Aims to get a clearer picture of why multinational companies (MNCs) send out expatriates. Identifies three organisational functions of international transfers: position filling, management development and coordination and control. Based on an empirical study with results from 212 subsidiaries of MNCs from nine different home countries, located in 22 different host countries, shows that the importance that is attached to these functions differs between subsidiaries in MNCs from different home countries, between subsidiaries in different host regions and in addition varies with the level of cultural difference. Sees position filling as most important for subsidiaries of US and British MNCs and in the Latin American and Far Eastern regions. Sees management development as most important for subsidiaries of German, Swiss and Dutch MNCs and as tending to occur more in Anglo‐Saxon countries than in the Far Eastern region. Transfers for coordination and control seem to be most important for subsidiaries of German and Japanese MNCs and in host countries that are culturally distant from headquarters. Argues that these differences might have important consequences for expatriate management.


Organic materials in an oil shale retort water produced in situ were fractionated using macroreticular resins, ion exchange resins, and activated carbon Approximately 50 percent of the material was adsorbed on the macroreticular resin. Of the materials adsorbed on the macroreticular resin, 26 percent were basic, 36 percent were acidic, and 38 percent were of neutral character. Of materials passing through the resin, 21 percent were adsorbed on a cation exchange resin (basic), 58 percent were adsorbed on anion exchange resins (acidic), and 20 percent were not adsorbed (neutral). Activated carbon adsorbed quantities of material similar to those adsorbed by the ion exchangers if the sample was acidified before adsorption. Based on these fractionation experiments, a procedure to perform a preparative scale fractionation of an oil shale retort water produced in situ into representative organic compound classes has been developed. The four primary fractions isolated include hydrophobic bases, hydrophobic neutrals, carbon adsorbables, and nonadsorbables.


This book provides a systematic analysis of the performance of Brazil's large state-owned enterprises. The Brazilian economic system encourages private enterprise, but the government itself owns and operates such critical industries as petrochemicals, steel, electricity and telecommunications. The Brazilian state has assumed the role of an entrepreneur not for ideological reasons, but as a pragmatic means of speeding up the process of economic growth. The author examines the economic and financial performance of these state-owned enterprises in terms of their contribution to economic growth. He concludes that in Brazil they have been effective substitutes for private investment in a number of strategic industries and that their ability to assemble large amounts of capital, to attract skilled managers, and to earn reasonable profits permitted the Brazilian economy to grow more rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s than would have been the case in their absence.


Pressure drop and cuttings concentration are considered as sensitive issues in underbalanced drilling, especially when dealing with three phase (cuttings-gas-liquid)flow in horizontal, deep and extended reached wells. Improper estimation of the two mentioned may lead to drilling complications such as reduction in rate of penetration, pipe sticking, increase in torque and drag force and cutting bed development. In order to address this issue, there is a need of understanding the fundamental behavior of the three phase flow in the annulus and identify the most influencing parameters. In this project, effect of rate of penetration (ROP) and fluid velocity at the annulus is analyzed by simulating the three phase flow in a horizontal section of the wellbore by using a commercial package of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software known as ANSYS CFX 14. The length of the horizontal section is 2ft of diameter 2.91inch and the inner eccentric drillpipe diameter is 1.85inch.
The simulations were conducted at steady state flow and as a result flow patterns were identified as well as volumetric concentration of cuttings and pressure drop were inferred.
Initially, cutting bed was observed at the entry section of the annulus due to rate of penetration and low annular velocity. But as the annular velocity increases due to increase in gas superficial velocity, the bed decreases and pressure drop decreases as well. After that when cutting bed disappeared completely, the pressure drop increase again due to increase in the mixture fluid density.
However, as the ROP increases, the cuttings concentration increases, but not much change is observed in the trend of pressure drop due to the presence of the gas causing turbulence at the annulus.
The result generated by the simulation is verified with the experimental data taken from Ettehadi Osgouei et al (2010) paper and it shows a good agreement with an error difference of less than 20%. So this implies that drilling Engineers can apply
v
ANSYS-CFX14 to estimate pressure drop and cuttings concentration for underbalanced drilling program.


Sigma phase is commonly considered to be the most deleterious secondary phase precipitating in duplex stainless steels, as it results in an extreme reduction of corrosion resistance and toughness. Previous studies have mainly focused on the kinetics of sigma phase precipitation and influences on properties and only a few works have studied the morphology of sigma phase and its influences on material properties. Therefore, the influence of sigma phase morphology on the degradation of corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of 2507 super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) was studied after 10 h of arc heat treatment using optical and scanning electron microscopy, electron backscattered diffraction analysis, corrosion testing, and thermodynamic calculations. A stationary arc was applied on the 2507 SDSS disc mounted on a water-cooled chamber, producing a steady-state temperature gradient covering the entire temperature range from room temperature to the melting point. Sigma phase was the major intermetallic precipitating between 630 °C and 1010 °C and its morphology changed from blocky to fine coral-shaped with decreasing aging temperature. At the same time, the average thickness of the precipitates decreased from 2.9 µm to 0.5 µm. The chemical composition of sigma was similar to that predicted by thermodynamic calculations when formed at 800–900 °C, but deviated at higher and lower temperatures. The formation of blocky sigma phase introduced local strain in the bulk of the primary austenite grains. However, the local strain was most pronounced in the secondary austenite grains next to the coral-shaped sigma phase precipitating at lower temperatures. Microstructures with blocky and coral-shaped sigma phase particles were prone to develop microscale cracks and local corrosion, respectively. Local corrosion occurred primarily in ferrite and in secondary austenite, which was predicted by thermodynamic calculations to have a low pitting resistance equivalent. To conclude, the influence of sigma phase morphology on the degradation of properties was summarized in two diagrams as functions of the level of static load and the severity of the corrosive environment.


Neural crest (NC) cells are induced at the border of the neural plate and subsequently leave the neuroepithelium during a delamination phase. This delamination involves either a complete or partial epithelium‐to‐mesenchyme transition, which is directly followed by an extensive cell migration. During migration, NC cells are exposed to a wide variety of signals controlling their polarity and directionality, allowing them to colonize specific areas or preventing them from invading forbidden zones. For instance, NC cells are restricted to very precise pathways by the presence of inhibitory signals at the borders of each route, such as Semaphorins, Ephrins, and Slit/Robo. Although specific NC chemoattractants have been recently identified, there is evidence that repulsive interactions between the cells, in a process called contact inhibition of locomotion, is one of the major driving forces behind directional migration. Interestingly, in cellular and molecular terms, the invasive behavior of NC is similar to the invasion of cancer cells during metastasis. NC cells eventually settle in various places and make an immense contribution to the vertebrate body. They form the major constituents of the skull, the peripheral nervous system, and the pigment cells among others, which show the remarkable diversity and importance of this embryonic‐stem cell like cell population. Consequently, several birth defects and craniofacial disorders, such as Treacher Collins syndrome, are due to improper NC cell migration. WIREs Dev Biol 2012, 1:435–445. doi: 10.1002/wdev.28


This paper describes three new designs of a shift register latch that lend themselves to distributed self-test and delay test. The advantages of these new SRLs are faster application of test vectors, higher DC and AC fault coverages, with low performance impact. Operation, cost, and other attributes are studied in detail. Results of adopting one of the new SRLs are reported on three pilot chips.


A generic feature of the known string inflationary models is that the same physics that makes the inflaton lighter than the Hubble scale during inflation often also makes other scalars this light. These scalars can acquire isocurvature fluctuations during inflation, and given that their VEVs determine the mass spectrum and the coupling constants of the effective low-energy field theory, these fluctuations give rise to couplings and masses that are modulated from one Hubble patch to another. These seem just what is required to obtain primordial adiabatic fluctuations through conversion into density perturbations through the `modulation mechanism', wherein reheating takes place with different efficiency in different regions of our Universe. Fluctuations generated in this way can generically produce non-gaussianity larger than obtained in single-field slow-roll inflation; potentially observable in the near future. We provide here the first explicit example of the modulation mechanism at work in string cosmology, within the framework of LARGE Volume Type-IIB string flux compactifications. The inflationary dynamics involves two light Kähler moduli: a fibre divisor plays the rôle of the inflaton whose decay rate to visible sector degrees of freedom is modulated by the primordial fluctuations of a blow-up mode (which is made light by the use of poly-instanton corrections). We find the challenges of embedding the mechanism into a concrete UV completion constrains the properties of the non-gaussianity that is found, since for generic values of the underlying parameters, the model predicts a local bi-spectrum with fNL of order `a few'. However, a moderate tuning of the parameters gives also rise to explicit examples with fNL ∼ 𝒪(20) potentially observable by the Planck satellite.


Transient heat transfer analysis of disc brake has been performed to find out an ideal shape of pad geometry. The analysis has taken frictional heat between brake disc and pads as heat flux onto the friction surface, the disc and the pad's temperature fields then were explored involving thermal conduction, forced convection and surface radiation effects. The disc thermal expansion stress was then acquired by quasi-static analysis using its temperature of aforesaid heat transfer analysis. Five prototypes of pad designs with geometry and volume variations were implemented for analytical comparison. Both pads and disc are required to have lower and uniform temperature field and thermal stress. The results uncover that heat conduction is domination in heat dissipation progress during braking, and big volume pad is cooler. Pad volume has more impact to heat transfer procedure and temperature gradient than pad geometry variation does. The design has 10 triangle pads is considered to be an ideal candidate. Its maximum disc temperature and thermal stress are the least among the five designs.


COVID 19 closed the people in their homes but for a small part of the society the period of isolation has passed in a learning and office environment. What are the effects of the social isolation on people – we will find out. How the environment – parents, friends, society, colleagues, influences on the successful dealing with stress and how it helps personal sustainability, we will know in the future. During the research we will see the dynamics in the resilience levels of the cadets before, during and after the quarantine. The results will show us how the military environment helps the cadets to deal with the negative sides of the social isolation. The development of resilience will be monitored as an ability of selfregulation in a moments of crisis.


In this essay, I seek to refine our understanding of historical counterfactuals by classifying them into a new typology. After providing a systematic definition of counterfactuals, I divide them up into five different categories: causal, emotive, temporal, spatial, and manneristic. Within each of these categories, I identify eighteen different types of counterfactuals, which I classify with descriptive names and illustrate with specific examples from recent works of historiography. The different types of counterfactuals vary in numerous ways, but they are all linked by their rhetorical elements. These elements, in turn, help explain the present-day popularity of wondering how history might have been different.


The author is professor of New Testament Literature at Southern California School of Theology and produced with Ernest Cadman Caldwell The Gospel of the Spirit. This work, offering more detailed interpretation, serves as something of a companion volume. .Of greatest value is a chapter in Part I entitled "The Evangelist's Literary Method." Here Professor Titus offers a reasonable approach in a list of eleven literary techniques each of which he illustrates in the Gospel. A final relating of the Gospel to the oral period substitutes for the frequently arid presentation of date, occasion, etc. In Part 11, "The Commentary," Professor Titus discusses the contents of the Gospel quite properly by sections rather than by a verse by verse exegesis. It is doubtful if any two interpreters of the Fourth Gospel would interpret all these sections in the same way, but it must be said that Professor Titus has written clearly and capably a series of closely related interpretive essays. This is a useful book on the Fourth Gospel. J. Estill Jones


Factor VIII-related antigen (F8) and Ulex europaeus lectin (UEL) are accepted markers for human blood vessel endothelium. However, disagreement exists as to whether lymphatic vessels stain for F8, and accordingly this study was undertaken to address this issue. Moreover, another vascular endothelial marker, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) was also examined in lymphatics. Segments of human thoracic duct and portions of small bowel containing lacteals with post-mortem intervals of less than 15 hours, were removed at autopsy and fixed in B5 or formalin. The specimens were processed routinely and sections examined by indirect immunohistochemical techniques for F8 (Dako Corp.), ACE and for UEL (EY Lab). F8, UEL, and ACE positivity was uniformly found in thoracic ducts and lacteals; however, the staining intensity was less in lymphatic vessels with F8 and UEL than with comparable arteries or veins. ACE staining intensity, on the other hand, was similar in blood vessels and lymphatics. Both formalin and B5 fixation preserved antigenicity; however, background staining was greater with B5 fixation whereas tissue staining was slightly more intense with formalin fixation.


Abstract. It's easily to obtain the geometric information of terrain features in a timely manner using advanced surveying and mapping methods, but it is impossible to obtain their semantic information with low latency due to the rapid development of cities. The popularity of GPS-enabled devices and technologies provide us a large number of personal location information. Moreover, it is possible to extract the personal or group behavior pattern due to the regularity of human behavior. Those conditions make it possible to extract and identify human behavior patterns from their trajectory data. In this paper, we present an automatic semantic map generation method that extract semantic patterns and take advantage of them to tagging spatial objects in an unknown region based on known semantic patterns. We study the regularity of trajectory data and build the semantic pattern based on the regularity of human behavior. Most importantly, we use known semantic patterns to identify the semantics of the stay points in the unknown region, and use this method to realize the semantic recognition of the stay points. Results of the experiments show the effectiveness of our proposed method.


Acacia × mangiiformis Maslin & L.A.J.Thomson, hybrida nova, is described. Its parents are Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth. and A. mangium Willd., two well-known and important plantation species in Asia and elsewhere. Acacia × mangiiformis arose naturally in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea and in recent decades has become widely cultivated in southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam), India, and to a lesser extent in China and Taiwan. The tree has often been referred to as "Acacia hybrid" in forestry literature. Acacia × mangiiformis has morphological and other characteristics that are intermediate between its parents. Furthermore, it often has a faster growth rate, superior bole form and is more drought-tolerant than its parent species The hybrid is used primarily for pulp production but also has uses as solid wood products and fuelwood. The wood is similar to that of A. mangium but has a higher density and is more suitable for products where strength is important; it is also less susceptible to termite attack than are its parent species. Ten high-performing commercial clones of Acacia × mangiiformis have been developed in Vietnam and more are being selected. The formal naming of this important hybrid is dedicated to Professor Le Dinh Kha (formerly of Forest Science Institute of Vietnam), an outstanding researcher, supervisor, and authority on tree breeding who conducted much of the original research and promotion of Acacia × mangiiformis in Vietnam.


This study investigates the influence of buckling restrained brace systems (BRBs) on the overall structural stability against fire following a severe incident, which caused the failure of a column on the first storey of a steel building. A four-storey moment frame fitted with the inverted-V arrangement of braces is modelled, considering a multi-hazard approach. This technique concentrates on a structural plane frame that is designed to meet the progressive collapse criteria according to the U.S. Department of Defense guidelines and assumes that an extreme event damaged a first-storey centre column, before the exposure to an ensuing fire. The performance of BRBs in preventing the global collapse of the structure due to a post-event fire is compared with that of ordinary concentric brace systems (OCBs). The results indicate that BRBs offer a higher global collapse time to the building owing to the greater stiffness they provide to the structural frame. The fire resistance provided by BRBs is restricted to the participation of bracing elements and framing girders afterwards. In the case of OCBs, columns contribute to the structural resistance prior to the full capacity of braces used. To conclude, it is found that BRBs are more capable in maintaining the stability of a damaged building against fire resulting from an extreme event than OCBs. © 2018, Hong Kong Institute of Steel Construction.


Are optimism shocks an important source of business cycle fluctuations? Are deficit-financed tax cuts better than deficit-financed spending to increase output? These questions have been previously studied using SVARs identified with sign and zero restrictions and the answers have been positive and definite in both cases. While the identification of SVARs with sign and zero restrictions is theoretically attractive because it allows the researcher to remain agnostic with respect to the responses of the key variables of interest, we show that current implementation of these techniques does not respect the agnosticism of the theory. These algorithms impose additional sign restrictions on variables that are seemingly unrestricted that bias the results and produce misleading confidence intervals. We provide an alternative and efficient algorithm that does not introduce any additional sign restriction, hence preserving the agnosticism of the theory. Without the additional restrictions, it is hard to support the claim that either optimism shocks are an important source of business cycle fluctuations or deficit-financed tax cuts work best at improving output. Our algorithm is not only correct but also faster than current ones.


Clostridium perfringens is a major cause of gas gangrene. The morbidity of C. perfringens is connected with producing toxins. This cross-sectional study was designed to isolate, genetically diagnose, and study the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of C. perfringens isolated from clinical samples. Different wound swabs (from diabetic patients, cellulitis, and bullet wounds) were taken from 140 patients. For isolation of anaerobic bacteria, samples (in thioglycolate broth) were immediately incubated anaerobically then identified according to the cultural properties and biochemical tests. DNA was extracted from all specimens. Polymerase chain reaction was applied for detection of 16SrRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes of C. perfringens. The susceptibility of bacterial isolates to different antibiotics was determined using Vitek 2 system and disk diffusion test. Out of 140 clinical samples collected during this study, 3 (2.14%) C. perfringens isolates were recovered of which 2 isolates (1.43%) obtained from diabetic patients and one (0.71%) from bullet wounds. Results also showed that only 7 isolates (5%) were detected by a molecular method using specific primers 16S rRNA and ITS genes of C. perfringens. Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing showed that all isolates were highly susceptible to penicillins and β-lactamase inhibitors, metronidazole, and aminoglycosides. On the other hand, all isolates were highly resistant to tetracycline, levofloxacin, and erythromycin. The susceptibility patterns of C. perfringens isolates showed that all isolates were multidrug resistance. Using the amplification of ITS gene increases specificity and sensitivity (by reducing non-specific annealing and primer dimer formation) which increases the probability of detection of suspected C. perfringens isolates.


The low-level, energy-based motion system and the high-level, feature tracking motion system have different temporal characteristics: the sensitivity function of the energy-based system is bandpass peaking around 10 Hz and the feature tracking system is lowpass with a cut-off frequency around 3 Hz. For the energy-based motion system, the greater sensitivity to middle frequencies could be due to less internal noise or more efficient processing (i.e., requiring lower signal-to-noise ratios) at these temporal frequencies. Equivalently, for the feature tracking motion system, the sensitivity drop with temporal frequency could be due to an increase in internal noise or a decrease in processing efficiency. To investigate which underlying factor is responsible for the shape of the temporal sensitivity function for each motion system, an external noise paradigm was used to decompose the sensitivity into internal equivalent noise and calculation efficiency over a wide range of temporal frequencies. To examine the processing of the energy-based system, observers were asked to discriminate the rotating direction of a sine wave grating, which provided strong local luminance drifting cues. For the feature tracking system, the same stimulus was used except that the phase of the sine wave grating was randomized at each frame so the stimulus was drift-balanced. Results showed that the greater sensitivity of energy-based processing to middle frequencies was due to less internal noise and the calculation efficiency remained relatively constant over a wide range of temporal frequencies. Conversely, the sensitivity drop of the feature tracking system with temporal frequency was due to both a reduction in the calculation efficiency and an increase in internal equivalent noise. The shape of the temporal sensitivity function therefore reveals fundamentally different properties for the two motion systems: internal noise variation for the energy-based system and both internal noise and processing efficiency for the feature tracking system. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


In 2009 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was mandated by its Governing Council to develop a global legally binding instrument for mercury. An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was established to prepare the instrument before the 27th UNEP Governing Council Meeting in February 2013. This instrument will have significant and far-reaching effects for South Africa, due to our economy's reliance on fossil fuels, in particular coal fired power generation. South Africa is currently rated as the 6th largest emitter of mercury in the world with annual emissions estimated at around 50 tons. This paper will look at the draft text of the instrument after the 4th round of negotiations and highlight some of the potential implications for South Africa. It must be highlighted that the text of the instrument is still under negotiations and the observations and remarks made in this paper are not the official position of the Government of South Africa.


Dynamical adhesion force of cells on biomaterial substrates Y. Deng, Carl G. Simon Jr. , P.M. McGuiggan, S. M. Wiederhorn, B.R. Lawn Materials Science and Engineering Lab, Polymer Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899 The adhesion of cells to synthetic biomaterial implant surfaces is an essential step for tissue growth in bone repair. Such adhesion can mandate whether the tissue will accept or reject the implanted biomaterials. In this study, the adhesion forces between live cells (MC3T3-E1) and various biomaterial surfaces have been measured using atomic force microscope (AFM) with a biochemical modified sphere tip in cell culture medium. The characteristic cell adhesion behavior to the two different biomaterials surfaces can be further differentiate at time length from 1 minute to half hour. The dynamical adhesion force is determined over the frequency range of 10 to 10 Hz for the cells on bioglass and biopolymer of polystyrene substrates. Increasing tip probing frequency (or loading rate) can actually increase the average cell adhesion force. The adhesion force is also increased with the cell attachment time. However, the magnitude of increase is various for different biomaterials surfaces. Such dynamical testing protocol has a potential to be used as a new and simple methodology to evaluate a spectrum of biomaterials for biocompatibility testing. The underlying adhesion mechanisms between cells and their biomaterial surfaces will also facilitate guidance of biomaterial surface treatment engineering. Presenting Author's information Name: Yan Deng Division: 850 Laboratory:MSEL Room: A349, Bldg. 223 Mail Stop 8500 Tel: (301) 975-5774 Fax: (301) 975-5012 Email:email@example.com Sigma Xi member? No Category: Materials and Biotechnology


Trains are becoming a popular way of transportation driven by comfort and ecology reasons. Latest statistics showed an increasing of 40% on the number of passengers in the last decade. The development of new high-speed trains promoted an evolution on the coaches interiors, as to make railway transportation more attractive. To cope this objective, new requirements were set, namely high levels of comfort and safety. In complement, multiple long-term ride comfort evaluation methods have been developed. The aim of this work is to present a review on the passengers' comfort perception    in railway vehicles. The standards ISO 2631, EN 12299 and the Sperling's method are the most used ones. They refer several factors, as the vibration (level, frequency and duration), temperature, noise and area of the train per capita. Additionally, the perception of reduced accidents delayed the studies of passive security. Therefore, recent works focus on reducing the consequences of the second impact in case of accident and minimize the biomechanics injury criterion, through new interiors design layouts.
Keywords: Railway vehicles, Passengers comfort, Posture, Ride evaluation, Passive safety


Creativity and the ability to innovate
are commonly pointed to as being core attributes of the competencies that organizations
need to differentiate themselves and obtain comparative advantages in the
competitive world of contemporary business. This premise has led to countless
organizations requiring that the professionals they employ be creative, as
opposed to having purely a command-control profile. Given this context, the
main objective of this article is to investigate a sample of 7,924 graduates of
executive development programs. These were alumni from more than 40
year-groups of executive education courses that were offered by a business
school headquartered in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, and who between 2010
and 2016 underwent a MBTI instrument, a device for measuring individual
psychological preferences (Myers & Myers, 1997) that was developed from
Jung's psychological types (Jung, 2013a). The expectation was that it would be
possible to see by how much the profiles of these alumni had changed
over the period investigated, with an increase in the psychological function, Intuition,
as either dominant or auxiliary in the psychological types. The results,
however, demonstrate a high preponderance of the Thinking and Sensing
preferences, which are associated with command-control type professional
profiles. The Intuition and Perceiving profiles, which are commonly
related to creativity and innovation, had the lowest incidences throughout the
historical series that was investigated.


BACKGROUND
Decreased vitamin D serum levels have been recently related to arterial stiffening and vascular calcifications in haemodialysis (HD) patients, but the pathophysiology of this association is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between vascular calcifications, cardiovascular risk factors [including brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), pulse pressure (PP) and left ventricular mass index] and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)(2)D3] serum levels.

METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional study with 223 prevalent HD patients, 48% females, 27% diabetics, with the mean age of 62.7 +/- 15.3 years and the mean HD time of 42.9 +/- 39.3 months. Forty-seven percent of the patients were taking active forms of vitamin D.

RESULTS
Serum levels of [25(OH)D3] were low (21.6 +/- 12.2 ng/mL) and negatively correlated with age (r = -0.31, P < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (DM) (r = -0.20, P = 0.004), C-reactive protein (r = -0.25, P < 0.001), log(10) BNP (r = -0.22, P = 0.002), PP > 65 mmHg (r = -0.21, P = 0.003) and vascular calcifications (r = -0.26, P < 0.001). Levels of [25(OH)D3] were positively correlated with [1,25(OH)(2)D3] (r = 0.25, P < 0.001) and albumin (r = 0.23, P = 0.001). On multivariate analysis, levels of [25(OH)D3] were independently associated with DM (P < 0.001), lower albumin levels (P = 0.003), higher BNP values (P = 0.005), PP > 65 mmHg (P = 0.006) and a higher vascular calcification score (>or= 3) (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that lower levels of [25(OH)D3] are a cardiovascular risk marker in HD patients, since they are strongly associated with higher BNP levels, increased PP and with the presence of vascular calcifications. The exact role of [25(OH)D3] deficiency on cardiovascular morbi-mortality needs to be clarified in large randomized controlled trials.


A totally new automatic workflow mechanism, named Second generation Mosaic module, based on the well-known Pixel Factory system, will be introduced here, which enables existing digital orthoimages and mosaics to be quickly updated. The process extracts all required parameters from the reference database to be able to perform automatic bundle adjustment and radiometric adaptation.In this paper, two examples for both satellite data and aerial data processed based on this mechanism will be presented here and discussed. Finally, the cost reduction will also be analysed according to the real mapping updating project.In a final statement, this paper will present an integrated solution named second generation mosaic module based on the well-known Pixel Factory system which is completely dedicated to fast processing of photogrammetric products Thanks to this integrated hardware and software solution, it is even possible to manage large data volume quickly in order to have precise map updating information as soon as possible after acquisition.


A multiple-range potentiometer circuit is described that provides automatic measurement of temperatures or temperature differences with any one of several thermocouple-material pairs. Techniques of automatic reference junction compensation, span adjustment, and zero suppression are described that permit rapid selection of range and wire material, without the necessity for restandardization, by setting of two external tap switches.


This paper treats of semantical systems S of sufficient strength so that for any set W definable in S (in a sense which will be made precise), there must exist a sentence X which is true in S if and only if it is an element of W. We call such an X a Tarski sentence for W. It is the sentence which (in a purely extensional sense) says of itself that it is in W. If W is the set of all expressions not provable in some syntactical system C, then X is the Gödel sentence which is true (in S) if and only if it is not provable (in C). We provide a novel method for the construction of these sentences, which yields sentences particularly simple in structure. The method is applicable to a variety of systems, including a form of elementary arithmetic, and some systems of protosyntax self applied. In application to the former, we obtain an extremely simple and direct proof of a theorem, which is essentially Tarski's theorem that the truth set of elementary arithmetic is not arithmetically definable. The crux of our method is in the use of a certain function, the 'norm' function, which replaces the classical use of the diagonal function. To give a heuristic idea of the norm function, let us define the norm of an expression E (of informal English) as E followed by its own quotation.


Previous work on semantics-based multi-state programming language design focused on homogeneous and heterogeneous software designs. In homogenous software design, the source and the target software programming languages are the same. In heterogeneous software design, they are different software languages. This paper proposes a practical means to circuit design by providing specialized offshoring translations from subsets of the source software programming language to subsets of the target hardware description language (HDL). This approach avoids manually writing codes for specifying the circuit of the given algorithm. To illustrate the proposed approach, we design and implement a translation to a subset of Verilog suitable numerical and logical computation. Through the translator, programmers can specify abstract algorithms in high level languages and automatically convert them into circuit descriptions in low level languages.


OBJECTIVE
To determine clinical signs, laboratory findings, relationship to vaccination, and response to treatment for type I immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA) in dogs.

DESIGN
Retrospective study.

ANIMALS
39 dogs

PROCEDURE
Clinical records and radiographic reports from 3 university referral hospitals were reviewed. Clinical signs, laboratory and investigative findings, relationship to vaccination, and response to treatment were evaluated.

RESULTS
Clinical signs and initial laboratory and clinical investigative findings were frequently abnormal but were nonspecific and not associated with likelihood of recovery. Time of vaccination was not associated with onset of disease. Chemotherapeutic immunosuppression resulted in complete cure in 56% of dogs. Continuous medication was required in 18% (7/39) of dogs, relapses were treated successfully in 13% (5/39) of dogs, and 15% (6/39) of dogs died or were euthanatized as a result of disease.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
The possible involvement of vaccination in type I IMPA was not made clear from this study because of the small population size. Signalment, clinical signs, and results of diagnostic tests other than multiple synovial fluid analyses were generally nonspecific. Most dogs with type I IMPA responded to initial immunosuppressive treatment, but 31% (12/39) of dogs relapsed, required further treatment, or both.


A direct method of tracing the bacterial indicators (Human Albumin Microspheres) for evaluation of adhesive plastic incision drapes was used. The particles were sprayed on the prepared skin beneath the plastic incision drape in 30 operations. At the end of the operation, wound irrigates were collected for retrieval of the particles. No particles could be detected in any of the procedures studied. It was shown that, when a plastic incise drape is properly applied, it conforms to the skin and no air bubbles or pockets of fluid will form beneath or around the incised edge of the drape. It will remain tightly adherent to the skin throughout the operative procedure. Used in this manner, plastic incise drapes can aid in preventing the migration of skin microbes into the surgical wound as was demonstrated by the complete absence of simulated bacterial indicators in all 30 of the wound irrigates that were examined.


It is accepted that image compression and transmission are essential in the image processing system and that errors occurred may introduce the degradation on the quality of the received image over the wireless transmission for intelligent Internet of things (IoT).Here am analyzing the various methods for the 3d image quality. Over the past years, we can observe an exponential increase in the demand for 3D image and video services. High-quality 3D movies can now be seen in thousands of new generation 3D theaters all around the world. Due to the advanced development of media compression, media representation, and the availability of larger and ever increasing bandwidth, in recent years there has been a great attraction to enhance the viewing experience of visual displays and communication systems as like as natural with the incorporation of multi view/3D (threedimensional) imaging. Earlier studies have shown that the depth map represented as a gray scale video can be compressed more efficiently than the corresponding color video, using as little as 10% to 20% of the color bit rate while retaining good quality. These results were obtained by subjective testing as there were no established objective video quality metrics (VQM) for 3D video. Three dimensional televisions (3D-TV) are broadly considered the future of television broadcasting that would bring a more life-like and visually immersive home entertainment experience. This trend is accompanied with a surge in the number of 3D movies that are being recorded in a stereoscopic format. The technologies of intelligent IoT have been fast developing, and the received image quality at the intelligent terminal display equipment is particularly important.


A 61 year old Asian male presented with complaints of one month history of epigastric discomfort and microcytic anemia on recent blood test. Detailed history was suggestive that the pain was intermittent, was associated with generalized abdominal discomfort with loss of appetite for around two months. No history of hematemesis, malena or dysphagia. He had a past history of stroke in 2004 and since then had left sided hemiplegia and constipation. Use of laxative helped him to good effect. ON EXAMINATION- Abdomen was soft, non tender, no organomegaly Examination of all other systems was unremarkable INVESTIGATIONS- He underwent a series of investigations for his abdominal complaints which included Oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy, colonoscopy, malignancy markers and serum electrophoresis – all were found to be negative. CT scan abdomen and pelvis done subsequently was suggestive of significant ascites with wall thickening in jejunum so a possibility of small bowel carcinoma was raised with multiple metastatic lesions in spleen. DIAGNOSIS- Later when this case was discussed in MDT, it was suggested that he should undergo a diagnostic laparoscopy and a gold quantiferon test for probable TB infection. Culture of peritoneal fluid was unremarkable and cytology report was suggestive of lymphocytosis While the histology report of peritoneal biopsy and omentum ruled out evidence of malignancy, there was focal non casseating granulomatous inflammation for which the diagnosis of Abdominal Tuberculosis was made. MANAGEMENT - He was started on anti-tuberculous drugs and later on follow up showed good recovery and improvement.


Aroma and cooked kernel elongation are the most important quality traits of aromatic rice, which differentiate the highly valued aromatic rice from the other rice types. Previous studies on genetic analysis have shown that genes/ QTLs for these two traits are linked. In the present study, it tried to evaluate the expression of aroma, kernel elongation and their association in 55 fine rice genotypes in the tropical environment of Malaysia. Highest percentage of elongation ratio was observed in Genotype E2 followed by E11, Gharib, E6, E26, E34, E35, E36, E19, E20 and E27. Aroma was observed in 34 rice genotypes and 10 were identified as superior. They are E11, Sadri, Gharib, E7, Kasturi, Rambir Basmati, E21, E13, E24, and Rato Basmati. Positive correlation (r = 0.59, p≤0.05)) was observed between aroma and kernel elongation in these selected 10 genotypes. Three of them had strong aroma (score 4) and there genotypes were E11, Sadri and Garib. We observed that the outstanding 10 genotypes for aroma and highest kernel elongation ratio are not the same except for two of the genotypes (Garib and E11). Aroma concentration was significantly different in highest kernel elongation ratio performance of 10 genotypes. Similar results were also observed in top 10 aroma performing genotypes and their kernel elongation ratio also varied among each other. In addition, out of 55 aromatic genotypes 17 did not have any aroma; comparatively low kernel elongation ratio was also observed in many of the genotypes. This investigation indicated that association of aroma and kernel elongation ratio can be highly influenced by tropical environment. However, since two genotypes (Garib and E11) perform their normal aromatic and Kernel elongation ratio and aromatic expression are even in tropical Malaysian Environment, It can be concluded that this expression might be as a result of the influence of dominant nature of some associated genes.

 Key words: Aromatic rice, kernel elongation ratio, aroma, kernel elongation ratio and aroma association, aromatic rice cultivars /varieties / advance lines tropical environment.


Using sociotechnical transitions literature, this paper analyses the early market introduction of electric city-buses in Europe. It identifies the role of bus manufacturers and their corresponding choices of alternative powertrain and charging technologies. Study results contrast the traditional dichotomy of incumbents versus niche actors and questions perceived role of incumbents as a homogenous group of actors. The paper proposes an alternative to the typical perception of industry incumbents as the guardians of the current sociotechnical regime, suggesting that a strong position in the established regime may actually facilitate introduction of radical technological solutions. The paper invites transition scholars to make more detailed analyses of actors' constellations and it further suggests that policy makers need to pay attention to the diversity of individual actors' strategies.


This study is focused on determining the internal factors and external factors that
affect the intentions of the Chinese Generation Y towards organic food consumption.
This study also measures intention as a mediator variable in the relationships between
internal factors and consumption, and external factors and consumption. Data was
collected employing online survey questionnaires sent to 500 respondents, consisting of
students of one university. The questionnaire was adopted and adapted from previous
researchers. The gathered data were analysed using AMOS software. The outcome from
the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis indicates that knowledge and
awareness have significant effects on the intention to consume organic food products.
Nevertheless, the relationship between environmental concerns, product attributes and
health consciousness did not show any direct effect on intention. Besides that,
knowledge, awareness, product attributes, health consciousness and environmental
concerns, were non-significant predictors of organic food consumption. Furthermore, the
media and advertising, and perceived behavioural control appeared as significant
predictors of the intention variable. Yet, only subjective norm has been verified to be an
insignificant predictor of the intention variable in this study. Amazingly, the intention has
been a complete mediator between the six exogenous constructs, knowledge, health
consciousness, environmental concerns, product attributes, perceived behavioural control,
and the media and advertising in this research, while the intention mediating variable is
only shown as a partial mediator between the subjective norm and consumption. It is
hoped that the results of this study will assist food marketers and the Malaysian Ministry
of Agriculture in gaining the intention and consumption of organic food products in
Malaysia.


BACKGROUND
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a major cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children and may be fatal. A vaccine against EV71 is needed.

METHODS
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial involving healthy children 6 to 71 months of age in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Two doses of an inactivated EV71 vaccine or placebo were administered intramuscularly, with a 4-week interval between doses, and children were monitored for up to 11 months. The primary end point was protection against hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by EV71.

RESULTS
A total of 12,000 children were randomly assigned to receive vaccine or placebo. Serum neutralizing antibodies were assessed in 549 children who received the vaccine. The seroconversion rate was 100% 4 weeks after the two vaccinations, with a geometric mean titer of 170.6. Over the course of two epidemic seasons, the vaccine efficacy was 97.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 92.9 to 99.0) according to the intention-to-treat analysis and 97.3% (95% CI, 92.6 to 99.0) according to the per-protocol analysis. Adverse events, such as fever (which occurred in 41.6% of the participants who received vaccine vs. 35.2% of those who received placebo), were significantly more common in the week after vaccination among children who received the vaccine than among those who received placebo.

CONCLUSIONS
The inactivated EV71 vaccine elicited EV71-specific immune responses and protection against EV71-associated hand, foot, and mouth disease. (Funded by the National Basic Research Program and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01569581.).


This paper discusses pre-Islamic period in Kedah based on archaeological remains. It serves as an important source to provide information related to the history of Kedah along with foreign sources and Malay manuscripts as well as Malay literary text. Due to the long history of Kedah, this article argues that the archaeological discoveries help in providing evidence to the history of the pre-Islamic period in Kedah. This paper analyzes to what extent materials culture as well as religious influence illustrate the assimilation and transformation of human culture in Kedah. The objective of this study is to investigate and classify archaeological remains comprehensively to contribute into the development of the historiographical of Kedah. This research based on primary sources at the national archives as well as public libraries. Informations derived from the sources consulted suggest that Kedah has a long history from pre-history, Hindu-Buddhist era up to the emergence of Islam. Remains found in the pre-Islamic archaeological sites mainly came from artifacts and Hindu-Buddhist temples which closely related to animism (pre-Islamic era) and the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism. The location and distribution of temples at the archeological sites of Bujang Valley shows that religions and beliefs of communities in Kedah went through a lot of changes until the emergence of Islam.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy that is a major cause of maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Severe preeclampsia (sPE) is mediated by pathology of the placental villi resulting in repressed PIGF (placental growth factor) production and hyper-secretion of sFLT1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1), the net effect being wide-spread maternal endothelial dysfunction. Villous trophoblast differentiation is under control of the PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) and GCM1 (glial cell missing 1) axis which is dysregulated in sPE. We hypothesized that disruption of trophoblast differentiation via the PPARγ-GCM1 axis is a major contribution to excess production of sFLT1 and pharmacological activation of PPARγ in the sPE placenta could reduce sFLT1 to normal levels. sPE, age-matched control placentas and first-trimester villous explants, were used to investigate the molecular relationships between PPARγ-GCM1 and sFLT1. We modulated this pathway by pharmacological activation/inhibition of PPARγ using Rosiglitazone and T0070907, respectively, and through siRNA repression of GCM1. PPARγ and GCM1 protein expressions are reduced in the sPE placenta while FLT1 protein and sFLT1 secretion are increased. GCM1 reduction in the first trimester explants significantly increased sFLT1 secretion, suggesting GCM1 as a key player in this pathway. Activation of PPARγ restored GCM1 and significantly reduced sFLT1 expression and release in first trimester and sPE placental villi. Functional integrity of the PPARγ-GCM1 axis in the villous trophoblast is critical for normal pregnancy development and is disrupted in the sPE placenta to favor excessive production of sFLT1. Pharmacological manipulation of PPARγ activity has the potential to rescue the antiangiogenic state of sPE and thereby prolong pregnancy and deliver improved clinical outcomes.


The study of the translation of budget disbursement from the ERP system for performance presentation. The objective was to show how to interpret the budget disbursement from the ERP system for presentation of performance. Is a practical study of creating a report of disbursements from the ERP database. Operate by processing the disbursement data from the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system page SNBGOR19 then use the information obtained to manage SNBGOR19 file data with Microsoft Excel program to add data by using the function formula, Prepare the budget disbursement report with the work of the Pivot Table and present the performance report in the personnel meeting. The population of this study is Executive for 5 people and personnel for 11 people from The Arts and Culture Office SSRU. Data were collected by using interview form and data analysis by using the summary method to find the frequency and percentage values. The study indicated that Reporting performance using the Pivot Table according to 3 steps of the work process, including data preparation; processing and report preparation was more effective in every issue. When comparing results before and after using the Pivot Table, it was found that can reduce the work process Reduce work time and reduce data errors more. For the preparation of the translation manual of the budget disbursement from the ERP system for presentation of the results, it can be used for routine work.


The archaeological site of Gordion, or Yassıhöyük, located at the confluence of the Sakarya and Porsuk Rivers in central Turkey, is best known as the capital city of the Phrygian King Midas and is essential to understanding the Iron Age on the Anatolian Plateau. One hundred burial mounds (or tumuli) dot the landscape around Gordion's Citadel Mound, of which 43 have been excavated. The vast majority of those date to the Iron Age, between 850 and 530 BCE. Thus far, they have mainly been studied as burial assemblages, and little research has been conducted on the mounds as archaeological features in their own right. There are suggestions that certain tumuli were aligned along ancient routes, or with monumental architecture of the Citadel Mound. The present study embeds the tumuli within their landscape and considers them intentional transformations of the environment. Through a careful reconstruction of ancient routes, using digital methodologies to model their paths and views along them, combined with personal reconnaissance to document the phenomenology of traveling, I will describe the process of monumentalizing this landscape that unfolded over several centuries, its spatial and chronological distribution, and what it implies about the changing sociopolitical situation at Gordion. Several routes will be shown to share characteristics of monumental construction related to movement and visibility that vary according to topography and the sociopolitical relationship between Gordion other settlements, suggesting strong cultural cohesion throughout the landscape that should be connected to a process of regional coalescence centered on Gordion. I will also discuss the role of the tumuli within Phrygian society, moving beyond a simple designation as royal burials, and focusing on the physical properties of the tumuli their presence in the landscape, the activities and labor required for their construction, and how these aspects changed over the three hundred years during which they were built. The monuments did not disappear after the Iron Age, but outlasted the sociopolitical system that produced them. The dissertation therefore will conclude by examining how the tumuli survived as physical objects in a changing landscape while signifying something about the history of the area. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Art & Archaeology of Mediterranean World First Advisor Charles B. Rose


According to this statement presented to the Committee on Population of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the population of Bangladesh increased from 76.4 million in 1974 to 89.9 million in 1981 and if the annual estimated growth rate of 2.4% continues unchecked, the population will be 111.5 million by 1990. Rapid population growth increases the man-land ratio, while the undesirable age structure entails a high dependency burden and provides a large base for further population growth. The huge investment in food production is neutralized and educational facilities remain unavailable for most of the nation's 15.6 million school-age children. Even under the most optimistic population projection, the total will increase by more than 60% by the year 2015, exacerbating the already serious problems of poverty and unemployment. The urban population is expected to increase from 17.5 million at present to 37.3 million by 2000, including a multitude of squatters with no visible income-earning opportunities. The population policy adopted by the government in June 1976 was directed toward influencing demographic behavior primarily through information, education, and motivation activities and a wide array of family planning services provided at maternal-child health and family planning centers. The government has taken some steps to increase economic productivity and create employment, and has made administrative changes including upgrading the smallest administrative units and creating directorates for primary education and women's affairs. Health and population control strategies will include establishing primary health care and maternal-child health and family planning centers throughout the country, expanding the family planning worker to population ratio, and integrating the family planning programs with all development oriented programs. The National Council for Population Control and several other organizational structures have been created to facilitate family planning program development. Due to past program efforts, Bangladesh's population growth rate is estimated to have declined from 3% to 2.4%, and contraceptive prevalence is around 25% compared with 7% in 1975. The government has constructed more than 1000 health and family planning clinics and has placed health workers in villages. In the future, greater attention will be given to use of injectables and IUDs along with voluntary sterilization. The goal is a 40% contraceptive prevalence rate so that the population will be under 112 million in 1990.


This study investigates the thermal degradation of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) oligomers into L-lactide(LA)by modification of the oligomer terminal groups. Pure PLLA oligomer (OLLA) was synthesized by condensation polymerization of L-lactic acid. Poly-hydroxyl-terminated OLLA (OLLAPOH) and two-carboxylic acid-terminated OLLA (OLLACOOH) were prepared by adding a small amount of polyfunctional substance, such as 1,4-butanediol, pentaerythritol, or adipic acid, to L-lactic acid. The thermal degradation behaviors of these oligomers were compared at 210-220 °C under 0.3-0.5 kPa. The results show that OLLAPOH has a 10-20% higher yield than OLLA and OLLACOOH. The order of decreasing yield is as follows: OLLAPOH>OLLA >OLLACOOH. The hydroxyl ends of the chains induce the reaction. OLLAPOH simultaneously starts depolymerization from each hydroxyl end to speed up the reaction, to shorten the time the substance remains at high temperature, and to reduce the byproducts. This results in an increased L-lactide yield. A practical approach for L-lactide production by thermal degradation of OLLAPOH is adopted by using a degradation mechanism, which is an unzipping reaction beginning from the hydroxyl ends of the chains.


The result of climate change and land subsidence, several cities and communities located in on the north coast of Java faces flooding on a daily basis. The biggest impact of climate change is that bigger peak values in runoff water from higher lands are measured, tidal movements from the Java Sea effects the land more because of sea level rise and the lower surface level. Problems accrue during raining season. Many measurements have already been taken to protect the land from flooding in Indonesia. For example, dikes are built, pumps are installed and retentions areas are appointed. In the Netherlands the "water assessment" is introduced, which ensures that water management objectives are taken into considerations in relevant spatial planning procedures/ decisions of the central government, province and municipalities. The main focus for this research was to improve the legislation on spatial planning and the procedures at locale scale, which are related in the field of water management. The relevant legislation and procedures are used to derive what the opportunities and limitations are, to implement a kind of water assessment. The final results are two basic concepts which could be used in the context of the Banger Pilot Polder Project in East-Semarang (Jawa Tengah, Indonesia). Nevertheless, the legislation and regulation are mostly similar everywhere in Indonesia. This article and the results can also give an indication of the possibilities for other municipalities and water managers. Keys Words: Water Management, Planning Procedure, Legislation


The objectives of this research are 1) to study the suitable model for teaching and learning management by using Active Learning and the MARCO Model format in the cloud processing course, 2) to develop the learning achievement of the degree students Bachelor by using the Active Learning teaching and learning model in the cloud computing course Cloud computing, and 4) to study the opinions of teachers on Active Learning teaching and learning using the MARCO Model format in cloud computing The research proceeded from the study of the pattern and learning documents for learning management according to the patterns created. Then, apply the form and documents created to the learners on 2 nd year undergraduate degree, Yala Vocational College Enrolled in the second semester of the academic year 2018, 10 people. Tools used in the operation consisted of Quality evaluation form of the test form, satisfaction assessment form and evaluation form Data analysis by using statistics, percentage, mean, standard deviation and t-test The results of the study showed that 1) the experts agreed with the management of Active Learning by using the MARCO Model format in the cloud processing course at a high level ( = 4.21). 2) Comparison between scores before and after the study was found the latter test scores. The learning of the learners is 6.61 higher than before the study. The t-test is 5.88. 3) The satisfaction of the learners towards the teaching and learning according to the developed model is at a high level ( = 4.03), and 4) the opinions of teachers on teaching and learning management according to the developed model were at a high level ( = 4.06).


In the Galve sub-basin, the sedimentary record of the Upper Hauterivian–Lower Barremian El Castellar Formation is divided into two stages by a marlstone interval with gypsum. Stage 1 shows a great variety of subenvironments and facies (alluvial, palustrine and lacustrine) whereas in stage 2 an extensive, shallow carbonate lake developed. Sedimentation was controlled by a system of south-dipping, ENE–WSW listric normal faults, laterally bounded by NNW–SSE steeper transfer faults. Faults controlled sedimentation from a basin scale (basin margins and main characteristics and evolution of sediments) to a regional and a local scale (thickness and facies distribution of the synrift series as well as the location and evolution of lakes and minor alluvial fans). The changes between stages 1 and 2 are related to the passing from an independent movement of faults to the movement of all the extensional faults as a whole, at a sole detachment level. The interval with gypsum was caused by underground water flow changes associated with the interrelation and connection of the faults in the transition period. These changes have been correlated with the transition from the rift initial stage to the rift climax stage, which took place in the Hauterivian–Barremian transition.


This research was conducted to investigate effects of morphogenetic and diurnal variability on the hypericin content of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) populations originating from Turkey for maximum utilization of the active substance in plants. During 2002 and 2003, field trials were conducted at Uludag University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops, Bursa, Turkey. Samples of bud, flower and capsule of H. perforatum L. populations were collected in the second year of cultivation (2003). Factorial arrangements of three H. perforatum L. populations (Bursa, Edirne, Izmir), three part of plant (bud, flower, capsule) and six collection h (8:00, 10:00 a.m; 12:00 (noon), 2:00, 4:00, 6:00 p.m) were evaluated in a completely randomized block design with three replications. Hypericin content (%) in parts of H. perforatum L. populations was determined according to DAC (1986). Consequently, the content of hypericin in the examined populations varied from 0.260% in Bursa to 0.283% in Izmir. Evaluating plant parts revealed that the hypericin content both in floral parts (0.309%) and buds (0.308%) were higher than capsule tissues (0.208%) for all populations. When collection hours were examined for the hypericin content of plants, the highest content was recorded at 10:00 a.m (0.279%) and the lowest value at 4:00 p.m (0.272%) and 6:00 p.m (0.272%). As a result, this study showed that the highest hypericin ratio was determined in flowers and buds generally collected between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m within a day for examined Hypericum populations.


This paper explores the effectiveness of peer assisted learning on developing critical thinking skills in an occupational therapy graduate course. The use of peer teaching strategies, including a Fishbowl discussion and case-based problem solving, were compared to a faculty-led lecture approach to determine which approach best prepared student critical thinking. Participants included 115 first year graduate occupational therapy students. No statistically significant differences were noted in student ability to express knowledge, comprehension, and application of information. However, statistically significant differences were noted on graduate student ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate using newly learned information when peer teaching strategies were used in the classroom. Therefore, the authors concluded peer assisted learning approaches may support better integration of knowledge at higher levels of Bloom's knowledge for critical thinking than traditional faculty-led teaching approaches.


The aim of the study was to evaluate atherosclerosis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through the assessment of morphological and functional measures of subclinical atherosclerosis. Twenty patients [M/F=12/8, age (median/range) 43.5/28-69 years; disease duration (median/range) 9.7/1-36) years] with AS classified according to modified New York criteria and twenty age and sex related healthy controls with negative past medical history for cardiovascular events were enrolled in the study. In all patients and controls, the intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery, carotid bulb and internal carotid artery, and the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of non-dominant arm brachial artery were determined, using a sonographic probe Esaote GPX (Genoa, Italy). Furthermore, we assess the main disease activity and disability indices [bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index, ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score-eritrosedimentation rate (ASDAS-ESR), ASDAS-C-reactive protein (CRP), bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index, bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index) and acute phase reactants. Plasmatic values of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride and homocysteine were carried out in all twenty patients. IMT at carotid bulb was significant higher in patients than in controls (0.67 mm vs 0.54 mm; P=0.03). FMD did not statistically differ between patients and controls (12.5% vs 15%; P>0.05). We found a correlation between IMT at carotid bulb and ESR (rho 0.43; P=0.04). No correlation was found between FMD and disease activity and disability indices. This study showed that in AS patients, without risk factors for cardiovascular disease, carotid bulb IMT, morphological index of subclinical atherosclerosis, is higher than in controls.


Destination image has long been identified as an environmental characteristic that influences consumer behaviour and choice. As destinations compete nowadays globally, marketers need to acquire new knowledge and a greater understanding of the business and the environment, in which they operate in order to determine and adopt an appropriate marketing mix. So, first research objective was to measure attitudes towards island of Mykonos in order to identify key dimensions and their relative importance in determining consumer choice. Then, Cluster analysis was performed in order to segment the market and identify different clusters of tourists. Four different clusters were identified based on choice criteria and attitudes. Results can be a valuable input for both marketers and practitioners.


Abstract. Tibetan Plateau (TP) is the most abundant area of water resources and water energy resources in China. It is also the birthplace of the main rivers in Southeast Asia and plays an important strategic role. However, due to its remote location and complex topography, the observation of surface hydrometeorological elements is extremely scarce, which seriously restricts the understanding of the water cycle in this area. Using remote sensing images to extract rivers and lakes on TP can obtain a lot of valuable water resources information. However, the downloading and processing of remote sensing images is very time-consuming, especially the processing of remote sensing images with large-scale and long time series often involves hundreds of gigabytes of data, which requires a high level of personal computers and is inefficient. As a cloud platform dedicated to data processing and analysis of geoscience, Google Earth Engine(GEE) integrates many excellent remote sensing image processing algorithms. It does not need to download images and supports online remote sensing image processing, which greatly improves the output efficiency. Based on GEE, the monthly data of Yarlung Zangbo River at Nuxia Hydrological Station and the annual data of typical lakes were extracted and vectorized from the pre-processed Landsat series images. It was found that the area of Yarlung Zangbo River at Nuxia Hydrological Station varies periodically. The changing trend of typical lakes is also revealed.


Introduction Many studies around the world have been devoted to climate change and the impact of climate change on water resources. It is necessary to assess the specific effects and the need for adaptation and mitigation of the effects for the water systems and their impact on the economy and the life of the people. There is, therefore, an urgent need to establish an overall picture focused on water supply and wastewater treatment in urban and rural areas. The range of challenges related to climate change is very high, depending on geography, economy, administrative capacity and demography. Water extraction and wastewater treatment fall into two major types of systems: the formal one formally established by the governing or local and informal governance structures. In most of the rural or suburban or urban areas associated with urban sprawl, water extraction and evacuation fall into the informal system. Formal and informal systems have different capacities to respond to the problems that climate change will bring. Both systems provide water delivery to the population and waste water evacuation. Formal systems with many financial and technical moods can generally respond more easily to climate change than informal. Given the financial constraint and the failure to plan the resources they support, informal systems are less able to cope with changes in both demand and supply of water expected to be brought about by climate change. Functions of the formal system include storage, supply, distribution and treatment of waste water and its disposal or reuse. The infrastructure includes, in general, water and sanitation facilities, water storage facilities, rainwater collection systems, drinking water and waste water treatment equipment, pipelines and pumps, local distribution systems and other installations. Urban water infrastructures in the formal system should be built and beyond cities to expand. That is why the city's internal distribution system may sometimes include regions that are regulated separately. Many of these facilities, structures, sources of supply and waste disposal mechanisms are vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. Urban water consumption can be affected by changes in water availability due to rainfall increases or decreases, mean temperature increases, increase or decrease in water levels in rivers and lakes. An important objective of urban water suppliers is to provide safe drinking water in quantities that meet the requirements for commercial and industrial enterprises for agriculture and household consumption. These tasks are not always met, even in the absence of climate change. Sewage treatment plants are neither ecological nor economical, solved in Europe, even in the absence of these changes. There are no storage systems required for water reuse including: local tanks, infiltration ponds for groundwater recharge, as well as aquifer storage and recovery systems. Wastewater management should be integrated into all irrigation systems and include at least one reuse of wastewater. Because of this, climate change will certainly result in water shortages in agriculture due to prolonged drought periods. Wastewater treatment, distribution and disposal are also directly affected by the effects of climate change, by increasing the energy costs of transporting and treating larger volumes of wastewater and rainwater entering treatment facilities in areas where, and at times when, which precipitation grows, as well as by greater necessity, where drought occurs. Formal Wastewater System in Large Cities of the U.S. and Canada receives wastewater and treats it at several primary, secondary and tertiary levels, the water resulting from each treatment having a direct reuse degree. Waste water treatment facilities include water pollution control facilities, combined sewerage installations, water and mud pumps, laboratories, sludge dewatering facilities, and sludge transport systems. Especially in eastern Europe, water systems for part of rural areas but also for suburban areas are informal. In these systems, water supply as well as wastewater treatment and disposal are not provided at large scale, centralized, managed engineering systems in line with long-term plans, but rather include a mix of local improvisations: informal water markets. Lack of centralization leads to lack of planning and maintenance. These limitations, in turn, indicate that informal systems are more vulnerable to climate change than formal ones, where planning and more financial resources for infrastructure, development and maintenance can be used. The localities under 2000 inhabitants are not subject to regulations included in a European directive nor have the possibility to develop their own sewerage and water supply network through distinct projects from the localities of over 2,000 inhabitants. That's why systems were designed and built for the latter, with sewerage lengths that include the distances between localities, often tens of kilometers. We can not talk about efficiency or durability. The costs of these very large projects will never be amortized by charging subscribers. And as shown above, the number of people connected to sewerage is and will be very small. If we add the fact that a mechanical - biological treatment plant can not function at the required treatment parameters, unless the number of inhabitants used for the design is at least equal to the one using the sewerage system and the population in the rural area has almost halved, it can be appreciated that most of these treatment plants only work formally. In addition, due to lack of technical supervision and maintenance, they are degrading at an accelerated pace, with no real reconditioning possibilities. For this reason, we can not speak in the case of many rural localities of informal systems that include the extraction of groundwater from wells and drilling wells and the disposal of waste water, not directly or indirectly through so-called septic tanks in soils communicating the groundwater canvas or in surface waters and partially with vidanje trucks with discharge not in purification stations or even in natural emissaries, existing sewage on the soil or in surface waters. Climate change predictions for Europe suggest an increase in high-intensity rainfall alternating with drought increase due to the increase in annual average temperature Therefore, it is reasonable to accept that the number of variations in demand and supply of water are likely to increase with such scenarios. The biggest challenge to adapt to climate change in water supply and sewage treatment is in the informal system. Concrete action at the level of communities, which are best placed to monitor and implement policies and programs in the informal system, is clearly lacking. Thus, there is a need to develop policies to ensure adequate monitoring and modeling of demand-side adaptation strategies and water supply. A new water policy has to be drafted and must include informal water markets and the administrative capacity to implement the policy.


The effect of drought stress and abscisic acid (ABA) applied at tillering stage (55 days after sowing) was compared in 2 wheat cultivars differing in drought tolerance. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) and contents of endogenous ABA in plants were measured at 3 days of drought stress in cv. Chakwal-97 (drought tolerant) and cv. Punjab-96 (drought susceptible). ABA was applied at 10 –6 mol/L as presowing seed treatment for 18 h. Drought tolerant cultivar has a more efficient mechanism to scavenge reactive oxygen species as shown by a significant increase in the activity of antioxidant enzyme SOD. Under drought stress, ABA significantly increased the activities of SOD and POD, showing a significant decline on rewatering. The relative water content was significantly increased by ABA priming under drought stress in both wheat cultivars. The sensitive cultivar exhibiting lower endogenous ABA content was more responsive to ABA priming. On rewatering, the magnitude of recovery from drought stress was greater in tolerant cultivar. ABA was highly effective in improving grain weight of tolerant cultivar under drought stress.


The skin-contact thermal resistance is a parameter that allows evaluating, in steady condition, the heat flow at the interface between the skin and a rigid surface at a known temperature. At the current state of the art, it is evaluated with empirical equations and is known to be dependent on the contact pressure, on the surface characteristics, and on the skin conductivity. The need to measure skin and contact thermal resistance with low uncertainty led to the realization of the device described in this paper. The instrument - based on the principle of the thermoflowmeter - has been designed with the goal of minimizing the measurement uncertainty with contact temperatures ranging between 12 °C and 27 °C and contact areas from 50 to 314 mm2. The device allows varying and controlling the interface pressure and temperature that, according to existing literature studies, are likely to influence the skin thermal properties. The different temperatures needed for the evaluation of the thermal resistance are measured with individually calibrated thermocouples. The metrological characterization of the flowmeter was performed under vacuum, and the effect of convective heat exchanges in normal operation was modeled and compensated. Measurement repeatability and reproducibility were assessed by measuring the thermal resistance of plastic materials in operational conditions. Preliminary tests showed that the skin-contact thermal resistances measured in different conditions are compatible with the theoretically evaluated ones, with improvement in uncertainty due to direct measurement.


Abstract In humans, it has been demonstrated that the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) genotype moderates risk in the face of adversity. One mechanism by which stress could interact with genotype is via epigenetic modifications. We wanted to examine whether stress interacted with genotype to predict binding of a histone 3 protein trimethylated at lysine 3 (H3K4me3) that marks active promoters. The brains (N = 61) of male rhesus macaques that had been reared in the presence or absence of stress were archived and the hippocampusi dissected. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed with an antibody against H3K4me3 followed by sequencing on a SolexaG2A. The effects of age, genotype (5-HTTLPR long/long vs. short), and stress exposure (peer-reared vs. mother-reared) on levels of H3K4me3 binding were determined. We found effects of age and stress exposure. There was a decline in H3K4me3 from preadolescence to postadolescence and lower levels in peer-reared monkeys and no effects of genotype. When we controlled for age, however, we found that there were effects of 5-HTTLPR genotype and rearing condition on H3K4me3 binding. In a larger sample, we observed that cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels were subject to interactive effects among age, rearing history, and genotype. Genes containing both genetic selection and epigenetic regulation may be particularly important in stress adaptation and development. We find evidence for selection at the solute carrier family C6 member 4 gene and observe epigenetic reorganization according to genotype, stress, and age. These data suggest that developmental stage may moderate effects of stress and serotonin transporter genotype in the emergence of alternative adaptation strategies and in the vulnerability to developmental or psychiatric disorders.


This commentary considers the decision of the House of Lords in Re S (A Child) (Identification: Restrictions on Publication). The decision is important both for its approach to children's privacy and press freedom, and in its wider implications for the application of the Human Rights Act 1998 to conflicting rights in horizontal cases. While the parallel analysis adopted by the House of Lords is welcomed, this commentary raises concerns that its application in Re S fails to give sufficient consideration to the specific rights claimed. It is argued that the President's approach to similar issues in A Local Authority v. W, L, W, T and R is more sensitive to the factual context and better reflects the reasoning behind the parallel analysis.


Content delivery over Internet is optimized for low use perceived latency by designing specialized Content Distribution Network (CDN). Content servers are connected through a content switch the distributes client requests among them to achieve load balancing across the servers. The content switch is located one-hop away from the servers. Server load balancing is one factor in achieveing low user perceived latency and improving operational efficiency. Traffic engineering is another factor that is generally and integrated with serverload balancing for CDN optimization. In this thesis we propose a request routing algorithm for a CDN that was designed to integrate server selection and traffic engineering functions in the request routing system. The CDN employs MPLS in the network for traffic engineering. The proposed algorithm optimizes content delivery for user perceived latency by achieving server load balancing and network traffic loan manaement among alternative paths. It also improves operational efficiency of the CDN by eliminating bottleneck paths and increasing utilization of underutilized servers and paths.


Abstract. Regional groundwater flow strongly depends on groundwater recharge and hydraulic conductivity. Both are spatially variable fields, and their estimation is an ongoing topic in groundwater research and practice. In this study, we use the ensemble Kalman filter as an inversion method to jointly estimate spatially variable recharge and conductivity fields from head observations. The success of the approach strongly depends on the assumed prior knowledge. If the structural assumptions underlying the initial ensemble of the parameter fields are correct, both estimated fields resemble the true ones. However, erroneous prior knowledge may not be corrected by the head data. In the worst case, the estimated recharge field resembles the true conductivity field, resulting in a model that meets the observations but has very poor predictive power. The study exemplifies the importance of prior knowledge in the joint estimation of parameters from ambiguous measurements.


Chaga mushroom is a black perennial fungus that usually parasites on adult birch tree trunks. It has been conventionally used as a health-promoting supplement and nutraceutical in different cultures for centuries. The desired clarification of the profile of chaga secondary metabolites responsible for various bioactive properties has been continuously pursued for decades but has only partially been unveiled. Meanwhile, in recent years, attention to food safety, quality stability, authentication, and sustainability of chaga products from the wild has become increasingly popular in the current commercial market and related small/medium-size food industry enterprises. Phenolic, hydroxylated fatty acid, and terpenoid compounds produced by sclerotia of chaga mushrooms are bioactive constituents with antioxidant, anti-microorganism, and anti-tumor activities. Some new secondary metabolites of chaga mushroom have occasionally been reported previously, and effects of environment (e.g., cultivation method, harvesting region) on compositional characteristics noted. However, these have rarely and systematically compared the compositions of their material with a reliable database of known secondary metabolites of chaga. Therefore, this study aimed to achieve a rapid screening and characterization of secondary metabolites of Newfoundland chaga. A total of 111 phenolic, 63 fatty/aromatic acid, and 108 terpenoid constituents was primarily identified using HPLC-ToF-MS (high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled with time-of-flight mass spectra), among which 161 were newly reported. In addition, an update of the compositional database of chaga was provided as supplementary materials to help utilization and development of Newfoundland chaga mushroom as edible-fungi. Conclusively, chaga mushroom is a very promising food supplement abundant in numerous fungal secondary metabolites that were rarely found in other edible materials, even though its safety (e.g., oxalate content) aspects is still in need of additional investigation for being considered as a viable commercial nutraceutical.


Data mining is the process of discovering patterns in large data sets. It is an emerging research field of computer science, is defined as the significant process of identifying suitable, prospectively useful, and crucially understandable patterns in data. The overall goal of the data mining process is to transform it into an understandable structure for further use and extract information from a data set. Graph mining is the process of analyzing and gathering the data represented as graphs. The incredible rising of on-line social networks gives a new and very strong interest to the set of techniques developed since several decades to mining graphs and social networks. In this paper we overviewed graph mining tasks and the tools which are used for the mining of data represented as graphs.


Community service activities are the implementation of the practice of science, technology and cultural arts directly in the community as a dissemination of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education and noble responsibilities in an effort to develop community capabilities, so as to accelerate the growth rate of achieving national development goals.
The problem that exists in the foundation is that there is no independent effort and only expects donations from donors so that this service aims to provide input and help the Fadhilah Gresik Princess Orphans Foundation in seeking other funding income in managing the Foundation's operations. The implementation will use the method of giving lectures and direct training to administrators and orphans in learning to make handicrafts, and the training participants are administrators and female orphans with a total of 40 participants. The results of community service have been able to provide entrepreneurial motivation independently which is received with a good response, , and have been able to develop the potential of the Fadhilah Gresik Yatim Putri Foundation through handicrafts from Kur and Knitting ropes with real product results, and can provide solutions to income problems. Operational funds, by selling the handicrafts produced, through direct sales through online social media sales, so that later the Fadhilah Gresik Princess Orphans Foundation, can get income other than donors.


ABSTRACT: We explore potential effects of a new Public Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) rule that requires disclosure of the external audit partner's identity. By manipulating the presence or absence of audit partner disclosure (APD), we examine how investors might react to APD and the mechanism behind such reaction. We find that prospective investors are less likely to invest in a peer firm linked to a restating firm via APD than when the link is only through an audit firm and industry. This effect is mediated by investors' restatement likelihood assessments. Our study makes several contributions. First, we add empirical evidence to the emerging debate on the impact of APD to U.S. markets. Second, we experimentally demonstrate investor information contagion and provide support for one mechanism (speculated by archival-based literature) through which it works. Finally, we provide evidence that investors attribute more blame to partners for a negative outcome due to APD. JEL Classifications: M42; M48.


There is a high demand for portable audio on the market. Hence, manufactures of headphones and hearing aids have to deal with miniaturization of electroacoustic transducers (micro speakers) but maintain sound quality and energy efficiency (battery life time) at the same time. Different techniques are known for downsizing transducers. A very successful method is provided by the semiconductor industry. The use of the so-called MEMS technology (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System) has already led to great success in microelectronics and MEMS applications such as microphones and accelerometers. This success has triggered a high interest in implementing MEMS technology also for speaker manufacturing. Based on patents, the initial approaches of MEMS loudspeakers will be presented. An outlook of the arising new potentials for portable spatial audio with MEMS based speakers will be given.


Feelings of disconnectedness and social isolation among older adults are increasingly recognised as important challenges of our times. Interestingly, nature interaction can stimulate social connectedness and enhance perceived social support, indicating that nature can contribute to social wellbeing. However, nature may not always be around or accessible for older adults. In such cases, digital nature could provide an alternative means for enjoying nature's benefits. To identify limitations and restrictions that older adults experience with respect to nature interaction, and to explore preferences with respect to digital nature and their potential for influencing social wellbeing, two studies are reported: a qualitative study comprising focus groups with Dutch care centre residents (N = 26) and a subsequent quantitative study (N = 200) testing effects of digital landscapes on social wellbeing measures. Findings from the focus groups indicate that opportunities for nature interaction and preferences for digital nature vary with mobility restrictions, whereas findings from the quantitative study testify to the potential of digital nature for enhancing social wellbeing and related emotions. These findings extend research on how (digital) nature interventions can contribute to the social wellbeing of older adults and pinpoint essential nature characteristics important for doing so.


Lexical selection is a key process in any language-based communicative event, but in translation it occurs in the semantic network activated by two languages. The question asked in this article is how the direction in which translation proceeds affects the process and outcome of lexical selection by experienced bidirectional translators. The prediction from the available empirical evidence that lexical selection when translating into the translator's L2 (learned language) is more cognitively demanding than when working into L1 (native language) is tested in an experimental study with translators who regularly translate into their L1 (Polish) and L2 (English). The participants performed verbal fluency tasks and translated two texts (a product description text and a film review) into their L1 and L2 (four texts in total). The entire process was recorded by key-logging, eye-tracking and screen capture programs. The results confirm that lexical selection is more demanding and less successful in L1>L2 translation, thus confirming the L2 cognitive disadvantage. Equipping translation students with effective error-preventing strategies and encouraging collaboration between translators and proofreaders could optimise lexical selection in L1>L2 translation.


Todays networks are characterized by heterogeneous environments. Various transmission techniques coexist and offer different bandwidths at different costs. Because of videoconferences and similar applications becoming more and more important this paper presents the architecture of the video communication system "XNetvideo" which is scalable in terms of SNR (signal to noise ratio)-scaling, image size and frame rate. Xnetvideo is a tool for video transmission over IP-networks and especially ATM, that was developed at our Institute. The description of this architecture, and the discussion of implementation issues and performance results are the major topics of this contribution. Moreover a brief survey of existing tools and architectures in this area is given.


Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious public health problem worldwide. The progression of the disease depends on several host and viral factors and may result in fulminant hepatitis (very rare), acute hepatitis with spontaneous clearance, and chronic hepatitis B infection. Previous studies demonstrated that variations in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II (HLA-DPB1 and HLA-DQB2 genes) are related to the chronic HBV infection. This study aimed to investigate the association of two single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), one in the HLA-DPB1 (rs9277535) and one in the HLA-DQB2 (rs7453920), with chronic hepatitis B infection in a southern Brazilian sample. This case-control study included 260 HBV patients attended in a Specialized 2 V.R.Z.B. Pereira et al. Genetics and Molecular Research 16 (2): gmr16029565 Center for Health in Caxias do Sul (Brazil) between 2014 and 2016. The same number of controls (matching for age, gender, and ethnicity) was obtained in a University Hospital in the same city and period. Blood samples were collected and genomic DNA was extracted. Genotyping were performed by real-time Taqman PCR method. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and significance level of 5% (P < 0.05) were calculated. Allele frequencies in the SNP rs9277535 were 72.6% for A and 27.4% for G nucleotides in cases and 75.0% for A and 25.0% for G in controls. Allele frequencies in the SNP rs7453920 were of 25.7% for A and 74.3% for G in cases and 28.8% for A and 71.2% for G in controls. No statistically significant association was found between both SNPs and chronic hepatitis B (P > 0.05).


The Anti Cybercrime Law or Republic Act No. 10175 has been signed and is now a law against Internet users with malicious intents with other people over the Internet. How does this new law will affect you as netizens or us bloggers? Read more about it...


Knowledge Management and Reuse in technological application has gone through an evolutionary process to involve people as workforce, processes and technology as infrastructure solution to retain, analyze, organize, improve, and share expertise and data basis. Comprehensive Technological topics and distributed project employees nowadays need a conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve Industrial-organizational performance. For example reuse and management of IT and know-how, and their research activities towards nano-scale phenomena with applications in fuel and biologically inspired materials has already given new impetus to the birth of new expertise and to the improvement of existing products. It is also following the value-added chain from raw material, basic material, and work material to components or systems. In addition to the core areas of mining, metallurgy, and materials, the knowledge-oriented composite-organization provides research competence in scientific and technical fundamentals, in environmental engineering and industrial management in iron and steel industry and alike.


Determining semantic relationships between sentences is essential for machines that understand and reason with natural language. Despite neural networks big successes, end-to-end neural architectures still fail to get acceptable performance for textual inference, maybe due to lack of adequate datasets for learning. Recently large datasets have been constructed e.g. SICK, SNLI, MultiNLI, but it is not clear how trustworthy these datasets are. This paper describes work on an expressive open-source semantic parser GKR that creates graphical representations of sentences used for further semantic processing, e.g. for natural language inference, reasoning and semantic similarity. The GKR is inspired by the Abstract Knowledge Representation (AKR), which separates out conceptual and contextual levels of representation that deal respectively with the subject matter of a sentence and its existential commitments. We recall work investigating SICK and its problematic annotations and propose to use GKR as a better representation for the semantics of SICK sentences.