With the advent of increasingly multinational student cohorts in many higher education institutes, the possible influence of 'national culture' on students' learning approaches has become a focal point of attention. In particular, the claim that Asian (Confucian) students adopt (primarily) surface learning approaches has attracted much debate despite, or perhaps because of, relatively little empirical research on the matter. Similarly in Ireland, while much concern has been voiced regarding the existence of a culture of surface learning in higher education, few studies have been conducted on the matter. The purpose of this research is to strengthen our understanding of these two areas through empirical evidence. This study examines the preferred learning approaches of students (n = 327) from 37 nationalities studying in a higher education institute in Ireland. Two hypotheses are tested: Confucian Asian students will have higher surface strategy learning scores than western students (Hypothesis 1) and Irish students will have higher surface learning scores than other western students (Hypothesis 2). The results indicate important differences in preferred learning approaches according to nationality and cultural cluster, where Hypothesis 1 is rejected and Hypothesis 2 is supported. The study is of particular interest to HE management and educationalists working with students entering higher education from diverse national backgrounds. Recommendations are made at an institutional level as to how HE management might address student surface learning approaches.


Stages of disaster mitigation study consists of the level of hazard, vulnerability and capacity. Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province has the potential to flood inundation. An assessment of the vulnerability of flood inundation using GIS technology be done in twelve districts in the city of Pekanbaru. This study was conducted as a early warning to the public and to the relevant parties. This study uses two parameters causes of flood inundation, such as the parameter of flooding inundation (landform, slope either side of the river, damming the river branching, meandering rivers, and waterworks) and parameters of flood inundation potential water supply (rainfall, river basin shape, drainage density, slope watersheds, and land use). By analyzing satellite imagery data (DEM and Landsat 8 OLI), rainfall data, and administrative map of Pekanbaru City area with the help of GIS technology, the results of the analysis of these two parameters indicate that the city of Pekanbaru has a weighted average score is 2.70, so that the city of Pekanbaru has a severe impact categories rather prone to flooding inundation. The weighted scores of the two parameters in the city of Pekanbaru has shown that the land (weighted score of 1.33), the availability of water building (weighted score of 2.25), and the use of land (weighted score of 1.20) has a considerable influence on the cause of the flood puddles in the city of Pekanbaru Keywords: inundation flood, GIS, parameters of flood, vulnerability


A number of entropy models of social systems have been developed recently. Unfortunately, the complementarity of these approaches remains largely unanalysed, due to terminological and conceptual differences among them. There is an urgent need for a meta‐theoretical framework that will facilitate the analysis and comparison of all social entropy models. System entropy analysis (SEA), as presented here, is designed to fill this need. It is a second‐order, meta‐analytic tool which analyses each approach in terms of its major concepts, its basic units of analysis, its definition and measurement of entropy, and its specification of microstates and macrostates. First discusses the need for SEA, and then specifies its structure. Concludes with an application of SEA to the comparison and integration of three entropy approaches: synergetics, complexity theory and social entropy theory (SET).


Woven roving jute fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites were subjected to water absorption tests in order to study the effects of water ageing on the mechanical properties. Composite specimens were immersed in distilled water and salt water up to 2736 h. The water absorption of specimens reached to an equilibrium level after an immersion time of 300 h. It was observed that tensile, flexural, and interlaminar shear strengths (ILSSs) of jute/polyester composites decreased depending on the immersion time. The ILSS values of the composites were reduced by more than 53% for both the distilled water and the salt water after an immersion time of 2736 h.


What are the sources of business litigation in Russia? How do disputes evolve? Cases filed in arbitrazh courts constitute only the most visible indicator of business disputes -- the tip of the iceberg. Studies of business disputes elsewhere suggest that many -- perhaps most -- disputes never end up in court. Either the disputants reach some accord or a decision is made that the harm suffered is not worth the trouble of going to court. The paper will identify the stages through which business disputes pass in Russia, and will analyze the role of various actors and institutions in their evolution or termination. The disputing process begins with a trading partner expressing any sort of dissatisfaction, and then becomes increasingly serious. The paper will explain what factors tend to cause a dissatisfaction to be perceived as a serious problem that is deserving of broader attention and, ultimately, that only a court can resolve the disagreement. The analysis will draw on a series of six case studies of Russian industrial enterprises in Moscow, Saratov, and Ekaterinburg, undertaken in the first half of 1998.


For creating real-time animations of 3D characters we introduce an animation engine for the dynamic creation of motions with motion models. Each motion models represents a small task like walk or wave and has its own set of parameters controlling the specific characteristics of a motion. The style and the characteristics of motion models can be changed in realtime. For this purpose pre-produced animations are combined and changed with clip operators. The animations of several motion models can be combined to play different motion simultaneously. To create the combined motions, the same clip operators are used.


The presence of a proteolytic ferment in certain pathological exudates has long been known, and an examination of the literature discloses numerous investigations on the subject. Among these may be mentioned the work of E. Muller, 1 who, by the use of serum plates, showed the marked proteolytic action of pus cells. In the course of his investigations he also studied various exudates and transudates and found that normal cerebrospinal fluid contained no proteolytic ferment. In the cerebrospinal fluid of purulent meningitis he demonstrated the presence of ferment which digested the serum plates; in tuberculous meningitis no digestion occurred. More recently Lenk and Pollak 2 have found the presence of a proteolytic ferment in certain exudates and transudates. They used glycyl-tryptophan as an indicator for determining the presence or absence of such a ferment. Glycyl-tryptophan, as is well known, first came into prominence through the publications of


Muehlenbeckia hastulata (J. E.Sm.) Johnst. used mainly for its abortive properties was found active for oxytoxic and analgesic activities in a biological activity screening (oxytoxic, analgesic, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and xanthine oxidase assay). Epicatechin, emodin-8-glycoside and rutin were isolated from the aerial part and the root of the plant.


Contents: Preface. Part I: The Nature of Family Environments. M. Lewis, C. Feiring, The Child and Its Family. S.L. Ramey, H.K. Juliusson, Family Dynamics at Dinner: A Natural Context for Revealing Basic Family Processes. C. Feiring, M. Lewis, Divergent Family Views and School Competence in Early Adolescence. L.A. Rosenblum, Effective Mothering in a Familial Context: A Nonhuman Primate Perspective. R.D. Parke, R. O'Neil, S. Isley, S. Spitzer, M. Welsh, S. Wang, M. Flyr, S. Simpkins, C. Strand, M. Morales, Family-Peer Relationships: Cognitive, Emotional, and Ecological Determinants. M.E. Lamb, B. Leyendecker, A. Schoelmerich, Everyday Experiences of Infants in Euro-American and Central American Immigrant Families. R.H. Bradley, L. Whiteside-Mansell, Home Environment and Children's Development: Age and Demographic Differences. Part II: Families At-Risk. A.J. Sameroff, W.T. Bartko, A. Baldwin, C. Baldwin, R. Seifer, Family and Social Influences on the Development of Child Competence. C.T. Ramey, S.L. Ramey, R.G. Lanzi, Differentiating Developmental Risk Levels for Families in Poverty: Creating a Family Typology. S. Dawud-Noursi, M.E. Lamb, K.J. Sternberg, The Relations Among Domestic Violence, Peer Relationships, and Academic Performance. G.H. Brody, D.L. Flor, E. Neubaum, Coparenting Processes and Child Competence Among Rural African-American Families. T.D. Wachs, Family Environmental Influences and Development: Illustrations From the Study of Undernourished Children. B.K. Keogh, L.P. Bernheimer, R. Gallimore, T.S. Weisner, Child and Family Outcomes Over Time: A Longitudinal Perspective on Developmental Delays. I.E. Sigel, Socialization of Cognition: A Family Focus. N.M. Robinson, Synergies in the Families of Gifted Children.


Adverse weathers are well-known to impact the operation of transportation systems, including taxis. This paper utilizes taxi GPS waypoint data to investigate the quantitative impact of rainfall on taxi hailing and taxi operations to help improve service quality on rainy days. Through statistical analysis, the study proves that it is more difficult to hail taxis on rainy days, especially during morning peak hours. By modelling the difference value of factors for rainfall and nonrainfall conditions in a multivariate regression model and attaining the significance and elasticity of each factor, passenger demand, taxi supply, search time and velocity are proved to be the significant factors that lower the taxis' level of service on rainy days. Among them, the number of passengers and taxis are two factors that have the greatest impact. It is also shown that there is no significant difference in the total taxi supply and passenger demand between rainfall and nonrainfall conditions, but a dramatic change in the spatial distribution is discovered. The results suggest that instead of simply providing more taxis on rainy days, optimally dispatching taxicabs to high demand regions can be a more effective solution.


Radar micro-Doppler (mD) provides a promising approach to parameter estimation and classification of micro-dynamic targets. The micro-motion states and characteristics of instantaneous mD frequency are investigated to free symmetric rigid bodies. They are found to take the precession motion, and thus induce complicated mD features with non-sinusoidal variation. Based on theoretical analysis of the spectral structure of mD time-frequency (TF) sequence, this paper proposes a rotation parameter estimation method for complicated micro-motions. The estimation method includes TF analysis, spectrogram processing, projection mapping and spectral estimation. The spin and precession rates of micro-dynamic targets can then be extracted from their radar echoes. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by Monte-Carlo simulations and further discussion.


The main thrust of this paper deals with the conceptualization of theory-driven evaluation pertaining to a tutor training programme. Conceptualization of evaluation, in this case, is an integration between a conceptualization model as well as a theoretical framework in the form of activity theory. Existing examples of frameworks of programme evaluation from the literature have been conjugated to yield a conceptualization model for the evaluation of the tutor training programme at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. In order to take the study to a higher level of deep analysis, this paper argues for the application of activity theory in the research design and subsequent data collection and analysis. Since evaluation can be a daunting and complex task, the adoption of theory was intended to provide a fulcrum for the study and therefore, this paper argues, becomes an integral part of evaluation. In addition, the application of activity theory in programme evaluation has not been well explored elsewhere and therefore, this paper transcends this limitation by making a case for the use of activity theory in programme evaluation, in particular, tutor training programmes.


The Ericksen model for nematic liquid crystals couples a director field with a scalar degree of orientation variable, and allows the formation of various defects with finite energy. We propose a simple but novel finite element approximation of the problem that can be implemented easily within standard finite element packages. Our scheme is projection-free and thus circumvents the use of weakly acute meshes, which are quite restrictive in 3D but are required by recent algorithms for convergence. We prove stability and Γ-convergence properties of the new method in the presence of defects. We also design an effective nested gradient flow algorithm for computing minimizers that controls the violation of the unit-length constraint of the director. We present several simulations in 2D and 3D that document the performance of the proposed scheme and its ability to capture quite intriguing defects.


Objective. This review examines factors that influence the widely varying estimates of protection against colorectal adenomas and cancers associated with occupational and leisure activity, and it seeks a realistic value for use in the formulation of public policy. Attention is also directed to underlying mechanisms, and brief consideration is given to the merits of exercise programmes after the treatment of colorectal tumours. Methods. The Ovid/Medline data base was searched systematically from January 1996 to November 2015. The terms exercise therapy, physical education/training, athletes, physical fitness and physical activity/motor activity together yielded 205,142 hits, and a combination of the terms colon cancer, rectal cancer, colon adenoma and colon diverticulitis identified 52, 622 unique articles. Combining the 2 searches with a restriction to human subjects identified 286 papers. A review of the abstracts to these articles yielded 3 papers on colorectal adenomas and physical activity, and 41 studies of leisure or occupational activity in relation to colorectal cancer. A further19 articles examined various aspects of the association between colorectal neoplasia and habitual physical activity. This data base was supplemented extensively by articles gleaned from PubMed, Google Scholar and personal files, with a particular emphasis upon occupational studies conducted prior to 1996. Results. Almost all published research has found an association between physical activity and a reduced risk of colorectal adenomas. Risk ratios for sedentary behaviour have varied widely between studies, with a weighted average of 1.64 for 6 occupational studies, and 1.26 for 27 leisure studies; the relationship is apparently stronger in men than in women. A substantial association with a sedentary lifestyle has also been reported for colon cancers, with a weighted average risk ratio of 1.27 in 39 occupational studies, and of 1.59 in 46 leisure studies. Likewise, for rectal cancers, risk ratios average 1.17 in 27 occupational studies and 1.24 in 20 leisure studies. For both colon and rectal cancers, risk ratios associated with a lack of physical activity were at least as great in women as in men. Inter-study differences in the reported risk-ratios reflect, among other variables, sample size, age, sex and race of subjects, choice of covariates, and the method and timing of activity measurements. Underlying mechanisms of benefit probably vary with the pattern of exercise adopted, but may include a reduced formation of colorectal adenomas, increased colonic motility, increased prostaglandin secretion, an increased use of NSAIDs, dietary changes and avoidance of obesity, a reduced risk of diabetes mellitus and a healthy overall lifestyle. There is growing evidence that an active lifestyle also improves the immediate outcome of colorectal surgery, and that subsequent involvement in an exercise programme enhances functional capacity and quality of life, with a reduced risk of tumour recurrence. Conclusions. There is now overwhelming evidence that vigorous habitual activity, either at work or in leisure, is associated with a reduced risk of adenomas and cancers of the colon and rectum. However, the reported benefits are based upon very high levels of weekly energy expenditure, and in terms of public policy the general sedentary population seems unlikely either to attain or to maintain such levels of effort; regular moderate physical activity seems unlikely to yield benefits >20% for colon tumours and >10% for rectal tumours.


ABSTRACT Hereditary inclusion body myopathy associated with early-onset Paget disease of bone and frontotemporal dementia (hIBMPFTD) is a degenerative disorder caused by single substitutions in highly conserved residues of p97/VCP. All mutations identified thus far cluster within the NH2 domain or the D1 ring, which are both required for communicating conformational changes to adaptor protein complexes. In this study, biochemical approaches were used to identify the consequences of the mutations R155P and A232E on p97/VCP structure. Assessment of p97/VCP oligomerization revealed that p97R155P and p97A232E formed hexameric ring-shaped structures of ∼600 kDa. p97R155P and p97A232E exhibited an ∼3-fold increase in ATPase activity compared to wild-type p97 (p97WT) and displayed increased sensitivity to heat-induced upregulation of ATPase activity. Protein fluorescence analysis provided evidence for conformational differences in the D2 rings of both hIBMPFTD mutants. Furthermore, both mutations increased the proteolytic susceptibility of the D2 ring. The solution structures of all p97/VCP proteins revealed a didispersed distribution of a predominant hexameric population and a minor population of large-diameter complexes. ATP binding significantly increased the abundance of large-diameter complexes for p97R155P and p97A232E, but not p97WT or the ATP-binding mutant p97K524A. Therefore, we propose that hIBMPFTD p97/VCP mutants p97R155P and p97A232E possess structural defects that may compromise the mechanism of p97/VCP activity within large multiprotein complexes.


In the present paper, a sufficient condition for existence and uniqueness of Bagley Torvik problem is obtained. The theorem on existence and uniqueness is established. This approach permits us to use fixed point iteration method to solve problem for differential equation involving derivatives of nonlinear order


Relation between texts and formal knowledge representations is not straightforward. On the one hand a text cannot be reduced to a formal representation of its content whatever it is, on the other hand a text needs always external knowledge (which eventually may be formalized) in order to be fully interpreted. Moreover relation between text and knowledge is a dynamic one, new texts often carry new knowledge, thus formal representations of knowledge are seldom definitive and has to be continuously updated. In this article we tackle this dynamic aspect of the relation between text and ontology. The aim is not so much to define how to extract ontology from texts but to describe a general framework which compare corpora of text and existing ontology in order to improve ontology quality or characterization of corpuses of texts. We will present a set of metrics in order to compute similarities and differences in sets of corpuses, a tool based on this metrics and primary results obtained with this tool.


We study residual finiteness for cyclic central extensions of cocompact arithmetic lattices Γ < PU(n, 1) of simple type. We prove that the preimage of Γ in any connected cover of PU(n, 1), in particular the universal cover, is residually finite. This follows from a more general theorem on residual finiteness of extensions whose characteristic class is contained in the span in H(Γ,Z) of the Poincaré duals to totally geodesic divisors on the ball quotient Γ\Bn. For n ≥ 4, if Γ is a congruence lattice, we prove residual finiteness of the central extension associated with any element of H(Γ,Z). Our main application is to existence of cyclic covers of ball quotients branched over totally geodesic divisors. This gives examples of smooth projective varieties admitting a metric of negative sectional curvature that are not homotopy equivalent to a locally symmetric manifold. The existence of such examples is new for all dimensions n ≥ 4.


Spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton biomass and water turbidity can provide crucial information about the function, health and vulnerability of lagoon ecosystems (coral reefs, sea grasses, etc.). A statistical algorithm is proposed to estimate chlorophyll-a concentration ([chl-a]) in optically complex waters of the New Caledonian lagoon from MODIS-derived " remote-sensing " reflectance (R rs). The algorithm is developed via supervised learning on match-ups gathered from 2002 to 2010. The best performance is obtained by combining two models, selected according to the ratio of R rs in spectral bands centered on 488 and 555 nm: a log-linear model for low [chl-a] (AFLC) and a support vector machine (SVM) model or a classic model (OC3) for high [chl-a]. The log-linear model is developed based on SVM regression analysis. This approach outperforms the classical OC3 approach, especially in shallow waters, with a root mean squared error 30% lower. The proposed algorithm enables more accurate assessments of [chl-a] and its variability in this typical oligo-to meso-trophic tropical lagoon, from shallow coastal waters and nearby reefs to deeper waters and in the open ocean.


This paper investigates the progress being made by housing microfinance (HMF) on the continent. HMF represents a critical ingredient to solving the problem of housing on the continent, because it works with how the majority of the continent's people are housed that is incrementally and through processes of self build. There have been some notable and encouraging advances in the industry with a steady trickle of new commercial entrants into HMF. Banks, microfinance banks and general microfinance lenders are introducing it, in various shades, as a product within their lending portfolios. Some continue to expand this offering to more and more countries. New commercial entrants are a sign that HMF is still seen as a viable commercial lending operation. Meanwhile the lending activities of less commercially orientated organisations such as housing cooperatives and the NGO sector continues to grow in recognition of the demand and need among lower income earners. The activities of these organisations offer an important contribution to HMF practice in their willingness to take on higher risks, as well as engage with downstream processes such as the house building process itself. They serve as an important repository of knowledge and lessons in this new industry. Further, more and more funding is coming on-stream in the form of grants, loans, equity, as well as technical support, as the sector increasingly becomes an important investment destination. Yet, true large scale lending in HMF is yet to happen, and demand is still largely unmet. The potential for the industry still remains, largely untapped.There is no denying that there are challenges. There has been a decline in some commercial lending activities. It is important that the reasons for this are determined. The constant need for engagement with the state on critical issues around land administration, management and provision of infrastructure remains. Indeed government policies are still largely at best ignorant, or at worst openly hostile to incremental housing processes. The pragmatic responses by lenders on the continent around this issue have been useful studies in truly adapting and working with what circumstances dictate. These challenges will remain hurdles that need to be overcome, given that HMF is essentially about the housing process, and these elements are intricately tied to it. Finally, practitioners across the continent are increasingly coming together to address these problems as a collective and an encouraging sign is that the industry is becoming more coherent and forceful as it pushes its own unique agenda.


—The use of security awareness and education pro- grammes is very common in organisations. But how effective are they over time? Some initial research on this question is, among others, the extensive study of Reinheimer et al. [74] that measured effectiveness at several time intervals. Their research found still significantly better results than before the awareness program after four months, but no longer after six months. This left open a two months interval for the reminder. The contribution of our paper is to study whether the reminder should be closer to four or six months. Thus, we measured effectiveness after five months. With still significant better results than before the programme after five months, we conclude that it is recommended to remind users more towards six months rather than already after five. However, we kindly invite the community to conduct more long-term studies, in different contexts, to confirm these findings.


These experiments assessed the role that exercise-induced alterations in glutathione metabolism might play in the acceleration of breast cancer development in rats subjected to nonexhaustive levels of treadmill running. The influence of intensity and duration of treadmill exercise on total and oxidized levels of liver glutathione was evaluated. Nonexhaustive exercise failed to alter the hepatic concentration of total glutathione. However, increasing exercise intensity resulted in tissue accumulation of oxidized glutathione, and an increase in the ratio of oxidized to total glutathione, indicative of an elevated level of intracellular oxidation. Although alterations in glutathione metabolism do not appear to be directly related to the effect of exercise on tumorigenesis, the role of oxidant-induced intracellular damage in this process is being investigated.


In this review, we discuss applications of flow cytometric immunophenotyping (FCI) in the diagnostic evaluation and posttreatment monitoring of B and T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. We describe practical approaches to FCI at the time of diagnosis, with an emphasis on blast identification, lineage assignment, and distinction of B and T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma from their morphologic and immunophenotypic mimics. We further review flow cytometric assays for the detection of minimal or measurable residual disease (MRD) after treatment, and illustrate both standard approaches, and newer strategies for improving sensitivity and circumventing the loss of immunophenotypic targets after immunotherapy. © 2019 International Clinical Cytometry Society


Abstract Optimization gives a new facet to design and development of tires. A new approach to the tire profile optimization is proposed in this study. The optimization procedure is integrated with a simple shell‐spring finite element model for faster evaluation. In the shell‐spring model, the shell elements represent the tire carcass, whereas the tread is represented by the spring elements. This is applied for the optimization of the tire contour for better maneuverability. The genetic algorithm, an evolutionary optimization procedure that is robust and efficient in solving complex optimization problems, is chosen. A new tire contour is obtained that improves tire maneuverability by increasing the sidewall belt tension.


Following large‐scale automation of the information functions within the NHS, a large number of new information‐related posts have been created. The role of the Healthcare Information Officer (HIO) is examined in relation to information provision, the development of information systems, staff supervision, training, liaison with other healthcare professionals; the organisation of libraries; and the Data Protection Act. The main conclusion reached is that, as information professionals, HIOs have a multi‐faceted role to play, with extremely wide‐ranging responsibilities which draw on knowledge and skills in the areas of information analysis, systems analysis, library and information science, and computing and management.


Association rule algorithms typically only identify patterns that occur in the original form throughout the database. In databases which contain many small variations in the data, potentially important discoveries may be ignored as a result. In this paper, we describe an associate rule mining algorithm that searches for approximate association rules. Our ~AR approach allows data that approximately matches the pattern to contribute toward the overall support of the pattern. This approach is also useful in processing missing data, which probabilistically contributes to the support of possibly matching patterns. Results of the ~AR algorithm are demonstrated using the Weka system and sample databases.


This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 73 patients diagnosed with Osteoradionecrosis of the Jaws (ORNJ), treated in the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery of  the National Hospital of Odonto – Stomatology to describe some criteria including clinical symptoms, radiographic images and related factors of ORNJ in these patients by consulting medical records and interviewing patients. The study results show that the majority of lesions presented in the mandible, particularly in the angle region. The prominent symptoms were deep pain, fistula, exposed necrotic bone, tingling and numbness in the lips and cheeks, and trimus. Radiographic feature was ill-defined cortical destruction without sequestration. The patients' major oral health problems  were poor dental hygiene and periodontitis. The related factors were tooth extraction, non-standard dental prosthesis and even root canal treatment.
Keywords: Osteoradionecrosis of the jaws, clinical symptoms, radiography images, related factors.
References
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During the past 10 years, 1006 patients with colon injuries were treated in an urban trauma center. Primary repair, including suture repair and resection with anastomosis, was performed in 614 patients (61%), colostomy in 284 patients (28%), and exteriorized repairs in 83 patients (8.3%). In the remaining 25 patients (2.5%) who were exsanguinating, the colon injuries were ligated. Independent risk factors for adverse outcomes (defined as a fecal fistula, abdominal abscess, stomal complication, or death from multisystem failure) were identified using multiple logistic regression analysis. These factors were used to match patients at similar risk within different treatment groups, and odds ratios for each treatment were calculated. The odds ratios for primary repair, colostomy, and exteriorized repair were 1.0, 1.9, and 2.0, respectively. Therefore, the chance of an adverse outcome was twice as great for both exteriorized repair or colostomy as for primary repair. It is concluded that further increases in the use of primary repair are warranted.


We discuss the use of the Bayesian evidence ratio, or Bayes factor, for model selection in astronomy. We treat the evidence ratio as a statistic and investigate its distribution over an ensemble of experiments, considering both simple analytical examples and some more realistic cases, which require numerical simulation. We find that the evidence ratio is a noisy statistic, and thus it may not be sensible to decide to accept or reject a model based solely on whether the evidence ratio reaches some threshold value. The odds suggested by the evidence ratio bear no obvious relationship to the power or Type I error rate of a test based on the evidence ratio. The general performance of such tests is strongly affected by the signal-to-noise ratio in the data, the assumed priors and the threshold in the evidence ratio that is taken as 'decisive'. The comprehensiveness of the model suite under consideration is also very important. The usefulness of the evidence ratio approach in a given problem can be assessed in advance of the experiment, using simple models and numerical approximations. In many cases, this approach can be as informative as a much more costly full-scale Bayesian analysis of a complex problem.


Over the past 20 years creative nonfiction has emerged around the world as a genre highly popular with both publishers and readers. Some compelling examples have helped redefine how experience and actuality can be imaginatively narrated and have freed nonfiction writers from previous constraints. As a reader I relish these innovative texts; as a writer I have tried to make use of some of the new freedoms. Most of the controversy surrounding the genre has centred on accuracy and ethics in memoir: now that the boundary between fiction and nonfiction is no longer so heavily policed, how far can a writer go? Indeed, does anything now go? This paper explores outstanding recent examples of life writing but also disturbing instances; it also examines a variety of views among memoirists about the role of the imagined in life writing. While recognising that the notion of a unitary and stable self is a fiction, I take issue with what I see as postmodern legitimisation of assumed identities and argue that, when this is extended even to fake Holocaust memoirs, it risks fuelling Holocaust revisionism and denial.


Nature has given us a method of cooling the planet quickly. Among other things volcanic eruptions discharge droplets that reflect sunlight back into space, causing global cooling. We could conduct a human-made mimic relatively quickly without the volcanic mess, thereby dramatically changing the climate change dialogue and beginning to relieve populations from the astronomical costs of impending climate mitigation efforts.


The first conflict between modern political concepts and traditional concepts dates back to the time of Sayyid Jamal al-Din Asadabadi and to him. After him, the contemporary Iranian man has been confused in whether inclining towards modern concepts or traditional concepts and therefore, has been unable in resolving the duality of domination of modern and traditional concepts on his political life. But what must be done? The present article seeks to show the process of reaching a solution in this regard. This article investigates the method of localization of a scholar like Sayyid Jamal al-Din Asadabadi. In an attempt to find the answer to the research question, the present article had to choose some modern concepts and analyze them in Sayyid Jamal's semantic system. The results of this study show that the method of localization of Sayyid Jamal, with the argument of maintaining originality, is based on imposing the traditional meaning on modern political concepts or imposing the eastern tradition on western civilization (authoritarian tradition-seeking).


Phenolic lignin model monomers and dimers representing the primary substructural units of lignin were successfully oxidized to benzoquinones in high yield with molecular oxygen using new Co-Schiff base catalysts bearing a bulky heterocyclic nitrogen base as a substituent. This is the first example of a catalytic system able to convert both S and G lignin model phenols in high yield, a process necessary for effective use of lignin as a chemical feedstock.


This is the first time that a series of invited papers have been commissioned for the journal. The Editorial Board agreed in March 2002 that the theme of 'Transport in Developing and Emerging Countries' was sufficiently important to merit special treatment, so invited papers from key researchers have been collated here. Two issues of the journal have been allocated to these papers, and it is hoped they will make a substantive and timely contribution to the emerging literature on transport and development within the poorer countries of the world. I am extremely grateful to Dr Goff Jacobs and Nic Greaves at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) for undertaking the considerable task of organizing the papers and in encouraging the authors to prepare their material within a tight timetable so that it would be both comprehensive and complementary. They have achieved this aim admirably. I also thank Goff and Nic's colleagues at TRL for supporting this venture and in providing them with the time and encouragement to see it through to completion. In particular, Dr John Rolt, Chief Research Scientist in the International Division (TRL), and Dr Rod Kimber, Director of Science and Engineering at TRL, have been instrumental in this process.


Motile cilia are a highly conserved organelle found on the exterior of many human cells. Cilia beat in rhythmic patterns to transport substances or generate signaling gradients. Disruption of these patterns is often indicative of diseases known as ciliopathies, whose consequences can include dysfunction of macroscopic structures within the lungs, kidneys, brain, and other organs. Characterizing ciliary motion phenotypes as healthy or diseased is an essential step towards diagnosing and differentiating ciliopathies. We propose a modular generative pipeline for the analysis of cilia video data so that expert labor may be supplemented for this task. Our proposed model is divided into three modules: preprocessing, appearance, and dynamics. The preprocessing module augments the initial data, and its output is fed frame-by-frame into the generative appearance model which learns a compressed latent representation of the cilia. The frames are then embedded into the latent space as a low-dimensional path. This path is fed into the generative dynamics module, which focuses only on the motion of the cilia. Since both the appearance and dynamics modules are generative, the pipeline itself serves as an end-to-end generative model. This thorough and versatile model allows experts to spend less time caught in the minutiae of cilia biopsy analysis, while also enabling new insights by quantifying subtle patterns that would be otherwise difficult to categorize.


n engl j med 366;16 nejm.org april 19, 2012 1548 clinicians should consider clinical risk factors for fracture when ordering an initial BMD test. However, adjustment for several clinical risk factors had minimal effect on our estimates of the time to transition to osteoporosis, except for a significant trend for age. These results suggest that current BMD T scores and age are the most important determinants of subsequent testing intervals. We strongly agree with Lewiecki and colleagues that too few initial BMD tests are performed in older women.4 An appropriate response to our results would be for primary care physicians to substantially increase the number of initial tests in older women, then to tailor the subsequent BMD screening interval according to BMD T score and age. Because the rate of BMD loss at the hip after age 65 is significantly higher for white women than for nonwhite women,5 our estimated screening intervals are shorter than the expected intervals for nonwhite older women. We expect that most clinicians would choose to apply the shorter screening intervals for white women to all women regardless of race or ethnic background. The data provided by Leslie and colleagues are important and relevant, since the effectiveness of a screening program depends not only on the frequency of the screening test but also on identifying patients who can benefit from and will actually receive treatment. Prospective studies of the clinical effect of BMD screening should include assessment of receipt of treatment.


Protein-coated cyanopropyl silica gel packed in a precolumn was successfully used as an adsorbent for ketoprofen in blood plasma. After column switching, ketoprofen collected in the precolumn was transferred into an ovomucoid column, and the chiral separation was carried out by a mobile phase of 0.1 M phosphate solution (pH 3.2) containing 20% methanol. The separation factor was 1.32, and the resolution was 1.30. The recovery by direct injection of plasma samples was approximately 100%, with a relative standard deviation of about 5% between days (n=6). The calibration graph of each enantiomer was a straight line up to 1 nmol; each detection limit was 5 pmol (S/ N=5).


References example, they wrote that "In his concept, cytological atypia in a melanocytic lesion indicates melanoma in situ". In truth, I stated the very opposite about the relationship between cytological features and biological behaviour of melanocytic neoplasms. I wrote that "I no longer use nuclear atypia, no mattcr how pronounced, as a criterion for differentiation of malignant melanomas from melanocytic nacvi of any kind. In order to differentiate the malignant from the benign, attention must be directed to architectural features, e.g. Spitz's naevi etc. Irrespective of how strikingly atypical the nuclei may be, such a neoplasm is a Spitz's naevus because of its specific architectural pattern, i.c. its silhouette." The Editor has requested that this reply to Drs Ruiter and his colleagues be brief and I must oblige him. Contrary views have now been expressed about dysplasia, dysplastic cells, dysplastic naevi, and a dysplastic naevus syndrome and arguments offered in support of those different interpretations. In closing, I submit that if the concept of a dysplastic naevus is to attain a t least the longevity of its forebear, an 'active' naevus, then it will have to be defined in precise, comprehensible, and repeatable fashion, clinically, histopathologically, and biologically. Those pathologists who think that they already are able to define intelligibly a dysplastic naevus and a dysplastic naevus syndrome might read with amusement and profit a play by Luigi Pirandello titled "Right You Are, If You Think You Are." A.Bernard Ackerman New York University Medicul Center, Suite 7J, 530 First Avenue, New York, N Y 10016, USA ACKERMAN AB. Invited review: What naevus is dysplastic, a syndrome and the commonest precursor of malignant melanoma? A riddle and an answer. Histopathology 1988; 13; 241-256. BERGMAN W, PALAN, WENT LN. Clinical and genetic studies in six Dutch kindreds with the dysplastic naevus syndrome. Ann. Hum. Genet.


The Supreme Court has adopted the doctrine of a constitutional "fundamental right to marry," and has construed this doctrine to mean a fundamental right to state-recognized legalmarriage. However, the doctrine has several problems: (a) the Court never satisfactorily explains why marriage is a fundamental right; (b) the Court never defines the boundaries of marriage as a fundamental right; and (c) the Court has occasionally treated marriage as if it were not a fundamental right. Further, the idea of a "fundamental right to marry" contains a debilitating internal contradiction: the notion of a fundamental right implies firm privileges which the state cannot deny, define, or disrespect, but marriage boundaries (the legal rules establishing who is eligible to marry whom, what formalities are required for marriage, and the legal ramifications of marriage) in the United States have always been subject to almost plenary state control which denies some marriages and refuses to give legal effect to others. What can a "right to marry" protecting individuals against the state possibly mean when the state itself determines what this thing called "marriage" is? Two observations about marriage suggest the answer to this question. First, the word "marriage" carries several different meanings which are related to each other but conceptually distinct. The "fundamental right to marry" conundrum arises in part from the conflation of these various meanings. Second, the history of western marriage regulation—particularly the contemporary rejection of the traditional beliefs about sexuality and marriage that once provided principled boundaries for a right to marry—explains why the various meanings of marriage often are conflated today, and it suggests how the law can escape the "fundamental right to marry" conundrum. The Supreme Court should reinterpret the fundamental right to marry as referring to the practice of personal-marriage behaviors (cohabitation, economic partnership, joint decisionmaking, etc.) rather than state-recognized legal-marriage. This would preserve the entrenched idea of a fundamental right to marry while cohering with the negative liberty nature of the Court's other recognized fundamental rights and accommodating the reality that the Constitution does not (currently) textually define or even mention marriage in any way.


The bone extracellular matrix (ECM) contains minerals deposited on highly crosslinked collagen fibrils and hundreds of non-collagenous proteins. Some of these proteins are key to the regulation of bone formation and regeneration via signaling pathways, and play important regulatory and structural roles. However, the complete list of bone extracellular matrix proteins, their roles, and the extent of individual and cross-species variations have not been fully captured in both humans and model organisms. Here, we introduce the most comprehensive resource of bone extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins that can be used in research fields such as bone regeneration, osteoporosis, and mechanobiology. The Phylobone database (available at https://phylobone.com ) includes 255 proteins potentially expressed in the bone extracellular matrix (ECM) of humans and 30 species of vertebrates. A bioinformatics pipeline was used to identify the evolutionary relationships of bone ECM proteins. The analysis facilitated the identification of potential model organisms to study the molecular mechanisms of bone regeneration. A network analysis showed high connectivity of bone ECM proteins. A total of 214 functional protein domains were identified, including collagen and the domains involved in bone formation and resorption. Information from public drug repositories was used to identify potential repurposing of existing drugs. The Phylobone database provides a platform to study bone regeneration and osteoporosis in light of (biological) evolution, and will substantially contribute to the identification of molecular mechanisms and drug targets.


We present near-infrared observations of the protostellar outflow HH 7-11 in the molecular hydrogen 1-0 S(1) and [Fe II] 1.644-μm emission lines. Images at four epochs spread over 11 yr constrain the proper motions of the H 2 emission knots to be less than 0.045 arcsec yr - 1 , corresponding to tangential speeds of under 47 km s - 1 at 220-pc distance, consistent with the proper motions derived in the optical range for the atomic component. Reanalysis of previous observations shows that variability and distortion of the SVS 13 reference star led to erroneous high H 2 proper motions. The SVS 13 K-band flux is a factor of 3 higher in 1994-2000 than in 1989. Numerous H 2 subknots are identified on images taken in 1998 and 2000. No significant relative variability is found in these subknots, consistent with slow outflow evolution. Compact [Fe II] emission peaks are found at the locations of atomic emission-line features observed in the optical range. We also identify in this line an elongated feature corresponding to the proposed jet Mach disc.


Electrolytic hydrogen generation needs earth-abundant oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysts that perform efficiently at mild pH. Here, the development of amorphous nickel-cobalt-borate nanosheet arrays on macroporous nickel foam (NiCo-Bi/NF) as a 3D catalyst electrode for high-performance water oxidation in near-neutral media is reported. To drive a current density of 10 mA cm-2 , the resulting NiCo-Bi/NF demands an overpotential of only 430 mV in 0.1 m potassium borate (K-Bi, pH 9.2). Moreover, it also shows long-term electrochemical durability with maintenance of catalytic activity for 20 h, achieving a high turnover frequency of 0.21 s-1 at an overpotential of 550 mV.


This paper introduces a new, reduced-order NS-α (rNS-α) model for the purpose of efficient, stable, and accurate simulations of incompressible flow problems on coarse meshes. We motivate the new model by discussing the difficulties in efficient and stable algorithm construction for the usual NS-α model, and then derive rNS-α by using deconvolution as an approximation to the filter inverse, which reduces the fourth order NS-α formulation to a second order model. After proving the new model is well-posed, we propose a C 0 finite element spatial discretization together with an IMEX BDF2 timestepping to create a linearized algorithm that decouples the conservation of mass and momentum equations from the filtering. We rigorously prove the algorithm is well-posed, and provided a very mild timestep restriction, is also stable and converges optimally to the model solution. Finally, we give results of several benchmark computations that confirm the theory and show the proposed model/scheme is effective at efficiently finding accurate coarse mesh solutions to flow problems.


In this paper, we investigate methods for reducing the likelihood that a message transmitted between two multi-antenna nodes is intercepted by an undetected eavesdropper. In particular, we focus on the judicious transmission of artificial interference to mask the desired signal at the time it is broadcast. Unlike previous work that assumes some prior knowledge of the eavesdropper's channel and focuses on maximizing secrecy capacity, we consider the case where no information regarding the eavesdropper is available, and we use signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) as our performance metric. Specifically, we focus on the problem of maximizing the amount of power available to broadcast a jamming signal intended to hide the desired signal from a potential eavesdropper, while maintaining a prespecified SINR at the desired receiver. The jamming signal is designed to be orthogonal to the information signal when it reaches the desired receiver, assuming both the receiver and the eavesdropper employ optimal beamformers and possess exact channel state information (CSI). In practice, the assumption of perfect CSI at the transmitter is often difficult to justify. Therefore, we also study the resulting performance degradation due to the presence of imperfect CSI, and we present robust beamforming schemes that recover a large fraction of the performance in the perfect CSI case. Numerical simulations verify our analytical performance predictions, and illustrate the benefit of the robust beamforming schemes.


Introduction The nursing workforce shortage in the UK is having a significant impact on voluntary sector children's palliative care services and is leading to increased recruitment of nurses from overseas to fill this gap. Aims A national lead organisation worked in partnership with a local voluntary children's palliative care provider to produce a signpost guide providing factual information and recording the actual experiences of this provider organisation when bringing overseas nurses to the UK. This guide would be available to other providers in the sector and valuable as a worked case example for other organisations – along with presenting the policy context. Methods We recorded an interview with the director of people and resources at the children's hospice: exploring what preparation happened there for the nurses arriving, how it went once the nurses were here, and what the learning points were including any cost/time benefits. We then added into the guide detailed factual information about immigration rules and policy – in the context of the current shortage of children's nurses in children's palliative care. Results Providers in the children's palliative care sector can now see the detail of a worked example of one provider recruiting from overseas in this colourful guide – as well as ensure they are up to date with the detail of immigration legislation and how it may affect their workforce planning. Conclusion Recruitment challenges are already having an effect on the care delivered by voluntary children's palliative care organisations – this has been measured over two consecutive years and shows the continued vacancy level is having an increasingly negative effect. Some children's hospices will now be considering recruitment from beyond the UK – or will be continuing this practice where they already do it. This guide offers a resource on the rules of employing nurses from overseas and highlights the current situation in the global migration of nurses.


INTRODUCTION
Excess weight in youth can have a profound impact on emotional and social functioning. This study investigated depression, social anxiety, and health-related quality of life in overweight Arkansas youth.

METHODS
Sixty-three middle school students participated. Children completed the Child Depression Inventory, the Social Anxiety Scale, and the Pediatric Quality of Life. Height and weight were obtained.

RESULTS
Overweight youth were similar to normal weight youth on all measures with no statistically or clinically significant differences.

CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that in a community with a high rate of overweight persons (youth and adults), the impact of the youth's own weight status on their emotional state and quality of life is negligible.


The purpose of this research is to analyze the disclosure level in the annual report of the manufacture companies listed in the Jakarta Stock Exchange and also the factors which influence the disclosure level. Those factors are the liquidity, solvability, the firm size, public share, the company's age, profitability, company status, type of the public accountants used by the company, and the leverage level. There are two disclosures level, which are the mandatory and the voluntary disclosures. Data for this research comprises on the information disclosed on the company annual report such as the log total assets, public share percentage, age of the company from first issue date until the research period, the status of the company, the public accountants used by the company and. also the finandal ratios such as current ratio, net profit margin, debt to assets ratio, and debt to equity ratio. The data used in this research are perioded time series cross section data for three consecutive years from 2002 to 2004. This research uses the purposive sampling method. Descriptive stalistics and the multiple regression method were used to analyze the hypotheses. This research finds that the disclosure level in manufacturing companies listed in Jakarta Stock Exchange is quite low whether it is mandatory or voluntary disclosures. The mandatory disclosure is influenced by several variables such as liquidity, the firm size (log total assets), and the type of public accountants used by the company. Then voluntary disclosure is influenced by the solvability and the status of the company.


A detailed history and the results of the physical examination of seven patients with unusual and not typical Guillain-Barré syndrome were described. The patients presented various levels of lesions and some signs and symptoms were not typical of classic clinical features. The variety of the clinical picture suggests the damage of nervous system in many places and at various levels, not only in the peripheral nerves, but also in the central nervous system. The heterogeneity of aetiology and aetiopathogenesis and immunological individual patient's reaction probably is the cause of the involvement of different structures.


The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is the central scintillator-steel sampling hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC . Jointly with other calorimeters it is designed for energy reconstruction of hadrons, jets, tau-particles and missing transverse energy. The scintillation light produced in the scintillator tiles is transmitted by wavelength shifting fibers to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The analog signals from the PMTs are amplified, shaped and digitized by sampling the signal every 25 ns. The TileCal frontend electronics reads out the signals produced by about 10000 channels measuring energies ranging from ∼30 MeV to ∼2 TeV . Each stage of the signal production from scintillation light to the signal reconstruction is monitored and calibrated. The performance of the calorimeter has been established with cosmic ray muons and the large sample of the proton-proton collisions. The response of high momentum isolated muons is used to study the energy response at the electromagnetic scale, isolated hadrons are used as a probe of the hadronic response and its modelling by the Monte Carlo simulations. The calorimeter time resolution is studied with multijet events. Results on the calorimeter operation and performance are presented, including the calibration, stability, absolute energy scale, uniformity and time resolution. These results show that the TileCal performance is within the design requirements and has given essential contribution to reconstructed objects and physics results.


BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been a global challenge since its first encounter. It has changed the daily lives of families including the sexual behavior of couples due to public health concerns and government policy to restrict people's movement. It has changed both interpersonal and partner relationships;the time availability at home, the continued presence of children at home, the fear of infection, and the inability to physically interact with others have changed most people's sexual behavior. AIM: This study aims to evaluate sexual behavior changes in marriage people of Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional online study was conducted, using self-constructed questionnaires. The convenience sample was collected from married males and females for at least 10 months from November 2020 to January 2021. The participants were asked 19 and 20 questions for female and male, respectively, which was an adaptation of the previous questionnaires. Furthermore, a study was conducted to analyze descriptively the changes of sexuality among married people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: About 201 participants who completed the survey, 110 males (54.7%) and 91 females (45.3%) were included in the analyses. The mean age of participants was 37 years old. Most of the participants have middle to high socio-economy classes and have children at home. Shifting in the work schedule is the main reason to change sexual behaviors. Participants experienced significant changes in sexual behaviors and some sexual responses before and during the restriction time. CONCLUSION: The pandemic has changed sexual behaviors due to social restrictions in Indonesia. These findings imply messages about the consequences of the pandemic on sexual behaviors that may affect the sexual relationship, marriage stability, and physical health itself to fight coronavirus.


Optical communication plays a significant and increasing role in our society. The public demand for higher network speed requires an optical backbone network with larger capacity. Accompanying high transmission-rate optical communications system are severe technical specifications for optical devices and systems. Many popular optical devices could be represented with a digital filter model as described in this article. Use of well-developed signal processing techniques and algorithms to design these optical devices is a wise use of existing technology. The wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system, which is the dominating optical communication system, is introduced in this article. Three signal processing application examples for optical communications are presented: optical wavelength interleaver, an all-pass filter for chromatic dispersion compensation, and an electronic equalizer. As demonstrated in this article, signal processing could play an important role in the development of advanced optical communication systems. However, as demonstrated in the case of an electronic equalizer, some optical system characteristics may require special attention if signal processing techniques are to be applied successfully. Therefore, interdisciplinary cooperation between researchers in optics and signal processing will be crucial for optical communications to fully benefit from signal processing.


Regioregular polymer semiconductors have demonstrated a well-ordered micro-crystalline morphology in thin films due to better π-stacking orientation resulting in efficient charge transport. We propose an effective synthetic strategy to achieve well-defined regioregular alternative donor–acceptor (D–A) type conjugated polymers using large molecular weight regioregular monomers. Using this synthetic route, various conjugated moieties can be systematically introduced in a single polymer backbone, and we developed a regioregular alternative D–A polymer, coded rr-PBTTh, based on thiophene as electron donating and benzothiadiazole as electron withdrawing groups. This new polymer possesses a highly planar conjugated backbone due to regioregularity and S⋯O and S⋯F non-covalent intramolecular conformational locks. rr-PBTTh exhibits well-balanced ambipolar transport characteristics mainly due to the balanced D–A molecular structure, and shows promising electrochromic performance with coloration efficiency up to 321.7 cm2 C−1 and rapid response time below 0.5 s.


Purpose: The purpose of the present study was first to apply the progressive optimization algorithm based automatic volumetric modulated arc therapy (POA-VMAT) technology to accelerate and improve the radiotherapy of cervicothoracic esophageal cancer (CTEC). We comprehensive analyze the feasibility, normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) and dosimetric results of POA-VMAT, manual based VMAT and step-shoot intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans in the treatment of CTEC. Methods: Sixty patients with CTEC with or without concomitant chemotherapy at our institution between 2017 and 2019 were retrospectively identified. The manual 7field-IMRT (7f-IMRT), Single-arc-VMAT and Double-arc-VMAT (Single-Arc/Double-Arc) plans were generated in all cases. The POA-VMAT was designed using the automatic dual-arc VMAT technology of Pinnacle3 9.10 planning system based on progressive optimization algorithm. Specially, it includes the selection of treatment techniques, the running of automated planning scripts, and the evaluation of the final radiotherapy regimen. Subsequently, quantitative evaluation of plans was performed by means of standard dose–volume histograms, homogeneity index (HI) and conformity index (CI). Results: Target dose conformity of the 7f-IMRT plan was inferior to all plans, whereas the Double-Arc plan was slightly inferior to the POA-VMAT but superior to the Single-Arc and 7f-IMRT plan. The HI for 7f-IMRT, Single-Arc, Double-Arc and POA-VMAT were 0.17 ± 0.08, 0.28 ± 0.06, 0.29 ± 0.06 and 0.28 ± 0.03, respectively. For the NTCP results, there was significant statistical difference among POA-VMAT, IMRT and VMAT plans. The total MU was reduced by 48.3% and 42.1% in Single-Arc and POA-VMAT plans compare to IMRT plans. Conclusions: By comprehensive consideration, POA-VMAT efficiently generate acceptable treatment plans for CTEC without dose escalation to OARs and overall superior to manual planning which is a good option for treating CTEC.


Efficient functionalization of polymer optical fibers' (POF) surface by a novel block copolymer material toward the development of low-cost multiagent sensors is presented. The employed poly(styrene sulfonate-b-tert-butylstyrene) (SPS-b-PtBS) diblock copolymer possesses two blocks of distinctively different polarity and charge, the hydrophilic SPS which is sensitive to polar substances and the hydrophobic PtBS which is sensitive to organic solvents. The coexistence of two different blocks allows for the detection of a wide variety of agents, ranging from ammonia, and organic solvents, to biomolecules like lysozyme, at room temperature as opposed to alternative usually more complicated techniques, all with the sole use of one sensing medium. Copolymers' high glass transition temperature enables the formation of stable and environmentally robust overlayers. The sensing performance of the material is evaluated experimentally on the customizable platform of POFs, demonstrating fast response, high operational reversibility, and also reusability in successively different testing agents. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014, 52, 46–54


Since their discovery by Bednorz and Muller [1], the high Tc oxides have offered us the puzzle of a mix of conventional and unconventional properties both in the normal state and in the superconducting state. This is why some of the fundamental questions such as the applicability of the Fermi liquid description and BCS s-wave superconductivity are still open to discussion. Experimental results bearing on these questions will be reviewed. Special emphasis will be placed on the role played by the short coherence length in determining some of the unconventional properties of the oxides.


In the household and agricultural production, men and women are involved in different activities to ensure the availability of goods and services for family consumption and well-being. The main objective of this study is to address gender division of labour in Delanta district, South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia. It addressed the different assortment of activities that are carried out by women, and identified some drawbacks faced women. The study was conducted in six rural districts, and 300 households by taking 225 women and 75 men in their residents. The interviewees were selected using stratified random sampling technique picking up 50 households from each rural district. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The results showed that women have primary role in gender division of labour in the study area. Women predominantly performed storage preparation (84%) and post harvest processing (81%), milk processing (82%), barn cleaning (61%) and care of new born animals (52%), cooking (86%), fetching (78%) and collecting fuel-wood (62%). They are also performed equally with men weeding (53%), harvesting and collecting crops to threshing field (52%), threshing ground preparation (80%) and keeping crops from wild life (37%). Despite their crucial roles in agricultural sectors, women have been marginalized for so long. They have limited access and control of agricultural products, extension services and information. This is due to social, cultural and work discrimination. This discrimination, in turn, has caused some women to lose self-confidence in decision-making power. Thus, to strengthen and develop women with economic, social and political affairs, federal and regional governments, and other concerned bodies should take all appropriate measures to ensure women equality with men, without any discrimination. Women should also participate at all stages of project planning, implementation and assessment.

 Key words: Agriculture, Delanta district, gender, labour, rural women, women.


The Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea are impacted by an exceptional oceanographic phenomenon: large amplitude internal waves (LAIW) that travel from West to East. As a result coral reefs on the western side of the Similan Islands are exposed to strong, intermittent variations in environmental conditions. Oceanographic sampling revealed that LAIW are accompanied by temperature drops of up to 4 °C and significant changes in carbonate chemistry resulting in a 30% decrease in aragonite saturation. During LAIW-low season (southeast monsoon), these waves bring offshore deep oceanic water from ~ 125 m depth to reefs on the western side of the Similan Islands and in LAIW-high season (northeast monsoon) from ~ 75 m depth. In this study, the response of calcification and oxygen fluxes in the coral Porites lutea to simulated in situ LAIW conditions was investigated at the Similan Islands. The data indicate a trend that the cumulative negative effects of reduced temperature, light and aragonite saturation may be compensated by metabolic adaptations, maintaining general viability; both calcification and oxygen fluxes were the same for West and East fragments and a higher chlorophyll-a and pigment content were found in West fragments. This may be an indication that P. lutea, a species tolerant of even very low aragonite saturations, can acclimatize and possibly even adapt to natural disturbances such as LAIW. However, a severe bleaching event in 2010, prior to the start of the experiments, may have affected the coral`s metabolism and physiology as a whole and may even have lead to the observed higher oxygen fluxes compared to corresponding values measured for P. lutea before 2010. This increase in oxygen fluxes may have supported calcification and allowed corals to maintain normal calcification rates under LAIW conditions.


A new narrow bandgap non-fullerene electron acceptor was designed, synthesized, and characterized for near-infrared organic photovoltaics. This acceptor was compared to a structurally similar compound with systematically modified side chains, and a series of solar cells were fabricated, employing the common donor polymers PTB7-Th and PBDBT. The devices exhibited charge generation over a wide spectral range and power conversion efficiencies up to 8.1%. The non-geminate recombination dynamics were investigated and quantified via a combination of capacitance spectroscopy and transient open-circuit voltage decay measurements. The reduction of the bandgap results in increased bimolecular recombination losses, while solar cells composed of PBDBT were afflicted by stronger monomolecular, i.e. trap-assisted, recombination losses that ultimately caused the lower power conversion efficiencies of the respective devices. The latter observation could be correlated to less ordered blend film morphology.


Agile (flexible) manufacturing, a natural successor to lean manufacturing, emphasizes customized products, efficiency (as pursued through lean manufacturing and other methods for making more with less), and responsiveness for meeting diverse customer requirements in a prompt and personalized manner. Unlike lean manufacturing, which emphasizes mass production in large-scale corporate structures, agile manufacturing is better suited to smaller scale and modular flexible production facilities. In this environment, flexible resources such as a flexible (cross-trained) workforce will become increasingly essential. In this article we show how worker cross-training can improve the performance of manufacturing systems through capacity balancing and variability buffering. We also present effective design and control principles to utilize the potential benefits of a flexible workforce.

Keywords:

flexible workforce;
agile manufacturing;
single-worker push lines;
variability buffering;
CONWIP


To the Editor. —The article by Buckley et al 1 in the December 1984Archivesmentioned a number of items that might cause magnesium wasting but failed to comment on others, such as dietary insufficiency, whether incidental or intentional, and the stress of a severe illness, accident, or surgical procedure, including a period of maintenance with intravenous fluids. Severe intracellular depletion of magnesium will cause the decrease of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone and the consequent hypocalcemia, to which reference was made by Buckley et al. It seems logical that the longer the interval between therapy doses, the lower the incidence of magnesium depletion. Since this group of patients had a 76% incidence of hypomagnesemia, we believe it would be wise to administer magnesium-containing liquids (or tablets) to such patients prophylactically during the course of cisplatin combination chemotherapy. 2 As some of these patients also experience gastritis, antacid therapy has the prospect


The article is devoted to the optimization of the processes of organization and management of international megaprojects based on the formation of a risk management system. Currently, the implementation efficiency of megaprojects remains low due to the emergence of many risks at various stages of project implementation. In this connection, it is proposed to form an integrated risk management system, which implies a three-stage structure for introducing the 6 element risk management system into the project life cycle, into the main project management processes. This article substantiates the need to form a risk management system in three stages in accordance with the key elements of a risk management system: (1) Planning – the block «Objectives and environment of the project»; (2) Approval of the project – the blocks «Identification», «Classification», «Assessment of risks and risk tolerance», «Risk management plan»; (3) Monitoring and control – the block «Control and monitoring of risks». Thus, the proposed integrated risk management system provides: continuity of the risk management process based on the audit of the RMS; the ability to adjust RMS at the stage of forecasting a risk event; possibility of scenario modeling for forecasting risk reduction potential; risk management program, formed by current risks in order to increase the attractiveness of the mega-project for the investor. It is also proposed to introduce an audit of risk management processes and procedures based on an adapted methodology for the following components of the risk management system: defining events and setting goals; the internal environment of the organization; organization risk assessment; risk control tools; responding to risks; communications and information; risk monitoring. This technique allows you to take into account risks not only at the stage of project development, but also during its implementation, which ensures its feasibility, as well as an audit algorithm for risk management systems of a megaproject is developed and recommendations for improving the RMS through this tool are proposed.


A model was developed to facilitate secondary tailgate support selection based on analysis of over 100 case studies, compiled from two different surveys of operating longwall coal mines in the United States. The ALPS (Analysis of Longwall Pillar Stability) program was used to determine adequacy of pillar design for the successful longwall case histories. A relationship was developed between the secondary support density necessary to maintain a stable tailgate entry during mining and the CMRR (Coal Mine Roof Rating). This relationship defines the lower bound of secondary support density currently used in longwall mines. The model used only successful tailgate case history data, with adequate ALPS SF according to the CMRR for each case. This model facilitates mine design by predicting secondary support density required for a tailgate entry depending on the ALPS SF and CMRR, which can result in significant economic benefits.


This book reports on hundreds of solution-collapse breccia pipes in northern Arizona. High-grade U ore, and potentially economic concentrations of Ag, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in some pipes, has stimulated mining activity there. More than 900 confirmed and suspected breccia pipes have been mapped by this study. One pipe was chosen for exploration drilling in 1984 because it exhibited all preestablished exploration criteria. Five rotary and core holes were drilled into this pipe; they contained mineralized breccia.


The chemokine stromal-derived factor-1A (SDF-1A) regulates leukemic cell motility and proliferation; however, the importance of these functions in the growth and dissemination of leukemia is unclear. We examined SDF-1A–mediated responses of cells from 27 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Although cells from the majority of cases showed chemotactic and proliferative responses to SDF-1A, a subset of cases did not undergo chemotaxis in response to SDF-1A, while still demonstrating dependence on SDF-1A for proliferation in stroma-supported cultures. This chemotactic defect was associated with an absence of phosphorylation ofp38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) induced by SDF-1A, and of SDF-1A–induced augmentation of B1 integrin– mediated adhesion. Signaling through phosphoinositide 3kinase and MEKwas not affected. No correlation was observed between CXCR4 expression and chemotactic function, in vitro migration into bone marrow stromal layers, and engraftment of leukemic cells in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. This study suggests that signaling through p38 MAPK is required for ALL cell chemotaxis but not for proliferation, and that the loss of a chemotactic response to SDF-1A does not impede engraftment in NOD/SCID mice. (Cancer Res 2005; 65(8): 3290-8)


Summary Regional food products are of contemporary interest as people are increasingly concerned to know where food comes from and how it is produced. Geographers have been slow to examine the link between product and place and this paper provides initial insights into the uptake of a European regulation designed to protect and promote high quality regional food and drink products in the United Kingdom. The early adopters of EU quality marks are shown to use them to protect their names from cheaper imitations rather than as a marketing device. Bureaucracy and costs of implementation, together with a lack of consumer knowledge, are likely to prevent rapid future adoption in the UK.


An estimated 38,890 Americans will be diagnosed with kidney cancer and 12,840 will die of this disease in the United States in 2006. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) constitutes approximately 2% of all malignancies, with a median age at diagnosis of 65 years. Smoking and obesity are among the risk factors for RCC development, and tumor grade, local extent of the tumor, presence of regional nodal metastases, and evidence of metastatic disease at presentation are the most important prognostic determinants of 5-year survival. These guidelines discuss evaluation, staging, treatment, and management after treatment.
For the most recent version of the guidelines, please visit NCCN.org


The effects of surface area and surface modification of amorphous fumed silicas on the charging properties of styrene-butadiene toner, against polymer-coated metal beads, were studied systematically. Without exception, silica additives though used at very low concentration (0.5% by weight on the toner surface) dominated the charging of the resulting toners. At 20% RH (relative humidity), our data showed that (1) all silicas impart negative charging in the styrene-butadiene toner, (2) hydrophobic silicas charge more negative than hydrophilic silicas, (3) the charge level is primarily governed by the surface area of the silica, and (4) the rate of charge exchange as measured by the admix time increases as the hydrophobicity of the silica increases. The effect of RH on toner charging was also examined. Results indicated that charging is universally sensitive to RH when silicas are used in toners. Specifically, tribo decreases as RH increases. Hydrophobic silicas were more resistant to RH changes, presumably because of their smaller moisture uptake at high RH. Accompanying the decrease in tribo, a reduction in admix time was generally observed at high RH. Use of the knowledge gained in this work for future toner formulation is suggested.


In this paper, an inductor on interposer with a ferrite film is investigated for power supply circuits in order to improve the efficiency of the power supply circuits by introducing a high permeability material to the inductor. A DC-DC buck converter is used as a power supply circuit in this work. The dependence of the inductance on the location of ferrite film is discussed with field electromagnetic simulations. Simulation results indicate that the ferrite film should be located on both upper and lower sides of the inductor and between metals. By using the inductor with the 10m-thick ferrite film, the efficiency of buck converter is improved by 13% when the efficiency of buck converter with the air core inductor is 60%.


The goal of this work is construction of an artificial life model and simulation of organisms in an environment with food. Organisms survive if they find food successfuly. With evolution and learning organisms develop a neural network which enables that.
First neural networks and their history are introduced with the basic concepts like a neuron model, a network, transfer functions, topologies and learning. I describe the backpropagation learning on multilayer feed forward network and demonstrate it on two examples. I present a model of artificial life and several topologies of neural networks for organisms. I analyse the mean squared error of different organisms. I analyse impact of learning set and initial weights on quality of learning and i show potentially large differences between different neural networks. A survival of organisms with different simulation parameters like food consumption rate, size of initial population, quantity of food in enviroment, learning speed are analyzed.
Darwin's theory is related to evolutionary computation. I explain it's basic concepts like representation of genome, selection, reproduction, mutation and survival strategy. I demonstrate the usage of evolutionary computation on two examples with different types of selection, crossover and survival strategies. The best method for each specific case is determined with the student's t-test.
I develop a model for evolution of neural networks. With numerical simulation i search a good structure of neural network. The evolution does not allways find the optimal solution. To improve visualisation a new structure is added to a neural network for calculation of cartezian coordinates from polar ones. This makes the progress of organisms visible through generations.
The developed concepts are included in a demonstration with graphical simulation of evolution and a user interface for setting the parameters. I simulate the evolution with different parameters and analyse complexity of neural networks, accurancy of coordinate conversion, mortality of organisms and efficency in food searching.
Using the ideas from nature is useful and efficient in computer science. The evolution models (in my case neural networks) give interesting simulations of artificial life. They also help solving scientific problems where efficient algorithms are unknown.


The purpose of the study to clarify the features of walking of CVA (Cerebrovascular attack) patients as Lyapunov exponent estimation, a method of nonlinear time series analysis, was applied to quantify the gait function and Barthel Index (BI) during walking as measured by accelerations and clarify the usefulness of the Lyapunov exponent. The study subjects were 24 CVA patients. Accelerations were measured maximal walking a three-axial accelerometer mounted on the third lumber spinous process in the vicinity. By calculating the gait index from the date of one gait cycle, we investigated the relationship between the gait function and BI features. Lyapunov exponent of the full mark group tended to be higher the label of anterior-posterior suggesting higher the label of vertebral as compared to the non-full mark group. Step was significantly correlated with the labile of vertebral CVA patients. The results suggest that gait analysis using Lyapunov exponent, is one way to measure the labile, estimation of walking might be useful to assess locomotive ability.


In the randomly quasi-two-dimensional magnetic system Rb2MnxCr1-xCl4 with competing exchange interactions, the spectrum of magnetic excitations was studied by means of neutron inelastic scattering, namely for three samples with different concentrations x: one which shows at low temperatures antiferromagnetic order (x = 0.70), one with ferromagnetic order (x = 0.25) and one with spin glass behaviour (x = 0.59). This investigation has revealed for all three samples dispersionless Ising cluster modes, coexisting in the same frequency range with q-dependent spin wave branches. In the ferromagnetic sample, the spin wave branch extends above and below the frequency range of the Ising cluster modes. In the spin glass sample, ferromagnetic spin waves as well as antiferromagnetic ones have been found, in addition to the Ising cluster modes, at least for q-values where the wavelength is smaller than the two-dimensional correlation-length. Such an excitation spectrum as observed in our sample of a quasi-two-dimensional XY spin glass has not yet been reported for any other spin glass.


We study the process by which a perturbed granular medium of millimetric-size particles reaches a "frozen" static configuration by decreasing perturbation intensity. The granular system is perturbed by isolated taps or by continuous vibrations. The granular process is observed by an immersed oscillator, which is used as a low-frequency "thermometer." A diffusive noise is seen until well below the fluidization limit, and the approach to the frozen configuration arises according to a modified Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) behavior. As a function of an empirical control parameter with unit of time one recovers a standard VFT form.


The importance of the organization to build commitment all target markets increasingly necessary as part of a marketing strategy to maintain effective long-term relationship, as reflected by the loyalty market. To measure the magnitude of the role that market commitment is necessary to identify through research the dimensions of affective commitment, calculative and goal commitment on loyalty, in addition to the antecedent factors of service quality and reliability. The research was carried out by involving students at a private college (PTS) of the Yogyakarta. The results show the importance of the role of affective commitment dimension and level of trust as a mediator variable to the build student loyalty. Predicted size of student loyalty is also directly contributed by the quality of service has been provided by management and the level of student goal commitment.


Oral lipomas, though rare, predominantly affect the buccal mucosa, tongue, and lips. The occurrence of lipomas in the palate is extremely rare. Osteolipoma is a very rare histological variant of lipoma accounting for less than 1% of all cases. Although a few cases involving the soft palate have been reported, there is only one reported case of osteolipoma of the hard palate in the English-language literature and it was a congenital osteolipoma associated with a cleft palate in a 6-year-old male child. This paper aims to describe an additional case uniquely located in the hard palate of an adult female.


Preheating soil in an effort to inactivate any enzymes or other thermolabile catalysts in the soil had only a slight effect upon the ability of the soil to remove amino acids from percolating solutions. Though some evidence was obtained in support of the existence of small but thermostable, small but thermolabile, and either a weak microbial activity or a catalyst inactivated by toluene as responsible for the removal of nitrogen from percolating solutions of amino acids, still the most important factor in removing amino acids from solutions was adsorption by the solid phase of the soil. Adsorption isotherms of a number of the more soluble amino acids with preheated Yolo fine sandy loam were obtained by the usual laboratory methods of analyzing a series of equilibrium extracts from the soil. The dicarboxylic mono-amino acids, aspartic and glutamic, were most weakly adsorbed, the monocarboxylic mono-amino acids, glycine, alanine, leucine, and norleucine, were somewhat more strongly adsorbed, and the monocarboxylic amino acids with one or more nitrogen-containing radicals in addition to the alpha-amino radical, such as lysine, histidine, and arginine, were most strongly adsorbed--even more strongly so than the NH4 ion of NH4Cl. Evidence was obtained which indicates that lengthening the hydrocarbon chain in the amino acids or transferring the NH2 radical farther out on the chain away from the carboxyl group increases adsorption; and that replacing a hydrogen on the terminal carbon atom of the chain with a phenyl group decreases adsorption, while an OH substitution increases the adsorption some and an SH substitution increases it somewhat more.


A data processor utilizes a central processor controller to determine selectively the next required operation phase while executing a current operation phase. Control words contained in a second stage control memory are selectively addressed from addresses contained in a first stage control memory. The selection of a particular address of a control word contained in said first stage control memory is determined from combinations of signals received by a condition multiplexer interposed between said first and second stage control memories, portions of program instructions contained in main memory, externally operated manual switches, and various internal control flags. The operation phase is defined as an operation, which is defined by said control word. The generation of the address for the next required control word and the execution of the operation defined by the current control word occurs in the same machine cycle. Each control word comprises a mode of operation, control signals for the various execute units, and input signals for the condition multiplexer for determining the next operation phase control word address, required by the data processor in the process of executing program instructions contained in the data processor's main memory.


[Background] Notch signaling is known to be important in hematopoiesis, but very little information is available about its significance in mast cells. Here we provide direct evidence that notch signaling is critical for both development and function of mast cells in vitro and in vivo .

[Methods] A Lin− fraction of mouse bone marrow cells was cultured on immobilized Delta1 in the presence of SCF and IL-3, and emerging Lin−FceRI+c-Kit+ mast cells were characterized. Next, production of mouse mast cell protease-1 (mMCP-1), which is specific for nematode infection through locally expressed TGF-β1 in vivo , by bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) was analyzed after the stimulation with Delta1 in the presence of TGF-β1. Finally, mice were infected with Strongyloides venezuelensis after pre-treatment with Delta1, and expulsion of the worms was examined.

[Results] Lin−FceRI+c-Kit+ mast cells developed remarkably earlier if stimulated with Delta1 (at one week, 15% vs. 3%). DAPT, a γ-secretase inhibitor, blocked the Delta1 effect, while it did not affect the regular time-course mast cell generation by SCF and IL-3. SB431542, a selective inhibitor of TGF-β1 signaling, also blocked early mast cell generation by Delta1. Delta1 augmented mMCP-1 expression and secretion from BMMC by 50 fold. Both DAPT and SB431542 showed a dose-dependent inhibition of Delta1 effect on mMCP-1 expression and secretion. Pre-treatment of the hosts with Delta1 promoted the expulsion of S. venezuelensis, (left/inoculated ratios of worms, 3% vs. 40%) while Delta1 had no effect in the mast cell-deficient W/Wv mice.

[Discussion] Our observations reveal that notch signaling regulates both development and function of mast cells in vitro in conjunction with TGF-β1 signaling. In vivo , it is also likely that Delta1 facilitates the functional maturation of intestinal mast cells to eradicate parasites. More precise mechanism of Delta1 action on mast cells in vivo is under a study.

![Figure][1] [1]: pending:yes


The present study involves the development of genetically engineered tobacco plants with annexin gene. The plasmid pUC 119 with the Annexin gene and pGPTV vector were isolated from the Escherichia coli . These plasmids were subjected to restriction digestion with EcoRI and Xbal where the Annexin gene is released from the pUC 119 as a linearised band was eluted from the gel. The recombinant PGPTV plasmid with the annexin gene in Agrobacterium tumefaciens MTCC 431 was mobilized and transferred to plant system through the mobilization helper plasmid pRK2013. The kanamycin resistance gene (NPT II) was used as a selective marker. The calli used for isolating the genomic DNA which was then amplified for confirmation of annexin gene. The nptII gene of 800 bp serves as a selectable marker system in plants and its amplification confirmed the presence of annexin gene in transgenic plants by PCR method.


In the terms of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, borders and bordering can be thought of as a "major"—a seemingly naturalized system of knowledge—through which the boundaries of territorialized nation-states are seen as given and citizenship is framed as a human condition. These border regimes map onto racialized geographies of belonging and exclusion, and work to render such logics as similarly "natural" in the process. Racialized migrants undermine this bordering major, not just at immediate sites of border encounter but also over time, within the socio-spatial landscapes of bordered territories. Through the generative potential of social reproduction, migrants create "minors" that rub against the dominant logics of bordering, and which reflect different future potentialities. In this article I develop a new conceptualization of "the minor" as a process of spatio-temporal remaking: a simultaneous de-territorialization and re-temporalization of the naturalized logics of the major. I argue that the bordering "major" depends on a racist temporal logic of denied contemporaneity, and show how, through social reproduction, migrants gradually re-work themselves into shared frames of futurity, a process that I conceptualize as the development of "frontier futures."


Blau syndrome/early-onset sarcoidosis (Blau/EOS) is an autoinflammatory disease characterized by granulomatous arthritis, uveitis, and skin rash. It has been shown that gain-of-function NOD2 mutations cause Blau/EOS. In this paper, we describe a patient with a gain-of-function NOD2 mutation who developed infantile Takayasu arteritis, which is rare in Blau/EOS, but who has not yet had significant granulomatous changes in joints, eyes, or skin. We suspect that this case is an unusual phenotype of Blau/EOS.


Cold ironing, which is the procedure of supplying shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth when its engines are turned off, arises as the eco-friendly way to deliver power to ships while they are berthed in ports, thus avoiding the use of diesel engines onboard, which provokes the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The aim of this study is twofold. First, a survey of research developments on cold ironing is carried out in order to show the state-of-the-art on the problem of greenhouse gases emitted by ships while docked and how to tackle it. Current regulations and examples of current ports that make use of technologies for cold ironing purposes are also shown. Second, the study proposes the use of a cold ironing system in the port of Barcelona, where the power generation is entirely given by renewable energy systems (wind turbines and photovoltaic panels). The idea is to contribute to the wide spread of cold ironing within smart port microgrids to achieve the goal of zero emissions from berthed ships.