Abstract. In situ flight data from two distinct campaigns during winter and summer seasons in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California are used to calculate boundary-layer entrainment rates, ozone photochemical production rates, and regional methane emissions. Flights near Fresno, California, in January and February 2013 were conducted in concert with the NASA DISCOVER-AQ project. The second campaign (ArvinO3), consisting of 11 days of flights spanning June through September 2013 and 2014, focused on the southern end of the SJV between Bakersfield and the small town of Arvin, California – a region notorious for frequent violations of ozone air quality standards. Entrainment velocities, the parameterized rates at which free tropospheric air is incorporated into the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), are estimated from a detailed budget of the inversion base height. During the winter campaign near Fresno, we find an average midday entrainment velocity of 1.5 cm s−1, and a maximum of 2.4 cm s−1. The entrainment velocities derived during the summer months near Bakersfield averaged 3 cm s−1 (ranging from 0.9 to 6.5 cm s−1), consistent with stronger surface heating in the summer months. Using published data on boundary-layer heights we find that entrainment rates across the Central Valley of California have a bimodal annual distribution peaking in spring and fall when the lower tropospheric stability (LTS) is changing most rapidly. Applying the entrainment velocities to a simple mixed-layer model of three other scalars (O3, CH4, and H2O), we solve for ozone photochemical production rates and find wintertime ozone production (2.8 ± 0.7 ppb h−1) to be about one-third as large as in the summer months (8.2 ± 3.1 ppb h−1). Moreover, the summertime ozone production rates observed above Bakersfield–Arvin exhibit an inverse relationship to a proxy for the volatile organic compound (VOC) : NOx ratio (aircraft [CH4] divided by surface [NO2]), consistent with a NOx-limited photochemical environment. A similar budget closure approach is used to derive the regional emissions of methane, yielding 100 (±100) Gg yr−1 for the winter near Fresno and 170 (±125) Gg yr−1 in the summer around Bakersfield. These estimates are 3.6 and 2.4 times larger, respectively, than current state inventories suggest. Finally, by performing a boundary-layer budget for water vapor, surface evapotranspiration rates appear to be consistently  ∼  55 % of the reference values reported by the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) for nearby weather stations.


Our paper provides the first study on the cross-sectional profitability of technical analysis. Unlike existing studies that apply technical analysis to either market indices or individual stocks, we apply it to options markets that are very volatile. Option studies have predominately focused on no-arbitrage valuation. However, little is known about investors' trading behavior and actual realized return. This paper contributes to the literature by providing a detailed analysis of my trading behavior and performance in the TXO market using my complete trading record. This paper creates a successful trading strategy for use in the Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (TAIEX). This paper uses technical analysis to predict TAIEX movement and then use the derivative option (hereafter TXO) in TAIEX to make money. The contribution of this paper is that this paper provides the first study on the TXO profitability of technical analysis. Previous research in technical analysis in financial markets is inconclusive, while TAIEX has never been tested in this regard. This paper found the moving average (hereafter MA) trading rules generates a strictly positive excess return, even if corrections are made for transaction costs, risk and data snooping. For TAIEX, technical analysis method of MA can beat the buy-andhold (hereafter BH) trading strategy. Two trading strategies: sell-put option strategy and sell-call option strategy, were considered, and were subsequently tested through manual and programming trading. Good trading philosophies are those both combine Technical Analysis and fundamental analysis together, also psychological financial market. If both Technical Analysis and fundamental analysis point in the same way, then technical trading can be successful. The TXO is far more profitable to sell advice than to buy it. The data consist of daily closing prices of the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) stock index, TAIEX. The time period concerned is 2010/01 to 2012/06, which produces a sample size of 883 daily records. Transaction costs are incorporated in this study. Our findings suggest that for MA of 5 days, the (hereafter MA5) MA5 method beats the BH trading strategy. This result is striking because it holds true for both the bullish investment position (sell-put option strategy) and even stronger for the bearish investment position (sell-call option strategy). The sell-put option strategy yields a totally absolute return of NTD495455 that is absolutely much better than the BH trading strategy. The sell-call option strategy yields a total return of NTD858595 that is also absolutely much better than the BH trading strategy. Many past papers report the negative bearish signals return that is sell-call in this paper. But we have positive sell-call signals return in this paper. JEL: G14, G15


This letter studies the effects of light propagation direction on the stress-induced polarization dependence of silicon-based waveguides. Silicon is an anisotropic material, so the stresses and the corresponding change of polarization dependence vary with the light propagation directions. The analyses show that when the light propagates in lang010rang directions on (100) silicon, the stress-induced changes of refractive index and the birefringence in effective index are about 20% more sensitive to the stresses than those when the light propagates in lang011rang directions


We report the characteristics of a single-mode, low threshold, passive antiguide region (PAR) vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) using both organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OMCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for the regrowth of the PAR structure. The novel passive antiguide region surrounding the active region is demonstrated to be a highly effective transverse mode and polarization mode selection mechanism. A stable single fundamental mode at high currents has been achieved experimentally for laser aperture as large as 16 /spl mu/m diameter, In addition, very low threshold current of 0.8 mA and current density of 490 A/cm/sup 2/ are achieved with 8 and 32 /spl mu/m diameter VCSEL's, respectively. A detailed numerical two- and three-dimensionaI analysis was performed using the beam propagation method. The modal losses were calculated as a function of the cladding refractive index and the laser size. Quantitative results leading to approximate formulae have been achieved. The high mode selectivity obtained from the numerical analysis is in good agreement with the experimental results we have achieved. >


Background/Overview Anal Fistulas An anal fistula is an abnormal communication between the interior of the anal canal or rectum and the skin surface. Rarer forms may communicate with the vagina or other pelvic structures, including the bowel. Most fistulas begin as anorectal abscesses, which are thought to arise from infection in the glands around the anal canal. When the abscess opens spontaneously in the anal canal (or has been opened surgically), a fistula may occur. Studies have reported that 26% to 37% of cases of perianal abscesses eventually form anal fistulas.


Lampung is the first province in Sumatra, which host the Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo (TIME), which became part of the international tourism calendar. Thus Lampung could become a new tourist destination for local and foreign tourists. There are many websites that inform Lampung tourist destination. Of the many existing tourism website Lampung, yet there are websites that provide facilities such guides guiding map routes with the shortest path for tourists to tourist sites to be addressed. In addition, there are websites that provide information only use one language is Indonesian so inflexible for tourists who come from overseas. The approach used in the determination of the shortest path is to use genetic Encryption. This approach is a heuristic approach. The approach differs from conventional approaches. The difference in the working principle enables the system can produce more accurate information and faster processing. Implementation of this tourist site is made based on android thus enabling simpler implementation of applications using mobile phones, tablet PCs, etc. Implementation of genetic Encryption android based system is expected to be complete tourist guide and easy to use by both local and foreign tourists. This can be made possible because of the system in addition to providing extensive information about the destination they want to visit, equipped with information and equipped with maps accommodation pointer that can be passed by the shortest route to potential tourists to tourist sites, hotels and restaurants that want to target. These have shown the efficiency, time and costs so that accuracy in determining the shortest path between a city is required. The results of determination of shortest path will be considered in the decision to take path that will be pursued. Beside that, presentation of information in two languages, Indonesian and English, is expected to be more informative for domestic and foreign tourists. Keywords: tourist info, android, genetic Algorithm


AbstractIn Political Liberalism, expanded edition, Rawls repeatedly wants religions to accept liberal democracy for intrinsic reasons from their own religious premises, not as a modus vivendi. This article is to be considered an exploration in that field. In the first part the narrative of the St. Paul's speech before the Areopagus in Athens by Luke is hermeneutically analyzed, as it tries to find common ground with Hellenistic philosophy and to do so by using deliberative rhetoric. In the second part these two characteristics of the Lukean story are considered the building blocks for the intrinsic acceptance of liberal democracy, albeit not in a substantive, but a formal key. The common ground Luke explored then was religious in nature, whereas in our days, at least in North-Western Europe, religion belongs to a cognitive minority. Moreover philosophy does not provide a common ground either, as there is a pluralism of competing schools nowadays. But intercontextual hermeneutics metaphorically permits to draw the following quadratic equation: as Lukean Paul related the Christian message to his philosophical context in order to find common ground, so we are to relate it to our context, the common ground of which is not philosophical, but political, which refers to the context of public reason. This article argues for accepting Rawls' concept of using a bilingual language game for religion to present its religious convictions into the public debate and in due course translate them in terms of public reason. Such a translation requires a deliberative argumentation, that corresponds to the rules of logics and epistemology in practical reason.


This paper aims to provide an overview of how internal auditing has been adopted by companies listed in the STAR segment of the Italian Stock Exchange, and of the choice on its organizational position. After a review of the existing literature, the research aims to analyze the information emerging from corporate governance reports in 2015, in reference to the year 2014, which the companies prepare as part of information provided annually to the market. The sample for analysis is the group of companies (n. 71) belonging to the FTSE ITALY STAR Italian Stock Exchange.The research has shown, as the first element in the survey, that nearly all of the companies have created a dedicated function or outsourced the internal audit activity. The second major finding from the analysis is that in most companies the function depends hierarchically on the board. The third point analysed concerns the figure of responsible for Internal Auditing, as established by the Code of Conduct, it replaces the person responsible for internal control and risk management. The analysis showed that almost all the companies have attributed the tasks and responsibilities of the person responsible for internal control to the Head of the Internal Audit Department, due to the coincidence of the operating environments of the two figures and the strong synergies between the two roles. The last point analyzed covers the case where the internal auditing department is decentralized or, on the contrary, remains within the company. The results showed a substantial range of companies chose not to outsource the function.


A primary emphasis of human resource management (HRM) is to improve the effectiveness of an organization's human resources using the processes of selection, performance appraisal, and training (Latham & Fry, 1998). Historically, HRM research has focused on behaviours in the work place that have direct implications for enhancing the productivity of the individual and reducing costs to the organization. However, an exclusive emphasis on such direct linkages may fail to take into account the informal and discretionary individual behaviours that can benefit an organization (Katz, 1964). Moreover, management tools of formal organizations such as employment agreements, job descriptions, and organizational charts usually fail to cover all the contingencies and relationships that emerge in the course of one's work (Stewart, 1985). The study of organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) explores the nature of discretionary behaviours in the work place. OCB emphasizes the social context of the work environment in addition to the technical nature of the job. OCB has been defined in terms of prosocial behaviour (Brief & Motowidlo, 1986; Puffer, 1987), altruism (Rushton, 1980) and service orientation (Hogan, Hogan, & Busch, 1984). Organ (1988) defined OCB as individual behaviours in the work place that are discretionary and supportive of the collective interests of the organization. These behaviours usually are not accounted for nor monitored by the organization's reward system, but they provide the organization with the adaptation and innovation that is necessary for long-term survival and growth (Graham, 1986; Katz, 1964). Examples of OCB include acts of helpfulness, gestures of goodwill, and cooperation among organizational members, as well as among members and customers/clients. Research on the dimensionality of OCB has generated conflicting results. Some researchers have identified as many as four (e.g., Karambayya, 1989) and five (e.g., Moorman, 1991) dimensions, including altruism (helping another person), general compliance (conscientiousness), courtesy (touching base with people before taking action), sportsmanship (tolerating impositions) and civic virtue (participating in organizational governance). These five dimensions, however, may not be applicable to all work settings. For example, MacKenzie, Podsakoff, and Fetter (1991), in a study of OCB among insurance agents, did not include the conscientiousness dimension because it was seen as not applying to the insurance sales context. Moreover, other studies (e.g., Organ & Lingl, 1992) that have used an instrument designed to tap five dimensions did not find support for the five-factor model. Williams (1988) argued that OCB would be better and more universally defined by two dimensions, namely, (1) OCB that benefits the organization in general (OCBO), such as volunteering to serve on committees, and (2) OCB that is directed primarily at individuals within the organization (OCBI), such as altruism and interpersonal helping. There appears to be emerging support for a two-factor model (e.g., McNeely & Meglino, 1992, Organ & Konovsky, 1989; Smith, Organ, & Near, 1983; Werner, 1994; Williams, 1988; Williams & Anderson, 1991). Hence, the two-factor structure of OCB warrants investigation. OCB has been criticized for being neither well-defined nor well-measured (Organ, 1988). This may be due in part to the fact that what is considered OCB in one organization may not be considered OCB in another (Karambayya, 1989). Moreover, differences among organizations exist regarding tasks, norms, and other influences of climate and culture (Schneider, 1990). If this is true, HRM departments would, as Organ (1988) suggested, have to develop site-specific measures of OCB for their organization before they could consider the inclusion of OCB theories in their selection, training, and performance appraisal systems. Therefore, the question of whether OCB generalizes across organizations needs to be addressed. …


The control congenital toxoplasmosis mainly relies on preventive measures, that can be applied on an individual basis as well as within the scope of a collective preventive programme. Several strategies can be adopted, each with its possibilities and impossibilities: primary prevention (health education), secondary prevention (serological screening) or a combination of primary and secondary prevention. Whatever strategy is chosen, decisions have to be taken with respect to the procedures. This paper lists the choices to be made and their consequences. The debate in international literature on the desirability of preventive programmes is summarized.


Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process in which epithelial cells lose cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion and gain migratory and invasive properties to become mesenchymal cells that are very vital for development, wound healing and stem cell behavior and contribute pathologically to fibrosis and cancer progression. miR21, a potent regulator of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN, can be silenced to reverse EMT, thereby providing an attractive target for abrogating the malignant behavior of breast cancer. Here, we report the design, synthesis and binding of a peptidic-aminoglycoside (PA) based chemical library against pre-miR21 that led to the identification of a group of small molecules that bind to pre-miR21 with high affinities and antagonize miR-21 maturation and function, thereby reversing EMT. The approach described here offers a promising miRNA targeting platform where such aminosugar conjugates can be similarly used to target other oncogenic miRNAs. Minor changes in the amino acid sequence allow us to tailor the binding effectiveness and downstream biological effects, thus making this approach a potentially tunable method of regulation of miRNA function.


Abstract : In this paper we study strictly positive definite functions on the unit sphere of the m-dimensional Euclidean space. Such functions can be used for solving a scattered data interpolation problem on spheres. Since positive definite functions on the sphere were already characterized by Schoenberg some fifty years ago, the issue here is to determine what kind of positive definite functions are actually strictly positive definite. The study of this problem was initiated recently by Xu and Cheney, where certain sufficient conditions were derived. A new approach, which is based on a critical connection between this problem and that of multivariate polynomial interpolation on spheres, is presented here. The relevant interpolation problem is subsequently analysed by three different complementary methods. The first is based on the de Boor Ron general least solution for the multivariate polynomial interpolation problem. The second, which is suitable only for m = 2, is based on the connection between bivariate harmonic polynomials and univariate analytic polynomials, and reduces the problem to the structure of the integer zeros of bounded univariate exponentials. Finally, the last method invokes the realization of harmonic polynomials as the polynomial kernel of the laplacian, thereby exploiting some basic relations between homogeneous ideals and their polynomial kernels.


We propose new rotation moment invariants based on multiresolution filter bank techniques. The multiresolution pyramid motivates our simple but efficient feature selection procedure based on the fuzzy C-mean clustering, combined with the Mahalanobis distance. The procedure verifies an impact of random noise as well as an interesting and less known impact of noise due to spatial transformations. The recognition accuracy of the proposed techniques has been tested with the preceding moment invariants as well as with some wavelet based schemes. The numerical experiments, with more than 30,000 images, demonstrate a tangible accuracy increase of about 3% for low noise, 8% for the average noise and 15% for high level noise.


An approach to software reliability modeling based on code coverage is used to derive the Infinite Failure software reliability Model Based on Code Coverage - IFMBC. Our aim was to verify the soundness of the approach under different assumptions. The IFMBC was assessed with test data from a real application, making use of the following structural testing criteria: all-nodes, all-edges, and potential-uses - a data-flow based family of criteria. The IFMBC was shown to be as good as the Geometric Model - GEO, found to be the best traditional time-based model that fits the data. Results from the analysis also show that the IFMBC is as good as the BMBC - Binomial software reliability Model Based on Coverage - a model previously derived using the code coverage approach, indicating it to be effective under different modeling assumptions


This paper describes a simulation study of a batch production firm which is attempting to improve productivity by applying advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) with group technology (GT) techniques. The purpose of this research work was to develop a formal proposal for producing high quality products in cellular manufacturing systems. This conversion is necessary in order to preserve the competitive edge of this manufacturing organisation. The most effective and efficient method of examining the alternatives in such a design process was to build a computer model of the facility and trial the key design variables. An efficient simulation tool was sought, that could represent all of the complexities in the design and evaluation of the proposed manufacturing system. Simulation models were developed using a software package SIMFACTORY 11.5, which is based on the concept of visual interactive simulation. A number of simulation experiments were performed to investigate the influence of various flexible manufacturing system (FMS) and cellular manufacturing system (CMS) configurations. The simulation results indicated that the performance of the different models was dependent on FMS configurations.


The study of international migration underscores two principles of the modern world and brings them forward for debate: the sovereignty of the nation state on the one hand; and, an open world free of border control and market constraints on the other. Volume II of the Yearbook Migration confronts basic concepts of international migration control through a political theory lens. In contrast to pessimistic interpretations of a global migration crisis and the "Fortress Europe" mind set the American political scientist James F. Hollifield finds quite the opposite as he emphasizes the liberalization of immigration policies among major democracies throughout North America and Europe. According to Hollifield, the expansion of civil rights and a general international liberalization constitutes the basis for this process. Hollifield explains his rights-based approach by tracing the civil rights revolution in the United States coupled with the impact of the liberal German Grundgesetz (Basic Law) and subsequent European unification. He asserts that a positive relationship between market orientated democracies and liberal immigration policies do exist and, therefore, contribute to this continued liberalization. The three major questions he poses centers around control, sovereignty and incorporation. Following Hollifield's analysis, German political scientists Herbert Dittgen and Oliver Schmittke build on this approach utilizing supporting data on the German case. German born Karen Schonwalder challenges Hollifield's thesis of republican liberalization utilizing the British case as she highlights the politics of exclusion in Britain. Karl Markus Kreis illustrates Hollifield's findings by underscoring the decline of ethnic identity among European immigrants in the United States. Finally, the Turkish-American political scientist Nedim Ogelman concludes this study by describing the dynamic of the Latin-American communities and the role they play in speeding up the naturalization process in the US. In contrast to the widespread migration pessimism and communitarian ideologies of exclusion, Volume II Yearbook Migration contains empirical and theoretical analyses which emphasize liberal dimensions of immigration. (Series: Studien zu Migration und Minderheiten/Studies in Migration and Minorities - Vol. 9)


HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis impose a large infectious burden world wide. The conditions mutually interact, both epidemiologically and biologically. The course and treatment of tuberculosis are importantly complicated by HIV co-infection. A recent study showed that in newly detected tuberculosis patients, HIV sero-testing has been consistently low in the Netherlands. Two random samples of TB cases from the national registry were analysed--1993 and 2003--before and after the introduction of effective therapy for HIV/AIDS became available. There was no significant increase in HIV sero-testing. Guidelines for the treatment of tuberculosis should include routine HIV testing.


Photo-elicitation interviewing (PEI) seems a valuable tool for engaging marginalized populations in research despite documented challenges. Given limited data on acceptability of PEI among homeless and marginally housed Veterans, this evaluation aimed to characterize their research experience. Veterans took photographs about health, health behaviors, and health care which facilitated semi-structured interviews. Their research study experience was assessed via a modified Reactions to Research Participation Questionnaire-Revised (RRPQ-R), along with additional survey and open-ended questions. Of the 20 participants who consented and participated, 16 (80%) completed the exit surveys. Most participants (>88%) indicated favorable experiences and limited drawbacks. Respondents disagreed that participation was difficult or overly time consuming. Many indicated intense or unexpected emotionality. Open-ended responses indicated appreciation of photography, interview experiences, and connection with study staff. Transportation was the most cited barrier. Overall, experiences were reportedly emotionally challenging, but positive. PEI appears to be acceptable to homeless and marginally housed Veterans for eliciting their perspectives.


A deficit in pre‐cognitively mirroring other people's actions and experiences may be related to the social impairments observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is unclear whether such embodied simulation deficits are unique to ASD or instead are related to motor impairment, which is commonly comorbid with ASD. Here we aim to disentangle how, neurologically, motor impairments contribute to simulation deficits and identify unique neural signatures of ASD. We compare children with ASD (N = 30) to children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD; N = 23) as well as a typically developing group (N = 33) during fMRI tasks in which children observe, imitate, and mentalize about other people's actions. Results indicate a unique neural signature in ASD: during action observation, only the ASD group shows hypoactivity in a region important for simulation (inferior frontal gyrus, pars opercularis, IFGop). However, during a motor production task (imitation), the IFGop is hypoactive for both ASD and DCD groups. For all tasks, we find correlations across groups with motor ability, even after controlling for age, IQ, and social impairment. Conversely, across groups, mentalizing ability is correlated with activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex when controlling for motor ability. These findings help identify the unique neurobiological basis of ASD for aspects of social processing. Furthermore, as no previous fMRI studies correlated brain activity with motor impairment in ASD, these findings help explain prior conflicting reports in these simulation networks.


Conflict resolution is a critical problem in distributed and collaborative multi-agent systems. Negotiation via argumentation (NVA), where agents provide explicit arguments (justifications) for their proposals to resolve conflicts, is an effective approach to resolve conflicts. Indeed, we are applying argumentation in some real-world multi-agent applications. However, a key problem in such applications is that a well-understood computational model of argumentation is currently missing, making it difficult to investigate convergence and scalability of argumentation techniques, and to understand and characterize different collaborative NVA strategies in a principled manner. To alleviate these difficulties, we present distributed constraint satisfaction problem (DCSP) as a computational model for NVA. We model argumentation as constraint propagation in DCSP. This model enables us to study convergence properties of argumentation, and formulate and experimentally compare two sets of 16 different NVA strategies (over 30 strategies in all) with different levels of agent cooperativeness towards others. One surprising result from our experiments is that maximizing cooperativeness is not necessarily the best strategy even in a completely cooperative environment. In addition to their usefulness in understanding computational properties of argumentation, these results could also provide new heuristics for speeding up DCSPs.


The bond strength of universal adhesives to air-abraded zirconia ceramic was evaluated. Overall, 40 zirconia ceramic blocks with dimensions of 6 × 6 × 4 mm were cut from pre-sintered blanks. The sintered blocks were embedded in self-cured acrylic resin. The zirconia blocks were then randomly allocated to four groups (n = 10) in which different universal adhesives were used, except for the control group in which no universal adhesive was used. A silicon mold was used to build the resin cement. All specimens were stored in distilled water for 24 h at 37°C and mounted on a universal testing machine. They were then subjected to shear bond strength testing at a cross-speed of 0.5 mm/min until failure occurred. The failure modes were analyzed using a digital microscope at 50× magnification. Univariate one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post-hoc test were used for statistical analysis. Compared with the control group, the groups with universal adhesives showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in the bond strengths of the groups with universal adhesives (P > 0.05) . After 24 h of storage, the cementation bond to air-abraded zirconia ceramic was improved by the application of a universal adhesive.


In this paper we integrate the literature on decision quality with considerations specific to boards of directors. In order to maximize the value of their decisions, boards of directors must look beyond their legal obligations and incorporate business ethics and the latest developments in social, scientific and managerial learning on governance and decision-making processes. Organizations will benefit from identifying an internal staff member who can fill the role of Decision Quality Officer ("DQO") to advise the board on decision quality on an ongoing basis. We summarize some of the factors affecting board decisions, and explain the benefit of designating a DQO. Finally, we propose topics for a board policy on the role of a DQO.


This article aims to study the estrangement between Pakistan and Armenia in light of the issue of Kashmir and Nagorno-Karabakh. Most Pakistanis are not aware of the fact that Pakistan does not recognize Armenia nor have any official diplomatic relations with her due to Pakistan's principle stance over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Armenia occupied more than 20 percent internationally recognized Azeri territory during the 1992 war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Pakistan has brotherly and cordial relations with Azerbaijan. Pakistan not only supports the Azeri stance over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue but goes out of the way to not recognize Armenia as a sovereign state. In turn, Azerbaijan supports Pakistan's stance on the Kashmir dispute. On the contrary, Armenia not only refused to withdraw its forces from the internationally recognized Azeri land but supports Pakistan's arch-enemy India on the Kashmir issue as a diplomatic move to counter Pakistan. This is the first-ever study conducted on Pakistan-Armenia relations. The article explores the reasons behind Pakistan's decision not to recognize Armenia in great detail. It discusses the estrangement between the two countries, especially in light of the Kashmir and Nagorno-Karabakh issue.


Purpose - Empirical evidence from governmental budgeting and related organizational decision-making contexts suggests that program heads will be less likely to leave their governmental unit when they feel that governmental budgeting is fair. The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between three forms of fairness in governmental budgeting – distributive fairness, procedural fairness, and interactional fairness – and program heads' intention to leave the governmental unit. Design/methodology/approach - Questionnaire data were gathered from 87 US federal government program heads with budget responsibility and analyzed with multiple regression. Findings - Interactional budgetary fairness had a significant and positive unique relationship with intent to leave after controlling for the other two forms of budgetary fairness and three demographic variables. Neither distributive budgetary fairness nor procedural budgetary fairness had a significant unique relationship with intent to leave. Practical implications - Budgetary decision makers and budget staff in governmental units can reduce program heads' intention to leave the governmental unit by promoting interactional budgetary fairness through steps such as treating the program heads with kindness and respect during budgeting and providing clear and adequate explanations for budgetary decisions. Originality/value - This study is the first to examine relationships between the three forms of organizational decision-making fairness and turnover intention in a governmental budgeting context.


In language modeling for speech recognition the goal is to constrain the search of the speech recognizer by providing a model which can, given a context, indicate what the next most likely word will be. In this paper, we explore how the addition of information to the text, in particular part of speech and dysfluency annotations, can be used to,build more complex language models. In particular, we ask two questions. First, in conversational speech, where there is a less clear notion of "sentence" than in written text, does segmenting the text into linguistically or semantically based units contribute to a better language model than merely segmenting based on broad acoustic information, such as pauses. Second, is the sentence itself a good unit to be modeling, or should we look at smaller units, for example, dividing a sentence into a "given" and "new" portion and segmenting out acknowledgments and replies. To answer these questions, we present a variety of kinds of analysis, from vocabulary distributions to perplexities on language models. The next step will be modeling conversations and incorporating those models into a speech recognizer.


We study a large group of bonds that experience substantial and long-lasting swings in trading activity. We call these bonds (in)frequently traded. They are similar to other bonds in primary bond characteristics, and publicly observed changes in these characteristics do not explain the swings in trading activity. We link jumps in trading activity of (in)frequently traded bonds to mutual fund rebalancing and document that more active trading in these bonds is associated with positive abnormal returns, but only after the 2008 crisis. Our results suggest that returns are due to growing mutual fund demand for (in)frequently traded bonds amid limited post-crisis secondary market supply, but the exact forces behind abnormal returns largely remain a puzzle.


Buprofezin (BPF) microcrystals were directly encapsulated with nature polysaccharides chitosan (CHI) and sodium alginate (ALG) through layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly. The coated colloids were characterized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface of the coated microcrystal was smoothened and the coating was uniform. Different concentrations of the ALG, CHI, BPF and CaCl2 were selected as the influencing factors, and then, the microcapsules were optimized by orthogonal experiment. The size distribution of microcapsules was determined by Laser Diffraction Size Analyzer. It showed statistically normal distribution. The average diameter of BPF was 1.5m. The encapsulation efficiency of the BPF loaded microparticles was about 67.2±0.73%. The drug loading content was about 66.7±0.31% after encapsulated. The in vitro release experiments revealed that the polyelectrolytes prolonged the release time of the encapsulated BPF microcrystals.


The effect of photodiode (PD) shape was studied in the attempt to reduce the dark current in MOS imagers. In such imaging systems, each pixel ideally produces a voltage directly proportional to the intensity of light incident on the PD. Because of non-idealities, the PD performance is compromised by the presence of dark current, which becomes the most significant source of noise degrading overall image quality, particularly for low light environments. Unfortunately, due to the statistical variability of dark current, it is not possible to simply correct the readout voltage error via subtraction. To minimize the effect, recent research suggests that PD shape and features have an influence on dark current levels. We test that assertion by considering PDs with different corners while maintaining high fill-factor rates, along with rectangular and triangular shapes to exploit charge transfer characteristics. In all, five PD geometries were built to test the influence of PD shape on the dark current signal including a traditional square shape, two square shapes with increasingly rounded corners (135 and 150 degrees), a triangular design with sharp corners and finally, a triangular design with 120 degree corners. Results indicate the PDs with a square shape and 90 degree corners exhibit the lowest dark current and highest readout voltage. Furthermore, the triangular shape suggests improved charge transfer characteristics; however, this improvement appears to be negated by an increase in dark current response. Therefore, our findings indicate that the traditional PD square shape is the preferred design.


There is an ongoing need for therapeutic cervical traction to treat chronic idiopathic neck pain. A device was designed to perform low-load cervical traction (unloading) with the patient in an upright, seated, neutral spine position. A prototype device meeting these requirements was constructed. During subsequent use, several methods for assessing the outcome of such unloading were proposed, including radiographic images, cervical range-of-motion measurements and muscle EMG activity. The prototype and measurement methods were tested on a population of normal subjects. The results demonstrated that the device design is safe and effectively transfers load into the occipital region of the skull. The use of low-load cervical unloading induced lateral rotation and posterior lengthening of the spine. Device refinements were identified. The results demonstrated that the methods described may be safely employed on a patient population


This anthology is designed for use as a brief introduction to ethical theory. Included are sections on various forms of ethical theory: Ethical Relativism; Divine Command Theory; Egoism; Consequentialism; Deontology; Justice; Virtue Ethics; Feminist Ethics; and, new to the second edition, Pluralism. Each section includes two or three of the most important and interesting contributions to the field, together with brief introductions by the editors. The second edition contains an improved approach to applied ethics. Whereas in the first edition the authors included a chapter at the end of the book that contained selections that dealt with moral problems, in the second edition they have dropped that chapter in favour of an approach that ties moral issues more closely to the moral theories. Each chapter on moral theories now includes a selection that deals with a moral problem, such as human cloning, abortion, and global warming. The selection illustrates how the relevant theoretical approach is put to use. There is therefore a much tighter integration between theory and practice than before. The new structural approach should make the book significantly more effective in the classroom. The new edition also contains an improved section on feminist ethical theory.


Abstract. Dissolved organic carbon is an additional path of carbon cycle but there is a lack of information about its distribution in peatland and rates of downward movement. We dated seven peat cores (separately the dissolved (DOC) and particulate (POC) organic carbon) from Mukhrino peatland (typical zonal oligotrophic bog) in western Siberia to assess the date distribution between those two peat fractions. Our results revealed that the DOC is younger than POC for the surface peatland layers (0–150 cm) and older for the deeper layers. The date differences increases with depth and reaches 2000–3000 years at the bottom layer (430–530 cm). In our hypothesis this date discrepancy caused by more young DOC moving to the deeper and older peat layers. The estimated average value of DOC downward movement was 0.047 ± 0.019 cm yr−1. Th oldest dates found at the lake bottom and ancient riverbed were 10 053 and 10 989 cal yr BP correspondingly. For the whole period of peatland functioning the average peat accumulation rate was estimated as 0.067 ± 0.018 cm yr−1 (0.013–0.332 cm yr−1), the carbon accumulation rate was estimated as 38.56 ± 12.21 g С m−2 yr−1 (28.46–57.91 g С m−2 yr−1).


How do local authorities of small periurban towns come to adopt a national housing policy in order to influence their environment foundation and the population—be it in favor of homeownership or social integration? Based on the study of a growing residential community outside of Lyon known to have voted left since 1983, the article tackles the question of diversity policies, one that is rarely posed when discussing this type of periurban settlement. Our analysis on the sociopolitical and institutional logic underlying the construction of housing developments reveals an ambiguity: the larger "American-style" residences aim to attract middle-class families from urban areas, while affordable housing meets the needs of the local modest households. Nevertheless, local policies are strongly influenced by real estate developers, especially in periods of economic crisis. The statistical analysis of population settlements reveals the gap between the political project of social diversity and its actual implementation, and further illustrates the appearance of ethno-racial and socioeconomic micro-segregation in residential zones.


The emergence of the RNA virus SARS-CoV2, the causative agent of COVID-19 and its declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic has disrupted the delicate balance in health indices globally. Its attendant immune dysregulation and pathobiology is still evolving. Currently, real time PCR is the gold standard diagnostic test, however there are several invalidated antibody-based tests available for possible community screening. With ongoing community transmission in Nigeria, neither the true burden of COVID-19 nor the performance of these kits is presently known. This study therefore, compared the performance of the SARS CoV2 antibody test and the real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Rt-PCR) in the diagnosis of COVID-19. For the purpose of this evaluation, we used the diagnostic test kit by Innovita(R) Biological Technology CO., LTD China, a total of 521 venous blood samples were collected from consenting patients for the SARS COVID-19 rapid diagnostic kit and Oral and Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected and analyzed using the real time Polymerase chain reaction technique for nucleic acid detection and quantification.


In this study, we are going to obtain some numerical solutions of Stefan problems given together with time-dependent periodic boundary conditions. After using variable space grid method, we have presented a numerical finite element scheme based on collocation finite element method formed with cubic B-splines. The newly obtained numerical results are presented for temperature distribution, the position and the velocity of moving boundary. It is shown that size of the domain, oscillation amplitude and oscillation frequency which are situated at the boundary condition, strongly influence the temperature distribution and position of moving boundary. The numerical results are compared with other numerical solutions obtained by using finite difference method and they are found to be in good agreement with each other.


Frequency recognition is an important task in many engineering fields, such as audio signal processing and telecommunications engineering. There are numerous applications where frequency recognition is absolutely necessary like in Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) detection or the recognition of the carrier frequency of a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal. Furthermore, frequency recognition has entered many other engineering disciplines such as sonar and radar technology, spectral analysis of astronomic data, seismography, acoustics and consumer electronics. Listening to electronic music and playing electronic musical instruments is becoming more and more popular, not only among young musicians. This dissertation details back groundinformation and a preliminary analysis of a musical system, the Generic Musical Instrument System (GMIS), which allows composers to experiment with electronic instruments without actually, learning how to play them.This dissertation gives background information about frequency recognition algorithms implemented in real time. It analyses state-of-the-art techniques, such as Dual- Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) implementations and MIDI-based musical systems, in order to work out their similarities. The key idea is to adapt well-proven frequency recognition algorithms of DTMF systems, which are successfully and widely used in telephony. The investigations will show to what extent these principles and algorithms can be applied to a musical system like the GMIS. This dissertation presents results of investigations into frequency recognition algorithms implemented on a Texas Instruments (TI) TMS320C6713 Digital Signal Processor (DSP) core, in order to estimate the frequency of an audio signal in real time. The algorithms are evaluated using selected criteria in terms of speed and accuracy with accomplishing over 9600 single measurements. The evaluations are made with simple sinusoids and musical notes played by instruments as input signals which allows a solid decision, which of these
frequency recognition algorithms is appropriate for audio signal processing and for the constraints of the GMIS in real time.


Abstract In this paper we present the results of a randomized prospective study, in which we examined the influence of rIL-2 ("Ronkoleykin ") on the effectiveness of the R-CHOP combination in the first-line treatment of patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. From March 2006 to December 2009, the study included 109 newly diagnosed patients. Standard R-CHOP was used in 59 patients, in 50 patients rIL-2 was added, injected subcutaneously in a dose of 1 million IU per day during each course in 1-5th days. It was found that the inclusion of rIL-2 in the R-CHOP regimen increased the effectiveness of the treatment of B-cell NHL with a high-risk of poor disease's course.


Many executives speak about corporate reputation and brand as if they are one and the same. They are not, and confusing the two can be costly ? a lesson which companies like Nike Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have learned the hard way. Focusing on reputation at the expense of brand can lead to product offerings that languish in the market. However, concentrating on brand and neglecting reputation can be equally dangerous, resulting in a lower stock price, difficulties in attracting top talent and even product boycotts.

Brand is a "customercentric" concept that focuses on what a product, service or company has promised to its customers and what that commitment means to them. Reputation is a "companycentric" concept that focuses on the credibility and respect that an organization has among a broad set of constituencies, including employees, investors, regulators, journalists and local communities ? as well as customers. In other words, brand is about relevancy and differentiation (with respect to the customer), and reputation is about legitimacy of the organization (with respect to a wide range of stakeholder groups, including but not limited to customers).

For most companies, even an outstanding reputation almost never comprises any unique characteristics that an organization can own and be known for. In short, reputation is a necessary but not sufficient condition for excellence because companies also need strong brands, which are characterized by high customer loyalty, pricing power and the ability to drive growth. Ultimately what drives customer preference and revenue is the ability of a company to create relevant products, services and brands and communicate and deliver them in a way that customers want to buy. Thus, executives need to do more than just keep their company's reputation on track. They need to differentiate their offerings in ways that win the hearts, minds and wallets of customers, and what helps make a company and its products special and preferred is its brand, not its reputation.


Cell transplantation offers the potential to treat central nervous system injuries, largely because multiple mechanisms can be targeted in a sustained fashion. It is crucial that cells are transplanted into an environment that is favourable for extended survival and integration within the host tissue. Given the success of using fetal tissue grafts for traumatic brain injury, it may be beneficial to mimic key aspects of these grafts (e.g. three‐dimensionality, cell–cell and cell–matrix support) to deliver cells. Extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin and laminin are involved in neural development and may provide adhesive support for donor cells and mediate subsequent cell signalling events. In this study, neural stem cells were transplanted into the traumatically injured mouse brain within a tissue‐engineered construct containing either a laminin‐ or fibronectin‐based scaffold. Cells delivered within the scaffolds were more widely distributed in the injured brain compared to cells delivered in media alone. There were no differences in donor cell survival at 1 week post‐transplant; however, by 8 weeks post‐transplant, cells delivered within the scaffolds showed improved survival compared to those transplanted in media alone. Survival was more enhanced with the laminin‐based scaffold compared to the fibronectin‐based scaffold. Furthermore, behavioural analyses indicated that mice receiving neural stem cells within the laminin‐based scaffold performed significantly better than untreated mice on a spatial learning task, supporting the notion that functional recovery correlates positively with donor cell survival. Together these results suggest that the use of appropriate extracellular matrix‐based scaffolds can be exploited to improve cell transplantation therapy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Weak-shot Object Detection methods exploit a fully-annotated source dataset to facilitate the detection performance on the target dataset which only contains image-level labels for novel categories. To bridge the gap between these two datasets, we aim to transfer the object knowledge between the source (S) and target (T) datasets in a bi-directional manner. We propose a novel Knowledge Transfer (KT) loss which simultaneously distills the knowledge of objectness and class entropy from a proposal generator trained on the S dataset to optimize a multiple instance learning module on the T dataset. By jointly optimizing the classification loss and the proposed KT loss, the multiple instance learning module effectively learns to classify object proposals into novel categories in the T dataset with the transferred knowledge from base categories in the S dataset. Noticing the predicted boxes on the T dataset can be regarded as an extension for the original annotations on the S dataset to refine the proposal generator in return, we further propose a novel Consistency Filtering (CF) method to reliably remove inaccurate pseudo labels by evaluating the stability of the multiple instance learning module upon noise injections. Via mutually transferring knowledge between the S and T datasets in an iterative manner, the detection performance on the target dataset is significantly improved. Extensive experiments on public benchmarks validate that the proposed method performs favourably against the state-of-the-art methods without increasing the model parameters or inference computational complexity.


The current study advocates the feasibility of formation of sandwiches of N-doped diamondoids viz. adamantane, diamantane, triamantane, tetramantane and pentamantane with benzene bridged via alkali metals (Li+, Na+ and K+). The resultant sandwiches are stable enough and are held together via lone pair–cation and cation–pi interactions. The stability of the complexes is measured in terms of stabilization energy and the di-electric of the solvent medium imparts negative impact on the stability of the complexes. The complexation is exothermic in nature and is enthalpy as well as free energy driven.


Atomic catalysts (AC) are emerging as a highly attractive research topic, especially in sustainable energy fields. Lack of a full picture of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) impedes the future development of potential electrocatalysts. In this work, the systematic investigation of the HER process in graphdyine (GDY) based AC is presented in terms of the adsorption energies, adsorption trend, electronic structures, reaction pathway, and active sites. This comprehensive work innovatively reveals GDY based AC for HER covering all the transition metals (TM) and lanthanide (Ln) metals, enabling the screening of potential catalysts. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations carefully explore the HER performance beyond the comparison of sole H adsorption. Therefore, the screened catalysts candidates not only match with experimental results but also provide significant references for novel catalysts. Moreover, the machine learning (ML) technique bag‐tree approach is innovatively utilized based on the fuzzy model for data separation and converse prediction of the HER performance, which indicates a similar result to the theoretical calculations. From two independent theoretical perspectives (DFT and ML), this work proposes pivotal guidelines for experimental catalyst design and synthesis. The proposed advanced research strategy shows great potential as a general approach in other energy‐related areas.


This paper studies the incentives of a merchant to bypass a payment platform by issuing private cards. In our model, a payment platform allocates the total cost of a card transaction between a monopolistic issuer and a monopolistic acquirer by choosing an "interchange fee". We determine how the level of the interchange fee impacts a merchant's decision to issue private cards, if there are strategic interactions between merchants. We prove that the payment platform can only deter entry by lowering the level of the interchange fee. If the payment platform chooses to accommodate entry, we find that the total user surplus increases, but that entry is beneficial to social welfare only if the entry cost is sufficiently low.


The object of the thesis is to present a study of the later Bronze Age and Iron Age periods in the area from the river Tyne southwards to the English Midlands. A large quantity of unpublished material is illustrated, and is discussed in a suggested chronological sequence devised on the basis of site association and relevant British and European context. The evidence of settlement sites, economy, and burial is also reviewed. Specific conclusions have been reached throughout all aspects of the discussion. To a great extent these conclusions are provisional, since much evidence is not yet published and research in many fields has been limited, but some are of considerable importance. Pottery forms owing much to earlier urn styles are identified in the Late Bronze Age alongside intrusive types. The widespread influence of Hallstatt traits is discussed. The scored pottery of the East Midlands is seen to have been introduced in the fifth century B.C. or even earlier. The identification of distinctive "angular" pottery in the East Riding adds credence to the theory of an early La Tene immigration. The importance of arable farming in the Iron Age food-producing economy, and the development of an enclosed, intensively occupied landscape in parts of the south and east are shown. The fact that most excavated hill-forts in the area are demonstrably pre-fifth century B.C. is highlighted. An analysis of the distinctive character of constituent parts of the area of study is made. The results of palynological investigations are cited whenever possible to demonstrate the presence, character, and effects of prehistoric populations. It is seen that the paucity of material evidence from the north and west is not wholly a result of an imbalance in research effort. Suggestions for future work are made.


During the period of October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2005, the Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership, identified geologic and terrestrial candidates for near-term practical and environmentally sound carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration demonstrations in the heartland of North America. The PCOR Partnership region covered nine states and three Canadian provinces. The validation test candidates were further vetted to ensure that they represented projects with (1) commercial potential and (2) a mix that would support future projects both dependent and independent of CO2 monetization. This report uses the findings contained in the PCOR Partnership's two dozen topical reports and half-dozen fact sheets as well as the capabilities of its geographic information system-based Decision Support System to provide a concise picture of the sequestration potential for both terrestrial and geologic sequestration in the PCOR Partnership region based on assessments of sources, sinks, regulations, deployment issues, transportation, and capture and separation. The report also includes concise action plans for deployment and public education and outreach as well as a brief overview of the structure, development, and capabilities of the PCOR Partnership. The PCOR Partnership is one of seven regional partnerships under Phase I of the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory'smore » Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership program. The PCOR Partnership, comprising 49 public and private sector members, is led by the Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota. The international PCOR Partnership region includes the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and the states of Montana (part), Wyoming (part), North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.« less


In this thesis, investigations into fabricating tin oxide hydrogen gas sensors from films assembled by the deposition of tin clusters are reported. The tin clusters were formed in a UHV compatible cluster apparatus by DC magnetron sputtering and inert gas aggregation. Through SEM imaging, it was found that the morphology of tin cluster assembled films deposited onto silicon nitride substrates was highly coalesced. The coalescence between the clusters was significantly reduced by reacting the clusters with nitrogen before they were deposited. This resulted in granular films with a grain size close to that of the deposited clusters. The coalesced and granular tin films were used to fabricate tin oxide conductimetric gas sensors. This was done by depositing the tin films onto gold contacts and then oxidising them by baking them at 250◦C for 24 hours. The sensors were tested using a purpose built gas test rig. It was found that the sensors with the granular film morphology were much more sensitive to 500 ppm, 1000 ppm, and 5000 ppm of hydrogen at 200◦C in ambient air with zero humidity. This was attributed to the smaller grain size and the larger surface area of the granular films.


The work "Digital modeling of the impact of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake" (Bostenaru Dan and Panagopoulos, 2014) goes out of the analysis of existing mathematical models for the 3D digital representation of cities. So there are analysed fours such models following a grid of criteria which includes also the link between the geometrical representation and the semantic enrichment: GIS, Google Earth, CAD and Second life. Their functionalities are in dialogue. Also, senses connected to the impact of earthquakes are represented. The goal is to develop a model for the digital representation of the changes introduced by the 1755 earthquake on the urban structure of Lisbon. The proposed model is analysed using the same grid. It includes a didactic component, based on the game, reason for which this aspect of architectural representation has been analysed, digital and not only. Only the urban landmarks drawn on the azulejos ceramics which presents the city before the earthquake are represented in 3D through morphogenesis according to the developed criteria, these being in dialogue with the map, historical and contemporary, which evolves in time during the game. The work presents the concept and the computer code.


Abstract Background: Research on Roma health is fragmentary as major methodological obstacles often exist. Reliable estimates on vaccination coverage of Roma children at a national level and identification of risk factors for low coverage could play an instrumental role in developing evidence-based policies to promote vaccination in this marginalized population group. Methods: We carried out a national vaccination coverage survey of Roma children. Thirty Roma settlements, stratified by geographical region and settlement type, were included; 7–10 children aged 24–77 months were selected from each settlement using systematic sampling. Information on children's vaccination coverage was collected from multiple sources. In the analysis we applied weights for each stratum, identified through a consensus process. Results: A total of 251 Roma children participated in the study. A vaccination document was presented for the large majority (86%). We found very low vaccination coverage for all vaccines. In 35–39% of children 'minimum vaccination' (DTP3 and IPV2 and MMR1) was administered, while 34–38% had received HepB3 and 31–35% Hib3; no child was vaccinated against tuberculosis in the first year of life. Better living conditions and primary care services close to Roma settlements were associated with higher vaccination indices. Conclusions: Our study showed inadequate vaccination coverage of Roma children in Greece, much lower than that of the non-minority child population. This serious public health challenge should be systematically addressed, or, amid continuing economic recession, the gap may widen. Valid national estimates on important characteristics of the Roma population can contribute to planning inclusion policies.


Surface defects, mainly intergranular cracks (IGC), in as cast billet is the main concern for the production of microalloyed steels with the continuous casting process. A description is given of the IGC in the as cast billet surface and the main casting parameters influencing its formation. An analytical model of the influence of the microalloyed content in the formation of precipitates and the corresponding billet surface ductility at the temperature of billet straightening is presented. The model was validated with bibliographical ductility experimental values and was used to perform composition optimisation for continuous casting production. The analytical approach has been completed with a numerical precipitation model coupled with a continuous casting billet solidification model. The coupled program allows precipitate size distribution calculation in selected points of the cross billet section as a function of production parameters, steel composition and billet size. These precipitate distributions are important to detect ductility problems in billets and to optimise the operational parameters so as to avoid these problems.


— The rapid Urbanization and Industrialization all over the world has resulted in large deposition of Plastic waste and Waste Tyre Rubber. This waste can be utilized under proper condition to reduce the Cement content in Concrete. M 30 concrete is used for most of the constructional works. The strength of this concrete results has compared with concrete obtained of Plastic waste and Waste Tyre Rubber varying from 0% to 20% .Experimental investigations comprised of testing physical requirements of coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, cement and the modifier waste plastic and waste tyre rubber. M 30 concrete design mix considered as per IS 10262-1982. The said percentage of modifier was blended with the cement concrete mix and the optimum modifier content was found. Cubes and cylinders were cast and tested for 28 days strength. These tests revealed that by adding Waste plastics and rubber as partial replacement in Fine Aggregate and Coarse aggregate by volume, the strength of concrete decreased. The cube strengths were decreased as the percentage replacement increased due to their poor bounding properties. By using Plastic waste and Waste Tyre Rubber as modifier, we can reduce the quantity of coarse aggregate and fine aggregate by their volume, hence decreasing the overall cost of construction .The Modified cement concrete can be used in the construction of small drainage works and rigid pavement. Effective utilization of waste plastics can be done for a good cause protecting global environment and effective solid waste management.


Educational thinking in America was once strongly activist. Schools had a part to play in social evolution and were an important factor in social progress. This paper shows how passivity and powerlessness is built into the deepest assumptions of current educational thinking. It provides an overview of modernist theory and postmodern accounts, and asserts that both share pre-Darwinian assumptions. The paper suggests that reform will require a different attitude and way of thinking, one that is more in tune with the post-Darwinian evolutionary assumptions of pragmatist philosophers such as William James. If one adopted a more Darwinian kind of view, as William James did, then one might see humans as busily engaged in trying to create better lives in an uncertain and changing world. Rather than taking things as given, as defined by a set of rules, or assuming that one must rebel against all such rules, people then can use different sets of rules to aid their own adaptation. In short, if theorizing is viewed as a tool for change, people may not be so prone to modern passivity or postmodern powerlessness. (Contains 15 references.) (LMI) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Passivity and Powerlessness in Educational Thought1


The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements are sexual misconduct survivor movements, interrogating in particular the entertainment and media industries. These movements aim to dismantle power structures in these industries by raising-up systemically silenced voices of victims (survivors) of sexual misconduct. I analyze comedian Louis CK's apology for his own sexual misconduct as an exemplar text, and argue that that there are good feminist reasons for these movements to critically engage with his perpetrator statement. As such, the argument that I propose here-that certain perpetrator explanations are legitimate to these movements-is tendentious. I will support my argument by making an appeal to feminist social theory, which focuses on the cultural factors contributing to sexual misconduct. If my argument is compelling, then other perpetrator statements could also be integral to the movement's aims.


The recent trend in the study of dynamics of fish stocks consists in building up suitable simple mathematical models which adequately describe the dynamics of fish stocks. One method is to assume some simple growth law such as logistic law for the fish stock as a whole. This method may be termed a synthetic approach and has recently been developed a great deal by Schaefer. 'The analytic method developed by Beverton and Holt (1957) and others assumes that changes in fish stocks result due to simultaneous operation of vital rates such as, recruitment, growth, natural and fishing mortality rates. Under very simple assumptions, a simple theoretical model is constructed which contains these vital rates as parameters.


The Arabic language is characterized as a diglossic language. Hence, this study dealt with this sociolinguistic phenomenon and examine the impact of the Arabic diglossic situation in terms of social communication and the Arabic language learning process based on the second Arabic language learners' perspective. The study starts with reviewing and discussing the literature by considering the Arabic diglossia from both linguistic and educational perspectives. To achieve the research objectives the researcher used mixed-method research namely, a close-ended questionnaire for quantitative data and open-ended questions for qualitative data. The sample included 26 students from different nationalities at the Arabic Language Center for Speakers of Other Languages at King Khalid University. The researcher concluded that the Arabic diglossic situation, especially the difference between the functionality of MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) and CA (Colloquial Arabic) is an impactful factor that can create an obstacle for the second Arabic language learners in terms of social communication in real context as well as the Arabic language learning process. The data prove that the second Arabic language learners in the Arabic Language Center for Speakers of Other Languages at King Khalid University are aware of Arabic diglossia and its impact on their social communication in real-life situations. Moreover, it was found that the Arabic diglossic situation slightly impacted their Arabic language learning process in terms of their desire to continue learning the Arabic language and the switching between MSA and CA that take place in the educational setting by some teachers.


Objective: This study aims to determine attitudes of medical students towards mental illness, the effective factors in their attitudes and to reveal their educational needs. Methods: This cross-sectional research consisted of qualitative and quantitative methods. The study group included 744 2 nd year and 5 th year students, 21 healthcare personnel and 10 faculty working in psychiatry clinic in Medical Schools at Ankara University and Akdeniz University. Sociodemographic information form, stigma scales (Characteristics Scale, Affective Reaction Scale, Social Distance Scale) for alcohol-substance abuse, schizophrenia and depression, focus group discussion and individual interview methods were used to collect data. Stigma scales were applied on medical students and healthcare personnel. Four focus group discussions were conducted with the 5 th year students and semi-structured individual interviews were made with faculty. Results: It is _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ mostly to alcohol-substance abusewhich is followed by schizophrenia and depression, respectively. Characteristics Scale scores for alcohol-substance abuse and Social Distance Scale scores for schizophrenia of the 5 th year students exhibit statistically less stigmatization than of the 2nd year students. According to the regression analysis, variables related to stigmatization are gender, economic status of family, presence of mental illness in family, education period and having mental illness. Qualitative data indicated that being diagnosed with mental illness, danger-uncertainty, appearance, affinity-relationship, and belief-culture are effective factors in attitudes of medical students towards mental illness; their knowledge increase with psychiatry clerkship; however, their attitudes and behaviours do not change to a great extent. Discussion: In light of the research findings, it can be recommended that a program which aims to enable students to achieve metacognitive and behavioral skills; to approach stigmatization in the context of humanism and patient-physician relationship; continues during medical education should be used in stigmatization education. (Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry 2015; 16(1):22-29)


Robert E. Slavin and Alan Cheung Research suggests that bilingual programs do not harm and usually improve the English reading performance of English language learners. English language learners—students who come from homes in which a language other than English is spoken—are one of the fastest-growing student populations in U.S. schools. At the same time, the debate over the best way to help English language learners succeed in school has become increasingly heated and political: Some states have abolished or sharply limited native language instruction, whereas others contin ue it. Today, the stakes are higher than ever. Because many federal and state policies now mandate that schools demonstrate adequate yearly progress of every student subgroup, schools with large English language learner populations face serious consequences unless these students succeed. The controversy over optimal education for English language learners has focused on beginning reading instruction in particular. Should schools teach English language learners to read in their native language first and then in English, or should English language learners be taught to read in English from the outset with appropriate supports? Whatever the language of instruction, which instructional strategies are most effective? To answer these questions, we must examine the research on beginning reading instruction for English language learners.


What We Already Know about This TopicIschemic stroke after cardiac surgery is a devastating complication affecting approximately 2% of patientsThe relationship between hypotension occurring before, during, and after cardiopulmonary bypass and stroke remains unclear What This Article Tells Us That Is NewMean arterial pressure less than 65 mmHg for 10 or more min during cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with an increased risk of strokeEven mild relative hypotension, defined as a less than 10% decrease from preinduction baseline during bypass, was also associated with an increased risk of stroke Background: Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Identifying modifiable perioperative stroke risk factors may lead to improved patient outcomes. The association between the severity and duration of intraoperative hypotension and postoperative stroke in patients undergoing cardiac surgery was evaluated. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass at a tertiary center between November 1, 2009, and March 31, 2015. The primary outcome was postoperative ischemic stroke. Intraoperative hypotension was defined as the number of minutes spent within mean arterial pressure bands of less than 55, 55 to 64, and 65 to 74 mmHg before, during, and after cardiopulmonary bypass. The association between stroke and hypotension was examined by using logistic regression with propensity score adjustment. Results: Among the 7,457 patients included in this analysis, 111 (1.5%) had a confirmed postoperative diagnosis of stroke. Stroke was strongly associated with sustained mean arterial pressure of less than 64 mmHg during cardiopulmonary bypass (adjusted odds ratio 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.21 for every 10 min of mean arterial pressure between 55 and 64 mmHg; adjusted odds ratio 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.23 for every 10 min of mean arterial pressure less than 55 mmHg). Other factors that were independently associated with stroke were older age, hypertension, combined coronary artery bypass graft/valve surgery, emergent operative status, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass duration, and postoperative new-onset atrial fibrillation. Conclusions: Hypotension is a potentially modifiable risk factor for perioperative stroke. The study's findings suggest that mean arterial pressure may be an important intraoperative therapeutic hemodynamic target to reduce the incidence of stroke in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass.


This study examined the effect of Value Added Tax (VAT) on economic growth in Nigeria from 1994 to 2018. Secondary data, used for the study as relevant data on Value Added Tax Revenue, Total Revenue, Total Expen - diture and Gross Domestic Product at current basic prices, were collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin of 2018. Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) technique was used to estimate a multiple linear regression model that was tailored in line with the formulated hypotheses. Results from the study showed that there is a positive and insignificant effect between log value of total revenue and log value of total of value added tax on log value of gross domestic product while total expenditure has a negative and insignificant effect on log value of gross domestic product. The general hypothesis testing using F statistics (0.023**) also revealed that VAT has made significant impact on economic growth in Nigeria which is proxy by gross domestic product since its inception in 1994. Consequently, it was recommended among other things that there should be stringent penalty imposed on any individual or corporate body that indulges in any form of value added tax malprac-tices, if the high correlation between value added tax and overall tax revenue in Nigeria should be maintained. It is also recommended that government through Federal Inland Revenue Service should create an effective and reliable database for every vat-able person in Nigeria in order to minimize the incidence of tax evasion.


While the number of the Asian non-native English speakers (NNESs) is increasing, their postsecondary education (PSE) enrollment rate has remained low in comparison to enrollment rates of Asian native English speakers (NESs). The achievement gap in postsecondary enrollment between NNESs and NESs has widened, due not only to content areas such as reading and language arts that require higher English proficiency but also sociocultural factors, such as parental involvement. The current study aims to investigate the extent to which parental involvement factors predict the likelihood of Asian NNESs PSE enrollment after controlling for socioeconomic and linguistic factors. This study, being an expansion of previous work, which explored parental involvement and NNESs' PSE in the U.S., uses the national representative data from the Education Longitudinal Study dataset in 2002 (ELS: 2002) and a binary multilevel logistic regression model analysis. The results indicate that parental involvement is related to a greater likelihood of attending PSE institutions. Among the various forms of parental involvement, parent-student involvement and parent-school involvement have the greatest impact on Asian NNESs' PSE enrollment. The results also showed that Asian NNESs' enrollment is higher if their parents participate in school volunteer work. Limitations, future studies, and implications for educators, parents and school policy makers will also be discussed.


Environmental conditions in Florida are favorable for the development and persistence of insects and diseases that affect rose (Rosa sp.) plants, necessitating periodic applications of pesticides to maintain plant appearance. In addition, nutrient-deficient and well-drained soils in Florida force gardeners to provide supplemental fertilizer and water. Landscape performance is rarely considered for the development of new rose cultivars; consequently, careful selection of cultivars adapted to local conditions is necessary to reduce maintenance. The objective of this study was to develop recommendations of own-root, low-maintenance roses among 11 old garden and modern cultivars for central Florida. Plants were provided with minimal amounts of water and fertilizer, no control for diseases and insects, and no grooming or deadheading. Weekly evaluations were performed on all plants for plant quality, flower coverage; and incidence of black spot (caused by Diplocarpon rosae), cercospora leaf spot (caused by Cercospora rosicola), and foliar damage [caused by chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis)]. Damage caused by the foliar diseases and chilli thrips were the major factors that affected plant quality, vigor, and subsequently, flower production. Differences in susceptibility to these three factors were found among cultivars, enabling the classification of the 11 cultivars as recommended, cautiously recommended, and not recommended for central Florida. After two years, 'Mrs. B.R. Cant' appeared to be the most suited for central Florida as plant quality and flower production were fairly constant. 'Duchesse de Brabant', 'RADrazz' (Knock Out ), and 'Spice' were the next best performers and are cautiously recommended for central Florida. These cultivars were minimally affected by both diseases, showing low severity of yellowing and defoliation nor a decline in flower production. ''Bailey Red'', 'Old Blush', 'Belinda's Dream', 'Perle d'Or', 'BUCbi' (Carefree Beauty), 'Mutabilis', and 'WEKcisbako' (Home Run ) had severe defoliation, poor growth, and low vigor in this study and do not appear to be low-maintenance landscape roses for central Florida.


Local governments play critical, yet under-recognized, roles in supporting or constraining the development of emerging water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) markets. The focus of market approaches to date has been primarily on small-scale businesses and social enterprises themselves, rather than on addressing the broader institutional environment.
This study, drawing on experiences in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia, examined the political economy affecting support to WASH market actors, including the perspective and role of local governments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with rural water supply enterprises and sanitation entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations, and government officials. Qualitative analysis yielded key themes as regards political economy dynamics and identification of a breadth of pertinent roles for local governments. This study formed part of a larger research initiative funded through the Australian aid programme, focused on small-scale enterprise and led by the University of Technology Sydney.
The findings demonstrate important local government roles, including: training and business development support to enterprises; linking demand and supply by promoting local enterprises; supporting associations of entrepreneurs; providing targeted subsidies or financing to catalyse private sector engagement or to facilitate access for the poor and disadvantaged; and setting and monitoring quality standards and accreditation of products and services. In particular, balancing an enabling or supporting role with the need to ensure appropriate regulatory functions are in place provided a point of tension (and sometimes confusion) for local governments. Key motivators driving local government engagement with enterprises included coverage targets. Various constraints limited their support, including lack of clarity on their role, availability of relevant skills, and perceptions that WASH market systems and private sector engagement should arise spontaneously.
These findings inform gaps in development agency programming when it comes to WASH markets in terms of the need to work more strategically with local government actors, rather than solely directing efforts towards enterprises themselves. This study suggests a way forward in progressing more systemic interventions to support WASH markets in ways that facilitate local governments and related stakeholders to play more effective roles and achieve greater and more equitable development outcomes.


We report a new growth approach pulsed co-doping growth of AlxGa1−xN (x > 0.5) epilayers on AlN/Al2O3 templates by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). Using this approach SiH4 (silane) and TMIn (trimethylindium) supplied to the growth chamber alternately and pulsed during the growth of AlGaN epilayers. Structural and morphological quality of AlGaN epilayers were investigated by high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. It has shown that higher crystalline quality with low full width at half maximum (FWHM) and smoother surface morphology with reduced hexagonal hillock density has been obtained by the pulsed co-doping growth approach. Volcano like hillock structures has been confirmed by Raman mapping.


Botr yosphaeria stevensii frequently has been associated with dieback and canker diseases of oak, mainly in the western Mediterranean area but more rarely in other regions. The species concept of B. stevensii has been unclear, and it is possible that some collections were identified incorrectly. A collection of fungal strains isolated from diseased oak trees and initially identified as B. stevensii was characterized on the basis of morphology and ITS nucleotide sequences. Morphology was compared with the type specimens of Physalospora mutila (= B. stevensii) and its anamorph, Diplodia mutila. It was concluded that the isolates from oak differed from B. stevensii in having larger ascospores and conidia as well as different spore shapes and represented an as yet undescribed species, which is described here as B. corticola. Moreover, ITS sequence data separated B. corticola from all other known species of Botryosphaeria. Amended descriptions of B. stevensii and its anamorph are provided to differentiate B. stevensii from B. corticola and to clarify some of the earlier taxonomic uncertainties.


Approximately 400 individuals die each year and an additional 4,000 individuals are hospitalized annually in the United States due to unintentional carbon monoxide exposure. For the past several decades, insurance policies have generally included a pollution exclusion. This article is intended to contribute to the literature by examining pollution exclusion cases that involved carbon monoxide exposure.
A majority of courts uphold the validity of the pollution exclusion in insurance policies to bar coverage for personal injuries resulting from carbon monoxide. The first part of this article discusses the majority rule and the various arguments courts have utilized to uphold the exclusion. A minority rule has also emerged that the pollution exclusion does not apply to cases involving carbon monoxide. The second part of this article examines the arguments courts have utilized in ruling that carbon monoxide is not a "pollutant."
In the wake of conflicting guidance from the courts on the applicability of the pollution exclusion in cases of carbon monoxide exposure, the final part of this article proposes that as a matter of public policy states amend their respective insurance codes to require that insurance policies specifically provide coverage for personal injuries involving carbon monoxide exposure.


Effects of knit structure, knit density, material type and presence of elastic yarn in weft knitted cotton/ polyester and polyester fabrics on UVR transmission have been investigated. According to the Taguchi method used for determining the combination of selected variables and their levels, 16 knitted samples have been produced on a single jersey circular knitting machine. After relaxation, samples have been kept in sunlight simulator and exposed to sun radiation. Finally, the amount of UV transmitted by every sample is measured by spectrophotometer. The results analyzed using Minitab software show that all the controllable variables have a significant effect on UV transmission. Also, according to the signal to noise analysis, the factor 'presence of elastic yarn' shows the strongest effect on UVR transmission. The second effective factor is found 'fabric structure' which is followed by the other two factors, viz. 'material type' and 'knit density' respectively.


The advances in the microelectronics industry and microfabrication techniques in the past few decades have lead to an increase in the capabilities and features of all kinds of sensors. From pressure sensors to chemical sensors, all kinds of devices have gone through fundamental improvements, giving rise to a generation of sensors with better quailty, higher precision and lower cost and power consumption. In this work, a new optical chemical sensor was designed. The structure is based on a highly asymmetric directional coupler, where the asymmetry implies a high refractive index difference between the core layers of the waveguides in the coupler, rather than an asymmetry in geometry. The device designed presents a very high sensitivity to both the operating wavelength, and the index of refraction of the target matirial. Therefore, monitoring can be performed in two alternative ways, namely, by monitoring the output power at a specified wavelength of operation, or by monitoring the whole multi-wavelength spectrum for a changing refractive index. The coupler is composed of a polymer ridge waveguide and a semiconductor slab waveguide. Fabricating the sensor employs conventional microelectronic fabrication techniques and can easily be integrated with various microelectronic components. The complete top-down fabrication scheme for the devices is presented, giving specific recipes and techniques. The materials to be used for the fabrication are selected to yield the best results in he device performance. Also, the fabrication process for each individual layer are optimized in order to obtain the desired device structure.


This paper is a formal study of a simplified version of Negative Polarity Item (NPI) licensing requirements in two languages, English and Hungarian. In the framework of Model-Theoretic Syntax, using logical formalisms defined over tree-languages, I show that neither pattern can be described with Tierbased Strictly Local (TSL) constraints only, and suggest that they need a more complex logical formula. In particular, Hungarian patterns can be described using a combination of Tier-based Strictly 2-Local constraints over dominance relations and Locally 1-Testable constraints over the left-of relations between nodes. For English, there are no sufficient local constraints, either with or without tiers. As part of the analysis, I give a definition of a generalized tree-language that uses Tier-based 2-Local constraints over dominance relations, while it remains underspecified for left-of relations.


The objective of this study was to estimate the heritability and gain from selection of dietary fiber content (soluble, insoluble and total) and grain yield, in populations obtained from five different crossings, and to identify more adequate population considering different fraction fibers. Crossings were performed in greenhouse among the genitors CNFP 8100, FT 96-1282, Varre-Sai and Valente. The populations obtained (parents, F1 and F2) were assessed in the field during spring/summer of 2003/2004, using a randomized complete blocks experimental design. Significant differences were obtained for total dietary fiber, however no genetic variability was observed for soluble and insoluble dietary fiber and grain yield in populations. Positive phenotypic correlation between insoluble and total dietary fiber was observed. F2 selection plants in segregant population, developed from Valente x Varre-Sai, can be effective in the development of bean germplasm with higher total dietary fiber, because of the high broad-sense heritability estimates and highest gain from selection obtained in the combination.


ABSTRACT Using the framing of narrative identity, we illustrate the asymmetry that is characteristic of faculty work lives, especially when caregiving responsibilities clash with the seemingly indestructible ideal-worker norm. Based upon life stories of a multi-generational team of women faculty, we describe the interplay of individual and institutional dynamics that affect women's work/family choices, success, and fulfillment in academe. We juxtapose our experiences at various career stages with the institutional supports, policies, and programs we would have needed to successfully integrate lives and careers. Across career phases, we employ three naming and framing shifts essential to advancing scholarship and moving policy around work and family to one where both men and women thrive. First, we choose the language of work-in-life integration over balance. Second, we use life-course as a framing for narrative identities, not pipeline. Finally, our accounts go beyond a family-friendly workplace to a life-friendly perspective, which allows us to draw attention to the understudied needs of faculty without children and/or immediate family caregiving responsibilities, and include faculty at later career stages. We conclude this tour-de-force through our work/lives by comparing multi-generational experiences, commenting on progress as well as remaining challenges to elucidate implications for policy, institutional culture, and a better academy.


Asynchronous transfer mode ( ATM ) is a promising
multiplexing and switching technique for implementing an
integrated access as well as transport network and has been
adopted by CCITT as a basis for the future broadband
integrated services digital network ( BISDN ). The ATM
technique allows digital communication of any type to share
common transmission links and switching devices on a
statistical multiplexing basis. Information is transmitted
in the form of constant length cells. In an ATM network,
the major parameters to cause ATM network performance
deterioration are the cell loss and the cell delay at the
buffer queue in the ATM multiplexer. Therefore, the
performance parameters of an ATM multiplexer are
specifically focused on the cell loss probability, the cell
delay, and the distribution of queueing length at buffer m
this study.

The performance of an ATM multiplexer is studied,
whose input consists of the superposition of homogeneous
bursty ( ON/OFF ) sources, 1e , all the superposed sources
are characterized by the bursty sources of the same
parameter values. The cell loss probability and the
distribution of queuing length at buffer under different
offered load and buffer size conditions are evaluated.

An ATM multiplexer with three priority classes is
simulated using the priority assignment control method of
[15]. Under the priority assignment period P and the
priority assignment ratio WD in this method have been
defined, the relationship between the traffic balance of
classes and buffer size of each is studied. The cell loss
probability and delay time of each class ( same sources and
different sources between classes ) are evaluated. The
results are useful to design a economic and effective ATM
multiplexer.


Full review of activities undertaken by Forfas during 1998. The report also includes an overview of statistical information collated by Forfas on expenditures in the Irish economy, employment and R&D and the Forfas Financial Statements.