We examine the role of price transparency in consumer preferences and demand. We assemble a detailed dataset on the driving school industry in Portugal to quantify how firms present the price of the course of instruction, and its individual components, to potential students. Our unique data allows us to estimate a structural model of school choice and measure the impact of varying levels of price information on demand. The results show that consumers are willing to pay a significant amount for price transparency, on average 11 percent of the service price, and that consumer demographics drive heterogeneous preferences for transparency.


Use of loose biomass in the conventional downdraft gasifier, designed to operate with wood chips, is a challenging task due to the clogging of the biomass at the throat of the gasifier. Present work involves the use of loose biomass in the form of briquettes for the gasification in a 5 kW downdraft gasifier designed to run with wood chips. The biomass briquettes of spherical shape with average diameter 25 mm are made from saw dust mixed with the old news paper as the binder. Thermal behavior along with the gas quality and tar produced in the gasification with saw dust briquettes as feed material are evaluated. Results obtained are compared with wood chips gasification for an equivalent ratio of 0.32. It is observed that gasification process with saw dust briquettes is comparable to the wood chips in terms of yield of gas, tar content and the gas quality. This study reveals that feedstock design can help in utilizing various biomasses in a conventional downdraft gasifier without any modification of the same.


The heat transfer in the system piston-piston rod-crosshead of reciprocating compressors can be influenced by a fluid enclosed in an internal cavity. Thus, heat is transferred by the fluid flow inside the hollow parts utilizing the reciprocating motion. Subsequently, the high working frequency of such compressors can lead to an improved cooling of the high temperature compressor parts in comparison with conventional solid material designs. For the experimental examination of this cooling concept a test rig has been set up at the Technische Universität Dresden which comprises a vertically oscillating hollow rod that is heated at its upper end and cooled at its lower end. Among other factors the heat transfer of this cooling concept is affected by the internal diameter of the piston rod. In order to quantify the influence of the internal diameter on the axial heat transfer three different hollow rods with varying internal diameters where investigated by means of temperature measurements. The experimental results are presented and the influence of the size of the cavity is discussed. Furthermore, the measured temperatures are used for numerical simulations of the test rig in order to derive the axial heat flux of the fluid inside the cavity. Based on the resulting values the heat transfer capability of the investigated cooling concept can be examined with respect to the internal diameter and the benefit for the cooling of different compressor components can be estimated.


Continual learning (CL) aims to enable information systems to learn from a continuous data stream across time. However, it is difficult for existing deep learning architectures to learn a new task without largely forgetting previously acquired knowledge. Furthermore, CL is particularly challenging for language learning, as natural language is ambiguous: it is discrete, compositional, and its meaning is context-dependent. In this work, we look at the problem of CL through the lens of various NLP tasks. Our survey discusses major challenges in CL and current methods applied in neural network models. We also provide a critical review of the existing CL evaluation methods and datasets in NLP. Finally, we present our outlook on future research directions.


Contacts to monocrystalline silicon have been prepared by wafer bonding using cobalt disilicide as an interfacial layer. Bonding has been carried out with three different structures: n+ -CoSi2-n+, p+ -CoSi2-p+ and p+ -CoSi2-n+. The intermediate cobalt disilicide layers had a thickness of either 700 Å or 5250 Å. The bonding interface was characterized by electrical measurement (IV) and Secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) of the formed contacts. The n+ -CoSi2-n+ and p+ -CoSi2-p+ bondings display an ohmic behaviour. The resistance of the bonded structures was in the range expected for the bulk silicon used (0.1-0.05 Ω cm). The p+ -CoSi2-n+ structures shows a non ohmic behaviour. An evaluation of the SIMS profiles reveals that the non-linear behaviour of the p+ -CoSi2-interface is due to phosphorous diffusion from the n-doped region across the silicide to the p-doped area. It is shown that the phosphorous compensates the boron dopant.


Using a large data set, the authors Ž nd that smokers select riskier jobs, but receive lower total wage compensation for risk than do nonsmokers. This Ž nding is inconsistent with conventional models of compensating differentials. The authors develop a model in which worker risk preferences and job safety performance lead to smokers facing a  atter market offer curve than nonsmokers. The empirical results support the theoretical model. Smokers are injured more often controlling for their job's objective risk and are paid less for these risks of injury. Smokers and nonsmokers, in effect, are segmented labor market groups with different preferences and different market offer curves.


Author(s): Hernandez, Alex Eric | Advisor(s): Nussbaum, Felicity A | Abstract: The middling sort was often thought to be immune or ill-suited to tragedy, its modest, commercial way of life ensuring, in the words of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719), that those in the middle station went "silently and smoothly thro' the World." This project assembles an archive of eighteenth-century text and performance that contradicts this optimism. In contrast to the familiar critical narrative of tragedy's demise or stagnation in the eighteenth century, Modernity and Affliction argues that a body of work depicting the afflictions of the middling sort was vital to a series of cultural debates concerned with imagining modes of ordinary suffering and collective grief. Whereas heroic and neoclassical tragedy had rarified and idealized the afflicted subject, bourgeois tragedies probed the relation between existential misfortune and the emerging values that would define the everyday experience of the middle rank in Britain--among them domesticity, privacy, capitalism, and Protestantism. Far from triumphalist or complacent in its ideology, the very emergence of the genre suggests that the Crusoevian "rise of the middle class" was met with ambivalence, haunted by the possibility of that newfound value's loss and anxious about suffering's lurid portrayal in various experimental forms of early realism. The dissertation ranges across a body of works that includes George Lillo's pioneering domestic dramas, The London Merchant (1731) and Fatal Curiosity (1736), Samuel Richardson's landmark novel, Clarissa (1748), Edward Moore's prose tragedy, The Gamester (1753), Sarah Fielding's sentimental novel, The Adventures of David Simple (1744), Laurence Sterne's ironic exploration of bourgeois mourning in A Sentimental Journey (1768), and several others largely absent from our critical histories, redefining bourgeois tragedy in order to better account for its energetic movement between page and stage, as well as the changing aesthetic conventions that governed the archive's production and reception in the period. Modernity and Affliction thus ultimately historicizes modes of bourgeois affect through which suffering was embodied, represented, and consumed in the period, tracing a process whereby the narrowly defined poetics of tragedy gave way to a broader, melancholic sense of the tragic as a condition of all modern life.


Abstract This article brings together a feminist sloth, a cultural activist practice and a Human Geography student. That student, the author of this article, shopdropped a sloth sticker to protest the discriminatory body politics of diet magazines. Through a practice-based and autoethnographic approach, she tries to make sense of her own experience and of shopdropping as an activist practice. Drawing on the geographical concepts of place and movement, shopdropping is situated within the debates around subversive material cultures and creative interventions into places of consumption. Shopdroppers' disobedient things lend themselves to thinking through the connections between geography, art, and activism and for contemplating the effects of creative engagements with cultures of consumption. Keywords: shopdropping, material geographies, subversive material culture, disobedient things, consumption cultures ----- Bibliographie : Murlebach, Mara: Shopdropping. Materialities, Mobilities, Creative Interventions, Soziologiemagazin, 2-2018, S. 63-75. https://doi.org/10.3224/soz.v11i2.06


We explore the accumulation of capital in the presence of limited insurance against idiosyncratic shocks, borrowing constraints and endogenous labor supply. In the exogenous labor supply case (e.g. Aiyagari 1994, Huggett 1997), the presence of limited insurance increases the demand for savings for precautionary reasons. As a consequence, capital and output are higher under incomplete markets. We show that if labor hours are endogenous, labor supply is likely to be lower under incomplete markets, because those agents who experience a high shock to productivity are ex post richer and they work fewer hours. In some cases, this wealth effect can overcome the "aggregate precautionary savings" and give rise to lower savings and output under incomplete markets.


Climate change will be an important issue facing Arctic areas in the coming decades since climate models are projecting warmer and wetter conditions for many northern regions. From a hydrological perspective, critical issues include a shortened snow cover season, changes in winter snow cover properties, and changes in the timing and volume of snowmelt runoff. To assess the impacts of projected temperature and precipitation changes on the hydrology of a small Arctic headwater basin, the distributed hydrological model WATFLOOD was used in conjunction with selected Global Circulation Models (GCMs) and future climate scenarios. It was found that the hydrological model simulated basin runoff adequately either with input climate data collected in the study area or with input data from a long-term climate station located approximately 50 km south. WATFLOOD was then used to predict future runoff using GCM outputs for the 2040–69 and 2070–99 time periods. The results gave dates of first and peak runoff that were, on average, up to 25 days earlier than in current (1961–90) climate. In addition, future runoff and evaporation volumes increased by up to 48% as a result of projected increases in temperature and precipitation. Furthermore, a large number of simulated years showed midwinter melt periods, which will have major impacts on snowpack properties and, in turn, on human, animal, and plant life in this region.


This paper presents initial planning for the development of a process control breadboard system. The proposed system will be composed of mechatronic, thermal/fluid, and control elements that using simple hand tools can be easily reconfigured by undergraduate students. An approach for integrating the breadboard system throughout the curriculum, enhancing the design education experience beginning with freshmen and continuing through the senior capstone experience, is proposed. This system is expected to significantly enhance the ability of students to work with a thermal/fluid-based process control system, and to provide the opportunity for design/build/test realization for a variety of completely functional systems. A sampling of configurations will be presented to demonstrate how this proposed system might be used to address an open-ended design problem with external constraints. A comparison with existing educational trainer systems commonly found at academic institutions will be presented, along with preparations for a proof-of-concept adaptation to occur during the fall semester of 2002. Support for K-12 outreach activities and EC2000 professional component program criteria will also be discussed.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


ReUable estimates of amount, type, and distribution of clay minerals encountered in Gulf Coast sands improve log-derived determination of reservoir properties, such as porosity, hydrocarbon saturation, and permeabiUty. Log-derived determination of clay properties also provide information for geologic and formation evaluation studies, including detailed stratigraphic correlations, clay diagenesis, source rock potential, cation exchange capacity, overpressure detection and evaluation, and commercial hydrocarbon distribution in overpressure regimes.


The object of this paper was to investigate and to describe the flora and the Vegetation of villages in north-eastern Burgenland (Austria). On the basis of floristical mapping of 14 villages it is possible to give Statements about the frequency of plants typical for villages. The high constancy of many species is remarkable; 88 species were to be found in at least half of the villages. The village flora of NE Burgenland is characterized by numerous continental and/or thermophilous species, whereby the part of neophytic plants is relatively high. Comparisons of village floras of other regions show — in relation to Central Europe — that there exist only a few "typical village plants". The village flora is rather different from landscape to landscape, caused especially by climatic but also edaphic and cultural-historical reasons. At the borders of the villages ruderal vegetation is developed on an extraordinary scale. 25 ruderal plant communities are documented by plant sociological relevees. Characteristic communities for the investigation area are: Atriplicetum tataricae, basal Community Carduus acanthoides- [Onopordetalia], Conietum maculati, Malvetum pusillae, Onopordetum acanthii, Panicum capulare Community, Salvio-Marrubietum peregrini and Sclerochloo-Polygonetum avicularis. The ruderal shrubberies are built up by Lycium barbarum, Sambucus nigra, Ailanthus altissima and Robinia pseudacacia.


In "Temperate Women. Educators, Entrepreneurs and Political Agents. The White Ribbon 1900–1930" the female Christian temperance union, the White Ribbon, is in focus. The organization's ambition was to create a temperate and moral society, running a variety of philanthropic institutions and adult education, as well as non-alcohol restaurants. The aim of the thesis is to study the White Ribbon's social and political commitment and its ideological approach. Its monthly journal has been closely studied and its ideas and practical work have been analyzed in a theoretical perspective of social movement theory, according to the sociologist Hakan Thorn's methodological framework. This theoretical approach is an instrument to analyze what the White Ribbon identified to be social problems; what was considered to be the reasons for these problems; and what strategy the organization regarded to be the best way to deal with them in order to reach the prognosticated change. The analysis shows that the White Ribbon identified the predominant gender system and the bourgeois view on women as a primary social problem. Its strategy was to eliminate the patriarchal order of the gender system and to change the attitude of people through adult education, information and persuasion. The White Ribboners participated in political public debate pursuing temperance and women's suffrage, and was a lobbyist proposing motions and demanding legislative reforms. The White Ribboners' ideological approach, as well as their philanthropic activities, emanated from a bourgeois ideal of conscientiousness and cultivation, and from an interest in social politics. This was in contrast to the bourgeois view of what the ideal woman should do. From their point of view, society could only prosper when women had the same rights as men, and could participate in the public sphere and become involved in politics. The study shows that the organization worked hard for equality and democracy, pursuing a feminist and liberal ideology. The White Ribboners regarded themselves, and acted, as political agents. They introduced and increased women's possibilities for adult education. They initiated and provided social protection for poor, fallen and alcohol-addicted women and girls. These activities must be seen as forms of enterprises and the White Ribboners as entrepreneurs, since these institutions were, in fact, innovations and models for solving social problems in order to build a welfare system and to create a temperate and prosperous society. The thesis puts forward arguments that the White Ribbon's social and political work are important elements in the process of democratization and, therefore, played an important part in this process. (Less)


Growth rate, hematological changes, serum, erythrocyte and liver folate levels, and urinary excretion of formiminoglutamic acid (FIGLU) were measured in rats fed p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)-free, sulfonamide-supplemented purified amino acid diets with and without folic acid and fiber, individually and in combination. Fiber had no effect on growth but was necessary to prevent mortality in the absence of folic acid. Folic acid did not affect growth during the first 40 days, but after this period rats failed to gain weight in the absence of folic acid. Although blood hematocrit was lower when the diet was devoid of fiber and folic acid and leucocyte counts were lower when the diets were devoid of folic acid, the hematological values remained within normal physiological limits for healthy rats of comparable age. FIGLU excretion was increased and serum, erythrocyte and liver folate levels were depressed when rats were fed folic acid-free diets for 28 days. Neutrophil hypersegmentation was clearly evident after 28 days of feeding the folic acid-free diets. The use of an amino acid diet without PABA but containing 5% fiber and 1% succinylsulfathiazole is a useful system to study chronic folic acid deficiency in the rat.


We report that autonomous oscillations, which usually happen in aerobic glucose‐limited continuous cultures of yeast at low dilution rate, were also observed in trehalose discontinuous cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This unexpected oscillatory behaviour was therefore examined using fast Fourier transformation of online gas measurements. This robust mathematical analysis underlined the existence of two types of oscillation. The first was found to be linked to the cell cycle because (a) the periodicity corresponded to a fraction of the generation time and (b) the oscillations were accompanied by a transient increase in the budding index, mobilization of storage carbohydrates, and fermentative activity. Moreover, these oscillations occurred in a range of specific growth rates between 0.04 and 0.15 h−1. All these criteria were consistent with the cell‐cycle‐related metabolic oscillations observed in the same range of growth rates in glucose‐limited continuous cultures. The second type were short‐period respiratory oscillations, independent of the specific growth rate. Both types of oscillation were found to take place consecutively and/or simultaneously during batch culture on trehalose. In addition, mobilization of intracellular trehalose emerged as a key parameter for the sustainability of these autonomous oscillations as they were no longer observed in a mutant defective in neutral trehalase activity. We propose that batch culture on trehalose may be an excellent device for further investigation of the molecular mechanisms that underlie autonomous oscillations in yeast.


Background: Since the late 1980s, the emergency department (ED) at the Mater Hospital, Belfast, has implemented a policy of treating conservatively patients who sustain low velocity gunshot wounds to the lower limbs. Wounds are cleaned and minimally debrided under local anaesthetic in the ED. Patients are given oral antibiotics, and reviewed 48 hours later at the ED review clinic. Objective: To investigate the outcome of outpatient ED management of low velocity gunshot wounds to the lower limbs. Method: This was a retrospective, observational study from January 2000 to September 2004 inclusive. Notes were retrieved of those patients who had gunshot wound mentioned in the triage text. Patients were included if they presented with a low velocity gunshot wound to the lower limbs. Demographics and treatment regimen were recorded. Results: In total, 90 patients sustained low energy injuries to the lower limb, with 70.5% of wounds involving the skin and soft tissue only. Most patients (n = 67) were treated as outpatients, which included 80% of unilateral injuries and 46.6% of bilateral injuries presented. There were 56 patients reviewed at clinic. Three patients developed minor complications Conclusion: Irrigation and minimal debridement in the outpatient setting is an acceptable method of treatment for low energy gunshot wounds to the lower limbs, without orthopaedic or vascular involvement.


Malamuth's (1998) confluence model holds that the combination of hostile masculinity, impersonal sexuality, and the constellation of high dominance and low nurturance plays a crucial role in explaining men's sexual aggression against women. Most studies on the confluence model concentrate on hostile masculinity and impersonal sexuality rather than dominance and nurturance. Using a person-centered approach, we investigated whether sexual aggressive men could be better identified in a sample of 692 men when not only hostile masculinity and impersonal sexuality but also dominance and nurturance were used as indicators in a latent profile analysis. Regardless of whether dominance and nurturance were considered or not, latent profile analyses revealed a high-risk group, which showed higher sexual aggression than other groups. In both cases, the sensitivity (i.e., the proportion of sexually aggressive men correctly assigned to the high-risk group) was low (33% and 31%, respectively) but increased substantially for the identification of severe sexual aggression. The positive prediction value, however, increased from 68% to 78% when dominance and nurturance were considered as predictor variables in addition to hostile masculinity and impersonal sexuality, indicating that more men assigned to the high-risk group were indeed sexually aggressive. These results demonstrate the power of the confluence model for identifying sexually aggressive men from a person-centered perspective. They also point to the necessity of expanding this perspective by considering further (e.g., situational) risk factors, which have previously been identified as predicting sexually aggressive behavior in men. Aggr. Behav. 43:251-262, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This study investigated the effects of some sweeteners (sucrose, honey and stevia) on the quality and thermal properties of plain (P) and cocoa (C) yogurt ice cream. For this purpose, six different yogurt ice cream samples were prepared with sucrose (control: AP, AC), with honey (BP, BC) and with stevia (CP, CC). The highest values of protein, ash, fat, lactose ratios and lightness (L*) were measured in samples with stevia. The addition of honey increased the b* values. The addition of cocoa increased pH and viscosity, but decreased overrun ratios. Although the addition of stevia reduced the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts, in all samples the LAB count was above 6 log CFU/g during storage. Results of the thermal and melting analysis showed that the use of stevia had a positive effect on the ice cream stability by increasing the freezing and melting point peak temperatures (Tf, Tm), the enthalpy (ΔHf, ΔHm), and the initial ice crystal melting temperatures (T'm).


163 This fugue narrative tells the story of the start of the author, Ruth Skilbeck's, search to find her Australian mother's family of descent. Her mother was adopted in Sydney in the first half of the twentieth century, and passed away in 2008 in London. Her mother's adoption as an infant occurred during the time of the policies of mass removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia, in an era colloquially known in Australia as the "Stolen Generations." At the time of writing, the author did not know her mother's birth family background. This story is told as grief and as healing, like playing or listening to music, an emotional catharsis. In telling this story, the author, as art writer, reflects on the healing power of personal storytelling as communicative action in the public sphere, and starts to reflect on the significance of the absent mother, women's art and writing, and transitional objects, in women's cultural history of empowerment. The context of the story is Australian colonial families with hidden histories. The narrative includes digital photographs by the author.


Discussions about social justice and governmental responsibility are often framed in abstract terms, referencing aspirational concepts such as "equality" or "autonomy." While this is particularly evident in law, grand narratives also shape policies related to public health and welfare, as well as many other areas that overlap with law. Of specific interest in the context of this collection is the idealized rendition of the body that permeates these grand narratives. In law, as well as in political theory, philosophy, economics, and ethics, the body is abstracted to the point that its material realities and their implications for social policy can be conveniently ignored.

The pandemic has disrupted, even discredited, dominant political narratives, which minimized or ridiculed the need for safety nets and other social welfare policies. COVID-19 has forced a consideration of the inescapably and uncomfortably concrete into public consciousness, opening up the possibility for a revisioning of our thinking about both individual and societal requirements and responsibilities. Fortunately, vulnerability theory presents a constructive and needed alternative to the traditional paradigm for thinking about the nature of the state and its social institutions and relationships in this post-pandemic reality.


Translation of the Qur'an between text and ideology
Orientalism starts as a religious and cultural movement searching in the Arab world to know about Islam, culture, history, and tradition. They tried hard to dig deeply into Islam through the Quran, Sunnah, all these efforts were due to the strategic geographical position of the Arab world. Orientalists became very fluent in Arabic,
The Article is investigating translations of the Quran into English with a focus on the intervention of the ideological factor taking into account the influence of Orientalist ideology. The ideology as in the case of manipulation school in translating Islamic texts by orientalists. The research seeks to examine the relation between ideology and translation. It is true that the Orientalist scholars, although not altogether free from biased thinking, have contributed a lot, so far as their intellectual endeavors are concerned. The paper highlights the features of the Orientalist translation, objectives, sources, motives, structure, and methods. The paper concludes that most orientalist translators are consciously or unconsciously influenced by religious, cultural, social ideologies when they translate Quranic text. The study shows that we need to develop more studies in the field of an ideological factors in the translation of the Quran.


Multiple 'overviews of reviews' conducted on the same topic ("overlapping overviews") represent a waste of research resources and can confuse clinicians making decisions amongst competing treatments. We aimed to assess the frequency and characteristics of overlapping overviews. MEDLINE, Epistemonikos and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for overviews that: synthesized reviews of health interventions and conducted systematic searches. Overlap was defined as: duplication of PICO eligibility criteria, and not reported as an update nor a replication. We categorized overview topics according to 22 WHO ICD‐10 medical classifications, overviews as broad or narrow in scope, and overlap as identical, nearly identical, partial, or subsumed. Subsummation was defined as when broad overviews subsumed the populations, interventions and at least one outcome of another overview. Of 541 overviews included, 169 (31%) overlapped across similar PICO, fell within 13 WHO ICD‐10 medical classifications, and 62 topics. 148/169 (88%) overlapping overviews were broad in scope. Fifteen overviews were classified as having nearly identical overlap (9%); 123 partial overlap (73%), and 31 subsumed (18%) others. One third of overviews overlapped in content and a majority covered broad topic areas. A multiplicity of overviews on the same topic adds to the ongoing waste of research resources, time, and effort across medical disciplines. Authors of overviews can use this study and the sample of overviews to identify gaps in the evidence for future analysis, and topics that are already studied, which do not need to be duplicated.


The electronic structures of potassium doped ZnO have been calculated by first principles plane wave-function psuedopotential approach based on density-functional theory and local density approximation. Properties of some defects were studied in order to explicate the conductivity mechanism of p-K:ZnO, including hydrogen interstitial (Hi), oxygen vacancy (VO), zinc interstitial (Zni) and zinc vacancy (VZn). The calculated results revealed that: (1) K-doping introduced a shallow acceptor,besides increasing the system total energy simultaneously. (2) K-H:ZnO decreased the system energy and increased the system stability. (3) Although the formation of VO was more difficult than that of Zni, both of them were electronegative centers and played a role in compensating for the acceptors. (4) VZn produceda shallow acceptor approximately 0.5 eV above the maximum valence band, which was beneficial for p-type conductivity. Finally, it was proposed that the realization of p-type conductivity in K:ZnO may be due to the formation of a KZn-O-Hi-O-VZn complex.


Abstract : The attenuation of a monochromatic signal in the presence of discrete noise in one dimension is investigated numerically. The predicted Gaussian attenuation is verified by the numerical program, which is based on Riemann's implicit solution of the exact equation for the unidirectional propagation of shockless sound. Two new results are also presented. In the first, the transition from Gaussian to Bessel dependence as a function of resolution in the detection of a signal is observed. This results shows that the fundamental property of time reversibility can only be established if the overall system of the waves and the observer is considered. In the second result, the evolution of the amplitude of a signal injected downstream from the noise is investigated. The Gaussian attenuation is also observed in this case. This result explicitly shows that the attenuation length depends on the distance the signal has traveled, thus displaying memory and breakdown of translational invariance.


AbstractBuoyant discharge of freshwater from Long Island Sound (LIS) forms a seasonal buoyant plume outside Block Island Sound (BIS) between the coast of Long Island and the denser shelf waters. The plume's seasonal variability and its response to tides, winds, and surface heating are investigated through a series of process-oriented experiments using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Results show the importance of river discharge, wind directions, and surface heating in the seasonal variation of the BIS buoyant plume. In winter and spring, the plume is intermediate with a large surface offshore extension detached from the bottom. From winter to spring, the river discharge increases; meanwhile, upwelling-favorable winds keep dominating. They compete with the increase of surface heating and generate a broader buoyant plume in spring than in winter. In summer, the plume is bottom advected with most of its width in contact with the bottom and is featured with the steepest isopycnals and narrowest pl...


Background: According to the World Health Organization, more than 180 million couples globally suffer from infertility, the majority being residents of developing countries. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) offer a chance at parenthood to couples, who until recently would have had no hope of having a "biologically related" child. Objectives: This study aimed to determine pregnancy outcomes following assisted conception. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study of 104 clients who underwent the procedure of ART between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016 at the ART unit of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. Results: Of the 510 clients who had infertility consultation at the ART clinic, 104 (20.4%) underwent ART procedures. The patients aged 27–46 years with a mean age of 33 ± 4.0 years. More than half (58.7%) had primary infertility. Their duration of infertility ranged from 1 to 20 years (4.6 ± 2.9 years). Majority (81.7%) had conventional in vitro fertilization while 19 (18.3%) had intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Thirteen (12.5%) cases of cycle cancellation and 11 (11.7%) cases of mild-to-moderate ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome were recorded. The clinical pregnancy rate per cycle started was 39.4%. However, 9/41 (22%) resulted in spontaneous miscarriages and 32 (6 sets of twin, 25 singleton, and 1 high-order multiple births) were successfully delivered, giving a live birth rate per cycle started of 30.8%. Pregnancy outcomes were not significantly affected by age of the women, types of infertility, and duration of infertility (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The outcomes of ART procedures in a resource-limited country like ours are encouraging. This underscores the need to encourage ART in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria through the support of government and nongovernmental organizations for the benefit of infertile couples who were hitherto hopeless.


In the present investigation of series of the compounds with a substitution of aluminum in lithium ferrite ( M type) with the general chemical formula Li0.5Fe2.5+x Al12- x O19 were synthesized using reacting oxide by high temperature solid state reaction technique. The structural characterization of compound has been carried out from X-ray diffraction powder pattern. The compounds are in single hexagonal phase without traces of uncertainly ambiguous reflection. From XRD pattern lattice parameters has recorded with increasing doped aluminum element in the range from a = 5.807 A to 5.906 A and c = 22.507 A to 22.585 A pertaining the space group P63/mmc (No.194). The mass density of the ferrites were found linearly varies and depends upon the mass and volume of sample. The X-Ray density has depends upon the lattice constant and molecular weight of the compounds. The average particle size was also estimated. The compounds were studies magnetically by using Guoy's method in the temperature range 300 to 800K; the result shows that the compounds are paramagnetic in nature. The Curie molar constant was work out.


Videogames are a time-based medium. It is through the condition of time that many game reward systems are designed around the collection of points, achieving high-scores and beating the clock. In relation to time, videogames are also a spatial medium, with ever-growing worlds expanding for player-characters to move through and explore. Building upon BjA¶rk and Holopainen's (2005) and Hallford and Hallford's (2001) categories of rewards, this article examines temporal and spatial reward structures within a range of videogames. Reward systems are defined and discussed in relation to different genres from puzzle-games to arcade games, from third-person games to simulation-based games. By understanding the basic structures of personal and social rewards found within many videogames, other types of reward related to time and space are built upon in order to show the way in which rewards overlap and their meanings evolve within different game play and game design contexts. © 2001-2011 Game Studies.


A manager of a food processing facility faces the dilemma that postponing a treatment (such as fumigation) in order to save money, risks allowing insect population to increase to an amount that causes economic damage. This economic damage includes buyer discounts due to presence of insects or insect damage, cost of extra treatments needed, or rejection by a buyer. Conversely, fumigating too early may allow the remaining insect population to rebound sufficiently that another expensive fumigation is necessary earlier than it would have been. Managers need economic guidelines to make insect control decisions that fully consider treatment costs, effectiveness, and costs of failing to control insects. Here, we value the tradeoff between fumigating now and fumigating later using a real options approach, which measures the risk tradeoff in money terms. Specifically, we consider a food-processing manager who is facing a timing decision to shut down the whole facility for fumigation. The approach can be easily expanded to value the risk/reward tradeoffs of alternative insect control strategies, including integrated pest management strategies that include sampling and monitoring, helping food processing firms make better insect control decisions.


Experiments were done in the nonhuman primate Macaca fascicularis to determine the extent to which low-pressure receptors modulate renal nerve activity (RNA). Left atrial pressure (LAP) was increased either by inflating a balloon in the left atrium or by intravascular volume expansion. Arterial pressure (AP) was increased by the administration of epinephrine. Balloon inflation produced variable changes in RNA when all reflexes were intact. In the bilateral vagotomized animal, balloon inflation significantly increased RNA. Compared with the intact state, neither carotid sinus denervation nor sinoaortic denervation had a significant influence on RNA during balloon inflation. The response of both baroreceptor-denervated groups, however, was significantly less than that of the vagotomized group. Vagotomy plus sinoaortic denervation essentially prevented any effect of balloon inflation on RNA. Volume expansion produced a greater inhibition of RNA per increase in AP than did epinephrine. However, this difference was abolished after bilateral cervical vagotomy. These experiments demonstrate a significant influence and interplay of low- and high-pressure receptors on RNA in the nonhuman primate.


Myc-deficient mice fail to develop normal vascular networks and Myc-deficient embryonic stem cells fail to provoke a tumor angiogenic response when injected into immune compromised mice. However, the molecular underpinnings of these defects are poorly understood. To assess whether Myc indeed contributes to embryonic vasculogenesis we evaluated Myc function in Xenopus laevis embryogenesis. Here, we report that Xc-Myc is required for the normal assembly of endothelial cells into patent vessels during both angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Accordingly, the specific knockdown of Xc-Myc provokes massive embryonic edema and hemorrhage. Conversely, Xc-Myc overexpression triggers the formation of ectopic vascular beds in embryos. Myc is required for normal expression of Slug/Snail2 and Twist, and either XSlug/Snail2 or XTwist could compensate for defects manifest by Xc-Myc knockdown. Importantly, knockdown of Xc-Myc, XSlug/Snail2 or XTwist within the lateral plate mesoderm, but not the neural crest, provoked embryonic edema and hemorrhage. Collectively, these findings support a model in which Myc, Twist and Slug/Snail2 function in a regulatory circuit within lateral plate mesoderm that directs normal vessel formation in both the vascular and lymphatic systems.


Radical labels and terrorist movements are often pinned down on various Islamic organizations in Indonesia, one of which is Wahdah Islamiyah (WI). This stigma is growing rapidly among Indonesians because the news in the media seems to accuse Islamic organizations of being the source of radical movements. Understanding the media becomes a crucial need in society. In addition, Islamic organizations are required to balance technological developments and utilize communication media in the modern era to re-establish the image of Muslims in Indonesia. This study focused on Wahdah Islamiyah in Palu City and was carried out with qualitative methods and case study approach to see and explain how the Wahdah Islamiyah in Palu City understood and utilized the media in responding to radical ideas that were often attached to Islamic organizations. This research shows that WI has a special strategy in responding to radicalism and has been able to utilize online media even though it is not yet optimal.


RATIONALE: Inflammatory mediators are increasingly associated with pathogenesis in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We have previously observed a 3.7-fold increase in serum levels of the pro-inflammatory macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in PAH patients. MIF promoter polymorphisms (-173*C, -794CATT 5-8 ) have been associated with disease susceptibility or phenotype in several inflammatory syndromes. We hypothesized that MIF promoter polymorphisms may influence PAH development or severity. METHODS: Genomic DNA was isolated from 117 European-American PAH patients, including idiopathic (IPAH; N = 35) and systemic sclerosis-associated PAH (SSc-PAH; N = 82), healthy European-American controls (N=264), and SSc patients without PAH (N=343). Allele and genotype frequencies for the MIF -173*C single nucleotide polymorphism and the -794CATT 5-8 variable nucleotide tandem repeat were compared between PAH patients and controls, and were compared with initial hemodynamic indices and survival in PAH patients. RESULTS: We found no significant difference in the frequencies of either MIF promoter polymorphism between controls and PAH patients. SSc-PAH patients with the MIF -173*C polymorphism had higher cardiac output ( P =0.04), cardiac index ( P =0.003), and stroke volume index ( P =0.01) at diagnosis. Neither polymorphism predicted survival in PAH patients. CONCLUSION: The MIF -173*C polymorphism may improve initial hemodynamics in SSc-PAH. However, MIF promoter polymorphisms do not predict PAH susceptibility or survival. These results suggest that MIF may function as a disease-modifying gene in SSc-PAH.


In 1985, at a meeting in Abano, I presented results showing that direct stimulation of skeletal muscles with appropriate stimulus patterns prevents the effects of denervation on non-junctional properties of muscle fibers. Hence, it appeared unnecessary to postulate that unknown nerve-derived trophic factors control such properties, as posited by the (anterograde) neurotrophic hypothesis. Here I discuss this conclusion in the light of what we know today, particularly with respect to the many lines of evidence that were then taken to support the trophic hypothesis, but which today have alternative interpretations consistent with control by evoked impulse activity. Despite much effort, no one has yet identified any nerve-derived factor consistent with the neurotrophic hypothesis. Reports favoring the existence of neurotrophic factors were numerous before 2000. Now they have essentially disappeared from the literature, including original research papers, textbooks and handbooks, suggesting that the hypothesis is no longer arguable. Thus, the results that I presented in our paper in 1985 seem to have held up rather well.


Historically, most studies estimating soil carbon have been based almost exclusively on 2-mm soil particles (fine soil fraction) and generally excluded soil 2-mm (coarse soil fraction) or soil at 1-m depth. In fact, many studies have not examined soil carbon below 20 cm. This study was conducted to determine how much total soil C is underestimated by following traditional, or standard, soil sampling and analysis for both particle size fractions and depth. Seventeen soil series and one soil classified to the level of Great Group, were sampled in Alaska, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and Washington. Total soil C was quantified for the soil fine and coarse fractions, as well as for soil 1-m deep. Results of this study showed substantial soil C contained in the coarse soil fraction (1-25%) and in soil greater than 1-m depth (3-48%). The combined exclusion of the coarse fraction and soil below 1 m could miss as much as one-half of the soil total C of a profile. These results indicate that to obtain a true value of soil total carbon, the entire soil must be sampled, including the coarse soil fraction and soil below 1 m. FOR .S CI. 57(1):11-18.


Two sibs, a boy and a girl, from a Lebanese consanguineous family presented with short stature, microcephaly, ptosis, small, dysplastic, low set ears, short neck, and pectum excavatum and carinatum. In addition, the boy had a high arched palate, a cardiac malformation, and at the X‐rays an absence of fusion of the posterior hemi‐arches of C7 and a fusion between L5 and S1 with a sagittal‐cleft vertebral body of L5, while his sister had a cleft lip/palate and at the X‐rays an abnormal odontoid peg and a malformation of the articular facets between C1 and C2, and bilateral cervical ribs. Other laboratory and radiological investigations were normal. Sequencing of PTPN11 exons 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, and 13 did not reveal any variations. Two other sibs presented almost the same dysmorphic features; one girl died at age 6¼ years after an acute episode of renal insufficiency, and one boy died at 40 days of age. Differential diagnosis is discussed and the possibility of the report of a new autosomal recessive syndrome with variable expressivity is raised. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In this paper, a new topology for half-bridge Z-source inverter is proposed. The proposed topology has only one impedance network. Unlike to the conventional half-bridge inverter, the proposed topology can provide zero voltage level at the output. It also increases output voltage level and stabilizes it in the desired value. Capacitor voltage stress in the proposed topology is low, and, therefore, nominal voltage of capacitor and cost decreases. In this paper, the steady-state analysis of the proposed inverter in two new operations which are named synchronous operation of diodes and asynchronous operation of diodes is conducted based on mathematics calculations. A method to obtain high-voltage gains by cascading the Z-network and combining middle inductors is presented that leads to cost, size, and weight reduction. Comparison among the proposed converter with conventional ones shows its excellent performance. The experimental results have good agreement with analytical analysis for the proposed topology.


Identifying key physiological factors is essential in cycling; however, the unique nature of BMX decreases the validity and transferability of research findings from other cycling disciplines. Therefore, this study highlighted the physical and physiological characteristics of BMX riders that could influence track performance. Fifteen sub-elite BMX riders (male n = 12; age 18.3 ± 3.3 and female n = 3; 17.7 ± 5.7 years) undertook a battery of laboratory tests on three different occasions, including body composition, upper and lower body strength, flexibility, sprint and aerobic capacity measures. On a separate day, participants completed three full lap sprints on an outdoor BMX track. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to develop predictive models of performance across the laboratory tests and race time. The final model indicated power to weight ratio, relative back-leg-chest strength and arm span explained ~87% of the variability in finish time (adjusted R2 = 0.87, p < .01). These findings highlighted the importance of a multidimensional approach for developing BMX race performance. Coaches should prioritise these variables in their training programs and selection of future talents.
However, further physiological and biomechanical investigation is needed to validate current findings, particularly among elite riders.


ABSTRACT This study investigates the relationship between the ethnic classroom composition and interethnic attitudes of adolescents of the native majority and several ethnic minorities in the Netherlands, Germany, England and Sweden. It contributes to prior research by examining the underlying theoretical features of contact opportunities and levels of threat across multiple ethnic groups more accurately, using group-specific measures. Based on Intergroup Contact Theory and Ethnic Group Conflict Theory, contrasting hypotheses on how the ethnic classroom composition affects out-group and in-group attitudes of adolescents are tested with multilevel regression analyses. Across ethnic groups and countries, we consistently find a moderate to substantial relation between ethnic classroom composition and interethnic attitudes in line with Intergroup Contact Theory: a relatively larger out-group size, compared to the in-group, relates positively to out-group attitudes. At the same time, in several cases, a relatively larger in-group size relates to more positive in-group attitudes. The findings point to the significance of balanced ethnic classroom compositions for promoting favourable attitudes between multiple ethnic groups – benefitting especially those who face high levels of prejudice from others and those who are prejudiced towards others – without compromising positive in-group attitudes.


I am pleased that paleopathology is starting to acquire general interest and that our paper on hip dysplasia of Giovanna from Austria and of her daughter Anna (1) attracted comments (2). The lesions observed in the acetabular roofs of Giovanna had already been cited in a preliminary report (3), where an incomplete dislocation of the hip was diagnosed. The defect we described was only in the external acetabular roof of both women, with no lesions present in other parts of the acetabular cavities or in the femoral heads. Therefore, radiographs would probably not be helpful at this stage. We believe that the lesions of the acetabular roof of the pelvis of Giovanna and Anna are macroscopically evident, and that a diagnosis of mild developmental hip dysplasia is likely.


In 2010, a team of US researchers concluded that the more peanuts a pregnant woman ate during her pregnancy [4], the more likely her newborn was to be sensitive to peanuts. They published their results in 2010's "Maternal consumption of peanut during pregnancy [4] is associated with peanut sensitization in atopic infants". The work resulted from the collaboration of Scott Sicherer and Hugh Sampson, both from the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York, New York along with other colleagues. The experiment identified prenatal and postnatal factors associated with peanut sensitization, which was identified and measured by the blood plasma levels of a specific class of antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE), in infants. The researchers concluded that there was a direct correlation between maternal intake of peanut during pregnancy [4] and a high level of peanut sensitization in the infant after birth.


The Butler Assistive Technology Room provides private self-service round-the-clock access to a state-of-the-art space with software and hardware to support academic activities. Butler Technology Room, Ground Floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center


LAWRENCE (Latin laurentius, literally "laurelled") is the name of the archdeacon of the church of Rome who was martyred in Rome in the year 258 during the persecution of Christians ordered by the Emperor Valerian. (1) In the century after his martyrdom, devotion to this St. Lawrence developed rapidly and far beyond Rome. Moreover, it has continued to grow and spread even up to modern times, finding expression in art, music, literature, geographical exploration, and social life. For example, in the year 1145 the cathedral at Lund, Sweden, was consecrated with Lawrence as its patron. As for the literary influence of the martyrdom of Lawrence, one should note how Lawrence's steadfast courage in the face of death is celebrated in the fourth canto of Dante's Paradiso (completed by 1320). And Lawrence's burning on a grill is the subject of a conversation in one of the tales, the tenth story on the sixth day, in Boccaccio's collection of short stories called the Decameron (written c. 1348). Too numerous to mention are the representations of Lawrence in the graphic arts. But outstanding among them are the stained glass windows in the cathedral of Bourges, France, which were completed in the year 1230 and illustrate Lawrence's life as well as his death. We should also note the paintings by Fra Angelico and the Venetian painter Titian. More precisely, between 1447 and 1449, Fra Angelico, at the request of Pope Nicholas V, painted for a chapel in the apostolic palace at the Vatican a series of frescoes illustrating the life and death of Lawrence. In the year 1558, Titian was commissioned by Venetian nobleman Lorenzo Massolo to paint a large (14 1/2 feet by 10 1/2 feet) altar backdrop of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence for his family chapel in the church of the Crociferi at Venice. (2) In music, the great composer of vocal polyphony, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594), wrote liturgical music for Lawrence's feast day (the Missa Beatus Laurentius and solemn vespers for both the vigil and feast day). As for geographical references, in the year 1534, the French explorer Jacques Cartier gave the name of St. Lawrence to the largest estuary on the North American continent (the Gulf of St. Lawrence) and to the river that flows into it. A few years later, when King Philip II of Spain decided to build a royal retreat in the mountains twentyeight miles northwest of Madrid near the town of Escorial, he named his retreat San Lorenzo de Escorial so as to honor the fact that the victory of the Spanish army over the forces of Henry II of France at Picardy in the year 1557 occurred on the feast of Saint Lawrence, August 10. In 1737, San Lorenzo was the name given to a municipality on the island of Puerto Rico, because according to legend the martyr saint had appeared to several inhabitants of that place. In addition, St. Lawrence is the name of one of the oldest towns on the coast of Queensland, Australia. In 1909, the cathedral for the diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, was consecrated with St. Lawrence as its patron. In 1993, Pope John Paul II designated that cathedral in North Carolina a minor basilica, which because of its architectural splendor has been placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Last but not least, San Lorenzo is the name of a professional soccer team in Buenos Aires of which Pope Francis has been a fan since his youth. However, in modern times, certain things about Lawrence's martyrdom have been disputed; they have been both seriously challenged and vigorously defended. In this article, I will look first at the earliest traditions concerning Lawrence's martyrdom, and then I will consider both the modern challenges raised against those ancient accounts as well as one valiant modern defense of the ancient legend. As for Lawrence's life before his martyrdom, there is general agreement among scholars: Lawrence appears to have been born of Christian parents in Huesca, a town in the region of Aragon, the northeast region of Spain, which was in Lawrence's day part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis. …


Introduction Effective predictive biomarkers for selection of patients benefiting from adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are needed. Based on a previously validated methodology, molecular profiles of predicted sensitivity in two patient cohorts are presented. Methods The profiles are correlations between in vitro sensitivity to cisplatin and vinorelbine and baseline mRNA expression of the 60 cell lines in the National Cancer Institute panel. An applied clinical samples filter focused the profiles to clinically relevant genes. The profiles were tested on 1) snap-frozen tumors from 133 patients with completely resected stage 1B-2 NSCLC randomized to adjuvant cisplatin and vinorelbine (ACV, n = 71) or no adjuvant treatment (OBS, n = 62) and 2) formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumors from 95 patients with completely resected stage 1A-3B NSCLC receiving adjuvant cisplatin and vinorelbine. Results The combined cisplatin and vinorelbine profiles showed: 1) univariate Hazard Ratio (HR) for sensitive versus resistant of 0.265 (95% CI:0.079–0.889, p = 0.032) in the ACV cohort and a HR of 0.28 in a multivariate model (95% CI:0.08–1.04, p = 0.0573); 2) significant prediction at 3 year survival from surgery in univariate (HR = 0.138 (95% CI:0.035–0.537), p = 0.004) and multivariate analysis (HR = 0.14 (95% CI:0.030–0.6), p = 0.0081). No discrimination was found in the OBS cohort (HR = 1.328, p = 0.60). The cisplatin predictor alone had similar figures with 1) univariate HR of 0.37 (95% CI:0.12–1.15, p = 0.09) in the ACV cohort and 2) univariate HR of 0.14 (95% CI:0.03–0.59, p = 0.0076) to three years. Functional analysis on the cisplatin profile revealed a group of upregulated genes related to RNA splicing as a part of DNA damage repair and apoptosis. Conclusions Profiles derived from snap-frozen and FFPE NSCLC tissue were prognostic and predictive in the patients that received cisplatin and vinorelbine but not in the cohort that did not receive adjuvant treatment.


Human–computer interaction (HCI) is a cornerstone for the success of technical innovation in the logistics and supply chain sector. As a major part of social sustainability, this interaction is changing as artificial intelligence applications (Internet of Things, autonomous transport, Physical Internet) are implemented, leading to larger machine autonomy, and hence the transition from a primary executive to a supervisory role of human operators. A fundamental question concerns the level of control transferred to machines, such as autonomous vehicles and automatic materials handling devices. Problems include a lack of human trust toward automatic decision making or an inclination to override the system in case automated decisions are misperceived. This paper outlines a theoretical framework, describing different levels of acceptance and trust as a key HCI element of technology innovation, and points to the possible danger of an artificial divide at both the individual and firm level. Based upon the findings of four benchmark cases, a classification of the roles of human employees in adopting innovations is developed. Measures at operational, tactical, and strategic level are discussed to improve HCI, more in particular the capacity of individuals and firms to apply state-of-the-art techniques and to prevent an artificial divide, thereby increasing social sustainability.


Vitamin D deficiency has, in recent literature, been associated with poorer outcomes following arthroplasty. This is a retrospective chart review of 209 patients presenting to a local arthroplasty unit in one year. The aim was to identify the prevalence of undiagnosed vitamin D deficiency in this group of patients.
The results showed a 10% prevalence. In this study, Indian and Coloured female patients were most at risk (15-16% prevalence) and Black patients had the lowest prevalence (6.9%). In conclusion, the population presenting for arthroplasty at this unit is at risk of vitamin D deficiency, and we advocate vitamin D levels to be part of a standard metabolic workup in our environment.


With the development of the generalized/extended finite element method for fracture problems, the accurate and efficient integration of singular enrichment functions has been an open issue, especially for the 3D case. In this paper, we reveal the near singularities caused by distorted integral patch/cell shape numerically and theoretically during the implementation of generalized Duffy transformation, and the Duffy‐distance transformation is developed step by step for the 2D and 3D vertex singularities. Meanwhile, the 3D conformal preconditioning strategy is constructed to eliminate the near singularity caused by element shape distortion during the iso‐parametric transformation, which enables the Duffy‐distance transformation to be applicable for arbitrary shaped tetrahedral elements. As a result, the near singularities can be fully or partly canceled depending on the order of singularity. The implementation of the proposed scheme in existing codes is straightforward. Numerous numerical examples for arbitrary shaped triangles and tetrahedrons are presented to demonstrate its robustness and efficiency, along with comparisons to the generalized Duffy transformation.


There is currently much interest in restoration ecology in identifying native vegetation that can decrease the invasibility by exotic species of environments undergoing restoration. However, uncertainty remains about restoration's ability to limit exotic species, particularly in deserts where facilitative interactions between plants are prevalent. Using candidate native species for restoration in the Mojave Desert of the southwestern U.S.A., we experimentally assembled a range of plant communities from early successional forbs to late‐successional shrubs and assessed which vegetation types reduced the establishment of the priority invasive annuals Bromus rubens (red brome) and Schismus spp. (Mediterranean grass) in control and N‐enriched soils. Compared to early successional grass and shrub and late‐successional shrub communities, an early forb community best resisted invasion, reducing exotic species biomass by 88% (N added) and 97% (no N added) relative to controls (no native plants). In native species monocultures, Sphaeralcea ambigua (desert globemallow), an early successional forb, was the least invasible, reducing exotic biomass by 91%. However, the least‐invaded vegetation types did not reduce soil N or P relative to other vegetation types nor was native plant cover linked to invasibility, suggesting that other traits influenced native‐exotic species interactions. This study provides experimental field evidence that native vegetation types exist that may reduce exotic grass establishment in the Mojave Desert, and that these candidates for restoration are not necessarily late‐successional communities. More generally, results indicate the importance of careful native species selection when exotic species invasions must be constrained for restoration to be successful.


The seed of trema ( Trema orientalis Linn. Blume) is categorized as physiologically intermediate which decline faster during storage compared to orthodox seeds, resulting in the changes of its viability, vigor and biochemical contents.The study was objected to determine the changes of viability, vigor and biochemical contents of trema seeds during storage. The seeds were collected from Badung - Bali province. Seeds testing were carried out in a laboratory and glasshouse of Forest Tree Seed Technology Research & Development Centre. Biochemical analysis was implemented in Soil and Plant Laboratory, Seameo- Biotrop.  A Completely Randomized Design was employed in this trial with a treatment of storage periods (0.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 months). The parameters were germination capacity, germination speed, moisture content and biochemical content including carbohydrate, protein and fat. The results revealed that all the parameters were significantly affected by storage periods. After six months periods of trema seeds storage, it would caused the decrease of moisture content (6.2%), germination capacity (61%), germination speed (2.5%/etmal), carbohydrate (19.2%) and protein contents (1.8%). However, the content of fat was increased significantly (10.2%).


Electron Transfer
When electrons move from one site to another in biological molecules and the transfer drops off exponentially with distance, physicists usually assume they're seeing the electrons quantum-tunneling through energy barriers. A theoretical study by Zhang et al. provides a different interpretation. Molecules with the right combination of sites, with energy levels that align fleetingly during structural fluctuations, can produce the same decay signature. These "flickering resonances" temporarily create a band-like state for the electron, and as more sites are involved (corresponding to longer distances), the probability of creating the resonance drops exponentially. This mechanism operates over scale lengths of up to about 15 angstroms and could explain the short-distance electron transfer between bases in DNA.

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 10.1073 pnas.1316519111 (2014).


The appearance of multiple faces is influenced by abnormal exposure, interfering backgrounds or fake objects greatly in the color face image. A multiple-face detection method based on the adaptive dual skin model and improved fuzzy C-mean clustering was presented in this study. First an adaptive skin-color model and an adaptive skin-probability model were built to acquire the skin likelihood for clustering, the adaptive initial clustering centers, and the adaptive clustering weights. Then the skin-likelihood image was segmented dynamically by improved fuzzy C-mean clustering. Finally the multiple-face targets were distinguished and extracted by jointly using the effective areas, circumferences and circularities of connected targets. Experiment showed that the algorithm had good results and high speed, accuracy, and adaptability of face detection.


Fishery and population characteristics of yellowfin tuna, Thunrlzis ulbucures were
studied. Their annual landings from Gulf of Mannar ecosystem varied between 3 (1991)
and 1,006 t (2003). Annual average production for 1989-1995 was 90 t, 1996-2000 was 326
and 2001-'06 was 635. Catch was constituted by relatively small fishes. Population
parameters such as growth. mortality and exploitation rates were estimated from length
frequency data. Length at first capture was estimated as 52.7 cm, length at first maturity as
71.1 cm and optimum length for exploitation as 96.8 cm. Average standing stock and
spawning stock biomass was 675 t and 455 t respectively. Maximum sustainable yield
(MSY) was estimated as 690 t. Study revealed that yellow fin resource is subjected to
intensive exploitation during 1998-2006. Recruitment pattern indicated that recruitment
occurs almost round the year with peak in May-August with 60.5% of the annual
recruitment. Food and feeding studies show that they feed mainly on pelagic fishes
dominated by carangids, clupeids, beloneids and hemiramphids. Other components in their
food are crustaceans and cephalopods.


Variations in the population of lancelets inhabiting Chabahar Bay were surveyed statistically. Multivariate analysis of the Iranian Branchiostoma population using 5 morphometric characteristics indicates no separation of populations by locality in the study area (ANOSIM global; R = 0.2). Principal component analysis of the mean values of the 5 meristic characteristics of the present population with those of conspecifics of other populations around the world showed that Iranian lancelet populations are very similar to B. lanceolatum and completely different from the B. arabia and B. belcheri previously reported in adjacent waters (ANOSIM for pairwise tests; R = 1). Cluster analysis indicates that the Iranian B. lanceolatum shows greater affinity with its conspecifics in the Mediterranean than in the Indian Ocean. The distribution of lancelet populations correlates more closely with sand particles; however, this correlation was not significant (P = 0.28). The novel aspect of this study is the information presented about B. lanceolatum populations in the Iranian Gulf of Oman and its greater affinity with the species reported with Mediterranean conspecifics.


Symba is a Web-based framework designed to support collective activities in a learning context. It has been constructed with a double objective, (1) make students explicitly work out their organization and (2) provide tailorability features to allow the students to decide about the tools and resources they want to be accessible in order to achieve the tasks they have defined. Symba dissociates an "organizational level" and an "activity level". The organization level allows students to organize their activity as a set of phases, each phase being structured as a plan (sequence of tasks). When expliciting a task, students can define the tools and the resources that should be available at the activity level to achieve it. This allows combining the two objectives: students can benefit from an activity level tailored according to their wishes by explicitly defining their organization.


A new approach to conservation in Africa is getting positive results after just 2 years, according to an initial assessment of the project completed in June 2008. Historically, African parks and protected areas have used an exclusion-based conservation model to protect wildlife and foster biodiversity but local communities often resent this approach, perceiving protected areas as a waste of precious land and resources. To overcome these objections conservationists have tried many economic and political enticements: raising community awareness, encouraging stakeholder involvement, and sponsoring local economic programmes. Despite these wellintentioned efforts, negative perceptions and resentment of wildlife and protected areas persist, undermining efforts to achieve conservation goals and sustain protected areas. In Uganda this problem is acute. Park managers face ongoing conflicts with local communities over boundaries and resource use, and local resistance threatens conservation objectives and drains financial and human resources. An innovative project in Uganda aims to change this situation by demonstrating that improved relations between parks and people can result from integrating important local cultural values into the conceptual frameworks that inform the management of protected areas, thus fostering policies that accommodate local interests and creating a critical sense of local ownership. The Culture, Values and Conservation project was designed in 2005 by Fauna & Flora International (FFI, www.fauna-flora.org), and is being implemented with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (http://www.uwa.or.ug/) under the exclusive support of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The target parks—Rwenzori Mountains National Park (a World Heritage Site) and Lake Mburo National Park—are located in Uganda's Albertine Rift and interlacustrine regions, which have high biodiversity and natural resource value. Both Parks are cultural landscapes. The Rwenzori Mountains have been the homeland to two peoples for generations. Bakonzo and Baamba farmers, with a distinct mountain culture and economy, view the high mountains as sacred and home to their gods. The Lake Mburo area is the traditional grazing rangelands for the Bahima people, pastoralists who depend on their cattle. The area is where Bahima's kings grazed selectively bred beautiful cows called enyemibwa—majestic cattle with a graceful build and impressive curved horns—representing the kingdom's grandeur, a defining principle of being Bahima. But historic Park management practices have excluded the Bakonzo and Baamba from their sacred mountains, and the Bahima from grazing their herds in now protected areas. In each case, this approach has created bitter struggles, sometimes resulting in armed conflict. To address these problems, the Culture, Values and Conservation project is working closely with the local communities and Park management to identify the cultural sources of tension and develop workable solutions. Firstly, FFI and the Uganda Wildlife Authority surveyed and interviewed a broad cross-section of stakeholders around each Park. This resulted in two new community-based institutions, the Ankole Cow Conservation Association and the Rwenzori Mountains Cultural Association, established with the mandate to champion community cultural interests in the Parks, in close coordination with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The next step is to design actions to foster cultural values. In Lake Mburo National Park the Ankole Cow Conservation Association is working with Uganda Wildlife Authority to allow cultural Ankole cattle to graze in the Park. This addresses conservation as well as cultural goals, as the Ankole breed is currently threatened by crossbreeding for economic reasons and by loss of traditional rangeland due to human population pressures. Already, community members are eager to join the Association and are offering money and cattle to help establish this herd. In Rwenzori Mountains National Park the project worked with local and ridge leaders to map sacred sites that the Bakonzo and Baamba believe bring health, rain, peace, good harvests and fertility. Next is an ongoing effort to develop practical, sanctioned ways for local communities to strengthen their cultural ties to, and use of, these sites. For example, in 2007, Park authorities worked with the Rwenzori Mountains Cultural Association to facilitate a sacred ceremony within Park boundaries. The occasion was the death anniversary of the Rwenzururu's first king. People came into the Park to celebrate at the burial site for one long special day, participating in ceremonial activities. The initial project assessment, prepared by independent consultant Agrippinah Namara, in Kampala, found that the Culture, Values and Conservation project is creating interest and enthusiasm among local communities, has strengthened communication at all levels, and is improving relations between communities and protected areas. While challenges remain—as wildlife populations increase, so do damages to crops, farms and farming resources—hopes are high that this people-oriented project can find solutions that increase the sense of ownership local people have in the Parks. This early feedback suggests that by creating a fundamentally different way of conceiving national parks as a cultural construct, the Culture, Values and Conservation project is well on its way to establishing a tested conservation model that can succeed not just in these two National Parks, but throughout Uganda and across Africa.


France, which has the largest Muslim minority community in Europe, has been in the news in recent years because of perceptions that Muslims have not integrated into French society. The Civilizing Mission in the Metropole explores the roots of these debates through an examination of the history of social welfare programs for Algerian migrants from the end of World War II until Algeria gained independence in 1962.After its colonization in 1830, Algeria fought a bloody war of decolonization against France, as France desperately fought to maintain control over its most prized imperial possession. In the midst of this violence, some 350,000 Algerians settled in France. This study examines the complex and often-contradictory goals of a welfare network that sought to provide services and monitor Algerian migrants' activities. Lyons particularly highlights family settlement and the central place Algerian women held in French efforts to transform the settled community. Lyons questions myths about Algerian immigration history and exposes numerous paradoxes surrounding the fraught relationship between France and Algeria-many of which echo in French debates about Muslims today.


A good nursing handover process is a crucial part of providing quality nursing care in a modern healthcare environment. The conservation of patient data during the handover process is vital to ensure good continuity of care and safe practice. Any errors or omissions made during the handover process may have dangerous consequences. The authors observed the handover of 12 simulated patients over five consecutive handover cycles between nurses. Three handover styles were used and the amount of data loss was recorded for each style. A purely verbal handover style resulted in the loss of all data after three cycles. A note-taking style (the traditional style used in most hospital wards) resulted in only 31% of data being transferred correctly after five cycles. When a typed sheet was included with the verbal handover, data loss was minimal. Current handover methods may result in significant loss of important data that may impact on patient care. The authors recommend that prior to handover, a formal handover sheet be constructed that can be transferred as part of the handover process.


The cumulant method is applied to study elliptic flow ($v_2$) in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$AGeV, with the UrQMD model. In this approach, the true event plane is known and both the non-flow effects and event-by-event spatial ($\epsilon$) and $v_2$ fluctuations exist. Qualitatively, the hierarchy of $v_2$'s from two, four and six-particle cumulants is consistent with the STAR data, however, the magnitude of $v_2$ in the UrQMD model is only 60% of the data. We find that the four and six-particle cumulants are good measures of the real elliptic flow over a wide range of centralities except for the most central and very peripheral events. There the cumulant method is affected by the $v_2$ fluctuations. In mid-central collisions, the four and six-particle cumulants are shown to give a good estimation of the true differential $v_2$, especially at large transverse momentum, where the two-particle cumulant method is heavily affected by the non-flow effects.


"Governing Health" examines health care policy from a political perspective, describing how Congress, the president, special interest groups, bureaucracy, and state governments help define health policy problems and find politically feasible solutions. William G. Weissert and Carol S. Weissert provide a highly readable and comprehensive synthesis of political science research on how government and private institutions affect the policy process. Extensive reviews of the policies that have governed health care since Lyndon Johnson's administration are capped off with a prognosis for the future. Updates to the fourth edition of "Governing Health" includes: new examples and theory perspectives; recent statistics; and, discussion of the 2010 Obama health reform.


ABSTRACT The severity of human infection with pathogenic Escherichia coli depends on two major virulence determinants (eae and stx) that, respectively, produce intimin and Shiga toxin. In cattle, both may enhance colonization, but whether this increases fitness by enhancing cattle-to-cattle transmission in the field is unknown. In E. coli O157, the almost uniform presence of the virulence determinants in cattle isolates prevents comparative analysis. The availability to this study of extensive non-O157 E. coli data, with much greater diversity in carriage of virulence determinants, provides the opportunity to gain insight into their potential impact on transmission. Dynamic models were used to simulate expected prevalence distributions for serogroups O26 and O103. Transmission parameters were estimated by fitting model outputs to prevalence data from Scottish cattle using a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach. Despite similar prevalence distributions for O26 and O103, their transmission dynamics were distinct. Serogroup O26 strains appear well adapted to the cattle host. The dynamics are characterized by a basic reproduction ratio (R0) of >1 (allowing sustained cattle-to-cattle transmission), a relatively low transmission rate from environmental reservoirs, and substantial association with eae on transmission. The presence of stx2 was associated with reduced transmission. In contrast, serogroup O103 appears better adapted to the noncattle environment, characterized by an R0 value of <1 for plausible test sensitivities, a significantly higher transmission rate from noncattle sources than serogroup O26, and an absence of fitness benefits associated with the carriage of eae. Thus, the association of eae with enhanced transmission depends on the E. coli serogroup. Our results suggest that the capacity of E. coli strains to derive fitness benefits from virulence determinants influences the prevalence in the cattle population and the ecology and epidemiology of the host organism.


Background: Self-medication practice is widespread in many countries and the irrational use of drugs is a cause of concern. It assumes a special significance among medical students as they are exposed to knowledge about diseases and drugs.
Aim: To assess the prevalence, pattern, perceptions and practices of self medication in undergraduate medical students.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. The study was conducted in Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Kollam. Ethics Committee approval was obtained. The purpose of the study was explained all of whom consented to the study. They were asked to fill up a semi-structured validated questionnaire which consisted of both open ended and close ended items.
Results: Total of 234 students was analyzed, the detailed results was presented as counts and percentage. Majority (61.94%) were aware about generic drugs. Only 8.98% students could justify the statement that OTC to be used with caution.230 students (98.3%) practiced self medication. Majority (38.26%) had practiced self medication for a single indication. Majority (44.43%) used single drug for self medication and most common drug used was paracetamol. 37.6% students practiced antimicrobial self medication. Most common antimicrobial prescribed was azithromycin (60.22%). Most common indication for self medicating antimicrobial was sore throat (80.68%). 26.14% students did not complete course of antibiotic.
Conclusion: There is a need of incorporating self medication as an intrinsic component in medical curriculum.

Keywords: Self medication, Prevalence, Pattern, Medical undergraduates, Questionnaire.


Propagation of the Russian Academy of Sciences (WD IZMIRAN), Kaliningrad, Russia There are two approaches for radio wave ray tracing when the endpoints of the ray are fixed. The standard approach is the shooting method where a ray is sent out in some direction and its landing point is used to modify the shooting direction and obtain the desired endpoint. However, there is no systematic, universal algorithm for refining the shooting direction. Another approach is based on direct utilization of the variational principle for the optical path (Fermat's principle). The idea is to transform an arbitrary trajectory to an optimal one, while the endpoints of the trajectory are kept fixed according to the boundary conditions.


WIWANITKIT: Arrhythmia in Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome: There are many new emerging infectious diseases in the present day. In cardiology, the important concern is on the cardiac presentation of any new disease. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome is a new disease firstly reported from China and becomes the important emerging infection in East Asia at present. The disease is proved to be due to the new severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, a newly identified pathogenic Bunyavirus, infection. This disease usually presents with high fever and thrombocytopenia. Focusing on cardiac presentation, it is evidenced that the cardiac arrhythmia can be observed in this new disease. Here, the author tries summarizing the observed arrhythmia in abnormal electrocardiograms from available 3 reports. Of 109 patients who got electrocardiography studies, 27 cases (24.8%) had arrhythmia. Focusing on the types of arrhythmia, there are sinus bradycardia (n=5), supraventricular arrhythmias (n=8), premature ventricular beats (n=5), atrial fibrillation (n=7), atrioventricular block (n=2), right bundle branch block (n=1) and ventricular fibrillation (n=1). Based on this summarization, the rate of arrhythmia in the patient with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome is very high and there are several forms of possible arrhythmia in the patients. Sometimes, afebrile cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome can be seen and the arrhythmia might be the chief complaint of the patient. In the present day with, good international transportation, the cardiologist has to keep in mind on the possibility of severe fever


I have reviewed my personal experience with 240 resistant congenital club feet (176 patients) treated surgically by one-stage posteromedial release with internal fixation. The end results in the 149 feet that had a follow-up of two to fifteen years were: excellent or good, 83.8 per cent; fair, 10.7 per cent; and failures, 5.3 per cent. The best results with the least complications were in children who were operated on between the ages of one and two years. A statistical analysis of fifty-three feet with a follow-up of less than two years is reported for comparison with the results after longer follow-up to allow analysis of all the known failures and complications that have been encountered with the operation. Possible causes and prevention of fair and poor results are discussed. Modifications of the technique, which originally was reported in 1971, are described.


Anti-exceptionalism about logic is the doctrine that logic does not require its own epistemology, for its methods are continuous with those of science. Although most recently urged by Williamson, the idea goes back at least to Lakatos, who wanted to adapt Popper's falsicationism and extend it not only to mathematics but to logic as well. But one needs to be careful here to distinguish the empirical from the a posteriori. Lakatos coined the term 'quasi-empirical' `for the counterinstances to putative mathematical and logical theses. Mathematics and logic may both be a posteriori, but it does not follow that they are empirical. Indeed, as Williamson has demonstrated, what counts as empirical knowledge, and the role of experience in acquiring knowledge, are both unclear. Moreover, knowledge, even of necessary truths, is fallible. Nonetheless, logical consequence holds in virtue of the meaning of the logical terms, just as consequence in general holds in virtue of the meanings of the concepts involved; and so logic is both analytic and necessary. In this respect, it is exceptional. But its methodologyand its epistemology are the same as those of mathematics and science in being fallibilist, and counterexamples to seemingly analytic truths are as likely as those in any scientic endeavour. What is needed is a new account of the evidential basis of knowledge, one which is, perhaps surprisingly, found in Aristotle.


The Doha Development Round was meant to rebalance decades of unfair rules in agriculture and address the needs of developing countries. Instead, the negotiations have betrayed this promise. The trade Round has become a market access negotiation, in which developing countries are expected to give disproportionately more and will receive little but stale promises of the general benefits of liberalization. The economic crisis presents an imperative, and an opportunity, for real reform.


A sub-regional tectonic study of the mid-Norwegian margin has been assimilated into a broader, regional study of the NE Atlantic margin. The NE Atlantic margin experienced several extensional events between Devonian post-orogenic collapse and break-up in Early Tertiary. This paper focuses on the extensional events between Early Cretaceous and Early Tertiary. It is suggested that NE-trending Early Cretaceous rifting followed the entire margin from the southern Rockall Trough to the Bjørnøya Basin of the SW Barents Sea. This rift had a markedly different trend than the preceding N-trending Late Jurassic rift of, e.g., the North Sea. Seamounts may have been emplaced in the highly thinned basin axes during Early Cretaceous rifting. Subsequent rift events followed the Early Cretaceous rift trend. An enigmatic 'mid'-Cretaceous event, probably extensional, is observed in the northern part of the mid-Norwegian margin. The event is expressed by faulting in the inner Vøring Basin, and by uplift of the outer Vøring and Lofoten margins. Uplift is associated with a widespread unconformity. Uplift of the Gjallar Ridge in the Vøring Basin culminated during the latest Cretaceous to Early Tertiary rifting, with structural geometries broadly similar to those seen in core complexes. A new tectonic model for NE Atlantic margin is proposed based on these observations, and builds on analogues from the modern rift system in the Red Sea and Woodlark Basin of Papua New Guinea.


This case will help students comprehend the materiality concept within the context of sustainability reporting in the automotive industry. Students researching sustainable business reporting frameworks can use Ford Motor Company's sustainability report to understand how that firm assesses the materiality of sustainability issues and integrates sustainable development initiatives within its overall business strategy. Students will gauge Ford's sustainability performance and explore how the company and its peers assess the materiality of sustainability issues. They thus can assess the motivations and judgmental nature behind sustainability reporting and challenges facing preparers. Assignable on an individual or team basis, this case introduces important, and interesting, sustainability reporting concepts and issues. With increasing investor interest in sustainability factors, we argue that accounting programs should provide an overview of sustainability reporting to accounting majors. Because it focuses on disclosures relevant to investors and other stakeholders, we view Financial Accounting courses, including International Accounting courses, as the most appropriate opportunity to employ this case. However, we also adapted this case successfully in a Managerial Accounting course.


Oral controlled drug delivery systems represent the most popular form of sustained drug delivery systems for the obvious advantages of oral route of drug administration. Such systems release the drug with constant or variable release rates. The oral controlled release systems shows a typical pattern of drug release in which the drug concentration is maintained in the therapeutic window for a prolonged period of time (sustained release), thereby ensuring sustained therapeutic action. They are used as single dosage form. Present work involves preparation and evaluation of sustained release of microspheres of Norfloxacin employing sodium alginate as natural polymer. The technique employed for microencapsulation of the drug is ionotropic gelation.


In this paper eigenvalue mesh dependence is investigated for mesh centered finite difference approximations to the diffusion equation. The well known mesh squared variation of eigenvalue is quantified for XYZ geometry. The second part of the paper describes a method of significantly reducing mesh errors in diffusion theory finite difference codes. Essentially approximations to higher derivatives involving flux values at mesh points are used to generate a source which eliminates second order errors. The approach has been implemented in XYZ geometry and after a description of the technique results are presented for a series of test problems showing that almost zero mesh values can be obtained with the correction process.


Effusions can be labeled as inflammatory (exudative) or non-inflammatory (transudative) depending upon the pathophysiological process involved. Various biomarkers (fluid glucose, fluid proteins, fluid albumin, protein ratio, protein gradient, albumin gradient) have been proposed for the same. In this study, we analysed all these biomarkers against the gold standard (cytology) and the practical utility of fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) for diagnosing Tubercular serositis in a Tuberculosis prevalent area like that of ours. We found that albumin gradient proves its versatility in differentiating the pathophysiological nature of the effusion. We henceforth propose a minimum must step ladder diagnostic algorithm for a case of serositis, thereby cutting the costs of evaluation.


The goals of this project were aimed at generating both longitudinal and expansive data relevant to the £allowing: 1) assessment of the level of knowledge of athletic teams about optometry, 2), discovering the usefulness of existing sports vision programs, and 3) determination of the interest of teams (both college and professional) in sports vision care. Professional and college baseball, basketball, football, and hockey teams were queried via a postal survey. To gauge the opinion of practicing optometrists, separate inquires were mailed to practitioners across the United States. Results indicate that there remains a significant unmet need for vision care (i.e. screenings, contact lenses, and visual training) in the athletic community. Optometrists continue to demonstrate a keen interest in prescribing for the athlete in private practice; as well as, in a consultation role to sports teams.


The present studies show that certain cognitive strategies (e.g. savoring, practicing gratitude) enable individuals high in neuroticism to maintain or recover their positive emotions. In Study 1, participants (regardless of neuroticism differences) felt positive about a pleasant event if they savored it; however, dampening the event caused individuals high but not low in neuroticism to feel less positive. Study 2 showed that being grateful for things in their lives helped participants maintain their affect balance after a positive mood induction, or regain their affect balance after a negative mood induction. This research is thus the first step toward illuminating how people (including individuals high in neuroticism) could improve their momentary affect via the alternative route of maintaining or increasing positive emotions, rather than the traditional solution of reducing negative emotions.


Abstract. The state Coordinate Reference System (CRS) of the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM) has been established a century ago, by the Military Geographic Institute of the Yugoslavia Kingdom. It is in official usage entire period up to day. In international public EPSG registry of geodetic datums, spatial reference systems, Earth ellipsoids, coordinate transformations and related units of measurement, CRS for RNM is recognizable within 3 EPSG codes 6204, 6316 and 8679.First code EPSG 6204 represents current state CRS for the entire country area, based on current law, however unfortunately this CRS is official by the law but it is not used for developing the official spatial data published in geoportals of Agency for Real Estate Cadastre (AREC) and NSDI geoportal of RNM. The second code EPSG 6316 is defined to be used for 6 countries of former Yugoslavia that covers area between 19.5°E up to 22.5°E longitude, which does not correspond with the practical and official usage of CRS for working with spatial data in RNM and CRS law definition in RNM. Third code EPSG 8679 has never been used in RNM, which covers eastern part of RNM and Serbia beginning from 22.5°E.Beside of problems with EPSG codes, default transformation parameters of EPSG 6316 have low accuracy and can not be used for data overlapping with open layers. Therefore, redefined new EPSG codes for state CRS of RNM are proposed in this paper.


The large deformation of powder molding pressing machine in the load affects the accuracy of the machine. The model of powder molding press was simplified by finite element method. ANSYS software was employed to simulate the location of the frame deformation in load, deformation and stress distribution of the real case. The sizes and structures of the powder molding pressing frame were changed, such as adding stiffeners on the both sides of the frame support shelf to improve the support plate bending rigidity and resistance to flex capacity. The results showed that the increasing thickness of the steel plate can reduce stress concentration. The overall deformation reduced from the original 0.361688mm to 0.254033mm. The maximum deformation area transferred from the support rack of the frame to the edge of mold shelf. The deformation of Y direction is reduced from 0.336271mm to 0.186853mm. The optimized deformation of the rack and the mold shelf significantly is reduced.