This conference proceedings is a write-up of the Gamma-ray Indirect rapporteur talk given at the 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2021). In contrast to previous ICRCs, this years edition was held in a fully virtual format, with dedicated discussion sessions organised around specific scientific themes. Many of these topics span the two categories of Gamma-ray Indirect (GAI) and Gamma-ray Direct (GAD), observations of gamma-rays by ground-based and space-based facilities respectively. To cover this organisation by topic in a coherent manner, this GAI rapporteur contribution focuses predominantly (but not exclusively) on Galactic gamma-ray astronomy, whereas the GAD rapporteur contribution focuses predominantly (but not exclusively) on Extra-galactic gamma-ray astronomy. In recent years, the field has seen enormous progress in both theory and observation, particularly in identifying PeVatrons (accelerators of Cosmic Rays to PeV energies), studies of particle escape from the accelerator, and detection of gamma-ray transients, especially gamma-ray bursts.


We present two methods to determine an exomoon's sense of orbital motion (SOM), one with respect to the planet's circumstellar orbit and one with respect to the planetary rotation. Our simulations show that the required measurements will be possible with the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The first method relies on mutual planet–moon events during stellar transits. Eclipses with the moon passing behind (in front of) the planet will be late (early) with regard to the moon's mean orbital period due to the finite speed of light. This "transit timing dichotomy" (TTD) determines an exomoon's SOM with respect to the circumstellar motion. For the 10 largest moons in the solar system, TTDs range between 2 and 12 s. The E-ELT will enable such measurements for Earth-sized moons around nearby Sun-like stars. The second method measures distortions in the IR spectrum of the rotating giant planet when it is transited by its moon. This Rossiter–McLaughlin effect (RME) in the planetary spectrum reveals the angle between the planetary equator and the moon's circumplanetary orbital plane, and therefore unveils the moon's SOM with respect to the planet's rotation. A reasonably large moon transiting a directly imaged planet like β Pic b causes an RME amplitude of almost 100 m s−1, about twice the stellar RME amplitude of the transiting exoplanet HD209458 b. Both new methods can be used to probe the origin of exomoons, that is, whether they are regular or irregular in nature.


Gravity datasets from two geothermal areas in Iceland, an Iceland-wide gravity dataset, and marine gravity data from the Reykjanes Ridge at 58˚N, which can be seen as the submarine extension of the Icelandic accretionary system, have been studied in this thesis. Results of previous local earthquake seismic tomography studies of the shallow crustal structure of two spreading segments in Iceland have been used, in conjunction with gravity observations, to assess the fidelity of the tomographic method and further refine the description of the crustal structure for these areas. This was accomplished by predicting the component of the observed gravity field which may be produced by the tomographically imaged bodies and in the process attempting to explain any residual anomalies. Results showed additional shallow structure inferred from gravity observation and suggested that local earthquake seismic tomography can 'overlook' some geological structure. The Icelandic gravity field was separated into long and short wavelength components which were attributed to mantle plume and crustal effects, respectively. Physical parameters were attributed to the sources of these anomalies where possible. Results showed that a simple cylinder model (radius -100 km) of anomalous mantle density (~ - 35 kg m(^-3)) could explain the large scale gravity field over Iceland. Shallow density variations in the top 1 km of the crust appeared to be mainly responsible for smaller scale gravity anomalies. A simple Bouguer slab model suggests that the crust may be ~7 km thicker beneath Iceland compared to neighbouring oceanic areas, consistent with an underplating mechanism for crustal accretion in Iceland. Gravity data were acquired on a cruise over the Reykjanes Ridge in the North Atlantic. The marine gravity data were reduced systematically to a residual anomaly and showed that there was the possibility of crustal thinning associated with a bathymetric offset which was interpreted as a second order discontinuity. The form of the residual gravity was similar to other discontinuities of this order on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, although not of the same amplitude.


The use of multidisciplinary team approach has become one of the preferred service deliveries to help children and young people with high and complex needs. However, there has been little empirical research in this area, particularly within the New Zealand context. Further, a common problem in the existing studies is the use of subjective rating scales or self reports to collect data. Therefore the aim of this study is to describe the team processes of three intersectoral teams in the New Zealand High and Complex Needs Unit using objective data collection method, as well as exploring particular issues associated with the three teams. Valid instruments were developed in order to record the meeting behaviour as frequency tally and the participants were interviewed to seek their views on the issues associated with their team. The results suggested that the teams engaged in positive team behaviour 82% to 93% of the meeting duration and negative meeting behaviour \vere observed during 2% to 5% of the meeting times. Further, the teams spent just under half of the meeting time in proposing and discussing goals and strategies. The teams were able to reach decisions and distributed responsibilities in less than 6 minutes. More than half of the participants had positive attitudes towards collaborative work and considered the team meetings as an effective mechanism for problem-solving and plan evaluation. The facilitators and the barriers identified in this study are consistent with the literature. Implications for future practice and research are discussed. Chapter


ABSTRACT Purpose: Interfirm knowledge sharing has been well recognized to activate the performance and competitiveness improvement of the firms. Previous research has discussed the impacts of current suppliers on buyer–supplier knowledge sharing, but does not explain how this influence occurs. This study aims to disclose the mechanism by which both current and competing suppliers impact buyer–supplier knowledge sharing in buyers' new product development activities. Methodology/approach: This study proposed a conceptual model based on relational exchange theory and developed eight hypotheses. Questionnaire survey was used to collect empirical data from R&D staff of Taiwanese electronics firms. This study distributed 1,475 questionnaires and received 246 eligible questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to test and verify appropriateness of the proposed model. Findings: The findings show that current supplier asset specificity positively and directly influences buyer–supplier knowledge sharing in new product development. The current supplier asset specificity also has indirect positive influence on buyer–supplier knowledge sharing in new product development via the mediating effects of buyer trust, satisfaction, and commitment. However, the attractiveness of alternative suppliers only indirectly and negatively affects buyer–supplier knowledge sharing via the mediating effects of buyer trust, satisfaction, and commitment. Research limitations/implications: This study surveyed the firms in Taiwanese electronics industry. Nevertheless, new product development activities are executed by electronics firms in numerous countries and firms in various industries. For validating the generalization of this study's results, future research can investigate firms in other industries and countries to verify the proposed model and hypotheses. Practical implications: Current suppliers' asset specificity is found to exert more influence on buyer–supplier knowledge sharing than alternative attractiveness. The findings imply that current suppliers should focus on investing specific assets for buyers other than stress the attractiveness and threat of competing suppliers. Originality/value/contribution: This study initiates to approach the antecedents and influence mechanism of current buyer–supplier knowledge sharing via both perspectives of current and competing suppliers.


In this study an attempt is made to examine the evolution of the Sinhalese script from the sixth to the tenth century A.D. which period is considered the transitional period in the development of the Sinhalese script. A brief survey of the preceding period is essential to facilitate a proper understanding of the period under consideration. Hence the first chapter in this study is devoted to a description of how the Brahma script came to Ceylon and how it underwent a gradual evolution there. The second and the third chapters discuss the evolution of the Sinhalese script in the sixth and seventh centuries, and compare the similarities and differences that can be observed between it and the Indian scripts of this period. The fourth chapter examines the external influences that helped in the development of the Sinhalese script in the sixth and seventh centuries. We describe how the Brahmi script gradually changed, giving rise to Sinhalese letters, and in this respect the basic changes that took place during the fourth and fifth centuries are also taken into consideration. The fifth chapter describes the evolution of the Sinhalese script in the eighth century while the sixth chapter describes the same in the ninth and tenth centuries. The ninth and tenth centuries are treated in one chapter since no basic differences in features can be observed in the characters of these two centuries. The seventh chapter is devoted to the important features in the evolution of the Sinhalese script in the eighth, ninth and tenth centuries. A comparison is also made between the Sinhailese and the Pallava Grantha script which influenced the change from the old script to the modern Sinhalese script.


Qualification for preferential tax rates on capital gain is "fuzzy at best and incoherent at worst." The primary governing statute provides that sale or exchange of "property" yields capital gain, with only narrow exceptions. Under traditional understanding, however, capital gain does not include income, including rent, interest, compensation, and periodic business income, even though such income is received on the sale of something reasonably considered to be "property" in nontax contexts. A conceptual framework is needed that brings both courts and congressional rules into consistency and produces principled results; this Article presents such a framework. The proposed framework assumes that the capital gain preference will remain. It draws its principles from the wisdom of current law but then criticizes some judicial and congressional results as anomalies inconsistent with those principles. The framework is organized into five strings, with each string representing a separate rationale. The Article then briefly explores three situations where there would no room for a capital gains preference: under a consumption tax, under a mark-to-market system, and under repeal of step up in basis at death.


: Gingival margins of restorations should generally be placed supragingivally or at the gingival crest; however, some valid parameters exist for the extension of margins into the gingival crevice. The successful restoration of teeth in subgingival locations requires familiarity with periodontal anatomy. This paper reviews periodontal considerations, then presents several surgical techniques that facilitate access and improve the periodontal prognosis of teeth that have been compromised through fracture, caries, prior restorative treatment, or habit.


Dental Press J Orthod. 2019 Jan-Feb;24(1):16-26 16 How to cite: Garib D, Flores-Mir C, Normando D, Janson G, Miguel JA, Lindauer S. An interview with Daniela Garib. Dental Press J Orthod. 2019 Jan-Feb;24(1):16-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-6709.24.1.016-026.int Submitted: December 17, 2018 Revised and accepted: January 04, 2019 It is not hard to write about Professor Garib. Daniela is one of those self-illuminated human beings, with a light that she shares with all those who approach her. It does not dazzle us, but, faced with so many virtues, where should we begin? Daniela Garib is an Associate Professor at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRAC) and at the Bauru Dental School (FOB), both from the University of São Paulo. In Dentistry, her first steps followed her mentor, Omar Gabriel da Silva Filho, and her positive and altruistic view of life and of how to deal with people greatly resembles his views. An unbounded kindness. She got her Master's and Doctorate from FOB-USP under the advisory of Dr. José Fernando Castanha Henriques, and completed her postdoctoral studies at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, under the mentorship of one of the legends of Orthodontics, Sheldon Peck. She has recently completed a research fellowship at the University of Michigan, working with Dr. Lucia Cevidanes. Despite her youthfulness, Daniela has already published over 160 studies in scientific journals and dozens of books and book chapters, and she has also served as an associate editor of our journal for almost a decade. An extremely competent professional, an insightful researcher with a rare intelligence, sensitive and highly educated lecturer and very clear teacher, Daniela is a wise and extremely kind professor that shares her passion with her pupils. However, it is as a mother and wife that the fascination that surrounds her is exceeded, as her daughters Laura and Helena, and her partner of a whole life, Alexandre, may tell us. Devoted, attentive and patient, Dani, as her family calls her, reflects on her work with students this simple way of bringing up her daughters. And that's the same upbringing that she received from her parents, Léa and Isaac. In one of those encounters that only God can provide, I have had the enormous pleasure of socializing with Daniela and her beautiful family. In that context, I realized that the subtlety, an indelible feature of her personality, should never be mistaken for passivity. Daniela is assertive, authentic and resolute. A strong and principled woman. She has the perfect match of kindness and discipline, all that we want to be when we grow up!


This paper presents a linear fractional programming approach for solving multi objective linear programming problem. We develop a model to solve multi objective linear programming problem into fractional programming problem and proposed a method for linearization of a fractional objective. In particular, we consider the optimization of ratio of profit and cash expenditure as fractional objective and used rest of objectives as constraints by obtaining aspiration levels. As the objectives are conflicting in nature, we used the concept of conflict and non conflict between objectives for computation of appropriate aspiration level. The method is illustrated on a problem of agricultural production system to show its suitability.


BACKGROUND
HIV/AIDS is a pandemic retarding economic growth and destroying human capital globally. This study therefore investigated the perceived efficacy of Betula alba (BA) and Sutherlandia frutescens (SF) decoctions used in the management of HIV/AIDS in Ghana.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A study on the records of HIV/AIDS patients attending Habibi Herbal Clinic, Kumasi, Ghana, was conducted to obtain information on the initial viral load presented during their maiden visit and results after treatment with the herbal decoctions. The decoctions were assessed for immunostimulatory property in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed ICR mice. Total white blood cell count, as well as lymphocyte and neutrophil counts were determined and their effects compared with Levamisole. The decoctions were also screened for antimicrobial activity by the micro dilution method.

RESULTS
The two herbal decoctions used significantly reduced (P ≤ 0.001) the patients' viral loads (47.42 ± 17.28 % to 13.69 ± 12.42 %; n=16). BA (1, 2, and 4 mg/kg) and SF (0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/kg) caused significant increment (P ≤ 0.001) in total WBC and lymphocyte count in mice comparable to that produced by 2.5 mg/kg Levamisole. The decoctions also exhibited antimicrobial activity against gram negative and gram positive bacteria as well as Candida albicans (MIC 0.607 to 3.062 mg/ml). Phytochemicals present in both plants include saponins, terpenoids and coumarins.

CONCLUSION
The Betula alba and Sutherlandia frutescens decoctions have interesting immunostimulatory and antimicrobial properties and hence could be useful in the management of HIV/AIDS and associated opportunistic infections.


Abstract. State sequences are a new paradigm to encode and represent contextualised movement data. A state sequence is a temporal succession of characters representing categorical states of the moving entity or its surrounding environment. Eigen decomposition, a principal components analysis method, is an option to reduce and find patterns in such multi-dimensional categorical data through dimensionality reduction. Recurrent patterns can be found by identifying the most relevant eigenbehaviours, which are a set of vectors that characterize the variation in the behaviour of an entity during a time period. Dimensionality reduction techniques have so far not been widely used in movement analytics and in this paper we demonstrate how they could help analyse responses of a moving entity to the dynamic environmental conditions. Specifically, we use sequence-based representation and eigen decomposition to investigate movement patterns of maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in relation to vegetation vigour in their habitat. We use a set of GPS-trajectories from a group of maned wolves to which we link multi-source NDVI data as a proxy for the state of vegetation. We find that eigenbehaviours can identify patterns in the wolves' responses to dynamic environmental conditions that align with the current literature on the species. Our research highlights the potential for dimensionality reduction and sequence-based methods to identify patterns in large tracking databases linked to contextual data.


Background: Recently there has been a steady increase in the use of Instant Messaging (IM) as a means of providing health and healthcare services. This growth has been particularly rapid during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Many reports indicate informal services using IM, in particular WhatsApp, have arisen spontaneously, in the absence of any formal guidelines and little consideration of consent. This study documents the consent practices of healthcare professionals using IM for clinical activities in District Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and compares these practices with the literature. Methods: As part of a larger audit of telemedicine activity in KwaZulu-Natal a survey questioned clinicians' use of IM, including consent practices and awareness of regulatory guidelines. Concomitantly multiple electronic databases were searched for papers on WhatsApp use in clinical service. Inclusion criteria were: papers written in English, reported on WhatsApp in clinical use or potential clinical use, and addressed consent. Results: The survey confirmed anecdotal reports of widespread informal use of WhatsApp in District Hospitals. Most clinicians were unaware of regulatory guidelines, and few obtained consent for taking photographs or sharing of images and information with colleagues for consultation. The literature review found that consent was mentioned in only 28 papers. Of these 11 reported that written consent was obtained, of which 5 were for taking photographs and 4 for sharing information with colleagues. Discussion: The survey showed that more than half of the respondents who used IM did not consider this to be telemedicine, with the corresponding ethical requirements governed by national guidelines, thereby risking legal exposure. However, South Africa's regulatory guidelines do not align with common clinical practice. The literature shows that the majority of doctors shared patient information by IM without obtaining any form of consent. Conclusion: Practical guidelines are urgently required in South Africa and worldwide that balance practical conduct of medical care with sound contemporary ethical principles. Prudent guidance will ensure clinicians do not inadvertently breach patient privacy and confidentiality laws whilst permitting continued health-related use of instant messaging.


The aim of this research was to analyze and compare analytic rubric and general impression scoring in peer assessment. A total of 66 university students participated in the study and six of them were chosen as peer raters on a voluntary basis. In the research, students were supposed to prepare a sample study within the scope of scientific research methods course and were also expected to present their studies in class. While the students were giving a presentation, their course instructor and peer raters conducted scoring, firstly by using the analytic rubric and subsequently by using general impressions. Collected data were analyzed using the Rasch model. Consequently, it was found that students were distinguished from one another at a highly reliable rate using both scoring methods. Additionally, it was discovered that the differences between students' ability levels were better revealed when analytic rubric was used. It was ascertained that there was a high level positive correlation between the ability estimations obtained from the scores performed by the peers and the instructor, regardless of the scoring method used. Finally, it was determined that ability estimations, corresponding peer raters' analytic rubric and general impression scoring, held a positive and highly strong relation.


Although downsizing has become a common feature of American workplaces, the existing literature has focused on the effects of how downsizing is conducted, rather than considering how downsizing affects the experience of work for downsizing survivors. Using data from the 1997 National Employee Survey and structural modeling techniques, this study compares downsizing survivors and workers unaffected by downsizing on a variety of sociodemographic indicators, job characteristics, and organizational environment measures in order to explain the lower levels of organizational commitment among survivors. The model in which downsizing survival was directly and indirectly associated with commitment was generally supported. Survivors reported less commitment than unaffected workers. In addition, downsizing survival was positively associated with job-related stress and negatively associated with perceived organizational support, which translated into survivors' lower levels of commitment. This research suggests that organizations that downsize should consider ways to redesign work processes so as to reduce job-related stress and should engage in organizational practices that demonstrate organizational support for surviving employees.


The high rate of mathematics education students" academic performance in universities has become unbearable. In an attempt to proffer solution to this menace, this study assessed Poll Everywhere eLearning platform, test anxiety, and undergraduates" academic performance in Mathematics in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research one control group and one treatment group. The population of this study comprised all the fulltime regular undergraduates offering Education Mathematics in the Department of Science Education, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. Accidental sampling technique was adopted in selecting a sample of 328 undergraduates who are owners of smartphones from the population. Test-Anxiety Inventory and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) were used as data collection instruments. The null hypotheses were tested using independent t-tests and simple linear regression. Findings revealed that Poll Everywhere eLearning platform has a significant effect on students" test anxiety and academic performance in Mathematics respectively; there is a moderate negative and significant relationship between students" test anxiety and their academic performance in Mathematics. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that Poll Everywhere eLearning platform could be used for the effective teaching and examination of learners in Mathematics and other science-related disciplines. This can be done through the design and integration of course modules to the Poll Everywhere online platform.


Mobility diaries of a large number of people are needed for assessing transportation infrastructure and spatial development planning. Acquisition of personal mobility diaries through population surveys is a costly and error-prone endeavour. We examine an alternative approach to obtaining similar information from episodic digital traces of people's presence in various locations, which appear when people use their mobile devices for making phone calls, accessing the Internet or posting georeferenced contents (texts, photos or videos) in social media. Having episodic traces of a person over a long time period, it is possible to detect significant (repeatedly visited) personal places and identify them as home, work or place of social activities based on temporal patterns of a person's presence in these places. Such analysis, however, can lead to compromising personal privacy. We have investigated the feasibility of deriving place meanings and reconstructing personal mobility diaries while preserving the privacy of individuals whose data are analysed. We have devised a visual analytics approach and a set of supporting tools making such privacy-preserving analysis possible. The approach was tested in two case studies with publicly available data: simulated tracks from the VAST Challenge 2014 and real traces built from georeferenced Twitter posts.


Background: An important issue for pediatric health is to understand how to enhance the level of physical activity of children and adolescents during the pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a physical education- based online intervention on promoting motivation and physical activity of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The present study used an experimental design with pre-test and post-test conducted in Iran, 2020. The participants were 68 high school students who were randomly allocated into intervention and control groups. The participants of the intervention group were exposed to a three-month intervention based on Self-Determination theory within the online physical education classes while those in the control group followed their regular online physical education classes. Perceived autonomy support, motivation, intention, and physical activity behavior were measured using standard questionnaires. Independent t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were utilized to analyze the data. Results: The pre-test showed that the participants of both groups had similar perceived autonomy support, motivation, intention, and physical activity behavior at baseline. However, the participants in the intervention group reported higher perceived autonomy support (3.2 vs. 1.48, p <0.001), motivation (3.03 vs. 1.49, p <0.001), intention (2.75 vs. 1.51, p <0.001), and physical activity level (2.4 vs. 1.11, p <0.001) in the post-test in comparison to those in the control group. Conclusions: These results highlighted the importance of developing strategies in online physical education classes for improving motivation and physical activity level of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.


AIM
To detect the thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase) expression in human colorectal cancer tissues and cells.

METHODS
Forty specimens resected from patients with colorectal cancer were immunohistochemically stained by 654-1, anti-dThdPase monoclonal antibody, PG-M1, anti-macrophage marker CD68 monoclonal antibody. Morphometrical analysis and positive cell counting were performed. In 27 of 40 specimens, dThdPase activity was also assayed by HPLC. Otherwise, the dThdPase level was measured by ELISA in 6 colorectal cancer cell lines, LS174T, Clone A, Colo320, CX-1, Lovo, and MIP101, as well as in 2 macrophage-like cell lines, THP-1 and U937.

RESULTS
dThdPase activity was significantly increased in cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal tissue (P<0.01). In immunohistochemical analysis, it was confirmed that most cells expressed dThdPase were the stromal cells surrounding cancer nests or along the invasive margin of cancer. Based on their morphometrical characteristics, we found that most of them were tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). The number of dThdPase-positive stromal cells was significantly correlated with the number of CD68-positive macrophages (r=0.76, P<0.0001). By ELISA, 18.2 unit/mg and 19.3 unit/mg of dThdPase protein were detected in THP-1 and U937, but only little was detected in 6 colorectal cancer cell lines.

CONCLUSION
The present data suggest that dThdPase expression is seldom detected in colorectal carcinoma cells. TAM is the most important source of dThdPase in colorectal cancer tissues.


We consider the joint source-channel coding problem of sending a Gaussian source on a K-user Gaussian broadcast channel with bandwidth mismatch. A new outer bound to the achievable distortion region is derived using the technique of introducing more than one additional auxiliary random variable, which was previously used to derive sum-rate lower bound for the symmetric Gaussian multiple description problem. By combining this outer bound with the achievability result based on source-channel separation, we provide approximate characterizations of the achievable distortion region within constant multiplicative factors. Furthermore, we show that the results can be extended to general broadcast channels, and the performance of the source-channel separation based approach is also within the same constant multiplicative factors of the optimum.


Abstract Fluorine-rich granites and rhyolites occur throughout the southern Rocky Mountains, but the origin of F-enrichment has remained unclear. We test if F-enrichment could be inherited from ancient mafic lower crust by: (1) measuring amphibole compositions, including F and Cl contents, of lower crustal mafic granulite xenoliths from northern Colorado to determine if they are unusually enriched in halogens; (2) analyzing whole-rock elemental and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions for upper crustal Cretaceous to Oligocene igneous rocks in Colorado to evaluate their sources; and (3) comparing batch melting models of mafic lower crustal source rocks to melt F and Cl abundances derived from biotite data from the F-rich silicic Never Summer batholith. This approach allows us to better determine if the mafic lower crust was pre-enriched in F, if it is concentrated enough to generate F-rich anatectic melts, and if geochemical data support an ancient lower crustal origin for the F-rich rocks in the southern Rocky Mountains. Electron microprobe analyses of amphibole in lower crustal mafic granulite xenoliths show they contain 0.56–1.38 wt% F and 0.45–0.73 wt% Cl. Titanium in calcium amphibole thermometry indicates that the amphiboles equilibrated at high to ultrahigh temperature conditions (805 to 940 °C), and semiquantitative amphibole thermobarometry indicates the amphiboles equilibrated at 0.5 to 1.0 GPa prior to entrainment in magmas during the Devonian. Mass balance calculations, based on these new measurements, indicate parts of the mafic lower crust in Colorado are at least 3.5 times more enriched in F than average mafic lower crust. Intrusions coeval with the Laramide Orogeny (75 to 38 Ma) pre-date F-rich magmatism in Colorado and have Sr and Nd isotopic compositions consistent with mafic lower crust ± mantle sources, but many of these intrusions contain elevated Sr/Y ratios (>40) that suggest amphibole was a stable phase during magma generation. The F-rich igneous rocks from the Never Summer igneous complex and Colorado Mineral Belt also have Sr and Nd isotopic compositions that overlap with the lower crustal mafic granulite xenoliths, but they have lower Sr/Y, higher Nb and Y abundances, and distinctly less radiogenic 206Pb/204Pbi compositions than preceding Laramide magmatism. Batch melt modeling indicates low-degree partial melts derived from rocks similar to the mafic lower crustal xenoliths we analyzed can yield silicic melts with >2000 ppm F, similar to estimated F melt concentrations for silicic melts that are interpreted to be parental to evolved leucogranites. We suggest that F-rich silicic melts in the southern Rocky Mountains were sourced from garnet-free mafic lower crust, and that fluid-absent breakdown of amphibole in ultrahigh temperature metamorphic rocks was a key process in their generation. Based on the composition of high-F amphibole measured from lower crustal xenoliths, the temperature of amphibole breakdown and melt generation for these F-enriched source rocks is likely >100 °C higher than similar lower crust with low or average F abundances. As such, these source rocks only melted during periods of unusually high heat flow into the lower crust, such as during an influx of mantle-derived magmas related to rifting or the post-Laramide ignimbrite flare-up in the region. These data have direct implications for the genesis of porphyry Mo mineralization, because they indicate that pre-enrichment of F in the deep crust could be a necessary condition for later anatexis and generation of F-rich magmas.


This article explores the literary work of the Sudanesc writer Tayeb Salih.Using the textual analysis method, it examines the interplay and tension that exist within the Islamic faith as it concerns its exoteric and esoteric aspects in the novella entitled The Wedding of Zein and Other Stories.The contention of Salih is that whilst the esoteric aspect of Islam (Sufism) portrays mercy, magnanimity and calmness for the people whose story he tells, the exoteric aspect (Shari'ah) portrays harshness, sadness and is a constant reminder of death, which stifles their enjoyment of this world.The contrast between these two aspects of Islam, as recanted by Salih, is the basis of analysis in this paper with relation to the everyday reality of Muslims in Africa.Whilst the people love the esoteric aspect of' Islam, mainly because of its understanding of their limitations as human beings and its focus on mercy over punishment, they dislike the exoteric aspect because of its aloofness and focus on punishment over mercy.They see the exoteric aspect as a necessary component of their society, which they cannot do without because of its function in some religious rites.Finally, the article opines that the novella of Salih is real in that it applies to many Muslim societies in Africa and amply depicts the daily struggle and tension between Sufism and Shari'ah.


Abstract The studied Aptian lacustrine succession of the continental Jatobá Rift Basin varies mainly between pure carbonates (predominantly laminated limestones), marls and shales, with some intercalations of presumably deltaic sandstone complexes. In accordance with geochemical data, the occurrence of dolomite indicates intensive microbial activity in a stratified water column with slightly enhanced salinity. Petrographic data prove mild weathering conditions. Aggregates of authigenic smectite observed in sandstones, probably representing transformed volcanogenic glass particles, strongly indicate explosive volcanic activity. Occasionally occurring dolomite seems to have been formed due to intensive microbial activity under moderately increased salinity conditions. Potential hydrocarbon source rocks containing Type I organic matter (OM) were deposited during various phases of the Aptian. Enhanced biological productivity is indicated by bulk organic geochemical data (Corg, hydrogen index, extraction yield) and δ13C values of carbonates within peletoidal and laminated limestone layers. Carbon-isotope ratios of carbonates argue for OM cycling and remineralization. High δ18O values of carbonates are attributed to periods of lower lake levels. A major contribution of aquatic organisms (green algae, microalgae, zooplankton) and minor input from macrophytes and land plants to OM accumulation is indicated by n-alkane distributions, steroid composition and δ13C values of individual biomarkers. Microbial communities included heterotrophic bacteria and cyanobacteria, as well as purple and green sulphur bacteria. The sediments were deposited in an alkaline palaeolake. Highly reducing (saline) bottom water conditions and a stratified water column existed during OM accumulation of the Crato Formation. This is indicated by low pristane/phytane, gammacerane index, and the presence of β-carotane and aryl isoprenoids. Differences in OM composition and stable isotope data reflect the evolution of the basin from a stratified saline lake to a freshwater environment with limited potential for OM preservation.


This document discusses the Miami University Class Schedule Validator. The Miami University Class Schedule (M.U.C.S) Validator is designed for use in individual departments, divisions, and the University Registrar's Office of Miami University to help monitor and comply with a set of class scheduling parameters and rules set by the Miami University Office of the Provost, defined as the Oxford Class Schedule Policy (Policy). (Miami University, 2011). The application analyzes proposed schedules and checks them for validation by generating information showing the compliance of schedules with the Policy parameters and rules.


Abstract The measures and policies states adopt and apply related to law enforcement at sea in peacetime, such as setting up and legislating about Coast Guards and their role, increasingly take maritime security into account. A grey area between military and civilian rules, actors, and activities, can be discerned in relation to maritime security. The article explores the issue of security concerns as a basis for the on-going widening of powers of the Finnish Border Guard, which includes the Coast Guard – in particular how such a widening of the powers relates to the Åland Islands' demilitarised status. The main question here is whether there is a conflict between possible military aspects of the Coast Guard vis-à-vis the demilitarised status of the Åland Islands. The article identifies aspects of a military nature regarding how the Finnish Coast Guard functions; these are not assessed as being decisive: the Border Guard is not part of the armed forces in peacetime. The article highlights the need for a comprehensive exploration and analysis – including both Finnish authorities and Ålandic authorities – of the Åland Islands' status in relation to possible future assistance by the Defence Forces on the Åland Islands.


Recently, we have demonstrated an optically induced AC electrokinetic technique that rapidly, continuously and selectively concentrates colloids on an electrode surface [1–3]. This is demonstrated with a highly focused near-infrared (1,064 nm) laser beam applied to parallel plate electrodes separated by 50 μm without any additional surface modification or patterning of the electrodes. This dynamic optically-induced technique can be applied towards a variety of lab-on-a-chip applications. This paper will explain its physical mechanisms and showcase recent results regarding its particle sorting capabilities. This dynamic, optically induced fluid and particle manipulation technique could be used for a variety of lab-on-a-chip applications.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Background:  Employability is the capacity of employees to acquire transferable competencies and individual capacities that enable them to adapt to, be innovative in and steer their own careers in a dynamic work environment. It is clear that employers would thus look for employees who are capable of proactive adjustment and action-oriented behaviours. Aim:  The aim of the study was to determine whether significant differences exist in the employability attributes of individuals from different gender, race and age groups and if so, how should such a diverse workforce should be managed. Setting:  This study was conducted at a distance education institution. The sample of respondents consisted of adult learners who are pursuing further distance learning studies in the economic and management sciences field in South Africa. Methods:  Correlational and inferential statistical analyses were used. A stratified random sample of 1102 mainly black and female adult learners participated in the study. Results:  The employability attributes framework identified three categories of employability: interpersonal, intrapersonal and career attributes. The research indicated that significant differences exist between gender, race and age groups with regard to employability. Male and female participants differed significantly with regard to entrepreneurial orientation, proactivity and career resilience. The various race groups differed considerably regarding cultural competence and sociability of individuals. Participants older than 50 years scored the highest on self-efficacy. Conclusion and implications:  The findings of this research could ensure that previously disadvantaged individuals are not further marginalised because of a lack of employability attributes and that the required employability attributes can be cultivated to ensure advancement and success in the work place.


Synopsis Evidence provided by striae, ice-moulded rock, erratics and perched boulders indicates that the last (Late Devensian) ice-sheet reached an altitude exceeding 760 m on Mull and 660 m on Jura. The highest summits on both islands support periglacial blockfields, suggesting that they remained as nunataks above the ice surface. This interpretation is supported by analyses of clay-fraction mineralogy, which shows that gibbsite (a pre-Late Devensian weathering product) is widespread in blockfield samples but rare in samples below the inferred limit of glaciation, implying removal by Late Devensian glacial erosion. Maximum ice-sheet altitudes of 760–840 m and 660–700 m are inferred for the Ben More massif on Mull and Paps of Jura respectively. Reconstruction of ice-sheet configuration in the Inner Hebrides area suggests that the 900 m ice-surface contour followed the west coast of the mainland, but the altitude evidence is insufficient to constrain the westwards extent of the ice sheet. Inferred ice-surface altitudes and directions of ice movement are incompatible with most theoretical models, and even the 'best fit' model of ice dimensions in this area underestimates maximum ice thickness by ≥ 60 m.


It is the objective of this study to evaluate the management of air waste, wastewater and solid waste in the prefecture of Larissa, Greece. The levels of air pollution in the prefecture are not so high. Nevertheless, examination has showed that the existent atmospheric pollution is mainly attributed to static sources, such as central heating and industry, especially in the city of Larissa. The study of water pollution includes surface and underground water. The surface water pollution is mainly attributed to industrial wastewater. The pollution of Pineios River is characterized by fluctuations. In some areas of the river, especially after the city of Larissa, the levels of pollution are high. Moreover, the waters of Asmaki canal and Karla Lake are so polluted that there is no possibility of finding life in these water bodies. On the other hand, the groundwater pollution is related to the high concentration of nitrates, caused by over-fertilization of farming lands. Sources of soil pollution include domestic solid waste landfills and especially uncontrolled landfills in many areas of the prefecture. The main problem is that some of these landfills are located near rivers or streams, provoking essential pollution. This evidence has showed that one program about the optimal waste management has to be developed in the prefecture in order to protect the renewable natural resources according to the principles of sustainable development.


A large ({gt}22 000 atoms) molecular representation of Pocahontas No. 3 low-volatile bituminous coal was generated that contains 215 separate molecular entities, ranging between 78 and 3286 amu, creating a molecular-weight distribution. Data used in this construction were based on (1) the average molecular properties and the carboxylation-oxidation molecular-weight distribution, (2) aromatic 'raft' size evaluation via image analysis of lattice fringe high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images, (3) molecular-weight distribution through laser desorption mass spectrometry, and (4) physical characteristics (molecular orientation and helium density). The large-scale coal representation enabled the incorporation of molecular-weight diversity, which is an improvement to the structural modeling of coal. The large-scale model is necessary to conform to an appropriate molecular-weight distribution. A preferred orientation that is expected for a coal of this rank was imposed. The inclusion of these improvements will better enable the model to be used in application studies. 39 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.


We have developed a CRISPR/Cas9 based method for isolating randomly induced recessive lethal mutations in a gene of interest (GOI) by phenotype selection within the F1 progeny of a single genetic cross. Our method takes advantage of the ability to overexpress a GOI using CRISPR/Cas9 mediated activation of gene expression. In essence, the screening strategy is based upon the idea that if overexpression of a wild type allele can generate a phenotype, then overexpression of a newly induced loss-of-function allele will lack this phenotype. This method also depends on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 based mutagenesis to recover alleles of a GOI that are refractory to CRISPR/Cas9 mediated activation of gene expression but are otherwise wild type. As a proof-of-principle, we used this method to select EMS induced mutations of the Drosophila gene hindsight (hnt). From approximately 45,000 F1 progeny we recovered 8 new EMS induced loss-of-function hnt alleles. This new method can, in theory, be applied to any circumstance where CRISPR/Cas9 mediated activation of gene expression is associated with lethality or a visible phenotype.


There is no evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 was a biological agent. However, the ensuing pandemic has driven home the potential dangers of weaponised biological material, especially pathogens. Heightening the concerns about bioweapons is the growing ubiquity of gene editing tools like the CRISPR-Cas-9 system that enable both state and non-state actors to produce biological agents for various purposes. While these dangers are being recognised, this paper goes beyond highlighting the peril, to examining the drivers and constraints on bioweapons use, the ways in which bioweapons may be employed, and the trade-offs involved in mounting such attacks. Furthermore, the paper proposes concrete steps that can be taken in a renewed Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) to reduce the risk of bioweapons attacks. Earlier attempts at strengthening the treaty have focused on increasing verification. However, this has failed because states seek to protect their biotech industries from espionage and harassment. Instead of focusing on traditional verification, this paper proposes the creation of a scientific board under the BWC, that will monitor sensitive emerging technologies in the field, set standards for safety and reporting, and create an epidemiological database. To help deter attacks, it recommends ways to improve the response to disease outbreaks and impose penalties on perpetrators.


Abstract : Specification languages for concurrent software systems need to combine practical algorithmic efficiency with high expressive power and the ability to reason about both states and events. We address this question by defining a new branching-time temporal logic SE-A(OMEGA) which integrates both state-based and action-based properties. SE-A(OMEGA) is universal, i.e., preserved by the simulation relation, and thus amenable to counterexample-guided abstraction refinement. We provide a model-checking algorithm for this logic, and describe a compositional abstraction-refinement loop which exploits the natural decomposition of the concurrent system; the abstraction and refinement steps were performed over each component separately, and only the model checking step requires an explicit composition of the abstracted components. For experimental evaluation, we have integrated the presented algorithms in the software verification tool MAGIC, and determined a previously unknown race condition error in a piece of an industrial robot control software.


A crucial step in assessing the scientific basis of a psychotherapeutic intervention is examining the individual components of the treatment to determine if they are additive or important to treatment outcomes. The construct of self-as-context (S-A-C), a central process in the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) approach, has not yet been studied in a component analysis. A previous dismantling trial, however, has shown this process has an additive effect as part of an ACT package (Williams, 2006). The current study is a preliminary trial of feasibility and efficacy to determine a) the practicality of assessing S-A-C in isolation in a laboratory setting, and b) the impact of manipulating S-A-C on theoretically related variables, including theorized mechanisms of change in various clinical approaches. 68 participants (55 female, 13 male) were randomly assigned to receive either a brief S-A-C intervention employing a common therapeutic metaphor (the chessboard metaphor), or the control condition, which involved discussing a mildly positive topic with the researcher. Results from the main analyses showed that there was no group-by-time interaction on measures to assess immediate impact on the construct, previously validated therapeutic mediation measures, or symptom measures. Several possible explanations for the failure to identify significant findings are discussed, including limitations of construct measurement. When analyses were repeated using only those participants whose scores were in the mild range or higher for stress, anxiety, or depression, time by condition interactions were significant for stress and approached significance for depression, with participants in the S-A-C group doing better than those in the control group, offering tentative support for the utility of this process among individuals with clinical difficulties. Implications for future studies are reported.


Summary:Is income during children's earliest years a key determinant of long-term child and adult success in the longer run? The research to date, Christopher Wimer and Sharon Wolf write, suggests that it is.Wimer and Wolf review substantial descriptive evidence that income can enhance child development and later adult outcomes, and that it does so most strongly during children's earliest years. Next they wrestle with the question of whether this relationship is causal. After outlining the challenges in identifying such causal relationships, they describe a number of studies that purport to overcome these challenges through quasi- or natural experiments.Among other topics, the authors examine how family income affects the outcomes of young children compared to those of older children, and how its effects vary among poor, low-income, and higher-income families. They also look at the evidence around other dimensions of income, including nonlinear relationships between income and key outcomes, instability in income versus the absolute level of income, and various forms of income, and they review the evidence for impacts of in-kind or near-cash income supports.Finally, Wimer and Wolf highlight some recently launched studies that will shed further light on the relationship between income and development in children's earliest years, and they suggest how policy might better provide income support to low-income families and their children.


Silicon carbide (SiC) is a well-known ceramic due to its excellent spectral absorbance and thermo-mechanical properties. The wide band gap, high melting point and thermal conductivity of SiC is used in high temperature applications. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of biofield treatment on physical, atomic, and structural characteristics of SiC powder. The control and biofield treated SiC powder was analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analyzer, surface area analyzer, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy techniques with respect to control. The XRD pattern revealed that crystallite size was significantly increased by 40% in treated SiC as compared to control. The biofield treatment has induced changes in lattice parameter, density and molecular weight of atoms in the SiC powder. Particle size was increased upto 2.4% and the surface area was significantly reduced by 71.16% in treated SiC as compared to control. The FT-IR results indicated that the stretching vibrations frequency of silicon-carbon bond in treated SiC (925 cm -1 ) was shifted towards lower frequency as compared to control (947 cm -1 ). These findings suggest that biofield treatment has substantially altered the physical and structural properties of SiC powder.


Drugs in ultra-high dilution (UHD) are used in homeopathy. Lactose is used as a binding medium for UHD drugs. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy revealed that although devoid of molecules of the starting substance, different UHD drugs exhibit different amounts of free water molecules and variation in hydrogen bond strength. The aim of the present study was to establish whether specific water structures in UHD could specifically modify the water structure in lactose, particularly the water of crystallization. 3 UHD's (potencies), 30cH, 200cH and 1000cH, of 2 drugs, Natrum muriaticum and Sulphur were mixed to lactose samples separately. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the samples was measured. The thermograms of potencies mixed to lactose differed from each other with respect to temperature and enthalpy associated with the removal of water of crystallization from lactose. We believe that the tested UHD modified the water structure in lactose thereby changing the enthalpy for the removal of water of crystallization. Different levels of thermal energy are needed to remove both free water molecules and water of crystallization from lactose. UHD's also contributed to the change in enthalpy associated with the removal of water of crystallization from lactose. The tested UHD might have modified the number and strength of hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure of lactose. Specific water structures in liquid aqueous ethanol medium are transferable to the solid medium(lactose).


1. The use of reserves as conservation tools is widespread. However, evaluating the effectiveness of reserve implementation for long- lived species has been problematic as it requires sampling programmes over long timescales that are appropriate to species' longevity and recovery rates. In the sea, towed bottom fishing gears alter the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by benthic communities and habitats. Marine reserves have been used to manage these impacts but our understanding of the drivers of their effectiveness for the conservation of temperate reefs is incomplete. 2. We examined the effectiveness of marine reserves for recovery of temperate reef fauna in relation to their life history. We used an underwater video to sample six species with different life histories across 60 sites that varied in the duration of protection from towed mobile fishing gear at 0, 1, 8 and 10 years. 3. Species with a high dispersal potential and less habitat specific requirements such as soft corals and king scallops recovered to close to their carrying capacity in <3 years. In contrast, the longer- lived Ross coral and pink seafans increased in abundance but had not fully recovered; with their projected recovery time being 17–20 years. 4. Ongoing recovery was evident for long- lived species as their mean body size increased significantly across all treatments, whereas shorter- lived species such as queen scallops did not change in size and were assumed to have fully recovered. 5. Synthesis and applications . This study shows that the recovery rates of biota depend on life- history factors, such as larval longevity and dispersal potential. Recovery for species that had low dispersal potential and specific habitat requirements was slow and could take >20 years. This suggests activities such as bottom trawling or dredging should be avoided where such species occur if their conservation is an objective. In contrast, species with high dispersal potential and less habitat specific requirements had shorter recovery timescales of c. 2- 3 years and would be more amenable to managed trawl frequencies in areas where activities such as fishing occur.


In this study, a calibration method to determine the coordinate transformation between the robot tool and the external axle worktable based on ant colony optimization algorithm is discussed. The approach can be divided into three different steps. Firstly, the transformation relationship between the robot wrist and the contact position sensor tool is calibrated. Secondly, the transformation relationship between the robot tool and the external axle worktable is determined by the robot and the contact position sensor joint measurement system. Finally, ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is employed to optimize the key parameters to improve the system accuracy. Based on the presented method, the robot system with external axle is calibrated with successful results. The presented approach is validated to be effective via a real experiment.


Sustainability has recently become an important issue which received growing attentions from government, society, industries as well as academia. There have been concerns on relatively rapid growth in population and increased quality of life despite limited natural resources and landfill capacity. Closed-loop Supply Chain (CLSC) is one of many approaches to mitigate the abovementioned disproportion. This article aims to study closed-loop supply chain by explaining the definition, description, pros and contras, relevance, case studies from literature, and potential research; such that its role as an agent of sustainable development can be recognized.


In this article on the beginnings of speech I am writing certain ideas and judgments which are the result of a lifetime of study and practical work in the field of children's speech. During the last twenty-one years I have aided in conducting a school for children with speech difficulties, called the Hill-Young School of Speech Correction. The school functioned for six years in Minneapolis and for thirteen years in Los Angeles; for two years it has been a part of the speech department of the University of Denver. I am writing now to call the attention of the physicians who care for young children to the fact that during these years many parents have come to me with children whose speech was still undeveloped at the ages of from 5 to 10 years or older. These parents had been assured by their physicians that speech would come and that


This paper examines the work-based placement scheme in UCLan's MPharm course to determine whether or not work placement experiences benefit students on this degree programme and the extent to which this experience may contextualise the theoretical learning at the university. The aim was to identify which aspects of the placement can influence the learning process and what can be done to improve current placements. The study focused on undergraduate students and pre-registration and practising pharmacists. Data collection occurred through two types of paper based questionnaires and analysis of the data was carried out using SPSS software. Results showed there was variability (P>0.05) in answers between student years, especially regarding mentor feedback and the amount of time mentors spent with students. With regard to placement length, there was little difference between years, with 51% of students in general believing that placement length was currently sufficient. However, there was a significant difference (P<0.05) between qualifications that practising pharmacists held, and their opinions regarding placement length. Overall, both pharmacists and students reported that work-based experience is beneficial and should be continued as it helps contextualise theory with practice. Activities and assignments assist students to think critically and reflectively about their experience as well as future career choice. Keywords –Placement, MPharm, UCLan, Mentoring, Pharmacy Practice


Pregnancy and new motherhood may be crisis and vulnerability periods and therefore increase the risk of psychiatric disorders. Liaison psychiatry plays a major role in the first psychiatric evaluation of mothers in order to specify a diagnosis and to initiate a treatment when necessary. This article describes the care of mothers suffering from peripartum psychiatric disorders by the liaison psychiatry in the maternity ward, an outpatient practice, as well as an in-patient care unit where mother and baby can stay together. The multidisciplinary approach and its constellation around the mother-baby dyad are detailed and two clinical cases are reported.


In this paper we have presented the design and the functioning of a programmable controller for combustion engines with spark ignition, designed for the tuning of sports cars. We have presented the method of connection of the computer with the target system, a draft of the algorithm of engine's work and the structure of used data. The second part has been dedicated to the tested methods of the adaptive correction of the fuel map and ignition map contents. We have presented two of the designed and used algorithms, as well as the principles and effects of their work. We have also compared their performances and utility during tuning and use of a race car engine.


To properly apply approximate kinetic energy density functionals (KEDFs) used in orbital-free density functional theory (OF-DFT) to the highly inhomogeneous electron density in transition metals, we introduce a decomposition scheme in which the electron density is partitioned into delocalized and localized parts, which makes it possible to apply a different physically justifiable KEDF to each density. Using this decomposition scheme, we demonstrate that OF-DFT is able to quantitatively reproduce Kohn-Sham(KS-)DFT predictions of the basic bulk properties of many phases of Ag, as well as surface energies, vacancy formation energies, and elastic moduli of face-centered-cubic Ag. However, OF-DFT Ag-Al alloy properties differ substantially from those predicted by KS-DFT using nonlocal pseudopotentials. These errors are due to remaining inaccuracies in the Ag and Al local electron-ion pseudopotentials, as well as the oversimplified model KEDF used for treating the interaction KE term between the localized and the delocalized electron densities. Future extensions to improve the treatment of transition metals are briefly outlined.


Acoustic emission (AE) and radial dimensional changes during dehydration under ambient conditions were compared between fully saturated fresh Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) sapwood and sapwood exposed to one or two rewetting-dehydration cycles. The aim of the study was to find out whether AE detected by wideband transducers (100 to 1000 kHz) gives useful information about the mechanical stresses generated during dehydration of small sapwood specimens. AE activity and peak amplitudes became lower after each dehydration-rewetting run. During the first dehydration run the highest peak amplitudes were detected at moderate moisture loss, whereas rewetted wood peaked towards the end of dehydration. AE of fresh, never-dried sapwood was also characterized by a higher count rate of low frequency AE (<175 kHz). Differences in amplitude and frequency clusters between small earlywood and latewood specimens suggest that earlywood is much more sensitive to irreversible processes upon drying than latewood, which might be related to pit functioning and shrinkage anisotropy. At moderate moisture loss, fresh, never-dried sapwood showed higher radial dimensional changes compared to re-wetted sapwood. If it is assumed that fresh, never-dried sapwood is more prone to dehydration stresses than pre-dried sapwood, critical stages during drying can be characterized by high mean peak amplitudes and by a higher count rate of low frequency AE.


It was recently discovered by this laboratory that Yippie-like 3 (YPEL3) is a novel p53 regulated gene that when induced triggers premature senescence in primary and tumor cell lines. Initial screens of human tumor samples uncovered significant decreases in YPEL3 gene expression in ER- verses ER+ breast cancers leading us to believe that estrogen may have a regulatory effect on YPEL3 expression. Using ER+ MCF7 cells, we determined that estrogen is a significant inhibitor of YPEL3 gene expression in cells grown in media with 10% serum verses cells grown in media with charcoal stripped serum (CSS) from which estrogen has been removed. The increase in YPEL3 mRNA expression demonstrated in CSS can be blocked by the addition of estrogen, and as expected tamoxifen competes with this estrogen repressive effect. The effects of estrogen on YPEL3 expression are not observed in MCF10A mammary epithelial cells which are ER negative demonstrating the requirement for the estrogen receptor in the observed effect. Given our observation that YPEL3 induction triggers senescence in breast cancer cells, we employed beta-galactosidase activity as a measurement of senescence and observed an 8-fold increase in senescence in MCF7 cells grown in CSS media. The increase is reduced to less than 3.5-fold with the addition of estrogen to the CSS media, and the increase in cellular senescence is blocked in MCF7 cells stably selected for the loss of YPEL3 (MCF7-shYPEL3) suggesting the need for the absence of estrogen and the presence of YPEL3 in senescence induction. We are currently testing the effects of estrogen on MCF7 cells where p53 has been knocked down using RNAi approaches and are planning to test the effects of RNAi targeting ER-alpha. We believe estrogen is inhibiting YPEL3 expression through its association with the estrogen receptor and their association with p53 thereby inhibiting p53 transactivation of YPEL3. These findings suggest that modulation of YPEL3 by estrogen and its growth suppressive effects may provide a target for future breast cancer therapies. Note: First two authors contributed equally. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3066.


Culture has been identified as an important success factor in BPM initiatives. Despite its relevance, little research systematically addresses culture as a distinct phenomenon in BPM. Recently, first key elements have been identified, conceptualising culture in BPM research. As a core element, the concept of a BPM culture has been distinguished as a set of values directly supportive of achieving BPM objectives. While there is some evidence for the construct as such, it has not been examined which exact cultural elements make up a BPM culture. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of a BPM culture. At this stage, we do this through a structured literature review. We systematically derive a set of BPM values that serves as a starting point for future research.


Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been generally acknowledged as one of the driving forces for the advancement of computer vision. Despite their promising performances on many tasks, CNNs still face major obstacles on the road to achieving ideal machine intelligence. One is that CNNs are complex and hard to interpret. Another is that standard CNNs require large amounts of annotated data, which is sometimes very hard to obtain, and it is desirable to be able to learn them from few examples. In this work, we address these limitations of CNNs by developing novel, simple, and interpretable models for few-shot learn- ing. Our models are based on the idea of encoding objects in terms of visual concepts, which are interpretable visual cues represented by the feature vectors within CNNs. We first adapt the learning of visual concepts to the few-shot setting, and then uncover two key properties of feature encoding using visual concepts, which we call category sensitivity and spatial pattern. Motivated by these properties, we present two intuitive models for the problem of few-shot learning. Experiments show that our models achieve competitive performances, while being much more flexible and interpretable than alternative state-of-the-art few-shot learning methods. We conclude that using visual concepts helps expose the natural capability of CNNs for few-shot learning.


A new family of kernels is suggested for use in heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent (HAC) and long run variance (LRV) estimation and robust regression testing. The kernels are constructed by taking powers of the Bartlett kernel and are intended to be used with no truncation (or bandwidth) parameter. As the power parameter (rho) increases, the kernels become very sharp at the origin and increasingly downweight values away from the origin, thereby achieving effects similar to a bandwidth parameter. Sharp origin kernels can be used in regression testing in much the same way as conventional kernels with no truncation, as suggested in the work of Kiefer and Vogelsang (2002a, 2002b). A unified representation of HAC limit theory for untruncated kernels is provided using a new proof based on Mercer's theorem that allows for kernels which may or may not be differentiable at the origin. This new representation helps to explain earlier findings like the dominance of the Bartlett kernel over quadratic kernels in test power and yields new findings about the asymptotic properties of tests with sharp origin kernels. Analysis and simulations indicate that sharp origin kernels lead to tests with improved size properties relative to conventional tests and better power properties than other tests using Bartlett and other conventional kernels without truncation. If rho is passed to infinity with the sample size (T), the new kernels provide consistent HAC and LRV estimates as well as continued robust regression testing. Optimal choice of rho based on minimizing the asymptotic mean squared error of estimation is considered, leading to a rate of convergence of the kernel estimate of T1/3, analogous to that of a conventional truncated Bartlett kernel estimate with an optimal choice of bandwidth. A data-based version of the consistent sharp origin kernel is obtained which is easily implementable in practical work. Within this new framework, untruncated kernel estimation can be regarded as a form of conventional kernel estimation in which the usual bandwidth parameter is replaced by a power parameter that serves to control the degree of downweighting. Simulations show that in regression testing with the sharp origin kernel, the power properties are better than those with simple untruncated kernels (where rho = 1) and at least as good as those with truncated kernels. Size is generally more accurate with sharp origin kernels than truncated kernels. In practice a simple fixed choice of the exponent parameter around rho = 16 for the sharp origin kernel produces favorable results for both size and power in regression testing with sample sizes that are typical in econometric applications.


Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP) is a condition most notably found in birds, but that is also present in other saurischian dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In birds, skeletal pneumatization occurs where bones are penetrated by pneumatic diverticula, membranous extensions that originate from air sacs that serve in the ventilation of the lung. Key questions that remain to be addressed include further characterizing (1) the skeletal features that can be used to infer the presence/absence and extent of PSP in birds and non-avian dinosaurs, and (2) the association between vertebral laminae and specific components of the avian respiratory system. Previous work has used vertebral features such as pneumatic foramina, fossae, and laminae to identify/infer the presence of air sacs and diverticula, and to discuss the range of possible functions of such features. Here, we tabulate pneumatic features in the vertebral column of 11 avian taxa, including the flightless ratites and selected members of semi-volant and semi-aquatic Neornithes. We investigate the associations of these osteological features with each other and, in the case of Struthio camelus, with the specific presence of pneumatic diverticula. We find that the mere presence of vertebral laminae does not indicate the presence of skeletal pneumaticity, since laminae are not always associated with pneumatic foramina or fossae. Nevertheless, laminae are more strongly developed when adjacent to foramina or fossae. In addition, membranous air sac extensions and adjacent musculature share the same attachment points on the vertebrae, rendering the use of such features for reconstructing respiratory soft tissue features ambiguous. Finally, pneumatic diverticula attach to the margins of laminae, foramina, and/or fossae prior to their intraosseous course. Similarities in PSP distribution among the examined taxa are concordant with their phylogenetic interrelationships. The possible functions of PSP are discussed in brief, based upon variation in the extent of PSP between taxa with differing ecologies. PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0143834 December 9, 2015 1 / 39 OPEN ACCESS Citation: Apostolaki NE, Rayfield EJ, Barrett PM (2015) Osteological and Soft-Tissue Evidence for Pneumatization in the Cervical Column of the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) and Observations on the Vertebral Columns of Non-Volant, Semi-Volant and SemiAquatic Birds. PLoS ONE 10(12): e0143834. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0143834 Editor: Andrew A. Farke, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, UNITED STATES Received: February 27, 2015 Accepted: November 10, 2015 Published: December 9, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Apostolaki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are


Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder resulting of low levels of thyroid circulating hormones. The prevalence in the general population varies between 0.3% and 3.7%. Presents as clinical or subclinical disease based on presence of symptoms and levels of serum TSH and free thyroxine and T4, respectively. Hypothyroidism has numerous etiologies, some of them are originated on the thyroid itself and some others are of extrathyroid origin, with variable manifestations. Classified as primary, secondary, tertiary and peripheral. Thyroid autoimmune disease is the principal cause. A new class of drugs against cancer, like the anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-L1/PD1 therapies have been associated with primary or secondary hypothyroidism. Endocrine disorders can be difficult to diagnose based only on morphological features because endocrine manifestations are caused primarily by a hormonal imbalance. Hypothyroidism may have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. Finally, myxedematous coma is the main complication of terminal stages hypothyroidism.


Entrepreneurs and VCs often disagree on their valuation of start-ups. This article offers a new reason why. The Venture Capital (VC) method is a standard method for valuing startup firms. It requires an estimate of terminal firm value or Net Income, a comparable industry's P/E ratio, and a target rate of return to be used as the discount rate. All of these quantities are subject to estimation risk, but the choice of the target discount rate is the most questionable. VCs typically use high target rates of return to compensate for the risk of the venture; a natural question is how to justify these high target rates of return. Discounted cash flow (DCF) methods, such as the VC method, assume that a start-up can be valued like any other standard capital budgeting project. However, start-ups have valuable embedded real asset options which are ignored by DCF methods. This article uses option pricing techniques to impute the appropriate target rate of return. It shows that the appropriate target rate depends on precisely what the VC is valuing. If the VC is valuing a stream of ordinary expected cash flows, as in the DCF approach, one target rate of return is implied. A different target rate is implied if the VC is valuing a start-up firm including its embedded real asset options. This article shows how to adjust target rates of return for insurance value and gives detailed illustrations of the magnitudes of the adjustment.


Introduction
Structural racism is a root cause of health disparities. While family medicine residency programs recognize the importance of addressing race in medicine, it is unclear how many programs have established racial justice training (RJT). This study examines residents' views on the current state of RJT in their respective programs.

Methods
This survey was part of the Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance (CERA) 2021 national survey of family medicine residents. Questions addressed RJT, resident reported barriers to implementing such training, and recommendations for change.

Results
Of the family medicine residents who responded (n=266), the majority of individuals (91.5%) and their residency programs (65.0%) stated that addressing racism in medicine is an educational priority. Residents reported a minority of their programs (17.3%) have a longitudinal curriculum. Residents who received RJT in residency are more likely to be in communities of color (P=.03). The top requests included recruiting faculty and residents of color, and establishing community-based partnerships.

Conclusions
Few residencies have been able to implement RJT to the extent that residents' desire. Lack of curricular time and faculty training were commonly cited barriers. Strategies to address these barriers and implement RJT across residencies are needed to combat structural racism.


Current semantic segmentation models have achieved great success under the independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) condition. However, in real-world applications, test data might come from a different domain than training data. Therefore, it is important to improve model robustness against domain differences. This work studies semantic segmentation under the domain generalization setting, where a model is trained only on the source domain and tested on the unseen target domain. Existing works show that Vision Transformers are more robust than CNNs and show that this is related to the visual grouping property of self-attention. In this work, we propose a novel hierarchical grouping transformer (HGFormer) to explicitly group pixels to form part-level masks and then whole-level masks. The masks at different scales aim to segment out both parts and a whole of classes. HGFormer combines mask classification results at both scales for class label prediction. We assemble multiple interesting cross-domain settings by using seven public semantic segmentation datasets. Experiments show that HGFormer yields more robust semantic segmentation results than per-pixel classification methods and flat-grouping transformers, and outperforms previous methods significantly. Code will be available at https://github.com/dingjianswl0l/HGFormer.


We examine the economic rationale for the use of investment banking syndicates in mergers and acquisitions. We find that syndicates are more likely to be hired in more complex transactions and in deals where acquirers have greater demand for external acquisition-related financing. Compared to individual financial advisors, syndicates produce higher abnormal returns, greater synergy gains, and lower takeover premiums in small to medsize transactions. The reverse is, however, true for syndicates advising on mega deals which are associated with more severe coordination and incentive problems. Further analysis indicates that the value destruction of syndicates in mega deals varies by syndicate structure, with the effect stronger among syndicates that face greater challenges to collaborate, i.e., when syndicate members are geographically dispersed, absent prior cooperation experience or are dominated by lower-tier financial advisors.


Binding of particulate and dissolved organic matter in the water column by marine gels allows sinking and cycling of organic matter into deeper water of the Red Sea and other marine water bodies. A series of four offshore profiles were made at which concentrations of bacteria, algae, particulate transparent exopolymer particles (p-TEP), colloidal transparent exopolymer particles (c-TEP), and the fractions of natural organic matter (NOM), including biopolymers, humic substances, low molecular weight neutrals, and low molecular weight acids were measured to depths ranging from 90 to 300 m. It was found that a statistically-significant relationship occurs between the concentrations of p-TEP withand bacteria and algae, but not with TOC in the offshore profiles, but not the nearshore samples.while a minimal, non-significant relationship between p-TEP and algae occurs. This likely reflects the low abundance of larger algal species in the study region. Variation in the biopolymer fraction of NOM in relationship to TEP and bacteria suggests that extracellular discharges of polysaccharides and proteins from the bacteria and algae are occurring without immediate abiotic assembly into p-TEP. In the water column below the photic zone, TOC, bacteria, and biopolymers show a generally common rate of reduction in concentration, but p-TEP decreases at a diminished rate, showing that it persists in moving organic carbon deeper into the water column despite consumption by bacteria.


This dissertation is about to form a best linear regression model in order to predict the domestic revenue passenger miles of United States air transportation industry, which
is a measure of airline's passenger traffic in the future. Prediction of Revenue passenger miles is important for airline management in order to make various decision
based on it. Besides, we are interested to analyze the interaction effects in multiple regression. Analysis also focus on some important factors that influencing revenue
passenger miles such as population, number of airlines, operating revenue from passengers, gross national product of United States, number of American planes in an accident and number of fatalities from aircraft accidents. In this study, the way to list out all possible models is introduced and elimination procedures are carried out in order to get the selected models. Eight selection criteria is employed to get the best model. By carrying out the Wald test, the variables which are eliminated before the best model is formed, is tested whether the decision to remove the variables is
acceptable or not. This is followed by randomness test; the purpose of this test is to test the randomness of the observation residuals. In the last section of the project,
revenue passenger miles will be predicted base on the best model. Besides, comparison between estimated value and actual value is made, and it is found that the variation of them is not critical. Hence, the best model obtained can be said as a good model in predicting revenue passenger miles.


Will today's emerging technologies impact the teaching profession in the future? Which parts of the teaching tasks or learning processes could be substituted, enhanced and transformed through automatisation, algorithms and machines? To help educational stakeholders with strategic reflection and anticipatory thinking, eight future-oriented scenarios are outlined using foresight methods. The aim of the scenarios is to see the future as something to shape. These near-future scenarios aim to solve a number of problems that educators of today say prevent them from delivering quality education and training. They take place in classrooms, lecture halls, training centres and digital learning environments in which emerging technologies could be used to support educators in their profession. Key challenges emerging from the scenarios relate to ethical considerations (e.g. balance between human autonomy and machines, datafication of education, pedagogical models) and the evolving competence requirements of teaching professionals. At the end of the report, a number of insights for policy reflection are raised. They aim to prompt the need today to discuss the future role of emerging technologies in education and training, and their impact on the teaching profession.


This study aimed to identify the constituents of the essential oil from Hyptis suaveolens (L.) leaves using a Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer and assess its inhibitory effect on some potentially pathogenic Aspergilli (A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. ochraceus, A. fumigatus and A. niger). Eucaliptol (47.64 %) was the most abundant component in the oil, followed for gama-ellemene (8.15 %), beta-pynene (6.55 %), (+)-3-carene (5.16 %), trans-beta-cariophyllene (4.69 %) and germacrene (4.86 %). The essential oil revealed an interesting anti-Aspergillus property characterized by a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration of 40 and 80 µL/mL, respectively. The oil at 80 and 40 µL/mL strongly inhibited the mycelial growth of A. fumigatus and A. parasiticus along 14 days. In addition, at 10 and 20 µL/mL the oil was able to cause morphological changes in A. flavus as decreased conidiation, leakage of cytoplasm, loss of pigmentation and disrupted cell structure suggesting fungal wall degeneration. These findings showed the interesting anti-Aspergillus property of H. suaveolens leaves essential oil supporting its possible rational use as alternative source of new antifungal compounds to be applied in the aspergillosis treatment.


Abstract. Separating point clouds into ground and non-ground points is a necessary step to generate digital terrain model (DTM) from LiDAR dataset. In this research, a new method based on multi-scale analysis of height difference threshold is proposed for ground filtering of LiDAR data. The proposed method utilizes three windows with different sizes in small, average and large to cover the entire LiDAR point clouds, then with a height difference threshold, point clouds can be separated to ground and non-ground in each local window. Meanwhile, the best threshold values for size of windows are considered based on physical characteristics of the ground surface and size of objects. Also, the minimum of height of object in each window selected as height difference threshold. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, two datasets in rural and urban area were applied. The overall accuracy in rural and urban area was 96.06% and 94.88% respectively. These results of the filtering showed that the proposed method can successfully filters non-ground points from LiDAR point clouds despite of the data area.


This paper presents the combined application of differential quadrature method (DQM) and finite-difference method (FDM) with a relaxation parameter to nonlinear reaction–diffusion equation in one and two dimensions. The polynomial-based DQM is employed to discretize the spatial partial derivatives by using Gauss–Chebyshev–Lobatto points. The resulting system of ordinary differential equations is solved, discretizating the time derivative by an explicit FDM. A relaxation parameter is used to position the solution from the two time levels, aiming to increase the convergence rate with a moderate time step to the steady state and also to obtain stable solution. Numerical experiments are given to illustrate the scheme for one-dimensional Fisher-type problems and also for two-dimensional reaction–diffusion boundary-value problems. The agreement of the solution with the exact solution is very good in two-dimensional case while some other numerical schemes may result in some unwanted oscillations in the computed solution. Optimal value of the relaxation parameter is obtained numerically to prevent the use of very small time steps and to achieve stable solutions. The DQM with a relaxation-type finite-difference time integration scheme exhibits superior accuracy at large time values for the problems tending towards a steady state.


Objectives: Our aim was to present mid-long term functional outcomes of patients who underwent arthroscopic selective capsular release and manipulation for frozen shoulder refractory to conservative treatment. Methods: Between 2006 and 2012, 32 patients presented to our clinic with the diagnosis of frozen shoulder. 24 shoulders of 22 patients treated with arthroscopic selective capsular release and manipulation were included in the study. Functional results were analyzed with Constant shoulder score. The mean follow-up was 4.3 years (range 1-7 years). Results: We detected an average increase in passive range of motion in flexion 72°, abduction 90°, abduction-internal rotation 33°, and abduction-external rotation 38°, adduction-external rotation at 37° compared to the preoperative status. Constant shoulder score increased by an average of 44 points after surgery. Eighteen (82%) patients were satisfied with the operation. Three of four patients whose symptoms persisted had resistant diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Frozen shoulder is one of the most well-known causes of shoulder pain and disability. Although surgery has a good rate of success it does not help in all cases. Unsatisfactory results may be experienced in patients who have diabetes mellitus as a confounding factor.


The applicability of process mining techniques hinges on the availability of event logs capturing the execution of a business process. In some use cases, particularly those involving customer-facing processes, these event logs may contain private information. Data protection regulations restrict the use of such event logs for analysis purposes. One way of circumventing these restrictions is to anonymize the event log to the extent that no individual can be singled out using the anonymized log. This paper addresses the problem of anonymizing an event log in order to guarantee that, upon disclosure of the anonymized log, the probability that an attacker may single out any individual represented in the original log, does not increase by more than a threshold. The paper proposes a differentially private disclosure mechanism, which oversamples the cases in the log and adds noise to the timestamps to the extent required to achieve the above privacy guarantee. The paper reports on an empirical evaluation of the proposed approach using 14 real-life event logs in terms of data utility loss and computational efficiency.


OBJECTIVE
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) results from an autoimmune response to infection with group A streptococci. Serum concentrations of two anti-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-I receptor antagonist (IL-IRa) and human soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I (sTNF-RI) were determined in patients with ARF at the time of admission and 3 months after treatment in order to evaluate changes in cytokine concentrations occurring during different stages of the disease.

METHODS
Serum concentrations of two anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-I Ra and sTNF-RI , were investigated in children with ARF at the time of admission (n=21) and after 3 months following the cessation of treatment (n=15). The sTNF-RI and sIL-IRa were measured quantitatively in serum using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS
Levels of IL-1Ra and sTNF-RI were found to be significantly higher during acute phase and remission period of ARF when compared to age-matched healthy controls (p=0.001 and p=0.0001, respectively).

CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrated that two anti-inflammatory cytokines, serum sTNFRI and IL-1Ra, are increased in acute and remission stages of ARF reflecting activation of the cellular immune response. We suggest this increase might probably be generated in an effort to counteract the already increased concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines.


A vast literature exists on contemporary transformations on welfare state models in Europe. However, these works tend to be focused on the study of social policies embodying these transformations. This article defends the idea that new social policies are preceded by a process of requalification of the social problems by using new categories such as poverty/new poverty instead of inequality or unemployment. The social logics of this process of requalification are linked to the transformations in the structure of the Catholic field after the Second World War, as well as the transformations in the intellectual field since the 1960s. These transformations have a transnational nature and affect countries with different welfare state regimes.


We describe our experience teaching an intensive capstone course in which pairs of students build the hardware and software for a remote-controller quad-rotor aircraft (i.e., a quadcopter or "drone'') from scratch in one 10-week quarter. The course covers printed circuit board (PCB) design and assembly, basic control theory and sensor fusion, and embedded systems programming. To reduce the workload on course staff and provide higher-quality feedback on student designs, we have implemented an automated PCB design checking tool/autograder. We describe the course content in detail, identify the challenges it presents to students and course staff, and propose changes to further increase student success and improve the scalability of the course.


Horseradish peroxidase was encapsulated in calcium alginate for the purpose of phenol removal. Considering enzyme encapsulation efficiency, retention activity and enzyme leakage of the capsules, the best gelation condition was found to be 1 % w/v of sodium alginate solution and 5.5 % w/v of calcium chloride hexahydrate. Upon immobilization, pH profile of enzyme activity changes as it shows higher value at basic and acidic solution. Besides, for each phenol concentration there would be an enzyme concentration which going further than this value has no significant effect on phenol removal. Investigation into time course of phenol removal for both encapsulated and free enzyme showed that encapsulated enzyme had nearly similar efficiency in comparison with the same concentration of free enzyme; however the capsules were reusable up to four cycles without any changes in their efficiency. The ratio of hydrogen peroxide/phenol at which highest phenol removal obtained, found to be dependent on initial phenol concentration and in the solution of 2 and 8 mM phenol it were 1.15 and 0.94 respectively.


Abstract In order to better identify and more fully understand the differences in sensitivity among climate models, two quite different models are systematically compared in terms of their seasonal response. The two-dimensional statistical dynamical model (SDM) developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Oregon State University three-dimensional general circulation model (GCM) were integrated using as closely comparable boundary conditions and forcing as possible. Comparison of the seasonal anomaly (defined as the departure of the monthly zonal average from the zonal annual mean at each latitude) shows that the models agree quite well in terms of the seasonal phase and amplitude of net radiation simulated at the top of the atmosphere, the tropospheric average temperature and surface temperature and the precipitation. The models also resemble the observed seasonal anomalies of these variables to a reasonable degree, although there are significant errors in each formulation.


There is an historical element throughout philosophy. As Edel notes, this is always in the context of problems, so emphasis will fall on the major objective of reflective analysis of ideas. The major objective of Edel's analysis in "The Theory and Practice of Philosophy" is the fundamental interrelatedness of problems of method, metaphysics, and value. Each part is an integral whole, complete in itself.That philosophy has this central role in human practice indicates that it should be neither discarded nor deified. This is the explicit premise of the book. Students are likely to be faced increasingly with a demand for clarification on the fundamental issues of life and value. The expectation that philosophy will provide ready-made answers to these kinds of questions is as naive as the demand for any panacea, but this task cannot be turned over to any other department of human knowledge or any other branch of social activity.By placing emphasis on the importance of theory in matters of practice, the need for clear and systematic understanding of the world and man within it, and on the constant role of reflection in the management of human affairs, Edel seeks to shed light on the larger questions of philosophy by examining them in a systematic way. The result is a great text and tool for students and teachers that deals directly with the fundamental issues of our civilization.


In this paper, we apply the local fractional Laplace transform method (or Yang-Laplace transform) on Volterra integro-differential equations of the second kind within the local fractional integral operators to obtain the analytical approximate solutions. The iteration procedure is based on local fractional derivative operators. This approach provides us with a convenient way to find a solution with less computation as compared with local fractional variational iteration method. Some illustrative examples are discussed. The results show that the methodology is very efficient and a simple tool for solving integral equations.