This thesis contributes to theory building in relation to the innovation patterns in small family-controlled firms in the UK. Although there is extensive literature on innovation, relatively little empirical work has been carried out on small family firm innovation. This study therefore aims to gain an understanding of how small family firms innovate, to consider how innovation is sustained from one generation to the next, and to develop a conceptual framework of small family firm innovation. Following a review of the business and innovation literatures and the undertaking of exploratory research, a number of themes prevailed in relation to innovation in small family firms. This prompted a need to consider small family innovation from a holistic perspective and led to an adaptation of Miller and Le Breton-Miller's (2005) 4Cs framework, which helped shape the primary fieldwork. A qualitative, multi-case, design was adopted, using eight small family firms purposively chosen, based on family control and generational involvement. Primary data was captured using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and secondary documents.
Analysis was based on a matched pairs method, in which data from observations, interviews and documents were combined with a compare/contrast strategy to gather insights about innovation patterns in the four pairs of cases. The insights gained from this were then aggregated and related back to the literature. The findings and discussion led to the development of an enhanced 5Cs framework of small family firm innovation, which contributes a holistic view of innovation that has not been offered within the literature. Small family firm innovation needs to be thought of as a configuration of key priorities or elements that vary from firm to firm, which is based on: closeness to external stakeholders and non-family employees; the cultivation of family and non-family members; continuity; control; and competence. The study contributes to theory building by providing this flexible framework and by suggesting ways in which it might be tested by further qualitative and/or quantitative research.


Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) are retrieved during fossil fuel extraction and used as solvents in consumer and industrial products, as gasoline additives, and as intermediates in the synthesis of organic compounds for many consumer products. Emissions from the combustion of gasoline and diesel fuels are the largest contributors to atmospheric BTEX concentrations. However, levels indoors (where people spend greater than 83% of their time) can be many times greater than outdoors. In this review we identified epidemiological studies assessing the noncancer health impacts of ambient level BTEX exposure (i.e., nonoccupational) and discussed how the health conditions may be hormonally mediated. Health effects significantly associated with ambient level exposure included sperm abnormalities, reduced fetal growth, cardiovascular disease, respiratory dysfunction, asthma, sensitization to common antigens, and more. Several hormones including estrogens, androgens, glucocorticoids, insulin, and serotonin may be involved in these health outcomes. This analysis suggests that all four chemicals may have endocrine disrupting properties at exposure levels below reference concentrations (i.e., safe levels) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These data should be considered when evaluating the use of BTEX in consumer and industrial products and indicates a need to change how chemicals present at low concentrations are assessed and regulated.


Immune disorders characteristic of the late period of craniocerebral trauma involve T-cellular, regulatory link and were represented by a reduction of T-cells count and function with disbalance in lymphocytes-helpers, increase in macrophagal and lymphoid suppressors activity susceptible to indomethacin++. The changes also include the neurosensibilization of cellular and humoral type to brain-specific++ proteins: OBM, 14-3-2, S-100. Most pronounced changes were detected in patients after severe brain concussion with focal neural changes persisting in the late period.


A new 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative, CS-905, currently under development as a Ca antagonist, showed a gradual onset and long duration in its antihypertensive effect upon single oral administration. The partition coefficient for CS-905 was measured along with 11 known dihydropyridine Ca antagonists by the HPLC method to clarify its mode of action. The log PHPLC for CS-905 was, 5.18, almost the same as that of manidipine and this value is the highest among the measured drugs. Its pharmacokinetic profile in SHR was also discussed.


Internet of Things (IoT) devices, once deployed, must remain secure for their entire lifetime, which can be as long as 20 years. Over this lifetime, devices must be able to update which ciphers they use to meet evolving security requirements. However, devices cannot rely on software updates for their cryptography because software implementations consume too much energy. At the same time, fixed function hardware accelerators such as an AES engine cannot support new ciphers. This paper presents Falcon, a hardware architecture for accelerating a broad range of cryptography on energy limited devices. Rather than accelerate a fixed set of current ciphers, Falcon provides a general execution engine that accelerates dominant and emerging ciphers, such as AES, Cha-Cha, SHA-256, RSA, ECC with Curve25519, as well as post-quantum ciphers such as R-LWE. For cryptography, Falcon provides the flexibility of software while reducing the energy consumption of cryptography by 5-60x compared to software. This reduction makes it feasible for IoT applications to upgrade the ciphers they use after deployment, allowing them to keep up to date with security best practices without reducing their deployment lifetime or reducing the application workload. In an application monitoring the temperature of sensitive medical supplies in hospitals, Falcon doubles the deployment lifetime (2.2x).


PPO was a better intensifier and charred material for High-impact polystyrene (HIPS), it could make HIPS achieve UL94V-0 with APP, MC, RDP. Especially, RDP not only improved the flame-retarded property but also controlled the hole producing, and had the best consistent with matrix which could improve the mechanical properties. SBS and SEBS were better consistent with matrix, especially SEBS was tiny granule, which could be dispersed in matrix easily. The properties of SEBS toughened the non-halogen flame-retarded HIPS was followed: tensile strength: 18.83MPa; izod notch impact strength: 15.7kJ/m2; UL94V-0.


Background and Purpose— To assess the relationship between retinal arteriolar emboli and mortality in older people. Methods— Pooled data from 2 population-based cohort studies. At baseline, the Beaver Dam Eye Study (BDES) examined 4926 persons 43 to 86 years of age (1988 to 1990), and the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) examined 3654 persons 49 to 97 years of age (1992 to 1994). Retinal arteriolar emboli were assessed by grading retinal photographs using standardized methods. Deaths and causes of death were determined from death certificates or Australian National Death Index. Cox regression models were used to estimate mortality hazard ratios (HRs) associated with emboli, adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, study site, and past histories of stroke, angina, and acute myocardial infarct. Results— Of 8580 baseline participants, 8384 (98%) had retinal photographs available, and 111 showed retinal arteriolar emboli (BDES n=61; BMES n=50). Over 10 to 12 years, 2506 participants (30%) died, including 344 (4%) from stroke-related and 1315 (16%) from cardiovascular causes. The cumulative mortality rates were higher in participants with than without emboli (all-cause 56% versus 30%; stroke-related 12% versus 4.0%; cardiovascular 30% versus 16%). The increased mortality risk associated with emboli was independent of age, gender, other vascular risk factors, and past histories of stroke or heart disease for all-cause (multivariate-adjusted HR, 1.3; CI, 1.0 to 1.8) and stroke-related mortality (HR, 2.0; CI, 1.1 to 3.8) but not for cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.2; CI, 0.8 to 1.7). Conclusions— Our pooled data from 2 older populations suggest that retinal emboli predict a modest increase in all-cause and stroke-related mortality independent of cardiovascular risk factors.


Ezine cheese is a full-fat, white pickled cheese ripened in tinplate containers. A mixture of milks from goat, sheep and cow is used to make Ezine cheese. It has its own characteristic taste and aroma that differ from other white cheeses. In this study, the chemical composition and sensory attributes of Ezine cheese were characterized. A descriptive sensory evaluation technique was used to determine flavor and texture characteristics. Representative Ezine cheeses (22) were provided by local producers. A highly trained (n = 9) panel generated the descriptive terms and identified the references. Fourteen flavors and 10 texture terms were developed to describe Ezine cheese flavor and texture. Some characteristic flavor and taste descriptors for Ezine cheese were free fatty acids, cooked, creamy, whey-like, goaty, salty and sour. Cheese texture was evaluated using hand, mouth and residual techniques. Texture analysis indicated that E z ine cheese had soft and semi-hard texture properties. In general, most of the Ezine cheeses showed similarities in terms of hand firmness, mouth firmness, fracturability and number of particles attributes.


Speech is a complex signal produced by a highly constrained articulation machinery. Neuro and psycholinguistic theories assert that speech can be decomposed into molecules of structured atoms. Although characterization of the atoms is controversial, the experiments support the notion of invariant speech codes governing speech production and perception. We exploit deep neural network (DNN) invariant representation learning for probabilistic characterization of the phone attributes defined in terms of the phonological classes and known as the smallest-size perceptual categories. We cast speech perception as a channel for phoneme information transmission via the phone attributes. Structured sparse codes are identified from the phonological probabilities for natural speech pronunciation. We exploit the sparse codes in information transmission analysis for assessment of phoneme pronunciation. The linguists define a single binary phonological code per phoneme. In contrast, probabilistic estimation of the phonological classes enables us to capture large variation in structures of speech pronunciation. Hence, speech assessment may not be confined to the single expert knowledge based mapping between phoneme and phonological classes and it may be extended to multiple data-driven mappings observed in natural speech.


This paper investigates the relationship between the liquidity of the real estate property market and that of the REIT market from the perspective of liquidity dynamics and transformation. Our results indicate that there is a lead-lag relationship between the liquidity of these two markets. The Granger Causality test shows that property market liquidity leads that of the REIT market. In addition, returns in the property market have a causal effect on the liquidity and returns of the REIT market. We estimate VAR models and compute impulse response functions to examine the dynamics of the cross-market relationships in liquidity and return between the two markets. The impulse responses show that REIT liquidity responds to property market liquidity, especially after the structure change in the REIT industry in the early 1990s. Our results also demonstrate that shocks to macroeconomic variables have significant effects on the liquidity of the two markets. Overall, our study sheds light on the contemporaneous commonality between the liquidity of the unsecuritized property market and that of the securitized REIT market.


A new iron-based wear resistance alloy was developed to replace the Co-containing Stellite 6 alloys in nuclear power industry. The effect of B addition on the wear resistance was investigated. Sliding wear tests of Fe-Cr-C-Si-xB (x = 0.0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0 and 2.0 wt%) alloys were performed in air at the room temperature under a contact stress of 103 MPa. Low-boron alloys containing less than 0.6 wt% boron showed an excellent wear resistance than any other tested alloys. The improvement was associated with the matrix hardening by promotion of the γ→α′straininduced martensitic transformation occurring during the wear test. However, the alloys containing more than 1.0 wt% boron showed slightly increased wear loss compared to the low-boron alloys because of the absence of the strain-induced martensitic transformation and the presence of the brittle FeB particles, aiding crack initiation.


Resolution in deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) is typically bounded by the receptive field size through filter sizes, and subsampling layers or strided convolutions on feature maps. The optimal resolution may vary significantly depending on the dataset. Modern CNNs hard-code their resolution hyper-parameters in the network architecture which makes tuning such hyper-parameters cumbersome. We propose to do away with hard-coded resolution hyper-parameters and aim to learn the appropriate resolution from data. We use scale-space theory to obtain a self-similar parametrization of filters and make use of the N-Jet: a truncated Taylor series to approximate a filter by a learned combination of Gaussian derivative filters. The parameter <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma $ </tex-math></inline-formula> of the Gaussian basis controls both the amount of detail the filter encodes and the spatial extent of the filter. Since <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma $ </tex-math></inline-formula> is a continuous parameter, we can optimize it with respect to the loss. The proposed N-Jet layer achieves comparable performance when used in state-of-the art architectures, while learning the correct resolution in each layer automatically. We evaluate our N-Jet layer on both classification and segmentation, and we show that learning <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma $ </tex-math></inline-formula> is especially beneficial when dealing with inputs at multiple sizes.


This paper details the design and fabrication process for a dynamically balanced silicon resonator. To optimise the degree of dynamic balance extensive finite element modelling (FEM) of the mechanical structure was carried out. A method of driving and detecting the optimum mode of the resonator was chosen in order to avoid compromising the mechanical design of the structure. The degree of dynamic balance has important implications for the use of the resonator in strain sensing applications. In the fabrication process silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers are used that enable the manufacture of the resonator in single-crystal silicon. This is an ideal mechanical material for such an application and is mechanically superior to polysilicon with wholly repeatable material properties. The fabrication process described in this paper has been designed to be relatively straightforward, thereby enabling the application of resonant strain gauges to a wide range of devices.


Background and Objectives: Soil polluted with total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPHs) is a great threat to human health. Phytoremediation, the use of vegetation for treatment of contaminated soils, is an attractive and cost-effective alternative to reduce pollutant from soil. This paper evaluates the effects of the plant and nutrients on the removal of TPHs from soil. Material and methods: Soils were collected at depth of 0-30 cm, and then polluted with 1 and 2.5 % w/w of crude oil. After preparing the experimental pots, Rhizosphere microbial number, plant biomass, and residual TPHs were determined. TPHs and heterotrophic bacterial number were measured by GC and HPC method respectively. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 17 for Windows) software and Excel. Results: it was found that the average percent of TPH removal in planted soil (28.42%) was higher than that in unplanted soil (12.2%) (p<0.05). Moreover, the average percent of TPH removal in treatments received nutrient and free nutrient treatments was 35.5and 17.7% respectively. Conclusion: Generally compared with the other studies, high clay and salinity of the experimental soil had a negative effect on phytoremediation efficiency. Finally, regarding to the high clay and salinity of the experimental soil, the phytoremediation efficiency was relatively desirable.


The number of operations and states of a plan in multi-agent system is finite, and the number of coloured Petri nets element also is finite. Moreover, the action of plan is similar to the transition of coloured Petri nets and the state or the resource of plan is similar to the place of coloured Petri nets. Therefore plan can be modelled effectively by coloured Petri nets. Consequently, the action, the state and the interaction of plan are modelled by coloured Petri nets detailedly. Furthermore, the specification, validity and simulation of plan can be described by the theoretical techniques of Coloured Petri nets.


In 1997 the National Science Foundation offered a novel postdoctoral training program in education research -The Postdoctoral Fellowships in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education (PFSMETE). In 1999, after funding three cohorts of postdoctoral Fellows, the program was cancelled. This paper reports on the structure and initial success of the PFSMETE program. Data from surveys of participants in PFSMETE, both Fellows and mentors, and analysis of PFSMETE structure suggest structural themes which affect the outcome of the post-doctoral experience. These include: institutional support, interdisciplinary boundary crossing, and cultural shifts within disciplines. Analysis of these data begins to describe the PFSMETE experience and suggests several characteristics necessary for the success of other postdoctoral programs.


In the modern world, value-added reproduction chains (VARC) are among the most important economic structures that have a mostly decisive impact on the production use and development of digital technologies (DT). This article analyses the features of their application, related problems and opportunities for their solution. The study showed that within the framework of different types of organisational and economic models of VARC, effective use of DT has its limits. They are driven by the specific nature of these models and require specific targeted actions to overcome and/or expand these limits. Mandatory participants in such processes include both the VARC and the state. The measures taken in this regard are integral complexes and should be carried out within the framework of the state policy of technological development in cooperation with the participants of the chains. Neglecting model features in the development and implementation of such actions is fraught with a reduction in the effectiveness of the efforts made and unjustified expenditure of resources. Taking into account the features of different models of DT use in the VARC is vital for the implementation of the economic policy of technological development of Russia. It makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of efforts to achieve the goals set by the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to ensure the transition of our country to the digital economy and accelerate this process. In this regard, the promising areas are the allocation of various organizational and economic models of the use of DT in the VARC of our country and/or in the international VARC with the participation of Russian entrepreneurs, as well as the formation in relation to them of particular sets of measures from different levels of government.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen commonly found in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. P. aeruginosa is notable for its ability to form biofilms within the lungs. Biofilms exhibit incredible antibiotic tolerance. Tolerance differs from resistance: while resistant cells may actively grow in the presence of antibiotics, tolerant cells slow their metabolic rates, preventing most antibiotics from taking effect. The tolerance of P. aeruginosa biofilms is the cause of recalcitrant infections in cystic fibrosis infections. In this project, we sought to characterize the ribosomes of P. aeruginosa planktonic and biofilm cells in samples which either have or have not been exposed to tobramycin. Tobramycin is an aminoglycoside commonly used in P. aeruginosa infections. Recent studies have shown environmental stressors including antibiotic exposure cause ribosome degradation, remodeling, and dimerization in E. coli, leading to translational inhibition and in turn, antibiotic tolerance. We hypothesized similar events occur in tolerant cells of P. aeruginosa. We isolated ribosomes of planktonic and biofilm cells through sucrose gradient centrifugation. Following this, we qualified the relative distributions of ribosome fractions and analyzed the protein makeup of these ribosomes by mass spectrophotometry. We expect to observe a difference between the protein makeup of ribosomes from biofilm cells and those from planktonic cells. We expect similar results between samples treated with/without tobramycin. The results of this project may mediate future research on how to target cells exhibiting antibiotic tolerance.


Using data from the representative IAB Establishment Panel in Germany and estimating a panel probit model with fixed effects, this paper finds a negative relationship between the existence of owner-management in an establishment and the probabilities of having a works council or a collective bargaining agreement. We show that family firms which are solely, partially or not managed by the owners significantly differ in the presence of works councils and collective bargaining agreements. The probabilities of having works councils and collective agreements increase substantially if just some of the managers do not belong to the owner family. We argue that these differences cannot simply be attributed to an aversion of the owners against co-determination and unions but require taking account of the notion of socio-emotional wealth prevalent in family firms. In addition, our results support the idea that external managers mainly act as agents rather than stewards in family firms.


The increasing availability of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and Deletion/Insertion Polymorphisms (DIPs), as well as the outstanding progress in SNP genotyping technologies, will impact forensics profoundly. We have developed a new method for genotyping SNPs and DIPs, which is based on the determination of melting curve profiles of amplified DNA in solution. We have termed this method Melting curve SNP (McSNP) genotyping. Melting curve profiles are composites of the particular melting temperatures (Tm) of the individual fragments that comprise the DNA sample. Simple mixtures of DNA can be resolved in a very robust and efficient fashion, since the samples can be scored in the plates in which they were amplified with no or very few post-PCR manipulations. As such, McSNP is one of the least expensive genotyping methods available and can and should be useful in forensic science.


Proteolytic processing of procaspase-9 is required for its activation, but processing in itself appears to be insufficient for its activity. We studied caspase activation in a cell-free system and found that incubation of cytosol from rat kidney proximal tubule cells with Cytochrome c (Cyt c) and dATP results in rapid autocatalytic processing of procaspase-9 from ~50 kD to ~38 kD size fragment. Moreover, Cyt c concentration influences the production of alternatively processed forms of caspase-9. At lower Cyt c concentration (0.01-0.05 mg/ml), two fragments of caspase-9 of the size 38 and 40 kD are produced. In contrast, at higher concentrations of Cyt c (>0.1 mg/ml) only 38 kD fragment will prevail. However, our failure to capture processed caspase-9 by affinity labeling or co-elution with Apaf-1 suggested that caspase-9 undergoes a conformational change during its enzymatic action on effector caspases, resulting in its release from the apoptosome complex and inactivation. In support of this hypothesis, catalytic inhibitors of caspase-9 prevented its release from the apoptosome complex without affecting its auto-processing and allowed successful capture of active caspase-9 (38 kD) and its complex by affinity labeling. These observations suggest that complex allosteric interactions with the apoptosome complex influence caspase-9 activity and function by controlling not only the induction of its enzymatic activity, but also its rapid termination.


The electron beam injection (EBI) process involves offering electrons around silicon powder, whose surface was oxidized, and subsequently the powder is washed by HF acid so as to remove the SiO2 film. The new electron beam injection process, in which micro electric filed formed between Si and SiO2 film will accelerate impurities diffusion from Si to SiO2 film, was developed and applied to eliminate the transition-metal impurities of MG-Si. It is proved to be effective to remove transition-metal impurities from metallurgical grade silicon (MG-Si). By applying the electron beam injection method, the removal rate of 10% to 59% was achieved during the refining process. The efficiency of impurity removal originates from two aspects: the impurity concentration gradient on both sides of Si/SiO2 interface; the micro electric field formed from Si to SiO2 film. A further increase in the removal rate can be realized by controlling the processing parameters.


Currently, over 90% operated geothermal power plants are distributed in the volcanic- or magmatic intrusion-related geological systems. Only a few cases are done in metamorphic terranes, especially on the slate formation. Taiwan is located at the ring of fire and is famous for the young orogenic belt, which has wide distributions of rapid uplifting terranes with few active volcanoes. The metamorphic rocks, for example, schist and slate formations with high geothermal gradients, are occurring in the major mountain range. This chapter introduces the techniques or methods we used for geothermal exploration in the slate formation of the Chingshui geothermal field of Taiwan, where a 3-MW pilot geothermal power plant had been installed in 1983 and operated for 12 years.


Background: The general framework of this research is that the sociocultural context and socio-economic conditions in different countries representing the macro-system of the transactional model of health, with varying degrees of cultural and linguistic familiarity and contact history. Culturally bound definitions of what is desirable and attractive play an important role in body image formation. Methods: The aim of this cross-cultural study was to evaluate the different effects of general self-esteem, eating attitudes and behaviors, and the subjective perception of body image in two representative samplings of urban pre-adolescents (9-12 years old). All the participants were given the following tests: LAWSEQ, ChEAT-26, CFD, and BEStudy. Results: The multiple linear regression analysis showed the relative contribution of each independent variable: the LAWSEQ score explained 12.8% of the variance of the BES score, followed by the BMI (9.3%), the ChEAT-26 score (9.1%), and the CFD (7.8%). The results showed a differential profile between the two samplings. Conclusions: General self-esteem was the strongest predictive variable associated with higher levels of body esteem, while habits and behaviors related to worry about food and the choice of a thinner body image ideal were predictive of lower body esteem, regardless of the nationality, sex, or age of the participants.


Objective: To analyze disease presentation, treatment, and clinical course of a consecutive series of patients with primary cerebellopontine angle (CPA) epidermoids. Patients: Forty-seven consecutive patients with previously untreated CPA epidermoids. Intervention(s): Observation and microsurgery. Main Outcome Measures: Disease- and treatment-associated morbidity, recurrence. Results: Forty-seven patients (mean age 39 years; 53% women) were analyzed and the average duration of follow-up was 42 months. The most common presenting symptom was headache (27; 57%); 13 (28%) exhibited preoperative asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss, 3 (6%) facial nerve paresis, and 3 (6%) hemifacial spasm. Thirteen patients (28%) were initially observed over a mean interval of 56 months; however, five experienced disease progression requiring operation. Thirty-nine patients (83%) underwent surgical resection; 18 (46%) received gross total, 5 (13%) near total, and 16 (41%) aggressive subtotal resection. Three patients (8%) recurred at a median of 53 months; two after subtotal and one after gross total resection. Ninety-three percent of patients with useful hearing maintained serviceable hearing following treatment and one patient (3%) experienced mild long-term postoperative facial nerve paresis (HB II/VI). All patients with preoperative facial nerve paresis recovered normal function postoperatively. There were no episodes of stroke or death. Conclusions: Surgical intervention is effective in alleviating symptoms of cranial neuropathy and brainstem compression from CPA epidermoids. Gross total resection is preferred; however, aggressive subtotal removal should be considered with adherent or extensive disease as reoperation rates are low, even in the setting of aggressive subtotal resection. Conservative observation with serial imaging is a viable initial strategy in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients.


New technologies of the production of the aluminium charge assigned for drawing, including the tests on the process of continuous casting (CC). This type of technology, which includes the casting of copper and zinc, is widely spread in the world (trademarks: Upcast, Rautomead and Vertic). Yet, there is a lack of experience in the production and reproduction of the cast wires made of aluminium and its alloys assigned for electrical purposes. That is why the authors of the work aimed at investigating the casting process of the aluminium wires obtained with the technology of continuous casting.


We propose a system which supports knowledge sharing through the articulation of the overlapping components in two or more schemas or ontologies. EER-CONCEPTOOL uses description logics (DLs) to formalise and capture some of the relevant features of knowledge described using an enhanced entity-relationship (EER) model. We describe how DL-based reasoning can provide a relevant part of the semi-automated deductive support needed to specify the articulation (i.e. the shared content) of two EER knowledge bases. We also show how a more effective level of support can be provided by the EER-CONCEPTOOL architecture, which combines DL-based deductions with lexical analysis and heuristic inferences. We illustrate the approach to knowledge articulation in our system by way of an example.


Graphene-poly(methyl methacrylate) (GNS-PMMA) composites were prepared by two methods. Graphite oxide nanosheet-poly(methyl methacrylate) (GO-PMMA) composites were prepared of methyl methacrylate monomer and the presence of graphite oxide (GO). Then the GO-PMMA composites were reduced to graphene nanosheet-poly(methyl methacrylate) by using hydrazine hydrate. The obtained composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The composite exhibited conductivities in the 1.58×10-9-4.21 S/cm range, depending on the amounts of graphite oxide and PMMA.


This article maps the rise of the water-energy-food 'nexus' as a research, policy and project agenda in mainland Southeast Asia. We argue that introducing the concept of environmental justice into the nexus, especially where narratives, trade-offs and outcomes are contested, could make better use of how the nexus is framed, understood and acted upon. With funding from high-income country donors, it is found to have diffused from a global policy arena into a regional one that includes international and regional organisations, academic networks, and civil society, and national politicians and government officials. The nexus is yet to be extensively grounded, however, into national policies and practices, and broad-based local demand for nexus-framed policies is currently limited. The article contends that if the nexus is to support stated aspirations for sustainable development and poverty reduction, then it should engage more directly in identifying winners and losers in natural resource decision-making, the politics involved, and ultimately with the issue of justice. In order to do so, it links the nexus to the concept of environmental justice via boundary concepts, namely: sustainable development; the green economy; scarcity and addressing of trade-offs; and governance at, and across, the local, national and transnational scale.


General requirements that must be addressed when planning the addition of a FACTS controller to the system are discussed. The traditional planning process is reviewed together with the potential impact of a new electric power industry structure. System constraints that are to be relieved and the tools and techniques useful for planning and successfully integrating FACTS controllers are addressed. A New York Power Authority (NYPA) case study is presented.


USAVital provides a one-stop source for all the Montana Vital Records. Order Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death and Divorce Records from Montana. We obtain these vital records direct from the source, the state, county archives and court houses.


Purpose:  To determine the causes and frequency of orbital involvement by systemic disorders and non-ocular trauma at a tertiary Oculoplastic centre.
Study Design:  Descriptive cross-sectional retrospective study. Ophthalmology unit
Place and Duration of Study:  Department of Ophthalmology, Lady Reading Hospital Medical teaching Institute,  Peshawar from January 2012 and Dec 2016.
Methods:  A total of 45 patients were included in this study. Patients' demographics, clinical cause of orbitopathy and time delay between the problem noticed by the patient and presentation were recorded. Orbitopathy included the presence of corneal and conjunctival changes, optic nerve disorders, proptosis, orbital bone changes and soft tissue swelling of eyelids. The data was analyzed using SPSS software (version 22). The frequency (percentage) and mean ± standard deviation were reported for categorical variables.
Results:  Mean age of the patients was 28.89 ± 22.02 years. There were 26 (57.8%) males 19 (42.2%) females. Commonest disorder was Bacterial Infection in 16 (35.6%) patients followed by Thyroid orbitopathy, which was seen in 14 (31.1%) cases. Other causes included Leukemia, Lymphoma, Retrobulbar Hemorrhage, Neurofibromatosis, Neuroblastoma, Maxillary Osteosarcoma, Teratoma and Fungal Infection. Time delay between presentation of orbital swelling and first noticed by patient was 147.02 ± 155.18 weeks in male while in female the time delay was 148.79 ± 146.47 weeks.
Conclusion:  The commonest inflammation was due to thyroid, commonest infection was bacterial infection and commonest tumor was leukemia. Imaging and proper workup is important to properly treat any orbital disease.
Key Words:  Orbit, Ocular trauma, Neuroblastoma, Orbital lymphoma.


Introduction: The present research aimed to compare and follow-up the effect of 8-week corrective exercises with and without the myofascial release on functional kyphosis deformity in young adults. Methods: It was a randomized controlled trial in the university laboratory. Forty-five male students suffering from abnormal hyperkyphosis deformity (kyphosis of more than 42°) were selected and randomly assigned to three groups: corrective exercises, combinational exercises (corrective and myofascial release), and control. The Mean±SD age, height, and weight of the study sample were 22.12±2.88 years, 175.44±6.80 cm, and 71.21±7.31 kg, respectively. The study groups did the exercises for 8 weeks, under the direct observation of the researchers. The kyphosis angle of the participants was measured using a flexible ruler, at the baseline, post-test, and follow-up (4 weeks after the end of the exercises) stages. The collected data were analyzed with repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) tests. Results: After 8 weeks of exercises, the degree of kyphosis in the post-test and follow-up stages was significantly lower than that in the pre-test, in both training groups. The results of the ANCOVA test demonstrated that the thoracic kyphosis degree in the combinational exercises group was significantly lower than that of the corrective exercises group (P≤0.05), in the post-test and follow-up stages. Conclusion: According to the results, the corrective exercises program in combination with the myofascial release is more effective than the corrective exercises alone, in correcting the thoracic kyphosis deformity.


The aim of the present study was to investigate the combined effects of seasonality and anthropogenic pressure on a battery of oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, DNA damage and histological alterations in the native clam Ruditapes decussatus collected from a less contaminated area (LCA), Ghar El Melh, a moderately contaminated area (MCA), the North Lake, and a highly contaminated area (HCA), the South Lake, all located in the southern Mediterranean Sea. The accumulation of cadmium, lead, copper, iron and zinc was higher in the digestive glandsof clams collected from the MCA and the HCAthan in those from the LCA, particularly during the warm season. Our results reveal that metallothionein, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation levels and antioxidant defence systems were higher, while acetylcholinesterase activity was lower, in clams from the MCAand HCAthan in those from the LCA. The results also indicate that clams from the MCA and the HCAare characterized by histological alterations and DNA damage. In conclusion, the evident changes of antioxidant defence systems and macromolecules between the studied lagoons reveal the perturbation of the physiological states of clams from polluted sites thatcope with seasonal changes and trace element accumulations.


The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling axis impacts on cancer cell growth, survival, motility, and metabolism. This pathway is activated by several different mechanisms in cancers, including somatic mutation and amplification of genes encoding key components. In addition, PI3K signaling may serve integral functions for noncancerous cells in the tumor microenvironment. Consequently, therapeutics targeting the PI3K pathway are being developed at a rapid pace, and preclinical and early clinical studies are beginning to suggest specific strategies to effectively use them. However, the central role of PI3K signaling in a large array of diverse biologic processes raises concerns about its use in therapeutics and increases the need to develop sophisticated strategies for its use. In this review, we will discuss how PI3K signaling affects the growth and survival of tumor cells. From this vantage, we will consider how inhibitors of the PI3K signaling cascade, either alone or in combination with other therapeutics, can most effectively be used for the treatment of cancer.


OBJECTIVE--To estimate the initial outcome and incidence of restenosis of angioplasty of internal mammary artery grafts in a retrospective study. METHODS--The study population consisted of 46 patients (48 lesions) who underwent first balloon angioplasty within the internal mammary artery graft. Most (37/48) were at the distal anastomosis. A few (8/48) were in the graft body. Six patients with the evidence of angiographic restenosis underwent a second angioplasty. RESULTS--The success rate and the restenosis rate of the first angioplasty was 73% and 30% respectively. Of the 34 patients (35 lesions) with a successful first angioplasty, 30 underwent follow up angiography with a restenosis rate of 30% (9/30). A second angioplasty was performed on six of the nine restenotic lesions, with a success rate of 83% and no restenoses. The percent diameter stenosis of the recipient native coronary artery was significantly greater in the restenosis group, at 75 (SD 27)% v 89 (17)%, p < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS--First angioplasty of 46 patients (48 lesions) within an internal mammary artery graft was performed with a success rate of 73% and a restenosis rate of 30% (follow up rate of 88%). The extent of the stenosis of the recipient native coronary artery may affect the restenosis rate.


We introduce a novel scanning ldquonanophotonicrdquo microscope through monolithic integration of a nanoscale LED (Nano-LED) on a silicon cantilever. We review two recent trends of incorporating miniature light sources on the scanning probes for near-field scanning optical microscopy: one is to attach fluorephores at the tip to define a small light source, while the other is to integrate an LED and a nanometer aperture into scanning probes, based on silicon microfabrication techniques. The creation of Nano-LED combines the advantages of previous two approaches: no external sources are required and the reduction of the light source size directly leads to resolution improvement. Two types of Nano-LEDs have been successfully demonstrated utilizing nanofabrication and microelectromechanical systems technologies: 1) formation of thin silicon dioxide light-emitting layer between heavily doped p + and n+ silicon layers created by a focused ion beam and 2) electrostatic trapping and excitation of CdSe/ZnS core-shell nanoparticles in a nanogap. We employed these probes into a standard near-field scanning and excitation setup. The probe successfully measured optical as well as topographic images of chromium test patterns with imaging resolutions of 400 and 50 nm, respectively. In addition, the directional resolution dependence of the acquired images suggests the size and shape of the light source. To our knowledge, these results are probably the first successful near-field images directly measured by such tip-embedded light sources. With the potential emission capability from near UV to IR and additional mass producibility, the nanophotonic microscope presents exciting opportunities in near-field optics, integrated circuit technology, nanomanufacturing and molecular imaging, and sensing in biomedicine.


Most of the mathematical models that were developed to study the UK 2001 foot-and-mouth disease epidemic assumed that the infectiousness of infected premises was constant over their infectious periods. However, there is some controversy over whether this assumption is appropriate. Uncertainty about which farm infected which in 2001 means that the only method to determine if there were trends in farm infectiousness is the fitting of mechanistic mathematical models to the epidemic data. The parameter values that are estimated using this technique, however, may be influenced by missing and inaccurate data. In particular to the UK 2001 epidemic, this includes unreported infectives, inaccurate farm infection dates and unknown farm latent periods. Here, we show that such data degradation prevents successful determination of trends in farm infectiousness


Studies on the prognostic significance of blood pressure on cardiovascular disease have essentially investigated the levels of diastolic or systolic blood pressure. However, blood pressure may also be divided into two other components: steady (mean arterial pressure) and pulsatile (pulse arterial pressure). The relations of these two components with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular mortality were investigated in 18,336 men and 9,351 women aged 40-69 years, who were followed up for a mean period of 9.5 years. However, the interpretation of the relations is complicated by the strong correlation existing between these two components. A principal component analysis was performed to obtain two independent parameters: a steady and a pulsatile component index, strongly correlated with mean and pulse arterial pressure, respectively. In the cross-sectional analysis, relations were stronger with the steady component index than with the pulsatile component index; an association was found between left ventricular hypertrophy and the pulsatile component index in both sexes. The survival analysis was not performed in women under 55 as only 11 cardiovascular deaths occurred in this group. The steady component index was a strong prognostic factor of all types of cardiovascular death in both sexes. In women, the pulsatile component index was positively correlated to death from coronary artery disease and inversely correlated to stroke. In conclusion, the steady component of blood pressure is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular death in both sexes; the pulsatile component could be a risk factor independent of the steady component in women older than 55 years.


Lime burials are a characteristic phenomenon of the protohistoric funerary tradition on the Balearic Islands. At Cova de Na Dent, a lime burial has been sampled for analysis. The lime burial was made up of lime and fragmented bones. Six layers were sampled and described in the laboratory according to their color, the consistency of the deposition, and the aspect and quantity of the bone fragments. Bone samples and lime were dated. The lime was analyzed by using petrographic analysis, X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, and simultaneous thermal analysis. The results show that the bones were cremated in the presence of crushed rock carbonate. The 14C dates on the lime suggest an earlier chronology for this ritual, starting in the Bronze Age, as generally is accepted.


Among the work characteristics that are likely to influence age and experience related adjustment processes, the issue of work schedules remains largely unexplored. We believe however that work schedules or shifts play an important part in building and mobilizing experience. This paper aims at characterizing the specific strategies implemented by night shift personnel based on a study conducted with nurses in two hospital departments of pulmonary diseases. It also suggests a dynamic approach regarding the links between work shifts and the work activity, pointing out how such links evolve over the course of a career as a result of experience, and how such a process is "visible" in their activity at present. Nurses in the pulmonary disease department "assign" themselves goals; they devise a "night interpretation" of their task, taking into account the condition of their patients (for example, goals aiming at protecting their sleep and calming their anxiety), the absence of health care staff resulting in a deserted environment (for example, goals aiming at ensuring they are always well informed on the state of each patient), and their own psycho-physiological state (for example, goal aiming at remaining alert). Various registries of experience will allow them, on the one hand to recognize the goals of such actions, and identify the contradictions that may arise from them; and on the other to compensate for the difficulties and disturbances caused by such "tensions" by finding ways to compromise. In terms of application, this research can offer benchmarks for improving the work situation and recognition of nurses at night.


Background Musculoskeletal injuries are commonly seen by medical staff of speed skating teams, but lack of injury registration underreports the incidence and prevalence of these injuries. Systematic injury prevention research in speed skating has not been undertaken. Objective Initiating injury prevention research following the 6-step TRIPP framework. Design Qualitative research including literature review and survey amongst medical staff involved with elite level speed skating teams and development of a logbook and risk factor testing battery for musculoskeletal injuries in speed skaters. Setting N/A. Participants Doctors and specialised physiotherapists in sports medicine involved with elite level speed skaters. Assessment of risk factors/methods A qualitative study aimed to initiate the first steps of the TRIPP framework: injury surveillance, aetiology and mechanisms of injury and development of preventative measures. A review for epidemiological studies in speed skaters was conducted. Musculoskeletal injuries and related factors were further explored by interview and expert survey. Measurements Literature review for epidemiological studies, interview and survey. Results Four epidemiological studies reported on musculoskeletal injury prevalence (one season) between 24 to 60%. The expert survey (n=5, mean experience in sport=10.4 years) identified the lower back (100%), gluteal/pelvic area (80%) and the hip/groin, knee and lower leg (60%) as most commonly injured. The specific speed skating position and technique, kinetic chain instability, reduced joint mobility and falls were identified as risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries. Based on these results, an injury registration system, logbook, physical tests screening battery were created for pilot testing. Conclusions This study described the first steps towards injury prevention using the TRIPP framework. Limitations are the small scale study and work at preliminary stages. However, there is underreporting of injuries in speed skaters and potential underestimation of the problem. Future research continues to focus on injury surveillance, aetiology and mechanisms of injury and development of preventative measures.


Abstract A probabilistic model is applied to cross-sectional data to identify determinants of post-restructure performance of Federal Land Bank loans. The results indicate that restructured loans were sensitive to factors that determine the debt repayment burden and the repayment ability of the restructured farm operations. Loan performance is found to be relatively more sensitive to the levels of the post-restructure interest rate and cash farm income than to the financial structure and leverage position of the restructured farm. The relationships between the post-restructure interest rate, cash farm income level, and the probability of loan performance are illustrated.


The industrial automation control technology is comprehensive technology, mainly including industrial automation hardware, software and systems which reaches inspect, control and optimization, scheduling, management and decision-making, and increases yield and improve quality, reduce cost, to ensure safety. Industrial automation control technology as the most important technology in modern manufacturing in 20th century, which mainly solve the problem of production efficiency and consistency. Although automation system itself is not directly creating benefit of enterprise production, but it has obvious effect of ascension process. Our industrial automation control development road, mostly in the introduction of complete sets of equipment, and at the same time the digestion and absorption of second development and application. Currently our industrial automation control technology, industry and applications have developed greatly in industrial computer system, has been formed. At present, industrial automation control technology is intelligent, network integration and development direction


The two controlled inoculation procedures of simultaneous and sequential fermentations with Saccharomyces Cerevisiae DJ02 and Lactobacliius acidophilus WS were studied in pear wine. The sugar consumption and ethanol product were delayed in the course of simultaneous fermentation contrary to the single fermentation. However in the sequential fermentation the effect was less than the simultaneous fermentation. In this work the function of malic acid degradation in the sequential fermentation was better than the simultaneous fermentation. The pH value of the pear wine came to 3.9 after the sequential fermentation. The change tendency of the yeast population after adding Lactobacliius acidophilus WS was similar to the yeast single fermentation in the simultaneous and sequential fermentation. But the cell population was went down in the course of the fermentation. The population of Lactobacliius acidophilus WS in the course of the two kinds of fermentation methods showed no significantly differences.


In this article of 1995, which had been translated into Russian already in 2013, the German Historian Stefan Troebst studied the question of the « breakthrough of the modern age » in Russia, usually attributed to tsar Peter I « the Great », suspecting that the new Era had in fact begun earlier, in the XVIIth century. After a theoretical reflexion about periodization in history, and its application to the history of Russia, he demonstrates that the « threshold year » takes place in 1667, examining this theory from different points of view: state and institutions, international relations, economical policy, religion, culture and fine arts. But this modernization has also caused violent revolts and oppositions during the reign of tsar Alexis Mikhailovitch.


New seismic reflection data in the eastern Atlantic have enabled two large-scale dipping reflectors imaged within Mesozoic ocean crust to be mapped in three dimensions and placed in their sea-floor-spreading context. One of the reflectors dips to the west and extends from a step in the igneous basement to the Moho. The other reflector dips to the east and extends between 4 and 10 km below basement. Both reflectors are oriented approximately parallel to isochrons, lie just north of a 5-km-offset, third-order discontinuity, are planar in cross section, and dip at ∼30°. We interpret both these reflectors as lithospheric-scale faults formed within the median valley at the axis. We suggest that the lower part of the eastward-dipping fault was "captured" from the North American plate, possibly by rapid propagation of an active volcanic rift across the discontinuity.


Background COVID-19 has accelerated remote healthcare provision in primary care, with changes potentially permanent. The implementation of remote provision of health care needs to be informed by vulnerable populations, such as people living with dementia. Aim To understand the remote healthcare experiences of patients living with dementia and their family carers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and setting Qualitative interviews with community-based patients living with dementia and their carers were carried out between May–August 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing in England. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted remotely by telephone or video call with 30 patients living with dementia and 31 carers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Three main themes were derived relating to: proactive care at the onset of COVID-19 restrictions; avoidance of healthcare settings and services; and difficulties with remote healthcare encounters. People living with dementia and their carers felt check-up calls were reassuring but limited in scope and content. Some avoided healthcare services, wishing to minimise COVID-19 risk or reduce NHS burden, or encountering technological barriers. Difficulties in remote consultations included lack of prompts to remember problems, dealing with new emerging difficulties, rescheduling/missed calls, and inclusion of the voice of the person with dementia. Conclusion While remote consultations could be effective, proactive calls could be more structured around needs. Consideration should be given to replace non-verbal prompts to describe problems, particularly for new health concerns. In continuing remote consultations, it is important to facilitate engagement with patients living with dementia and their carers to ensure good practice.


The paper presents a novel approach for aligning a pair of sparse point sets under the assumption that their disparity is mainly explained by an affine transformation. The basic idea is to decompose the affine transformation matrix into a product of three matrices that can be estimated separately. Two matrices are obtained using Cholesky factorization of the sample covariance matrices, and the remaining matrix using the third order central moments of the point sets. The method is computationally efficient, and the experimental results with real images indicate that the proposed approach can give a good accuracy for alignment. However, only a small amount of clutter can be tolerated. In a general situation, it necessary to apply some preprocessing to segment the objects before applying the algorithm.


The financial section of a business plan is as important as it is difficult to present clearly and convincingly. Learn how to make your financial projections ambitious enough to attract investors, but also conservative enough to be plausible. Take away points: show financial potential of the venture, financials must be attractive, financials must be credible.


In this volume, the 3rd issue of the Proceedings of the 24th IVR World Congress, the reader will find a selection of papers on the general theme of "The Philosophy of Precedent". The foundations, legal nature, structure, strength and uses of the case law were vividly debated at two special workshops dedicated to the study of legal precedent by a large number of scholars from around the world. The attention that the theme received at the congress indicates a trend of growing interest on the topic of precedent among legal philosophers, legal theorists and practitioners from all of the legal families and traditions, including those of the so-called Civil Law Systems. Taking into consideration this movement towards the universality of precedent-based reasoning in legal discourses, the essays comprised in this volume provide an account of legal precedent which explains the connections between theoretical issues on the nature of precedent and practical queries over its foundations, structure, strength and uses in contemporary legal systems.


Abstract Background Pain affects 60% of the autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) population. Despite being an early and debilitating symptom, it is poorly characterized and management is suboptimal. This study aimed to develop an ADPKD-specific pain assessment tool (APAT) to facilitate pain research. Methods Following a systematic review of PATs used in ADPKD studies and against international recommendations for pain trials, our multi-disciplinary team of clinical experts and patients constructed an ADPKD-pain conceptual framework of key pain evaluation themes. We compiled a new APAT covering domains prioritized within our framework using components of questionnaires validated in other chronic pain disorders. The APAT was administered longitudinally within a randomized high-water intake trial (NCT02933268) to ascertain feasibility and provide pilot data on ADPKD pain. Results Thirty-nine ADPKD participants with chronic kidney disease Stages 1–4 provided 129 APAT responses. Each participant completed a median of 3 (range 1–10) assessments. Respondents' mean ± standard deviation age was 47 ± 13 years; 59% (23) were female; and 69% (27) had enlarged kidneys with median time from diagnosis 14.2 (interquartile range 7.0–25.9) years. Pain (52%) and associated analgesic use (29%) were common. Pain severity was associated with increasing age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.07, P = 0.009], female gender (OR = 4.34, P = 0.018), estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (OR = 5.45, P = 0.021) and hypertension (OR = 12.11, P = 0.007), but not with kidney size (P = 0.23). The APAT achieved good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.91) and test–retest reliability (domain intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.62 to 0.90). Conclusions The APAT demonstrated good acceptability and reliability, and following further validation in a larger cohort could represent an invaluable tool for future ADPKD pain studies.


Within the strengthening techniques of masonry elements with Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) materials, the use of FRP grid applied with cement based mortar seems to be very promising and interesting, mainly due to the compatibility of the mortar with the masonry supports. A consolidate literature about the effectiveness of such a technique is still lacking regarding experimental results, theoretical studies and code indications. In this paper, the experimental results of shear tests (under a constant vertical load and cyclic horizontal actions) on masonry panels made of adobe blocks and externally strengthened with FRP grids applied with a cement-based mortar are briefly summarized. The attention is mainly focused on the discussion of the outcomes of several numerical analyses developed by a 2D Finite Element (FE) model. The analyses have been carried out in order to examine the effect of some mechanical parameters of the masonry on the non-linear behavior of the tested panels and to assess their values for best fitting the experimental results. Additional parametric analyses have been also carried out in order to verify the effectiveness of the external reinforcement in terms of strength, stiffness and ductility increase compared to the unstrengthened panel as some geometrical and mechanical parameters change.


The paper is devoted to the life of faithful Orthodox believers in the Soviet Russia. Whereas the majority of similar works are focused on the relations between the state and the church, the paper is aimed at outlining the way of life of ordinary believers in the 1930s by taking the Kazan diocese as an example. Various sources of information, including archive data, the 1930s local media, the researches of regional and national historians, were used in the study. The research embraces the period between 1929 and 1940. The author analyzes the life of priests' families, including persecutions from the state for belonging to clergy (expulsion from educational institutions, difficulties in entering schools and in getting employment or access to collective goods). The author pays attention to urban believers' life, focusing attention on negative attitude to religion in general and to believers specifically (for instance, the idea of closing Christian churches with the following demolishing of buildings was a widespread question of the meetings at plants and factories). The paper also examines rural believers' life and distinguishes two groups of believers: migrants to cities (who were restricted in expressing their religious position) and those who stayed in the villages, felt more freedom in expressing their religious position and could face the legal power in an open conflict. Special attention is paid to the fact that under the Soviet power religious life was expelled from official life and restricted to domestic rites. Only in the rural areas was it possible to defend religious views in numerous groups (for instance, 200 people left the collective farm as a protest against shutting down the local temple, whereas in the cities such a protest could be expressed only by single believers). The author concludes that the Soviet policy affected religious aspect of life of all social groups; the Marxist-Leninist philosophy was incompatible with religious way of life; such incompatibility resulted in the persecutions and repressions of the believers; religious life went into deep hiding and was mostly restricted to domestic rites.


This paper is written in response to an invitation after having had some discussions with the organizer, Dr Michael Fitzgerald. We had been discussing our reactions to all of the papers presented. I had been somewhat dismayed by the "lack of educational knowledge" displayed. Reflection revealed that this was not surprising given that so few had undertaken any advanced training in education. Many were scientists and experts in their fields of astronomy, technology or robotics. Consequently, I cover some key topics that I consider to be important in this domain. These include: the message systems of curriculum, pedagogy and evaluation in education; how these are typically operationalized; and, with this operationalization, how we encounter the problems made manifest during the conference. I offer some suggestions on how to overcome these.


Object-recognition memory has been assessed in rats using the delayed non-matching-to-sample (DNMS) task and the novel-object preference (NOP) test. The DNMS task provides an accurate measure of rats' object-recognition abilities, however, the conventional procedures are not practical because rats require extensive training to reach peak performance and object-recognition memory can only be assessed using retention intervals of up to a few minutes. The NOP test does not require rats to be trained in advance, and for this reason it has become widely popular as a test of object-recognition memory. Recent findings, however, question the internal validity of the NOP test, namely its assumption that the strength of novelty preference corresponds directly to the strength of the memory for an object. The goal of the present study was to develop a new test of object-recognition memory. The new method incorporates the appetitive-reward and explicit choice aspects of the DNMS task and it employs a circular-track apparatus that has been previously used in a modified NOP test. Rats' performance on the new task was similar to the levels of accuracy reported on conventional DNMS tasks but were achieved in far fewer trials than conventional DNMS tasks. When the delay was increased, performance decreased slightly but remained significantly above chance. Additionally, we compared rats' performance on the new task to their scores on the NOP test and did not find a consistent linear relationship. The results from this new task confirm its utility as a test of object-recognition memory in rats, while challenging the assumption that the strength of novelty preference on the NOP test corresponds to the strength of memory for an object.


Although experts sense a big future for virtual worlds (VWs) in the workplace scenario, their use in the business world is still in a nascent stage. A key challenge for organizations is to motivate users for utilizing VW for workplace related tasks. This research investigates the behavioral intention (BI) to use VW as a workplace 'collaboration tool'. The model, grounded in literature on 'motivations' and 'task success characteristics', not only examines the direct effects of 'utilitarian' and 'hedonic' factors on VW usage intentions but also the moderating role of 'familiarity' and 'control'. Results suggest a salient role of 'utilitarian' as compared to 'hedonic' factors and demonstrate the importance of considering the moderating effects of 'familiarity' and 'control' in determining the intention to use VW for collaborations. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.


Abstract A series of Zn– Al-based alloys, one group with 1% Cu and the other without Cu, was produced by using gravity casting. The effect of Al content on hardness, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), impact strength, and tensile creep behaviour at 120 °C and an applied stress of 40 MPa has been investigated. It has been found that the hardness and UTS of the alloys considerably increased with increasing Al content, but the creep strength decreased. The impact strength of the alloys improved with increasing Al content up to 7.5% and then reduced gradually with further increase in Al content. In addition, the effect of 1% Cu addition on the mentioned properties has been determined. While the addition of 1% Cu had a profound effect on increasing the hardness, UTS, and creep strength, it did not have a significant effect on the impact strength of the alloys. Metallographic examinations showed that an increasing Al content of the alloys increased the volume fraction of the Al-rich β dendrites in expense of a decreased volume fraction of the eutectic, which is in principle responsible for the change in mechanical properties of the alloys depending on the Al content


Submersible dives on 22 active submarine volcanoes on the Mariana and Tonga-Kermadec arcs have discovered systems on six of these volcanoes that, in addition to discharging hot vent fluid, are also venting a separate CO2-rich phase either in the form of gas bubbles or liquid CO2 droplets. One of the most impressive is the Champagne vent site on NW Eifuku in the northern Mariana Arc, which is discharging cold droplets of liquid CO2 at an estimated rate of 23 mol CO2/s, about 0.1% of the global mid-ocean ridge (MOR) carbon flux. Three other Mariana Arc submarine volcanoes (NW Rota-1, Nikko, and Daikoku), and two volcanoes on the Tonga-Kermadec Arc (Giggenbach and Volcano-1) also have vent fields discharging CO2-rich gas bubbles. The vent fluids at these volcanoes have very high CO2 concentrations and elevated C/3He and δ 13C (CO2) ratios compared to MOR systems, indicating a contribution to the carbon flux from subducted marine carbonates and organic material. Analysis of the CO2 concentrations shows that most of the fluids are undersaturated with CO2. This deviation from equilibrium would not be expected for pressure release degassing of an ascending fluid saturated with CO2. Mechanisms to produce a separate CO2-rich gas phase at the seafloor require direct injection of magmatic CO2-rich gas. The ascending CO2-rich gas could then partially dissolve into seawater circulating within the volcano edifice without reaching equilibrium. Alternatively, an ascending high-temperature, CO2-rich aqueous fluid could boil to produce a CO2-rich gas phase and a CO2-depleted liquid. These findings indicate that carbon fluxes from submarine arcs may be higher than previously estimated, and that experiments to estimate carbon fluxes at submarine arc volcanoes are merited. Hydrothermal sites such as these with a separate gas phase are valuable natural laboratories for studying the effects of high CO2 concentrations on marine ecosystems.


AIM: To study the effect of growth medium content on antagonistic characteristics of "Pashkov" strain of B. pumilus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The following strains were used in the study: B. subtitlis 3H, B. subtitlis 534, B. subtitlis 1719, B. pumilus "Pashkov". Test strains from collection of Tarasevich State Institute for Standardization and Control of Medical Biological Preparations were used for determination of antagonistic activity. Growing of B. pumilus cultures on medium (No. 9, No. 5, VK-2, Spizeisen, and L-broth) was performed by periodic cultivation during 72 h in conditions of continuous aeration at 37 degrees C. Inhibiting effect of obtained samples was assessed on growth kinetics of test strains using microbiological analyzer with plan-table photometer "BIOSCREEN/iEMS--reader MF" (LabMetod, Finland). RESULTS: Expressed antagonistic characteristics were revealed during cultivation on media No. 9 and No. 5 with maximal expression on day 3. Addition of lactose to medium No. 9 resulted in increase of bacteriostatic effect (BSE) against both individual strains and all test strains--up to 16% in average. Selection of optimal concentrations of different components allowed to develop a new growth medium which provides maximal antagonistic activity in studied strain of B. pumilus. CONCLUSION: Effect of growth medium content on antagonistic characteristics against pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria was confirmed on the example of cultivation of spore-forming strain "Pashkov" of B. pumilus. Optimization of carbohydrate, salt and other components of growth medium allowed to increase up to 100% the BSE of "Pashkov" strain of B. pumilus against both individual and all test strains. This study opens perspectives for generation of compounds with directional probiotic effect.


Abstract Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) contribute to human well‐being via health and economic benefits. Nepal has recorded 2331 species of MAPs, of which around 300 species are currently under trade. Wild harvested MAPs in Nepal are under increasing pressure from overexploitation for trade and the effects of climate change and development. Despite some localized studies to examine the impact of climate change on MAPs, a consolidated understanding is lacking on how the distribution of major traded species of MAPs will change with future climate change. This study identifies the potential distribution of 29 species of MAPs in Nepal under current and future climate using an ensemble modeling and hotspot approach. Future climate change will reduce climatically suitable areas of two‐third of the studied species and decrease climatically suitable hotspots across elevation, physiography, ecoregions, federal states, and protected areas in Nepal. Reduction in climatically suitable areas for MAPs might have serious consequences for the livelihood of people that depend on the collection and trade of MAPs as well as Nepal's national economy. Therefore, it is imperative to consider the threats that future climate change may have on distribution of MAPs while designing protected areas and devising environmental conservation and climate adaptation policies.


It is recognized that developing valid animal models is essential for the
research on the neurobiological mechanisms of (and treatments for) psychiatric
disorders, even when these are as complex as schizophrenia. To be considered a
valid analogue of the disorder, a given model should present good face validity
(i.e. similarity of symptoms), good
predictive validity (i.e. similarity
of treatment effects and potential for discovering novel treatments) and enough
construct validity (i.e. the model
should help discover neurobiological mechanisms underlying the disorder or some
relevant symptoms). The complexity of symptoms (positive, negative and
cognitive) of schizophrenia makes it a very difficult task for a model to mimic
all the main features of the disorder, but some rodent (mouse and rat) models
have behavioural and even neurobiological phenotype characteristics resembling
positive-like symptoms, cognitive symptoms and some neurochemical features of
schizophrenia. As several recent works have already reviewed the main
behavioural and developmental models, as well as the most used drug-induced,
lesion-induced and genetic mouse models, the present review focuses on
describing the most relevant genetically-based rat models of schizophrenia-relevant
symptoms. Thus, we discuss several selective breeding programs leading to rat
lines/strains which present impaired prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic
startle response and (in some cases) latent inhibition deficits (both of which
may be considered as endophenotypes of
schizophrenia related with pre-attentive processes and attention, respectively),
as well as other schizophrenia-relevant symptoms (e.g. learning deficits).
Evidence is presented for the effects of genetic background on PPI (and other
symptoms/phenotypes), as well as for environmental influences on genetic
predisposition to enhanced apomorphine (mixed dopamine receptor agonist)
effects. Some of the described rat models appear to present face validity and,
to a certain extent, construct validity. While efforts should be made to
evaluate the predictive validity of these genetic rat models, we propose that
they have the advantage (over mouse knockouts, for example) of better
representing "normal" genetic, neurobiological and phenotype variation, thus
allowing the study of associations among them by means of genetic mapping or
gene expression studies.


To facilitate true regeneration, a vascular graft should direct the evolution of a neovessel to obtain the function of a native vessel. For this, scaffolds have to permit the formation of an intraluminal endothelial cell monolayer, mimicking the tunica intima. In addition, when attempting to mimic a tunica media‐like outer layer, the stacking and orientation of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) should be recapitulated. An integral scaffold design that facilitates this has so far remained a challenge. A hybrid fabrication approach is introduced by combining solution electrospinning and melt electrowriting. This allows a tissue‐structure mimetic, hierarchically bilayered tubular scaffold, comprising an inner layer of randomly oriented dense fiber mesh and an outer layer of microfibers with controlled orientation. The scaffold supports the organization of a continuous luminal endothelial monolayer and oriented layers of vSM‐like cells in the media, thus facilitating control over specific and tissue‐mimetic cellular differentiation and support of the phenotypic morphology in the respective layers. Neither soluble factors nor a surface bioactivation of the scaffold is needed with this approach, demonstrating that heterotypic scaffold design can direct physiological tissue‐like cell organization and differentiation.


Plastic debris is widespread in the environment, but information on the effects of microplastics on terrestrial fauna is completely lacking. Here, we studied the survival and fitness of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) exposed to microplastics (Polyethylene, <150 μm) in litter at concentrations of 7, 28, 45, and 60% dry weight, percentages that, after bioturbation, translate to 0.2 to 1.2% in bulk soil. Mortality after 60 days was higher at 28, 45, and 60% of microplastics in the litter than at 7% w/w and in the control (0%). Growth rate was significantly reduced at 28, 45, and 60% w/w microplastics, compared to the 7% and control treatments. Due to the digestion of ingested organic matter, microplastic was concentrated in cast, especially at the lowest dose (i.e., 7% in litter) because that dose had the highest proportion of digestible organic matter. Whereas 50 percent of the microplastics had a size of <50 μm in the original litter, 90 percent of the microplastics in the casts was <50 μm in all treatments, which suggests size-selective egestion by the earthworms. These concentration-transport and size-selection mechanisms may have important implications for fate and risk of microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems.


Description: Oral Exams: Preparing For and Passing Candidacy, Qualifying, and Graduate Defenses provides guidance on how to prepare for oral comprehensive and viva voce exams. Topics discussed include the supervisory committee, preparing the seminar, arranging content, mental preparation, question framing, and the types of questions to expect. At its core, the book prepares students to be the best they can be by offering insights into how to interpret and appropriately respond to explicit and implied oral comps questions. This book benefits faculty by helping them prepare new questions, also providing tips on how to mentor their students in preparation for exams. The training included can be used to prepare for intensive qualifying or certification exams, job interviews, and presentations.-Describes in detail the general format of oral comprehensive exams, viva voce examinations and defenses, what to expect, and what the requirements are that students need to fulfill to pass.-Includes appendices with numerous practice questions sourced from a range of disciplines and countries for individual or group learning-Useful for Early Career academics that are supervising, supporting, and examining PhD students


The ballistic projectile traveling underwater, generally, exhibits severe instability, even if the conventional gyro stability criteria are satisfied. Therefore GSRC has started the research project on supercavitating underwater ballistic projectile, to establish the design method for the simple supercavitating projectile, by gaining the understanding the physics of supercavitation, under the restriction of the compatibility with the conventional gun without special modification. The design method of the supercavitating underwater projectiles was proposed and examined the validity and limitations by the firing tests. The designed projectiles were tested in small scale firing trial into water tank, to validate design method and down select projectiles. The down selected supercavitating projectiles (nose shape, nose diameter and ogive shape) travelled straight down range through the water in firing trial.


The naphthoquinone and RuO2 hybrid graphene hydrogel (NQ–RuO2/SGH) composite, which can be a suitable positive electrode material of an asymmetric supercapacitor, is prepared via a two-step process. The RuO2/graphene hydrogel composite (RuO2/SGH) is first synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method by using oxidized graphite (GO) and RuCl3 as raw materials, and then, 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) molecules are adsorbed on the exposed graphene hydrogel surface of the RuO2/SGH composite via a π–π stacking interaction. The electrochemical tests show that the NQ–RuO2/SGH composite delivers a high specific capacitance (450.8 F g−1) even at a low RuO2 loading mass (14.6%), meanwhile, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is constructed by using NQ–RuO2/SGH as the positive electrode and a nitrogen-doped porous carbon material (MNC) as the negative electrode. The electrochemical measurements prove that the energy density of the ASC can reach up to 16.3 W h kg−1 in a 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte.


An important topic in computer vision is 3D object reconstruction from line drawings. Previous algorithms either deal with simple general objects or are limited to only manifolds (a subset of solids). In this paper, we propose a novel approach to 3D reconstruction of complex general objects, including manifolds, non-manifold solids, and nonsolids. Through developing some 3D object properties, we use the degree of freedom of objects to decompose a complex line drawing into multiple simpler line drawings that represent meaningful building blocks of a complex object. After 3D objects are reconstructed from the decomposed line drawings, they are merged to form a complex object from their touching faces, edges, and vertices. Our experiments show a number of reconstruction examples from both complex line drawings and images with line drawings superimposed. Comparisons are also given to indicate that our algorithm can deal with much more complex line drawings of general objects than previous algorithms.


Background/aim Carbapenem-resistantKlebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP) infections encountered in urology patients differentiate from infections caused by other factors, both in respect to prophylaxis and treatment stage, and require a special approach. We aimed to analyse the predisposing factors and the antibiotherapies for CR-KP infection outbreak in a tertiary urology clinic. Materials and methods There were 75 patients in the CR-KP positive group (Group I) and 146 patients in the CR-KP negative group (Group II). Analysis of the predisposing factors for CR-KP infection and comparison of the reinfection rate and the antibiotherapies in the 2 groups were the endpoints. Results In the first group, age, comorbidity, previous antibiotic use, and nephrostomy tube rates were higher (P = 0.015, P = 0.001, P = 0.004, and P < 0.001, respectively). In the second group, open urological surgery rate, and the proportion of patients presenting with flank pain, lower urinary tract symptoms, and haematuria were higher (P = 0.029, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.007). In the first group, the proportion of patients treated with transurethral bladder tumour resection was higher, whereas, percutaneous nephrolithotomy was higher in the second group (P = 0.045 for both). While hospitalization and Foley catheterization duration were longer in the first group (P < 0.001 for both), double J stent and nephrostomy duration were longer in the second group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005). Mean leukocyte count at admission was higher in the first group (P < 0.001). Conclusion Advanced age, comorbidities, previous antibiotic use, and prolonged Foley catheterization duration are predisposing factors for this infection in the urology department. Two-week administration of combination antibiotic regimens containing carbapenem were effective for the treatment of this infection.


Numerical simulation of several typical risk management strategies using pro forma financial statements from representative U.S. dairy cooperatives shows that combinations of forwards, swaps, and cash marketing strategies for output (cheese), along with various forward contracts offered to cooperative members to manage the variability of milk revenues, have the potential to improve cooperative‐, and ultimately member‐level risk‐return performance. Because most cooperatives have limited access to equity capital, effective use of available risk management tools can increase cooperative value by increasing debt capacity, avoiding bankruptcy costs, and preventing the distortion of capital budgeting decisions. Moreover, the offering of risk management tools to individual members as a service may prove valuable in the retention of these members in the cooperative.


This paper studies the effects of agglomeration economies on the location choices by foreign firms in Vietnam. By using a large dataset that provides detailed information about individual firms, the study examines the location choices by 568 newly created foreign firms in 2005 in about 150 different 4-digit industries. This is one of the few studies of agglomeration effects on the location choices by foreign investments in transition economies in general and in Vietnam in particular. The estimates of the negative binomial regression model and the conditional logit model show that agglomeration benefits motivate foreign firms in the same industries and from the same countries of origin to locate near each other. However, the empirical results also indicate that there is competition among provinces in Vietnam in attracting foreign investors, and the locations of Vietnamese firms have no effects on the location decisions by foreign firms in the same industry.


Abstract Experimental studies on guinea pigs of both sexes (n = 30). Experimental animals are awicea into equal groups oJ 10 animals: 1--the control group (intact animals), 2--the comparison group (modelling of gonarthrosis by crossing his own patellar ligament has been made, exposure 6 months), 3--the main group (animals with gonarthrosis treatment was carried out by performing lumbar procaine blockade (LPB) with an interval of 3-5 days three times). We establish that after a course of LPB in gonarthrosis marked increase in the density of the injected channel in the articular and periarticular structures, which reflects a growth in the microcirculation, and more intense accumulation in the basic substance of epiphyseal cartilage PAS (+) indicates the material to increase the level of proteoglycan in articular cartilage.


The term 'right aortic arch' (RAA) refers to a congenital abnormal position of the aortic arch, that is, to the right of the trachea, with or without an abnormal branching pattern, and is one of the least frequently prenatally diagnosed cardiac abnormalities1–3. The main clue for the detection of RAA in large population studies and small case series has been absence of the normal 'V'shaped confluence of the ductal and aortic arches (both to the left of the trachea) in the axial three vessels and trachea (3VT) view1–7, as a RAA and left ductus form an abnormal 'U'-shape. Reviewing papers that have evaluated the associated conditions and outcomes of the different types of RAA, its occurrence with a right ductus arteriosus (RDA) has been reported with severe cardiac anomalies (tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect, common arterial trunk)3,7,8 and high rates of 22q11 deletions7,9,10. We describe here a case of RAA with a RDA in which the heart was normal. This was easily recognizable in the 3VT view from the first trimester onwards, independent of the angle of insonation. Sonographic evaluations and image acquisitions were performed transabdominally using a Voluson 730 ultrasound machine (GE Medical Systems, Zipf, Austria). A 31-yearold low-risk pregnant woman, gravida 1 para 0, attended for first-trimester screening at our center. A cardiac transverse sweep showed an anatomically and functionally normal fetal heart, but a right-sided aortic arch and a V-shaped confluence with a patent RDA were observed on the 3VT view (Figure 1). Offline analysis by examiners experienced in fetal echocardiography resulted in similar conclusions. Invasive tests ruled out karyotype and 22q11 abnormalities. During the second and third trimesters normal views of the fetal heart were found on the standard axial approach (situs, area, axis, cardiac chambers, emergence of great vessels) (Figures 2a–c and Videoclip S1) and, in accordance with previous findings, an RAA and patent RDA were identified as a V-shaped


Despite the abundance of experimental results on the free motion of solid, liquid, and gaseous particles under various conditions, there is no successful systematization of a drag curve across all three phases. Empirical models offered in the past can be quite useful within the limits of a particular class. However, they lack the capability to explain differences in hydrodynamic behavior across all types from one generalized prospective. The ultimate goal of this study is to provide such a systematic description based on a complete set of non-dimensional parameters, using contemporary knowledge along with our experiments on free particle motion in a quiescent medium. As a result of experimental studies directed at this objective, instability in particle steady rectilinear motion was identified which was shown to correspond to a bifurcation in the drag curve. Significantly, the onset of this bifurcation did not in general coincide with the onset of vortex shedding around the particle. The particle/ medium density ratio appears to play an important role in the onset point and the characteristics of the non-rectilinear motion, though this parameter was not taken into account in most previous parametric studies. Within the fluid mechanics community, the fluid particle viscosity ratio is generally believed to play a negligible role in particle motion in contaminated media. However, as a damping factor, particle viscosity can be important for the onset of shape instability and shape oscillations. Based on our experimental results, along with previous experimental, analytical and numerical works of various authors, a systematic description of the particle drag is suggested.The fundamental results described above were applied to the specific problem of maintaining CO2 particles in a fixed viewing region in a countercurrent flow column for long term studies. Countercurrent flow with chosen velocity profiles and tapered column geometry were used to stabilize the buoyant particles in the laboratory frame while minimizing the deviation of the CO2 particle from the natural free rising (or sinking) motion in the ocean. Design optimization for the experimental unit, limitations of the stabilization process, and parameters affecting particle behavior are discussed.


With increasing size of sequence databases heuristic search approaches have become necessary. Hidden Markov models are the best performing search methods known today with respect to discriminative power, but are too time complex to be practical when searching in large sequence databases. In this report, heuristic algorithms that reduce the search space before searching with traditional search algorithms of hidden Markov models are presented and experimentally validated. The results of the validation show that the heuristic search algorithms will speed up the searches without decreasing their discriminative power.


Clinical Pain Management takes a practical, interdisciplinary approach to the assessment and management of pain. Concise template chapters serve as a quick reference to physicians, anesthetists and neurologists, as well as other specialists, generalists, and trainees managing pain. Based on the International Association for the Study of Pain's clinical curriculum on the topic, this reference provides to-the-point best-practice guidance in an easy-to-follow layout including tables, bullets, algorithms and guidelines.


OF DISSERTATION PRECARITY IN PARADISE: TOURISM, MIGRATION, AND THE BROADER CAUSES OF INSTABILITY IN ROATÁN, HONDURAS Since the 1990s, the population on the Honduran island of Roatán has grown from around 20,000 (mostly English-speaking Islanders) to roughly 100,000 residents (at least half of which are native Spanish-speaking Ladinos from the Honduran mainland) (Bay Islands Voice 2014b). This population growth has occurred alongside increasing forms of economic and environmental precarity that have fueled widespread instability on the island. While ethnic tensions between Ladinos and Islanders have existed since colonial times, conflict between the groups reached a crescendo in 2014 after the murder of a cruise ship employee in Roatán by a Ladino migrant. This sparked a security crisis for the island's idyllic tourism industry. In an effort to address growing security concerns, municipal authorities proposed a plan that included the installation of surveillance cameras in key population centers, use of 24-hour police patrols, and implementation of an identification program to track migration to the island. Authorities argued Ladino migrants were not only an ecological burden on the island, but also a major source of criminal activity, leading to the tourism industry's instability. Yet, while stakeholders of island tourism were quick to cite Ladino migration as a major source of precarity, my research shows its causes are much broader and more complex. I argue simply blaming population growth – without a nuanced analysis of emerging human-environment relationships – does little to explain the multifaceted causes of instability in Roatán's tourism industry. Drawing on twelve months of ethnographic research, I find the instability in Roatán's tourism industry is more fully explained through four overlapping crises playing out across Honduras for the majority poor, including: a lack of physical and political representation, struggles over land rights, social and economic immobilities, and disappearing childhood. I examine this precarity as part of wider trends in global capitalism (e.g. increased expulsions of people from their lands), but also as something inextricably local in nature (e.g. filtered through a Ladino threat narrative). My analysis contributes to broader conversations occurring in the field of anthropology about how to discern and make sense of the growing forms of precarity humans face. For example, Sassen (2014) argues pinpointing the causes of precarity, such as those shaping life in Roatán, has grown more challenging as complex constellations of power obscure direct causal relationships. Parsing out the complicated relationships between formations of power on the Honduran mainland and growing sources of precarity on Roatán is one way I add to this body of literature. My research also contributes to this issue through examinations of the everyday cultural productions of value, meaning, and hope that emerge through engagements with the tourism industry—and how they anchor people amidst the backdrop of escalating uncertainty.


An ABPBI [poly(2,5-benzimidazole)] membrane doped with phosphoric acid (PA) are promising electrolytes in high temperature fuel cells. In the present work, we employ Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize the effect of polymer chain length using a dimer to hectamer. Results from our MD simulations (dimer to decamer) show the following trends: the inter-chain and intra-chain interactions in membrane are unaffected with polymer chain length and temperature, though a significant increase with PA doping is observed. The radius of gyration linearly increases with polymer chain length and remains unchanged with PA doping and temperature. However, the end-to-end distance deviates from linearity with polymer chain length which suggests increasing coiling of the membrane. The diffusion coefficient of PA increases with PA doping and temperature, but remains constant with polymer chain length. The activation energy of diffusion of PA decreases significantly with an increase in polymer chain length at low PA doping, but remains unaffected at higher PA doping. A comparison of the structural and dynamical properties of a decamer and a hectamer shows that the decamer represents the optimum polymer chain length beyond which no significant change in properties is observed.


Background: Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist that has been used for sedation under spinal anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of age on sensitivity to dexmedetomidine sedation in adult patients scheduled for infra umbilical surgery under spinal anaesthesia to identify dexmedetomidine ED50 for adequate sedation among different age groups. Material & Method: In this study, 90 patients of ASA grade I and II, between 18-79 years of age scheduled for infra umbilical surgery under spinal anaesthesia were recruited and randomly allocated into three age groups (30 in each) young age group (18-40yrs), middle-age groups (41-60yrs) and elderly age group (61-79yrs). After a spinal anaesthesia loading dose of dexmedetomidine @ 1mcg/kg for the young and middle age group and 0.7mcg/kg for the elderly age group was administered over 15 minutes. Dixon's up-and-down method was used to determine the ED50 of the drug for adequate sedation. We assessed the depth of sedation with the Ramsay sedation scale and measured vital signs and oxygen saturation. Result: ED50 in the elderly group was lower than the other 2 groups (elderly: 0.66 ± 0.04; middle aged: 0.80 ± 0.07; young: 1.12 ± 0.06μg/kg; both P < .001). Bradycardia and Hypotension were more common in elderly patients. Conclusion: Elderly patients are more sensitive to dexmedetomidine sedation as compared to younger patients