The aim of this study was to evaluate the thinning efficacy of metamitron applied either alone (single or double application) or in combination with 6-benzyladenine (BA) or naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in young 'Gala' and 'Golden Delicious' apple trees. The experiment was carried out during the first three crop seasons, 2014, 2015, and 2016, at the commercial orchard located on the mountain Fruska Gora, Serbia. Application of chemical thinners was carried out at two fruit diameter stages (6-9 and 12-15 mm). The number of fruit and yield per tree, fruit size distribution, parameters of fruit ripeness, and return bloom were assessed. Single metamitron treatments were effective when the weather conditions were favourable on the day of application and 3 days after (minimum night temperature >10 °C, maximum daily temperature >20 °C) regardless of fruit diameter stages. A reduction in fruit number per tree was followed by an increase in mean fruit weight. Double metamitron application at lower concentration caused relatively stable thinning activity during the whole experimental period in both cultivars tested. Metamitron combined with either BA or NAA at standard rates significantly reduced the negative influence of low temperature on metamitron thinning activity in the first experimental year. These treatments slightly influenced overthinning in 'Gala' trees if applied when the air temperature was too high (minimum night temperature >15 °C, maximum daily temperature >25 °C). Repeated metamitron treatment and treatments in which metamitron was combined with BA and NAA resulted in an increase in fruit size and share of large fruit in the total yield during the whole experimental period in both cultivars tested. A reduction in fruit number per tree affected by these treatments was followed by increasing flowering intensity in the subsequent year, with the exception of double metamitron application to 'Golden Delicious' trees in the last experimental year. Fruit maturity parameters were slightly different under the influence of metamitron treatments.


A Comparative Study of Korean Abacus Users' Perceptions and Explanations of Use: Including a Perspective on Stigler's Mental Abacus Soomi Kim The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of using a "mental abacus" by adults whose mathematics education in Korea included extensive use of the actual abacus as both a teaching and computational aid. One hundred and sixty-nine Korean adults between the ages of 25 to 65 who had abacus training and its uses for a minimum of one year participated in the study. The study had two phases: a quantitative phase and a qualitative phase. The quantitative phase focused on the participants' perceptions of their training and use of the abacus as well as an assessment of their basic arithmetic competencies. This served as a context for a more indepth analysis of their perceptions of, and thinking about, the use of the abacus in arithmetic operations obtained in the qualitative phase. All participants were asked and then answered a total of 6 questions regarding basic background information about their abacus training as well as their current use of the abacus for arithmetic computations in order to examine the extent of Korean abacus uses. The questionnaires included an assessment of participants' arithmetic computation skills. Among them, 59 adults were selected and interviewed to explore the extent of the "mental abacus" influence on their qualitative thoughts and tasks. From this research, it was expected that the study would provide information concerning the power of Stigler's mental abacus in mathematics and how it relates to Korean adults' daily life. Apparently, although computation tools such as calculators and computers are widely available and convenient to use, the abacus is still used as one of the arithmetic tools by Korean adults. Considering the fact that the Korean national standard mathematics education curriculum has not included abacus training, although some commercial educational institutions included it, the rate of learning the abacus and the period and frequency of its use tell us that abacus skill could affect the basic mathematics competency of Koreans. The data show that Korean adults who have been educated in abacus use provide self-reported evidence that they have the competency of mental computation and the ability to develop a mental abacus image depending on their period of frequency of abacus use. Further evidence indicates that most Korean abacus users who participated in the study report self-confident and accurate perceptions of their ability and arithmetic accuracy in doing basic arithmetic computations. Moreover, they are more confident and accurate in addition test problems than subtraction, multiplication, and division from the assessment results. It is concluded that mental abacus image occurrence may be associated with mental computation among some Korean adults who had learned to use the abacus in the past. Many of the Korean adult participants in this study who trained on the abacus can automatically conjure the mental abacus image and employ the skill during mental computation. The ease with which the abacus mental representation is activated during mental calculation is related to how frequently or intensively the adults practiced or exercised its use. Among further findings, about the positive aspects of "mental abacus" use, most of the Korean adults in the study expressed opinions that there were positive influences of having learned the abacus, not only increased mathematics competency but also an additional "reward" in greater competency in other academic subjects and activities. This study reveals that intensive training with an abacus and the continuous use of an abacus can promote mental visualization and manipulation of the abacus during arithmetic computations, and result in a sense of positive effects from "mental abacus" use among those who have had sufficient opportunities to use the


Cross-reactive allergens may be responsible for the clustering of food allergies seen in patients hypersensitive to fruits and vegetables. The pooled sera of six individuals were used to investigate cross-antigenicity among freshly prepared extracts of celery (Cy), cucumber (Cc), carrot (Ct), and watermelon (W). Each patient demonstrated clinical allergy to one or more study foods and, with the exception of Ct in two cases, had IgE to all four extracts by skin test or ELISA. In comparisons of each food against itself and the other three antigens, ELISA inhibition assays demonstrated allergenic similarity among Cy, Cc, Ct, and W by their similar slopes and 50% inhibition concentrations (2.0-7.3 micrograms/mL). In contrast, mountain cedar pollen (MC) produced at 50% inhibition of each food which was 10-fold higher (26.9-70.8 micrograms/mL) and had a flatter slope. Immunoblots of individual sera showed a 15-kD protein band common to all four foods. Pooled sera immunoblot inhibitions (100 and 5 micrograms/mL) demonstrated mutual inhibition of all bands in each of the four foods with the exception of a 28-kD protein of W uniquely inhibited by itself. We conclude that Cy, Cc, Ct, and W possess shared antigens that may account for clustering of these food allergies in patients.


This report, developed for policy makers and sector development partners, highlights the manner in which the domestic private sector is successfully participating in the delivery of water and sanitation services in Niger. It outlines the factors for success as well as the challenges that need to be addressed to harness private sector resources and motivation for improved and sustainable services.There is a need to further strengthen the capacities of various rural water supply stakeholders, particularly communes, which contract and supervise the work of the operators. The capacities of operators and users' associations also need to be developed to pursue ensure the operational sustainability of the systems.The technical assistance (TA) described in this Note has, over the past five years, supported the sector's stakeholders' efforts to work in synergy to foster the participation of domestic private entities in the management of rural water supply systems (RWSSs).The purpose of the TA hasbeen to ensure improved operational policy applicationof the PPP frameworks in the context of water supplyand urban sanitation in rural and small towns , which hasnot evolved much over time in relation to urban waterservices. The TA program consisted of training activities,market assessments, and options development studiesto inform decision-making and consensus-building ofdifferent stakeholders on resolving some challenges facingthese subsectors.Opportunities exist for the Government to promote the emerging domestic private operators with a view to raising their level of professionalism for better service delivery.


The alkaline milieu of chronic wounds severely impairs the therapeutic effect of antibiotics, such as rifampicin; as such, the development of new drugs, or the smart delivery of existing drugs, is required. Herein, two innovative polyelectrolyte nanoparticles (PENs), composed of an amphiphilic chitosan core and a polycationic shell, were synthesized at alkaline pH, and in vitro performances were assessed by 1H NMR, elemental analysis, FT-IR, XRD, DSC, DLS, SEM, TEM, UV/Vis spectrophotometry, and HPLC. According to the results, the nanostructures exhibited different morphologies but similar physicochemical properties and release profiles. It was also hypothesized that the simultaneous use of the nanosystem and an antioxidant could be therapeutically beneficial. Therefore, the simultaneous effects of ascorbic acid and PENs were evaluated on the release profile and degradation of rifampicin, in which the results confirmed their synergistic protective effect at pH 8.5, as opposed to pH 7.4. Overall, this study highlighted the benefits of nanoparticulate development in the presence of antioxidants, at alkaline pH, as an efficient approach for decreasing rifampicin degradation.


Abstract Existing theories predict that the rise of China will trigger a hegemonic transition and the current debate centers on whether or not the transition will be violent or peaceful. This debate largely sidesteps two questions that are central to understanding the future of international order: how strong is the current Western hegemonic order and what is the likelihood that China can or will lead a successful counterhegemonic challenge? We argue that the future of international order is shaped not only by material power but also by the distribution of identity across the great powers. We develop a constructivist account of hegemonic transition and stability that theorizes the role of the distribution of identity in international order. In our account, hegemonic orders depend on a legitimating ideology that must be consistent with the distribution of identity at the level of both elites and masses. We map the distribution of identity across nine great powers and assess how this distribution supports the current Western neoliberal democratic hegemony. We conclude that China is unlikely to become the hegemon in the near term.


OBJECTIVE
To learn about parent, nurse, and family physician attitudes toward multiple simultaneous childhood vaccinations.

DESIGN
Survey.

SETTING
Thirty-two family practice clinics in Minnesota.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS
Forty-six volunteer Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians Research Network members, 42 of their nurses, and 342 parents of their patients aged less than 6 years who have had at least one injection.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Number of injections believed to be too many for a child to receive simultaneously and comfort level associated with children's receiving three simultaneous injectable vaccinations.

RESULTS
Most parents, nurses, and physicians (71%, 76%, and 59%, respectively) think that three injections are too many for a child to receive at one visit. Similar percentages of parents, nurses, and physicians are uncomfortable with a child's receiving three injections at one visit. Sixty-seven percent of the physicians who do not offer universal newborn hepatitis B vaccinations cite the number of required simultaneous injections as a factor in that decision. Only 15% of physicians order all three recommended injections for most of their 15-month-old patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Most parents, nurses, and physicians are uncomfortable with three simultaneous injections for children. This discomfort may be a significant barrier to the adoption of the new immunization recommendations. The development of effective combination vaccines should be a research priority.


A distributed feedback (DFB) laser of 808 nm is produced in this paper whose optical power is 2 W, cavity length is 3 mm, and injecting width is 200 μm. A second-order grating formed into an InGaP/GaAs/InGaP multilayer structure provides the optical distributed feedback. The holographic lithography method is adopted to make Bragg gratings in p-waveguide layer (Λ = 240 nm) of the GaAs epitaxial wafers. The best experimental conditions are determined by analyzing the surface morphology and three-dimensional holographic grating. In addition, the output power data and wavelength of the distributed feedback laser emitting at different temperatures are presented. And the wavelength varies with temperature at a rate of 0.062 nm/K. Finally, the conclusion is drawn that this kind of DFB laser has a better temperature stabilized wavelength and narrower line width.


The place of death in psychology is reviewed historically. Leading causes for its being slighted as an area of investigation during psychology's early years are presented. Reasons for its rediscovery in the mid-1950s as a legitimate sector for scientific inquiry are then discussed, along with some vicissitudes encountered in carrying out research in the field. This is followed by a description of principal empirical findings, clinical perceptions, and perspectives emerging from work in the thanatological realm. The probability that such urgent social issues as abortion, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and euthanasia, and such destructive behaviors as drug abuse, alcoholism, and certain acts of violence are associated with attitudes toward death offers a challenge to psychology to enhance the vitality of human response to maladaptive conduct and loss. Recognition of personal mortality is a major entryway to self-knowledge. Although death is manifestly too complex to be the special sphere of any one discipline, psychology's position as an arena in which humanist and physicist-engineer cultures intersect provides us with a meaningful opportunity to advance our comprehension of how death can serve life.


Consumer debt played a central role in creating the U.S. housing bubble, the ensuing housing downturn, and the Great Recession, and it has been blamed as a factor in the weak subsequent recovery as well. This paper uses micro-level data to decompose consumer debt dynamics by separating the actions of consumer debt increasers and decreasers, and then further decomposing movements into percentage and size margins among the increasers and decreasers. We view such a decomposition as informative for macroeconomic models featuring a central role for consumer debt. Using this framework, we show that variations in borrowing activity among the increasers explain four times as much of the total variation in consumer debt as variations among the decreasers who are shedding debt, whether through paydowns or defaults. We also provide micro-level evidence of a sharp decline in the percentage of increasers during the financial crisis that is qualitatively consistent with a binding zero lower bound on nominal interest rates, and evidence of a cycle in the average size of debt changes among the increasers that is related to rising collateral values pre-crisis coupled with additional financial frictions after the crisis.


Emotions are important and basic in human experience, and are comprised of different components, such as subjective feelings, cognitive appraisal, physiological response and action tendencies (Kleinginna and Kleinginna, 1981). Emotions become dysfunctional when they interfere with one's ability to behave adaptively, and therefore successful emotion regulation (ER), when necessary, is crucial for psychological health. Difficulties in adaptive ER are related to different psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety disorders [for a review see Aldao et al. (2010)]. A well-known model that describes the process of ER was suggested by Gross (1998). The model describes five processes of ER that occur at different time points in the course of emotional processing and regulation. In this paper we focus on two ER strategies included in the process model of Gross—distraction and reappraisal—and also on labeling, an ER strategy that is not part of Gross' model. Reappraisal, distraction and labeling are cognitive strategies used to regulate emotions [for a review on the reciprocal relationship between emotion and cognition see Dolcos et al. (2011)]. We start with definitions and findings regarding distraction, reappraisal and labeling. Subsequently, we present the process model of Gross, with labeling as an additional form of ER. Finally, we suggest that labeling might mediate the effectiveness of reappraisal in clinical populations with deficits in emotion recognition and ER, and discuss the clinical implications of this suggestion and future directions of research and conceptualization.


Abstract. The development of the honeybee colony depends on the availability of pollen and nectar in nature. The nutritional needs of worker bees are supplied from nectar carbohydrates, proteins and other nutrients in the bee pollen. Proper management of the honey bees is very important for successful beekeeping. Some seasonal changes bring about variations in the availability of pollen and nectar for the bees. In this respect, the aim of the study was to determine the influence of Mikro Veda Care Apis® preparation on the development of bee colonies during the spring feeding. The experiment was conducted during the period 11 Apr 2019 – 10 June 2019 at the Experimental Apiary of the Research Centre of Stockbreeding and Agriculture – Smolyan, Bulgaria. The control group was fed with sugar solution (ratio sugar to water-1:1 ) without additives and the experimental group was fed with the product Mikro Veda Care Apis® at a dose of 10 ml/L sugar solution (ratio sugar to water-1:1). The bee colonies that received Mikro Veda Care Apis® have significant differences for the parameters strength of the bee colonies and sealed worker bee brood on 17 May 2019 and 10 June 2019 compared to the control group. We expect our study to be a starting point for a deeper understanding of productivity of the bee colonies during the spring feeding with the addition of Mikro Veda Care Apis®.


Monitoring of running scientific workflows (experiments) is not only important for observing their execution status, but also for collecting provenance, improving performance, knowledge extraction, etc. We propose an ontology model of experiment information which describes the execution of an experiment using a well-defined semantics, and aggregates various aspects of workflow execution including provenance, performance, resource information, and others. Such multi-aspect semantic-rich information is indispensable to build knowledge services on top of it. We describe a grid workflow monitoring architecture which is necessary to collect and correlate workflow monitoring data. The process of aggregation of monitoring data into experiment information is presented. Our approach is validated on a drug resistance ranking application running in the ViroLab virtual laboratory for infectious diseases.


This paper aims at characterizing the conditions of wind power deployment in order to infer a carbon price level that would provide wind power with comparable advantage over fossil fuel technologies as effective wind support policies. The analysis is conducted on Danish data from 2000 to 2010, i.e. after market liberalization took place in 2000. Probit technique is used to analyze the connection of new turbines to the grid each month and tobit analysis is employed on the additional capacity installed monthly. I find that the level and type of the support policy are the dominant drivers of deployment. Electricity price impact is not visible. The investment cost impact is not significant either, but the effect of the interest rate, although not visible in the probit analysis, is significant in the tobit analysis. The number of turbines already installed, that is taken as a proxy for the sites availability, does not have any significant effect either. A feed-in tariff significantly brings more wind power in than a premium policy. The fact that the support policy is a feed-in tariff rather than a premium increases the additional capacity installed monthly by up to several tens MW. The additional capacity installed monthly increases by up to thousand kW for each additional e/MWh of support. If the policy is a premium, I find that 24 e/MWh of support in addition to electricity price is needed to observe the connection of new turbines to the grid with a 0.5 probability. I convert this support level into a carbon price of 28 e/ton if wind power competes with coal, and 50 e/t if it competes with gas.


A series of cationic diblock copolymers, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(48)-block-poly((3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride)(X), abbreviated as PNIPAAM(48)-b-PAMPTMA(+)(X) (X = 0, 6, 10, 14, and 20), has been synthesized, and their adsorption onto silicon oxynitride from aqueous solution has been investigated using dual polarization interferometry. The polymer adsorption was modeled by using a lattice mean-field theory, and a satisfactory consistency between theory and experiments was found in terms of surface excess and layer thickness. Both theory and experiments show that the adsorption is limited by steric repulsion for X < X(max) and by electrostatic interactions for X > X(max). Modeling demonstrates that significant surface charge regulation occurs due to adsorption. Both the nonionic and cationic block exhibit nonelectrostatic affinity to silicon oxynitride and thus contribute to the driving force for adsorption, and modeling is used for clarifying how changes in the nonelectrostatic affinity affects the surface excess. The segments of the nonionic and cationic blocks seem less segregated when both have a nonelectrostatic affinity for the surface compared to the case where the segments had no surface affinity. Adsorption kinetics was investigated experimentally. Two kinetic regimes were observed: the adsorption rate is initially controlled by the mass transfer rate to the surface and at higher coverage is limited by the attachment rate.


Trusted computing is gaining an increasing acceptance in the industry and finding its way to cloud computing. With this penetration, the question arises whether the concept of hard-wired security modules will cope with the increasing sophistication and security requirements of future IT systems and the ever expanding threats and violations. So far, embedding cryptographic hardware engines into the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) has been regarded as a security feature. However, new developments in cryptanalysis, side-channel analysis, and the emergence of novel powerful computing systems, such as quantum computers, can render this approach useless. Given that, the question arises: Do we have to throw away all TPMs and loose the data protected by them, if someday a cryptographic engine on the TPM becomes insecure? To address this question, we present a novel architecture called Sustainable Trusted Platform Module (STPM), which guarantees a secure update of the TPM cryptographic engines without compromising the system's trustworthiness. The STPM architecture has been implemented as a proof-of-concept on top of a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA platform, demonstrating a test case with an update of the fundamental hash engine of the TPM.


1-(2-Fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)thymine (FMAU) and 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodocytosine (FIAC) are potent inhibitors of the replication of herpesviruses; FMAU is chemotherapeutically effective against murine leukemias which have acquired resistance to 1-β-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine. We describe the synthesis of [2-14C]FMAU which we have used to compare with [2-14C]FIAC in studies of pharmacological disposition and metabolic fate after giving each of the substances i.v. or p.o. Most of the radioactivity of these substances is excreted in urine within 24 hr after administration in mice and rats. During the same period, the recovery in feces and respiratory CO2 is, for each, less than 5%. Biliary excretion from the common bile duct of rats is low, 2 to 4% of dose during the first 5 hr after i.v. injection. Chromatographic analysis of 24-hr urine collections after giving FMAU reveals that most of the radioactivity in mouse and rat urine is present as unchanged drug. Mouse urine also contains significant amounts of three unidentified metabolites of FMAU; these have also been detected in mouse plasma and in rat urine. Chromatographic analyses of plasma and urine samples from mice and rats given FIAC show that this substance is substantially transformed by deamination into a major metabolite, 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodouracil. Deiodinated metabolites have also been detected, namely, 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine and 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)uracil. Radioactivity in extracerebral organs of rats receiving labeled FIAC or FMAU is, within 10 min after i.v. injection, maximal and in concentrations equivalent to or higher than in plasma. Maximal concentrations after p.o. doses are reached within 30 to 60 min. At later times, rates of decrease in extracerebral organs parallel those in plasma. Half-lives after p.o. doses are higher than after i.v. doses. Penetration of radioactivity into rat brain is rapid, and the ratio of brain to plasma concentrations increases steadily to over 0.5 during the first 6 hr after dosing. Substantially greater concentrations appear in brain after FMAU than after FIAC. Studies of radioactivity remaining in various portions of the gut of rats given p.o. doses of the labeled drugs suggest that most of the absorption takes place from the stomach or upper end of the small intestine. In dogs, the rates of renal clearance of FMAU and FIAC are less than 20% that of creatinine when plasma concentrations are 10-fold greater than that inhibiting herpesvirus replication in vitro by 90%. Nearly all of the radioactivity excreted in dog urine during the first 24 hr after i.v. [2-14C]FMAU consists of unchanged drug. After [2-14C]FIAC, the 24-hr urinary radioactivity is composed primarily of unchanged drug and the deiodinated metabolites, 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine and 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)uracil; only trace amounts of the deaminated product, 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodouracil, were detected.


The economic approach of comparative and historical institutional analysis (Aoki 2001, Greif 2006) has virtually never been used in theoretical studies of healthcare incentives. This paper seeks to help fill this gap by exploring the explanatory power of such an approach for understanding incentives in China's healthcare delivery system. It focuses on positive analysis of why China's health system incentives evolved the way they did. The first section analyzes the institution of physician dispensing (MDD) and reforms toward separation of prescribing from dispensing (SPD), in historical and comparative perspective. It shows, for example, how MDD was a self-reinforcing institution; the longer a society remains under MDD, the higher the associated costs of supplier-induced demand can be before implementing SPD becomes the efficient self-enforcing social institution. Rapid technological change and adoption of universal coverage are likely to trigger SPD reforms. The second section seeks to explain the pattern and impact of price regulation and hospital payment reforms in contemporary China, which also reflect the legacy of MDD.


The way an animal uses its habitat can serve as an indicator of habitat appropriateness for the species and individuals. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops aduncus) in accredited zoos and aquariums experience a range of habitat types and management programs that provide opportunities for dolphins to engage in species-appropriate behaviors and potentially influence their individual and group welfare. Data in the present study were collected as part of a larger study titled "Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums" (colloquially called the Cetacean Welfare Study). Non-invasive bio-logging devices (Movement Tags) recorded the diving behavior and vertical habitat movements of 60 bottlenose dolphins at 31 zoos and aquariums that were accredited by the Alliance for Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and/or the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Bottlenose dolphins wore a Movement Tag one day per week for two five-week data collection periods. Demographic variables, environmental enrichment programs, training programs, and habitat characteristics were associated with habitat usage. Longer dive durations and use of the bottom third of the habitat were associated with higher enrichment program index values. Dolphins receiving new enrichment on a monthly/weekly schedule also used the bottom third of the habitat more often than those receiving new enrichment on a yearly/year+ schedule. Dolphins that were managed in a group that was split into smaller subgroups during the day and were reunited into one group at night spent less time in the top third of the habitat than those who remained in a single group with consistent members at all times. Dolphins that were managed as subgroups with rotating members but were never united as one group spent less time in the bottom third of the habitat than those who remained in a single group with consistent members at all times. Taken together, the results suggested that management practices, such as enrichment and training programs, played a greater role in how dolphins interacted with their environment relative to the physical characteristics of the habitat.


This article illustrated a brief review of some objective methods in assessing facial nerve function for facial nerve paralysis which were correlated with House-Brackmann Grading System (HBGS). A rigorous search of online databases such as Springer, Elsevier and IEEE was conducted from June, 2015 to November, 2016 to discover and analyze the previous works in facial nerve assessment methods for facial paralysis. Several domains such as facial grading system and methods used to evaluate the facial nerve function were extracted for further analysis. Different keywords were used to acquire the studies based on the desire criteria. A total of 8 articles were identified and were analyzed for inclusion in this search. In conclusion, this review has presented an initial overview for further improvements in objective facial nerve assessment which has to be correlated with subjective assessment to make it more reliable and useful in clinical practice.


[Purpose] To analyze the process of evaluation of electronic evidence in the civil sphere in Colombian legislation, from the differential point of view of documentary evidence, taking in account the particular technical elements of this means of evidence.
[Methodology] This is a critical doctrinal type research, by contrasting the legal norms that regulate the issue of assessment, with the doctrinal trends that explain the process of evidentiary assessment academically, all applied in parallel to the value judgment that must be made by the civil case judge regarding documentary evidence and electronic evidence in order to establish the differences between both means of evidence and more precisely regarding their judicial assessment, to determine the differential implications of a Correct evaluation exercise of the electronic evidence and its repercussion in the judicial decision as the culmination of the jurisdictional activity.[Findings] The process of evidentiary evaluation is of special importance in the judicial process, since it follows the conviction of the judge of the case regarding the facts of the process, from which the rule of trial is structured; Hence, the evaluation of the electronic evidence implies a differential and particularized process in technical terms, which differs from the evaluation of the documentary evidence, in order to correctly bring to the process the representation of the facts contained in electronic media, which entails the urgent need for basic training of the judge in matters of computer evidence, since the rules of sound criticism and the free assessment of evidence as a standard of evidence, must be added with the assessment of technical and methodological aspects of this means of evidence, whose parameters are established in this investigation.


Introduction: Anxiety has an impressive effect on normal vaginal delivery. Since no study has been conducted in this regard, this research is designed to determine the effect of cognitive behavior therapy on the reduction of anxiety at first normal vaginal delivery. Methods: A semi-experimental study was carried out on 40 nulliparous women with six months age of pregnancy and without abortion and infertility background. After the completion of testimonial, the rate of anxiety was evaluated by Beck anxiety inventory. Then the participants were randomly divided into two groups (20 persons in each group). The experimental group received ten sessions of individual cognitive behavior therapy. The test was carried out again a week before delivery and twenty days after it. The data analysis was accomplished by SPSS16 and Co-variance analysis test. Results: At first the average of anxiety score in the experimental group was 34.16, in post test. 8.68 and in follow up test 7.79 and, thus the difference was meaningful(p<0.01), whereas in the control group, this score, at first, was 34.05, in post test 34.53 and in follow up test 26.89, which did not show any meaningful difference. Conclusions: Consequently the cognitive behavior therapy causes to decrease the anxiety with enduring effect at first normal vaginal delivery. Therefore, this treatment is proposed to reduce the anxiety of first delivery women.


Learning needs of the farming community is massive but the opportunities available to address the needs are limited. Farming practices are changing very fast due to multiple reasons like climate crisis, globalization, and demands from the markets, technology advancements etc., hence the farmers learning needs are changing fast. Increasing use of mobile phones, higher penetration rate in rural India and advantages of Mobile Learning made mobile phones an effective learning tool particularly among the women farmers whose mobility and opportunities for learning is restricted due to various socio economic and cultural factors. In the year 2009 around 300 women goat rearers who are members of Self Help Groups received credit from a commercial bank for buying goats, the trust and credibility strengthened the bond and helped the women to receive continuous credit support. For better management of goat rearing and to ensure profit these women showed interest to learn about improved management practices. To meet the demands of the women goat rarers Vidiyal an NGO and Vidivelli a Community Based Organization together introduced mobile based Life long learning for Farmers (L3F) programme with the support of Commonwealth of Learning. The lessons were disseminated through simple button phones as voice messages on daily basis. With the support of the National Bank for Agriculture and Development around 2500 women goat rearers came together in 2014 and registered a Farmers Producer Organization (FPO) called 'Theni Women Goat rearers Producer Company'. Now the company is managed by a set of women goat rearers, it has provided dividend to its shareholders for the last four years. The company is emerging as a model in the region, other 12 such FPOs in the region are now joined with this and created a consortium of FPOs for mutual learning and to leverage the scale in the business. // The paper will discuss in detail about the characteristics of the learners, learning needs of the farmers, pedagogical approach adopted, learning outcomes, access and experiences of mobile phones for learning, gender constrains etc. It will also discuss about the FPOs management, how the women farmers become corporate literates and managing the company successfully.


Recent reports on Arctic underice phytoplankton blooms have directed attention to primary production below the sea ice cover. Such underice blooms cannot be detected from space; thus, methods for autonomous underice measurements are critically needed to extend observations beyond ship-based surveys. One central aspect of the ecology of these blooms is whether they were advected from open-water areas or were able to develop below the ice cover under typically low light conditions. The photoacclimation state of the bloom can provide clues about the growth conditions and therefore its origin. Here we investigate the photoacclimation state of a Phaeocystis pouchetii-dominated underice bloom in the Arctic Ocean using ratios of photoprotective carotenoids (PPC) to photosynthetic carotenoids (PSC) and chlorophyll a. The pigment proxies indicate local growth under the ice pack. Furthermore, a method using in situ light absorption measurements to estimate the PPC:PSC ratio was in agreement with the pigment data. The slope of in situ phytoplankton absorption between 488 and 532nm, affected by both PPC and PSC, had a significant linear relationship to the PPC:PSC ratio, indicating that prediction of photoacclimation state can be obtained from absorption profiles. We also review, with regard to the pigment function, different ways of grouping pigments into PPC or PSC applied in previous studies. Although more validation data sets are needed to assess the impact of pigment packaging on the relationship between PPC:PSC and absorption measurement slopes, our study shows the potential for using in situ absorption measurements to collect information about phytoplankton physiology below sea ice.
Plain Language Summary Phytoplankton blooms below sea ice cover, that is, underice blooms, can be advected by ocean currents below the ice pack from ice-free waters where they had sufficient light available for growth. They can also grow below the ice pack if sufficient light is transmitted through the ice, and they are able to adjust to the typically low light conditions. Algal pigments can indicate which of the two scenarios is more likely. Algal pigments capture sunlight for photosynthesis, but some of them are used to protect the algal cells from excess light. The ratio of photoprotective to photosynthetic pigments reveals the photoacclimation state ("short time adjustments") of the algae. In this study we investigate the photoacclimation state of an Arctic underice bloom based on pigment ratios, which indicate local growth below the ice pack. Furthermore, we validate a method to estimate the pigment ratios from light absorption measurements carried out with an instrument in the water column. Studies like these are important for developing methods to study remote areas. Ship-based surveys can only cover a restricted area, and satellite remote sensing does not provide biological information from ice-covered waters. Our study shows promising results for using water column instruments to study phytoplankton physiology.


While process modeling has become important for document- ing business operations and automating workow execution, there are serious issues with eciently and eectively creating and modifying pro- cess models. While prior research has mainly investigated process model comprehension, there is hardly any work on maintainability of process models. Cognitive research into software program comprehension has demonstrated that imperative programs are strong in conveying sequen- tial information while obfuscating circumstantial information. This paper addresses the question whether these ndings can be transferred to process model maintenance. In particular, it investigates whether it is easier to incorporate sequential change requirements in imperative process models compared to circumstantial change requirements. To address this ques- tion this paper presents results from a controlled experiment providing evidence that the type of change (sequential versus circumstantial) has an eect on the accuracy of process models. For performance indicators modeling speed, correctness, and cognitive load no statistically signicant dierences could be identied.


Introduction: The proximal tibial osteotomy is an accepted and commonly used treatment for younger and active patients with medial unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee and varus deformity. The aim of this study was to assess the treatment outcomes of dome-shaped proximal tibial osteotomy in patients with genu varum. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, dome-shaped osteotomy was performed in 23 patients (14 males and 9 females) with genu varus deformity that referred to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz in 2016. Patients were followed for 6 months after surgery and were assessed in terms of Modified Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Scoring System (HSSKS), tibiafemoral angle, Insall-Salvati index, and complications. Results: The mean tibiofemoral angle changed from 16.6 ± 5.01 varus to 6.9 ± 1.48 valgus degrees (P < 0.001). The mean modified HSSKS promoted from 73.3 ± 3.01 to 82.3 ± 1.45 (P < 0.001). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the range of motion and quadriceps strength. Insall-Salvati index was not different significantly after dome-shaped osteotomy, and the mean patellar height index changed from 1.054 ± 0.07 to 1.057 ± 0.08 (P = 0.774). The incidence of complication after dome-shaped osteotomy was one case (4.34%) of non-union. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrated that dome-shaped osteotomy of proximal tibial is a simple, safe, and useful treatment which has favorable results in patients with genu varum.


Cd/ZnSe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized in a wet chemical method by using a stabilizing agent L-cysteine. This facile synthesis does not require any high temperature or inert gas atmosphere. The synthesized QDs were characterized by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, spetrofluorometer, fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, Fluorescence lifetime spectrometer, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The synthesized QDs are spherical in shape with an average diameter of 4.78 nm and are readily soluble in water, making them biologically compatible. Further, the carboxyl and amine functional groups are accessible on the QDs' surface. Thus, these QDs can be used as molecular imaging probes by anchoring targeting molecules by using the functional groups available on the surface of the QDs.


THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A NORM REFERENCED MEASURE OF THEORY OF MIND AND PRESCHOOLERS' SOCIAL SKILLS IN THE CLASSROOM By Sarah E. Birch Adviser: Georgiana Shick Tryon, Ph. D. This study sought to examine the effect of Theory of Mind (ToM) performance as measured by a normreferenced assessment on the social skills of a multicultural group of preschool students. This study extends the current research in this area. Most previous studies examined the relationship among ToM, other social cognitive skills and social skills using participants from predominately Caucasian middle class families (Slaughter et al., 2015). Additionally, earlier research relied primarily on homemade measures of such skills (Cassidy et al., 2003; Disendruck & Ben-Eliyahu, 2006; McAlister & Peterson, 2013; Watson et al., 1999; Walker, 2005). Participants included 67 children between 39 and 50 months of age enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs. Assessment using the NEPSY-II (Korkman, Kirk & Kemp, 2007) determined participants ToM and AR skills. Social skills were assessed through behavior observation and teacher report. Study findings indicate that demographic variables play a role in how teachers rate student both pro-social and anti-social behaviors. NEPSY-II reliability coefficients this sample were extremely low and the validity of the measure is discussed (van de Vijver & Leung, 1997). Qualitative analysis of the NEPSY-II ToM scale is presented and possible explanations for low Coefficient alpha are discussed.


Background: Enhance Access to Kidney Transplantation and Living Kidney Donation (EnAKT LKD) is a quality improvement intervention designed to enhance access to kidney transplantation and living kidney donation. We conducted a cluster-randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of the intervention versus usual care on completing key steps toward receiving a kidney transplant. Objective: To prespecify the statistical analysis plan for the EnAKT LKD trial. Design: The EnAKT LKD trial is a pragmatic, 2-arm, parallel-group, registry-based, open-label, cluster-randomized, superiority, clinical trial. Randomization was performed at the level of the chronic kidney disease (CKD) programs (the "clusters"). Setting: Twenty-six CKD programs in Ontario, Canada. Participants: More than 10 000 patients with advanced CKD (ie, patients approaching the need for dialysis or receiving maintenance dialysis) with no recorded contraindication to receiving a kidney transplant. Methods: The trial data (including patient characteristics and outcomes) will be obtained from linked administrative health care databases (the "registry"). Stratified covariate-constrained randomization was used to allocate the 26 CKD programs (1:1) to provide the intervention or usual care from November 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021 (4.17 years). CKD programs in the intervention arm received the following: (1) support for local quality improvement teams and administrative needs; (2) tailored education and resources for staff, patients, and living kidney donor candidates; (3) support from kidney transplant recipients and living kidney donors; and (4) program-level performance reports and oversight by program leaders. Outcomes: The primary outcome is completing key steps toward receiving a kidney transplant, where up to 4 unique steps per patient will be considered: (1) patient referred to a transplant center for evaluation, (2) a potential living kidney donor begins their evaluation at a transplant center to donate a kidney to the patient, (3) patient added to the deceased donor transplant waitlist, and (4) patient receives a kidney transplant from a living or deceased donor. Analysis plan: Using an intent-to-treat approach, the primary outcome will be analyzed using a patient-level constrained multistate model adjusting for the clustering in CKD programs. Trial Status: The EnAKT LKD trial period is November 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. We expect to analyze and report the results once the data for the trial period is available in linked administrative health care databases. Trial Registration: The EnAKT LKD trial is registered with the U.S. National Institute of Health at clincaltrials.gov (NCT03329521 available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03329521). Statistical Analytic Plan: Version 1.0 August 26, 2022.


Two closely related genes, UT-A (Slc14a2) and UT-B (Slc14a1), encode specialized transporter proteins that modulate the movement of urea across cell membranes. In this article, we report the characterization of a cDNA isolated from human colonic mucosa encoding a novel UT-A urea transporter, hUT-A6. The encoded protein is 235 amino acids (aa) in length, making it the smallest UT-A member characterized. On the basis of previous structural predictions, hUT-A6 is structurally unique in that it consists of a single hydrophobic core flanked by hydrophilic NH(2)- and COOH-terminal domains. The transcript encoding hUT-A6 contains a novel 129-bp exon, exon 5a, which, as a result of alternative splicing, introduces a unique 19-aa segment and a stop codon. Functionally, the protein transports urea, and this activity is inhibited by phloretin. Interestingly, despite the lack of a protein kinase A (PKA) consensus site [RK](2)-X-[ST], transport of urea by hUT-A6 is stimulated by PKA agonists. Deletion of the two PKA consensus sites from murine UT-A3 (mUT-A3) did not affect the stimulatory response of PKA agonists, which, together with the lack of PKA consensus sites in hUT-A6, indicates that regulation of hUT-A6 and mUT-A3 is not mediated through a classic PKA phosphorylation consensus.


Prof. Jacek Rutkowski died on January 25 2016. With his passing away, the scientific community has lost not only an outstanding geologist, naturalist and teacher, but also a scientist devoted to his work with never ending passion, a passion, which was infectious for his coworkers and students. He was an author or co-author of numerous papers, a few chapters in books and scientific expert opinions, amounting in total to over 230 positions. He was an honorary member of the Polish Geological Society and co-founder and member of the Polish Limnological Society. He was also a member of editorial board of Geochronometria. Throughout his scientific life he was connected with the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection. He graduated there in 1956 and started his scientific career, which led him to professorship in 1987. The range of his scientific interests was very broad. First, in the Department of Deposits of Rock Raw Material, he worked on petrography, sedimentation and physical properties of carbonate rocks, sandstones and gravels, as well as mineral raw materials. He carried out studies on stratigraphy, lithology and sedimentation of Senonian deposits of Miechów region and Sarmatian deposits of South-western margin of the Holy Cross mountains, Carpathian and Sudetic sandstones and natural aggregates of the Cracow-Częstochowa Upland. The results were summarized in numerous reports for exploitation industries. Since 1979, when he moved to the Department of Geological Cartography (currently Department of Environmental Analysis, Geological Mapping and Economic Geology), he broadened his field of interest. His studies concerned Quaternary geology, geomorphology and geological mapping. He developed his own method of studying Quaternary gravels, which is commonly applied now. He also investigated the influence of anthropogenic factors on geological processes and relief of land. He was among the first geologists in Poland to use aerial and satellite photos in geological cartography, geomorphology and environmental analysis. His thorough knowledge of geology of the Cracow-Częstochowa Upland and the Miechów Basin was useful, as he became the main author of two sheets of the Detailed Geological Map of Poland 1:50 000; Kraków and Miechów. Since 2000 he plunged into quite a new field of interest. It concerned the studies of recent lacustrine sediments of the Wigry Lake, with an application of geological methodology and the use of samplers of his own construction. He was the first one to apply high resolution seismic survey in lake studies. His deep urge of understanding the nature and history of lake processes prompted him to invite the specialists of different fields of naturalists to form an interdisciplinary research group. Their studies resulted in numerous papers and the monography of the Wigry Lake. He coordinated these studies till the last of his days. Although Professor Rutkowski set high requirements for students, they liked him for his lectures. He taught Geomorphology, Quaternary Geology, Geological Cartography and Structural Geology. He prepared the lectures based on his original syllabus in which the results of his own studies were incorporated. Above all, he liked field courses. Practical classes enabled him to share with students his great experience and passion for research. Professor Rutkowski had a very warm personality, with a special sense of humor, and a gift for story-telling. He was also a keen tourists and nature lover. He frequently surprised listeners by his knowledge of subjects very remote from geology. This feature is characteristic for the "old school" of professors, of which Jacek Rutkowski was one of the last. Corresponding author: K. Król e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


This Brief of Amici Curiae Scholars of the Constitutional Rights and Interests of Children in Support of Respondents filed in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia makes two points. First, a categorical exemption, based on religious beliefs rather than foster children's needs, does not serve the best interests of children and violates the government's duty to foster youth. Such an exemption needlessly restricts the pool of prospective foster parents, increasing the risk of a greater number of children being confined to long-term, institutional care. The reduction of same-sex foster parents would also have a disproportionate impact on "special needs" and LGBT children in foster care.

Second, allowing a government contractor to exclude same-sex foster parents gives legal effect to private beliefs in the provision of public foster care services in contravention of the aims of the Fourteenth Amendment. The requested exemption would endorse unconstitutionally impermissible forms of discrimination on the basis of gender stereotyping, sex, and sexual orientation. The Supreme Court has drawn "upon principles of liberty and equality to define and protect the rights of gays and lesbians," and their families. The Court should do so in this case to protect same-sex couples and children in foster care.


The current design method of steel structures is based on the member reliability and cannot assure the structural system reliability. To overcome the shortcoming of the current method, the integrated structural design approach, with consideration of system reliability for planar steel frames, is studied in this paper. The reliability-based integrated design approach (RID) directly checks the structural system limit states, based on structural nonlinear analysis, and the corresponding system reliability. In this paper, the reliability-based integrated design approach for planar steel frames is established on the basis of evaluating the ultimate load-carrying capacity and system reliability of planar steel frames. In the process of constructing the design formula, the target reliability index and importance factor are determined according to the current specification and the two common load combinations are considered. Design examples and comparisons demonstrate that RID provides a feasible way for structural engineers to improve the design quality of steel frame structures with certain and consistent system reliability levels.


Electric vehicles (EVs) enabled by high efficiency
electric motors and controllers and powered by alternative energy
sources provide the means for a clean, efficient, and
environmentally friendly system. The power demanded by an EV
is very variable. Hence HESS (Hybrid energy storage system) as
an alternative source have been investigated with the objective of
improving the storage of electrical energy. In these systems, two
(or more) energy sources work together to create a superior device
in comparison with a single source. In batteries and
ultra-capacitors have complementary characteristics that make
them attractive for a hybrid energy storage system. But the result
of this combination is fundamentally related to how the sources
are interconnect and controlled. Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is
the most advance technology in automobile industries but long
drive range in HEV is still a problem due to limited battery life.
For increasing of battery life, two methods are widely used in
HEV; one is with fuzzy logic-based battery management strategy
and second is through improvement in regenerative braking
system. Regenerative braking system used in HEV is to give
backup power in deceleration mode which not only make HEV to
drive longer but also increase the battery life cycle by charging of
ultra-capacitor. The present work is for controlling the source of
the motor present in the EV during different driving load
conditions and storage of energy by implementing regenerative
braking. In the proposed control action, motor speed plays a
major role in switch the energy sources in HESS. To attain the
objective, another controller has been designed with four math
functions corresponding to the speed of the motor termed as Math
Function Based (MFB) controller. The MFB controller works
based on the motor's speed and this controller creates the closed
loop operation of the overall system with smooth operation
between the energy sources. Thereafter the designed MFB
controller combined with a Fuzzy Logic controller applied to the
entire circuit at different load conditions. In the same way, MFB
with Artificial Neural Network controller also applied to the
circuit. Finally, comparative analysis has been done between two
controllers. The motor has been applied with 6 different types of
load and simulated. The MATLAB results of MFB with FLC and
MFB with ANN has been attained and compared, discussed.


Cataract, the leading cause of blindness, is currently treated only by surgery. Cataract carries risk of complications and its management increases economic burden. Thus, development of pharmacological options with anticataract effects is important. Oxidative-nitrosative stress, non-enzymatic glycation and osmotic stress underlie cataractogenesis. Since tocotrienol possesses biological properties that may suppress pathophysiological mechanism of cataractogenesis, we investigated its anticataract effects in rats. Tocotrienol was formulated into two widely used colloidal drug delivery systems, microemulsion and liposome, due to its poor aqueous solubility. Firstly, the dose-dependent effects of microemulsion of tocotrienol on cataractogenesis were studied in galactose-fed rats to determine the most effective dose of tocotrienol. Different concentrations of tocotrienol were applied topically twice daily from three weeks prior to galactose diet and continued for four weeks along with galactose diet. Cataract progression was monitored and after euthanization, lenticular oxidative stress was measured. Subsequently, using the most effective dose, anticataract efficacy of microemulsion and liposomal formulation was compared in galactose-fed rats. Additionally, ocular tissue distribution of a lipophilic dye using these formulations was studied. For this distribution study, single drop of solution or formulation containing lipophilic dye was applied and animals were euthanized at different time points. Eyeglobes were dissected, cryosectioned, viewed under confocal microscope and analyzed. Lastly, mechanisms of anticataract effect of tocotrienol were studied in the rat model of streptozotocin-induced diabetes, which is a closer representation of human diabetic cataract. Using this model, the effects of tocotrienol on lenticular polyol pathway, oxidative and nitrosative stress, NFKB signaling pathway, ATP and ATPase content, calpain activity and proteins levels were studied. In dose-response study, 0.03 and 0.02% tocotrienol-treated groups showed slower cataract progression compared to vehicle-treated animals with reduction of lenticular oxidative stress. Faster cataract progression and higher oxidative stress were seen in rats treated with higher concentration of tocotrienol compared to vehicle-treated group. Both microemulsion and liposomal formulations showed similar anticataract efficacy. In ocular distribution study, better intraocular distribution was observed following single drop application of lipophilic dye in microemulsion compared to liposome and solution. In rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, tocotrienol delayed the progression of cataract and this anticataract effect was associated with reduction of lenticular oxidative-nitrosative stress, NFKB activation, iNOS expression, lens polyol levels, and restoration of the ATP and ATPase levels, calpain activity and lens protein levels. In conclusion, topically applied tocotrienol shows anticataract effects in rats by reducing oxidative-nitrosative stress and restoring the lens polyol levels, ATP and ATPase levels, calpain activity and lens protein levels.


The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of two critical success factors for knowledge management (i.e. leadership and support by the management, motivational practices) on the innovativeness of knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) companies in the SMEs sector. A sample of 400 companies (KIBS SMEs) located in the Pomeranian District in Poland was selected. The questionnaire was designed to measure knowledge creation and knowledge sharing, team working, professional development and innovation performance. The findings indicate that companies with stronger leadership and support by the management and which employ motivational practices are more innovative than their competitors. This paper provides evidence of the significance of the critical success factors selected for KM in innovation processes. The research opens up the discussion on the relationship between KM critical success factors and company innovativeness. On the basis of the findings, managers in KIBS companies would do well to pay attention to managerial practices which foster the knowledge and professional development of employees, as these practices influence a company's innovativeness. For academics, this paper sketches out fields for further research in this area to be conducted in other countries and sectors. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.25.4.6494


The paper's objective is to present the development of a recursive methodology which is based on Adomian Decompostion Method in order to evaluate the mechanical response of thin laminated plates in linear bending. By the equivalent layer concept, the linear relation between the equivalent stresses and the strains, namely ABD matrix, is established. When viewed by the Adomian Decompostion Method perspective, it generates an interesting idea: each layer influence on the plate's response can be recursively inserted into a base solution by a rearrangement of the plate's properties. This base solution is previously obtained and it is, in this paper, an isotropic plate response for the same loading and boundary conditions. This approach can significantly increase optimization and delamination studies, given the simplicity on the layers modification, both in fiber orientation and constitutive properties, as these are considered on the recursive procedure. The pb-2 Rayleigh-Ritz Method is used to approximate the solution space and to generate analytic response surfaces. The methodology is applied to symmetrical and unsymmetrical stacking cases for different boundary conditions sets and loading types and the obtained responses are compared to those found on the literature. A study of case complements the methodology analysis: a simplified landing gear door is modeled considering a set of loading conditions as well as different stacking configurations. Good correspondence was found in all studied cases.


The traditional design and analysis method for the eccentric involutes gears transmission has model error. Some important parameters, such as minimum geometrical center distance and eccentricity, are not calculated accurately. The differential equation of eccentric involute gears transmission is established on account of the geometrical relationship of eccentric involute gears transmission. A calculating method of the geometrical center distance and eccentricity are derived. The relationship between the minimum geometrical center distance or maximum transmission ratio and initial meshing angle and eccentricity are analyzed. The minimum geometrical center distance and eccentricity are fitted by polynomial. The analysis and design can be completed fast and accurately by using polynomial fitting formals, so the process of analysis and design are simplified.


Crime prevention activities vary both in the types of intervention that are deployed (e.g. target hardening, increased surveillance, offender targeting/diversion) and in the levels of activity taking place over time. The latter is best described as the intensity of crime prevention. This paper examines different ways of measuring the intensity of crime prevention schemes and explores the impact of intensity on reducing crime. Scheme intensity can be measured in a variety of ways, including the number of measures installed, the simple cost of the measures, the amount of staff time spent on project implementation and using more complex concepts such as levered-in-costs. Intensity measures can be derived using both input and output data (i.e. costs incurred by the project and the number of measures installed, respectively). This paper compares these different measures and deals with issues concerning the identification of relevant populations to produce rates of intensity (cost-per-head measures) for schemes. These methods have been applied to 21 burglary projects undertaken in the north of England, as part of the Home Office's Reducing Burglary Initiative. The measures are also used to assess the relationship between scheme intensity and scheme effectiveness, measured in terms of number of burglaries reduced. The power of crime prevention intensity in explaining outcomes after other variables have been accounted for is then assessed.


There are few tasks that managers dread as much as employee discipline. Except for cases in which the offense is severe enough to warrant termination, a manager must continue to interact daily with the employee after a punishment has been imposed. When the employee must be fired, the manager often fears that a lawsuit may not be far behind. Thus, when faced with the need to discipline an employee, supervisors might welcome help in figuring out what to do. That is the purpose of the computer expert system called the Supervisor Assistance System, created by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (hereafter referred to as the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles). With the Supervisor Assistance System, a supervisor can first consult with the computer to determine if the employee's offense is "actionable" under departmental rules. If it is, the supervisor responds to a series of questions about the employee and the details of the offense. The computer then generates one or more recommendations for suggested actions to discipline the employee, along with supportive information from personnel rules. An expert system--one application of artificial intelligence--is a computerized decision-making software that structures expertise in a specific area and emulates human decision-making. The software helps users make a logical decision given its "knowledge base" drawn from laws, regulations, and human expertise.(1) Public agencies have used expert systems for over a decade, and they are becoming more common for a wide variety of purposes (Leonard-Barton and Sviokla, 1988; Martin, 1991). Social service departments use expert systems to determine eligibility for food stamps or refugee assistance, law enforcement units access solved and unsolved burglary cases through a computerized network to get a profile of possible perpetrators of an unsolved crime, and water testing laboratories apply for state license through an expert system. Although expert systems began as stand-alone computer programs, large public agencies are integrating their expert systems into their information data bases, and thus users may not even recognize their expert system as such (Hedberg, 1995). Most studies of public sector expert systems conclude that their promise is great, as they offer users significant potential benefits: increased productivity, improved service delivery effectiveness, and better problem anticipation (Hadden, 1989; McGowan and Lombardo, 1986; Shangraw, 1987). However, such systems have proven difficult to implement and institutionalize (Hadden, 1989, 204; Hauser and Hebert, 1992; Rubin, 1986). Few empirical studies of expert system implementation have been undertaken to assess what determines the extent to which public-sector decision makers will use an expert system initiated within their organization.(2) This article develops a model of the determinants of the degree to which managers utilize an expert system, and tests the model by examining how managers in the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles react to their expert system. The results offer lessons on how to implement an expert system in an agency so that the organization can achieve the benefits of computer technology. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Supervisor Assistance System The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles developed the Supervisor Assistance System to provide consultations for its Supervisors on handling some 45 different employee offenses that can result in disciplinary actions.(3) (See Appendix 1 for a list of all offenses.) For any type of offense, the Supervisor Assistance System asks questions about the incident under investigation as well as other related information, such as the employee's prior disciplinary record and work history. (As an illustration, Appendix 2 presents the specific questions that the system asks a supervisor for the offense "absent without authorized leave. …


The problem of determining power integral bases in algebraic number fields is equivalent to solving the corresponding index form equations. As is known (cf. Győry [25]), every index form equation can be reduced to an equation system consisting of unit equations in two variables over the normal closure of the original field. However, the unit rank of the normal closure is usually too large for practical use. In a recent paper Győry [27] succeeded in reducing index form equations to systems of unit equations in which the unknown units are elements of unit groups generated by much fewer generators. On the other hand, Wildanger [32] worked out an efficient enumeration algorithm that makes it feasible to solve unit equations even if the rank of the unit group is ten. Combining these developments we describe an algorithm to solve completely index form equations in quintic fields. The method is illustrated by numerical examples: we computed all power integral bases in totally real quintic fields with Galois group S5.


Abstract Customer portrait is the customer information that is labelled and digitised. Collecting and studying consumer data is highly helpful to enterprises because it empowers them to use these data to locate target groups and meet various customer needs. With the continuous rise of the e-commerce market, major e-commerce websites list providing customer value and being data-driven as company values. Traditional customer portraits rely excessively on objective and past experience; so, a simple but powerful customer portrait system is required to make the customer analysis platform simple and intelligent, and to make the data accumulated at ordinary times bring practical value to e-commerce companies. Based mainly on addressing this requirement, this paper proposes an effective customer portrait system for e-commerce. First, the research background and significance is expounded, which lays a theoretical foundation for this research. Then, the customer portrait system is designed, including the overall design scheme and functional framework of the system. The improved FCM algorithm is used as the basis for building the customer portrait model, and the performance of this algorithm is analysed and compared with that of the improved algorithm used in this paper.


Using Microbes to recover Rare Earths with low environmental impact

Barbara Palumbo Roe, Simon Gregory, Antoni Milodowski, Julia West, Joanna Wragg
British Geological Survey, Nicker Hill, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK

Steve Banwart, Maria Romero Gonzalez, Wei Huang, Emma Wharfe
Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7HQ, UK

John Harding, Colin Freeman, Shaun Hall
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK

Microbes play an important role in the fate and transport of rare earth elements (REE) in relation to the REE exploitation life cycle. A step change in understanding is needed for key mobilisation, concentration and fractionation processes such as bioleaching, biosorption and biomineralisation and how they can 1) be harnessed to recover REE in situ from low grade ores or secondary deposits, and 2) be quantified for reactive transport in environmental risk assessment and management of mining operations.
Heap/in-situ leaching methods are relatively low impact mining technologies, requiring less energy (for comminution) and in the case of in-situ leaching have a minimal footprint. Furthermore, biologically-assisted leaching and separation processes represent a more sustainable alternative to chemical processes.
We discuss the microbial potential to accelerate dissolution of REEs from source minerals, and how the natural selectivity of mineral and microbial surfaces as ligands for adsorption and biomineralisation of REE dissolved species could be exploited in the recovery of REEs from fluids.


Chapter 1 gives an introduction to hydrogen bonding and the existing research surrounding short strong hydrogen bonds. The concept of a reversible, temperature dependent, proton migration is introduced and a selection of systems in which this proton migration has been observed to date is discussed.
Chapter 2 describes the synthetic techniques, characterisation methods and computational procedures used throughout this work.
Chapter 3 describes the variable temperature structural studies on 3,5 pyridinedicarboxylic acid and its deuterated analogues. The fully deuterated analogue undergoes a non-classical, first order, isosymmetric phase transition between 150 and 200 K and DFT calculations have identified vibrational free energy changes as the driving force for this. Although similar behaviour is exhibited by two partially deuterated isotopologues, no such transition is observed in the fully protonated form.
Chapter 4 presents a combined spectroscopic and computational study of three isotopologues of 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid. Whilst spectral observations and diffraction data are coincident for the fully deuterated form, the advantage of spectroscopy over diffraction for describing migration in the fully protonated and a partially deuterated isotopologue is demonstrated.
Chapter 5 explores the role of vibrational coordinates in the PES governing proton dynamics in light of NMR relaxometry measurements, which reveal a non zero dynamical rate at temperatures close to 0 K, indicative of proton tunnelling. Tunnelling is confirmed by the presence of a 2-well potential in the system, and described based on reorganisations within the structure as a whole.
Chapter 6 reports the synthesis of further short strong hydrogen bond systems. The variable temperature structural properties for each of these compounds are discussed, and comparisons with other well known proton migration compounds are drawn.
Chapter 7 presents the attempted synthesis of a series of new co-crystals, with components based on those of 4-methylpyridine-pentachlorophenol; the successful products were found to possess medium length hydrogen bonds. Variable temperature diffraction studies for one of these products are discussed and show that it undergoes a phase transition on cooling resulting from slight rotations of its components.
Chapter 8 gives the main conclusions of this thesis and outlines a number of opportunities for further work.


The measurement of some of the physical properties of the soils and rocks penetrated by bore holes provides information of value to the soil engineer. Electrical resistivity, radiation, and acoustical properties are particularly useful. The measurements continuously recorded in terms of depths give a detailed log on which geological and physical changes are indicated. In a typical case, the field operations are conducted as follows: (1) A small number of test wells scattered over the area of interest are drilled, cored, and logged with one or several appropriate probes; (2) additional holes are then drilled between the test wells; and (3) these holes are logged but not cored. By correlating the logs and the core data the geology of the area and some of the rock properties can be mapped. None of the methods reviewed, however, can be used to measure dynamic properties. The main advantages of geophysical logs are that detailed information is readily obtained at the well sites and at a for the logging of shallow holes is small, light, rugged and simple. No special technician is needed for its operation.


Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Streptococcus faecalis, Micrococcus flavus, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas strains L2 and 719 were tested for the ability to grow and maintain viability in drinking water. Microcosms were employed in the study to monitor growth and survival by plate counts, acridine orange direct counts (AODC), and direct viable counts (DVC). Plate counts dropped below the detection limit within 7 days for all strains except those of Bacillus and Pseudomonas. In all cases, the AODC did not change. The DVC also did not change except that the DVC, on average, were ca. 10-fold lower than the AODC.


Poliovirus type I, vaccine strain (LSc, zab), which is a temperatureand actinomycin D-sensitive mutant derived from type I Mahoney strain, was grown in HeLa cells in the presence of a~p and a low concentration of actinomycin D. Seven and a half h p.i., genome a2p-RNA was recovered from the purified virion. Analysis of RNase T1 digests of the RNA by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that three possible point mutation sites exist in the large and unique oligonucleotides in the fingerprint. Neither a capping structure nor a nucleotide such as pppNp, ppNp or pNp, was detected by ion exchange column chromatography at pH 5"o after digestion of virion RNA with RNase T2. Instead, a 32p_ labelled compound, which could be digested with Pronase or proteinase K, was eluted at the void volume of the column. Proteinase K digests of the z~P-labelled compound contained pUp or pU as a single labelled compound, when genome RNA was digested with RNase T2 or nuclease P1, respectively, before digestion with the proteinase. Our data locate possible point mutation sites on the genome of a mutant strain (LSc, 2ab) of type 1 poliovirus and show that a protein (VPg) is covalently bound to the 5'-terminus of the RNA. The protein (VPg) of LSc, 2ab strain migrates faster than capsid protein VP 4 (mol. wt. 7ooo to 8ooo) in a polyacrylamide gel and is thus similar to the VPg of the wild-type virus.


This fifth edition has undergone major restructuring, with some sections completely rewritten; it is now more logically organized and more user friendly (with the addition of 'summary boxes' throughout the text). It incorporates new statistical techniques and approaches that have made an appearance since the last edition. In addition, some chapters or chapter headings are specifically marked to signify material that is more difficult than the material in which it is embedded such sections or chapters can be omitted at first reading.


Abstract This study examined the fidelity of problem-solving implementation by multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) in 227 schools and the relationship to student outcomes. Judgments about fidelity of problem-solving implementation and student goal attainment were derived from independent ratings of work products submitted by MDTs. Highest fidelity scores were evident for "Behavioral Definition of the Problem" and "Clearly Identified Goal;" lowest fidelity scores were demonstrated for "Hypothesized Reason for the Problem" and "Treatment Integrity." Ratings of student goal attainment indicated positive student change during problem-solving implementation. Statistically significant but modest correlation coefficients were demonstrated between ratings of student outcomes and ratings of six of the eight problem-solving components. Stepwise multiple regression of student outcome ratings on ratings of implementation fidelity demonstrated that two problem-solving components ("Clearly Identified Goal" and "Data Indicating Student Response to Intervention") were significant predictors, accounting for 8% of the variance in student outcome (F=11.09, p <.001).


Abstract Purpose: Communication difficulties are more common in children or young people (CYP) who have lived in out-of-home care (OOHC) compared to the general population. Principles of family-centred practice (FCP) are frequently utilised by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) when working with CYP with communication difficulties. The aim of this scoping review was to describe how the principles of FCP are applied in the literature to speech-language pathology practice with CYP aged 0–18 in OOHC in Australia. Method: A scoping review protocol was applied to identify published literature related to Australian speech-language pathology practice with CYP in OOHC. Four databases were searched with no date limitations and five publications were included after quality appraisal. Result: Data extraction and thematic analysis identified several major themes: sharing information, liaison and working together, and responding to the CYP's behaviour as non-verbal communication to inform decision making. However, only one study referenced FCP explicitly. Conclusion: The review found that Australian SLPs are implementing FCP when working with CYP with communication difficulties in OOHC. However, scope for potential improvement was identified in the application of FCP principles with respect to the CYPs' birth parents and cultural representatives, as well as the goal setting and evaluation phases of the clinical cycle.


Microbial strain typing is a useful adjunct to clinical epidemiology. Phenotypic typing systems examine expressed characteristics, whereas genotypic systems, including recent PCR-based systems, examine chromosomal or plasmid DNA. Typing systems have evaluated bacteria, fungi, and viruses successfully. The criteria used to assess the utility of each system include typeability, reproducibility, and discriminatory power.


Why many transition economies succeeded by pursuing policies that are so different from the radical economic liberalization (shock therapy) that is normally credited for the economic success of central European countries? First, optimal policies are context dependent, they are specific for each stage of development and what worked in Slovenia cannot be expected to work in Mongolia. Second, even for countries at the same level of development, reforms needed to stimulate growth are different; they depend on the previous history and on the path chosen. The reduction of government expenditure as a share of GDP did not undermine significantly the institutional capacity of the state in China, but in Russia and other CIS states it turned out to be ruinous. It is the growth diagnostics that should reveal the missing ingredient for economic growth. Finally, and most important, introducing this .missing ingredient. should not result in the destruction of other preconditions for growth. The art of the policymaker is to create markets without causing the government failure, as happened in many CIS countries.


In 1757, in the midst of the Seven Year's War, Sweden declared war on Prussia. Queen Luise Ulrike of Sweden (1720-1782) faced a personal dilemma. Born and raised in Berlin, the queen remained deeply attached to her family and to the prestige of the Hohenzollern dynasty. Waging war on her fatherland – and above all on her brother Frederick the Great – was one of her greatest challenges. Yet as queen consort of Sweden her duty required her to be loyal to her country of adoption. Facing a quandary regarding her "double dynastic affiliation", Luise Ulrike rapidly chose her side in this conflict. The queen secretly passed on sensitive information to her brother and privately hoped for Sweden's defeat in the war. Interestingly, her motivations were both personal and political. How did a princess or a queen consort become assimilated to her new kingdom? How did she resolve the paradox of belonging to her old dynasty and her new one?This chapter focuses on the meaning of loyalty, identity, and the concepts of belongingness/foreignness in a queen consort through the example of Queen Luise Ulrike of Sweden (1720-1782). Through the particular example of the Pomeranian War, I examine Luise Ulrike's actions and decisions not only through the prism of her multiple identities (queen of Sweden/princess of Prussia) but also through her political ideals and agency.


The dual radiolabeled monoclonal antibody technique was used to 1) define the magnitude and kinetics of P-selectin expression in murine small intestine exposed to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), and 2) determine the factor(s) responsible for initiating this response. Within 10 min after release of a 20-min arterial occlusion, intestinal P-selectin expression increased two- to threefold compared with control values. Peak (4-fold) expression of P-selectin was noted at 5 h after reperfusion, returning to the control value at 24 h. The early (10-30 min) I/R-induced upregulation of P-selectin appears to reflect mobilization of a preformed pool of the adhesion molecule, whereas the later (5 h) rise appears to be transcription dependent. The early increase in P-selectin expression was not inhibited by pretreatment with either oxypurinol (inhibits xanthine oxidase), diphenhydramine (H1-receptor antagonist), or MK-571 (leukotriene C4/D4antagonist), nor was it blunted in transgenic mice expressing three times the normal level of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase or in mast cell-deficient mice. However, significant inhibition was noted after treatment with either MK-886 (5-lipoxygenase inhibitor) or a nitric oxide (NO) donor (diethylenetriamine/NO). These findings indicate that the early I/R-induced increase in intestinal P-selectin expression is mediated by a 5-lipoxygenase-dependent NO-inhibitable mechanism.


Chemical reactions can be confined to nanoscale compartments by encapsulating catalysts in hollow nanoobjects. Such reaction compartments effectively become nanoreactors when substrate and product are exchanged between bulk solution and cavity. A key issue, thereby, is control of shell permeability. Nanoreactors exhibit selectivity and responsiveness if their shells discriminate among molecules and if access can be modulated by external triggers. Here, we review natural nanoreactors that include protein‐based bacterial microcompartments, protein cages, and viruses. Artificial nanoreactors based on dendrimers, layer‐by‐layer capsules, and amphiphilic block copolymer polymersomes are also discussed. Selectivity in these nanoreactors is either due to intrinsic reactor‐shell semipermeability or can be engineered using smart polymers to gate the reactors. Moreover, a rich repertoire of pores and channels are already provided in nature, e.g., in protein‐based nanoreactors or in trans‐membrane channel proteins. The latter can be reconstituted in polymersomes, resulting in gated vesicles. Nanoreactors hold promise for applications ranging from selective and size‐constrained organic synthesis to biomedical advances (e.g., artificial organelles, biosensing) and as analytical tools to study reaction mechanisms.


While the introduction of federal matching grants to finance the New Deal relief programs is usually viewed as a mechanism to insure federal control over state relief spending, a careful study of the New Deal reveals that the reverse was the case: matching grants allowed the states to escape close federal control. The standard economic model of intergovernmental grants reveals that the federal government will, if allowed, prefer to use discretionary rather than matching grants. With discretion, however, came power; power that neither the states nor Congress wished to see concentrated in the executive branch. Copyright 1991 by Oxford University Press.


This introduction to the essays in this Symposium illuminates Professor Ed Cooper's years as Reporter to the Civil Rules Committee by first briefly describing those who preceded him in the position and his own background. We then describe some of Ed Cooper's many contributions to the Civil Rules Committee, the Federal Rules, rulemaking, and civil procedure by examining the present state of the Rules Committees' work under the Rules Enabling Act. We conclude that after almost eighty years of experience under that Act, it is working well in large part because of the sound leadership provided by Ed Cooper over his twenty years as Reporter. It was during these years that the Committee developed an approach to rulemaking that was at once transparent and empirical, with multiple opportunities for participation by members of the public, the bench, the academy, and the bar; with many informal opportunities for consultation with members of Congress and the Executive Branch; and with an understanding by the Committee of its role in relation to the courts, Congress, and the Executive. Two episodes of recent rulemaking and related activity are described as examples of how well the Rules Enabling Act is working, in large part because of the very flexibility and discretion the Act has provided since 1934. One of those episodes occurred when Judge Anthony Scirica chaired the Standing Committee and then- Judge David Levi chaired the Civil Rules Committee. The other occurred when Judge Lee Rosenthal and Judge Mark Kravitz were the chairs of the Standing and Civil Rules Committees, respectively. Both episodes provide a basis for optimism about the future. And they make clear Ed Cooper's continued steady role in supporting and cultivating the robust good health of the rulemaking process and the institutional values it protects.


The paper describes a modified version of the TEMPA-SC computer program designed to calculate temperature fields in bundles of rods cooled by a supercritical pressure medium. This version of the program is based on the subchannel method that was used in the TEMPA-1F program, developed earlier in the OKB "GIDROPRESS" for calculating heat and mass transfer in the core of VVER-type reactors cooled by single-phase water at subcritical pressure. As the relations that close the system of equations of mass, momentum, and energy conservation, the new version of the program includes correlations for calculating heat transfer and friction resistance, taking into account the strong dependence of the properties of the coolant on temperature and pressure. In particular, the use of the universal calculation model of heat transfer, developed by the authors of this paper, allows us to perform calculations in a wide range of flow parameters of various media, including the modes of normal, improved and deteriorated heat transfer. The results of tests of the TEMPA-SC program are presented in comparison with the available experimental data for water and modeling media (carbon dioxide, freons R-12 and R-134a) at supercritical pressures, as well as with the published data of calculations by using similar subchannel programs (COBRA-SC, ASSERT-PV) and CFD codes. A satisfactory agreement between the calculated and experimental data is shown.


Edge effects on nesting success have been documented in breeding birds in a variety of contexts, but there is still uncertainty in how edge type and spatial scale determine the magnitude and detectability of edge effects. Habitat edges are often viewed as predator corridors that surround or penetrate core habitat and increase the risk of predation for nearby nests. We studied the effects of three different types of potential predator corridors (main perimeter roads, field boundaries, and ATV trails within fields) on waterfowl nest survival in California. We measured the distance from duck nests to the nearest edge of each type, and used distance as a covariate in a logistic exposure analysis of nest survival. We found only weak evidence for edge effects due to predation. The best supported model of nest survival included all three distance categories, and while all coefficient estimates were positive (indicating that survival increased with distance from edge), 85% coefficient confidence intervals approached or bounded zero indicating an overall weak effect of habitat edges on nest success. We suggest that given the configuration of edges at our site, there may be few areas far enough from hard edges to be considered 'core' habitat, making edge effects on nest survival particularly difficult to detect.


Brush-type, amphiphilic [poly(styrene-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-graft-poly(-caprolactone)]-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-[poly(styrene-co-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate)-graft-poly(-caprolactone)] was successfully synthesized via consecutive ring-opening anionic polymerization, reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and coordination-insertion ring-opening polymerization (ROP). Two poly (ethylene oxide) macro-RAFT agents with two 3-benzylsulfanylthiocarbonylsufanyl propionic acid end groups were prepared by the reaction of Poly(ethylene oxide) with hydroxyl group at two ends [HO-PEO-OH] with 3-benzylsulfanylthiocarbonylsufanyl propionic acid chloride in the presence of pyridine; their molecular weights were 4840 and 8570 g/mol, and their molecular weight distributions were 1.07 and 1.09, respectively. The obtained macro-RAFT agents were used to mediate the copolymerization of styrene and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator and dimethylformamide as the solvent. The hydroxyl groups of the 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate units of the resulting triblock copolymers then initiated the ROP of -caprolactone in the presence of Sn(Oct)2 at 100 °C in toluene. It was determined that the RAFT process was controllable. The self-assembled morphologies of the copolymers varied from rods to pearl necklaces and vesicles with an increase in the water concentration in tetrahydrofuran from 22.0 to 25.7, 29.6, and 39.0%, and the morphologies were also dependent on the molecular weight and chain structure of the copolymers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4396-4408, 2006


This study aims to determine whether corporate diversification increases the borrowing capacity of Brazilian companies by means of cross- pledging. Using a panel data model, we estimated the relationship between leverage and the degree of corporate diversification using a sample of companies listed on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa) between 2009 and 2011 and Brazilian companies with access to international markets through American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the period 2003-2011. Using empirical tests, we found no relationship between diversification and debt in either sample, indicating that a strategy of corporate diversification should not be used as a strategy to expand a company's financing capacity.


The effect of nonprotein thiol (NPT) free radical scavengers WR-1065 (SH) and WR-33278 (SS), the active thiol and disulfide metabolites of amifostine, N-acetylcysteine (NAC; both L- and D- isomers), mesna, captopril, and dithiothreitol (DTT) on NFkappaB activation in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC) was investigated and contrasted to TNFalpha. The use of each of these NPTs at millimolar concentrations independent of oxidative damage-inducing agents resulted in a marked activation of NFkappaB, with the maximum effect observed between 30 min and 1 h after treatment. Only the SH and SS forms of amifostine, however, were effective in activating NFkappaB when administered at micromolar levels. Using a supershift assay, SH and SS equally affected the p50-p65 heterodimer, but not homodimers or heterodimers containing p52 or c-Rel subunits of NFkappaB. Neither catalase nor pyruvate when added to the culture medium to minimize hydrogen peroxide production had an effect on NFkappaB activation by SH. Thus, while oxidative damage is known to activate NFkappaB, the intracellular redox environment may also be affected by the addition of free radical scavenging agents such as NPT, and these in turn are capable of activating the redox sensitive transcription factor NFkappaB. There does not appear to be a significant role, if any, for the production of H(2)O(2) as an intermediate step in the activation of NFkappaB by either the SH or the SS form of amifostine. Rather, the underlying mechanism of action, especially for the SS form, may be related to the close structural and functional similarities of these agents to polyamines, which have been reported to be capable of activating NFkappaB. In contrast to TNFalpha, exposure of cells to either 40 microM or 4 mM of SH for 30 min did not induce intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) gene expression, but did increase manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene expression. MnSOD expression rose by 2-fold and remained elevated from 4 to 22 h following SH exposure.


Development that exploits natural resources is an easy story to hear. The exploitation-based development model that is maintained will only result in marginalization. A green economy as a means of achieving sustainable development is designed to protect and increase the value of the natural resource base, increase resource efficiency, promote sustainable or environmentally friendly patterns of production and consumption, and encourage the world towards low carbon development. Green economy policies and measures should be designed to improve the integration between economic development and its sustainable aspects. A development that combines economic, social and environmental interests to meet the needs of the current generation without sacrificing the interests of future generations. For this reason, Malini Agro Park, which is located in the arid area of ??Pecatu, implements an integrated hydroponic system to support sustainable development. The specific objective of this research is to examine in depth the implementation of green accounting at Malini Agro Park.
Index Terms— green economy, triple bottom line accounting