en-3-ol, acetate, (3β)- (25.72%). Moderately abundant compounds included γ-sitosterol (8.78%), β-amyrone (7.25%), cyclohexane, 1,3,5-triphenyl- (7.01%), olean-12-en-3-ol, acetate, (3β)- (5.68%), and n-hexadecanoic acid (3.18%). Some of the identified compounds have various important biological properties including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antimalarial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor etc.


Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a disorder characterized by the formation of diffuse thromboses in small blood vessels, which can result in neurological and renal impairment, fever, and purpura, among additional sequelae. TTP-like syndromes are disease processes that have similar signs and symptoms as TTP but without a severe deficiency in ADAMTS13 levels. We present a case of a young male with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis presenting with a thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Although his ADAMTS13 level was not suggestive of TTP, at 54.4% (normal low ADAMTS13: >66.8% activity; severe ADAMTS13 deficiency: ≤10% activity), he improved only after plasmapheresis was initiated, supporting a diagnosis of a TTP-like syndrome likely due to his streptococcal meningitis. We discuss the importance of treating patients with TTP-like syndromes and advanced HIV with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We also highlight the increased prevalence of TMA and TTP among HIV patients and that many of these patients do not have a severe deficiency in levels of serum ADAMTS13.


Abstract Meterorin-like hormone (Metrnl), as a novel secreted factor, has been shown to be involved in physiological and pathophysiological processes. The behaviour of Metrnl in metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes is conflicting. Metrnl-mediated (treatment with Metrnl) auto/paracrine actions in skeletal muscle are glucose uptake, fat oxidation and muscle regeneration. Exercise-induced Metrnl actions are increased fat oxidation in both skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, the control of inflammation in adipose tissue (metainflammation), and the regulation of muscle regeneration. Based on the current knowledge, Metrnl as a myokine can establish the muscle-fat crosstalk; however, the ability of Metrnl as a myokine to create other crosstalks remains unclear yet. Additionally, given the considerable anti-inflammatory roles of Metrnl in muscle regeneration, it could be a potential therapeutic candidate for muscle-related inflammatory diseases and ageing skeletal muscle which need to be addressed in the future studies.


Higher education institutions play a central role in shaping labor skills and green culture essential in the future low-carbon economy. This paper examines the im-pact of green education policies in the higher education sector on the business cy-cle and compares them to standard incentives to encourage green production at the firm level. For our purpose, we set up a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model extended to account for the endogenous selection of green and traditional human capital and heterogeneous households that differ in their ability to access labor markets and with different availabilities of human capital. We find that both academic and firm subsidy measures enable the greening of human capital. How-ever, a green education stimulus is essential to increase the quality of green educa-tion and allow sustainable development in the long run. In contrast, firm-level green subsidies have a larger impact on short-term low-carbon productivity, as they main-ly affect hiring and investment decisions.


We investigated the energetic, structural, and electronic properties of neutral O and Zn vacancies in ZnO nanowires with different sizes based on the first-principles calculations using density functional theory. We found that for ZnO nanowire with an O vacancy on the surface the formation energy is not sensitive to the size change. The presence of the surface O vacancy results in the formation of the metal-metal bonds. From the band structure analysis, we predicted that the optical property relating to the O vacancy can be strongly altered with decreasing the nanowire diameter. Moreover, there is a large structural deformation on the surface in the presence of Zn vacancy. The formation of a Zn vacancy in the ZnO nanowire with diameter of 16.4 A is more favorable than in those with smaller diameters. Furthermore, the O vacancy is nonmagnetic, whereas the Zn vacancy is spin-polarized with a magnetic moment of 2.0 μB on the surface. Our results are helpful for understanding these defects in ZnO nanowires an...


To comply with recent developments of path integrals in spaces with curvature and torsion, we find the correct variational principle for classical trajectories of spinless point-particles in such spaces. Although the action depends only on the length, the trajectories are autoparallels (straightest lines) rather than geodesics (shortest lines), due to the effects of a torsion force arising from a geometric peculiarity of the variational procedure.


Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is highly effective in promoting physical and psychological recovery following acute cardiac syndrome (ACS). Despite this in the UK, only 42% of eligible patients take part. This study examines determinants of "perceived necessity" of Phase 3 CR in a cohort of ACS patients followed from discharge until the start of CR. Methods: Of 488 eligible ACS patients (March 2012 to July 2013), 214 consented. Consecutive patients completed a computerised weekly diary using shortened standardised questionnaires targeting illness and treatment-related beliefs, mood and "perceived necessity" of CR. Findings: 184 participants provided 5weeks of diary entries. "Perceived necessity" was independently predicted by illness perceptions ("treatment control" (B=0.07, p<.002); "emotional representation" (B= -0.13, p<.001)), treatment perceptions ("concerns regarding exercise" (z=-0.12, p<.001)) and positive affect (z=0.31, p<.001). Discussion: Perceptions of high controllability, negative emotional consequences of ACS, low concern regarding exercise were strong predictors of "perceived necessity". Targeting these processes could increase attendance at CR.


641 Background: Most of patients with lung cancer die of progressive metastatic disease despite of multitherapeutic modalities, although recently there is great hope offered by several new anticancer drugs and new therapy targeted to biologic abnormalities. Direct drug delivery of chemotherapy to the lung can increase both the drug concentration and exposure in the tumor of the lung. To determine whether this approach has utility against lung cancer, the efficacy of aerosol therapy with liposome-encapsulated cisplatin was determined using orthotopically implanted SCID mouse model of the lung cancer cell line Ma44-3. Materials: liposome-encapsulated cisplatin, TRX-20:PEG5000-DSPE: Rhodamine DHPE=50:42:8:0.5:0.2, cisplatin (0.5mg/ml), average diameter of article 120nm. Method and results: 1) Adhesion test between tumor cell line and liposome- cisplatin: 3 lung caner cell lines (Ma44-3, Ma25, FT821) were incubated with 100ug/mL rhodamine-labeled liposome in the incubation medium for 4 h. Fluorescence image were obtained using fluorescence microscope. Adhesion potential of liposome to cells: Ma44-3>> Ma25> FT821. 2) Antitumor effect of liposome-cisplatin to cancer cell line in vitro: We measured IC50 of liposome-cisplatin and only cisplatin in Ma44-3 cell line for 48 and 96 h incubation. using modified MTT (PreMix WST-1) assay. The IC50 of only cisplatin and liposome- cisplatin was 40 and 10 ug/mL at 48 h, 40 and 1.5 ug/mL at 96 h, respectively. The antitumor effect of liposome-cisplatin was very higher than that of only cisplatin. 3) Accumulation of liposome-cisplatin of the lung and tumor in SCID mice: The mice (n=6) were exposed to aerosol (3 mL volume of rhodamine-labeled liposome-cisplatin (500ug/mL)) for 15 min. The mice were sacrificed on day 1 and 4 after administration. The left lung including tumor was removed, and embedded by OCT compound. The frozen sections were examined using fluorescence microscope. The liposome-cisplatin was accumulated in lung tissues and tumor cells. 4) Efficacy of aerosol therapy of liposome-cisplatin in vivo: The aerosol treatment was performed on day 5 after implantation. The mice (n=5) were sacrificed on 12 day after inplantation. The volume of implanted tumors was measured. The volume of tumor with aerosol treatment was smaller than that without treatment (mean volume: 3775 versus 7269 mm3). Conclusion: These data suggest that aerosol treatment with liposome-encapsulated cisplatin may be useful for therapy of lung cancer.


Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) I transcription factors are crucial for plant responses to drought, salt, and cold stresses. However, how they are associated with thermotolerance remains mostly unknown. We previously demonstrated that lily (Lilium longiflorum) LlHB16 (HOMEOBOX PROTEIN 16) promotes thermotolerance, whereas the roles of other HD-Zip I members are still unclear. Here, we conducted a transcriptomic analysis and identified a heat-responsive HD-Zip I gene, LlHOX6 (HOMEOBOX 6). We showed that LlHOX6 represses the establishment of basal thermotolerance in lily. LlHOX6 expression was rapidly activated by high temperature, and its protein localized to the nucleus. Heterologous expression of LlHOX6 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and overexpression in lily reduced their basal thermotolerance. In contrast, silencing LlHOX6 in lily elevated basal thermotolerance. Co-overexpressing or co-silencing LlHOX6 and LlHB16 in vivo compromised their functions in modulating basal thermotolerance. LlHOX6 interacted with itself and with LlHB16, although heterologous interactions were stronger than homologous ones. Notably, LlHOX6 directly bound DNA elements to repress the expression of the LlHB16-target genes LlHSFA2 (HEAT STRESS TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A2) and LlMBF1c (MULTIPROTEIN BRIDGING FACTOR 1C). Moreover, LlHB16 activated itself to form a positive feedback loop, while LlHOX6 repressed LlHB16 expression. The LlHOX6-LlHB16 hetero-oligomers exhibited stronger DNA binding to compete for LlHB16 homo-oligomers, thus weakening the transactivation ability of LlHB16 for LlHSFA2 and LlMBF1c and reducing its auto-activation. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that LlHOX6 interacts with LlHB16 to limit its transactivation, thereby impairing heat stress responses in lily.


We propose a two-layer integral equation model (IEM) model including multiple-scattering terms to reproduce the phase signature of buried wet structures that we observed on L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. We have good agreement between the extended (single+multiple scattering) IEM model and previous results obtained using a single-scattering IEM model combined with finite-difference time-domain simulations. We show that the multiple scattering not only significantly influences the copolarized phase difference but can also be related to the soil moisture content. In order to assess the validity of our extended model, we performed radar measurements on a natural outdoor site and showed that they could be fairly well fitted to the extended model. A parametric analysis presents the dependence of the copolarized phase difference on roughness parameters (rms height and correlation length) and radar parameters (frequency and incidence angle). Our study also shows that the phase signature should allow detection of buried wet structures down to a larger depth for C-band (3.8 m) than for L-band (2.6 m). This signature could then be used to map subsurface moisture in arid regions using polarimetric SAR systems.


We propose an iterative decision-directed joint frequency offset (FO) and channel estimation algorithm in a known symbol padding (KSP) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system, where the guard interval is filled with pilot symbols. Besides those time domain pilot symbols, some additional pilot symbols are transmitted on the pilot carriers. The decision-directed algorithm is initialized by pilot-aided FO estimation without channel knowledge. We propose a possible initialization algorithm that operates in the frequency domain (FD). After the initialization phase, the iterative decision-directed estimation algorithm is applied. For the channel estimation step, an existing pilot-aided channel estimation algorithm is extended to a decision-directed algorithm which uses the Fast Fourier Transform outputs at both the pilot and data carrier positions. For the uncoded case, the proposed iterative decision-directed joint FO and channel estimation algorithm reaches the bit error rate performance of a receiver with perfect synchronization and perfect channel knowledge. For a coded system, there is small loss in performance of less than 1 dB when our proposed algorithm is applied compared to a receiver with perfect knowledge about the FO and the channel.


John Wyndham's four major novels: The Day of the Triffids , The Kraken Wakes , The Chrysalids , and The Midwich Cuckoos . Wyndham has been dismissed by many critics as a writer of "cosy catastrophes", a term coined by Brian Aldiss. This title is meant to suggest that Wyndham's works are critically insignificant, and that, as Nicholas Ruddick suggests, they do not repay serious critical attention. I would argue that not only do Wyndham's works repay critical attention, but that there is consistent social criticism inherent in these works. In the four novels in question, Wyndham seems preoccupied with a number of ideas. He attacks the power of Big Business, Government, and the Military, and what I would characterize as their "Cult of Secrecy". Wyndham also criticizes irrational faith in any ideology, particularly in nationalism, Scientism (or the power of science to solve humanity's problems), and religion. Finally, Wyndham seems specifically concerned with the fate of humankind in light of Darwinian ideas of evolution and survival of the fittest.


Background Research suggests health and care leaders need to develop a distinct set of political skills in order to understand and manage the competing interests and agenda that characterise health and care services. Aim To understand how healthcare leaders describe the acquisition and development of political skills with the aim of providing evidence for leadership development programme. Methods A qualitative interview study was carried out between 2018 and 2019 with 66 health and care leaders located within the English National Health Service. Qualitative data were subject to interpretative analysis and coding, with themes related to pre-existing literature on the methods of leadership skill development. Results The primary method of acquiring and developing political skill is through direct experience in leading and changing services. This is unstructured and incremental in nature with skill development increased through the accumulation of experience. Many participants described mentoring as an important source of political skill development, especially for reflecting on first-hand experiences, understanding the local environment and fine-tuning strategies. A number of participants describe formal learning opportunities as giving them permission to discuss political issues, and providing frameworks for conceptual understanding of organisational politics. Overall, no one approach appears to reflect the changing developmental needs of leaders. Conclusions The study suggests that healthcare leaders' development of political skills and behaviours might be supported through an integrative approach that takes into account the evolving learning needs and opportunities at different career stages in the form of a maturation framework.


The task of automatic misogyny identification and categorization has not received as much attention as other natural language tasks have, even though it is crucial for identifying hate speech in social Internet interactions. In this work, we address this sentence classification task from a representation learning perspective, using both a bidirectional LSTM and BERT optimized with the following metric learning loss functions: contrastive loss, triplet loss, center loss, congenerous cosine loss and additive angular margin loss. We set new state-of-the-art for the task with our fine-tuned BERT, whose sentence embeddings can be compared with a simple cosine distance, and we release all our code as open source for easy reproducibility. Moreover, we find that almost every loss function performs equally well in this setting, matching the regular cross entropy loss.


Composite repair systems are being successfully and heavily utilized for the repair of a wide variety of pipeline systems operating at high internal pressures worldwide. Many of these pipelines employ cathodic protection systems as a preventative measure of insuring that the pipeline does not corrode. Even with advanced cathodic protection systems, there are still times that a pipeline may become damaged or corroded and composite repair systems are a popular choice. In order to qualify a composite repair system for use on a cathodically protected pipeline, the repair system must undergo specific testing to insure that there will be no issues of disbondment of the composite due to the cathodic protection system.This paper discusses the testing of composite repair systems with varying fiber types, resins, and installation methods. Results have been gathered for several repair system options and indicate that there is variance in the results depending on the above mentioned variables. The results of each of these systems and the impact of the fibers utilized will be discussed and conclusions made as to the effect of cathodic protection on each.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


In an environment of intelligent transportation systems, interaction with other drivers via identifying their intentions becomes a challenging and unavoidable problem for the driverless vehicles. In this paper, we propose a human-like decision model for unsignalized intersections. An intention-aware prediction for other drivers via a CNN method with multiple-object tracking and Kalman-Filter operations is considered in the developed model to construct the interaction of other drivers. A human-like decision model according to the moving intention of the obstacle was proposed to generate the strategy of an autonomous vehicle. Our approach method is validated on a real autonomous vehicle in the presence of human-driven vehicles through an on-road test.


Brexpiprazole
which marketed as Rexulti® is a second-generation
atypical
antipsychotic. A seemingly
random and uncontrollable "ghost
peak" that vary from below the detection limit to ∼0.2% was observed occasionally during the
development of HPLC method for brexpiprazole drug substance. The "ghost peak"
was finally characterized as a syn head-to-tail dimer
of brexpiprazole by UV, IR, LC–MS/TOF, 1D and 2D NMR. It was formed rapidly through
photocatalytic [2 + 2] pericyclic reaction and can reach approximately
1.7% in five minutes once the analytes were exposed to sunlight at noon. By
contrast, the occurrence of this "ghost peak" in
brexpiprazole can be suppressed when the solutions were prepared and stored
away from sunlight.


Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS) is a rare mitochondrial disorder, and the effects of radiotherapy on such a population group are unknown. A 60-year-old male with a history of KSS was diagnosed with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma along the left inner canthus. He was treated at our institution with curative intent radiotherapy alone and tolerated it well with no major acute or late toxicities. There was a complete clinical and radiological response of the tumor, with no evidence of recurrence 2.5 years after treatment. Further research is needed to explore the effects of ionizing radiation on patients with mitochondrial DNA defects.


The mean molecular connectivity indices (MMCI) proposed in previous studies are used in conjunction with well-known molecular connectivity indices (MCI) to model eleven properties of organic solvents. The MMCI and MCI descriptors selected by the stepwise multilinear least-squares (MLS) procedure were used to perform artificial neural network (ANN) computations, with the aim of detecting the advantages and limits of the ANN approach. The MLS procedure can replicate the obtained results for as long as is needed, a characteristic not shared by the ANN methodology, which, on the one hand increases the quality of a description, and on the other hand also results in overfitting. The present study also reveals how ANN methods prefer MCI relatively to MMCI descriptors. Four types of ANN computations show that: (i) MMCI descriptors are preferred with properties with a small number of points, (ii) MLS is preferred over ANN when the number of ANN weights is similar to the number of regression coefficients and, (iii) in some cases, the MLS modeling quality is similar to the modeling quality of ANN computations. Both the common training set and an external randomly chosen validation set were used throughout the paper.


The ability of people with Parkinson's (PwP) to discriminate upright and inverted facial expressions
is evaluated using a temporal two-interval forced-choice paradigm. Stimuli are black and white images of neutral, happy, angry, disgusted, fearful, sad and surprised expressions. Inverted stimuli are the two expressions that participants are most and least sensitive to. A range of intensities of expressions (0–100%) are created by morphing between neutral and expressive images. The
neutral image (0%) is presented in one interval and the expressive image (varies –100%) in the other. Observers indicate the interval that contained the image that was most expressive. For all upright expressions and all participants, performance increases from chance to 100% correct as intensity of expression increases. Fitted functions describing performance of happy and disgust are
shifted to the left of others. This suggests that PwP are most sensitive to expressions of happiness and disgust. PwP and control participants show a small reduction in sensitivity for the expression they are most sensitive to when it is inverted (Face Inversion Effect). For PwP there is a considerable Face Inversion Effect for the expression they are least sensitive to. This suggests
that configural face processing is disrupted in Parkinson's disease.


Psoriasis is a common and debilitating disease of the skin, nails, and joints, with an acknowledged but complex genetic basis. Early genome-wide linkage studies of psoriasis focused on segregation of microsatellite markers in families; however, the only locus consistently identified resided in the major histocompatibility complex. Subsequently, several groups mapped this locus to the vicinity of HLA-C ,a nd two groups have reported HLA-Cw6 itself to be the major susceptibility allele. More recently, the development of millions of single-nucleotide polymorphisms, coupled with the development of high-throughput genotyping platforms and a comprehensive map of human haplotypes, has made possible a genome-wide association approach using cases and controls rather than families. Taking advantage of these developments, we participated in a collaborative genome-wide association study of psoriasis involving thousands of cases and controls. Initial analysis of these data revealed and/or confirmed association between psoriasis and seven genetic loci— HLA-C, IL12B, IL23R, IL23A, IL4/IL13, TNFAIP3 ,a nd TNIP1—and ongoing studies are revealing additional loci. Here, we review the epidemiology, immunopathology, and genetics of psoriasis, and present a disease model integrating its genetics and immunology.


We report current and past efforts made by our group in the ab initio modelling of different negative ion sources. In particular, we discuss the cross sections of elementary processes relevant to negative ion kinetics, including electron–molecule, atom–molecule and atom/molecule gas surface interactions, particularly emphasizing the role of vibrational excitation in affecting the cross sections. Attention is also paid to the elementary processes involving caesium in both volume and surface sources. Self-consistent models, which couple the Boltzmann equation and the vibrational kinetics, are used for describing multipole and rf discharges, while a PIC-MC (particle in cell) with Monte Carlo collisions is used to study electron and ion dynamics in a parallel plate reactor in the post-discharge regime. The present theoretical results should encourage further dedicated experimental work in the field.


The handicap principle proposes that male sexual ornaments and displays provide honest indicators of quality. Female preference for high-quality males, however, may be driven not only by genetic benefits but also by indirect benefits. We investigated the impact of parasitism on morphological, ornamental, and behavioral characteristics of male and female blue-black grassquits (Volatinia jacarina) in captivity. First, we tested whether male displays and morphology were influenced by parasitism. Second, we assessed if females were attentive to variation in male morphology and displays linked to parasitism. Third, we tested whether parasitism in females influenced health and mate preferences. We maintained 2 groups of birds in captivity: nonmedicated birds developed high levels of coccidian parasitism, whereas medicated birds were free of parasitism. Parasitized males developed, relative to nonparasitized males, lower weight/tarsus indices and mass. They also showed relative deficiencies in their displays, with less persistence and lower rates. Despite the negative effects of parasitism on males, females did not prefer nonparasitized males. This held for both parasitized and nonparasitized females. Our data suggest that coccidian parasitism has adverse effects on morphological condition and expression of displays. These effects, however, appear not to be attended to by females; moreover, female mate preferences appear not to be impacted by the threat of parasitism. It thus seems that female mate preferences may not depend only on sexual characters affected by parasitism in this species.


Abstract : Analyses of alternatives (AoAs) play an important part in the acquisition process. The act of selecting a set of alternatives to be compared in an AoA can help decision makers understand and manage key tradeoffs--or it can prematurely constrict or otherwise distort the solution trade space. It is fairly easy to point to completed AoAs as evidence that many of them have been poorly scoped. But it is much more difficult to spot the problem in real time--or to keep it from occurring at all. This report identifies four principles designed to help minimize the occurrence of poorly scoped AoAs. These four principles were arrived at by applying formalisms from the disciplines of systems analysis and systems thinking, in combination with a series of semi-structured interviews with members of the AoA stakeholder community (consumers, sponsors, practitioners, and critics). The principles may be summarized, in systems terminology, as Focus on Outputs and Think Backwards; Start With the Exterior and Work Inwards; Apply Constraints Carefully; and Iterate and Reduce Uncertainty. The report translates these principles into practical terms that can be understood and applied by AoA stakeholders.


Background: Since the discovery of antibiotics, they have been in use broadly for the treatment of odontogenic infections. Prescription is a dynamic, customized clinical process, and is considered as a vital determinant of good doctor/clinician. Aim of this study was to assess & evaluate the knowledge regarding the prescription of antibiotic during endodontic treatment and errors made by the house officers at Multan Dental College.
Methods: This survey-based study was conducted among 40 house officers working at Multan Dental College. A survey form was designed, about the pattern of antibiotics prescription and the situations for which they were recommended by the House officers. The questionnaire investigated house officer's knowledge regarding the indications of prescription of antibiotics for different clinical signs that may well be related to the infections of the oral cavity.
Results: The medication of choice was mostly Amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (52.6%) and Amoxicillin alone (47.3%). The greatest number of antibiotic prescriptions was written for acute apical abscess (62.8%) and patient with fever and malaise (62%). Overall, 12% of respondents always prescribed antibiotics after root canal therapy. In this study the greatest numbers of antibiotics prescribed were prophylactically for congenital heart diseases 69.7%, and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus 62.8%. Prosthetic joint in past 2 years 46.5% & Mitral valve prolapsed 34.9%.
Conclusion: We conclude that here is a deficiency of knowledge & information about the proper indication, kind, and dose of antibiotics in the dental practice.


This paper introduces a novel shallow self-supervised tensor neural network for volumetric segmentation of brain MR images obviating training or supervision. The proposed network is a 3D version of the Quantum-Inspired Self Supervised Neural Network (QIS-Net) architecture and is referred to as 3D Quantum-inspired Self-supervised Tensor Neural Network (3D-QNet). The underlying architecture of 3D-QNet is composed of a trinity of volumetric layers viz. input, intermediate and output layers inter-connected using a 26-connected third-order neighborhood-based topology for voxel-wise processing of 3D MR image data suitable for semantic segmentation. Each of the volumetric layers contains quantum neurons designated by qubits or quantum bits. The incorporationof tensor decomposition in quantum formalism leads to faster convergence of the network operations to preclude the inherent slow convergence problems faced by the self-supervised networks. The segmented volumes are obtained once the network converges. The suggested 3D-QNet is tailored and tested on the BRATS 2019 data set extensively in the experiments carried out. 3D-QNet has achieved promising dice similarity while compared with the intensively supervised convolutional network-based models 3D-UNet, Vox-ResNet, DRINet, and 3D-ESPNet, thus facilitating annotation free semantic segmentation using a self-supervised shallow network.


We demonstrate the reduction of the facet reflectivity of quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) by using subwavelength gratings. The gratings were fabricated on lambda=4.9- and 9.8-mum QCLs using focused ion beam milling. Reflectivities as low as 1%-3% for the 4.9-mum QCL and as low as 4%-8% for the 9.8-mum QCL are reported


This project paper would be focusing on the right and responsibilities of the non-custodial parent in Malaysia post-divorce. This is because a parent, even does not has the custody of the child, would still has rights and responsibilities over the child. Most of the people might aware the right and responsibility of a parent towards his or her child. However, the question arises would be what are the differences between rights and responsibilities? What would be the effect of such terms if they are applied as a law? This project paper would also study the applicability of such concept in local law. This is because this concept is practiced by Scotland and Australia and is said to be one of promising method in matter relating to custody of a child. Even if it is well applied in both of the foreign countries, could it be applied in Malaysia in the same way and have the same effect as what is currently practiced in Scotland and Australia to solve the custodial issues after the divorce? In Malaysia, the current position of law with regard to the custody of the child is that in determining the order for custody of the child, the paramount consideration that should be taken into account by the court is welfare of the children. The wishes of the parent would be a secondary matter to be considered by the court. Again, a question would arise as to the extent that what is meant by welfare of the child or how welfare of the child is determined by the court? Does the law in Scotland and Australia could provide a better definition of welfare of the children? This project paper would discuss the relevant law in comparison with the position of the law in Scotland and Australia. This is important because if the law could be improvised, then it would give a better protection for the children from their parents during and after the divorce proceeding as the paramount consideration is the welfare of the child. This research would be conducted based on article and journals from scholars, case law analysis and also interview with selected respondents.


1 Re exive Tradition In this study John Walliss tries to incorporate the results of various recent social theories into the scienti c study of religious traditions especially that of Anthony Giddens on the emergence of a posttraditional society and he tries to take into consideration how traditions may persist and even ourish in modern society. He combines this with eldwork on a neo-Hindu tradition, the Brahma Kumaris. In his introduction the author draws the relations between sociology, religion and sociology of religion itself. He signals a `gradual divorce' over the last decades between mainstream sociology and sociology of religion. The last couple of years, however, we may nd a kind of `partial resynchronization' in two ways: `Firstly, there is a growing interest in aspects of contemporary religiosity within more mainstream work. . . Secondly, partly as a reaction to the above, sociologists of religion and religious studies have begun to explore the relationship between religion and issues within social theory. (viii)'. Walliss completely bypasses the secularization debate because he considers this discussion to be partisan and `frankly boring' in the way in which it has developed over the last decades. More than just secularisation is at stake when it comes to the position of religiosity in the Western world. In the introduction (Responding to Late Modernity) and the chapters I (Beyond Tradition and Modernity) and II (Re exive Traditions and the New Age Religious Life) we nd lucid descriptions of themes like `Powers of Traditions', `Tradition andModernity', `Detraditionalisation', `New Age Religion', and `Re exive Traditions', to name just a few. `Re exivity', `Re exive society' and `Re exive Tradition' are key concepts used by Walliss in his study. In industrial society, the main focus was on the distribution of products, or `goods'. The successor of this society can be said to be `re exive', because while continuing this production, it is concerned primarily with the distribution prevention, minimisation, channelling of the `bads', i.e. the dangers resulting from industrial society. These


Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is strongly associated with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This work aimed to estimate the impact of Hepatitis C virus infection on glycaemic state and insulin resistance in type 2 Diabetic patients, and evaluate the effect of directacting oral antiviral treatment on the glycaemic state and insulin resistance in type 2 Diabetic patients. Methods: The study was performed on (40 patients) with Type 2 Diabetes who were infected by Hepatitis C Virus and took Direct-acting Oral Antiviral Drugs. The study also included (10 patients) who had Type 2 Diabetes and HCV infection serving as control group. All patients and control were subjected to thorough history taking, clinical examination, and lab. investigations as FBG, PP and HBA1c , Serum fasting Insulin level, And HOMA-IR, HCVAb – HBsAg – HIVAb, CBC, SGOT, SGPT, Serum Albumin and Bilirubin, PCR for HCV RNA, and Abdominal US. Results: DAAs-based eradication of HCV is associated with improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes as evidenced by a significant reduction of mean FBG, Fasting insulin, HbA1c, and HOMA IR. There was a positive correlation between the treatment of HCV infection and the reduction of anti-diabetic drugs used in the studied patients. Conclusion: DAAs-based eradication of HCV is associated with improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.


The diffraction color of a gelatin holographic diffraction grating changed as a function of the water activity when immersed in a "wet" hydrophobic liquid. Quantification of the absorption maximum of the diffracted light showed that it was related, after calibration, to either the water content or the water activity of the solvent. The holographic diffraction grating measured water contents of hydrocarbon solvents at sensitivities comparable to that of the Karl Fischer coulometric titrator and over a wide range of water contents. A grating immersed in xylene revealed a visible color change when the water content was increased from 47 to 120 ppm. Conversely, the holographic grating responded to ethanol in water in the range 0-1% (w/w). The inexpensiveness and simplicity of silver halide holographic reflection gratings, combined with their relatively high sensitivity, suggests that these devices might find widespread application as immersible water activity sensors for hydrophobic liquids.


In this work, incompressible and compressible flows of background gas are characterized in argon inductively coupled plasma by using a fluid model, and the respective influence of the two flows on the plasma properties is specified. In the incompressible flow, only the velocity variable is calculated, while in the compressible flow, both the velocity and density variables are calculated. The compressible flow is more realistic; nevertheless, a comparison of the two types of flow is convenient for people to investigate the respective role of velocity and density variables. The peripheral symmetric profile of metastable density near the chamber sidewall is broken in the incompressible flow. At the compressible flow, the electron density increases and the electron temperature decreases. Meanwhile, the metastable density peak shifts to the dielectric window from the discharge center, besides for the peripheral density profile distortion, similar to the incompressible flow. The velocity profile at incompressible flow is not altered when changing the inlet velocity, whereas clear peak shift of velocity profile from the inlet to the outlet at compressible flow is observed as increasing the gas flow rate. The shift of velocity peak is more obvious at low pressures for it is easy to compress the rarefied gas. The velocity profile variations at compressible flow show people the concrete residing processes of background molecule and plasma species in the chamber at different flow rates. Of more significance is it implied that in the usual linear method that people use to calculate the residence time, one important parameter in the gas flow dynamics, needs to be rectified. The spatial profile of pressure simulated exhibits obvious spatial gradient. This is helpful for experimentalists to understand their gas pressure measurements that are always taken at the chamber outlet. At the end, the work specification and limitations are listed.


The anticancer effects of kimchi prepared with different kinds of solar salts were evaluated in an in vitro cellular system using HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells. Four kinds of kimchi samples were prepared, using different solar salts: conventionally manufactured solar salt (CS), filtered sea water solar salt (FS), dehydrated solar salt by centrifuging (DS), and washed-dehydrated solar salt (WDS). Prepared kimchi samples were presented as CSK, FSK, DSK, and WDSK, respectively. The pH values, acidity, and sensory evaluation were determined after 3 week fermentation at 5 °C (pH 4.3), and WDSK exhibited the best fermented characteristics and taste among the 4 samples examined. In the HT-29 cell growth inhibitory activity assay, all 4 kimchi samples exert dose-dependent cell growth inhibition, with WDSK showing significant growth inhibition of HT-29 cells. mRNA and protein expression levels of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest related factors reveals that WDSK significantly increases the mRNA expression levels of Bax, Bim, caspases-3, caspases-9, and p21 as compared to other kimchi samples, at a concentration of 4.0 mg mL−1. In addition, WDSK treatment strongly decreases the Bcl-2 protein expression (on western blot) in HT-29 cells, as compared to the control group (no kimchi treatment) and significantly increases the protein expression levels of Bax, caspases-3, caspases-9, and p53. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) reveals that WDS possesses a different mineral composition when compared to the other three solar salts; notably, the lower Mg (9.3 g kg−1) and S (4.7 g kg−1) content of WDS may cause better taste, fermented characteristcs, and functionality of WDSK. These results indicate WDS to be the ideal solar salt for kimchi preparation, which enhances the taste due to its lower Mg and S contents, and increases the anticancer effects by exerting better pro-apoptosis and cell cycle arrest abilities in HT-29 cells.


Purpose
This study aims to assess consumers' beliefs in three Middle Eastern Arab countries regarding attitudinal and behavioural responses towards permission-based direct email marketing (hereafter DEM) and the moderating role of gender in the hypothesised path model.

Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised path model by using data collected from 829 respondents.

Findings
The findings show that attitude was found to fully mediate the relationship between beliefs and behavioural responses towards permission-based DEM. Gender moderates the relationship between beliefs and attitudes and responses to permission-based DEM. Notably, female respondents were found to react more actively when exposed to permission-based DEM.

Research limitations/implications
Further qualitative research is needed to learn more about how and why individuals develop behavioural intentions in certain ways towards opt-in DEM. In addition, neuropsychology approaches such as eye-tracking are endorsed for future research to gain more insights and conquer biases associated with self-reporting procedures in countries where such technologies are deemed as legal and ethical to be used with human subjects.

Practical implications
Advertisers promoting products and services in the Middle Eastern Arab context should take further steps to enhance the quality of information (including cultural sensitiveness) and the perceived entertainment value that could be delivered to consumers through permission-based DEM, especially for female internet users. Additionally, this study highly recommends the double opt-in approach to permission-based DEM.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to address the gender role as a moderator of the path depicting the effectiveness of permission-based DEM approach in the Middle East (Arab counties) from beliefs to behavioural responses via attitudes.


The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of pelvic and lower extremity exercise on the gait in 25 patients(11 men, 14 women) with hemiplegia. Their mean age was 65.2 years and the mean post-onset duration was 8.7 months. Each participant received a total of 15 sessions of PNF(five times per week), and each session lasted 40 minutes and consisted of 2 procedures(20 minutes each). The first procedure was pelvic anterior elevation and posterior depression pattern. And the second procedure was lower extremity flexion-adduction with knee flexion pattern. Results showed significant progressive improvement in gait speed and cadence after each 5 session period(5th, 10th, 15th session) compared with pre-treatment data(P


The effects of feeding on blood flow to the equine foot are poorly understood. In a temperature-controlled room, duplex Doppler ultrasonographic observations were made pre- and postprandially of the lateral proper palmar digital artery of 5 horses, randomly assigned to twice and 4 times daily feeding in an unbalanced 2 period crossover design. Arterial diameter and blood velocity were measured over 4 h and additional observations made of heart rate, blood pressure, total plasma protein, packed cell volume, plasma glucose and insulin. There was no effect of the feeding regimen on any variable. Postprandially, there were significant increases in arterial diameter, blood velocity, total plasma protein, plasma glucose and insulin; the other variables were unchanged. It appeared that the normal postprandial response was an increase in blood flow to the foot. The value of ultrasonography for noninvasive investigation of the peripheral vasculature of the conscious horse was established; and in the future it may have a role in the diagnosis of vascular diseases of the foot.


For more than two decades stock markets have boomed in just about every developing country. This stems from the recognition that the establishment of financial institutions, primarily stock markets, is essential for the generation of the requisite capital for economic development and growth. A develop stock market, as concluded by many articles on stock markets, is as important to national economic growth as banks. Though each provides a different set of important services, they both stimulate the accumulation of capital and contribute to improvements in productivity. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the Sudanese stock market has succeeded in performing its functions including being a mechanism through which public funds and credits can be channeled for development purposes. The investigation covers the period 1995 – 2007. Since there exists no theory of financial market development, the empirical indicators of stock market development assembled by the World Bank researchers and constructed by the International Finance Corporation, are used to measure the level of development of the capital market in Sudan. The principal measures used are measures of activity as well as measures of the institutional determinants of conditions under which securities are traded. To measure the achievements of KSE in terms of the crucial issue of capital mobilization three ratio measures are suggested in this paper. The results obtained from this empirical study reveal the poor performance of the Sudanese capital markets. In terms of all stock market development indicators as well as new measures suggested by this paper, the KSE is a very limited and undeveloped market


This article is to present a detailed review over some generally used comprehensive environment assessment methods updated in recent years.As an area of paramount fundamental scientific testing and evaluation practices,environment assessment has been playing more and more important role in the sustainable development of our country in politics and economy,culture and education,as well as in our social life for the purpose of protecting and improving,or as is often said,heightening the quality of our living conditions.As a matter of fact, environmental assessment tends to evolve from simple mono-factor assessment to the comprehensive ones by using multiple factors in recent years.The assessment methods have been becoming more and more objective,rational and both quantitative-and qualitative-oriented to satisfy the great need of calculating and monitoring all sorts of complicated statistical data and variable factors so as to overcome the unavoidable interferences of some lopsided information and superficial distortions.It is just for the above reasons,statistical theory and simulated mathematical models,such as fuzzy mathematics,grey system theory,analytic hierarchy process,set pair analysis as well as the remote-sensing technology of geographic information systems are more and more emphasized so as to heighten the scientific value of such assessments.


Arnica Montana extract, a natural limuloid contains about 59 ingredients out of which sesquiterpene lactones helenalin, and dihydrohelenalin, are considered significant medicinally active ingredients. Arnica Montana is commonly used in folk medicine, CAM, and Homeopathic drug as neurotropic, cardiotropic, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-bacterial, Anti-oxidant, Anti tumors, to control diabetes, etc. The plant is often misidentified with similar plants. Arnica Montana is now a protected endangered plant species. The commercially available crude ethanol extract and serial dilutions of Arnica Montana is studied for identification and characterization using Scanning Electron Microscope and FTIR.


In this paper, we propose a new statistical framework for modeling and extracting 2D moving deformable objects from image sequences. The object representation relies on a hierarchical description of the deformations applied to a template. Global deformations are modeled using a Karhunen Loeve expansion of the distortions observed on a representative population. Local deformations are modeled by a (first-order) MarKov process. The optimal bayesian estimate of the global and local deformations is obtained by maximizing a non-linear joint probability distribution using stochastic and deterministic optimization techniques. The use of global optimization techniques yields robust and reliable segmentations in adverse situations such as low signal-to-noise ratio, non-gaussian noise or occlusions. Moreover, no human interaction is required to initialize the model. The approach is demonstrated on synthetic as well as on real-world image sequences showing moving hands with partial occlusions.<<ETX>>


Objective: To determine the prevalence of VRSA among patients attending Erbil Teaching Hospital and their resistance to community used antibiotics. Materials and methods: Cultural studies using different cultures and biochemical tests were done to ensure the identity of species under study. Susceptibility of the isolates for the antibiotics test were done using discs of twenty two different antibiotic discs including (Carbenicillin (CAR), Vancomycin (VA), Clindamycin (DA), Methicillin (MY), Cephalothin (KF), Pipercillin (PRL), Nitrofurantoin (F), Cephalexin (CL), Rifampicin (RA), Gentamycin (G), Chloramphenicol (C), Trimethoprim–Sulphamethaxazole (SXT), Ceftazidime (CAZ), Polymyxin B (PB), Amoxicillin–Clavulanic acid (AMC), Doxycycline (DO), Amikacin (AK), Oxacillin (OX), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Cefixime (CFM), Cefoperazone (CEP) and Neomycin (NEO). Results: The results show that resistance for the antibiotics ranged from 26.31% to 98.61% for DA and MY consecutively. 78.94% of those demonstrated resistance to MY have also found resist to VA antibiotic. Thus, the current study concludes that some strains of S. aureus isolates acquired genes that are able to resist those antibiotics. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results of the current study showed an increase of Vancomycin resistance among MRSA and excessive use of antimicrobial agents have worsened the sensitivity, which call for further epidemiological studies.


Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed on a series of mutants of the 20 amino acid peptide Betanova in order to critically assess the ability of MD simulations to reproduce the folding and stability of small β-sheet forming peptides on currently accessible time scales. Simulations were performed in both water and in 40% methanol solution using an explicit solvent model. The simulations suggest that all mutants adopt a wide range of conformations in solution, that the structures are highly flexible and that stabilization of compact structures is due to a delicate balance of hydrophobic and polar side chain interactions. Simulations longer than 100ns, although not sufficient for a complete thermodynamic and kinetic description of the system, sample an ensemble of compact conformations characterized by the loss of ordered β-sheet secondary structure. This suggests that no significant free energy barrier separates the different conformations available.


Abstract We estimate the degree of stickiness in aggregate consumption growth for the U.S. considering the effects of the Great Recession. The behavior of stickiness estimate in the crisis is somewhat as the U-shaped pattern. Our findings imply that during the crisis consumers' attentiveness to aggregate information has slightly increased, thereby reducing the persistence of aggregate consumption growth. However, the reduction in persistence is transitory. Since 1980, the U.S. faced five recessions and in most of them the degree of stickiness declined, albeit temporarily.


Something that is common to all people is that everyone is in need of food. However, people may differ about the choice of brand and the motives for the purchase. In the essay enables the reader to study if the purchasing behaviour may differ between the sexes, which also respond to the essays purpose. The purpose of this essay is to identify and describe any differences in buying motives of convenience goods between the sexes in a student population. In order to answer the purpose of the essay a study on ICA Maxi were conducted on 20 students from the University of Karlstad, ten women and ten men. The investigation has been carried out using a pair of glasses with video and audio recording capabilities. We have used the Think-aloud method, which means that respondents directly motivate why they perform a particular purchase. With the help of the survey, we found that there are some prominent differences in purchasing behaviour between the sexes.


Background Philip Morris International has made efforts to expand the sale of its heated tobacco product, IQOS, into new domestic markets globally. In Australia, where heated tobacco products are prohibited, the company recently attempted to overturn Australian legislation in order to permit their sale. In light of this recent move, this study presents a case study of the company's strategies to legalise and distribute IQOS in the Australian market. Methods To assess Philip Morris' lobbying activities and corporate strategies, a case study approach was used by triangulating data from three sources: interviews with former Philip Morris employees, news articles reporting Philip Morris' lobbying activities or plans for IQOS in Australia, and submissions to relevant government inquiries and reviews from 2015 to 2020. Results Philip Morris has actively lobbied Australian policy-makers to overturn bans on nicotine-containing products. Information obtained from key informants and Philip Morris' government submissions indicates that the company's goal is for heated tobacco products in Australia to be regulated in a new product category, exempt from tobacco control laws. Informants revealed that Philip Morris was also working to establish a network of upmarket pubs, clubs and bars where they could sell IQOS once legalisation was achieved. Conclusions Philip Morris has strongly lobbied the Australian government to legalise heated tobacco products, while simultaneously making plans to sell IQOS at young adult-friendly premises such as bars, clubs and pubs if its proposed legislative changes are made. This case study provides valuable insights for other countries where Philip Morris may be replicating similar strategies to weaken tobacco control legislation.


Questions

The purpose of this study was to examine how compositional characteristics of forest reserves in production landscapes change over time and to explore the local site conditions that drive these processes. Our hypothesis was according to the general paradigm that suppression of natural disturbance regimes and lack of active management causes protected forest areas (PFAs) to develop into forests of high density dominated by late successional tree species.

Location

Boreal and hemiboreal forests of Sweden.

Methods

We used long-term (60 yrs) data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory (NFI), representing all the PFAs in Sweden, to study changes in tree species composition in relation to site factors and the initial state of the forest.

Results

During the period of our study the average density expressed by the growing stock (GS) increased from 70 to 140 m3·ha−1. This increase concerned both early and late successional tree species and there was no evidence for a faster increase of the late successional species Norway spruce (Picea abies) and the species composition was stable over time. A net volume increment (NVINCR) in spruce was mostly related to sites where spruce already was present, sites with high productivity and forest of high age. The probability of an increase in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was negatively linked to productivity and stand age, while the NVINCR was higher on more productive sites. The NVINCR of deciduous trees was unrelated to site productivity and age but positively affected by the initial GS, increasing slope and soil depth.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the relative composition of species is stable over time and balanced by site productivity, which is in accordance with the resource-ratio hypothesis. An important cause of this stability could be the low number of tree species in northern Europe, which limits the number of potential successional pathways.


Transesophageal echocardiography has been proven to be of particular value in all patients with transthoracic echocardiograms of low quality related to pulmonary emphysema, obesity and chest deformation as well as in intensive care unit patients. Similarly, transesophageal Doppler echocardiography is of particular value in all cases in which the transthoracic Doppler, due to methodological problems, is of limited value. Mitral regurgitation can be detected and quantified and flow direction described. Only in 12/25 patients with mild, 11/12 patients with moderate and 5/8 patients with severe insufficiency was regurgitation detected by transthoracic echocardiography as compared to transesophageal echocardiography with which the lesion was consistently detected. In two patients with severe and clinically-inapparent mitral regurgitation related to papillary muscle rupture, the diagnosis was established only by the transesophageal approach in an emergency situation. Atrial septal defects were detected in 8/15 patients and the size of the defect analyzed. With transesophageal Doppler echocardiography, the relation of left-to-right and right-to-left shunts could be described. In 7/16 patients with aortic dissection, true and false lumen were differentiated by analysing the flow pattern within both lumina. In 9/16 patients differentiation was enabled through delineation of the false lumen which was filled with thrombotic material. Detection of aortic regurgitation and tricuspidal regurgitation is possible but analysis of flow patterns is difficult because flow direction is nearly orthogonal to the ultrasound beam. First attempts to quantify cardiac output have been performed. For the future, transesophageal color flow Doppler mapping appears to be a most promising method.


In this study, a novel computational method capable of reproducing hysteresis loops of hard magnetic materials is proposed. It is conceptually based on the classical Preisach model but has a completely different approach in the modeling of the hysteron effect. Indeed, the change in magnetization caused by a single hysteron is compared here to the change in velocity of two disk-shaped solids elastically colliding with each other rather than the effect of ideal geometrical entities giving rise to so-called Barkhausen jumps. This allowed us to obtain a simple differential formulation for the global magnetization equation with a significant improvement in terms of computational performance. A sensitivity analysis on the parameters of the proposed method has indeed shown the capability to model a large class of hysteresis loops. Moreover, the proposed method permits modeling of the temperature effect on magnetization of neodymium magnets, which is a key point for the design of electrical machines. Therefore, application of the proposed method to the hysteresis loop of a real NdFeB magnet has been proven to be very accurate and efficient for a large temperature range.


Analysis of left ventricular blood flow in cases of myocardial infarction was attempted by two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. Subjects consisted of 25 cases of myocardial infarction with and without ventricular aneurysm, and 15 healthy persons as controls. The Doppler recordings were made in nine areas within the left ventricular cavity from the apical approach. For healthy subjects, ejection flows were recorded in the main cavity and directed towards the aortic orifice in systole, and diastolic flows in the left ventricular inflow were recorded from the mitral orifice to the apex. However, diastolic flows toward the aortic orifice were also recorded along the interventricular septum, and interpreted as eddy currents from the apical cavity. There were no high velocity flows in the phases of isometric contraction and relaxation. In seven of 25 cases of myocardial infarction, abnormally high velocity flows of more than 30 cm/sec were recorded in the isometric relaxation phase, which were directed away from the asynergic part. In eight of the 25 patients examined, high velocity flows toward the cardiac apex were recorded at the posteroapical area in systole. Such flows have never been observed in healthy subjects. Inertia of the diastolic mitral inflow is considered to continue during systole due to impairment of contractions of the apicoinferior wall.


The effect of the asymmetric water entry over a submerged part of a ship on the hydrodynamic impact is investigated numerically. A wedge body is considered and the problem is assumed to be two-dimensional. The results of symmetric and asymmetric impacts are compared. The effect is found significant in the numerical simulation. The maximum hydrodynamic pressure at a heel angle of 10 degrees becomes about 95% more than that of the symmetric entry. The result of the present work proves the importance of asymmetrical hydrodynamic impact loading for structural design of a ship. Besides, the numerical procedure is not limited to a wedge type cross section and it is possible to apply it for any real geometry of ships and high-speed craft.


The present invention relates to a dispersion of polymer particles in a liquid carbon-based medium, the said particles having a flexible polymeric core and being surface-stabilized with a block stabilizing polymer comprising at least one block that is soluble in the said carbon-based medium and at least one block that is insoluble in the said carbon-based medium. The invention also relates to a cosmetic composition comprising the said dispersion, and to a cosmetic treatment process using the said composition.


Teacher candidates have essential role to assist in developing learning process and in achieving character building since they play role as teacher candidate and also as students. The research gap is to find out the students' perception as teacher candidate about learning process with research based as well as character building achievement based on their real experience. The research instrument is open questionnaire which is shared through WhatsApp. The finding shows that 80% of teacher candidates supports learning process with research based, 10% of teacher candidates less supports learning process with research based, and 10% teacher candidates rejects learning process with research based. The students as teacher candidates as much as 70% describes that the character education has been well achieved and 30% of them states that the character education has not been achieved.


-The feeding habits of the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) were observed intermittently from 1967-1980 in Florida, USA. Approximately 97% of all observed foraging bouts were over marshes having sparse emergent vegetation. The visually-hunting kite was unable to forage over floating mats of exotic water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Male kites had shorter hunting bouts than females. For still-hunting, the birds' perches ranged from 0.15-4.6 m high and captures occurred an average of 5.8 m from perches. Females were significantly more successful (70%) for course-hunting than males (48%), but I found no difference for still-hunting. Birds tended to forage throughout the day, except for occasional inactive periods by some individuals during midday. On cooler days, foraging commenced slightly later in the morning than on warmer days. Kites probably capture freshwater apple snails (Pomacea paludosa) as deep as 16 cm. Capture rates for adults generally ranged from 1.7-3.4 snails per hour. Kites usually foraged over a common hunting area, and defense of foraging sites was rare. Handling of snails, from the kite's arrival at the feeding perch until consumption, averaged 2.7 min, with no significant difference between sexes. However, adult females were more efficient at the extraction portion of this process than were adult males. Snails were usually extracted before being brought to the nest, except in the latter part of the nestling period when some snails were extracted at or near the nest and some were brought intact. Adults feed small chicks bill to bill, and both parents generally shared equally in care of the young, except at two nests where the females did 67% or more of the feeding. Mean length of snails taken by kites was 42.8 mm (range 25.2-71.3, n=697) and mean diameter was 45.8 mm (range 27.4-82.4, n=697). The most common size classes taken were 30-60 mm in length arld diameter. Nutritional and gross energy values were determined for apple snails. Female snails with albumcn glands removed (versus males or mixed samples of both sexes of complete tissue or with viscera removel) had the highest caloric value (Rx=4.04 kcal/g, n= 10). Kites cast pellets, a behavior documented here for the first time.


Wildfires are widely recognized as a cause of mechanical damage to rocks. Nevertheless, previous research has neglected how wildfires might impact sport climbing areas. In Spain, two large wildfires affected two climbing areas between 2020 and 2021. This paper addresses the rock mechanical effects of wildfires that could lead to safety issues, such as rock falls, climbing hold deterioration, and climbing anchor damage. In this study, the Non-Destructive Techniques (NDTs) of Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) and Schmidt Hammer (SH) were used, and two types of measurements were carried out: randomized grid measurements and measurements along the climbing routes. Two phenomena were recognized: (a) thermal breakdown and (b) mineralogical changes. The results of using the SH show a relationship between the decrease in the rebound value and the observed mechanical damage. Field observations showed mechanical weathering, such as cracking, spalling, granular disaggregation, and thermochemical weathering with different temperature thresholds. Observed thermochemical reactions included reddening, CaCO3 calcination, rock decomposition, and quartz cracking. The set of changes involves a major rock outcrop transformation and an acceleration of fire-induced weathering processes. Both areas exhibited more effects at the bottom of the wall. Furthermore, in this paper, we explore how iconic climbing routes can be considered a form of cultural heritage and the consequences of their loss.


We were interested in the comments of Khaliq and Lamp regarding our article that appeared in the March 1992 issue of theArchives. 1 Their critique emphasizes, as we did, the retrospective nonrandomized nature of our study. However, many of their comments are not relevant to the study that was done. Prospective, randomized studies 2,3 of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis have been performed with results that agree with our conclusions. Our study groups were not mutually exclusive. As stated in the article, a total 211 patients were prescribed one or more of the three prophylactic regimens. Patient experiences while taking each drug were totaled and reported in "patient-months." Consequently, PCP occurrences and recurrences were reported as "episodes per patient-month," not as percentages. The treatment period for dapsone and aerosolized pentamidine for each patient who developed PCP when receiving these regimens is clearly documented in our article. (Primary-prophylaxis patients took


INTRODUCTION: Extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGANs) are at increased risk of chronic lung disease (CLD) and of developmental delay. Some studies have suggested that CLD contributes to developmental delay. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined data collected prospectively on 915 infants born before the 28th week of gestation in 2002–2004 who were assessed at 24 months of age with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-2nd Edition or the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. We excluded infants who were not able to walk independently (Gross Motor Function Classification System score < 1) and, therefore, more likely to have functionally important fine motor impairments. We defined CLD as receipt of oxygen at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age and classified infants as either not receiving mechanical ventilation (MV) (CLD without MV) or receiving MV (CLD with MV). RESULTS: Forty-nine percent of ELGANs had CLD; of these, 14% were receiving MV at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. ELGANs without CLD had the lowest risk of a Mental Developmental Index (MDI) or a Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) of <55, followed by ELGANs with CLD not receiving MV, and ELGANs with CLD receiving MV (9%, 12%, and 18% for the MDI and 7%, 10%, and 20% for the PDI, respectively). In time-oriented multivariate models, the risk of an MDI of <55 was associated with the following variables: gestational age of <25 weeks; single mother; late bacteremia; pneumothorax; and necrotizing enterocolitis. The risk of a PDI of <55 was associated with variables such as single mother, a complete course of antenatal corticosteroids, early and persistent pulmonary dysfunction, pulmonary deterioration during the second postnatal week, pneumothorax, and pulmonary interstitial emphysema. CLD, without or with MV, was not associated with the risk of either a low MDI or a low PDI. However, CLD with MV approached, but did not achieve, nominal statistical significance (odds ratio: 1.9 [95% confidence interval: 0.97–3.9]) for the association with a PDI of <55. CONCLUSIONS: Among children without severe gross motor delays, risk factors for CLD account for the association between CLD and developmental delay. Once those factors are considered in time-oriented risk models, CLD does not seem to increase the risk of either a low MDI or a low PDI. However, severe CLD might increase the risk of a low PDI.


This experiment was conducted to assess and compare the susceptibility of the varieties of Yoruba indigenous chicken ecotype: Yoruba Smooth Feathered (YSF), Yoruba Frizzled Feathered (YFF) and Yoruba Naked Neck (YNN) to Newcastle disease. A total of sixty (60) 16 weeks old chickens were used comprising of twenty (20) chickens per variety. The assessment of their susceptibility to Newcastle disease was by evaluation of clinical signs, humoral response, mortality, pathology following contact with Newcastle disease infected chickens. The experimental chickens developed clinical signs of Newcastle disease from day 9 after infection. Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titre was determined on days 0, 21and 28 post-infection. On day 0, the HI titre of the 3 genotypes were below 3log2, on day 21, there were significant differences within the group (P<0.05) where in YNN had the highest mean HI titre of 7.5. There was decrease in the mean HI titre in all on day 28 with the YNN having the least reduction (P<0.05). The antibody titre against Newcastle disease was higher in the YNN than all the other varieties. The mortality commenced on day 10 after infection with 70% mortality in YSF, 40% in YFF and 30% in YNN. The proventricular, enteric and caecal tonsilar haemorrhages associated with the disease were more frequent and severe in YSF. This finding indicated that YFF and YSF may possibly be more susceptible to Newcastle disease than the YNN. It was concluded that indigenous chickens of Yoruba ecotype in Nigeria differ in their susceptibility to ND with YNN being possibly the most resistant to Newcastle disease followed by YFF and the least, YSF. Keywords : Hemagglutination inhibition, Newcastle Disease, indigenous Chicken, Ecotype, Varieties


Nasal and sinus mucositis is a significant health problem associated with significant organizational and financial burden for the health care system. In recent years, several important guidelines and positions of expert groups and scientific associations have been published with regard to the diagnostics and treatment of rhinosinusitis, including European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps (EPOS 2012) [1] and Polish Standards for the Treatment of Rhinitis (PoSLeNN 2013) [2]. The management of viral and postviral rhinosinusitis involves systemic treatment including administration of plant origin products. The goal of this article is to present the current knowledge on the use of intranasal preparations containing natural saponin fractions from the rhizomes of Alpine cyclamen (Cyclamen europaeum). Saponins contained in the extract of Alpine cyclamen (Cyclamen europaeum) rhizomes are surface-active compounds that reduce the surface tension on the nasal mucosal cells while simultaneously stimulating the trigeminal nerve receptors leading to increased production of seromucous secretion and extensive drainage of the nasal and sinus cavities. The analysis of published studies on the efficacy and safety of intranasal products containing lyophilized extracts from Cyclamen europaeum tuber warrants the conclusion that these products are useful in the management of nasal and sinus mucositis due to their beneficial impact on the course of the treatment of acute rhinosinusitis. When used in patients with acute rhinosinusitis, an intranasal preparation containing lyophilized extracts from Cyclamen europaeum tuber efficiently reduces the symptoms, particularly the feeling of pressure and pain in the face. According to the authors of PROSINUS study, single-agent treatment using Cyclamen europaeum extracts is more efficient (in terms of the percentage of success) than other monotherapy or combination regimens.


From January 1974 to December 1990, 619 patients were submitted to surgical treatment for gastrointestinal carcinoma: 10 cases (1.61%) of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were observed (4 of the stomach, 3 of the small intestine, 1 of the colon, 2 of the rectum). There were 5 men and 5 women, mean age 57.1 years (range 34-80). In 6 patients the diagnosis was performed with radiological investigations, in 4 with ultrasonography too. Endoscopy biopsy was unfit for diagnosis in the gastric localizations, while it was positive in both rectal localizations. Seven patients were operated and no postoperative morbidity or mortality was observed. The role of surgery is discussed, diagnosis for staging and therapy alone or associated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.


Objective: In an enhanced climate of risk complexities, the firm's stakeholders desire a risk management framework that promises the benefits of efficiencies, transparencies, and solutions for interrelated risks. Enterprise risk management (ERM) is widely seen as a suitable instrument to address these issues. However, not all are convinced of ERM's benefits. This necessitates a review of extant literature and collating it to generate interrelated insights. This paper reviews articles on ERM from the management and finance domain and catalogs the benefits of ERM.
Methodology/Technique: This paper reviews 129 articles addressing ERM benefits. It examines the academic disciplines of journals publishing ERM studies by looking into their H Indices, SJR scores, and ABDC rankings to assess ERM's impact and acceptability among scholars. The research articles are analyzed for their subject domains, geographic scope, and methodology used in exploring the relationship between ERM adoption and its benefits to the firm. Collating and reviewing these articles enables the mitigation of data gaps. These studies were primarily from accounting, finance, management, corporate governance, and strategy domains.
Findings: Improved cost-effectiveness, earnings stability, increased profitability, improved decision making, better risk communication, competitive advantage, better resource allocation, enhanced firm value, and performance are the key benefits of ERM adoption identified in this study. A knowledge gap is presented around assessing ERM benefits and extending ERM research scope to developing countries like India.
Novelty: The study catalogs the benefits of ERM and makes a strong case for ERM adoption among firms.
Type of Paper: Review
JEL Classification: M10, M14, G30, G32
Keywords: Enterprise risk management (ERM); firm value; firm performance; ERM benefits; Covid19
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Naik, S; Prasad, Ch.V.V.S.N.V. (2021). Benefits of Enterprise Risk Management: A Systematic Review of Literature, Journal of Finance and Banking Review, 5 (4): 28 – 35. https://doi.org/10.35609/jfbr.2021.5.4(3)


A microgrid control system using multi-agent technologies is proposed. In this control system, operation planning is realized based on generation and load forecasting by using artificial neural network and fuzzy systems. Unit commitment of generations includes start/stop of power generations and energy storages. Load following function is accomplished by an adaptive control system based on conventional PI control scheme. To include, in a flexible manner, new generations or loads into the microgrid, multi-agent technologies might be applied. In this paper, at first proposed microgrid control system is outlined and then field tests outline is stated


The role that lubricating oils play is, first of all, to reduce energy loss and keep the wear and seizure to a minimum, or, in a broader sense, to improve the friction characteristics. Resistance to deterioration and prevention of rust development on metals are demanded as secondary functions. The time during which lubricating oil retains its ability to prevent any possible damage to a body in motion should be considered as its lifetime. Many functions that are provided by base oil alone are insufficient; therefore, special additives are dissolved in them. The additives for lubricating oils are of many types, and their functions are diverse and many. Those additives that are used with the purpose of improving friction characteristics are generally called oiliness improvers or friction modifiers. In this study, the protective additive's layers formed on rubbed surfaces of pins, plates and discs were investigated using pin‐on‐disc and reciprocating pin‐on‐plate test rigs. Wear tracks were examined using optical and electron microscopy with X‐ray diffraction analysis.


This study was conducted to screen the secondary metabolites compounds including alkaloids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids as well as to determine the antioxidant activities of four types of fruit peels namely Psidium guajava (guava), Mangifera indica (Chakonan mango), Citrus sinensis (Navel orange) and Malus sylvestris (Granny Smith apple). The hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities were investigated using three different assays such as Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), 2, 2diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoids Content (TFC) were also conducted and the correlations between the antioxidant assays with TPC and TFC were evaluated. The TPC in the peels extract ranged between 204.90 to 517.00 mg GAE/g extract weight while TFC ranged between 97.48 to 177.86 mg QE/g extract weight. The FRAP, EC50 scavenging activity and ORAC values were 18.78 to 45.36 mM TE/100g extract weight, 0.146 to 0.717 mg/ml scavenging effect and 37.54 to 60.59 µM TE/g extract weight respectively. The extract of M. indica peels appeared to be as potent as ascorbic acid with maximum inhibition of 74% at 200 ppm. M. indica peels showed highest value in all antioxidant assays and in TPC while the highest in TFC was found in M. sylvestris peels. There were strong correlations between all antioxidant assays with TPC but very weak correlations with TFC. This study suggested that the extracts of fruit peels are convenient to be use as functional ingredients in food product development as they are rich in antioxidant activities.