E-Learning perhaps is the exciting topic related to higher education in the current decade. Large numbers of researchers devote their enthusiasm to this area. The early days of E-Learning were product-driven, and the dialogue about E-Learning took place primarily among vendors who were heavily funded by investment capital. Most of the E-Learning vendors promoted their technology, but less attention was paid to the issues surrounding implementation or to the usage of E-Learning by the end users. However, the behaviour of end users or of the organizations which had introduced E-Learning should be the main concern of an innovation in the management process. Included in an entire E-Learning development strategy should be a detailed analysis and action plan to obtain a comprehensive overview of three aspects of innovation processes: organizational, technological, and products/services. A successful E-Learning launch should also pay close consideration to all of the interactions during the triple innovation process, a proposal which will be addressed in this research.

Given the multiple objectives of investigating the processes of E-Learning innovation, the interaction between different aspects of innovation and the issues which influence those processes, a qualitative case study approach is appropriate for establishing empirical evidence and describing the phenomenon of the E-Learning innovation process in higher education. The fieldwork started in March 2004 and finished in August 2008. It comprised one pilot study at National Chung Cheng University Taiwan, and the main research context at the University of Nottingham. The data collected were used to analyse and conceptualise the E-Learning innovation process with three sub-processes, outlined in detail in a following subsection: research methodology and design.

This research contributes to the understanding of E-Learning innovation processes by providing triple aspects of organizational, technological and service innovation individually, and maps the E-Learning innovation processes in its different aspects. The relationships and interactions in the E-Learning innovation process within organizational, technological and service innovation are conceptualized in order to explain their complexity, and they also summarized the main interaction categories for different interactions. The series of detailed analyses indicates that organizational, technological and service innovations are inseparable and show a strong link with one another. Moreover, a framework of simplified triple E-Learning innovation with triple interactions is proposed.


AIM
To analyze the characteristics and visibility of the scientific production of monkeypox in dentistry.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A bibliometric study was carried out with the publications indexed in the Scopus database up to 22 September 2022. A search strategy was developed using Boolean operators "AND" and "OR," in addition to the MeSH term "monkeypox virus" (MPXV) in the subarea of dentistry. The bibliometric indicators were measured objectively with the SciVal program.

RESULTS
Of the publications identified, 40% were indexed in first-quartile journals. India and Brazil are the countries with two published papers, while India has more views than the rest. Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, India are the institutions with the highest number of citations with respect to the world average (FWCI: 2.74). The International Dental Journal has a publication on monkeypox in the field of dentistry. India is the country with the most authors (06) who have published about the study. Samaranayake Lakshman Perera is the most productive and high-impact author.

CONCLUSION
In the area of dentistry, scientific production on monkeypox is still scarce; however, the publications identified are mainly in high-impact indexed journals (Q1 and Q2). It is necessary to prioritize this disease as a line of research, in addition to articulating efforts between dental teams from different institutions.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
It is necessary to demonstrate the characteristics of scientific publications on monkeypox in dentistry worldwide in order to have a panoramic view of the dynamics of scientific articles in this area.


This Article assesses a concrete proposal that may address some of the current backlash against international courts and tribunals: baseball arbitration, also known as final offer arbitration (FOA), where disputing parties each offer an answer to the dispute (their "final offer") and the adjudicator's task is strictly limited to picking one or the other answer ("hit or miss"). FOA preserves a crucial role for neutral, third-party adjudication but puts more responsibility on states to work out positive solutions themselves. When carefully calibrated, FOA can, at least for some types of disputes (especially numerical ones between two parties), enhance both efficiency (speed, reduced cost, and complexity) and accuracy (reasonable party offers versus tribunals splitting the difference between extreme demands). In addition, FOA should facilitate, rather than chill, settlement and long-term cooperation, and it puts states rather than tribunals in the driver's seat. FOA can also reduce certain sovereignty costs (no giving reasons or setting precedential value for awards) and may unlock state consent to arbitration where traditionally it is lacking or heavily contested. Although FOA would seem to be particularly suited to settling international law disputes (where sovereignty costs and suspicion toward tribunals run high), surprisingly, FOA is virtually unknown to international lawyers. Ironically, it is also exactly where FOA is now being confirmed in treaty practice—to settle international tax disputes—that FOA shows its limits. In other settings where FOA is not currently practiced, such as certain trade or investment disputes, FOA has great potential. Neither "hit" nor "miss," the choice should, in most cases, not be between opting into either reasoned arbitration or baseball arbitration. An optimal dispute resolution mechanism is likely a combination of both reasoned arbitration (on threshold issues) and FOA (on numerical questions).


Targeted therapy has become a valuable approach in adenocarcinoma of the lung. The number of actionable mutations has been continuously increasing with significant acceleration from discovery to clinical application. Herein, we present a case of innovative treatment using targeted therapy of a 75-year-old female with two primary adenocarcinomas of the lung. The first tumor was found to carry an activating mutation in the exon 19 of the epidermal growth factor receptor and responded favorably to treatment with erlotinib. The second primary tumor was found to carry an isolated amplification of the c-met gene but no epidermal growth factor receptor mutation. Off-label use of crizotinib, a potent inhibitor of c-met, was prescribed. Within 4 weeks of treatment initiation, the tumor and the dependent lymphadenopathy responded with rapid shrinkage. This observation stresses the need for rebiopsy of tumors upon progression or change of biological behavior for selection of appropriate targeted therapy.


Hall thruster Direct- Drive system is a concrete candidate for future space missions. It is already proven that this configuration can lead to substantial benefits not only in the electric propulsion power processor but also in the thermal control system and in the Electrical Power System (EPS) system. The test target was to understand and demonstrate the Direct-Drive system operations for the Alta's low power HT-100 Hall thruster. A series of four thin-film solar panels providing up to 370 W at 270 V was directly connected to the thruster through a filter. For the purpose of this test, a LC filter was designed with a 10 μF capacitor and a 1 mH inductor. Thruster operations resulted correct and stable. The system performance throttling was carried out via anode flow rate regulation and this method came out to be simple and effective. Two ignition procedures, soft start and hard start, were investigated by taking the current data during startup transient. The hard start proved to be more demanding but in both cases the thruster ignited properly. Filter performance were also evaluated by comparing the RMS value of the measured current oscillations on thruster side and solar array side during steady state operations. The data evidences that the filter is always capable to dampen thruster current peaks; the RMS on the solar array side remained almost constant in all the tested operative conditions.


If you thought your electronic nightmare was over when the Y2K scare came and went with hardly a glitch, think again. There's another acronym that all of us in health care will have to contend with in the next few years: HIPAA, or the Healthcare Information and Portability and Accountability Act.


SUMMARY Rotavirus (RV) group A is associated with gastroenteritis in mammals and birds. The most frequently identified strains in sick animals belong to the serotypes G1-G3. Knowledge of the epidemiology of RV among asymptomatic animals is very limited. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and antigenic classification of RV strains isolated from asymptomatic animals that live both inside and outside homes. Five hundred houses were studied, of which 3773 faecal samples from different species of animals were collected. They were analyzed using the ELISA method specific for RV group A. Antigenic classification of RV was carried out using monoclonal antibodies from the subgroup and serotypes G and P. Twenty houses were identified in which one animal each (4%) was found to be infected with rotavirus. Eight different serotype-subgroup antigenic combinations were detected. Fifteen out of the 20 positive samples(75%) belonged to subgroup no I/no II. All the samples reacted to antibodies against serotype G., the most common was G3 found in 50% of the samples. The following 3 lines are not in the resumen and therfore should not be included in the summary either (or vice versa). Grammar and spelling are corrected below: Serotype G1 was found in 35%, G2 15% and G4 in 10% and two animals had mixed infections. Only 30% of the samples reacted with antibodies against serotype P, the most common was P1A in 25% of the samples. The presence of RV strains with antigenic characteristics frequently reported in humans, suggests that asymptomatic domesticated animals could act as reservoirs for infection with RV, maintaining this virus in circulation between the annual outbreaks in our environment.


Due to the increasing amount of renewable energy in the power network different energy
conversion and storage technologies are needed to balance the fluctuations in the grid. One
attractive storage medium is fuel derived from biomass. However, given that biomass is a
raw resource one should bear in mind that food production has first priority. Hence fuel derived
from biomass, like biogas, has to be used in an efficient way. Whereas in commercial
biogas power plants biogas is burned off with low efficient combustion engines, solid oxide
fuel cells (SOFC's) could be a more efficient alternative. Furthermore most biogases are
unattractive for combustion engines due to their low heating values. With SOFC's, which can
be operated at temperatures between 700°C and 1000°C, it is possible to convert hydrogen
or carbon containing fuels, as for example biogas, directly into electricity and the side product
heat in a highly efficient way.


Rice husk ash has a rigid skeleton-like structure due to its high silica content, resulting in a considerable amount of carbon being trapped in the skeleton and cannot be burned or gasified easily. This study was focused on investigating the quality of rice husk ash at different fluidizing velocity during the combustion of rice husk in a fluidized bed combustor (ID 210 mm). When all other parameters are held constant, the optimum fluidizing velocity aids in almost complete combustion, thereby releasing the entrapped carbon for further conversion. This results in ash with consistently low carbon content (less than 2 wt%). The range of fluidizing velocities investigated was from as low as 1.5 Umf to as high as 8 Umf. It was found that the optimum fluidizing velocity was approximately 3.3 Umf as the mixing of rice husk with the bed was good with a high degree of penetration into the sand bed. The resulting ash was fine in size and retained its amorphous form with low residual carbon content (at 2.88 wt %) and minimal sand contamination as shown by the x-ray diffraction analysis.


We present a case study where we developed RHETORiC: an audience conversation tool that promotes civil participation in online news comments. By following a human-centered design process, we created and evaluated a novel tool with an interface that supports people in carefully formulating their opinions and arguments, so they can constructively contribute to online discussions about news. Results of a large-scale field study show that our tool succeeds in increasing the level of civility, argumentation and proficiency of comments in comparison with those on social media. On top, both users and journalists report high satisfaction with the RHETORiC tool. In our paper we reflect upon lessons learned about the design process as well as about the tool itself, which contributes to the fields of both Human-Computer Interaction and Digital Journalism.


BackgroundStudies have suggested that the prevalence of antibodies against heat-shock proteins (HSPs), Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), but the independent or joint effects of human (h) HSP60 antibodies and these pathogens in patients have not been fully elucidated. Methods and ResultsA total of 405 subjects (276 patients with CAD and 129 control individuals) were tested for serum antibodies to hHSP60, Cpn, and CMV immediate-early-1 (IE1) antigens. Patients were also assessed for serum cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and smoking habit. Significantly elevated levels of antibodies to hHSP60 and Cpn but not to CMV-IE1 antigens were documented in CAD patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis and subanalyses of selected subjects showed that these associations were independent of age, sex, smoking, and serum lipid levels. Antibodies to hHSP60 and Cpn did not correlate quantitatively; however, the relative risk of disease development was substantially increased in subjects with high antibody levels to both hHSP60 and Cpn, reaching an odds ratio of 82.0 (95% CI 10.6 to 625.0). ConclusionsHigh levels of antibodies to hHSP60 and Cpn are independent risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis, but their simultaneous presence substantially increases the risk for disease development.


Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human bacterial pathogen causing life threatening diseases such as meningitis, bacteremia, and pneumonia. Younger children are heavily affected by pneumococcal infections. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are serotype-specific and require data on local serotype distribution to predict the coverage of PCVs. Moreover, the escalating incidence of antibiotic resistance S. pneumoniae has prompted the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been increasingly recognized as the new generation antibiotics due to their potent antimicrobial activity. In this study, we sought to design novel synthetic antimicrobial peptides against S. pneumoniae and determine the in vitro and in vivo activities of the peptides.
A collection of 151 pneumococcal clinical isolates from University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur were serotyped using multiplex PCR and the penicillin susceptibility was determined using agar dilution method. Biocomputational tools were employed to design the peptides based on the publicly available AMPs. The designed AMPs were tested for minimum inhibitory concentration, bacterial killing kinetics, and synergism activity. Broad spectrum antibacterial activity against eight common bacterial pathogens was also determined. Morphological changes of pneumococcal cells were observed using transmission electron microscopy. The designed AMPs were also assessed for hemolytic and cell cytotoxicity. In vivo therapeutic efficacy and acute toxicity of the peptides were assessed using an in-house mouse model.
Serotypes 19F and 23F were the two prevailing serotypes among Malaysian population with serotype 19F significantly associated with penicillin resistance. Penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae constituted half (50.3%) of the total isolates. and as high as 87.5% of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP) were PCV7-vaccine serotypes. From the peptide designs, antimicrobial testing showed that the five hybrid
iv
peptides (DM1-5) exhibited strong antipneumococcal activity irrespective of penicillin susceptibility of the isolates. These isolates included the highly prevalent serotype 19F. The pneumococcal killing rates were higher than penicillin by 38 – 64%, 54 – 76%, and 30 – 57% for penicillin-resistant, intermediate, and susceptible isolates at 30 min posttreatment, respectively. The DMs and other peptides produced synergism in combination with penicillin against S. pneumoniae and displayed broad spectrum antibacterial activities. The DMs induced overwhelming cellular damages leading to cell death. Besides, DMs exhibited low hemolytic activity (HC50 >250 μg/ml) with varying degrees of cell cytotoxicity against NL20 and A549 cell lines. Notably, DM3 (40 mg/kg) given via intraperitoneal route at 12 hrs interval for three dosing regimens protected 50% of mice from lethal systemic infection by a PRSP strain. Interestingly, combination therapy using low doses (10mg/kg and 20mg/kg) DM3 and penicillin showed therapeutic synergism with 20-50% higher survival rates than the sum of the standalone treatments. Complete protection (100%) was achieved with DM3 (20 mg/kg) – penicillin (20 mg/kg) combination.
Pneumococcal infections continue to affect humans and antibiotic-resistant S. pneumoniae would further complicate the treatment outcomes. The current study demonstrated that AMPs represent the promising new generation antibiotics as standalone therapeutics or in combination with conventional antibiotics. Novel designed AMPs candidates can be designed following careful designing approaches to generate peptides with high therapeutic potential to be further developed into clinically useful antibiotics.


Objectives Violence is a major public health problem in the USA. In 2016, more than 1.6 million assault-related injuries were treated in US emergency departments (EDs). Unfortunately, information about the magnitude and patterns of violent incidents is often incomplete and underreported to law enforcement (LE). In an effort to identify more complete information on violence for the development of prevention programme, a cross-sectoral Cardiff Violence Prevention Programme (Cardiff Model) partnership was established at a large, urban ED with a level I trauma designation and local metropolitan LE agency in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area. The Cardiff Model is a promising violence prevention approach that promotes combining injury data from hospitals and LE. The objective was to describe the Cardiff Model implementation and collaboration between hospital and LE partners. Methods The Cardiff Model was replicated in the USA. A process evaluation was conducted by reviewing project materials, nurse surveys and interviews and ED–LE records. Results Cardiff Model replication centred around four activities: (1) collaboration between the hospital and LE to form a community safety partnership locally called the US Injury Prevention Partnership; (2) building hospital capacity for data collection; (3) data aggregation and analysis and (4) developing and implementing violence prevention interventions based on the data. Conclusions The Cardiff Model can be implemented in the USA for sustainable violent injury data surveillance and sharing. Key components include building a strong ED–LE partnership, communicating with each other and hospital staff, engaging in capacity building and sustainability planning.


Starting with Arthur Smith's metaphor of the 'peephole method', this article explores the issues of ruralism and awkwardness which underlie much ethnographic fieldwork in rural China. In the first part, the continuing influence of ruralism—the idea that the Chinese countryside represents the 'real' China—is discussed. This idea is based on a radical conceptual separation of the countryside and the city, which denies modern everydayness to the countryside. If we accept that the modern everyday is now present in rural China and that ordinary people are aware of ruralism and its opposites (urbanism and modernity), we need to find research methods suitable to address the entanglement and the social uses of ruralist and modernist representations in everyday life. In the second part of the article, I argue that the 'reflective peephole method' could be such a method. Starting from the awkwardness I felt in my own fieldwork in south-western Hubei Province, I argue that the dilemmas of the 'peephole method' might be a good starting point for reflecting on the intensified ambiguity of moral discourse and action in contemporary rural China.


This paper discusses the methodology used for improving power savings on a new Platform Control Hub (PCH); an advanced System-on-a-Chip (SOC). Low power design techniques had evolved from those used in multiple chips on a package designs towards more efficient ones in a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). The example that this paper is based on, had improved power savings up to 47% compared to the previous generation of PCH. Thus, with the new improvement, we will see a much better battery life span for a mobile computing platform and also make desktop computing platforms more eco friendly. We will be looking at a multiple power domains design; governed by different stages of PFET switches, local power gating controller and central power gating controller implemented in the new Platform Control Hub (PCH). Further more, a newly introduced routing scheme of self-isolated repeater cells which feeds through different power domain will also be discusses; as we also look at design approaches that were taken to avoid causing a big impact to voltage drop and electro migration on power grids of different metal layers. These design are in place to further improve the standby power saving and reduce sub-threshold leakage. However, the design also introduces some challenges and trade-off between wake-up overhead and leakage savings that need to be carefully balance while conducting power delivery modeling analysis. To round up the paper, we will present measurements of power savings in gating and ungating from silicon debugs; to validate the correlation between simulation modeling and actual silicon implementation.


The authors of the article "Time Course and Diagnostic Utility of Nfl, Tau, GFAP, and UCH-L1 in Subacute and Chronic TBI,"1 revised the paper to acknowledge and cite duplication of analyses and figures in a companion paper.2 They made changes throughout the paper acknowledging that some of the figures and analyses are reproduced from the companion paper for ease of comparison. They also cite the companion paper in several places to ensure that the reader knows which of the analyses and figures are also contained in the companion paper. These changes have occurred in the Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, figure legends, tables, and supplementary material, and the online version of the article was updated on March 22. All changes are identified in the Highlighted Changes supplement linked from the updated version.


With new technology come new rewards as well as new problems. The Internet may be an excellent tool for investors, but it acts as a double-edged sword a source of information and a source of fraud. Investors must be vigilant in watching for false information passed through the Internet and other channels, or they risk falling prey to insidious schemes. Swindlers commonly employ certain tactics to commit microcap stock fraud. Here are some recommendations on combating the frauds.


Since the 1960s, all studies have assumed that a film thickness "h" provides a unique pressure field "p" by resolving the Reynolds equation. However, it is relevant to investigate the film thickness unicity under a given hydrodynamic pressure within the inverse theory.
This paper presents a new approach to deduce from an initial film thickness a widespread number of thicknesses providing the same hydrodynamic pressure under a specific condition of gradient pressure. For this purpose, three steps were presented: 1) computing the hydrodynamic pressure from an initial film thickness by resolving the Reynolds equation with Gümbel's cavitation model, 2) using a new algorithm to generate a second film thickness, 3) comparing and validating the hydrodynamic pressure produced by both thicknesses with the modified Reynolds equation.
Throughout three surface finishes: the macro-shaped, micro-textured, and rough surfaces, it has been demonstrated that under a specific hydrodynamic pressure gradient, several film thicknesses could generate the same pressure field with a slight difference by considering cavitation. Besides, this paper confirms also that different ratios of the averaged film thickness by the root mean square (RMS) similar hydrodynamic pressure could be generated, thereby the deficiency of this ratio to define the lubrication regime as commonly known with Patir and Cheng theory.


For many decades now abortion legislation has (even before the era of abortion on demand) allowed a mother the right to have a foetus aborted which could be born with a physical mental defect resulting in the child being seriously handicapped. In the future it will be possible, not only to have defective foetuses aborted, but also to order our babies according to our own specifications. In the present case the plaintiffs' child was born severely handicapped because the parents were not informed of the fact that the foetus was suffering from congenital defects. The mother would, had she known about the defects, have had the foetus aborted. The mother was, however, ignorant of any defects and the child was born with severe disabilities. Apart from the claim instituted by the mother in her own name, the father instituted a claim on behalf of the son. The Supreme Court of Appeal rejected this second claim as being against public policy. It is this second claim that forms the basis of this note.


Secondary blue tourmaline (schorl to Fe-rich fluor-elbaite to very rare Fe-rich fluor-liddicoatite) with quartz partially replace spessartine–almandine garnet and albite in elbaite-subtype pegmatites cutting pyroxene gneisses and calcite or dolomite marbles (at Tamponilapa and Tsarafara-Nord, Sahatany Valley, Madagascar) and paragneisses (at Ctidružice, Moldanubian Zone, Czech Republic). Only garnet from the albite adjacent to an unit with Li-bearing minerals (Li-micas, Li-tourmalines) underwent this alteration, whereas associated primary tourmaline (schorl to Mg-bearing schorl) remained unaltered. Textural relations and chemical composition of the individual minerals suggest the following equation of replacement for averaged and simplified (Ca-free) compositions of garnet and secondary tourmaline from Tsarafara: 25 NaAlSi3O8 + 2 (Mn2Fe1)Al2Si3O12 + 12 H3BO3 + 4 LiF → 4 (Na0.75□0.25)(Al1.25Li1.00Fe0.50Mn0.25)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3F + 46 SiO2 + 11 Na2SiO3 + 3 MnO + 12 H2O Elevated contents of Al, Fe, Na and Mn in secondary tourmaline were likely sourced from the replaced garnet and albite, whereas the residual fluids supplied B, F, Li, and H2O. Garnet and associated primary tourmaline are rather Mg-rich but the secondary tourmaline is typically Mg-free. The contents of Ca are high in both tourmaline generations, but the secondary one is occasionally even more enriched compared to the associated primary tourmaline. Such a behavior of Mg and Ca suggests that no Mg was externally supplied during primary crystallization of primary tourmaline from the moment when pegmatite melt was sealed off the host rock. Negligible to none concentrations of Mg in secondary tourmaline show that the pegmatite system was closed to the host rocks during the hydrothermal alteration producing the secondary tourmaline generation. Evident absence of external Mg-contamination from host Ca, Mg-rich rock rules out also any contamination by Ca. High contents of Ca in primary tourmaline and garnet are related to originally Ca-enriched pegmatite melt contaminated before emplacement.


ABSTRACT This study explores how project-based learning in combination with other pedagogical scaffolding approaches influences students' experiences during their transition into the university. Based on the thematic analysis of interviews with students at the end of the first semester, we show how a project-based course in electronics can create opportunities within three themes: student socialisation, curriculum integration, and peer-learning. In the light of these findings, we discuss how students build relationships with other students, as well as with faculty members and practicing engineers, and how these relationships influence their start at the university. On a more general level, this case study exemplifies how an existing electrical engineering programme can be changed by targeted interventions without the need for programme wide adjustments.


This paper provides a model of integrated market and nonmarket strategies in the context of an industry facing regulation that differentially affects the firms in the industry. The regulation is chosen in a majority rule institution, and to affect the stringency of the regulation, the firms in the industry can take nonmarket action in the form of providing support to legislators based on how they vote. The nonmarket action is considered in the context of client and interest group politics, where the latter involves competition with an environmental interest group. An integrated strategy is composed of the firm's strategy for its market environment and its strategy for its nonmarket environment. Also the integrated strategies of the firms must constitute an equilibrium in their market competition and an equilibrium for their nonmarket competition, including that with the environmental interest group. Collective action in the form of coalition building and rent chain mobilization is also considered.


The goal of this paper is to present a dedicated high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure which is used in the development of a so-called reduced-order model (ROM) for simulating the outcomes of interventional procedures which are contemplated in the treatment of valvular heart conditions. Following a brief introduction to the problem, the paper presents the design of a model execution environment, in which representative cases can be simulated and the parameters of the ROM fine-tuned to enable subsequent deployment of a decision support system without further need for HPC. The presentation of the system is followed by information concerning its use in processing specific patient cases in the context of the EurValve international collaboration.


Current debates over the autonomy of virtual worlds have an eerie similarity to discussions about the independence of cyberspace two decades ago. The history of the Internet offers some important lessons for how the law will affect virtual worlds, and how it should do so.


The Woodwardian Museum of the University of Cambridge has long contained the cerebral region of the skull of a large Teleosaur from the Lias of Whitby, which differs in important characters from the Teleosaurs hitherto described, and adds some interesting points to our knowledge of the cranial characters in this extinct suborder of animals. Attention was briefly drawn to the specimen at p. 121 of my 'Index to the Fossil Remains of Reptilia &c. in the Woodwardian Museum' 1869. The skull has been transversely fractured anteriorly, posterior to the suture between the parietal and frontal bones, so that no part of the frontal region is preserved, and therefore no indication is given of the anterior expansion of the skull beyond the long temporal fossæ. The crest of the parietal bone appears to have been more than usually wide and strong, but that, too, is imperfectly preserved. The quadrate and squamosal bones are broken away at the sides; the base of the occipital region is fractured, and the pterygoid bones are absent; but the very imperfections of the specimen led to its being sawn through in the median line, so as to display a vertical section of the brain-case. Care has been taken to make the section so as to throw light on the lateral modifications of the brain-case; and I now venture to submit to the Geological Society some account of the characters thus displayed. In existing Crocodiles the brain-case is relatively small, owing to the shortness of the parietal


Fossil fuels which includes coal, natural gas and oil, have been the main sources of energy since the beginning of industrial revolution as they are used in various instruments (gas turbine, internal combustion engines, thermal power plants) for power production. Fossil fuels may offer good efficiencies and high performance, but the fact that they are finite and have severe effects on the environment has always left the researchers of exploring alternative techniques for energy production to overcome the growing energy demands of the world. Although Fuel Cells (FCs) were first introduced more than 170 years ago, but it has been only the last three decades since they have shown great prospects of being commercially suitable. FCs particularly Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are high efficiency electrical power, heat generating and environment friendly devices which offers a great promise of overtaking the traditionally existing power generating technologies and they have the potentials to meet the uncontrollable increasing energy demands around the globe. Apart from their good performance as a stand-alone power and heat generating units, the performance efficiency can be improved even more when SOFCs are integrated with the waste heat recovery units. Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine (SOFC-GT) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) hybrid systems are becoming a promising solution to the future energy demands. Integrating the recuperative Gas Turbine (GT) with SOFC, the overall efficiency of up to 70 percent could be achieved. Looking to the rising interest of hybrid system, a detailed thermodynamic and thermal model of SOFC-GT is simulated in MATLAB in this thesis. This thesis aims to analyze the performance of SOFC-GT by investigating the effect of fuel flow rates, current density and pressure ratio change on the temperature and electrical power output of SOFC stack, gas turbine. The model also investigates the effects of the aforementioned parameters on the stack voltage and the efficiency of the whole plant. The results of the tests are compared with the results available in the literature.


SUMMARY In the sea anemone Calliactis parasitica endodermal application of the anthozoan neuropeptide Antho-RFamide (<Glu-Gly-Arg-Phe-amide), at a concentration of 10~ 6 or 10~ 7 moll~ 1 , caused a long-lasting increase in tone, contraction frequency and contraction amplitude in several slow muscle groups but had no effect on contractions in fast muscles. The effects were investigated further in isolated muscle preparations. Ectodermal application to whole animals had no effect on muscle contractions. Both ectodermal and endodermal application, at 10~ 7 moll~', raised electrical activity in an ectodermal conduction system, the SSI, but had no effect on an endodermal conduction system, the SS2. Electrical activity in the SS2 was increased by application at 10~ 6 moll~' to the endoderm but not to the ectoderm. The peptide had no effect on the through-conducting nerve net. It is concluded that contractions evoked by Antho-RFamide may be partly due to neuronal activity, but probably also involve direct excitation of the muscles. The diverse excitatory actions of Antho-RFamide suggest that it may be a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in sea anemones.


Traditionally, climate modelers try to make their computer simulations reflect physical reality in as much detail as possible. That approach is wonderful for helping scientists probe the mechanics of Earth9s climate. What it9s not so good at is predicting the future—the very function that policymakers need most. Some researchers say the only answer is a major overhaul. Climate models, they say, need to become more like models used in weather forecasting and economics, soft-pedaling physics and stressing probability. Such a "stochastic" approach would mark a sea change in climatology; naturally, not everyone in the field is sold on the idea.


Most social science research applying complexity principles concentrates on the complexity of the external world. There has been relatively little work on the inner complexity of human beings, and how this influences their behaviour in the world. This chapter introduces a visual methodology called Landscape of the Mind (referred to as LoM), which is designed to focus on these issues. Case studies and examples are given to illustrate its practical applications and show how it can be used to catalyse change in organisations, with particular reference to the implications for leadership and innovation.


Focusing on individual motorists in car-owning households in Germany, this analysis econometrically investigates the determinants of automobile travel for non-work service activities against the backdrop of two questions: 1) Does gender play a role in determining the probability of car use and the distance driven? 2) If so, how is this role mitigated or exacerbated by other socioeconomic attributes of the individual and the household in which they reside? Drawing on a panel of data collected between 1996 and 2003, we specify Heckman's sample selection model to control for biases that could otherwise arise from the existence of unobservable variables that determine both the discrete and continuous choices pertaining to car use. The results indicate that although women, on average, undertake more non-work travel than men, they undertake less of such travel by car, implying a greater reliance on other modes. Moreover, employment status, age, the number of children, automobile availability, and the proximity to public transit are all found to have significantly different effects on the probability of non-work car travel between men and women, but – with the exception of automobile availability – not on the distance driven. Taken together, these results suggest that policies targeted at reducing automobile dependency and associated negative externalities such as congestion are unlikely to have uniform effects across the sexes, findings having implications for both policy evaluation as well as travel demand forecasting. JEL Classification: R21, R41


Surface-bound polypeptides and proteins are increasingly used to functionalize inorganic interfaces such as electrodes, but their structural characterization is exceedingly difficult with standard technologies. In this paper, we report the first two-dimensional sum-frequency generation (2D SFG) spectra of a peptide monolayer, which are collected by adding a mid-IR pulse shaper to a standard femtosecond SFG spectrometer. On a gold surface, standard FTIR spectroscopy is inconclusive about the peptide structure because of solvation-induced frequency shifts, but the 2D line shapes, anharmonic shifts, and lifetimes obtained from 2D SFG reveal that the peptide is largely α-helical and upright. Random coil residues are also observed, which do not themselves appear in SFG spectra due to their isotropic structural distribution, but which still absorb infrared light and so can be detected by cross-peaks in 2D SFG spectra. We discuss these results in the context of peptide design. Because of the similar way in which the spectra are collected, these 2D SFG spectra can be directly compared to 2D IR spectra, thereby enabling structural interpretations of surface-bound peptides and biomolecules based on the well-studied structure/2D IR spectra relationships established from soluble proteins.


Since the early 1990s British Islamists have been fighting, killing and dying in a succession of conflicts across the world, beginning with the Bosnian civil war of 1992-95. A decade later this violence reached the United Kingdom, with a series of deadly attacks on the London transport system in July 2005, the first suicide bombings in Western Europe.
This thesis provides a historiography of the involvement of Britons in global and domestic jihadist struggles at home and abroad across three decades. It catalogues and records their actions, and bring into a central document the names and affiliations of both British Islamist combatants, and those from jihadist organisations who have settled in this country. The ever increasing number of Britons travelling to the Islamic State does not come as a surprise when the scale of past involvement in such causes is considered. This thesis deconstructs the religious objectives is intrinsic to these trends, and emphasises that in British Jihadism it is the goal, as much as the message, which is religious.
The reluctance of British Muslim representative organisations to address early examples of these developments, the 'denial' – is analysed herein. The development of a religious terrorism which often targets women and minority groups may have been expected to face critical examination from academics, in particular from within the critical terrorism studies school. Regrettably such rigour is found to be lacking. Indeed it is within the academy that some the most sustained attempts to deny any religious influences behind contemporary terrorism have been found. Detailed
3
feminist critiques of Islamist practice are deployed to advocate a new approach – one that leads to a critical terrorist studies which critiques not just government responses to terrorism, but terrorist actors also.


Contemporary multielectrode arrays (MEAs) used to record extracellular activity from neural tissues can deliver data at rates on the order of 100 Mbps. Such rates require efficient data compression and/or preprocessing algorithms implemented on an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) close to the MEA. We present SIMONE (Statistical sIMulation Of Neuronal networks Engine), a versatile simulation tool whose parameters can be either fixed or defined by a probability distribution. We validated our tool by simulating data recorded from the first olfactory relay of an insect. Different key aspects make this tool suitable for testing the robustness and accuracy of neural signal processing algorithms (such as the detection, alignment, and classification of spikes). For instance, most of the parameters can be defined by a probabilistic distribution, then tens of simulations may be obtained from the same scenario. This is especially useful when validating the robustness of the processing algorithm. Moreover, the number of active cells and the exact firing activity of each one of them is perfectly known, which provides an easy way to test accuracy.


How to Write a Precis is designed to teach students how to read and comprehend a text, and then reduce its length without omitting the essential details or radically altering the style of the original. It contains theoretical background, practical step-by-step instructions on how to write a precis, sample precis, and a variety of exercises. Also included are sections on popularizing and abstracting. Its tightly organized structure and straightforward, direct style make How to Write a Precis the ideal text for students and teachers of translation, of English as a second language, and of all types of English Composition. It is intended for use in universities, community colleges, high schools, and in adult education. The exercises have been carefully chosen and organized so as to provide optimum hands-on learning experience for the reader; they vary in difficulty, so that the teacher may select those that suit the level of proficiency and the special interests of a particular group of students.


Acumen is a language and tool for modeling and simulating cyber-physical systems. It allows the user to conduct simulations using a technique called rigorous simulation that produces results with explicit error bounds, expressed as intervals. This feature can be useful when designing and testing systems where the reliability of results or taking uncertainty into account is important.Unfortunately, analyzing these simulation results can be difficult, as Acumen supports only two ways of presenting them: raw data tables and 2D-plots.These views of the data make certain kinds of analysis cumbersome, such as understanding correlations between variables. This is especially true when the model in question is large. This project proposes a new way of visualising rigorous simulation results in Acumen.The goal of this project is to create a method for visualising intervallic values in 3D, and implement it in Acumen. To achieve that, every span of values is represented as a series of overlapping objects. This family of objects, which constitutes an under-approximation of the true simulation result, is then wrapped inside a semi-translucent box that is a conservative over-approximation of the simulation result.The resulting implementation makes for a combination of mathematical correctness (rigour), and mediation of intervals in question. It enables the user to explore the results of his rigorous simulations as conveniently as with the existing, non-rigorous simulation methods, using the 3D visualisation to simplify the study of real-life problems.To our knowledge, no existing software features visualisation of interval-based simulation results, nor is there any convention for doing this. Some ways in which the proposed solution could be improved are suggested at the end of this report


Four leucoanthocyanin compounds were extracted from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Two were identified as leucocyanidin compounds and the third as a leucodelphinidin. The fourth compound was not characterized. One of the leucocyanidins and the leucodelphinidin inhibited reproduction by Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus casei , and Escherichia coli . The other leucocyanidin was without effect on S. aureus , but it inhibited L. casei and E. coli . As to oxygen uptake by resting cells of E. coli, S. aureus, Salmonella enteritidis , and Shigella paradysenteriae , the compounds varied in their action according to the organism and pH. In general, oxygen uptake was stimulated at pH 7.0 and depressed at pH 4.3.


We report the surgical excision of a retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst that presented as a nonfunctioning left adrenal mass in a 25-year-old woman with continuous pain in the left flank. Preoperative biochemical testing confirmed that the mass was nonfunctional. Bronchogenic cysts are mostly benign congenital abnormalities that originate from the remnants of the primitive foregut and typically occur in the lung. Subdiaphragmatic and especially, retroperitoneal locations are rare. Despite the rarity of this pathologic entity, bronchogenic cysts should be considered in the differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal cystic lesions. Diagnosis must be definitively confirmed by histology.


The transgene-induced mutation 9257 and the spontaneous mutation twirler cause craniofacial and inner ear malformations and are located on mouse chromosome 18 near the ataxia locus ax. To map the human homolog of 9257, a probe from the transgene insertion site was used to screen a human genomic library. Analysis of a cross-hybridizing human clone identified a 3-kb conserved sequence block that does not appear to contain protein coding sequence. Analysis of somatic cell hybrid panels assigned the human locus to 18q11. The polymorphic microsatellite markers D18S1001 and D18S1002 were isolated from the human locus and mapped by linkage analysis using the CEPH pedigrees. The 9257 locus maps close to the centromeres of human chromosome 18q and mouse chromosome 18 at the proximal end of a conserved linkage group. To evaluate the role of this locus in human craniofacial disorders, linkage to D18S1002 was tested in 11 families with autosomal dominant nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate and 3 families with autosomal dominant cleft palate only. Obligatory recombinants were observed in 8 of the families, and negative lod scores from the other families indicated that these disorders are not linked to the chromosome 18 loci.


Hydrazone (Hz)-based pH-sensitive methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-cholesterol conjugates (mPEG-Hz-Chol), were synthesized and used to fabricate liposomes. The structures of the mPEG2000-Hz-Chol conjugate were confirmed by FT-IR and 1H-NMR; they were stable at pH 7.4 but sensitive to mild acid conditions (pH 5.5). Plain liposomes were also prepared with S100PC/ Chol, and the pH-insensitive liposomes with S100PC/Chol/mPEG2000-Chol for comparison; all the liposomes were similar in diameter ∼200 nm. In vitro, the pH-sensitive liposomes released more of the model drug, paclitaxel (PTX), than the plain liposomes. The pH-sensitive liposomes were less toxic than the plain liposomes and exhibited higher cellular uptake of PTX compared with pH-insensitive liposomes by human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). The pHsensitive mPEG2000-Hz-Chol liposomes are now being investigated as a potential new liposome drug delivery system.


In this paper, acido- and phototriggered enhancement of the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties are achieved by combining the 10-(2-arylethenyl)indolino[2,1-b]oxazolidine unit with various styrylic residues. The synthetic pathway allows the preparation of phenyl, naphthyl, anthryl, and phenanthryl derivatives, which have been shown to display photochromic and acidochromic behavior at ambient temperature. The multiaddressable molecular switches are characterized by a large contrast of the NLO response along the reversible transformations. Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) experiments clearly indicate the strong influence of the electrodonating substituent borne by the aromatic system. Theoretical calculations have been performed for representative molecules showing a good agreement with the experimental hyperpolarizabilities. This enables a better understanding of the NLO responses in terms of structural and electronic parameters for both closed and protonated open forms.


Modulation Assisted Machining (MAM), based on controlled superimposition of low-frequency modulation to conventional machining, effects discrete chip formation and disrupts the severe contact condition at the tool-chip interface. The underlying theory of discrete chip formation and its implications are briefly described and illustrated. Benefits such as improved chip management and lubrication, reduction of tool wear, enhanced material removal, particulate manufacturing and surface texturing are highlighted using case studies. MAM represents a new paradigm for machining in that it deliberately employs 'good vibrations' to enhance machining performance and capability.


T cell recognition of drugs is explained by the hapten-carrier model, implying covalent binding of chemically reactive drugs to carrier proteins. However, most drugs are nonreactive and their recognition by T cells is unclear. We generated T cell clones from allergic individuals specific to sulfamethoxazole, lidocaine (nonreactive drugs), and cef-triaxone (per se reactive b -lactam antibiotic) and compared the increase of intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca 2 1 ] i ) and the kinetics of T cell receptor (TCR) downregulation of these clones by drug-specific stimulations. All drugs tested induced an MHC-restricted, doseand antigen-presenting cell (APC)-dependent TCR downregulation on specific CD4 1 and CD8 1 T cell clones. Chemically nonreactive drugs elicited an immediate and sustained [Ca 2 1 ] i increase and a rapid TCR downregulation, but only when these drugs were added in solution to APC and clone. In contrast, the chemically reactive hapten ceftriaxone added in solution needed . 6 h to induce TCR downregulation. When APC were preincubated with ceftriaxone, a rapid downregulation of the TCR and cytokine secretion was observed, suggesting a stable presentation of a covalently modified peptide. Our data demonstrate two distinct pathways of drug presentation to activated specific T cells. The per se reactive ceftriaxone is presented after covalent binding to carrier peptides. Nonreactive drugs can be recognized by specific ab 1 T cells via a nonconventional presentation pathway based on a labile binding of the drug to MHC–peptide complexes. ( J. Clin. Invest. 1998. 102:1591–1598.)


In this paper, B-rep solid modeling techniques are used to deal with geometric modeling issues encountered in ball-end milling simulation. The precise B-rep model of the cutter swept volume is developed using advanced sweeping/skinning techniques. Semi-finishing operations are simulated by performing consecutive Boolean operations between the updated part and swept volume, The instantaneous chip geometry is accurately and reliably extracted from the B-rep model of the updated part. Also, the material removal in ball-end milling is precisely simulated for finishing operations, in order to construct the feed-mark and scallop geometries. The validity of the final model is confirmed by comparing the predicted feed-mark profile with experimental measurements. The system developed can be used to verify and optimize NC codes, thus contributing to improving reliability, accuracy, and productivity in CNC machining.


With the 3D stack-die technology, top die and base die are stacked together with micro-bumps for die-to-die interconnection and a through silicon via (TSV) for die-to-package connection. This technology provides tremendous flexibility as designers seek to "mix and match" technology IP blocks with various memory and I/O elements in novel device form factors. Even though the lock-in thermal detection technique had been demonstrated as a useful debug technique to detect defects on packages or pin related fails on 3D stack-die configuration, it is difficult to apply this technique to do functional debug. This paper presents a novel base die debug technique with TSV wirebond for 3D stack-die devices. A comprehensive study on the base die debug flow with real failing cases is also presented. Base die debug techniques will need to continue to be innovated to provide complete debug solutions for such platform.


Craniofrontonasal dysplasia is an X-linked malformation syndrome characterized by facial asymmetry (particularly orbital), body asymmetry, midline defects (hypertelorism, frontal bossing, broad grooved or bifid nasal tip, cleft lip and/or palate, high arched palate), skeletal anomalies (clavicle pseudoarthrosis, coronal craniosynostosis, various digital and limb anomalies including syndactyly, clinodactyly of the 5th finger, broad thumbs) and ectodermal dysplasias (dental anomalies, grooved nails, wiry hair). Contrary to most Xlinked disorders, females are much more severely affected whereas males are asymptomatic or present with a mild phenotype, frequently only displaying hypertelorism. Qeios · Definition, February 10, 2020


Supply chain collaboration enables firms to achieve better performance. It requires close arrangements of collaborative practices among the participating members. Searching for better practices and ideas that lead to superior performance means that the chain members also need to benchmark their current collaborative practices to other collaborative supply chains. Benchmarking enables them to identify the highest standards of excellence in customer services and processes and implement necessary improvements to match or exceed these standards. This paper, reports a benchmarking study on supply chain collaboration between retailers and suppliers, which incorporates collaborative practices in information sharing, decision synchronisation, and incentive alignment. An empirical study was carried out to benchmark the profile of collaborative practices and operational performance. The study also compared differences in the use of collaborative practices from retailer and supplier perspectives.


Surgery is the preferred modality for curative treatment of recurrent laryngeal cancer after failure of nonsurgical treatments. Patients with initial early‐stage cancer experiencing recurrence following radiotherapy often have more advanced‐stage tumors by the time the recurrence is recognized. About one third of such recurrent cancers are suitable for conservation surgery. Endoscopic resection with the CO2 laser or open partial laryngectomy (partial vertical, supracricoid, or supraglottic laryngectomies) have been used. The outcomes of conservation surgery appear better than those after total laryngectomy, because of selection bias. Transoral laser surgery is currently used more frequently than open partial laryngectomy for treatment of early‐stage recurrence, with outcomes equivalent to open surgery but with less associated morbidity. Laser surgery has also been employed for selective cases of advanced recurrent disease, but patient selection and expertise are required for application of this modality to rT3 tumors. In general, conservation laryngeal surgery is a safe and effective treatment for localized recurrences after radiotherapy for early‐stage glottic cancer. Recurrent advanced‐stage cancers should generally be treated by total laryngectomy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2012.


One of the key elements in the emerging, packet-based long term evolution (LTE) cellular systems is the deployment of multiple femtocells for the improvement of coverage and data rate. However, arbitrary overlaps in the coverage of these femto-cells make the handover operation more complex and challenging. As the existing handover strategy of LTE systems considers only carrier to interference plus noise ratio (CINR), it often suffers from resource constraints in the target femtocell, thereby leading to handover failure. In this paper, we propose a new efficient, multi-objective handover solution for LTE cellular systems. The proposed solution considers multiple parameters like signal strength and available bandwidth in the selection of the optimal target cell. This results in a significant increase in the handover success rate, thereby reducing the blocking of handover and new sessions. The overall handover process is modeled and analyzed by a three-dimensional Markov chain. The analytical results for the major performance metrics closely resemble the simulation results. The simulation results show that the proposed multi-objective handover offers considerable improvement in the session blocking rates, session queuing delay, handover latency, and goodput during handover.


A distinctive feature of the urban renewal effort in Metropolitan
Manila is the policy requiring the minimum displacement of families vis - a- vis
the provision of the basic needs of man or of a human settlement. To carry
out this policy, a comprehensive upgrading and improvement in situ that
integrates social service improvements and physical improvements was undertaken.
The scheme called for the participation of a host of government agencies to
overcome, among others, financial constraints and jurisdictional limitation.
This led to the interaction, interrelationship, and coordination among various
departments and offices involved in the solution of a problem.
This effort to make Metropolitan Manila livable and pleasant includes
Tondo. It is the largest squatter slum in Manila. Tondo-related activities
have a formative impact on the government urban renewal program because it
is the first comprehensive slum upgrading project ever undertaken. For all
intents and purposes, therefore, the Tondo project is a prototype of city
renewal in the Philippines.
Experiences gained in the Tondo project implementation period will
help strengthen the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Metropolitan
Manila Commission (MMC). Particularly, NHA and its parent agency, the
Ministry of Human Settlements (MHS) are expected to increase significantly its
capacity to plan and implement similar slum upgrading and sites and services
projects in other parts of Metropolitan Manila and in other cities in the
Philippines. The project would also help the government to develop
institutions, reexamine existing policies and programs and formulate new
ones to deal with the problems of urban growth. One of the existing policies which this study suggests government
should examine is its budgetary orientation re securing first the foundation infrastructures before the direct provision of services. Such partiality
to public buildings and edifices, roads, and drainage and sewerage systems
leads to an incrementalist and palliative attention to the other basic
needs. Although the poor may enjoy to a certain extent the benefits derived
from these physical facilities, they may remain as poor as ever because they
now have to worry, for instance, about rentals which did not bother them
at all when they were living in makeshift dwellings built in squatter areas.
Indeed, city renewal must fulfil several objectives: social,
physical, economic, educational. Moreover, it must aim at the spiritual
needs of the individual and the community. These goals must be pursued
to avoid paying lip-service to providing the basic needs which the government
has espoused and committed itself so very vocally. Serious consideration
of this four-point objective would also mean a departure from the traditional.
response of the Philippine government to the problem of slum and squatter
areas, i.e., a series of ad hoc, crisis-oriented projects generally
involving pre-fabricated homes and major relocations to distant sites, which
have not been very successful. Principal difficulties have been a lack of
nearby employment opportunities and inadequate services, especially
transportation. In fact, there was no distribution of social infrastructure.
The most important aspect of social infrastructure is the quality of human
resources, meaning, the capacity of labour to enjoy the benefits of growth
and to contribute to productivity itself. By placing the discussion within the time frame, 1975-1980, the
circumstances shaping the urban renewal effort are sequentially presented.
It was in these years that decisions to upgrade and improve Metropolitan
Manila became bolder: for example, foreign loans to finance social rather
than economic infrastructure whose investment returns will not be readily
quantified in terms of cash. Chapter I describes the background of the effort. In a more or
less historical perspective, this scenario gives account of the events
that moulded Metropolitan Manila into its present form, i.e., urban blight
and subhuman living conditions in its squatter slum areas, specifically,
Tondo. Chapter II analyses the conceptual framework of the effort. This
is followed by the two chapters dealing with the application of the concept.
Chapter III discusses the city renewal activities in the entire Metropolitan
Manila composed of four cities and thirteen municipalities, and Chapter IV
deals with the slum clearance and improvement of Tondo itself. Chapter V
concludes with a cautionary note on the need to review the government policy
allocating the major bulk of its meagre resources to infrastructures and
physical facilities to the detriment of the other basic necessities not only
of the individual citizen but also of the larger community.


In this paper I relate Europeanisation to the processes of nation states formation and consolidation. The paper first offers a general framework for the historical interpretation of the integration process. It then describes that same process in analytical terms, sketching the implications of actors' boundary transcendence. In the third section the paper relates this new constellation to the historical 'triangles' representing the processes of nation-state formation and internal political structuring. In the conclusion, the paper discusses the integration process in relation to different conceptions of 'political modernity' and in view of the different 'political projects' that can be pursued through it. Europeanisation is seen as a new phase of development characterised by an uneven process of territorial de-differentiation. This de-differentiation generates tensions due to the decoupling of the formerly territorially overlapping principles of identity, solidarity and legitimised decision rules within the nation state.


Three separate experimental models of optic nerve regeneration have been presented--along the existing pathway in the presence of antibodies to neutralise inhibitory molecules, along peripheral nerve grafts and from retinal transplants. Each offers a theoretical clinical strategy for restoration of vision, if the mechanism of re-establishment of maps and reconnection to appropriate targets during regeneration can be determined. This is the process of axon guidance, and underlines the importance of our research into the molecular determinants that guide normal development of the visual system.


Individuals differ in how they respond to a particular treatment or exposure, and social scientists are often interested in understanding how treatment effects are moderated by observed characteristics of individuals. Effect moderation occurs when individual covariates dampen or amplify the effect of some exposure. This article focuses on estimating moderated causal effects in longitudinal settings in which both the treatment and effect moderator vary over time. Effect moderation is typically examined using covariate by treatment interactions in regression analyses, but in the longitudinal setting, this approach may be problematic because time-varying moderators of future treatment may be affected by prior treatment—for example, moderators may also be mediators—and naively conditioning on an outcome of treatment in a conventional regression model can lead to bias. This article introduces to sociology moderated intermediate causal effects and the structural nested mean model for analyzing effect moderation in the longitudinal setting. It discusses problems with conventional regression and presents a new approach to estimation (regression with residuals) that avoids these problems. The method is illustrated using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine whether the effects of time-varying exposures to poor neighborhoods on the risk for adolescent childbearing are moderated by time-varying family income.


A visual display system serves as an important man-machine interface for efficient teleoperations. However, careful consideration is necessary to display three-dimensional information on a two-dimensional screen effectively. A teleoperation simulator is constructed with a vector display system, joysticks, and a simulated cylindrical manipulator to evaluate various display conditions quantitatively. Pick-and-place tasks are performed, and mean completion times are used as a performance measure. Two experiments are performed. First, effects of variation of perspective parameters on human operator's pick-and-place performance with monoscopic perspective display are investigated. Then visual enhancements of monoscopic perspective display by adding a grid and reference lines are investigated and compared with visual enhancements of stereoscopic display. The results indicate that stereoscopic display does generally permit superior pick-and-place performance, while monoscopic display can allow equivalent performance when it is defined with appropriate perspective parameter values and provided with adequate visual enhancements. Mean completion time results of pick-and-place experiments for various display conditions shown are observed to be quite similar to the normalized rms error results of mannal tracking experiments reported previously.


We present results for the long-distance asymptotics of correlation functions of mesoscopic one-dimensional systems with periodic and open (Dirichlet) boundary conditions, as well as at finite temperature in the thermodynamic limit. The results are obtained using Haldane's harmonic-fluid approach (also known as 'bosonization'), and are valid for both bosons and fermions, in weakly and strongly interacting regimes. The harmonic-fluid approach and the method of computing the correlation functions using conformal transformations are explained in great detail. As an application relevant to one-dimensional systems of cold atomic gases, we consider the model of bosons interacting with a zero-range potential. The Luttinger-liquid parameters are obtained from the exact solution by solving the Bethe-ansatz equations in finite-size systems. The range of applicability of the approach is discussed, and the prefactor of the one-body density matrix of bosons is fixed by finding an appropriate parametrization of the weak-coupling result. The formula thus obtained is shown to be accurate, when compared with recent diffusion Monte Carlo calculations, within less than 10%. The experimental implications of these results for Bragg scattering experiments at low and high momenta are also discussed.


The paper is concerned with instructions as a way of setting premises for subsequent decisions in models of teams a la Marschak-Radner, under information diversification. The paper suggests that instructions can bridge people's differences in knowledge: they do not require mutual understanding between the sender and the receiver as other forms of communication do. In particular, the knowledge of both the team payoff function and the team organisation can be ordered according to hierarchical ranks. First, the paper shows the equivalence between commands and communication in Marschak and Radner (1972). Second, it derives the requirements in terms of knowledge of the members that follow from given structures of task assignment, information diversification and message flows. Hierarchical ranks are shown to correspond to different degrees of intelligibility of the members with respect to the team operations.


The discrepancies in the results produced by the two most commonly used Monte Carlo programs for simulation of propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic ray photons in the presence of the geomagnetic field are presented. Although photons have not yet been discovered in the cosmic ray flux at highest energies, the capabilities of the present cosmic ray detectors make their discovery possible, according to the predictions of conventional models, within the next few years. It is therefore necessary to have a reliable and well maintained software for relevant simulations. The results of this paper are important for simulations of propagation of photons at energies above 1019 eV. Photons of such high energies might interact with the geomagnetic field giving rise to a cascade of particles even above the atmosphere. This effect is called a "preshower effect". The preshower effect is important for air shower evolution and has to be accounted for in full Monte Carlo simulations of propagation of highest energy cosmic-ray photons. In this paper we compare the two most frequently used Monte Carlo codes for preshower simulations: PRESHOWER, used as a stand-alone program or as a part of CORSIKA, and MaGICS, used as a part of AIRES.


ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of herbal extracts on the quality of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) fillets throughout the storage period. Quality changes during ice storage of striped catfish fillets were studied after dip treatments in aqueous solutions of ethanolic extract of Phyllanthus amarus (0.02% and 0.04%, w/v) or Euphorbia hirta (0.06% and 0.02%, w/v). The control (dipped in tap water) and the treated fish samples were analyzed periodically for total viable counts (TVC), peroxide value, physicochemical parameters (pH, texture), and sensory properties. Results indicated that Pseudomonas spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were absent in the raw fish fillets, reflecting the safety of raw materials regarding specific spoilage and psychrotrophic pathogenic microorganisms. Fish fillets dipped in 0.04% P. amarus extract solution displayed lower TVC values (4.76 log10 CFU/g) during the initial storage period compared to treatment with E. hirta extracts. Dip treatments in water containing P. amarus or E. hirta extracts significantly reduced the primary lipid oxidation in fish samples. In conclusion, the dip treatment in water containing 0.04% P. amarus or 0.06% E. hirta extract was effective to maintain a good sensory quality of the fish fillets and to prolong their shelf life up to 8 days under ice storage.


Lumped-parameter electromechanical transducers are examined theoretically with special regard to their dynamic electromechanical behaviour and equivalent circuits used to represent them. The circuits are developed starting from basic electromechanical transduction principles and the electrical and mechanical equations of equilibrium. Within the limits of the assumptions on boundary conditions, the theory presented is exact with no restrictions other than linearity. Elementary electrostatic, electromagnetic, and electrodynamic transducers are used to illustrate the basic theory. Exemplary devices include electro-acoustic receivers (e.g., a microphone) and actuators (e.g., a loudspeaker), electromechanical filters, vibration sensors, devices employing feedback, and force and displacement sensors. This paper forms part I of a set of two papers. Part II extends the theory and deals with distributed-parameter systems.


We numerically study the impact of feedback on supercontinuum generation within a microstructured fiber inside a ring resonator, synchronously pumped with femtosecond pulses. In certain parameter ranges we observe a steady-state oscillator-like operation mode of the system. Depending on pump power also period doubling up to chaos is shown by the system. Even with the inclusion of realistic pump noise as perturbation, the periodic behavior was still achievable in numerical modeling as well as in a first experimental verification.


In this thesis I examined the utility of a mindfulness-based intervention to individually treat in a woman in her late 40's with a subthreshold binge eating disorder. The intervention used was an adapted protocol from an eight-week group format to treat an individual client over the course of 16 weeks. Clinically significant improvements were found in frequency of binge episodes, depression symptoms, eating concerns, and dietary restraint. Although they were in the expected direction, the improvements in anxiety, overall eating disorder symptoms, weight concern, and shape concern were not clinically significant. Additionally, the client's mindful awareness actually decreased slightly over the course of treatment. Future research should include dismantling studies to investigate the impact of the various techniques used in mindfulness-based interventions for eating disorders, and explore the differences in effectiveness between mindfulness-based interventions conducted in group versus individualized formats. Degree Type Thesis Degree Name Master of Science in Clinical Psychology (MSCP) Committee Chair Michael S. Christopher, Ph.D.


The aim of this review was first to explore the effect of different pre-harvest factors affecting the quality of papaya including genetic factors, climatic conditions, cultural practices on post-harvest quality of the papaya fruit. Post-harvest physiology of papaya in terms of its respiration, ethylene production and sensitivity and transpiration was reviewed. Post-harvest handling and factors affecting quality of papaya were also examined. Post-harvest biochemistry of papaya including enzyme activity, carbohydrates, organic acids, pigments and volatiles in papaya fruit were assessed. A review on postharvest handling of papaya fruit including packaging and storage environments (temperature and relative humidity) were presented. On the other hand, the post-harvest microbiology of papaya was reviewed. Papaya supply chain is much limited to local destinations with quite few exceptions mainly due to lack of integrated post-harvest handling technologies. Pre- and post-harvest treatments were found to have a significant effect on post-harvest quality of papaya and the fruit storage stability under dry and hot climatic conditions of Africa. An integrated agro-technology research and development approach aimed at improved yield and quality at harvest as well as the maintenance of qualities of papaya fruit in order to encourage farmers to produce and for marketing of the papaya fruit under African local supply chain conditions and for export market is recommended.


In order to investigate the nutritive and ensiling characteristics of banana stems and leaves, the chemical compositions of banana stems and leaves were analyzed and the effects of additives on fermentation quality were measured. The research results showed: Banana stems and leaves had high fiber content (stem>58% DM, leaf >72% DM), nitrogen free extract content (>50% DM), and water soluble carbohydrate contents (WSC>5% DM), with certain nutritive value. Tannins of banana stem and leaf were 0.11% DM and 0.24% DM. There were lactic acid bacteria (>105cfu/g FM) in the banana stems and leaves; they might be well preserved with some treatments.


In this study, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films were coated by an ink formulation containing nanoclay dispersed with ultra- sonic homogenization for 20 min. Mechanical and barrier properties of the coated films were evaluated according to clay type and concentration. PLA films coated by ink formulations containing Cloisite 30B displayed the best mechanical and barrier properties in six types of nanoclays. PLA films coated by Cloisite 30B-containing ink varying in clay concentration were investigated. Tensile strength and elongation at break of these coated films were improved in 1% Cloisite 30B. Oxygen permeability decreased significantly upon the addition of clay levels up to 1% and slightly decreased with further increases in the amount of the clay. The value of water vapor permeability also decreased depending on the increases of clay (0%-20%). When the clay content in the sample was 2.0%, the surface of coated PLA films displayed aggregation visible using film emission scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy indicated that a mixture of exfoliated and intercalated structure was formed with addition of 1% (w/w) Cloisite 30B to the ink after ultrasonication. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 127: 3823-3829, 2013


The authors analyze the potential effects of automation on the jobs of truck drivers and conclude that media accounts predicting the imminent loss of millions of truck-driving jobs are overstated. Their conclusion is based on three main factors. First, the count of truck drivers is often inflated due to a misunderstanding of the occupational classification system used in federal statistics. Second, truck drivers do more than drive, and these non-driving tasks will continue to be in demand. Third, the requirements of technology, combined with complex regulations over how trucks can operate in the United States, imply that certain segments of trucking will be easier to automate than others. Long-haul trucking (which constitutes a minority of jobs) will be much easier to automate than will short-haul trucking (or the last mile), in which the bulk of employment lies. Although technology will likely transform the status quo in the trucking industry, it does not necessarily imply the wholesale elimination of the demand for truck drivers, as conventional accounts suggest.


Background: Postoperative wound infections are major problems throughout the world. Moreover, multidrug resistance (MDR) bacteria pose challenges for control. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of multidrug resistant bacteria from postoperative wound infections.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2015. A total of 197 patients who developed postoperative wound infections after surgery were included. Wound swabs were collected using sterile cotton swabs and dipped into sterile amines transport media. All samples were cultured on blood, MacConkey and mannitol salt agar. Culture positive samples were characterized by gram stain, colony morphology and standard biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on Muller-Hinton agar using disk diffusion. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.
Results: Overall bacterial prevalence was 75.6% (n=149/197) and predominant bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus 33.3% (n=56/168) and Escherichia coli 14.3% (n=24/168). Double infections were seen 11.4% (n=17/149) of which 23.5% (n=4/17) Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas spp. occurred together. Highest proportion of bacteria 28.2% (n=42/149) were isolated from orthopedics department followed by general surgery 24.8% (n=37/149). Of all bacterial isolates, the multidrug resistance level was 65.5% (n=110/168). Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria showed an MDR level of 55.3% (n=42/76) and 73.9% (n=68/92) respectively. Amoxicillin (93.5%), ceftriaxone (85.3%) and penicillin (84.5%) were least effective.
Conclusion: Aseptic surgical practice and standard operating procedures for wound management should be followed to minimize postoperative wound infections. The possible choices of antibiotic options for treatment of postoperative wound infections are few hence for preventing further emergence and spread of MDR bacteria rational use of antibiotics and regular monitoring of antimicrobial resistance patterns is essential.


In the wake of cybersecurity issues and the ever-growing incidents of cyber-attacks, it is essential to have a mechanism in a pace that can protect information system from malicious attacks. Malware detection is thus given importance. Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Interface System (ANFIS) is the algorithm with the machine learning approach which employs both fuzzy logic and also neural network. By making a hybrid of them, it provides a fuzzy inference system that can detect malware. In this project, the ANFIS algorithm is implemented using the Java programming language. It takes malware dataset and provides malware detection mechanism. It makes use of membership functions and the combination of fuzzy logic principles and neural network to have potential benefits of both the approaches in a single framework. A prototype application is built to show the effectiveness of the hybrid ANFIS algorithm for malware detection besides comparing its performance with state of the art.


The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), recently emerged and led to a global pandemic with enormous consequent losses to global health and economies. To date, more than 30 million cases have been reported globally and have affected almost every with varying degrees. Meteorological and non-meteorological factors such as temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, population density, and latitude, are considered critical in virus transmission. To explore the correlation of environmental factors with the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 based on parameters including infection rate, effective reproduction number, and compound growth rate, we analyzed data of confirmed cases from 487 counties in the United States. We found a small impact of temperature and humidity on virus transmission, but observed a considerable positive influence of atmospheric pressure and population density on virus transmission. Geographic areas and seasons (autumn and winter), with exposure to higher atmospheric pressure, are more likely at higher risk of an outbreak. Social distancing and other measures could be effective strategies to combat COVID-19 outbreaks in densely populated areas. Additional studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying the relationship between meteorological parameters and transmission of SARS-CoV-2.


A modified polyacrylamide precursor method is presented to synthesize BaSm2Ti4O12 microwave dielectric ceramics. Under an alkaline circumstance, all the cations together with the monomer and bridging agent were dispersed into a hydrous solution with the aid of chelating agent EDTA. This mixture was initiated at about 90°C, dried, calcined at 1000°C for 2hs and finally turned into well-crystallized and single-phased BaSm2Ti4O12 ceramic powder, which was modeled and sintered at 1250°C for 2hours into well-sintered ceramics. Differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscope were used to characterize the process. Microwave dielectric properties measured by a resonating cavity method contain a dielectric constant (εr) about 77.0 and quality factor (Q×f) lager than 11000.


Mature peach leaves are typically about 4 x 16 cm, with a width/length ratio of about 25%. A narrow leaf seedling, selected by Wayne Sherman (Univ. of Florida, Gainesville), was hybridized at USDA-Byron with adapted commercial varieties. Early generation hybrids produced small, irregular-shaped fruit. After 5 generations, current selections are approaching commercial fruit standards in size, color, firmness, and attractiveness. Narrow-leaf trees are often noticeably more open than standard trees. This leaf type may be useful in standard- or high-density plantings to enhance spray penetration, to speed drying of wet foliage to reduce disease, to improve light penetration and photosynthetic efficiency for greater fruit size and red color, and to make the fruit more visible to speed picking. Inheritance studies indicate that the narrow-leaf character is at least partially dominant and is expressed in some F1 seedlings of crosses with wild-type parents. The exact inheritance remains unclear as the ratios obtained to date do not fit common inheritance patterns. Progeny vary in leaf width with ratios of width/length generally ranging from 10-25%. The most extreme seedling has leaves up to 28 cm long and 1 cm wide, and although it is not fruitful, it may have ornamental value.


Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have been widely used in Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Systems (LHTES) to store and release thermal energy. However, PCMs suffer from their low thermal conductivities, which leads to longer melting (charging) or solidification (discharging) time. Dispersing highly conductive nanoparticles into PCM is one of the methods to improve the thermal conductivity of the PCM. In this paper, we have experimentally and numerically investigated the effect of dispersing Copper Oxide nanoparticles into RT-35 filled a vertical cylindrical Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. The TES system is consisted of two vertical cylindrical enclosures, which are attached to a thick acrylic plate. One of the enclosures is filled with pure PCM and the other one is filled with nano-PCM. The setup is insulated from the bottom and isothermally heated from its sides by using a constant temperature bath. To study more about the thermal and velocity fields, melting fraction and stored energy, a numerical simulation is conducted by using COMSOL Multiphysics software. It is concluded that although adding nanoparticles to PCM improves the melting rate, it is lowering the amount of energy stored inside the TES system.


The research main objective is to investigate the effects of technology transfer capability (which are learning capability, acceptance orientation, innovation focus, exchange competency, and change awareness) on sustainable organizational competitiveness. The key research question is How does technology transfer capability relate to sustainable organizational competitiveness of the ICT companies? About 286 questionnaires were usable for analysing with effective response rate of 76.06 percent. The key informants are top executives of the information and communication technology business around Thailand. The results show that innovation focus and exchange competency positively affect sustainable organizational competitiveness. That means the technology transfer capability is important for firm's competitiveness. The innovation focus is essential components of technology transfer capability that enhances new product development, valuable operational enhancement, remarkable business efficiency, and firm performance.


Abstract. Significance: Spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) is a diffuse optical measurement technique that can quantify tissue optical absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μs′) on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Measurements of μa at different wavelengths enable the extraction of molar concentrations of tissue chromophores over a wide field, providing a noncontact and label-free means to assess tissue viability, oxygenation, microarchitecture, and molecular content. We present here openSFDI: an open-source guide for building a low-cost, small-footprint, three-wavelength SFDI system capable of quantifying μa and μs′ as well as oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations in biological tissue. The companion website provides a complete parts list along with detailed instructions for assembling the openSFDI system. Aim: We describe the design of openSFDI and report on the accuracy and precision of optical property extractions for three different systems fabricated according to the instructions on the openSFDI website. Approach: Accuracy was assessed by measuring nine tissue-simulating optical phantoms with a physiologically relevant range of μa and μs′ with the openSFDI systems and a commercial SFDI device. Precision was assessed by repeatedly measuring the same phantom over 1 h. Results: The openSFDI systems had an error of 0  ±  6  %   in μa and −2  ±  3  %   in μs′, compared to a commercial SFDI system. Bland–Altman analysis revealed the limits of agreement between the two systems to be   ±  0.004  mm  −  1 for μa and −0.06 to 0.1  mm  −  1 for μs′. The openSFDI system had low drift with an average standard deviation of 0.0007  mm  −  1 and 0.05  mm  −  1 in μa and μs′, respectively. Conclusion: The openSFDI provides a customizable hardware platform for research groups seeking to utilize SFDI for quantitative diffuse optical imaging.


Purpose: To demonstrate a simple mathematical model for evaluating operational decisions for preparing compounded sterile products in a hospital pharmacy.Summary: This paper describes a simple mathematical model, based on a small set of parameters easily estimated from existing data. This model can help hospital pharmacy managers decide, for the batch preparation of compounded sterile products, 1) how frequently to schedule batch production, 2) when within the day to schedule those batches, and 3) how to evaluate the benefits of certain features of IT systems, with an objective of minimizing the total cost of labor hours and wasted medications.Conclusion: Most decisions affecting changes in pharmacy operations are made empirically, and laborious data collection methods are needed both pre- and post-implementation to assess the impact of any change. Mathematical modeling by operations management professionals working collaboratively with pharmacy managers allows the objective prediction of the financial and operational impact of multiple potential options prior to implementing actual operational changes.


Abstract: Sore throat manifested by throat pain is a troublesome issue or discomfort for which physicians are used to prescribing antibiotics, but most often, it is found that the patient is not responding to the drug, which gives rise to the question of drug-resistant or whether there is any infection at all? Nonspecific throat pain also imparts serious public health problems. Self-medication, inadvertent and inadequate doses of antibiotics frequently prescribed by both village doctors and registered MBBS doctors is really a public health problem in developing countries like Bangladesh. Aims: The aims of this study are to isolate the common organisms in chronic throat infection and to find out the effectiveness of various commonly used antibiotics. Methods: The samples were collected randomly from sore throat patients via a throat swab in 5 ml of 1% sterilized saline water, and the sample was brought to the laboratory and was inoculated within two hours in both blood agar and nutrient agar (NA) media and samples were incubated at 37°C overnight. Then pure colonies were transferred to Mueller Hinton agar, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: A total of 27(24%) out of 111 samples yield positive growth. In a large number of samples, 84 (76%) did not show any isolation of the pathogenic organism. The predominant organism is a Staphylococcus aureus (55.55%). Thereafter, streptococcus (18.51%), Klebsiellapneumone (14.81%)and Pseudomonas (11.11%).Amoxiclav is the most resistant drug, along with cefuroxime, azithromycin, and doxycycline, respectively. Levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin show intermediate sensitivity. The most sensitive drug used in chronic sore throat found is linezolid though not frequently used, and other sensitive drugs are moxifloxacin and ceftriaxone. Conclusion: Throat pain or soreness does not always indicate that patient has been infected by bacteria. Rationale and ethical prescription, as well as microbiological sensitivity testing, are considered to avoid drug-resistant strains.


This paper describes high temperature cyclic and creep relaxation testing and modelling of a high nickel-chromium material (XN40F) for application to life prediction of superplastic forming (SPF) tools. An experimental test programme to (i) characterise the high temperature cyclic elastic-plastic-creep behaviour of the material over a range of temperatures between 20oC and 900oC, including cyclic controlled strain-range tests at different strain-rates and creep relaxation tests, and (ii) identify the material constants relevant to thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) life prediction, is described. The objective of the material testing is the development of high temperature material and failure models for cyclic analyses and life prediction of SPF and diffusion bonding (DB) dies for titanium aerospace components.


The functioning of the stress-protective systems of wheat under the action of cold at the early stages of plant development remains poorly studied. The aim of this work was a comparative study of antioxidant activity and the content of sugars and proline as indicators of osmoprotective activity during cold adaptation of seedlings of seven winter bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars that differ significantly in frost resistance. The 3-day-old etiolated seedlings were hardened at 2°C for 6 days and then frozen for 5 h at -6 or -9°C. Two days after freezing, the survival of seedlings was assessed by their ability to grow. A decrease in ROS content, an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase and guaiacol peroxidase and accumulation of sugars in the shoots of high-frost-resistant cultivars during hardening were detected. The absolute values of catalase and guaiacol peroxidase activity correlated positively with the frost resistance of seedlings. The negative correlation between the frost tolerance of the cultivars and the accumulation of proline in the seedlings during hardening was recorded. The possibility of using the studied biochemical indices for frost resistance screening of winter wheat varieties at the seedling stage was stated. Keywords: antioxidant system, cold hardening, frost resistance, osmolytes, oxidative stress, Triticum aestivum


A reproductive analysis of 1225 specimens of Poeciliopsis gracilis obtained through monthly samples from Coatetelco, a tropical shallow lake in Central Mexico, was made. There was an evident sexual dimorphism, including a difference in body size at the onset of reproduction. Sex ratio deviated significantly from unity. Monthly variations in gonadosomatic (GSI), hepatosomatic (HSI) indexes and ovarian development stages showed that the spawning season was from July to October, coinciding with the rainy season and phytoplankton biomass increase. The largest sizes were 50 mm for females and 43 mm for males.


Based on the generated database of 413 and 490 plots of biomass of Populus spp. and Betula spp. in Eurasia, statistically significant changes in the structure of forest stand biomass were found with shifts in January temperatures and average annual precipitation. When analyzing harvest data, the propeller-shaped biomass patterns in the gradients of average annual precipitation and average January temperatures are obtained, which are common for both deciduous species. Correspondingly, Populus and Betula forests show a regularity common to the biomass components: in the cold zones the precipitation increase leads to the increase of biomass, and in the warm ones to their decrease. In wet areas, the increase of temperature causes the decrease of biomass, and in dry areas, it causes their increase. In accordance with the law of the limiting factor by Liebig-Shelford, it is shown that both an decrease in temperature in dry conditions and a increase in precipitation in a warm climate lead to a decrease in the biomass of trees.