Applications of quantitative ultraviolet vapor spectrophotometry are discussed. A micropipet-sintered disc sample introduction technique based on accurate volume measurements circumvents difficult measurement of low pressures. The method greatly facilitates determination of accurate absorption intensities and thus permits many applications of vapor spectra requiring accurate intensity data. Quantitative analyses are presented. Deviations from the linear absorption law in the sharp bands of benzene and toluene vapors have been studied quantitatively. These deviations may be due to finite slit widths or to nearby scattered radiation, but they apparently are not due to sample fluorescence.


In 1945, the established British imperial communications system, based on the Cable and Wireless network, was re-structured. The imperial partners agreed to break up the hitherto integrated system and re-establish it as an interconnecting network of networks based on separate, nationalised, entities. Co-ordination began to shift from a consensual system to one based on prices and the hitherto largely self-contained system began to interconnect with other global telecommunication networks, notably those of the USA. John, Lord Reith played an important role in these transformations and his January 1945 "Mission" to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia epitomises both the mutuality and the London dominance that characterised the imperial system and which were to fall away following the Commonwealth Telecommunications Conference held in London in mid 1945. Reith's Mission exemplified the swan song of a distinctive manner of imperial governance.


Language preparation classes are an important way of teaching a foreign language with a one-year intensive program. However, they are also criticized for delaying academic studies of students. Preparation classes were also a widespread application in Turkey, where many thousands attended for one year at the start of their high school education. Science high schools in Turkey get the highest achieving students in statewide university entrance exam. Science high school students were divided into school two groups after High School Entrance Examination, and one group (1692) studied one-year language preparation and the other (1333) started their academic school year direct. Correlations and means between their HSEE entrance scores and University Entrance Exam (UEE) scores were compared to see whether there was a difference in achievement at the end of high school between the two groups. Significance of difference between correlations was calculated with Fisher's z test and significance of the difference between means was calculated by independent samples t test. Analyses showed the group that studied one-year preparation class had lower correlations between their HSEE and UEE scores. As for the differences between means, although 2005 group had higher scores compared to the other group in the beginning, this difference decreased at the national university entrance exam conducted after four years of high school study.


We exhibit rigid rotations of spheres as distortion elements in groups of diffeomorphisms, thereby answering a question of J Franks and M Handel. We also show that every homeomorphism of a sphere is, in a suitable sense, as distorted as possible in the group Homeo(Sn), thought of as a discrete group.

An appendix by Y de Cornulier shows that Homeo(Sn) has the strong boundedness property, recently introduced by G Bergman. This means that every action of the discrete group Homeo(Sn) on a metric space by isometries has bounded orbits.


In view of the dynamic change of customer requirements (CRs) during the process of product use, in this paper we propose a Bayesian Nash equilibrium configuration model for product variant design driven by CRs. By analyzing CRs, the complete variant requirements of the products can be obtained. Combined with modularization and parameterization variant design methods, a parametric variant instance is proposed. Since cost and delivery time are affected by the product variant design, firms and customers are established as two decision-making bodies, and Bayesian Nash theory is introduced to the product configuration. The theory takes the product cost and customer satisfaction as the payoff function of the game, and based on the threshold value search of the customer satisfaction it determines the strategy set of the two parties. The Nash equilibrium solution equation is established and solved by a simulated annealing algorithm. The optimal product configuration scheme satisfying the interests of both sides of the game is obtained. Finally, the automatic guided vehicle (AGV) is taken as an example to illustrate the effectiveness and practicability of the method.


The role of pro-fibrogenic cytokines in the outcome of infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the response to treatment with pegylated interferon-alpha (pegIFNα) and ribavirin remains unclear. To address this issue, we assessed hepatic fibrosis and plasma markers pertinent to T-cell mediated fibrogenesis and inflammation at the start of treatment. Levels of soluble (s)CD30, interleukin-13 receptor alpha 2 (IL-13Rα2), total and active transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFβ1), interleukin-18 (IL-18) and interferon-gamma inducible protein-10 (IP-10, CXCL10) were correlated with the severity of fibrosis and with treatment outcome using multiple logistic regression modelling. The Hepascore algorithm was confirmed as a marker of fibrosis, but was a poor predictor of treatment outcome. Inclusion of all immunological markers improved prediction based on Hepascore alone (p = 0.045), but optimal prediction was achieved with an algorithm ("TIPscore") based on TGFβ1 (total), IP-10, age, sex and HCV genotype (p = 0.003 relative to Hepascore). Whilst this was only marginally more effective than predictions based on HCV genotype age and sex (p = 0.07), it associates high TGFβ1 and low IP-10 levels with a failure of therapy.


This study analyzes the concepts, attitudes, and practices of 327 pedagogy students from two major Spanish universities related to the process of finding academic information utilizing open access. A training program has been developed through an innovation project (PIMCD) to address the problem of the lack of university training designed to enable students to access reliable sources of scientific knowledge. A mixed questionnaire with a pretest-posttest design, applying a descriptive analysis, a factor analysis, and a Wilcoxon test was administered to students. The results show that it is essential to provide information and training to encourage university students to learn how to find and manage rigorous and reliable sources of information. While searching for academic information, Spanish students tend to focus on the use of Google and, to a lesser extent, Google Scholar. Although there are no significant limitations of access to Spanish language articles, students' attitudes remain very positive towards the concept of open access. In short, in accordance with the study results, the promotion of educational activities relating to the search for and selection of information and the use of reliable and rigorous academic content is highly recommended in the university context.


SUMMARY: The motility of Escherichia coli was measured in capillary tubes by determining the distribution of bacteria throughout the tube (the complete assay) or simply by locating the point of furthest advance of the bacteria—the frontier of the migration (the frontier assay). The diffusion of 14C-glucose was similarly measured in capillary tubes by determining the distribution of radioactivity throughout the tube. The diffusion of glucose under the conditions used was correctly described by the known diffusion equation. The method gives a measure of the net forward velocity of the bacteria. Interpretations, advantages and disadvantages of these assays are given. The method also gives a measure of the degree of randomness of the motility. When chemotaxis is taking place, a very high proportion of the bacteria leave the origin and migrate as a band. When bands are not allowed to form, by omitting methionine, the motility of the bacteria qualitatively resembled a random process, such as the diffusion of glucose.


This 9100 word creative portfolio with an accompanying 5781 word critical reflection explores the themes of mental health and 'writing therapy'. Melancholia is about a girl in her early twenties who suffers from anxiety attacks and depression. Accounts of a series of events in her past, coupled with the present, are told from her point of view as possible reasons for this. The story is told through a dual narrative, one of which is her cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) sessions and pieces of creative writing done for these. The other employs a stream of consciousness style to narrate her everyday life. Melancholia is intended to be the beginning of a novel and an investigation into how the topics of mental health, ethnicity, and new media could be carried forward into further research. The critical commentary, analyses the concept of 'bibliotherapy' in Melancholia and the texts that have informed it, in light of other methods of therapy. It reflects on the decisions made during the writing of Melancholia, and analyses the process of creative writing as practise based research. It touches upon the current problems that ethnic minority writers face, such as stereotypical expectations with regards to plot and narrative, and how Melancholia counters those. Theoretical considerations are made through Julia Kristeva, and the use of psychoanalysis in discourse is critiqued, as well as areas for further research identified.


This study was conducted to determine the extent to which publicly-funded special education services are available and accessible to students with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago. Seventy participants completed a survey pertaining to the type and intensity of special education services available to their children, the extent to which they privately funded special education services, and the nature of services they desired that their children receive. This included their children having access to related services such as physical, speech and occupational therapy, more trained special education teachers and increased access to special education services across the country. Results indicated that comprehensive publicly-funded special education has not been achieved in Trinidad and Tobago, and that access to education is limited for children with disabilities. Recommendations for policy changes and future research are made.


The family of pyrazoles containing only H and CH3 substituents displays a wide variation in physical properties which can be directly related to the manner in which the molecules self-organise in the solid state. Hydrogen-bonded multimeric motifs of the substituted pyrazoles are a recurring feature of this family. We have previously reported the use of quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) to study 3,5-dimethylpyrazole which showed that the hydrogen-bonded amide protons within individual trimer units undergo a short range hopping motion between two equivalent sites straddling the direct N⋯H hydrogen-bond axis. This work was the first report of such a novel dynamic process in this family of materials. The current work extends the earlier study with additional QENS measurements of other isotopic variants, providing information on the methyl group dynamics, which lead us to the conclusion that the short-range amide motions are decoupled from the methyl torsions. Whilst the methyl groups were found to undergo 3-fold diffusive hopping motions on the QENS timescale (∼1011–1212 s−1), an appreciable non-mobile fraction of methyl groups was also detected at all temperatures studied.


Silkmoth follicles, arranged in a precise developmental sequence within the ovariole, yield pure and uniform populations of follicular epithelial cells highly differentiated for synthesis of the proteinaceous eggshell (chorion) . These cells can be maintained and labeled efficiently in organ culture ; their in vitro (and cell free) protein synthetic activity reflects their activity in vivo . During differentiation the cells undergo dramatic changes in protein synthesis . For 2 days the cells are devoted almost exclusively to production of distinctive chorion proteins of low molecular weight and of unusual amino acid composition . Each protein has its own characteristic developmental kinetics of synthesis . Each is synthesized as a separate polypeptide, apparently on monocistronic messenger RNA (mRNA), and thus reflects the expression of a distinct gene . The rapid changes in this tissue do not result from corresponding changes in translational efficiency . Thus, the peptide chain elongation rate is comparable for chorion and for proteins synthesized at earlier developmental stages (1 .3-1 .9 amino acids/sec) ; moreover, the spacing of ribosomes on chorion mRNA (30-37 codons per ribosome) is similar to that encountered in other eukaryotic systems .


Raw Japanese timber bamboo was hot-pressed in order to investigate its static and dynamic mechanical properties such as flexural strength, flexural modulus, and impact strength. The purpose of this work was to examine the effect of molding pressure on the mechanical properties of hot-pressed bamboo. The hot-pressing pressures used were varied from 5 to 100 MPa and hot-pressing temperature was fixed to be 160°C. The density, flexural strength and flexural modulus remarkably increased up to 20 MPa, and then gradually increased. However Izod impact strength showed different pressure dependence. In conclusion, remarkable densification both in vascular bundles parts and parenchyma parts was achieved after hot-pressing of bamboo resulting in the increase in density and mechanical properties.


Explaining Long-Term Trends in Health and Longevity is a collection of essays by Nobel laureate Robert W. Fogel on the theory and measurement of ageing and health-related variables. Dr Fogel analyzes historic data on height, health, nutrition and life expectation to provide a clearer understanding of the past, illustrate the costs and benefits of using such measures and note the difficulties of drawing conclusions from data intended for different purposes. Dr Fogel explains how the basic findings of the anthropometric approach to historical analysis have helped reinterpret the nature of economic growth. Rising life expectancies and lower disease rates in countries experiencing economic growth highlight the importance of improving nutrition and agricultural productivity.


The purpose of this paper is to study the place of eco-innovation in industrial firms' current strategies and to understand how they execute changes in their technological trajectory. It is based on interviews with eight multinational corporations located in France and conducted in 2009–"2011. In a context of crisis, the firms consider eco-innovation as a new path that is able to generate a future. To refocus their strategy, they reorganize their "knowledge capital", a concept used here as a tool for studying the dynamic capabilities needed to achieve change. The capability to develop collaborative research is central to developing eco-innovation for two reasons: the need to share the costs and risks of development, and the need to comply with the various aims and objectives of the stakeholders. However, this trajectory change is both costly and risky, both in the development of new technology and the protection of the knowledge capital. The support of public policies is essential to achieving successful trajectory change. JEL Codes: F23, M14, O32, O33


Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), tremendous efforts have been made by scientists, health professionals, business people, politicians, and laypeople around the world. Covid-19 vaccines are one of the most crucial innovations that help fight against the virus. This paper attempts to revisit the Covid-19 vaccines production process by employing the serendipity-mindsponge-3D creativity management theory. Vaccine production can be considered an information process and classified into three main stages. The first stage involved the processes of absorbing information (e.g., digital data and open science) and rejecting unhelpful information (e.g., misinformation and fake news) for effectively acquiring useful insights. Useful insights were later employed by experts, enterprises, governments, and international organizations through interdisciplinary coordinated efforts for developing vaccines within a short period. Finally, the appearance of multiple types of vaccines enabled more strategic options for vaccine distribution and administration. Findings from this vaccine creativity management process could be used as critical lessons for further improvements of vaccination programs.


Purpose: To investigate the effects of intravitreal brilliant blue G (BBG) on the morphology and functions of the retina and its possible use for staining and peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM). Methods: Rat eyes (n = 78) underwent gas compression vitrectomy. BBG solution was then injected into the vitreous cavity. The eyes were enucleated at 2 weeks and 2 months. Light as well as electron microscopy, terminal nick-end labeling staining, and electroretinography (ERG) were used to investigate retinal damage and function. To test the clinical potential of BBG, ILM staining was evaluated in primate eyes after pars plana vitrectomy followed by ILM peeling. Results: In the rat eyes, no pathologic changes were observed with light microscopy. Electron microscopy revealed that high doses of BBG induced vacuolization in the inner retinal cells, but apoptosis was not detected. There was no reduction in the amplitude of the ERG waves. In the primate eyes, the ILM was clearly visualized after the intravitreous injection of BBG and was peeled off easily from the retina. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that BBG, which has low potential for toxicity, high staining ability, and ease of handling, is a good candidate dye for ILM peeling.


The study investigated word formation experience in Yorùbá names. At the deployment of ellipsis, as the instrument of analysis, one observed the effectiveness of terminologies of competence and performance, being operational in the clipping of statements to nominal lexemes, illustrated with names of ten towns in South West Nigeria. The study exhibited flexibility in the development of Yorùbá, which depended largely on users' needs. Historical facts of business, religion, hunting, war and conquest supported the formations, without seemingly consistent linguistic principles. Eliminations of linguistic components occurred to the statements and sometimes with twists in pronunciations, displaying new lexemes and meanings. Although, individuals might attempt to regulate ways that people employ language to formulate words, the study suggested that language communicators should be allowed to deploy language as pleased. As language analyses seem descriptive, utilizing language as delighted might yield novel items to enhance language development in unique forms.


Purpose: To determine the attitude of antenatal attendees towards birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPACR) in Southern Nigeria and factors associated with a positive attitude. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 405 pregnant women in their third trimester attending antenatal care (ANC) in Benin City. The attitude of the respondents was measured using the composite variable of the 8 items in a Likert scale. Analysis was with SPSS v21. The binary logistic regression model was fitted, and statistically significant association of variables was determined based on the adjusted odds ratio (OR) at 95% confidence interval (CI) and level of statistical significance at P < 0.05. Results: Overall, 368 (90.9%) of the attendees displayed a positive attitude to BPACR. They displayed a more positive attitude towards planning for place to give birth 402 (99.3%) and poorest towards partner's participation in accompanying them to ANC visits 189 (46.7%). The age groups 25–29 (OR = 4.535; 95% CI = 1.581–13.006) and 30–34 (OR = 3.506; 95% CI = 1.257–9.778) and multiparity (OR = 2.564; 95% CI = 1.022–6.433) were predictive of positive attitude towards BPACR. Conclusion: This study found a positive attitude towards BPACR among the majority of the attendees which was poorest in domains relating to partner's participation. Their age and parity were found to be predictive of their positive attitude. ANC services should be made available to provide the appropriate health information. Women should be counselled on the major roles of men in reproductive health to improve their attitude towards male involvement in maternity care.


A general Library Guide for the study of Classics: the literature, languages, cultures and societies of ancient Greece and Rome.


Both microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy) and macrovascular (myocardial infarction, stroke, amputation) complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are responsible for the increased morbidity, mortality and health care expenditure in T2DM patients (1,2). Thus, decreasing the risk of diabetic vascular complications will have great impact on both public health and health care expenditure.


As deep neural networks grow in size, from thousands to millions to billions of weights, the performance of those networks becomes limited by our ability to accurately train them. A common naive question arises: if we have a system with billions of degrees of freedom, don't we also need billions of samples to train it? Of course, the success of deep learning indicates that reliable models can be learned with reasonable amounts of data. Similar questions arise in protein folding, spin glasses and biological neural networks. With effectively infinite potential folding/spin/wiring configurations, how does the system find the precise arrangement that leads to useful and robust results? Simple sampling of the possible configurations until an optimal one is reached is not a viable option even if one waited for the age of the universe. On the contrary, there appears to be a mechanism in the above phenomena that forces them to achieve configurations that live on a low-dimensional manifold, avoiding the curse of dimensionality. In the current work we use the concept of mutual information between successive layers of a deep neural network to elucidate this mechanism and suggest possible ways of exploiting it to accelerate training. We show that adding structure to the neural network leads to higher mutual information between layers. High mutual information between layers implies that the effective number of free parameters is exponentially smaller than the raw number of tunable weights, providing insight into why neural networks with far more weights than training points can be reliably trained.


A review dedicated mainly to the results obtained by the authors on the use of cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives on protein (enzyme) stabilization through covalent and non-covalent interactions (host-guest supramolecular interactions) is presented here. This latter procedure served to introduce a new method for enzyme immobilization on metallic surfaces that can be used to prepare biosensors and therapeutic nanodevices. The surfaces of gold (and silver) electrodes and nanoparticles were modified with sulphur-containing cyclodextrin derivatives. The protein (enzyme) was then supramolecularly immobilized on the modified surface when one or more of its bulky hydrophobic moieties was included into the CD cavity. The protein can also be modified with a typical CD guest, such as adamantane, to achieve a more stable immobilization. Different examples are presented, such as a biosensor based on monolayers of adamantane-modified cytochrome c and a bienzymatic nanodevice comprising gold nanoparticles stabilized with CD associated to catalase and superoxide dismutase modified with complementary host-guest residues. The possibilities of this new approach for the development of biosensors and therapeutic nanodevices are analyzed.


Allelopathy interaction can occur between A. excelsa or M. azedarach with soybean plants which is planted as intercrops in agroforestry system. The objectives of this study were to analyze the effect of root, leaf, and twig ectracts of A. excelsa and M. azedarach on growth and production of soybean. This study was conducted in open fields using a split-split plot design inside randomized block design. The main plot was the plant species as extract materials consisted of Azadirachta excelsa and Melia Azedarach. The subplot was the part of the plant consisted of root, leaf, and twig. Sub-subplot was the concentration of the extract consisted of four levels, 0% (control), 1.25%, 2.5%, and 5%. Each treatment was repeated for 3 time. Result of this study showed that the root, leaf and twig extracts of A. excelsa and M. azedarach did not give significant effect to the height growth, dry weight, as well as soybean production.
Key words: agroforestry, allelopathy, growth, production


We evaluated whether a thermosoftening treatment with warm saline of a nasotracheal preformed tube can improve navigability through the nasal passageways and reduce epistaxis and nasal damage. A total of 150 patients were randomly allocated to three groups: Group I (untreated tube group, n = 50), Group II (35°C treated tube group, n = 50), and Group III (45°C treated tube group, n = 50). In Groups II and III, the tubes were softened at 35 ± 2°C and 45 ± 2°C with warm saline, respectively. In Group I the tube was prepared at room temperature (25 ± 2°C). The incidence of epistaxis and nasal damage in Groups II and III was significantly less than that of Group I (P < 0.05). Despite the more frequent incidence of smooth passage in Group III, no statistical difference was found among the groups. Logistic regression analysis also confirmed that epistaxis was more likely to be reduced when the tube had been thermosoftened (odds ratio = 1.46, 95% confidence interval = 1.02, 2.11). We conclude that simple thermosoftening treatment of the nasotracheal tube with warm saline helps to reduce epistaxis and nasal damage. Implications Thermosoftening treatment of a nasotracheal tube with warm saline before intubation can effectively reduce epistaxis and nasal damage. This technique is safe, easy, and suitable for all types of tubes and does not require additional implements.


This paper presents an experience repository aiming to support the reuse of generic aspects of security risk analyses documentation. The generic aspects address three main purposes. They are used to (1) characterize and document the target of evaluation, its context and the assumptions on which the analysis is based, (2) specify undesirable behavior, impacts and scenarios resulting from security breaches and threats, (3) document security risk analysis results. The generic aspects are documented in so-called experience packages. An experience package is either constructive or supportive. A constructive experience package may be instantiated, specialized, extended or adjusted into concrete risk analysis documentation. A supportive experience package, supports the process of documenting by capturing methodological aspects in the form of checklists, patterns, and manual or automated procedures. Each experience package is decomposed into 22 concerns, each of which addressing a specific aspect in the overall security risk management process. Concerns consists of elements, examples of which are UML diagrams, table formats, domains of risk values, or sets of guidewords for structured brainstorming. The repository currently contains 139 elements. The elements have been extracted from major security analyses within e-commerce and telemedicine.


Despite the recognized importance of interfirm financial links in determining a company's performance, only a few studies have incorporated proxies for interfirm links in credit risk models, and none of these use real financial transactions. We estimate a credit risk model for small and medium‐sized enterprises, augmented with information on observed interfirm financial transactions. We exploit a novel data set on about 60000 companies based in the UK and their financial transactions over the years 2015 and 2016. We develop several network‐augmented credit risk models and compare their prediction performance with that of a conventional credit risk model that includes only a set of financial ratios. We find that augmenting a default risk model with information on the transaction network makes a significant contribution to increasing the default prediction power of risk models built specifically for small and medium‐sized enterprises. Our results may help bankers and credit scoring agencies to improve the credit scoring of these companies, ultimately reducing their propensity to apply excessive lending restrictions.


Despite the major concern of the competition authority to forbid and prosecute formal cartels who cooperatively fix prices, limit production or divide markets, there seems to be little regulation and investigation of collusive practices in the labor market. For that reason, this article analyzes the economic effects of cooperative wage fixing in industries that use one type of labor as the only input, while the other assumptions are kept as general as possible. Under the one input assumption it was found that collusion in the labor market and collusion in the product market have exactly the same results, which include the rise in prices and the fall in output, employment and wages. The higher prices and lower wages in cartelized industries are not only associated with the elimination of the well known business stealing effect, but also with the elimination of the labor force stealing effect. The conclusions in this paper can be generalized to industries that use more than one input, as long as the cartel is able to fix the prices of all the inputs.


Abstract:Agreement with coordinated subjects in Slavic languages has recently seen a rapid increase in theoretical and experimental approaches, contributing to a wider theoretical discussion on the locus of agreement in grammar (cf. Marušič, Nevins, and Saksida 2007; Bošković 2009; Marušič, Nevins, and Badecker 2015). This paper revisits the theoretical predictions proposed for conjunction agreement in a group of South Slavic languages, with a special focus on gender agreement. The paper is based on two experiments involving speakers of Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS) and Slovenian (Sln). Experiment 1 is an elicited production experiment investigating preverbal-conjunct agreement, while Experiment 2 investigates postverbal-conjunct agreement. The data provide experimental evidence discriminating between syntax proper and distributed-agreement models in terms of their ability to account for preverbal highest-conjunct agreement and present a theoretical mechanism for the distinction between default agreement (which has a fixed number and gender, independent of the value of each conjunct) and resolved agreement (which computes number and gender based on the values of each conjunct and must resolve potential conflicts). Focusing on the variability in the gender-agreement ratio across nine combinations, the experimental results for BCS and Sln morphosyntax challenge the notion of gender markedness that is generally posited for South Slavic languages.


Summary: Comparative approach is one of the most essential methods for extracting functional and evolutionary information from genomic sequences. So far, a number of sequence comparison tools have been developed, and most are either for on-site use, requiring program installation but providing a wide variety of analyses, or for the online search of user's sequences against given databases on a server. We newly devised an Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax)-based system for comparative genomic analyses, CGAS, with highly interactive interface within a browser, requiring no software installation. The current version, CGAS version 1, provides functionality for viewing similarity relationships between user's sequences, including a multiple dot plot between sequences with their annotation information. The scrollbar-less 'draggable' interface of CGAS is implemented with Google Maps API version 2. The annotation information associated with the genomic sequences compared is synchronously displayed with the comparison view. The multiple-comparison viewer is one of the unique functionalities of this system to allow the users to compare the differences between different pairs of sequences. In this viewer, the system tells orthologous correspondences between the sequences compared interactively. This web-based tool is platform-independent and will provide biologists having no computational skills with opportunities to analyze their own data without software installation and customization of the computer system. Availability and Implementation: CGAS is available at http://cgas.ist.hokudai.ac.jp/. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com


This article presents a Poisson regression model that explains factors that affect neighborhoods with high proportions of potentially flipped properties based on a case study in Mansfield, Ohio. These neighborhoods were characterized by factors similar to those typical of challenged neighborhoods. Potential public policies were suggested that can address property flipping, focusing on the home buyer, the lender, the appraiser, and the inspector. Potential future public policies that address property flipping should especially focus on home buyers in neighborhoods that are characterized by variables that are significant in the model, such as a high proportion of vacant housing units, low housing unit values, and high proportions of senior or African American householders.


I Cryer PE, Gerich JE. Glucose counterregulation, hypoglycemia, and intensive insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus. N EnglJ Med 1985;313:232-41. 2 Cannon WB, Mclver MA, Bliss SW. Studies on the conditions of activity in endocrine glands. XIIU. A sympathetic and adrenail mechanism for mobilizing sugar in hypoglycemia. Am J Physiol 1924069:46-66. 3 Hoeldtke RP, Boden G, Shuman CR, Owen OE. Reduced epinephrine secretion and hypoglycemia unawareness in diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Amn Iner Med 1982;96: 459-62. 4 Simonson DC, Tamborlane WV, DeFronzo RA, Sherwin RS. Intensive insuin therapy reduces counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia in patients with type I diabetes. Amnn1ernVMed 1985;103:184-. 5 Maher G, Pearson J, Fuier BM. Diabetes mellitus and criminal responsibility. MedScgiLawv 198424:95-101. 6 Frier BM, Mattws DM, Steel JM, Duncan LJP. Driving and insulin-dependent diabetes. Lancet 1980;i: 1232-4.


Absolute differential (in angle) and total scattering cross sections for low-energy (0.1-7.0 eV) electron scattering from neon have been measured. Both data sets have been analysed using phaseshift techniques and comparisons are made between the present cross sections and phaseshifts and similar data from previous swarm and beam experiments, and theory. We also discuss the present data in the context of the recent proposal by Shi and Burrow (1992) regarding the use of neon as a secondary elastic cross section 'standard'.


BACKGROUND
White matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), cerebral infarcts, and total brain volume (TBV) are associated with cognitive function, but few studies have examined these associations in the general population or whether they differ by race.

OBJECTIVE
To examine the association of WMHV, cerebral infarcts, and TBV with global cognition and cognition in 5 separate domains in a biracial population sample.

SETTING
A biracial community population of Chicago, Illinois.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional population study.

PARTICIPANTS
The study population comprised 575 participants from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of WMHV, TBV, and cerebral infarcts and detailed neuropsychological testing assessments of global cognition and 5 cognitive domains.

RESULTS
Overall and among those without dementia, cognition was inversely associated with WMHV and number of infarcts but was positively associated with TBV. When all 3 measures were simultaneously added to the model, the association of global cognition with WMHV and TBV remained significant and unchanged but was no longer significant with infarcts. Among subjects without dementia, all 3 MRI measures were associated with performance in multiple cognitive domains, specifically perceptual speed. However, among subjects with dementia, only TBV was associated with cognition and performance in multiple cognitive systems. Race did not significantly modify any of these associations.

CONCLUSIONS
In this biracial general population sample, the associations of MRI measures with cognition differed according to clinical status of subjects (stronger among subjects without dementia) and were not modified by race. These associations did not affect all cognitive domains equally but were more consistent with impairments in perceptual speed.


tion process in which a liquid mixture containing a volatile component is contacted with a microporous, non-liquid-wettable membrane whose opposite surface is exposed to a second liquid phase capable of absorbing that component — is nearing commercialization for the concentration of beverages and other liquid foodstuffs, and is under evaluation for the concentration of aqueous solutions of thermally labile pharmaceutical products and biologicals. Its primary advantage lies in its ability to concentrate solutes to very high levels at low temperature and pressure, with minimal thermal or mechanical damage to or loss of those solutes. The process also can enable the selective removal of a single volatile solute from an aqueous solution (for instance, ethanol from wine and other ferments) using water as the extracting solvent. Low-alcohol-content beverages have been produced in this manner with minimal losses of volatile flavor and fragrance components. Osmotic distillation (OD) promises to become an attractive complement or alternative to other athermal or lowtemperature separations techniques such as ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), pervaporation, and vacuum freeze drying.


What happens during the very earliest years of a child's life, from birth to age 3, influences how the rest of childhood and adolescence unfolds. Yet, this critical time is usually neglected in the policies, programmes and budgets of countries. Drawing from reports the world over, The State of the World's Children 2001 details the daily lives of parents and other caregivers who are striving - in the face of war, poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic - to protect the rights and meet the needs of these young children. Country profiles, maps and statistical data for 193 countries are also presented.


In this paper we extend a variation of the trial-based SVM speaker verification work proposed by Cumani et al to exploit multiple enrollment sessions. Specifically, Cumani proposed the use of a 2nd order SVM kernel for the binary classification of basic trials. In this new work, trials with multiple enrollment sessions are modelled by stacking the i-vectors of the test and enrollment sessions. We further exploit the fact that the score should be independent of the enrollment recording order and present a simplified 2nd order polynomial kernel scoring function accordingly. In the second part of this work we examine the utility of enrollment pruning for multi-session enrollments. Past work demonstrates that pruning can be beneficial for PLDA based systems. We examine the effects of enrollment pruning in the context of the proposed SVM model. The results demonstrate that the multi-session enrollment SVM kernel is generally better than the model trained using single sessions. The model is also comparable in performance to the PLDA based approach. Further gains are observed through combination of the PLDA and SVM scores.


The lifetime management of different engineering structures and structural elements is one of the important technical-economic problems nowadays. On the one hand, the aim of our research work is to develop an integrity management plan for pipelines and pipeline systems, and afterwards a Pipeline Integrity Management System. Material databases play important role both on the integrity management and on the engineering critical assessment of the pipeline systems. On the other hand, the aim of our research work is to establish the Pipeline Integrity Management System with different data, frequently with experimental data. The direct purpose of the paper is to present the role of the external and internal reinforcing on the structural integrity of industrial and transporting steel pipelines, based on own examinations. External and internal reinforcement was developed using carbon fibre and glass fibre polymer matrix composites, respectively. Fatigue and burst tests were performed on pipeline sections containing natural and artificial metal loss defects, and girth welds including weld defects. Both unreinforced and reinforced pipeline sections were examined. The burst pressures belonging to the unreinforced and the reinforced pipelines, and belonging to the passed and not passed girth welds were compared.


One of the obstacles faced by Learners of Indonesian for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) is the limited of Indonesian skills so that communication strategies are used in order that the goals of their communication can be achieved. This study aims to describe the form and the implementation of communication strategies of BIPA learners at the basic level at Maejo University. This study uses the case study method as part of descriptive research, which is a form of research aimed at describing existing phenomena, which include natural phenomena as well as human-engineered phenomena. The data were collected by using an observation and recording techniques. The data of this research are verbal and non-verbal behaviors of BIPA learners at the basic level at Maejo University. The result of this research is communication strategies carried out by BIPA learners, which are borrowing, speech repetition, use of words that are similar or near meaning (approximation), words ommission, paraphrase, similar pronunciation, imitating, and using expressions.


That the topological entropy, h(T(m) ), of a C(1 M, of a surface, M, upon which invariant measure(s) m are concentrated, varies as the product of its average leading Lyapunov characteristic exponent, lambda(m), and the Hausdorff dimension of its support, d(m),was proven by Pesin [Russ. Math Surveys 32, 55-114 (1977)] for nonuniform partial hyperbolic systems and by Ledreppier and Young [Ergod. Theor. Dyn. Syst. 2, 109-123 (1982)], and Manning [Ergod. Theor. Dyn. Syst. 1, 451-459 (1981)] for uniformly hyperbolic (Axiom A) diffeomorphisms. When considered in conjunction with the post-Shannon information encoding theorems of Adler [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 114, 309-319 (1965); Mem. Am. Math. Soc., No. 219 (1979)] and others, this suggests a way to differentiate equal entropy behaviors in systems with varying patterns of dynamical behaviors. Here we show this relation to be useful in the quantitative discrimination among the behaviors of abstract neuronal models and two real, finite time, partially and nonuniformly hyperbolic, brain-related dynamical systems. We observe a trade-off in finite time between two competing dynamical processes, jittery sticking (tending to increase d(m)) and convective escaping (more prominently incrementing lambda(m) (+)). In finite time systems, these changes in combination can statistically conserve the dynamical entropy, h(T(m) ), while altering the Levy characteristic exponent, alpha (describing the tail of the density distribution of observables, rho(x) approximately exp-gammamid R:xmid R:(alpha),1 0.5 implicates sequential correlations and H(*)<0.5 sequential anticorrelation. When the relation h(T(m) )=lambda(m) (+)dm fails, the way it does so provides information about the system. (c) 1997 American Institute of Physics.


CRC LEME is an unincorporated joint venture between CSIRO-Exploration & Mining, and Land & Water, The Australian National University, Curtin University of Technology, University of Adelaide, Geoscience Australia, Primary Industries and Resources SA, NSW Department of Mineral Resources and Minerals Council of Australia, established and supported under the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres Program. CRCLEME


Assessment of damages is a principal issue in litigation and, in light of this, we consider the social justification for, and the private benefits of, accurate measurement of harm. Greater accuracy induces injurers to exercise levels of precaution that better reflect the magnitude of the harm they are likely to generate, and, relatedly, it stimulates uninformed injurers to learn about risks before acting. However, accuracy in assessment of harm cannot influence the behavior of injurers--and is therefore of no social value--to the degree that they lack knowledge of the harm they might cause when deciding on their precautions. Regardless of the social value of accuracy, litigants generally gain by devoting resources toward proof of damages, leading often to socially excessive private incentives to establish damages.


This study seeks to identify the role of supervisory skills in building teacher capacity through instructional supervision. Data gathered in the study were analysed using the SPSS version 21.0 software which involved descriptive statistical method, mean and standard deviation. Data were also analysed using Structural Equation Modelling to look at the relationship between constructs supervisory skills and teacher capacity. For the purpose of the research, 390 respondents who are secondary school teachers in the state of Selangor, Malaysia were involved as sample of the study. The findings of the study indicate that in instructional supervision practices, the level of the supervisory skills construct is at high level. On the other hand, the level of teacher capacity is at moderate level. The findings of the SEM analysis also indicate that there is significant positive relationship between the supervisory skills construct and the construct of teacher capacity. The findings of the study will help the Ministry of Education and school administrators in particular, to focus on improving the practice of supervision in schools. This can be enhanced by focusing on building the prerequisite knowledge and skills of supervision in improving the quality of the implementation of classroom supervision. This is especially important in the attempt to help teachers strengthen their instructional practices by building teacher capacity. All in all, improving instructional practices and learning outcomes are vital as it is in line with the aspirations of the 21st century learning.


The present paper presents a possible implementation of the Element Free Galerkin method to the study of fracture of Mindlin- Reissner plates. The novelty of this paper resides on the fact that it uses an enriched meshless method (Moving Least Square) around the crack tip in the theory of Mindlin-Reissner plates. This method is especially designed to characterize in a better way the behavior of cracks.


A series of 10 novel analogues of fluphenazine (FPh) were synthesized. Influence of the synthesized analogues of FPh on frequency of apoptosis and necrosis in cultures of human lymphocytes genotoxically damaged in vitro with benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P; 7,5 μM, 48 h) was compared with the effect of FPh. Activity of the tested compounds was expressed by ED50 (pro-apoptotic activity) and TD50 (pro-necrotic effect, cytotoxicity). It was noticed that compounds 3ñ9 and 12 exerted a pro-apoptotic effect markedly stronger than that of FPh. Additionally, compounds 3, 9 and 10 exhibited the weakest influence on frequency of necrotic lymphocyte in cultures. 2D-QSAR analysis was done in order to find quantitative relationship between structures of the tested analogues and their pro-apoptotic activity or pro-necrotic effect in B[a]P-damaged cell cultures. Several statistically significant QSAR models were generated. Information obtained from 2D-QSAR study will be used in further design of analogues of FPh more active in cancer chemoprevention.


ABSTRACT.
 Population declines of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) throughout the western United States have been attributed to the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats. Increased energy development may further fragment sagebrush habitat, isolating sage-grouse populations and resulting in genetic drift, inbreeding, local extinction, or rapid divergence. We conducted a genetic survey of 3 remote sagegrouse populations in northeastern Utah to assess mitochondrial diversity relative to other portions of the species' range. We did not detect any unusual haplotype compositions in these populations. However, haplotype composition of the Anthro Mountain and Strawberry Valley reference populations differed from haplotype compositions of other northeastern Utah populations. These populations are spatially separated by Desolation Canyon of the Green River. This canyon may constitute a geographic barrier to gene flow in this area, given low population densities and reduced dispersal potentials. This potential barrier will be an important consideration in future conservation efforts such as translocations. The halotype composition of the Anthro Mountain and Strawberry Valley reference populations may be altered by translocations subsequent to our sampling effort. The effect of these translocations on the reference halotypes and population vital rates is currently under study.


Ever since Einstein's theory of general relativity (GR) was published, physicists have tried to put its revolutionary predictions to the test. While tests in the solar system can only probe the weak-field regime of relativistic gravity, we rely on the precision tests provided by radio pulsars to explore the strong-field limit. The most wonderful example for such a testbed is the unique Double Pulsar, discovered by our team last year. This system of two orbiting pulsars already provides us with the most stringent test of GR ever performed in the strong field. I will report on its discovery, present the most recent results and demonstrate how the double pulsar can also be used to study relativistic plasma physics under extreme conditions.


The assimilation efficiencies (AEs) of 3 trace elements (Cd, Se, and Zn) from ingested algal food (the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii and the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum) in individuals of the marine copepod Calanus sinicus were measured. In general, the metal AEs were comparable in copepods feeding on T. weissflogii and P. minimum. They decreased by 1.4 to 2.0 × , 1.2 to 1.5 × and 2.2 to 2.7 × for Cd, Se, and Zn, respectively, after a 20 × increase in food concentration (0.054 to 1.076 mg C l -1 for T. weissflogii, 0.174 to 3.470 mg C l -1 for P. minimum). The physiological turnover-rate constant was, however, independent of food density. There was no evidence of any effect of starvation on metal AEs. The AE of Cd in the copepods was significantly correlated with its distribution in the algal cytoplasm, whereas no such relationship was found for Se and Zn. This study also indicated that the metal AEs were positively related to the gut transit-time of food particles and the gut passage-time of metals in the copepods, implying a more efficient digestion and absorption when the food particles and metals were retained longer in the digestive tract. The gut physiology of copepods may thus considerably affect metal assimilation in diverse food environments. Most un- assimilated Cd and Zn was lost by copepods through feces egestion, whereas excretion contributed substantially to the loss of unassimilated Se from the copepods. Excretion was a major route by which assimilated metals were depurated and turned over from the copepods. The relative contribution of fecal egestion to the total metal loss from copepods increased with increasing food concentration. Physiological responses of metal uptake by marine copepods in response to phytoplankton blooms may thus influence the fate of metals in aquatic systems.


This article argues that contemplative practices are particularly important additions to university courses that deal with issues of oppression and diversity. Mindfulness can help students learn how their identity locations shape their reactions to course content; as such, they help participants do the work of unlearning the effects of systems of oppression. Students can then learn to recognize, understand, and be accountable for their responses. The article also argues that faculty who integrate contemplative practices in the classroom (in any discipline) need to be prepared for a myriad of responses from students, including reactions that result from being a member of marginalized groups in society. Contemplative practices can unintentionally trigger disturbing responses for students, so the article concludes with useful principles rooted in feminist pedagogy to help faculty address those unexpected reactions.


The principled evaluation of information is necessary if good decisions are to be made in its management, yet there is little support for the evaluation process. This theoretical work sets out to explore and define the properties of information necessary to enable its evaluation. These consist of Accuracy, Trustworthiness, Usability, Currency, Benefit, Cost and Relevance. In exploring these properties a model of information value is introduced which is then elaborated and underpinned by the development of a model of information use impact. This theoretical analysis supports the authors' earlier work in which a framework for information evaluation is set out (Darlington, et al., 2008) in the context of information evaluation for engineering enterprises and provides the basis for understanding how practical evaluation may be undertaken.


Physics education research has used quantitative modeling techniques to explore learning, affect, and other aspects of physics education. However, these studies have rarely examined the predictive output of the models, instead focusing on the inferences or causal relationships observed in various data sets. This research introduces a modern predictive modeling approach to the PER community using transcript data for students declaring physics majors at Michigan State University (MSU). Using a machine learning model, this analysis demonstrates that students who switch from a physics degree program to an engineering degree program do not take the third semester course in thermodynamics and modern physics, and may take engineering courses while registered as a physics major. Performance in introductory physics and calculus courses, measured by grade as well as a students' declared gender and ethnicity play a much smaller role relative to the other features included the model. These results are used to compare traditional statistical analysis to a more modern modeling approach.


We are currently living through an era where we can, and need to, create exciting new possibilities in the way we think about, plan, design and build new places and spaces for working and living. At the same time, two irresistible forces – change and complexity – face decision-makers charged with framing and executing future policy and practice for the built and human environment. This paper generally argues the case for employing a 'prospective' process through scenario thinking for strategic planning and management in the urban arena. It does not attempt to identify or explore the advances made in planning for built and human environment over recent years or the promise of those to come. Rather, it describes and promotes a methodology which helps organisations, such as those involved in the formation of the urban environment, to learn their way into the future in a complex and changing world of uncertainty and ambiguity.


Author(s): Laurent, Matthew Arthur | Advisor(s): Mishra, Umesh K | Abstract: III-N-based electronics and optoelectronics are reaching great levels of sophistication in the areas of power electronics, RF amplifiers, lighting, and display technologies. Much of the success of these technologies can be traced to superior or unique material properties that make III-N solid state devices the ideal choices for their applications. Consequently, state of the art devices are being pushed to the limit of what may be fabricated due to strain considerations in the AlGaN and InGaN systems. In order to continue the advancement of III-N based technologies toward greater performance, into new niches, and open up new markets, it is necessary to exploit the entire (Al,In,Ga)N system to its fullest potential.The utility of AlInGaN is multifaceted. These materials can be used for strain management, fabrication of lattice-matched devices, and polarization engineering to manipulate electric fields within device active regions, or even create high-conductivity charge slabs. Unlike ternary alloys, there is no single unique combination of band gap, polarization charge, and lattice constant, which results in greater device design freedom. However, to effectively utilize these materials, reliable growth processes must be established, and the material parameters critical to device design must be characterized.This thesis describes the progress in AlInGaN development at UCSB beginning with identification and exploration of the AlInGaN growth parameter space, using understanding from ternary alloys as a springboard into quaternary growth. From there, the thesis progresses to the establishment of a design toolbox for AlInGaN based devices via electrical characterization of these materials. Challenges associated with the AlInGaN system, coupled with sparse literature on the topic, necessitated the design of experiments to isolate and characterize the material parameters from measurements of solid-state devices. Electrical characterization focused on the net polarization charge at heterojunction interfaces, as well as the effects of Schottky barrier height inhomogeneity on both electrostatics and transport in diodes. The quantum mechanical scattering at the metal-semiconductor junction will be discussed, as will its physical origin and impact on diode current. A major goal of this thesis was to establish a device design toolbox populated with information of experimentally calculated net polarization charge at AlInGaN/GaN interfaces and Schottky barrier heights. This goal was accomplished and the information was established for future device designers in the field.The thesis concludes with a discussion of the application and exploitation of the unique effects observed in AlInGaN materials to device design. Future outlook will be given on avenues for research in AlInGaN materials and AlInGaN-based devices, and direction will be provided to finish populating the (electrical) device design toolbox with conduction band offset measurements.


The paper describes high broad metal ion source based on dc macroparticle filtered vacuum arc plasma generation with the dc ion-beam extraction. The possibility of formation of pseudo ribbon beam of metal ions with the parameters: ion beam length 0.6 m, ion current up to 0.2 A, accelerating voltage 40 kV, and ion energy up to 160 kV has been demonstrated. The pseudo ribbon ion beam is formed from dc driven vacuum arc plasma. The results of investigation of the vacuum arc evaporator ion-emission properties are presented. The influence of magnetic field strength near the cathode surface on the arc spot movement and ion-emission properties of vacuum-arc discharge for different cathode materials are determined. It was shown that vacuum-arc discharge stability can be reached when the magnetic field strength ranges from 40 to 70 Gs on the cathode surface.


The Brief Implicit Association Test (BIAT) consists of 2 blocks of trials with the same 4 categories and stimulus-response mappings as the standard IAT, but with 1/3 the number of trials. Unlike the standard IAT, the BIAT focuses the subject on just 2 of each block's 4 categories. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that attitude BIATs had satisfactory validity when good (but not bad) was a focal category, and that identity IATs had satisfactory validity when self (but not other) was a focal category. Experiment 2 also showed that a good-focal attitude BIAT and a self-focal identity BIAT were psychometrically similar to standard IAT measures of the same constructs. Experiment 3 presented each of 6 BIATs twice, showing that procedural variables had no more than minor influences on the resulting implicit measures. Experiment 4 further demonstrated successful use of the BIAT to measure implicit stereotypes.


Closely related species (e.g., sister taxa) often occupy very different ecological niches and can exhibit large differences in geographic distributions despite their shared evolutionary history. Budding speciation is one process that may partially explain how differences in niche and distribution characteristics may rapidly evolve. Budding speciation is the process through which new species form as initially small colonizing populations that acquire reproductive isolation. This mode of species formation predicts that, at the time of speciation, sister species should have highly asymmetrical distributions. We tested this hypothesis in North American monkeyflowers, a diverse clade with a robust phylogeny, using data on geographical ranges, climate, and plant community attributes. We found that recently diverged sister pairs have highly asymmetrical ranges and niche breadths, relative to older sister pairs. Additionally, we found that sister species occupy distinct environmental niche positions, and that 80% of sister species have completely or partially overlapping distributions (i.e., are broadly sympatric). Together, these results suggest that budding speciation has occurred frequently in Mimulus , that it has likely taken place both inside the range and on the range periphery, and that observed divergences in habitat and resource use could be associated with speciation in small populations.


Distant metastasis is the most common cause of treatment failure and mortality in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Thus, it is important to understand the mechanism of NPC metastasis and identify reliable prognostic factors. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), which was previously considered a byproduct of heme catabolism, in NPC patients and examined the effects of UCB on NPC metastasis. The receiver operating characteristic analysis–generated UCB cutoff point for DMFS was 9.7 μmol/L. We found that higher UCB levels were significantly associated with favorable distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS, 93.3% vs. 84.2%, P < 0.001) in NPC patients and was an independent predictor for DMFS (HR, 0.416; 95% confidence interval, 0.280–0.618; P < 0.001). We next found that UCB treatment impaired the invasion capability of NPC cells and potently inhibited lung metastasis of NPC cells in nude mice. Further investigation showed that UCB inhibited reactive oxygen species production, which is involved in the repression of ERK1/2 activation and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression. Moreover, lower levels of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and MMP-2 expression were observed in the NPC lung metastases of nude mice administered UCB. Taken together, our results indicate that UCB is a significantly favorable factor for DMFS in NPC patients and may play an important role in NPC chemoprevention. Cancer Prev Res; 9(2); 180–8. ©2015 AACR.


Parallel to the growing number of adults over age 65 years and the increasing use of exercise in geriatric medicine to improve function and decrease fall risk, recent advances in the treatment of geriatric dysphagia have focused on rehabilitating swallowing function with active exercise. Specific changes in central neural pathways as well as peripheral end organs (muscles) that occur with natural aging may predispose older adults to an increased risk for dysphagia when faced with chronic medical conditions. Research to date primarily has focused on the utility of nonswallow motor exercises to increase muscle strength and range of motion in oropharyngeal structures. Future directions in the field of dysphagia rehabilitation demand evidence-based investigations into the ability of exercise to affect neural plasticity, representing long-lasting alterations in neural organization.


We have constructed a channel complex model at a scale of 1:10,000 by stacking 3D-printed polylactide layers with negative relief meandering channels. This model was subjected to an ultrasonic common-offset acquisition in a water tank (with the water filling the channels), and the result was treated as a zero-offset 3D acoustic reflection seismogram, receiving a deterministic deconvolution and a poststack migration as data treatment. We then developed an algorithm to yield volumes of estimated two-way time layer thickness from multiple-frequency volumes obtained through the short-time Fourier transform. The estimated thicknesses were compared with the measurements of the physical model obtained through X-ray computed tomography. Despite the strong signal attenuation and imaging issues, the results were rather satisfactory, increasing the confidence in using spectral decomposition for quantitative seismic analysis.


MIT is a promising strategy in antibody free analysis for tumour markers. Conventional nanosized MIPs with off-line analysis are beset by tedious operation and unsatisfactory analysis performance. In this work, an on-line analytical device to directly detect AFP, which is a typical tumour marker in cancer screening, was prepared for the first time. A microscope slide was chosen to be the basis of the device. APBA-PA, a polymerizable fluorescent boronic acid monomer, was synthesised and grafted on the surface of the microscope slide to act as the signal transduction pathway between the templates and the device. Along with the hydrolysis of TEOS and the elution of the templates, a portable, stable, easy to operate and low-cost analysis device for AFP with excellent repeatability was successfully prepared. Owing to the excellent selectivity and highly sensitive fluorescence response ability of the device towards the templates, the on-line detection of AFP in human serum was realized. A series of characterizations were applied to the device, and its analysis performance and possible detection mechanism were carefully studied. Furthermore, the device exhibited appropriate application prospects by comparing its analysis results with those of the commercially available ELISA. In our perception, this work is an important step towards MIPs for clinical applications.


Oxytocin administration, which may be of therapeutic value for social disabilities, likely influences endogenous levels of other socially-relevant hormones. However, to date, the effects of oxytocin administration on endogenous hormones have only been examined in typical males. The need to consider multi-hormone interactions is particularly warranted in oxytocin trials for autism due to evidence of irregularities in both oxytocin and sex steroid systems. Here, as part of a larger trial with a double-blind cross-over design, we assessed salivary testosterone and oestradiol levels in 16 autistic and 29 typical women before and after intranasal administration of 24IU oxytocin or placebo. Distinct patterns of change in testosterone and oestradiol across time were observed between groups, with autistic women showing increases in both hormones 90 min post-administration and typical women showing small decreases (mean %change oestradiol: +12% Autism, −10% Typical, 95%CI of difference: 5.0–39.4%, p=0.01; mean %change testosterone: +8% Autism, −14% Typical, 95%CI of difference: 7.8–35.6%, p=0.002). Under the oxytocin condition, the group difference in %change testosterone was amplified (+14.4% Autism, −15.2% Typical, p=0.018). Although baseline hormone levels did not differ between groups, greater baseline oestradiol relative to testosterone was negatively correlated with autistic-like traits (r= −0.36, p=0.019) and positively correlated (r=0.35, p=0.02) with self-reported empathy in the overall sample. These results provide further evidence that oxytocin influences endogenous testosterone, with autistic women showing increases similar to previous reports in typical men. These findings may help to identify autistic people expected to benefit most from interventions involving oxytocin.


In this article I explore the relationship between experiential learning and citizenship education. I
argue that a meaningful citizenship education must involve a sophisticated understanding and
application of the principles of experiential learning. In so doing, I draw on the evaluation of a Level
Three social science module 'Teaching Citizenship' delivered at BCUC. This module involved
undergraduate students going into secondary schools and contributing to the delivery of the
citizenship curriculum. I propose that the successes of the module did not only stem from providing
students with a unique experience outside of the seminar room, but also from the incorporation of
these 'events' into a rounded learning experience.


Aim: To investigate the relationship between perinatal condition around birth and cardiovascular risk in later life. Methods: Retrospective data were examined from 1241 city dwellers (521 men, 720 women; age 41–69 years) who had undergone medical examination at a single institution including blood tests and physical measurements from 2007 to 2008. The questionnaire was conducted to determine how perinatal factors affect their lives later. We also selected and studied a total of 28 individuals (12 men and 16 women) specifically about the conformity rate of the breastfeeding method between participants' memories and what was written in the maternal and child health handbooks. Results: The conformity rate of the breastfeeding method between a self-questionnaire and his/her maternal and child health handbook was well correlated (r = 0.73; p < 0.025). Among the data in women who were born at home, HbA1C levels (5.36 ± 0.03 vs. 5.25 ± 0.05 mg/dL, p = 0.03) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (136.0 ± 1.4 vs. 129.3 ± 2.5 mg/dL, p = 0.04) were higher than women who were born at the hospital. Women raised by formula showed higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than women fed breast milk or a mixture of breast milk and formula (150.2 ± 4.8 vs. 138.7 ± 3.7, 142.5 ± 2.6 mg/dL, p = 0.04). Fasting blood glucose levels at an adult time in men and women born through breech presentation were higher than those by the cephalic presentation (123.2 ± 7.8 vs. 106.8 ± 1.2 mg/dL, p = 0.03). Conclusion: The study proposed that some perinatal conditions around birth such as delivery place, presenting part, and lactation affected especially Japanese women's cardiovascular risks between ages 41 and 69 years.


The goal of Unsupervised Reinforcement Learning (URL) is to find a reward-agnostic prior policy on a task domain, such that the sample-efficiency on supervised downstream tasks is improved. Although agents initialized with such a prior policy can achieve a significantly higher reward with fewer samples when finetuned on the downstream task, it is still an open question how an optimal pretrained prior policy can be achieved in practice. In this work, we present POLTER (Policy Trajectory Ensemble Regularization) - a general method to regularize the pretraining that can be applied to any URL algorithm and is especially useful on data- and knowledge-based URL algorithms. It utilizes an ensemble of policies that are discovered during pretraining and moves the policy of the URL algorithm closer to its optimal prior. Our method is based on a theoretical framework, and we analyze its practical effects on a white-box benchmark, allowing us to study POLTER with full control. In our main experiments, we evaluate POLTER on the Unsupervised Reinforcement Learning Benchmark (URLB), which consists of 12 tasks in 3 domains. We demonstrate the generality of our approach by improving the performance of a diverse set of data- and knowledge-based URL algorithms by 19% on average and up to 40% in the best case. Under a fair comparison with tuned baselines and tuned POLTER, we establish a new the state-of-the-art on the URLB.


Laser processing of abrasive grinding wheels is paying a great role in a truing technique to complement mechanical methods. An energy balance model was adopted that took into account the space modes of laser energy absorbed/scattered by the wheel (circular profile). Both geometric and mathematic models were developed to reveal laser processing mechanism and predict various processing parameters, such as incident position, focal offset, and incident power, to perform material removal during laser processing a cylindrical grinding wheel. Moreover, the incident angle for laser processing of small-vitrified CBN grinding wheels was optimized. Further theoretical analysis and experiments determined the focal position of the incident beam with respect to the wheel profile. Experimental studies were carried out using different processing parameters and grinding wheels to test the effects of laser space properties on processing quality. The experimental results were shown to be in reasonable agreement with predicted results.


The widely employed antidiabetic drug pioglitazone (Actos) is shown to be a specific and reversible inhibitor of human monoamine oxidase B (MAO B). The crystal structure of the enzyme−inhibitor complex shows that the R-enantiomer is bound with the thiazolidinedione ring near the flavin. The molecule occupies both substrate and entrance cavities of the active site, establishing noncovalent interactions with the surrounding amino acids. These binding properties differentiate pioglitazone from the clinically used MAO inhibitors, which act through covalent inhibition mechanisms and do not exhibit a high degree of MAO A versus B selectivity. Rosiglitazone (Avandia) and troglitazone, other members of the glitazone class, are less selective in that they are weaker inhibitors of both MAO A and MAO B. These results suggest that pioglitazone may have utility as a "repurposed" neuroprotectant drug in retarding the progression of disease in Parkinson's patients. They also provide new insights for the development of reversible isoenzyme-specific MAO inhibitors.


At Loma Linda University Medical Center we have successfully developed a computerized monitoring system for our respiratory intensive care unit (RICU). Three important goals must be accomplished to achieve success in designing a useful computer system: (1) a workable hardware system must be designed, (2) the hardware and programs must be molded to fit the needs and abilities of the clinicians using the system, and (3) the necessary data must be made available to the system. Our typical applications of the RICU computer system include storage of pathology and clinical laboratory data, management and calculation of hemodynamic variables, census taking, retrieval of information on returning patients, nutritional assessement, monitoring and evaluation of respired gases, assessment of drug administration, interpretation of arterial blood gases and related measurements, and monitoring of EKGs. We believe it is essential to clearly define the needs of a clinical unit and goals of its computer system in order to design and select the proper computer hardware and software.


Flows in rod bundles are common to many industrial applications such as heat exchangers or some types of nuclear reactors. The core of many classes of nuclear reactors can be easily sketched as a bundle of rods, the fuel pins, inmmersed in an axial ow of coolant that removes the heat produced by the fission reaction. Coupling this geometry to an axial ow can trigger periodical vortices, known as large coherent structures or gap vortex streets, that move on both sides of the gaps between the rods. By crossing the gap (cross-ow), these vortices may enhance the heat removal mechanism, thus improving the performance of the reactor. However, coherent structures cause velocity oscillations in the ow that may induce vibrations of the fuel rods, leading to their long term damage. The length (or wavelength) of coherent structures is a key parameter for understanding the interplay between these vortices and the vibrations that may be triggered on the rods. Their wavelength determines the frequency of the velocity oscillations in the uid, hence of the external force imposed on the rods. One of the reactor designs belonging to the next generation (Gen-IV) of nuclear reactors is the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR). This reactor has the fuel rods in the core arranged in a hexagonal matrix. In this design, a wire is helicoidally wrapped around each fuel rod to keep them separated from each other. The presence of the wire diverts part of the more turbulent ow from the bulk towards the gap between the rods, where the ow would be otherwise less turbulent. This enhances the heat exchange and avoids hot spots on the fuel cladding. A phenomenon known as migratory ow has been observed in rod bundles with wire spacers. In the presence of migratory ow, the uid is diverted from the gap towards the main subchannel and it bends against the helicoid path of the wire, thus leading to a very complex ow, where part of the uid follows the wire direction and part moves against it, away from the gap. Although this behaviour was _rst observed years ago, the governing mechanism is not clear yet. Explaining migratory ow is thus a fundamental step towards a general understanding of the mixing and mass transfer phenomena in rod bundles in the presence of helicoid wires.


In this work, transient dynamic stress concentration in a hybrid composite laminate subjected to a sudden internal crack is examined. It is assumed that all fibers lie in one direction and the applied load acts along direction of fibers. Two types arrangements are considered for the fiber; square and hexagonal arrangement. Using shear lag model, equilibrium equations are deduced and upon proper application of initial and boundary conditions, the complete field equations are obtained using finite difference method. The results of dynamic effect of fiber breakage on stress concentration are well examined in presence of a second type fiber. These results are compared to those of their static values in both models. The effect of surface cracks on stress concentration, as a result of fiber breakage, is also examined. The values of dynamic stress concentrations is deduced and compared to those of a lamina. Also, the peak stress concentration during transition time for fibers to reach static equilibrium is calculated and compared with those of static values.


Previous studies have shown that Rhizopus oryzae strain IM 057412 grown in reticulated polyurethane foam demonstrated the same heavy metal adsorption capacity as the free biomass. Immobilisation in other types of polymers was shown to reduce the biomass uptake capacity because of mass transfer limitations due to the restricted porosity of the immobilisation matrices. For practical purposes the growing of biomass in polyurethene support particles to use as a commercial adsorbent is not viable or financially sound. The current work describes a different approach in which dried non-viable cells of R. oryzae were incorporated into two types of polyurethane carrier matrix during the production process. The polymers used were a conventional hydrophobic polyurethane and a hydrophilic polyurethane, Hypol 2002. Oven-dried and powdered particles (D<150 microm) of R. oryzae were immobilised by mixing the biomass with each of the polymers prior to the reaction in which the polymer was expanded to form a foam; consequently the biomass was uniformly dispersed throughout the porous matrix. The resulting fungi-polyurethane matrices were then cut into cubes (approximately = 4-6 mm dimension) and their adsorptive properties studied with respect to copper. Experiments were conducted in shake flasks to establish the equilibrium time for the reaction for both free and immobilied biomass. The biomass immobilised in Hypol gave the same adsorptive capacity as that of free biomass when compared on a weight basis, but biomass immobilised in conventional polyurethane foam showed no adsorption. To assess fully the effect of pH on copper and to eliminate precipitation as a removal mechanism experiments were conducted at different pHs and different copper concentrations. In each case the solution pH was maintained by acid or base addition in response to measurements using a standard calomel electrode. It was shown that at pH 5 copper concentrations above 100 mg l(-1) were likely to precipitate. The amount of precipitation was accounted for within the high concentration adsorption isotherm experiments by using a mass balance approach. Results showed that the adsorption of the Hypol immobilised biomass followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and showed the copper adsorption capacity of the matrix to be between 10 and 13 mg g(-1). The copper attached to the immobilised biomass could easily be desorbed by increasing the acidity, allowing the matrix to be used in repetitive sorption-desorption cycles. There was a small decrease in the adsorption capacity after the first desorption cycle that could be explained by a partial loss of biomass as detected by loss of total organic carbon (TOC).


In this work, Internet serves as a field of research for the study of the various ways of visual representation on several scientific areas. The variety of sources on the Internet allows the detection of alternative ways of image construction, which aim at the organization of information and the creation of the corresponding mental representation in the recipient. The present symposium is dedicated to the exploration of the different ways science concepts are visually represented on several sites of the Internet. It is of great importance to study these depictions found on the Internet, because many of them are disseminated in school textbooks or other educational materials and are used by teachers in science classrooms. The symposium is focused on 4 different areas of science: a) the electromagnetic spectrum, which in its various forms of depiction condenses and organizes a plethora of information, constituting a conceptual map, b) the Brownian motion, which refers to the microcosmos, trying to portray its invisible entities, c) the friction effect, a daily life phenomenon depicting, in an abstract form, concepts of the macrocosmos, and d) the phenomenon of mitosis and meiosis, from the world of Biology, which in the detected applets simulates the development of the whole phenomenon.


The two-pass (or multipass) image geometric transformation algorithm is ideally suited to real-time, parallel implementation, but is known to introduce frequency aliasing during rotation, over and above any aliasing which may result from the usual one-pass algorithm. We develop a unified framework and theory that precisely explains this added-aliasing for many of the well-known multipass algorithms, and show that it is usually less than might be expected at first sight. In some cases, the aliasing occurs in nondestructive, and therefore, theoretically recoverable, forms. We also show that the aliasing is very easily reduced, or avoided altogether, while commenting that this problem should be considered as a special case of a general alias-avoidance strategy in geometric transformation. Finally, we include some examples of multipass image rotations which seem to confirm our predictions.


With the rapid progress of information technology, Internet and people's lives are combining closely with versatile communication ways now. Among these ways, the most popular one for knowledge workers is e-mail. People use it to deal with business affairs or receiving information in daily life. That gradually induces every knowledge worker has to handle many grueling e-mails every day. As a result, knowledge workers may be stuck most of their time with the e-mail distention problem. Although there are growing e-mail management systems, most of them are still short of freeing user to set, reply or retrieve related information with customized personal dexterity. That is, the data or information in the e-mail system is still obstinate for most of the knowledge workers. To mitigate this problem, we rethink the spirit of an e-mail system from the perspectives of speech act theory, and use the six ethics of heart to construct the kernel of the social network with data provenance to help users reduce the gap between current e-mail routine process and their own personal information management. Together with the customized Semantic Web construction, our approach hopefully helps knowledge workers establish a more efficient e-mail processing model with humanity consideration.


Abstract Lithogeochemical vectors to ore-bodies are obscured by the variety of lithological units and the alteration events that have affected them. In the magmatic-hydrothermal context, Pearce element ratio (PER) analysis can be a cost-effective lithogeochemical technique that identifies and eliminates non-hydrothermal sources of variation, thus permitting the definition of material transfer related only to hydrothermal alteration. Dedicated PER diagrams for mafic and felsic lithologies in the world-class porphyry Cu–Mo and epithermal Cu–Ag (–Au) cluster of the Collahuasi district, I Región, northern Chile, effectively model background variability and discriminate between fresh or propylitically altered rocks and those with a hydrolytic alteration overprint. Furthermore, PER diagrams allow for the definition of an alteration index (AI) that quantifies the degree of metasomatic exchange during hydrolytic alteration of a particular rock. Plots of different PER values against the AI show that potassium enrichment during hydrolytic alteration was followed by potassium, calcium and sodium depletion as a result of the destruction of feldspars during sericitic and later argillic alteration. Although PER plots record no mass transfer processes involving major elements during propylitic alteration, the integrated AI for both mafic and felsic units spatially defines the major alteration centres within the district.


Studies related to adaptation to the environment and different conditions of water availability contribute to decision-making regarding the management of any crop to be implanted. Accordingly, this work aimed to evaluate the yield and quality of organic yellow passion fruit cultivated in a long root system in dryland conditions. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with five treatments and four replications with four plants each. The treatments consisted of the alteration of the length of the root system, namely: T1 = 25 cm; T2 = 50 cm; T3 = 75 cm; T4 = 100 cm; and T5 = 125 cm. At 120 days after emergence (DAE), the seedlings were transplanted to the field and the following variables were evaluated: plant height (cm) and base diameter (mm) at 120 DAE; total titratable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS), Ratio (TSS/TTA); and fruit yield. The cultivation of tall seedlings with a long root system provides the maintenance of production during the dry season. The TTA, TSS, and the ratio do not change when modifying the length of the root system, although they do change with the harvest season. The cultivation of passion fruit in an organic system using plants with a long root system with an estimated length of 114 cm provides a higher fruit yield (7,472 kg ha-1) in 22 months of cultivation.


In a previous monocentric study in preterm neonates (PN), we described a high Clostridioides difficile colonization rate (74%) with two uncommon non-toxigenic strains (NTCD) belonging to PCR-ribotype (RT) (CE)847 and (CE)032. To determine the extent of carriage of both NTCD in other spatio-temporal settings, strains isolated in PN stools from two multicenter cohorts were characterized by PCR-ribotyping, MLVA and MLST. We also evaluated the protective role of two NTCD from these RT against C. difficile infection in a hamster caecitis model. Animals were administered either each NTCD alone (n = 7), or followed by a 027 strain (n = 9). A control group received only the 027 strain (n = 8). Clinical activity and colonization by C. difficile in stools were monitored daily until death or sacrifice at D20. We isolated 18 RT(CE)032 (ST-83) strains and 2 RT(CE)847 (ST-26) strains among 247 PN from both cohorts. Within each RT, strains were genetically related. The survival rate was significantly increased when animals received a RT(CE)847 or (CE)032 strain before the 027 strain (4/9 deaths, p = 0.029; 1/9 death, p = 0.0004, respectively). We describe two predominant uncommon NTCD strains, in a PN population from different healthcare facilities. Both NTCD provide a potential protection against C. difficile infection.


Abstract: Pathogens from domestic canines represent a significant and constant threat to wildlife. This study looked for four common canine pathogens, Babesia vogeli, Ehrlichia canis, Leishmania infantum, and canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) in mammals from the Pampa Biome, southern Brazil. Animals killed by vehicular trauma on a road traversing this biome were evaluated over a 1-yr period. Tissues collected from 31 wild mammals and six dogs were further analyzed by specific real-time PCR assays for each pathogen. Babesia vogeli and L. infantum were not detected in any investigated animal. Ehrlichia canis was detected in one dog and CPV-2 in nine animals: four dogs, three white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris), one pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), and one brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). These results demonstrate the occurrence of important carnivore pathogens (E. canis and CPV-2) in domestic dogs and wild mammals from the Pampa Biome in southern Brazil.


The mature dendritic cell (DC) is considered to be the most potent antigen-presenting cell. Regulation of the DC, particularly its survival, is therefore critical. Mature DC are markedly more sensitive to HLA-DR-mediated apoptosis than immature DC. To further characterize this key survival difference, we compared the intracellular signals initiated via HLA-DR in mature versus immature DC. Apoptosis was unchanged by inhibition of tyrosine kinases or phosphatases. HLADR-mediated re-localization of protein kinase C (PKC)-d to the nucleus was detected in mature DC by confocal microscopy and by immunoblotting. Activation of PKC-d in mature DC was revealed by the detection of the PKC-d catalytic fragment in the nuclear fraction isolated from mature DC which had been stimulated via HLA-DR. The broad-spectrum PKC inhibitor, Calphostin C, as well as the PKC-d-selective inhibitor, Rottlerin, inhibited HLA-DR-mediated apoptosis of mature cells. Taken together, these data reveal a role for the PKC-d isoenzyme in regulating HLA class II-mediated apoptosis of mature DC. Thus, the lifespan of the mature DC could be controlled by signals generated in the course of antigen presentation, and thereby prevent DC persistence and prolonged stimulation of T and B lymphocytes.


Aneuploidy that arises during meiosis and/or mitosis is a major contributor to early embryo loss. We previously demonstrated that human preimplantation embryos encapsulate mis-segregated chromosomes into micronuclei while undergoing cellular fragmentation and that fragments can contain chromosomal material, but the source of this DNA was unknown. Here, we leveraged the use of a non-human primate model and single-cell DNA-sequencing (scDNA-seq) to examine the chromosomal content of 471 individual samples comprising 254 blastomeres, 42 polar bodies, and 175 cellular fragments from a large number (N=50) of disassembled rhesus cleavage-stage embryos. Our analysis revealed that the frequency of aneuploidy and micronucleation is conserved between humans and macaques and that cellular fragments encapsulate whole and/or partial chromosomes lost from blastomeres. Single-cell/fragment genotyping demonstrated that these chromosome-containing cellular fragments (CCFs) can be either maternal or paternal in origin and display DNA damage via double-stranded breaks. Chromosome breakage and abnormal cytokinesis resulted in reciprocal losses/gains at the terminal ends of chromosome arms, uniparental genome segregation, and mixoploidy between blastomeres. Combining time-lapse imaging with scDNA-seq, we also determined that multipolar divisions at the zygote or 2-cell stage generated chaotic aneuploidy encompassing a complex mixture of maternal and paternal chromosomes. Despite frequent chromosomal mis-segregation at the cleavage-stage, we show that CCFs and non-dividing aneuploid blastomeres exhibiting extensive DNA damage are prevented from incorporation at the blastocyst stage. These findings suggest that embryos respond to chromosomal errors by encapsulation into micronuclei, elimination by cellular fragmentation, and selection against highly aneuploid blastomeres to overcome chromosome instability during preimplantation development.


Most Jerusalem artichoke (JA, Helianthus tuberosus L.) grown as edible functional food plant, produce more tubers with high stems (1.5-2.0 m). To develop them as potted plant it is necessary to control their height and to increase branches in order to create a more compact canopy. Two experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions. Experiment 1 demonstrated that pinching seedlings at all position (2, 3, and 4 leaf pairs: LFP) increased canopy width, total leaf area, compactness index, number of branching and leaf and stem dry weight, but reduced plant height more than 40% when compared with non-pinching treatment. Leaving 2 or 3 LFP instead of 4 LFP after pinching only increased compactness index with marketable characters. None of the pinching times (10, 20 and 30 days after tuber planting: DAP) affected total leaf area, compactness index, number of branching and total leaf area. Pinching at 30 DAP gave the lowest leaf and root dry weight (DW). No interaction between pinching position and time in all growth parameters was seen, except in plant stem DW by leaving 2 or 3 LFP at 20 DAP after pinching. Experiment 2 showed that pinching seedlings with 2 LFP had low new tuber DW through all growth stages, however the underground part produced higher DW when reaching the harvesting stage. Higher reducing sugar accumulation in new tubers was found in normal plants (non-pinched) from flowering stage to senescence stage, thereafter its content declined compared to pinching plant at harvesting time. This result suggests that pinching technique might be partially a good horticultural practice to control JA height and canopy for the use as an ideal ornamental containerized plant.


Citellophilus tesquorum altaicus fleas from two natural (Karginsky and Barlyksky) populations have been studied. There are differences between the fleas of these populations in susceptibility to plague microbe. The adaptability and abundance of the causative organism in the body are higher in the fleas of the Barlyksky population. The sizes of the head are significantly higher in the females of the Karginsky population. There are no differences in this index between males. According to all 5 studies signs of chaetotaxia, the chaeta abundance is greater in both females and males of the Karginsky population. The fluctuating asymmetry is higher in the Barlyksky fleas that are more susceptible to the studied type of the causative agent of plague.


This class introduces students to the methods and perspectives of cultural anthropology. Readings emphasize case studies in very different settings (a nuclear weapons laboratory, a cattle-herding society of the Sudan, and a Jewish elder center in Los Angeles). Although some of the results and conclusions of anthropology will be discussed, emphasis will be on appreciating cultural difference and its implications, studying cultures and societies through long-term fieldwork, and most of all, learning to think analytically about other people's lives and our own.


A study was carried out to remove cadmium ions from a hydrochloric medium at a concentration of 100 ppm using the emulsified liquid membrane (ELM) technique. Emphasis was placed on assessing process parameters and their effect on changing the concentration of cadmium ions in the hydrochloric solution. To study the performance characteristics of the process, Taguchi method was used with analyzing of signal/noise ratio. Five parameters that affect performance such as (pH of the external phase (1-4), surfactant concentration in the organic layer (4% -10% v / v), carrier concentration in the organic layer (4% -10%  v / v), speed of  Emulsification (5800-24000) rpm and emulsion volume ratio / outer phase ratio (Eml./Ext ratio) was studied, taking into account the change in the concentration of cadmium ions in the external phase. To obtain the lowest concentration of cadmium ions in the external stage, the values of the optimum parameters were: pH = 3, Surfactant conc. = 4%, Carrier conc. = 8% emulsification speed = 19700 rpm, and Eml./Ext.  ratio = 18%. Results of the present work suggested that Eml./Ext. ratio had a major effect on the concentration change, followed by a pH in the outer phase,  the emulsification velocity,  carrier concentration, and the surfactant concentration respectively.