Weather-related impacts are at the top of all outage causes. Yet, traditional outage management (OM) approaches do not integrate all available and relevant weather-associated data automatically. This paper presents a predictive method that correlates different weather-associated data layers to provide predictive OM process implemented using the geographic information systems (GIS) framework. Examples for both transmission and distribution OM are demonstrated using vegetation, wind, and power system data in ArcGIS.


The judiciary is an independent branch whose powers and responsibilities include administration and implementation of justice, supervision on the proper enforcement of the law, of the promotion of legitimate freedoms, protection of individual and public rights, providing due process for the resolution of judicial disputes, and investigation, prosecution, and punishment of criminals in accordance with the Islamic penal code. It is also incumbent upon the Judiciary branch to take adequate measures to prevent crime and to rehabilitate criminals. The highest Judicial authority is a Justice well versed in judiciary affairs and skillful in the administration of justice. He is appointed by the Leader for a period of five years. The Ministry of justice is the official authority to which all grievances and complaints are referred. The Minister of justice is in charge of administrating the Ministry as well as coordinating the relationship between the Judiciary branch and the legislative and executive branches. The courts are functionally classified according to their area of jurisdiction, civil or criminal, and according to the seriousness of the crime or the litigation, e.g., value of property under dispute or the level of punitive action involved. There are four civil courts: first level civil courts, second level civil courts, independent civil courts, and special civil courts. The latter attend to matters related to family laws and have jurisdiction over divorce and child custody. Criminal courts fall into two categories: first and second level criminal courts. The first level courts have jurisdiction over prosecution for felony charges, while the second level courts try cases that involve lighter punitive action. In addition to the regular courts, which hear criminal and civil suits, the judiciary encompasses clerical tribunals, revolutionary tribunals, and the Court of Administrative justice. Clerical courts entrusted with the task of trying and punishing misdeeds by the clergy. Revolutionary tribunals are charged with the responsibility of hearing and trying charges of terrorism and offenses against national security. The Court of Administrative justice under the supervision of the head of the judicial branch is authorized to investigate any complaints or objections by people with respect to government officials, organs, and statues. The Constitution also requires the establishment of a Supreme Court with the task of supervising the implementation of laws by the courts and ensuring uniformity in Judicial procedures.


The authors compared somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) recorded in 16 patients with infantile cerebral paralysis (ICP), 16 patients with parkinsonism (P), 18 patients with torticollis (T), and 15 healthy individuals. Structural changes of SSEP were found in all patients with ICP and in most patients with P and T. The structural changes of SSEP in these patients were mainly associated with the absence or suppression of one or two components of SSEP of a healthy individual. It is assumed that one and the same pathological process underlies these three diseases, but it differs in the degree of manifestation in each one. Two groups of patients with parkinsonism which differed in age were distinguished, which represent, probably, two different pathological processes. Certain normalization of the muscular tonus and inhibition of hyperkinesia in most patients as the result of stereotaxic operation was not attended by normalization of the SSEP structure.


Position sensitive hybrid pixel detectors have been fabricated by bump bonding silicon or bulk grown gallium arsenide pixel detectors to chips. Their performance as X-ray imaging sensors in the energy range of 10-70 keV, was evaluated in terms of spatial resolution. For the GaAs device a fit was made to the line spread function (LSF) obtained from the image of a narrow slit and the corresponding modulation transfer function (MTF) and noise equivalent passband (N/sub e/) evaluated. A value of 5.7 line pairs per mm (1p/mm) was found for the latter, with a modulation of 10% at the Nyquist frequency (N/sub y/). A comparison is also given of the performance of these devices with state-of-the-art scintillator on silicon CCD dental X-ray sensors. In a bid to improve detector performance, thick layers of high quality GaAs have recently been grown by low pressure vapour phase epitaxy (LP-VPE). Hall measurements on initial samples gave free carrier concentration of 1-8/spl times/10/sup 11/ cm/sup -3/. From the C-V dependence of a reverse-biased Schottky diode this material, however, a space charge density of 2/spl times/10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/ was measured. The observed temperature and frequency dependency of the capacitance is characteristic of the presence of deep levels and so the material is believed to have a small degree of compensation due to these levels. The measured charge collection efficiency determined (c.c.e) for 60 keV gamma rays showed an increase with reverse bias, reaching a plateau value of 93% for 100 V. The limitations of present detectors are discussed and possible future developments indicated.


The orbital complications of paranasal sinus infection are well known to otolaryngologists. However, only a few articles have reported subperiosteal orbital hematoma as one of these complications. It is a rare but well-recognized entity in ophthalmology, usually caused by trauma. A case of subperiosteal orbital hematoma secondary to ethmoidal sinusitis is presented. The relevant clinical characteristics, pathophysiology, and differential diagnosis of subperiosteal orbital hematoma, as well as treatment options, are reviewed and presented as they apply to cases associated with sinusitis.


We consider a cache-enabled K-user broadcast erasure packet channel in which a server with a library of N files wishes to deliver a requested file to each user who is equipped with a cache of a finite memory M. Assuming that the transmitter has state feedback and user caches can be filled during off-peak hours reliably by decentralized cache placement, we characterize the optimal rate region as a function of the memory size, the erasure probability. The proposed delivery scheme, based on the scheme proposed by Gatzianas et al., exploits the receiver side information established during the placement phase. Our results enable us to quantify the net benefits of decentralized coded caching in the presence of erasure. The role of state feedback is found useful especially when the erasure probability is large and/or the normalized memory size is small.


Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Alverno College is a small Catholic liberal arts college for women that features a unique ability-based curriculum and a rigorous tradition of assessment of student learning. The library plays an important role by providing resources and services that support the unique curriculum. Until recently, the collection development policy specified that library resources not include textbooks. However, in an effort to address concerns associated with rising textbook costs, student retention, and students' inability to purchase materials needed for their coursework, the library altered its policy and established an open reserve textbook collection.


Introduction: Dento-alveolar trauma to the maxillary incisors often requires combined clinical and radiographical follow-up. The number of radiographs can add up substantially in particular cases, which subsequently results in a higher patient's absorbed radiation dose. As a consequence from the X-ray beam's downward angulation, the thyroid gland potentially receives a substantial amount of radiation, both from the primary beam as from the scattered radiation. Aim: Assess the absorbed radiation dose by the patient's thyroid gland by means of Personal Computer X-ray Monte Carlo calculations (PCXMC® 2.0 software), taking into account voltage, milli-Amperes, exposure time, vertical projection angle, beam collimation and age of the patient. Results: The use of a longer focus-to-skin distance and a rectangular collimator resulted in a significant lower radiation dose to the thyroid gland. The latter was irrespective of the patient's age. The dose to the thyroid gland was significantly higher in younger subjects. The impact of the vertical projection angle was not similar for all age categories. Conclusion: The dose to the thyroid gland seems to be mostly affected by the size of radiated surface, the focus-to-skin distance and the milli-Ampere exposure time product. The study assessed only the absorbed radiation dose by the thyroid gland under different radiographic exposures, mimicking real clinical circumstances and did not did not assess image quality. Therefore the results should be interpreted with care.


Author(s): Varatharajan, Sri Smruthi | Advisor(s): Lopour, Beth; Brewer, Gregory | Abstract: The hippocampus has long been known to play a central role in various behavioral and cognitive functions. Despite extensive behavioral, anatomical studies postulating roles of the hippocampus and its sub-regions, the underlying dynamics of the neural circuits responsible for region-specific roles in the hippocampus remains poorly understood. In addition, the communication between the hippocampal sub-regions also plays a major role in learning and memory but has not been explored as much due to the lack of access to the individual axons. This paper seeks to understand the role of slow waves (4-100 Hz) known as Local Field Potentials (LFP) in the hippocampal sub-regions, their dynamics and role in information transmission to bind cell assemblies through synchrony by timed-bursts and individual spikes, by space (EC, DG, CA3, CA1) in the hippocampal sub-regions and by frequency (4-11 Hz theta and 30-100 Hz gamma bands). We used a four-chambered polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) micro-tunnel device over a multi-electrode array (MEA) with the engineered living reconstruction of the hippocampal sub-regions. The 5 x 10 μm micro-tunnels between each chamber allow axonal growth and inhibit the migration of 15 μm diameter cell bodies or traversal by dendrites providing insight into the role of axons in inter-regional communication. A significant advantage of our system is the ability to separate activity in the axons in the tunnels from the computations of the neural cells in the wells of the 4-chambered device. Functional connectivity within hippocampal sub-regions and the axonal tunnels helped in ascertaining the role of LFP in information processing and transmission. A computationally simple and linear method, Cross-Correlation of the theta power and the cross correlation of the gamma power was used to estimate synchrony of LFP. Comparison between the theta-theta and gamma-gamma LPF's from the different sub-regions indicates that the CA3 has the strongest correlation. CA3 sub-region is characterized by recurrent network wiring pattern and such strong correlation can be associated with this kind of network pattern. The spatial distribution of the theta and gamma correlation between electrodes was estimated by computing the correlation as a function of the inter-electrode distance within each sub-region. A common relationship of LFP power with the inverse square of distance during bursting events suggested LFP transmission through synapses of branching dendritic trees in the plane of the network. These first measures of LFP's in axons suggests axonal transmission of slow waves, independent of spikes and synapses. Understanding these network properties within the hippocampus could provide important information for steps in memory formation, neuromorphic computing and artificial intelligence systems in addition to better detection of hippocampal diseases such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.


The research supposses method of unstructural (qualitative) interview with the leaders of national and cultural organization. This research is found on theory of P.Burdje. The artikle is dedicated to mechanism of constructed of ethnical identification, the undestanding ethnicity of leaders of organization. The artikle includes the analysis of the expert's diskurs.


The release of Mo (as molybdate) from the Mo storage protein (MoSto), which is unique among all existing metalloproteins, is strongly influenced by temperature and pH value; other factors (incubation time, protein concentration, degree of purity) have minor, though significant effects. A detailed pH titration at 12 °C revealed that three different steps can be distinguished for the Mo‐release process. A proportion of ∼15 % at pH 6.8–7.0, an additional 25 % at pH 7.2–7.5 and ca. 50 % (up to 90 % in total) at pH 7.6–7.8. This triphasic process supports the assumption of the presence of different types of molybdenum‐oxide‐based clusters that exhibit different pH lability. The complete release of Mo was achieved by increasing the temperature to 30 °C and the pH value to >7.5. The Mo‐release process does not require ATP; on the contrary, ATP prevents, or at least reduces the degree of metal release, depending on the concentration of the nucleotide. From this point of view, the intracellular ATP concentration is suggested to play—in addition to the pH value—an indirect but crucial role in controlling the extent of Mo release in the cell. The binding of molybdenum to the apoprotein (reconstitution process) was confirmed to be directly dependent on the presence of a nucleotide (preferably ATP) and MgCl2. Maximal reincorporation of Mo required 1 mM ATP, which could partly be replaced by GTP. When the storage protein was purified in the presence of ATP and MgCl2 (1 mM each), the final preparation contained 80 Mo atoms per protein molecule. Maximal metal loading (110–115 atoms/MoSto molecule) was only achieved, if Mo was first completely released from the native protein and subsequently (re‐) bound under optimal reconstitution conditions: 1 h incubation at pH 6.5 and 12 °C in the presence of ATP, MgCl2 and excess molybdate. A corresponding tungsten‐containing storage protein ("WSto") could not only be synthesized in vivo by growing cells, but could also be constructed in vitro by a metalate–ion exchange procedure by using the isolated MoSto protein. The high W content of the isolated cell‐made WSto (∼110 atoms/protein molecule) and the relatively low amount of tungstate that was released from the protein under optimal "release conditions", demonstrates that the W‐oxide‐based clusters are more stable inside the protein cavity than the Mo‐oxide analogues, as expected from the corresponding findings in polyoxometalate chemistry. The optimized isolation of the W‐loaded protein form allowed us to get single crystals, and to determine the crystal X‐ray structure. This proved that the protein contains remarkably different types of polyoxotungstates, the formation of which is templated in an unprecedented process by the different protein pockets. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 2408–2413).


We study the role of surface polaritons in the zero-temperature Casimir effect between two graphene layers that are described by the Dirac model. A parametric approach allows us to accurately calculate the dispersion relations of the relevant modes and to evaluate their contribution to the total Casimir energy. The resulting force features a change of sign from attractive to repulsive as the distance between the layers increases. Contrary to similar calculations that have been performed for metallic plates, our asymptotic analysis demonstrates that at small separations the polaritonic contribution becomes negligible relative to the total energy.


Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is widely used technique for dissimilar welding of metals. In the present work, TIG welding operation has been studied for favorable welding condition for maximizing the ultimate load and breaking load of weld specimen. Current, gas flow rate and filler rod diameter are considered as input parameters. Experimentation has been done as erL16 orthogonal array of Taguchi method. Grey relational analysis has been utilized for converting multi-responses into single response i.e. grey relational grade. Then the analysis of signal to noise ratio has been applied to determine significance of input parameters. Optimal condition has been obtained by Taguchi method. Confirmation test have also been conducted to verify the optimum condition.


Butyrate is a major SCFA produced by microbial fermentation of dietary fiber in the gastrointestinal tract. Butyrate is widely thought to mediate the benefits of fiber and resistant starch consumption to colon health in humans. Besides serving as a substrate for energy production, butyrate has many regulatory effects in animals. Little is known about the signaling mechanisms underlying the regulatory effects of butyrate and other SCFA. In this study, we determined whether butyrate can activate cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA)- cAMP response element (CRE)-binding protein (CREB) signaling in Caco-2 cells, a model of intestinal epithelial cells. Butyrate promoted luciferase expression from a CRE-reporter construct, induced phosphorylation of CREB, increased the activity of PKA, and elevated the levels of cAMP in Caco-2 cells. These data suggest that butyrate activates cAMP-PKA-CREB signaling in Caco-2 cells. Butyrate, however, had no effect on the activities of adenylyl cyclase (AC) and phosphodiesterase (PDE), two enzymes that determine the production and degradation of intracellular cAMP, respectively. Because the activities of AC and PDE are primarily regulated by G protein-coupled receptor (GPR)-mediated intracellular signaling, lack of an effect of butyrate on these two enzymes suggests that butyrate does not activate cAMP-PKA-CREB signaling through GPR. Butyrate-treated Caco-2 cells had greater concentrations of ATP than untreated cells. Because ATP is the substrate for cAMP production, this difference suggests that butyrate may activate cAMP-PKA-CREB signaling in Caco-2 cells through increased ATP production. Overall, this study raises the possibility that some of the regulatory effects of butyrate in animals, including those on the colonocytes, may be mediated by the cAMP-PKA-CREB signaling pathway at the cellular level.


The experiment was conducted on brown forest soil in the vineyard with Sauvignon blanc variety on Kober 5BB rootstock. During a thre- year experiment (1994-1996), potassium fertilizer was added in a dose of 0 kg K2O/ha, 50 kg K2O/ha, 100 kg K2O/ha, 150 K2O/ha respectively. After the determination of soil potassium content (1870-1920 mg K2O/100 g), its available form was monitored by using two different extraction methods (AL method and 1N ammonium-acetate extraction). The amount of extracted available K was not significant between the used methods, while the effect of fertilization was visible only at 150 kg/ha potassium rate during the first year in soil layers (30-60 cm, 60-90 cm). Also, another examined soil K fraction (fixed K+) was not affected by K fertilizer application.


There is a need to improve the quality of rehabilitation in sports medicine to return athletes to optimal function safely and quickly, reducing the risk of reinjury. This paper describes a planning paradigm to guide clinical reasoning during individual treatment sessions and a model for planning the rehabilitation program from acute injury to return to play. The design of a rehabilitation program should be a collaborative, team effort, and accounting for the specific needs of the athlete. As the athlete progresses from acute injury management all the way back to full competition, the rehabilitation professional emphasizes the components of pain management, motion, motor control, and force production in varying degrees based upon phases of tissue healing and the athlete's response. Utilizing high-value, evidence-based treatments maximize both the effectiveness and efficiency of rehabilitation to restore and improve upon preinjury levels of physical performance.


In this paper, we propose a novel method for dexterous manipulation planning problem of rotating object with surface of revolution using a robotic multi-fingered hand. This method finds contact point trajectories from contact points between the robotic hand and the object with task-orientated manipulation quality measurement. Based on the defined manipulation quality, the pose for robotic hand relative to object can also be optimized by random sample. Experiments using Schunk anthropomorphic hand with 13 degrees of freedom screwing a light bulb into holder with screw thread demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of the introduced method.


Cooperative Processes Software (CPS), a parallel programming toolkit developed at Fermilab for processing CPU-intensive experimental data in the area of high-energy physics, is described. CPS allows physicists to solve computationally intensive problems on a collection of reduced-instruction-set-computer (RISC) workstations that work in parallel to provide solutions within a reasonable time frame. This mode of parallel processing provides a cost effective and easily scalable solution to CPU-bound computational problems that can be classified as large grained and loosely coupled. The performance of CPS on a typical experiment of Fermilab, which has 1000 to 2000 8 mm tapes of raw event data that needs to be reconstructed, is discussed.<<ETX>>


Agrometeorological models make possible to assess the quantitative influence of climatic variables, such as air temperature and soil water balance on the coffee development and grain production. An agrometeorological model (CAMARGO et al., 2003) that monitor and assess agrometeorological impact on coffee yields just before the beginning of the maturation growth stage was modified and calibrated. Grain yield were collected from adult coffee plantations at four different regions of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The modified agrometeorological model is based in two parts: first, the model estimates the beginning of the floral induction based on accumulated growing degree days, and a critical rainfall depth. The second part is based on penalization of the potential crop grain yield according to the previous yield and the water stress ratio (ETr/ETp), derived by a 10-day soil water balance during different growth stages. These ratios were weighted by derivation of crop phase yield-response sensitivity coefficients (Ky values), in a multiplicative type model. Also, the model considers penalization for minimum and maximum air temperature. An analysis of the sensitivity coefficients values shows that this model gives higher weight to the water relations during flowering and coffee bean formation phases. This period generally occurs between October and January and it will determine the production of the coffee crop. The statistical analysis for actual and estimated coffee grain yield presented a good linear relationship, "R" between 0.76 and 0.93, "d" index of agreement between 0.73 and 0.90, "C" index of performance between 0.60 and 0.84, and "Ea" unsystematic error between 144 and 558 kg ha-1. The values of "Es" systematic error were relatively low, between 324 and 762 kg ha-1, showing a little tendency of the model to overestimate the predicting coffee grain productivity. The results support the overall conclusion that the proposed model shows a good capacity to estimate coffee grain productivity and it is a promising tool for monitoring climatic impacts on coffee grain yields.


Imitation Learning (IL) is an effective framework to learn visuomotor skills from offline demonstration data. However, IL methods often fail to generalize to new scene configurations not covered by training data. On the other hand, humans can manipulate objects in varying conditions. Key to such capability is hand-eye coordination, a cognitive ability that enables humans to adaptively direct their movements at task-relevant objects and be invariant to the objects' absolute spatial location. In this work, we present a learnable action space, Hand-eye Action Networks (HAN) that learns coordinated hand-eye movements from human teleoperated demonstrations. Through a set of challenging multi-stage manipulation tasks, we show that a visuomotor policy equipped with HAN is able to inherit the key spatial invariance property of handeye coordination and achieve generalization to new scene configurations. Additional materials available at https://sites.google.com/stanford.edu/han


In response to a marked increase in the use of an available test, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound (GHC) evaluated the use of prostatic specific antigen (PSA) as a screening test for prostate cancer. A project team reviewed the literature and determined that PSA did not meet GHC's criteria for screening. An implementation team then developed a comprehensive program to educate staff, facilitate practice change, measure outcomes and provide continuing feedback to physicians. These efforts are described and preliminary reports reported.


Telecom operators across the globe face the challenge of improving and maintaining data quality to reduce revenue leakage and process failures. On the basis of the latest predictions on gross spend from the Telecommunications Industry Association, which is set to amount to a staggering USD 215,000,000,000 of lost business in 2014 alone. In any business, a 215 billion loss is scandalous – especially if its essentially down to the administration of back office databases. In current circumstances, where Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), is one of the most important Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for any Telco, it becomes vital to curb revenue losses while retaining customer. Telecom industry as such, struggles to maintain its data quality due to sheer complexity of the systems and functions involved and volume of data to be managed. The problem gets accentuated with stiff competition, frequent induction of offers by service providers, regulatory institutions in different countries for telecom industry, advancement of technology (such as number portability, IPTV, 3G services, etc.) In these days, where ARPU is monitored to the extent of one paisa/cent/pence, no telecom operator could afford to lose its share of money due to poor data quality. Data quality and data integrity (DQ & DI) management market landscape is fast evolving. With the spurt of COTS and free ware, DQ & DI is getting most hit, forcing operators to look for solutions. There are plenty of DQ tools available in the market, but there isn't any framework available which can ensure 100% data integrity across the system landscape. Telecom operators expect from DQ & DI solution providers that they will 1) leverage the experience gained in this domain 2) bring automation 3) build reusable and easily deployable components and 4) Ensure reduced costs of DQ & DI engagements. Clearly, there is significant business potential in this space.


Hardness test on the alloy Fe-50% at Al with the addition of nickel were prepared by mechanical alloying method. The powder mixture Fe-50at.%Al with the variation adding 0,5at.%Ni, and 2at.%Ni  are grinded using High Energy Milling HEM E-3D in Argon condition for 10 hours. To determine the hardness, conducted to take the sample with the certain time duration to each composition. Then, the sample which has been taken is characterization using hardness. The results showed that the highest hardness properties exist in the alloy Fe-50% at Al-0.5% at Ni, amounting to 161.53 HV. The addition of nickel on alloy reduces the hardness properties of the alloy. However, the addition of nickel require a short time to raise the hardness properties.


A case of gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina associated with hyperornithinemia has been subjected to extensive clinical and biochemical investigation. The familial occurrence of the ocular disease and of abnormality of amino acid was unique to this 28-year-old male, being absent in parents and siblings. He presented with progressive visual loss, and was found to have cataracts and large areas of peripheral lacunar atrophy. Clinically there was no other abnormality. However, he was hyperuricemic and has an abnormal EEG. Despite otherwise normal biochemical indices of hepatic, renal, and muscle function; selective catheterization of an artery, the hepatic vein, the renal vein, and a deep forearm vein showed all of these circulatory beds to be producing ornithine according to arteriovenous difference measurements. Cerebrospinal fluid and urine contained increased amounts of ornithine. Though electromyography was normal, the muscle biopsy was abnormal. Clinical tests including arginine loading, glucose tolerance testing, and other measurements of blood variables provided inferences as to the metabolic locus of the abnormality. The syndrome is a systemic multiorgan disorder in which the choroid and retina would appear to be target organs and the hyperornithinemia to be of, as yet, undetermined cause and pathogenic significance.


Abstract In this study, isomerization of α-pinene was studied over several acid-treated natural zeolite catalysts rich in clinoptilolite. Zeolite samples were contacted with HCl at different concentrations at 30°C or at 60°C for 3 and 24 hours and tested in isomerization reaction of alpha-pinene. The catalysts prepared were characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption, and acidity studies. Acidity strength and the distribution of Lewis and Brönsted acid sites of the catalysts were determined, and their catalytic activities in α-pinene isomerization and selectivities to main reaction products, camphene and limonene, were investigated. Acid treatment improved the selectivity of catalyst samples to camphene, decreasing the selectivity to limonene, probably forcing limonene to secondary reactions at high conversions. The kinetics of α-pinene consumption was described by first-order kinetics. Two kinetic models were tested for the reaction mechanism and one model was found to give a good correlation between the theoretical and experimental data. In the models, the key intermediate was the pinylcarbonium ion, which was formed irreversibly from α-pinene. Number and distribution of Lewis and Brönsted acid sites affect the formation of bicyclic and monocyclic products.


Abstract An intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) is a generalisation of a fuzzy set characterised by a truth membership function and a false membership function. The former is a lower bound on the grade of membership of the evidence in favour of a particular element belonging to the set and the latter is a lower bound on the negation of that element belonging to the set derived from evidence against that element belonging to the set. A similar concept is a vague set, though vague sets have been shown to be identical to IFSs. In the context of project evaluation, an IFS may be used to represent the degree to which a project satisfies a criterion and the degree to which it does not. Aggregation of such IFSs has been considered in recent years to identify a best project in terms of several criteria or factors. A particular desirable way to aggregate IFS is in terms of an ordered weighted average (OWA) which can be expressed in different forms such as arithmetic and geometric. In an OWA operator, weights are applied to the position of an element in the aggregation. In addition, hybrid OWA operators may be developed to not only weight the position of elements in the aggregation but the element itself. An example is given relating to the Kuranda Range Road upgrade (Queensland, Australia) which is limited by grade, poor overtaking opportunities, poor horizontal alignment and other constraints and the road is expected to become increasingly congested over the next few years. A more flexible multi-factor decision method is used to identify a 'best' project from a set of four alternative projects.


This paper used a qualitative method to investigate the impacts of manufacturer's social identity on their tax attitudes and how these effects affect firm's tax compliance. The data from 101 respondents reported that membership and identity affect their firm's tax compliance, but not private and public collective self-esteem. The result showed that dependence on the community and stakeholder views on corporate identity are considered important by companies to increase public trust. Meanwhile, private and public collective self-esteem were no longer the key. It implies that the former is more likely to have a higher cost of tax collection to represent tax compliance, which may restrict funds for their public sector and adversely affects its functionality. This is consistent with the previous findings that identify socially impacted tax compliance, instead of self-esteem. Research results for manufacturing managers related to strengthening social identity factors in order to improve overall corporate tax compliance, such as joining tax communities, professional membership's and the like. By having a clear social identity, managers have channels to discuss tax issues and find solutions to tax problems more easily.
Keywords: tax compliance, identity social, membership, community, self-esteem


Construction of modern and durable bituminous pavements requires high quality bituminous binder, aggregates and additives. The main objective of this paper was to analyse and compare viscoelastic properties of unmodified and polymer modified bitumens produced in Poland, Europe, in order to assess their quality. In this paper there are presented results of bituminous binder European classification tests (penetration, softening point and Fraass breaking point) as well as rheological test results conducted over a wide range of temperatures. In addition, image analysis of the microstructure of selected polymer modified bitumens is also presented. Based on the analysis it was concluded that although bituminous binders complies with European specification requirements, they are significantly different in terms of their rheological properties. It was found that regardless of binder producer, bituminous binder within the same hardness group exhibit different low and high temperature properties.


The authors present an analytical model to predict the model parameters of a dither-motor structure in a ring laser gyroscope in which the piezoelectric sensor and actuator are employed as driving mechanisms to avoid the problem of so-called lock-in effects. It is shown that the natural frequency of a dither motor is strongly influenced by: (1) the inertia and stiffness of piezoelectric elements and bonding layers, (2) the location of piezoelectric elements, and (3) the interaction between structural vibration and piezoelectric actuation. Conventionally. piezoelectric elements are used for sensor and actuator independently. A technique for utilizing each of the piezoelectric elements concurrently for dither rate sensing and dither motion actuation is also developed. Experimental results show that the system performance and reliability can be significantly increased by accurately predicting the fundamental structural frequency and by implementing the concurrent sensing/actuating technique.


Because of limited direct observation, understanding of the interior conditions of the massive storage caverns constructed in Gulf Coast salt domes is realizable only through predictions of salt response. Determination of the potential for formation of salt spans, leading to eventual salt falls, is based on salt creep and fracture using the Multimechanism-Deformation Coupled Fracture (MCDF) model. This is a continuum model for creep, coupled to continuum damage evolution. The model has been successfully tested against underground results of damage around several test rooms at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Model simulations, here, evaluate observations made in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) storage caverns, namely, the accumulation of material on cavern floors and evidence of salt falls. A simulation of a smooth cavern wall indicates damage is maximum at the surface but diminishes monotonically into the salt, which suggests the source of salt accumulation is surface sluffing. If a protuberance occurs on the wall, fracture damage can form beneath the protuberance, which will eventually cause fracture, and lead to a salt fall.


The novel pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first discovered in Wuhan, China in late 2019 with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) declared a global pandemic in March 2020. Primarily involving the lungs, conventional imaging with chest radiography and CT can play a complementary role to RT-PCR in the initial diagnosis, and also in follow up of select patients. As a broader understanding of the multi-systemic nature of COVID-19 has evolved, a potential role for molecular imaging has developed, that may detect functional changes in advance of standard cross-sectional imaging. In this review, we highlight the evolving role of molecular imaging such as fluorine-18 (18F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) with PET/CT and PET/MRI in the evaluation of both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary COVID-19, ventilation and perfusion scan with SPECT/CT for thromboembolic disease, long term follow-up of COVID-19 infection, and COVID-19 vaccine-related complications.


John Stow was born in London in 1525. A moderate Protestant of the first generation, he lived through the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I and witnessed the coronation of the first Stuart monarch, James I. Stow's great achievement and legacy to us were his two books, Annales of England (1605) and, most famously, A Survey of London (1895). Looking at sixteenth-century England through the eyes of this literate, inquisitive and knowledgeable citizen of London, Barrett Beer presents us with a view of England quite different from traditional received interpretations. Drawing on Stow's uniquely common touch - no other contemporary chronicler stood so close to ordinary men and women - Beer reconstructs the popular perception of current affairs and history, affording us an unprecedented synthesis of Tudor history, thought and attitudes and allowing us a more informed insight into all aspects of sixteenth-century life. This book will be invaluable to anyone interested in the history and historiography of Tudor England, in how things were and, more importantly, how people thought things were.


Abstract The goals of this study were (1) to compare, in a single institute, the clinical results of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), which has been incorporated into the initial management approach, with those in-patients treated with intra-operative radiotherapy (IORT) and (2) to assess whether these local irradiation boost therapies are prognostic factors on survival analysis. One hundred and twenty adult patients with supratentorial GBM had undergone tumour resection or biopsy and had received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). Of them, 31 underwent IORT, 29 underwent SRS, and the remaining 60 had no local high-dose irradiation boost. The local irradiation boost led to clearly better results on survival of GBM patients. Furthermore, SRS is less invasive and allows for meticulous target planning of the irradiation boost, and was superior to IORT in terms of survival prolongation as well as suppression of local tumour recurrence/progression at the primary site in this series. In addition, SRS was a significant, positive prognostic factor for survival as well as gross-total resection of the tumour, and could be an alternative therapeutic modality to IORT for GBM.


Intestinal uptake of antigenically intact food proteins was measured by a solid phase radioimmunoassay on serum samples after instillation of food proteins into a closed intestinal loop of adult Wistar rats. Compared to normal controls, rats fed protein deficient diets during five months had a higher macromolecular uptake. During the course of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection this uptake was decreased. In cholera toxin induced secretory states of the intestinal mucosa uptake of food proteins was increased. In human studies the uptake of Beta-Lactoglobulin after a milk meal was shown to be increased in premature compared to full-term neonates. In children suffering from intestinal helminth infection the macromolecular uptake was higher before treatment compared to that after treatment. These studies show that various pathological situations can alter the antigen handling at mucosal surfaces.


Effects of artificial warming on phenology, individual leaf traits, vegetative growth, and reproduction of five alpine species (two deciduous and three evergreen shrubs) were investigated during three years in the mid-latitude alpine, northern Japan. Eleven open-top chambers (OTCs) were set up on a fellfield (1680 m a. s. l.) in the Taisetsu Mountains by which air temperature at plant height was increased by ca 2°C. Vaccinium uliginosum (deciduous shrub) showed earlier leaf emergence in every season and earlier flowering only in the first season in the OTCs. By contrast, acceleration of leaf emergence in the OTCs was not clear for other species, i.e. Arctous alpinus (deciduous shrub). Ledum palustre. V. vitis-idaea, and Empetrum nigrum (evergreen shrub). Both deciduous species showed longer leaf life-span in the OTCs every season. All evergreen species had higher leaf survival rates in the OTCs. indicating extension of leaf life-span. Leaf nitrogen concentration and leaf mass per unit leaf area (mg cm −2) generally tended to decrease in the OTCs. Relationships between the individual leaf traits and cumulative air temperature during the leaf developing period were not clear. Total leaf production during the three seasons increased in the OTCs in A. alpinus. L. palustre. V. vitis-idaea, and E. nigrum. All evergreen shrubs showed larger shoot growth in the OTCs but both deciduous shrubs did not show significant changes. In contrast to the vegetative growth, deciduous shrubs produced more flowers in the OTCs. Fruit production was not influenced by the OTCs for all species. The extension of photosynthetic period in the OTCs may contribute to the larger vegetative growth or flower production.


In India, though it is easy to associate subalternity with the lowest socioeconomic classes, social castes, and peasantry, social expectations of women allow for the presence of subalternity in all classes. Theorists of subaltern studies have noted that gendered subalternity is particularly complex, as often, the restraints of gender transcend class, allowing for subalternity to exist outside of the lowest socioeconomic sections of society. Since subaltern historiography has been so influential in modern Indian cultural production, it is no surprise that recent Indian films have actively grappled with the complex nature of gendered subalternity. This paper examines Rajnesh Domalpalli's Vanaja, Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Naalu Pennungal, and Deepa Mehta's Water to express the ways that recent cinematic productions have actively demonstrated the social construction of gendered subalternity and the ways in which this social position is enforced through constant oppression and violent humiliation. It explores the way that this recent trend in Indian cinema is derived from Mahasweta Devi's dramatic writing, which established a paradigm for the translation of subaltern historiography into performance. This reading demonstrates that social factors collude across classes to construct the position of the subaltern woman, a pattern that reoccurs throughout these cinematic texts. This social trend demonstrates that subalternity does not exist without the influence of those with social power, and these individuals actively enforce the restrictions associated with this status.


Since the first observation of weak ferromagnetism in the charge-transfer salt kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2-Cu[N(CN)2]Cl [U. Welp et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 840 (1992)], no further evidence of ferromagnetism in this class of organic materials has been reported. Here we present static and dynamic spin susceptibility measurements on kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2Hg(SCN)2Br revealing weak ferromagnetism below about TWF = 20 K. We suggest that frustrated spins in the molecular dimers suppress long-range order, forming a spin-glass ground state in the insulating phase.


The crucial problem of ever increasing high traffic encountered by an IDS can be tackled by classifying the network traffic and distributing the analysis among several IDSes ensuring faster detection. Besides, each IDS equipped with only the required functionalities can provide sharper analysis of the traffic. We propose in this paper a new classification algorithm that constructs a Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG) to split the traffic using security policies and IDS characteristics. The method divides different classfication rule features into several bytes and sorts them by considering explicit values before masked one thereby reducing overlaps between rules ensuring smaller DAG and easier way to classify packets during runtime.


ABSTRACT Environmental water governance is a highly contested space in which the legitimacy of institutional and legal models for water managing relies heavily, but indirectly, upon the effectiveness of community engagement. Accordingly, this article explores the relationship between legitimacy and participatory forms of decision-making in relation to public institutions with responsibility for environmental water governance in Australia. This examination explores the role that law and systems theory, working as transdisciplinary, theoretically informed praxis, can bring to an understanding of socio-ecological systems for environmental water governance. The Olifants River case study in South Africa provides a counterpoint to the investigation of environmental water institutions in the Murray–Darling Basin in Australia. As a grounded analysis of emergent forms of community engagement, the South African model illustrates how systemic affordances can introduce greater flexibility and choice, and thereby enhance the legitimacy of environmental water governance.


Phase I of the Clyde Regional Bedrock Model as described here was created to form an overview of the subsurface geological structure over a 30*25 km area around the Glasgow area/River Clyde catchment. The model approximates to the Lithoframe 50k specification (http://intranet/projects/dgsm/lithoframe50.html ) but with fewer formations. The model will be stored in the GLOS/GSF with metadata and released subject to approval of the technical and geological content. This report was drafted by A Monaghan and G Pouliquen in 2008 and has been edited and finalised with minor additions by DJD Lawrence in 2009. Confidence (uncertainty) information for the model and discussion of how the model contributes to understanding of the geological structure will be incoporated in a separate report in 2010.


This paper investigates the Italian insurance system by analyzing the (interlock) linkages among companies created through their directors. This approach defines interlocking directorates as the tie created between two companies when a person is a member of both boards of directors; each case of administrators' co-presence is thus a connection between companies. The investigation follows a two-step procedure: first, it analyzes the social network of the insurance industry by focusing on the linkages among directors and among companies. Second, network statistics are combined in synthetic indices through principal component analyses in order to verify a correlation between indices and companies' market shares. For the sake of brevity, this analysis is mainly restricted to non-life insurances, which are indeed the least competitive (as claimed 11 companies control the 78% of market) and most closed compared to the competition of other financial agents (life insurances compete with other forms of financial investments).


We test the price discovery of the term structure of implied volatilities, and investigate its implications on the out-of-sample forecast of implied volatility. Both long-maturity and short-maturity options are important for the price discovery of the implied volatility curve. Long-maturity options contain more information although they are much less traded than short-maturity options. This is probably because long-maturity implied volatilities are more associated with a persistent long-term variance factor. Out-of-sample forecast analysis shows that the implied volatility curve information is useful for the out-of-sample forecast of implied volatilities up to one week ahead. Short-maturity implied volatilities tend to be more predictable than long-maturity implied volatilities. Trading strategies based on the predictability of implied volatilities could generate significant risk-adjusted returns after controlling for transaction costs. Our results are consistent with option pricing models with component volatilities.


Critical pedagogies provide the tools for students and instructors to challenge the institutions and assumptions inherent in nonprofit education and practice that perpetuate the wicked problems of public service. Because of the high demand for online courses in nonprofit education, elements that have made critical pedagogy effective must find their place in the delivery of online education. We conducted a deep dive into the scholarship of nonprofit education to operationalize critical pedagogy. The discipline of nonprofit education possesses the tools of critical pedagogy in the faceto- face classroom but little evidence of online techniques. We synthesized pedagogical practice to incorporate critical pedagogy in the online nonprofit classroom. We provide a teaching schema rooted in critical pedagogy. Subscribe to JNEL


Introduction and Objectives Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is proven to improve oxygen exercise capacity, health status and reduce dyspnoea in patients diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Previous studies have shown no significant difference in rehabilitation outcomes following use of supplemental oxygen during pulmonary rehabilitation. Unfortunately, a few patients are unable to exercise due to hypoxia related dyspnoea depriving them of the benefit of PR. We hypothesised that the use of Ambulatory Oxygen Therapy (AOT) in patients with exercise induced desaturation would increase their capability of undergoing PR and have an overall positive outcome. Methods Requirement of AOT is routinely assessed at our trust prior to commencing PR. Incremental oxygen is used to decide on the flow rate needed during PR. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the benefits of AOT in patients desaturating on exertion. Data were analysed using Excel. Results 218 patients were enrolled for the programme from January 2009 to July 2010, 46 excluded as not suitable or did not attend. Numbers studied-172: 59% male, mean age 70 (range 45–90), 25% current smokers. On initial endurance exercise test 27% (n=47) were noted to have exercise induced desaturation. Seven patients were already on long-term oxygen therapy. Median prescribed flow rate was 2 l/min during PR. The mean distance walked on initial endurance test was 150 m. This improved significantly to 263 m (p<0001) with AOT. 68 % (n=32) attended for post PR endurance exercise testing, 25% no longer required AOT (did not desaturate). Of the 22 patients (46%) who continued to require AOT, 14 were prescribed. Following 2 months of the prescription, AOT was withdrawn in four patients as they found the cylinder too heavy or did not benefit. Conclusions AOT has shown significant improvement in rehabilitation outcomes in patients with exercise induced desaturation. A quarter of these patients did not require any further ambulatory oxygen therapy following pulmonary rehabilitation.Abstract P150 Table 1 Paired t test Mean distance on initial endurance exercise test, 150 m p Values Mean distance on AOT 263 m 0.0001 Mean distance post PR 277 m 0.0069 Mean distance post PR + AOT 356 m 0.0003


A copper (Cu) material is catalytically active for formaldehyde (HCHO) dehydrogenation to produce H2, but the unsatisfactory efficiency and easy corrosion hinder its practical application. Alloying with other metals and coating a carbon layer outside are recognized as effective strategies to improve the catalytic activity and the long-term durability of nonprecious metal catalysts. Here, highly dispersed CuNi alloy-carbon layer core-shell nanoparticles (CuNi@C) have been developed as a robust catalyst for efficient H2 generation from HCHO aqueous solution at room temperature. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the CuNi@C catalyst exhibits a H2 evolution rate of 110.98 mmol·h-1·g-1, which is 1.5 and 4.9 times higher than those of Cu@C and Ni@C, respectively, which ranks top among the reported nonprecious metal catalysts for catalytic HCHO reforming at room temperature to date. Furthermore, CuNi@C also displays excellent stability toward the catalytic HCHO reforming into H2 in tap water owing to the well-constructed carbon sheath protecting CuNi nanocrystals from oxidation in an alkaline medium. Combined with density functional theory calculations, the superior catalytic efficiency of CuNi@C for H2 generation results from the synergistic contribution between the massive active species from HCHO decomposition on the Cu sites and the remarkable H2 evolution activity on Ni sites. The improved performance of CuNi@C highlights the enormous potential of advancing noble-metal-free nanoalloys as cost-effective and recyclable catalysts for energy recovery from industrial HCHO wastewater.


Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries caused an estimated 1.25 million deaths worldwide in the year 2010. That is one person is killed every 25 seconds. Patients and method: This was a prospective descriptive study which was conducted over a 6 months period in the urban city of Niamey in two morgues. This study involved 133 deaths including 109 males and 28 for females. Results: The average age of victims was 36.4 years, ranging from 3 to 85 years. Children 3 to 15 years accounted for 22 (16.5%) cases. All socio-professional sectors were affected by this mortality due to RTA: so, school was the most affected with 29 cases (21.8%). In our study head injury 58 cases (43.6%) and polytrauma 55 cases (41.4%) were the most basic of deaths by RTA. Discussion: Young people are a risk to themselves and other road users as motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of their death. Male dominance in our series is typically found in the literature. Conclusion: The road traffic accidents mainly affect the predominantly young workforce. Mortality from RTA is a major public health both in developed countries than in developing countries.


The solubility of actinides, associated with contaminated estuarine silt from West Cumbria, was measured in the rat lung. This material is similar mineralogically to airborne particles of silt involved in the sea-to-land transfer of radioactivity. A total of 25 mg of silt was administered to rats by multiple intratracheal instillations over a period of 7 weeks. There was no evidence of the rapid lung clearance phase normally observed in the rat and, after an initial period of stasis, most of the plutonium and americium was cleared from the lung with a half time of approximately 240 days. Some 15% of the retained plutonium isotopes and 10% of the 241Am were transferred to the skeleton over a period of about 3 months, indicating that both behave as ICRP Class W materials. Uptake by the liver was about 2% for both Pu and Am. Levels of actinides in the lung-associated lymph nodes were either at or blow the minimum level of detection. The significance of these results in relation to the ICRP lung model and to generalised derived limits for plutonium is discussed.


The objectives of this investigation were to evaluate the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in pigs of different age groups, to determine if 25(OH) D concentrations varied with season, and to assess the quality of vitamin D supplements used in swine diets from multiple commercial suppliers. Serum samples (n = 1200) submitted to a diagnostic laboratory for routine surveillance were assayed for serum 25(OH) D concentrations. Vitamin D premix samples were obtained from suppliers and analyzed at two laboratories over a 9-month period. In all age categories, 25(OH)D concentrations in numerous serum samples were lower than reference values. In the nursery, finisher, and boar age categories, there was a difference between the months of January and June (P < .05), with June samples containing higher quantities of circulating 25(OH)D. Serum samples from outdoor herds had higher 25(OH)D concentrations than samples from confined pigs (P < .01). Among the supplement samples evaluated, no individual supplement had a concentration of 25(OH)D significantly lower than 500,000 IU per g. These results revealed that commercial swine may be deficient in serum vitamin D at varying times of the year, and feed-supplement concentrations may vary.


Conventional forest inventory practice took huge of effort, and is time- and cost- consuming. With the aid of remote sensing technology by light detection and ranging (LiDAR), those unbearable factors could be minimized. LiDAR is able to capture forest characteristic information and is well known for estimating forest structure accurately in many studies. Forest monitoring related to forest resource inventory (FRI) becomes more effective by utilizing LiDAR data and it is tremendously useful, especially to distinguish information on density, growth and distribution of trees in a selected area. In this study, LiDAR data was utilized aimed to delineate crown cover and estimate upper-storey canopy area in Yambaru Forest using object-based segmentation and classification techniques. Agreement between field survey and LiDAR data analysis showed that only 33.7% of upper- storey canopy area was successfully delineated. The low accuracy level of canopy detection in Yambaru Forest area was expected mainly due to tree structure, density and topographic condition.


The supplementation of diets for rabbits with copper has been restricted in the EU to 35 mg/kg. In our experiment, quadruple concentration of Cu added to a pelleted diet as CuSO4.5H,0 was used to investigate effect of Cu feeding on Cu concentration in muscles, liver, hair and faeces of Hyplus® rabbits. The main ingredients of the basal diet were alfalfa meal, wheat bran, sunflower meal, oat, barley, sugarbeet pulp and soyabean mea l. Six rabbits, 35 days of age at the beginning of the experiment, were fed basal diet (containing 1 O mg Cu/kg), and six rabbits were fed Cu-supplemented diet. Cu concentration in faeces was measured weekly. Rabbits were slaughtered at the age of 87 days. Cu concentrations in muscles, liver, hair and faeces were assayed by the atomic absorption spectrometry. The highest concentration of Cu was found in liver of Cu-fed rabbits: 118.5 ± 31.8 mg/kg (4.6 ± 0.5 mg/kg in controls). The Cu concentration in meat of Cu-fed rabbits was very low: 0.48 ± 0.05 and 0.37 ± 0.04 in hindleg and loin, respectively. Corresponding Cu concentrations in control rabbits were 0.48 ± 0.05 and 0.35 ± 0.04 mg/kg. Hair of Cu-fed and control rabbits contained 9.55 ± 0.46 and 9.14 ± 1.05 mg Cu/ kg, respectively. On average, faeces of Cu-fed and control rabbils contained 273 and 15.3 mg Cu/kg, respectively. Faecal excretion is thus probably the main route of Cu output in Cu-fed rabbits. On the basis of our results, we conclude that Cu-fed rabbits accumulated Cu in the liver. No substantial Cu retention in the meat of Cu-fed supplemented rabbits was observed.


: Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) are used where people and machines or systems (often within an industrial context) interact during a given task. The goal of this interaction is for the user to operate and control the machine in an effective manner, while receiving helpful and timely feedback. In some contexts, an HMI may also function as a decision support system (DSS), or include DSS components, aiding users in making effective decisions about some aspect of the industrial operation. In this paper, we discuss the iterative design of an HMI–DSS based on a mathematical model for an ice-cream manufacturing operation. We chose ice-cream manufacturing as a working example because it is a multi-modal system, containing sufficient process complexity to be generalizable to many other kinds of industrial operations. One of our design goals is to provide users with a display that includes both quantitative and qualitative information types related to the situation requiring a decision. In addition, we aim to provide users with an exploratory environment that enables them to experiment with decision alternatives, their past and potential consequences, prior to actually carrying out the decision.


The University of Nebraska has recently developed a neural network inversion algorithm for the estimation of surface snow properties, viz., surface roughness, wetness, and average grain size. The algorithm uses concurrent measurements of the near-infrared reflectance and millimeter-wave backscatter of the snow surface. The performance of the inversion algorithm was found to be satisfactory under noise-free conditions. However, under operational conditions, noise is invariably present in the data, and the addition of noise causes errors in estimation. The performance of the inversion algorithm was investigated under noise-added conditions. A parameter that was varied was the signal-to-noise ratio. Inversions of free-water content and the grain size were relatively robust, while the surface roughness estimation was very sensitive to added noise. The results of the authors' study can be useful in setting bounds for system performance for accurate snow surface parameter inversion.


Background:  Cancer is often associated with malnutrition and therefore nutritional support should be considered a major component of treatment and used in adjunct with anti-neoplastic therapies (Read et al., 2006). Successful nutritional support depends on thorough nutritional assessment (Mercadante, 1996). The literature suggests that systematic screening through the use of a tool enables practitioners to provide relevant nutritional support but this does not occur in practice due to a lack of formal education and gaps in knowledge (Savage & Scott, 2005). This gap in the evidence appears to relate to the nurses' own perceptions of the importance of nutritional assessment and its' application in practice. The aim of this study was to explore nurses' understanding and use of nutritional assessment in patients diagnosed with cancer.

Methods:  Case study methodology was used to understand the culture of the ward. Sampling was defined by the methodology as the case was chosen to facilitate exploration of the phenomenon. Non-random sampling was employed as it allowed for the richest possible source of information (O'Leary, 2004). A letter of invitation and information sheet was sent to all eligible nurses. Data from two nursing staff focus groups (n = 7, n = 11), a survey of patient documentation (n = 27) and field observations were used to elicit influences of nursing practice on nutritional risk screening. A tentative focus group question guide was used to ensure that the process had as few interruptions as possible and a moderator facilitated this. The focus groups were audio tape-recorded and were transcribed verbatim. The data was analyzed using triangulation, looking for phrases and themes that related to the propositions. A mind map was used to explore connections between the themes and propositions along with my own perceptions ensuring transparency of analysis. The case was reported using a reflexive narrative enabling the causal links between the data and propositions to be explored. Study propositions were: did nurses play a critical role in identifying patients at nutritional risk? What were the nurses' understanding and use of nutritional assessment? Was the nurse's commitment to nutrition inconsistent with their actions and documentation?

Results:  Nurses' felt they played a critical role in nutritional risk assessment; 'it's everyone's responsibility but mainly the nurses and makes a difference in the success of treatment", this was not reflected in the survey. Their understanding of nutritional risk assessment was apparent 'you need to get their weight history and what they can eat'but they blamed lack of time and increasing pressures of medicalised tasks, for example drug administration to justify the assessment being observational and ad hoc. The survey of patients' documentation supported this, 81% of patients had incomplete documentation of their nutritional risk.

Discussion:  Pressures of workload and conflicting primary tasks influence nurses' behaviour around nutritional support. The survey of documentation showed that NICE (2006) guidelines have had little impact in practice. Nurses' are involved in multiple tasks and due to pressures on time and resources have become reactive and not proactive; nutritional assessment is a proactive activity.

Conclusions:  Lack of recognition the impact ward and organizational culture had on individual behaviour may have been the pivotal factor that led to the inconsistency in understanding and use of nutritional risk assessment. The relationship between nurses' attitude to nutritional assessment, knowledge of nutrition and practice was complex. The priority of nutrition needs to increase in both the organisation and ward culture in order for nutritional support to be successfully implemented.

References  Mercadante, S. (1996) Nutrition in cancer patients. Support. Care Cancer 4, 10–20.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence. (2006) Nutrition support in adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition. London: Department of Health.

O'Leary Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to doing Research. London: Sage.

Read, J.A. et al. (2006) An evaluation of the prevalence of malnutrition in cancer patients' attending the oncology outpatient oncology clinic. Asia-Pacific J. Clin.Oncol.2, 80–86.

Savage, J. & Scott, C. (2005) Patients' nutritional care in hospital: an ethnographic study of nurses' role and patients' experience. London: RCN.


This research looks at how target setting and assessment for learning can improve the progress of students. In particular, we consider by means of a case study how involved students should be during the target setting process. Our findings generally concur with the research [1] since the student attained all targets which she was involved in setting, while she did not think she had reached all those teacher set targets.


Determining the optimal coalition structure is a central problem in multi-agent systems. Two popular techniques include dynamic programming and anytime search algorithms. Dynamic programming algorithms guarantee an optimal solution and have the best worst case running time. Anytime algorithms are flexible as they can terminate before the search has completed, but have a significantly poorer worst case runtime. This paper provides an anytime dynamic programming algorithm with the worst case runtime of dynamic programming and the flexibility of anytime search.


Context: Previous studies documented significant international variation in prostate cancer rates due to differences in detection practices, availability of treatment, and genetic factors. Objective: To provide updated contemporary prostate cancer incidence and mortality patterns across five continents using the most recent cancer incidence data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and mortality data from the World Health Organization (WHO). Evidence acquisition: We present estimated age-standardized prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates by country and WHO regions for 2012 based on GLOBOCAN. We examined long-term (1980 onwards) trends in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates for 38 countries with high quality population-based incidence and mortality data. Trends were expressed as annual percent change using Joinpoint model. We also examined short-term (most recent 5 years) trends in prostate cancer among 44 countries with available incidence data and 71 countries with available mortality data. Evidence synthesis: The highest incidence rates during the most recent 5 years are found in Brazil, Lithuania, and Australia, whereas the lowest incidence rates are found in Asia (India, Thailand, and Bahrain). The highest mortality rates are found in the Caribbean (Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba), sub-Saharan Africa (South Africa), parts of former Soviet Union (Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia), whereas the lowest rates are found in Asia (Thailand and Turkmenistan). Of the 44 countries with high quality incidence data, prostate cancer incidence rates during the most recent five data years increased in 4 countries (with Bulgaria showing the largest increase), decreased in 7 countries (with the biggest decrease in the United States), and stabilized in the remaining 31 countries. During the same time period, in contrast, among the 71 countries considered for the mortality trend, rates decreased in 14 countries, increased in 3 countries, and remained stable in 54 countries. Conclusions: In 2012, prostate cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in 96 countries and the leading cause of death in 51 countries. In the most recent 5 years of data examined, prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates are decreasing or stabilizing in most parts of the world. Future studies should monitor trends in mortality rates and late-stage disease to assess the impact of reduction in PSA testing in several countries. Citation Format: MaryBeth Freeman, Ahmedin Jemal. Global variation in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates, 1980-2013 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-171.


Renewable Energy Development Cooperative (REDCO) Ltd was primarily involved in the production of electricity from a solar photovoltaic plant and its distribution to ten hamlets of Durbuk. Earlier, a diesel generator set was used for electricity production and was distributed by the state electricity board, which was irregular and not dependable. With the inception of the cooperative, regular supply of electricity to the hamlets had been made which helped the cooperative in gaining people's faith. However, for Dorges Tstanzin and the board members of the cooperative, the uneven financial posi-tion remained a major concern since the establishment. Money had been 'pump primed' from other activities to maintain the normal functioning of the cooperative. Against this backdrop, the cooperative had limited options to promote handicraft and ecotourism-based activities for revenue generation in Durbuk. This compelled Dorges to ponder over the situation about how to formalize new plans and strategies for entering into these new fields for achieving long-term organizational and financial sustainability of the cooperative.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Cancer cells release elevated amounts of membrane-derived organelles containing complex molecular cargo, and known as extracellular vesicles (EVs). This process (vesiculation) is implicated in intercellular communication, as well as in cancer invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis and activation of the coagulation system. We have previously demonstrated a link between oncogenic transformation mediated by mutant K-ras, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as well as other genetic lesions and the intensity of cancer cell vesiculation. In the present study we interrogate vesiculation during the superimposed processes of de-differentiation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In the EGFR-driven epidermoid cancer cell line A431, EMT can be induced by stimulation with EGFR ligands coupled with blockade of the E-cadherin. Of note, A431 cells express high levels of the Tissue Factor (TF) receptor which renders them procoagulant, and is required for the efficient tumor initiation and proangiogenic signalling. A431 cells emit heterogeneous population of EVs, including subsets containing TF, and EGFR. We observed that induction of EMT in A431 cells is associated with a global increase in vesiculation, as revealed by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA/Nanosight). At the same time, EGFR and TF are relocated from the plasma membrane to distinct subcellular microdomains, and this change is associated with a rearrangement in the proteome of EVs emitted by cancer cells, including a significant increase in TF content. Tumor cell-derived, TF-containing EVs are readily taken up by endothelial cells and trigger their procoagulant conversion and angiogenic responses. While forming tumors in vivo A431 cells spontaneously undergo multilineage differentiation and generate EMT-like subpopulations, which release into the circulation a subset of EVs with a distinct molecular signature. Thus, EMT-like processes not only modulate intrinsic cellular properties (cell shape, differentiation), but also trigger a shift in cellular vesiculation that may be detected in EV preparations isolated from peripheral blood. Moreover, EVs that emanate from cancer cells upon their entry into the EMT pathway may acquire the ability to modify the extracellular and vascular milieu, and possibly facilitate tumor initiation, invasion and metastasis.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1018. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1018


In this paper, we provide performance analysis for direct-sequence multiple-access ultra-wideband (UWB) systems operating in multipath environments when the effect of overlap between received pulses is included. Pulse overlap occurs when the pulse width is larger than the fine delay resolution of the UWB channel and is particularly important to consider in multidimensional pulse modulations. A closed-form bit error rate expression is derived and compared with simulations that employ UWB signals complying with the FCC UWB indoor emission mask and the channel model recommended by IEEE 802.15.3a. The detailed theoretical analysis and simulations reveal that channel-induced pulse overlap has a significant impact on UWB system performance. The results also show that compared with binary modulations, multidimensional biorthogonal pulse keying can improve power efficiency for multiple-access UWB systems under multipath fading, thereby providing an advantage for power-limited UWB communications.


Background: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is not a common type of stroke (5%) but still hazardous to be misdiagnosed or mistreated. Aggressive medical treatment is usually failed to hinder increase intracranial tension. Therefore, decompressive craniectomy (DC) is the final measure to mitigate the deleterious effect of supratentorial herniation. The purpose of the study is to illustrate our experience with the surgical treatment of CVST and reviewing the previous works of literature. Methods: Forty-two patients were admitted to Kasr Al-Ainy University Hospital from June 2019 to March 2020. The admission was either to the neurology department or intensive care unit or neurosurgery department. Every patient who was diagnosed with CVST received an emergency neurosurgery consultation. Seven patients were operated on with DC according to the criteria mentioned above. Therapeutic heparin was given in addition to intracranial pressure lowering measures. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the age was (25.14 ± 10.1) years. There were five females (71.45%) in our series. The mean and standard deviation of clinical manifestations are (8.5 ± 7.77) weeks with range (3– 14 weeks). Most of the cases were presented by a decreased level of consciousness (6/7) and anisocoria (6/7), followed by fits (3/7). Four cases out of seven had the previous history of oral contraceptive administration. Conclusion: DC provides an urgent last arm for intractable increased intracranial tension. Patients with CVST need urgent consultation for neurosurgical intervention.


Polysilicon is the most widely used material in current commercial MEMS products, yet its mechanical properties are not fully determined. Vapor deposited polysilicon is thin — on the order of a few microns — which makes handling and testing difficult. It is desirable to use mechanical tests similar to those standardized by ASTM, but this requires special techniques and procedures.
 Tensile tests of 3.5 micron thick polysilicon film have been conducted and these are briefly described. Two advances in mechanical property testing are then presented. A preliminary investigation of the effect of hydrofluoric acid on the tensile properties of polysilicon shows no deleterious effect of this acid which is commonly used as a release agent. Fracture toughness testing of polysilicon, in which crack opening displacement is measured (an approach similar to that specified by ASTM), yields a preliminary value of 1.6 MPa-m1/2.


In the LOGBASE development system, log system is a one of an identifier method which is more useful. It is more related with information control and auditing system. For the research to develop system, Syarikat Bakti Sutera Enterprise was choosing. This company is choosing because all the management in that organization is use manually. One part that has been develop in this system is internal control which is useful to administration for easier to detect a user access this system. Between of that, this system also can detect a data access by user, added data, update data and also delete the data with a correct time and date. This system also can do a backup file and also the network of computer control is under the LAN. A Spiral Model is use for the methodology. Software for develop this program are Visual Basic and database (Microsoft Access). All the data in this system more control and secure from the unauthorized users that over the access level. By this system development, it can be use for references by the other developer. The suggestion for make it as references because the application of detect concept and internal control are have implemented in this system.


study of cryptography applications in chaotic system have been exponentially increasing in the recent years. Depending on the sensitivity to initial conditions, chaotic systems are characterized, similarity to continuous broad-band power spectrum and random behavior. The chaotic system is high sensitive to the initial condition and is a high complex nonlinear dynamic system. The chaotic sequence is unpredictable and extreme sensitivity to initial conditions. There are many applications to the chaotic system in several methods, image compression, encryption, modulation and digital communication system. In this paper, an algorithm based on Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) has been introduced by using Henon map to get the scheme of chaos image encryption. The level of security is very high and this algorithm can improve small key space. A new chaotic algorithm is presented to get rid of the problem of the weakness of security in one dimensional chaotic cryptosystems and small key space based on a new chaotic algorithm, which uses two dimension linear functions instead of one dimension. Keywordshaos theory, chaotic encryption, AES, DWT, image encryption


In this paper we introduce the notion of weak quasi-entwining structure as a generalization of quasi-entwining structures and weak entwining structures. Also, we formulate the notions of weak cleft extension, weak Galois extension, and weak Galois extension with normal basis associated to a weak quasientwining structure. Moreover, we prove that, under some suitable conditions, there exists an equivalence between weak Galois extensions with normal basis and weak cleft extensions. As particular instances, we recover some results previously proved for Hopf quasigroups, weak Hopf quasigroups and weak Hopf algebras.


The Lower Jurassic Posidonia Shale of Southern Germany is famous for its excellently preserved fossils. First of all, the large and spectacular ichthyosaurs, pterosaurs and crocodiles impress. Fish, crinoids, ammonites and belemnites are witnesses of a very special living world in the former Posidonia Shale Sea. The rather small and inconspicuous bivalves, brachiopods and serpulids provide important clues about conditions in the ecosystem. The Posidonia Shale is one of the best-known fossil deposits in the world, and for centuries has provided scientists with an enormous wealth of information. One of the most important fossil collections is displayed in the Fossil Museum of the Werkforum in Dotternhausen. Together with the quarries (active and recultivated), the museum offers unique opportunities for scientific and geoeducational purposes.


High injury rates in particular industries in Alberta, Canada were the impetus for government initiatives to control injury frequency and severity. Safety associations, a financial incentives program, research projects, and safety demonstrations substantially decreased injury rates within 5 years. Since then, companies manage their own performance, but undergo periodic audits.


In this study, phosphorescence analysis (KPA) is used for determining soil collected from the Tigris River from Al- Karrada and Bab Al-Sharq in Baghdad and samples were taken from rainwater collected from Al-Rashad, Al-Obeidi, Al-Dora and Al-Sadr City in Baghdad. The measurements were carried out by the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment, in the Radiation Protection Center. The collection, removal and evaporation of the samples ranged from January to the end of March 2018. The results show the presents of concentration of 238U and 235U in soil samples and the rainwater samples. The conclusion of this work is the concentration of uranium in soil samples is more than recommendations by ICRP value of 1.9 μg /l. While all water samples can be compared with the value of WHO, which has a safe limit of 15 μg/l which is considered acceptable.


Blogs are popular communication instruments in today's web and altogether, they form the so-called blogosphere. This blogosphere has repeatedly been subject to structural analyses, and one of the findings has been the discovery of the A-List phenomenon, a cohesive group of influential blogs in the center of the blogosphere, whose exact identification remained an open issue. We use four language-specific subsets of the blogosphere, for which we aggregated the blogroll-based networks. We adapt core theory to analyse and compare the cohesion in these four data-sets, and provide a new scalable method for the identification of core-periphery structures in blog networks, which can contribute to identify A-List blogs more reliably.


It hypertrophies to help, and gets the blood through the stenosed orifice for years. The sphinctering at the great veins is adequate in practice; and sphincters are as good as valves, or we should have no birds. The main purpose of my various communications on this suibject has been to indicate the theoretical possibilities of the auricle, and to remove the impression that because the ventricle is thicker, and has more muscle than the auricle it nmust necessarily overcome it. On equal terms it would do so, but the auricle scores by contracting first and becoming small. If the sphincters at the great veins be adequate, as I maintained in my letter on the genesis of the venous pulse,' the auricle should be more than a match for the rentricle, should their contractions overlap as occurs apparently in many cases of mitral steuosis.-f am, etc., Mentone, Jan. 11th. _ D. WV. SAMWAYS.


Chiral symmetry breaking in massless QCD is a very important feature in the current understanding of low energy physics. Low - lying Dirac modes are suitable to help us understand the spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, since the formation of a non zero chiral condensate is an effect of their accumulation near zero. The Banks – Casher relation links the spectral density of the Dirac operator to the condensate with an identity that can be read in both directions. In this work we propose a spectral method to achieve a reliable determination of the density of eigenvalues of Dirac operator near zero using the Gauss – Lanczos quadrature. In order to understand better the dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and use the method we propose, we have chosen to work with minimally doubled fermions. These kind of fermions have been proposed as a strictly local discretization of the QCD fermions action, which preserves chiral symmetry at finite cut-off. Being chiral fermions, is easier to work with them and their low - lying Dirac modes and to understand the dynamical spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking.


OBJECTIVES
Despite variable numbers and intensities of local pain areas, fibromyalgia (FM) patients can provide overall clinical pain ratings. We hypothesized that the overall clinical pain is largely determined by the pain intensity of local body areas. Thus, we assessed the role of local body pains as predictors of overall clinical pain in FM patients.

METHODS
Ratings of overall clinical pain intensity and pain-related negative affect (PRNA) were obtained from 277 FM patients. In addition, the patients identified painful body areas by shading a body pain diagram and rated the intensity of each pain area using a mechanical visual analogue scale (VAS). Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine predictors of overall clinical FM pain intensity including PRNA, number of local pain areas, and maximal/average intensity of local pain areas.

RESULTS
The average overall clinical pain rating of all FM patients was 4.6 (S.D. 2.3) VAS. The PRNA accounted for 19%, number of painful body areas for 9% and maximal/average local pain for 27% of the variance of overall clinical FM pain (P-values < 0.001). The combination of all factors predicted 55% of the variance in overall clinical pain intensity of FM patients.

CONCLUSION
Peripheral factors (maximal/average local pain and number of painful body areas) predicted most of the variance of overall clinical FM pain, suggesting that the input of pain by the peripheral tissues is clinically relevant. About 19% of the pain variance was predicted by PRNA. Thus, peripheral pain and negative affect appear to be particularly relevant for overall FM pain and may represent important targets for future therapies.


Objective: New compounds were designed and synthesized using sulfomethoxazole and amino acids with metabolically stable linkers, suspected to be act on fungal and bacterial carbonic anhydrase enzymes which are necessary for their metabolic activities. Methods: N-acylation of sulfomethxazole aromatic amine using chloroacetyl chloride with basic medium (10 %NaOH) solution, giving compound I (an alkyl halide). Then a coupling reaction between compound I and carboxylic acid of Boc- (valine, phenylalanine, histidine) giving compounds (IIa,IIIa,IVa) respectively via both amide and ester linkage. Then deprotection of amino acid amine occurred by acidolysis of tert-butoxy carbonyl group of the three compounds using trifluoracetic acid (TFA). This reaction gave us new compounds (Vb, VIb, VIIb) respectively. Agar Well Diffusion method evaluated the antimicrobial activity. Four types of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebseilla species) and one type of fungi (Candida albicans) were used in in-vitro study. All the titled compounds characterized and identified by elemental microanalysis and I.R spectra study. Results: All the synthesized compounds -comparing with sulfomethoxazole as a reference standard- have good antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and against Candida albicans. compounds IIIa, Vb,VIb and VIIb also show a good inhibition to Gram-positive bacteria growth (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the new designed compounds possess a higher antibacterial and anti-fungal activity in comparison to sulfomethoxazole, and their higher activity may be come from their inhibitory effect on pathogenic β-carbonic anhydrase enzymes especially compounds Vb, VIb and VIIb.


Procedural sedation is essential in the ED to conduct painful procedures effectively. Ketamine and benzodiazepines/opioids are commonly used, with ketamine providing adequate analgesia and preserving airway muscle tone. However, ketamine is associated with adverse effects while benzodiazepines/opioids can lead to respiratory depression. This study compares the safety and efficacy of ketamine and midazolam/fentanyl. Two search methods were used to identify studies related to our topic, including a database search and a manual search involving screening reference lists of articles retrieved by the database search. A methodological quality appraisal was conducted on the articles suitable for inclusion using Cochrane's risk of bias tool in the Review Manager software (Review Manager (RevMan) (Computer program). Version 5.4, The Cochrane Collaboration, 2020). Moreover, pooled analysis was performed using the Review manager software. The study analyzed 1366 articles, of which seven were included for analysis. Pooled data showed that ketamine and midazolam/fentanyl had similar effects on pain scores during procedures and sedation depth measured by the University of Michigan sedation scale. However, the Modified Ramsay Sedation Score showed significantly more profound sedation in the ketamine group. The only significant adverse events were vomiting and nausea, which had a higher incidence in the ketamine group. Our data suggest that ketamine is as effective as the midazolam/fentanyl combination for procedural sedation but is associated with higher incidences of adverse events. Therefore, midazolam/fentanyl can be recommended for procedural sedation in the ED. However, it should be provided in the presence of a physician comfortable with airway management due to high incidences of oxygen desaturation.


SUMMARY 1. This study highlights the use of waterbird communities as potential measures of river and floodplain health at a landscape scale. 2. The abundance and diversity of a waterbird community (54 species) was measured over 15 trips with four aerial and three ground counts per trip on a 300-ha lake in arid Australia. 3. Aerial survey estimates of individual species were significantly less precise (SE/mean) than ground counts across two (11‐100 and > 1000) out of four abundance classes of waterbirds: 0‐10, 11‐100, 101‐1000 and > 1000. Standard error/mean as a percentage decreased with increasing abundance from about 60% for the lowest abundance class to 18% for the largest abundance class. 4. Aerial survey estimates were negatively biased for species in numbers of less than 10 and greater than 5000 but unbiased compared to ground counts for other abundance classes. Aerial surveys underestimated numbers of waterbirds by 50% when there were 40 000 waterbirds. Three ground counts found about seven more waterbird species than four aerial surveys. One ground count took about 150 times longer than two aerial surveys and cost 14 times more. 5. Regression models were derived, comparing aerial survey estimates to ground counts for 31 of 36 species for which there were sufficient data. Aerial survey estimates were unbiased for most of these species (67%), negatively biased for six species and positively biased for one species. Estimates were negatively biased in species that occurred in small numbers or that dived in response to the aircraft. 6. River system health encompasses the state of floodplain wetlands. Waterbirds on an entire wetland or floodplain may be estimated by aerial survey of waterbirds; this is a coarse but effective measure of waterbird abundance. Aerial survey is considerably less costly than ground survey and potentially provides a method for measuring river and floodplain health over long periods of time at the same scale as river management.


Despite the considerable research that has sought to describe past and predict future shoreline change, little consensus has emerged on the best methodology for forecasting future shoreline positions. While a certain degree of heterogeneity in approach is warranted given the variability in coastal geomorphology and sediment-transport processes, the prediction error associated with each method has not been evaluated in great detail. In this study, measured shoreline positions from Delaware and New York were used to calculate long-term erosion rates and make predictions to subsequent, known positions. Rates were calculated using end-point and linear-regression methods, including and excluding storm-specific shorelines. Those rate computations that included storm-specific shorelines yielded consistently poor predictions (average factor-of-three increase in error) compared with non-storm erosion rates, regardless of rate-calculation method. Linear-regression predictions, on average, performed better than end-point rate predictions, reducing error by over 70% in New York and 34% in Delaware for rates including storm shorelines, and between 4 and 31% for non-storm data (DE and NY, respectively). Predictions (hindcasts) were also made to 19th century shoreline positions using rates computed with modern, non-storm data. The positions predicted along relatively undeveloped stretches of the coast were within the 95% confidence interval associated with the prediction. Hindcasts made in areas characterized by heavy development and/or beach nourishment projects were poor, as would be expected given the recent alteration of the natural sediment-supply system. For all locations, inclusion of 19th century data reduced uncertainty in forecasts of 21st century shoreline positions by roughly 44%. These results show that forecasts derived from linear-regression rates using non-storm, 19th and 20th century data produce the lowest prediction error and uncertainty in the long-term trend.


This study aims to produce amidoxime-modified poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) using an optimized method and to investigate the performance of amidoxime-modified poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) on the adsorption of boron ions in batch operations. Batch adsorption was conducted at the physiochemical parameters of pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial boron concentration. The isotherms and kinetics of adsorption data were studied at various initial boron concentrations. The renewed synthesis process gave a production yield of 77%, and the conversion of nitrile group to amidoxime was 78%. The adsorption reached its optimum point at pH = 8, adsorbent dosage = 4 g·L-1, and initial adsorbent concentration at 40 ppm. The best model fits for isotherm adsorption was the Sips model with heterogeneity factor (n) = 0.7611. In the kinetic study, the adsorption data fitted best with pseudo-second-order model. The synthesized polymeric adsorbent could be recycled with little decline in its boron entrapment capacities. Hence, amidoxime-modified poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) exhibited high adsorption capacity and could be potentially explored as an alternative to commercial resin in the removal of boron from wastewater.


Based on the reflections of Hu Shi's "Modem Philosophy" concept, the article synthesizes the research results about the Neo-Confucianism and the academic research of Qing dynasty since the 20th century. It surmounts the various opposite views of Neo-Confucianism and the academic study of Ming and Qing dynasties. In this way the article tries to allow a more comprehensive view about the impact of Neo-Confucianism and textual criticism of Qing dynasty on modem Chinese learning and thought.


The opportunities afforded by the global information space give rise to the potential for the commission of new crimes –crimes such as hacking or denial of service attacks– and for existing crimes, such as speech offences or fraud, to be committed in new ways and with potentially larger consequences. One of the biggest challenges for the regulation of information and communications technology is that the global information space does not respect national boundaries. In order to be successful, any regulatory approach will call for some degree of cooperation between countries. This poses an obvious problem for those seeking to develop a regulatory structure. This challenge is particularly relevant in the criminal law context, as the criminal law has traditionally been considered to be the product and responsibility of national law. This article considers the EU's regulatory approach in this area. The aim here is not to offer a critique of the EU's regulatory structure in the context of cybercrime, but rather to use the situation in the EU to illustrate various issues arising in the context of the criminal law regulation of information and communications technology. This article examines some of the issues which have arisen in the context of the regulation of cyber activity at the EU level as a result of this tension between national sovereignty and broader overarching EU regulation and assesses the relevance of these issues in the context of criminal law regulation more broadly. Consideration of the processes of criminalisation and harmonisation provides the basis for an analysis of the manner in which the EU seeks to justify its involvement in criminal law in this field.