ABSTRACT Helicobacter hepaticus expresses a member of the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) family of bacterial cytotoxins. To investigate the role of CDT in the pathogenesis of H. hepaticus, transposon mutagenesis was used to generate a series of isogenic mutants in and around the cdtABC gene cluster. An H. hepaticus transposon mutant with a disrupted cdtABC coding region no longer produced CDT activity. Conversely, a transposon insertion outside of the cluster did not affect the CDT activity. An examination of these mutants demonstrated that CDT represents the previously described granulating cytotoxin in H. hepaticus. Challenge of C57BL/6 interleukin 10−/− mice with isogenic H. hepaticus mutants revealed that CDT expression is not required for colonization of the murine gut. However, a CDT-negative H. hepaticus mutant had a significantly diminished capacity to induce lesions in this murine model of inflammatory bowel disease.


This paper investigates the relationship between efficiency and market structure for a sample of industrial facilities dispersed among the U.S. states. In order to measure the relevant efficiency scores, we use a data envelopment analysis allowing for the inclusion of desirable and undesirable (toxic chemical releases) outputs in the production function. In the next stage, we utilize the bootstrapped quantile regression methodology to uncover possible nonlinear relationships between efficiency and competition at the mean and at various quantiles before and after the global financial crisis (2002 and 2012). In this way, we impose no functional form constraints on parameter values over the conditional distribution of the dependent variable (efficiency). At the same time, we estimate at which part of its cumulative distribution function the efficiency is located and draw substantial conclusions about the range of policy measures obtained. The empirical findings indicate that the relationship between efficiency and market concentration did change in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. The empirical results survived robustness checks under the inclusion of an alternative market concentration indicator (CR8).


GRIM-19 (gene associated with retinoid-IFN-induced mortality 19), isolated as a cell death activator in a genetic screen used to define mechanisms involved in IFN-β- and retinoic acid-induced cell death, codes for a ≈16-kDa protein that induces apoptosis in a number of cell lines. Antisense ablation of GRIM-19 caused resistance to cell death induced by IFN plus retinoic acid and conferred a growth advantage to cells. To understand the molecular bases for its cell death regulatory activity, we used a yeast two-hybrid screen and identified that the transcription factor STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) binds to GRIM-19. GRIM-19 inhibits transcription driven by activation of STAT3, but not STAT1. It neither inhibits the ligand-induced activation of STAT3 nor blocks its ability to bind to DNA. Mutational analysis indicates that the transactivation domain of STAT3, especially residue S727, is required for GRIM-19 binding. Because GRIM-19 does not bind significantly to other STATs, our studies identify a specific inhibitor of STAT3. Because constitutively active STAT3 up-regulates antiapoptotic genes to promote tumor survival, its inhibition by GRIM-19 also demonstrates an antioncogenic effect exerted by biological therapeutics.


This research studies the effect of corrosion on bond strength at the steel-concrete interface in a reinforced concrete member. Bond stress, which can be defined as the shear stress which develops along the lateral surface of the bar, is expressed as a function of contact pressure at the steel-concrete interface. An analytical model of bond which describes the contact pressure between the reinforcing bar and concrete in a reinforced concrete member is developed. The expression for the reduction in contact pressure due to the accumulation of corrosion products is then developed using the model developed for the uncorroded reinforcing steel bar. The developed analytical model was implemented in a finite element analysis, which was conducted using ABAQUS, of pull-out specimens conducted by Amleh (2000). A reasonable good agreement between the experimental and finite element analysis results was obtained.


The immigration laws of the United States have long recognized a policy against deporting a person who seeks refuge in the United States, when it appears that person would be subject to persecution following deportation. The Immigration Act of 1952 permitted the Immigration and Naturalization Service to withhold the deportation of any person who could show that he would suffer persecution in the nation to which he would be deported. A similar provision is contained in the UN Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. The INS and the courts, having ruled that "no real conflict" existed between the Protocol and the Immigration Act, continued to adhere to to the latter without ever examining the significance of fundamental discrepancies. PERSECUTION ABROAD AS GROUNDS FOR WITHHOLDING DEPORTATION: THE STANDARD OF PROOF AND THE ROLE OF THE COURTS


Tensile tests were conducted on poly (AAc-co-AAm) hydrogel sensitive to variations in environmental pH and ionic strength. Mechanical properties (Young's modulus) were determined at different levels of swelling equilibrium. The results show that there are great shift in the modulus number between the swollen and unswollen states, corresponding to the maximum, the Young's modulus data in the pH7 buffers is a decrease of 80%. The Poisson's ratio of the samples tested in the pH2 with 1.0M ionic strength solution is nearly 0.5, which implying its incompressibility. Analyzing its inner structure, the reason may be the high polymer chains entangled highly, they can resist the deformation. The further investigations of SEM micrographs prove our suggestions about the microstructure change.


Fish biodiversity is associated with deserts around the globe. Freshwater fishes have suffered from the resultant altered flow regime, together with other threats including habitat degradation and alien species. Impacts reached a critical point during prolonged droughts that lead to broad-scale habitat loss and drying of refuges during, and urgent conservation measures were subsequently instigated for threatened small-bodied fish species. The present paper aims to document the actions undertaken in the desert hatchery of Western Rajasthan by induced breeding exercises on common carp, rohu and mrigal using ovaprim hormone that will help guide and inform management responses for conservation of  threatened fishes in modified systems subjected to severe water decline


In this landmark volume of contemporary communication theory, Ronald C. Arnett applies the metaphor of dialogic confession - which enables historical moments to be addressed from a confessed standpoint and through a communicative lens - to the works of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who pointed to an era of postmodern difference with his notion of "a world come of age." Arnett's interpretations of Bonhoeffer's life and scholarship in contention with Nazi dominance offer implications for a dialogic confession that engages the complexity of postmodern narrative contention. Rooted in classical theory, the field of communication ethics is abstract and arguably outmoded. In Dialogic Confession: Bonhoeffer's Rhetoric of Responsibility, Arnett locates cross-cultural and comparative anchors that not only bring legitimacy and relevance to the field but also develop a conceptual framework that will advance and inspire future scholarship.


Keyhole excavation undertaken at Maiden Castle as part of a wider study into Aberdeenshire hillforts, revealed two new Pictish site-types: a small thick walled stone enclosure (c20m internal diameter) and a surrounding double bank and ditch system. Artefact and radiometric dating places the site sequence within the second half of the first millennium AD. In addition, evidence was recovered for non-ferrous metal-working and putative rectilinear buildings. These findings are discussed in terms of the existing picture of Pictish Aberdeenshire.


In this paper, the added worker effect is interpreted as a response to uncertain returns to labour supply offers by members of a household. A model of household labour supply is developed In which each member's current labour force status affects the job search and participation decisions of the other and thus the probabilities of observed transitions between the states of employment, unemployment, and non-participation. The determinants of actual household transitions are then investigated using continuous employment histories for a sample of low-income families. Simulations using the estimated transition functions show that increased unemployment among married men has a sizeable short-run effect on both participation and employment of married women.


Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is the commonest presenting symptom in gynaecology outpatient department. Endometrial sampling could be effectively used as a first diagnostic step in AUB, although at times, its interpretation could be quite challenging to the practicing obstetrician. This study was done to evaluate histopathology of endometrium for identifying endometrial causes of AUB. We observed the incidence of various pathology in different age groups presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding & with respect to it were offered pharmacological management. Methods: This was a study done at S B K S Medical Institute & Research Centre, Vadodara, India on 155 patients who presented with AUB from February 2010-2012, these were the cases of isolated endometrial pathology diagnosed on histopathology were selected for analyses. A statistical analysis between age of presentation and specific endometrial causes was done using chi square test. Results: The most common age group presenting with AUB was 3040 yrs. The commonest pattern in these patients was normal cycling endometrium (32.65%).The commonest pathology irrespective of the age group was disordered proliferative endometrium (33.33%). Other causes identified were pregnancy associated conditions (0.08%), benign endometrial polyp (10.78%), endometrial hyperplasia without atypia (0.05%), chronic endometritis (0.03%), endometrial hyperplasia with atypia (0.04%). Endometrial causes of AUB and age pattern was statistically significant with p value < 0.05. Conclusions: There is an age specific association of endometrial lesions. In perimenopausal women AUB is most commonly dysfunctional in origin and in reproductive age group, one should rule out pregnancy associated conditions. The incidence of disordered proliferative pattern was significantly high in this study, suggesting an early presentation of these patients & procuring success with pharmacological management.


Seeding heuristics are the most widely used strategies to speed up sequence alignment in bioinformatics. Such strategies are most successful if they are calibrated, so that the speed-versus-accuracy trade-off can be properly tuned. In the widely used case of read mapping, it has been so far impossible to predict the success rate of competing seeding strategies for lack of a theoretical framework. Here I present an approach to estimate such quantities based on the theory of analytic combinatorics. In a nutshell, the strategy is to specify a combinatorial construction of reads where the seeding heuristic fails, translate this specification into a generating function using formal rules, and finally extract the probabilities of interest from the singularities of the generating function. I use this approach to construct simple estimators of the success rate of the seeding heuristic under different types of sequencing errors. I also show how the analytic combinatorics strategy can be used to compute the associated type I and type II error rates (mapping the read to the wrong location, or being unable to map the read). Finally, I show how analytic combinatorics can be used to estimate average quantities such as the expected number of errors in reads where the seeding heuristic fails. Overall, this work introduces a theoretical and practical framework to find the success rate of seeding heuristics and related problems in bioinformatics.


We consider the consequences of radiative heating for the storage of magnetic flux in the overshoot region at the bottom of the solar convection zone. In the first part of the paper, we study the evolution of axisymmetric flux tubes (flux rings), which are initially in neutrally buoyant mechanical equilibrium. Radiative heating leads to a slow upward drift of the flux ring with a velocity depending on the degree of subadiabaticity of the stratification. Maintaining the flux tubes within the overshoot region for time intervals comparable with the solar cycle period requires a strongly subadiabatic stratification with $\delta=\nabla-\nabla_{\rm{ad}}< -10^{-4}$, which is not predicted by most current overshoot models (e.g., Skaley & Stix 1991; van Ballegooijen 1982; Schmitt et al. 1984). The drag force exerted by equatorward flow due to meridional circulation permits states of mechanical and thermal equilibrium in the overshoot region, but these apply only to very thin magnetic flux tubes containing less than $1\%$ of the flux of a large sunspot. In the second part, we consider the influence of radiative heating (and cooling) on magnetic flux stored in the form of a magnetic layer. In contrast to the case of isolated flux tubes, the suppression of the convective energy transport within the magnetic layer affects the overall stratification of the overshoot region. In the case of a quenching of the convective heat conductivity by a factor of the order 100, the overshoot layer receives a net cooling leading to a stronger subadiabaticity, so that values of $\delta< -10^{-4}$ are reached. The stabilization of the stratification relaxes the conditions for flux storage. Stronger quenching of the heat conductivity leads to larger temperature perturbations (of both signs) and to the destabilization of the upper part of the overshoot layer, with the likely consequence of rapid magnetic flux loss.


Inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS) and neutron activation analysis (NAA) techniques have been investigated as rapid, alternative methods for the analysis of 237 Np and other long-lived actinides in environmental matrices. By comparison to the more routine a-spectrometric method, equivalent, if not improved, detection limits for ICP-MS and NAA have been found. Radiochemical separation and pre-concentration are required for all the methods studied. In this work, anion exchange and TTA solvent extraction of Np IV from hydrochloric acid media were used to separate Np from potential interferences from the naturally occurring nuclides of uranium. The degree of interference was found to vary for each approach and was quite severe in the case of NAA. Analysis by ICP-MS tolerates a lower degree of chemical purification and results in a significant increase in sample throughput. The rapid, mass-scanning facilities of the instrument have allowed multiactinide determination on single samples and have provided important additional information concerning plutonium nuclides in environmental samples. In the absence of suitable certified reference materials, the accuracy and precision of the ICP-MS technique were determined by a series of laboratory intercomparison and replicate analyses. On this basis, the reported measurements of 237Np and plutonium nuclides were considered valid. The ICP-MS method developed here has been applied to the routine analysis of 237Np and plutonium nuclides in samples of soils and sediments from W. Cumbria, known to be contaminated by discharges from the BNFL fuel re-processing plant at Sellafield. Concentrations ranging from 3.16 to 0.004 Bq kg-1 237Np have been measured with excellent precision. Typically, an exponential decrease of 237Np activity with depth has been found in a number of soil profiles. The pattern is the same as that found for other anthropogenic nuclides in the profiles but, when the effect of profile density variation is considered, it appears that a component of the neptunium is present in a more mobile form and is responsible for a degree of smearing of its distribution down the soil profile. During the transfer of Sellafield-derived 237Np from the BNFL, through the marine environment to a number of terrestrial sampling locations in W. Cumbria, the activity ratios of 237Np to 239,240Pu, 241Am and 137Cs change in a manner which implies that there is a loss of neptunium from the solid phase. Detailed studies of the chemical association of neptunium in samples of silt and surface soil show that, compared to the other transuranic nuclides studied, a significant proportion of the element is associated with the more sensitive phases the exchangeable and adsorbed components, including carbonate. The organic matter and residual phases are nevertheless found to be significant and merit further study.


Abstract: This paper analyzes four controversies in the 19th century life sciences: the nature of fermentation, the nature of infectious diseases, the generation of life from inanimate matter, and vitalism. All these controversies appear to concern chemical versus biological explanations, suggesting that reduction of biology to chemistry was the common underlying issue. My analysis rejects such interpretations, including the labels for explanation, and instead points out sophisticated forms of interdisciplinarity between chemistry, medicine, and biology in the first three debates. I argue that the philosophically favored perspective on reductionism, historically induced by a few physicians in the fourth debate, leads us astray from understanding interdisciplinary research.


This thesis examines the Women's International League (WIL) to explore the wider themes of feminism, pacifism and transnational activism during the Great War and the interwar years. WIL was formed in October 1915 as the British national section of what came to be known as the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The thesis interrogates the concept of feminist pacifism by analysing WIL's campaigns for peace, disarmament and international law alongside its pursuit of women's rights. The thesis also demonstrates the interplay between activism on the local, national and international stages. In chronological terms, the focus is on the first twenty years of WIL's activism: from the circumstances that led to its foundation in 1915 to the challenges faced in 1935 – a time when the political consensus within WILPF came under threat and when hopes that internationalism would secure peace began to fade.

The study comprises five chapters. The first explores the foundations of WIL and examines the methods it used to link its opposition to war to its feminist demands. The remaining chapters are thematic and cover the organisation's work during the interwar years. Chapter Two analyses WIL's campaigns for women's rights, including the nationality of married women and the debate over protective legislation. Chapter Three highlights the organisation's gendered approach to peace, including its campaigns for disarmament. Chapter Four investigates WIL's commitment to internationalism through an analysis of its organisational structure and its work at the transnational level. The final chapter examines how the organisation built and maintained a network of activists, exploring the shared interests between WIL and a range of other voluntary associations, including those working for peace, humanitarian relief, liberal internationalism and socialism.

This study firmly places WIL within British and international movements for peace and women's rights. Work by Leila Rupp, Marie Sandell and Karen Offen demonstrates the wealth of activism by and for women at the international level during the twentieth century. However, previous scholarship has not focussed on WIL in any depth. By offering a detailed analysis of this organisation, the thesis sheds light on a range of issues: the campaign for female citizenship and political participation; the connections between feminism and pacifism; the development of international organisations during the interwar years; and the nature of transnational women's activism.


In order to give students adequate counseling, it is important that indigenous counseling is integrated in school counseling. The blending of modern and indigenous counseling approaches appears to create a balanced guidance and counseling services in Tanzanian secondary schools and makes counseling more culturally relevant as it connects students to both the modern and indigenous context. The inclusion of indigenous counseling play a crucial role in addressing many of the challenges students encounter in school and which cannot be adequately addressed through modern counseling only. Since students are part of the family and community, before, during and after finishing their studies, it is important that school counseling should be relevant to the challenges that modern schooling posits and at the same time addresses issues that are more indigenous in nature. It is important that the Tanzanian government establish policies concerning school counseling that encompass both modern and indigenous approaches, and it is also very urgent that school counselors get adequate training in both approaches.


Public acceptability is at the heart of changing the energy system toward a more sustainable way of energy production and use. Without public acceptability and support for changes, a sustainable energy transition is unlikely to be viable. We argue that public acceptability is often addressed too late and should be incorporated into the planning process from the start. Moreover, engineers, policy makers, and project developers tend to misjudge the complexity and causes of public resistance, trying to find the magic bullet to "solve" the lack of public acceptability. Such attempts are likely to be ineffective, or even counterproductive, if they fail to address people's key concerns surrounding energy projects. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution: public acceptability is a dynamic process that depends on the context, the specific project at stake, and the parties involved.


We consider the problem of decoding block coded data, using a physical dynamical system. We sketch out a decompression algorithm for fractal block codes and then show how to implement a recurrent neural network using physically simple but highly-nonlinear, analog circuit models of neurons and synapses. The nonlinear system has many fixed points, but we have at our disposal a procedure to choose the parameters in such a way that only one solution, the desired solution, is stable. As a partial proof of the concept, we present experimental data from a small system a 16-neuron analog CMOS chip fabricated in a 2m analog p-well process. This chip operates in the subthreshold regime and, for each choice of parameters, converges to a unique stable state. Each state exhibits a qualitatively fractal shape.


Three-dimensional hierarchical flower-like Ni–Co layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanostructures composed of porous nanosheets were prepared from Ni–Co precursors under optimized preparation conditions towards applications in energy storage and adsorption. Ni–Co LDHs were formed via an olation reaction and subsequent growth to nanosheet structures. It is found that suitable Ni/Co ratios for precursors resulted in Ni–Co LDHs with a large specific surface area, porous structure and expanded interlayer spacing, which contributed to the improvement in performance for electrochemistry and anionic dye adsorption. In the case of a Ni/Co molar ratio of 1, the Ni–Co LDHs as a sorbent for removing anionic dyes (acid fuchsin and Congo red) in water revealed a high adsorption rate, large adsorption capacity and good recycling performance. Using a molar ratio of Ni/Co of 0.5, the specific capacitance of the as-prepared electrode reached 3168.3 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and a large capacitance retention of 90.5% after 3000 cycles at high current density. The Ni–Co LDHs possess enormous application potential as a multifunctional material for supercapacitors and dye adsorption.


This study aims to perform comparative analyses in modeling serrated chip morphologies using traditional finite element and smoothed particles hydrodynamics methods. Although finite element models are being employed in predicting machining performance variables for the last two decades, many drawbacks and limitations exist with the current finite element models. The problems like excessive mesh distortions, high numerical cost of adaptive meshing techniques, and need of geometric chip separation criteria hinder its practical implementation in metal cutting industries. In this study, a mesh free method, namely, smoothed particles hydrodynamics, is implemented for modeling serrated chip morphology while machining AISI H13 hardened tool steel. The smoothed particles hydrodynamics models are compared with the traditional finite element models, and it has been found that the smoothed particles hydrodynamics models have good capabilities in handling large distortions and do not need any geometric or mesh-based chip separation criterion.


Introduction. Breast augmentation with implants is a common cosmetic procedure. Some endoscopic thyroid procedures can pose a risk of damage to the augmented breast. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of transaxillary gasless endoscopic thyroidectomy in patients with augmented breast. Materials and Methods. Between January 2009 and December 2010, 120 patients underwent endoscopic thyroidectomies. Of those, 6 patients had previously undergone breast augmentation. Augmented breasts were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively in terms of shape and stability. Results. All patients were female, and the mean age was 40.8 years. All patients received breast augmentation with silicone cohesive gel 2 to 10 years prior to thyroidectomy. Postoperatively, the authors found that there were no changes to the breasts in terms of anterior–posterior projections and internal angles. The augmented breasts remained stable. Conclusions. Endoscopic thyroidectomy via a transaxillary approach is safe and effective for patients who have undergone silicone breast implant augmentation.


s The 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Disaster Medicine S l l Use of Landing Service and Parking Areas for Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Hideki Honda; Takahisa Kawashima; Nobuo Kaku Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan Objectives: To identify whether service areas (SA) and parking areas (PA) would be available for landing spots for Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) on the express highways of Kyusyu. Methods: The landing spots were evaluated in the SA and PA from the point of geographically capable of functioning as heliports, and of allowing helicopters to land. The space of landing spot was needed over 40m on each side. Results: Of the 26 SA, all except one were rated as conditionally capable. Of the 46 PA, five (10.9%) were rated "no problem"; five (10.9%) were rated "conditionally capable"; 21 (45.7%) as "conditionally difficult"; and 15 (32.6%) were "impossible". It was revealed that 26 (56.5%) could not be used in their present state. Some of PA are being repaired in regard to the landscape and the ability of drivers refresh themselves. Conclusion: A system of transport for emergency patients should be established on the express highways. It is necessary that PA be repaired so as to also to be able to serve as heliports for the HEMS.


Group interviewing provides useful insight into the social indicators of deception. The present study investigated turn-taking as a technique for enhancing novel cues to deceit. "Turn-taking" is a technique whereby the interviewer states which of the 2 interviewees is to answer the question, and then intervenes every 20 s by stopping whichever of the interviewees is responding and asking the other interviewee in the pair to continue from the point in which their partner was stopped. In the present experiment, truth tellers were real couples who had been in relationship for at least 1 year and cohabiting. Lying pairs were friends who pretended to be in a relationship for at least 1 year and cohabiting. All "couples" were interviewed together in their pairs about their real or fictitious relationship. It was found that when forced to turn-take, truth-telling pairs were significantly more able to continue on from one another, whereas lying pairs were significantly more likely to repeat what their partner last said before continuing. Additionally, lying pairs waited before speaking after being told to turn-take significantly more than truth-telling pairs. A subsequent lie detection study revealed that these 3 turn-taking cues improved people's ability to accurately detect deceit considerably. Implications for simultaneous interviewing are discussed.


The fundamental analysis in the first report was extended to calculate the unsteady flow induced by the interaction between impeller blades and diffuser vanes/volute casing in a diffuser pump. The unsteady flow in the diffuser vane passage, as well as the volute casing, is assumed to be induced by the five kinds of singularities-the bound vortices distributed on the impeller blades, diffuser vanes and volute casing wall, the sources at volute outlet, and the free vortices shed from the trailing edge of diffuser vanes. Calculated unsteady pressures agree with the corresponding experimental data. And the calculated results showed the effects of the flow rate, volute casing and the radial gaps between impeller blade trailing edge and diffuser vane leading edge on the magnitude of unsteady pressure downstream of impeller.


The main source for the disease is the leaf of the cotton plant. About 80 to 90 % of disease on the cotton plant is on its leaves. So for that our study of interest is the leaf of the cotton tree rather than whole cotton plant the cotton leaf is mainly suffered from diseases like fungus, foliar leaf spot of cotton, Alternaria leaf spot of cotton. The machine vision system now a day is normally consists of computer, digital camera and application software. We wanted to propose this project is to produce a working system that is capable of image retrieval through the use of content analysis and associated metadata in the form of supplied cotton leaf images. Existing system based on fuzzy feature selection approach using fuzzy curves (FC) and surface (FS). The reported accuracy in the literature is around 60%. We are using two approaches to image retrieval: Text-Based approach and Content-Based approach. Our approach is more effective and raises the accuracy rate to 80%.CBIR systems search collection of images based on features that can be extracted from the image Files themselves without manual descriptive. Our propose system will have android application for farmer which will allow farmer to take snapshot of cotton leaf and show the diagnosis.


For more than a century, conventional mineral oil/cellulose insulation is being used as main insulation for power transformers. The life span of these major assets is determined amongst others by the insulation system's mechanical resistance to withstand short circuit current forces. Since cellulose paper aging is accelerated by temperature, moisture and oxygen, poly-aramid-based synthetic insulation paper, with better thermal stability emerged for application in transformers. However the relatively limited number of studies on hybrid insulation and the cost of aramid paper still limit their use in distribution transformers. This contribution attempts to demonstrate that despite the high cost of aramid paper, hybrid insulation could be used in large power transformers which represent a significant financial investment. To do this, the quality of mineral oil aged with hybrid solid insulation and the thermal aging of the cellulose paper of this insulation are investigated. Comparison was made with traditional mineral oil impregnated cellulose paper to provide a benchmark for comparison. The samples underwent thermal accelerated aging procedure according to ASTM-D1934 standard and, furthermore, were submitted to local overheating. The condition of oil samples collected from each aging vessel was assessed using several diagnostic techniques, namely the relative amount of the Dissolved Decay Products (DDP), Turbidity, and Interfacial Tension (IFT). The Degree of Polymerisation (DPv) and Dissolved gas Analysis (DGA) were used to monitor the thermal aging of the cellulose paper samples. The results indicate that oil aged with hybrid solid insulation yield fewer decay products at some aging stages, especially after the application of a local overheating. The results also indicate that the cellulose paper within solid hybrid insulation is slightly less degraded compared to that of conventional insulation.


Inadequate health literacy among patients of chronic diseases may lead to inappropriate use of medicine, low adherence to medication and lack of functional social support. Objective: The present study was designed to assess performance of functional health literacy among hypertensive and diabetes type II patients in Pakistan. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. A pre-validated tool Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) was self-administered to a sample of 382 diabetic and hypertensive patients treated in public and private healthcare facilities in two cities of Pakistan. After data collection, data was cleaned coded and entered in SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive statistics comprising of frequency and percentages was calculated. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Walis (p ≥ 0.05) were performed to find out the difference among different variables. Results: The results of the present study showed poor functional health literacy among diabetic and hypertensive patients in Pakistan. The composite mean scores for functional support (2.54, ± 1.752) and adult literacy (1.76, ± 2.304) were low whereas readiness ruler was (6.86, ± 7.00) which indicated positive approach of the patients to change. Conclusion: The results of the present study concluded poor health literacy and inadequate perceived functional social support among diabetic and hypertensive patients in Pakistan. Healthcare providers should recognize inadequate health literacy and social support as foremost barriers to be addressed towards patient non-compliance.


Blanking process is continuously used in mass production of sheet metal parts. Part is cut between punch & die in a press tool by means of physical process called shearing operation. Research work is done to investigate the effect of quality parameters which are affecting the blanking operation & their interaction. This helps to select the process leading parameters for similar work piece manufactured from two different materials blanked with suitable quality. Finite element method & taguchi method approach are useful in order to achieve required objective of project. Combination of these two techniques provides good solution for the optimization of sheet metal blanking process. Study help to evaluate the influence of tool clearance, sheet material thickness & sheet material thus optimizing clearance which affect other blanking process parameters. Work also investigates that before manufacturing blanking die it is useful to do Finite element analysis to know the parameters effect & go for feasible & result oriented design. The result from Taguchi method & finite element method is then validated with physically design blanking die.


Previous research on lumbar spine osteophyte formation has focused on patterned development and the relation of age and sex to degeneration within the vertebral bodies. The inclusion of osteophytes originating on the laminae and body mass index (BMI) may result in a more complete evaluation. This study investigates lumbar osteophyte development on the laminae and vertebral bodies to determine whether osteophyte development: (i) is related bilaterally, at different lumbar levels, and superior and inferior margins; (ii) on the laminae and vertebral bodies are reciprocally dependent responses; (iii) is correlated with sex, age and/or BMI. Seventy‐six individuals (39 females, 37 males) were randomly selected from a modern skeletal collection (Bass Donated Collection). Osteophyte development was scored in eight regions on each vertebra at all five lumbar levels. A factor analysis considered all 40 scoring regions and Pearson's correlation analyses assessed the relatedness of age and BMI with the consequent factors. The factor analysis separated the variables into two similar factors for males and females defined as: (i) superior and inferior vertebral body scores and (ii) superior laminar scores at higher lumbar levels. The factor analysis also determined a third factor for females defined as: (iii) inferior laminar scores at lower lumbar levels. The severity of vertebral body osteophytes increased with age for both sexes. Additionally for females, as BMI increased, osteophyte severity increased for both the superior laminar margins higher in the column and the vertebral bodies. Dissimilarities between the factors in males and females and the correlation of BMI to osteophyte severity exclusively in females provide evidence for different biomechanical processes influencing osteophyte development.


Post-modern in its critique of language, contesting of binaries, and resistance to closure, Sembene's 1993 film Guelwaar, later made into the novel of the same name, calls for real political change, constituting a paradoxically post-modern work with postcolonial political intentions and goals. Despite the apparent contradiction of styles and worldviews, the coincidence of the post-modern and postcolonial implies, Sembene's film illustrates as critics across the globe have identified, that these opposing realities coexist, just as Jameson's (1986) Marxian analysis had identified the overlapping of economies and modes of representation. According to Cornis-Pope (2012), "what needs to be developed is a mediating consciousness that can compare, translate and interface cultures" (p. 144). In fact, paradox is a mode where the postcolonial and postmodern meet.  Sembene's use of paradox throughout the film recalls works of the period of the European Renaissance since, like it, postcolonial Africa represents a struggle with conflicting value systems and ideologies. Blending the legacies of West African and European traditions, literature, and orature, Sembene's film features irony as a strategy for representing the complex contemporary reality of his society and so undermines the polarity which some critics identify between postmodern and postcolonial sensitivities and goals.

 Key words: Sembene, post-modern, postcolonial, paradox.


CdO films have been deposited on glass substrates with different solution volume (30, 40 and 50 mL) at 200°C using perfume atomizers spray pyrolysis method. X-ray diffraction studies shows that the prepared thin film had cubic and polycrystalline nature. Scanning electron microscope shows the influence of solution volume on surface morphology of the CdO thin film. Optical studies show that in these films the electronic transition is of the direct transition type. The optical energy gap for the films of as deposited are vary from 2.12 to 2.00 eV with solution volume. Photoluminescence results analysis confirmed that the dependence of optical energy gap on solution volume. The Hall measurements were carried out and the results were discussed.


We present the design, simulation, fabrication, and characterization of an out-of-plane reconfiguration of terahertz (THz) U-shape metamaterial. The U-shape metamaterial is consisted of bilayer cantilevers with different coefficient of thermal expansion. The electromagnetic tunability of U-shape metamaterial is accomplished by using electrostatic actuation mechanism to provide higher tuning range at lower driving voltage. The bilayer cantilevers are actuated toward the substrate by gradually increasing the bias and, then, completely snapped down when the bias reached the critical pull-in voltage. Therefore, this device can control the resonant frequency actively. The experimental results indicate that the device possesses 0.51-THz tuning range with polarization dependence compared to dc bias of 0 and 12 V. Moreover, this device can be a THz switch when rotated to different angle with respect to the polarization of incident light. Hence, such adaptive metamaterial device offers significant potential in realizing the multifunctionality in optical filter, polarization controller, and optical switch applications.


Moldovan employers report that inadequate technical skills, poor work ethic, and lack of motivation among the workforce have a negative impact on the performance of their firms. Inadequate knowledge of foreign languages appears to be the most pressing problem for high-skilled occupations, while insufficient analytical and problem-solving skills as well as low willingness to learn new things are most cited skills gaps for middle-skilled workers. Two policy measures can help to address the skills gap. First, the education and training system can put more emphasis on the development of socio-behavioral skills in addition to occupation-specific skills. Second, better communication of employers' perspective on missing skills to students and jobseekers can lead to better informed education and career choices.


We consider propagating, spatially localized waves in a class of equations that contain variational and nonvariational terms. The dynamics of the waves is analyzed through a collective coordinate approach. Motivated by the variational approximation, we show that there is a natural choice of projection onto collective variables for reducing the governing (nonlinear) partial differential equation (PDE) to coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs). This projection produces ODEs whose solutions are exactly the stationary states of the effective Lagrangian that would be considered in applying the variational approximation method. We illustrate our approach by applying it to a modified Fisher equation for a traveling front, containing a non-constant-coefficient nonlinear term. We present numerical results that show that our proposed projection captures both the equilibria and the dynamics of the PDE much more closely than previously proposed projections.


The theoretical literature identifies three important entrepreneurial dimensions, namely discovering new opportunities, responsiveness to uncertainty, and coordination of a firm. In the empirical literature, past experience has been identified as having an important influence on organizational behavior. This literature, however, focuses predominantly on the impact of experience on new opportunities using a resource-based view and human capital perspective. In contrast, we draw upon the cognitive science literature to argue that past experience shapes an entrepreneur's cognitive frame, and, hence, influences entrepreneurship in a more holistic manner. We provide econometric evidence of the impact of past experience on all three entrepreneurial dimensions from the small scale Indian pharmaceutical enterprises.


A project is underway at The Pennsylvania State University to produce Steel Design Educational Module (SteelDEM) software. This intelligent tutor and teaching aid utilizes the state-of-the-art in interactive multimedia technology to enhance teaching/learning of design and development of steel structures. The software integrates full motion video, computer graphics, animations, text, and audio to allow users to investigate different structural steel members and their behavior, limit states, and design. An on line data base of structural steel shapes as well as the latest engineering design specifications and aids will be available to users at all times. SteelDEM will be developed based on the latest Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) of steel structures, adopted by the American Institute of Steel Construction. During development of the software, the SteelDEM project will evaluate the completed portions of the software and its effectiveness on students' learning and motivation through a number of mechanisms including testing and evaluation at several universities. SteelDEM is being developed for IBM and compatible personal computers and will be made available to educational institutions nationwide. Phase I of the project was supported by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), International Business Machines (IBM), National Science Foundation (NSF), and The Pennsylvania State University (PSU). As originally planned, this phase resulted in a partially completed software. Phase II of the project, currently under way, will result in the completion of the module by 1996 and is supported by Hybrid Information Technologies, a software development company.


Naturally occurring disease in pet dogs is an untapped and unique resource for stem cell‐based regenerative medicine translational research, given the many similarities and complexity such disease shares with their human counterparts. Canine‐specific regulators of somatic cell reprogramming and pluripotency maintenance are poorly understood. While retroviral delivery of the four Yamanaka factors successfully reprogrammed canine embryonic fibroblasts, adult stromal cells remained resistant to reprogramming in spite of effective viral transduction and transgene expression. We hypothesized that adult stromal cells fail to reprogram due to an epigenetic barrier. Here, we performed assay for transposase‐accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC‐seq) on canine stromal and pluripotent stem cells, analyzing 51 samples in total, and establishing the global landscape of chromatin accessibility before and after reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). We also studied adult stromal cells that do not yield iPSC colonies to identify potential reprogramming barriers. ATAC‐seq analysis identified distinct cell type clustering patterns and chromatin remodeling during embryonic fibroblast reprogramming. Compared with embryonic fibroblasts, adult stromal cells had a chromatin accessibility landscape that reflects phenotypic differentiation and somatic cell‐fate stability. We ultimately identified 76 candidate genes and several transcription factor binding motifs that may be impeding somatic cell reprogramming to iPSC, and could be targeted for inhibition or activation, in order to improve the process in canines. These results provide a vast resource for better understanding of pluripotency regulators in dogs and provide an unbiased rationale for novel canine‐specific reprogramming approaches.


White-footed Deer Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the closely related, and more northerly ranging, Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) broadly overlap in distribution and are often difficult to distinguish from each other. Based on molecular genetic data (cytochrome b gene), we report two new distribution records for P. leucopus for New Brunswick, Canada, the first mainland localities for this species in the province. Previous sampling of Peromyscus in New Brunswick may have overlooked the presence of P. leucopus, possibly because the specimens collected were all assumed to be P. maniculatus. However, current detection in New Brunswick may be part of a broader recent northward range expansion documented to be underway in P. leucopus. Although our use of a single mitochondrial gene to identify P. leucopus does not eliminate the possibility that the New Brunswick specimens are of hybrid origin, our results support the presence of P. leucopus in New Brunswick and suggest more detailed analyses will be required to determine the nature of any genetic interaction between P. leucopus and P. maniculatus in the province. Recognition of morphologically cryptic Peromyscus in southern New Brunswick also emphasizes the need to incorporate comprehensive methods to ensure the correct identification of specimens of this genus in Maritime Canada. We also note the potential implications of this discovery with respect to the incidence of Lyme disease in New Brunswick.


In the cost benefit analysis carried out when an investment in infrastructure is to be made environmental effects such as the encroachment of the investment and its effect on the landscape/townscape are not valued in monetary terms. In earlier studies VTI has shown that this could cause serious misdirection of the investments. In this report several case studies in the classification "barrier against water" are presented. The willingness of individuals to pay to avoid the barrier against water that an infrastructure investment can mean was investigated using the binary Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). It was found that the people living near the barrier are disturbed in proportion to the distance between the residence and the barrier. For the rest of the town's inhabitants the valuation of getting rid of the barrier depends on how often they visit the area next to the barrier. A few additional case studies are necessary to be able to develop a complete calculation model for the type case "barrier against water". This document is also available electronically via Internet at URL: http://www.vti.se/PDF/reports/M939.pdf. (A)


This paper describes an empirical contextual study of the English verbs and syntactic resources translated by observar in an extensive corpus of biomedical research articles. Quantitative analysis showed that the frequency of observar was significantly higher in the Spanish translations than in the comparable Spanish language original articles (360 vs. 162 instances; P < 0·001). Qualitative analysis of the Spanish native texts provided a linguistic profile for the verb. This profile was then used in a contextual study to assess the appropriateness of the 360 instances found in the translated texts. The results indicate that observar is only a natural translation equivalent for 'observe'. For other verbs, an awareness both of the rhetorical, syntactic and collocational restrictions and of the range of alternative choices will allow translators to select appropriate lexical items and avoid excessive repetition of observar, thus creating a more varied target text.


We have been using Marumo's method for the surgical treatment of syndactyly. However, this method presents difficulties with incision designs, which we solved by devising a modified method. This method uses an angulated rectangular dorsal flap and a triangular miniflap made at the end of the dorsal flap. By rotating this miniflap proximally, the skin defect produced at the dorsal base of the digit after removal of the angulated dorsal rectangular flap becomes triangular. This triangular skin defect can be adequately covered by the triangular flap produced at the ventral side. In the article we describe this new operative method in detail and present cases to which the method has been applied.


The effect of the RNA core on interfacial interactions of the bacteriophage MS2 was investigated. After removal of the RNA core, empty intact capsids were characterized and compared to untreated MS2. Electron density of untreated MS2 and RNA-free MS2 were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and synchrotron-based small angle spectroscopy (SAXS). Suspensions of both particles exhibited similar electrophoretic mobility across a range of pH values. Similar effects were observed at pH 5.9 across a range of NaCl or CaCl2 concentrations. We compared key interfacial interactions (particle–particle and particle/air–water interface) between suspensions of each type of particle using time resolved dynamic light scattering (TR-DLS) to observe and quantify aggregation kinetics and axisymmetric drop shape analysis to measure adsorption at the air–water interface. Both suspensions showed insignificant aggregation over 4 h in 600 mM NaCl solutions. In the presence of Ca2+ ions, aggregation of both types of particles was consistent with earlier aggregation studies and was characterized by both reaction-limited and diffusion-limited regimes occurring at similar [Ca2+]. However, the removal of the RNA from MS2 had no apparent effect on the aggregation kinetics of particles. Despite some differences in the kinetics of adsorption to the air–water interface, the changes in surface tension which result from particle adsorption showed no difference between the untreated MS2 and RNA-free MS2. The interactions and structure of particles at the air–water interface were further probed using interfacial dilational rheology. The surface elasticity (Es) and surface viscosity (ηs) at the interface were low for both the untreated virus and the RNA-free capsid. This observation suggests that the factors that impact the adsorption kinetics are not important for an equilibrated interface.


Gabor features have been proposed for extracting spectro-temporal modulation information from speech signals, and have been shown to yield large improvements in recognition accuracy. We use a flexible Tandem system framework that integrates multi-stream information including Gabor, MFCC, and pitch features in various ways, by modeling either or both of the tone and phoneme variations in Mandarin speech recognition. We use either phonemes or tonal phonemes (tonemes) as either the target classes of MLP posterior estimation and/or the acoustic units of HMM recognition. The experiments yield a comprehensive analysis on the contributions to recognition accuracy made by either of the feature sets. We discuss their complementarities in tone, phoneme, and toneme classification. We show that Gabor features are better for recognition of vowels and unvoiced consonants, while MFCCs are better for voiced consonants. Also, Gabor features are capable of capturing changes in signals across time and frequency bands caused by Mandarin tone patterns, while pitch features further offer extra tonal information. This explains why the integration of Gabor, MFCC, and pitch features offers such significant improvements.


Cloud computing can be defined as the provision of computing resources on-demand over the Internet. Although this might bring a number of advantages to end-users in terms of accessibility and elasticity of costs, problems arise concerning the collection of personal information in the Cloud and the legitimate exploitation thereof. To the extent most of the content and software application are only accessible online, users have no longer control over the manner in which they can access their data and the extent to which parties can exploit it.


The description of the plough in the Kṛṣiparāśara has been a puzzle for generations of Sanskrit philologists. What especially pained me was the disfunctional character of this description: among the eight essential parts the ploughshare was missing. The turning up of an until now unknown manuscript from The Library of Congress has brought a basic change: it contains the expected reading phālikā "ploughshare" for pāśikā an otherwise meaningful term "rope" that could have been adjusted to the context only by rather strained explanations.The present paper throws light on the problems concerned in the textual tradition and offers a solution.


The safety of food in the food chain has become an increasingly interesting issue to consumers and the media. It has also become a source of concern, as the amount of information on the risks related to food safety continues to expand. The purpose of this study was to identify factors contributing to consumers' willingness to pay for increased quality information. The second purpose of this study was to examine what kind of information flows are required to ensure quality and safety in the food chain for beef, and who should produce that information. Studying the willingness to pay of consumers makes it possible to determine whether the consumers consider the quantity of information available on the safety and quality of beef sufficient. The empirical scope of the study was restricted to beef, because the beef labelling system enables reliable tracing of the origin of beef, as well as attributes related to safety, environmental friendliness and animal welfare.


This article explores the role of coincidence in memory through literary topical structures. Coincidence is one of the most important elements of sentimental pilgrimage, a topos that is widely spread in European culture at the turn of the Twentieth century. The traveller returning to a place tends to overlap the present space and the one that belongs to his/her past. While he recovers the space he cannot help acknowledging the unredeemable loss of that particular time of his/her life. Proust's intermittences of the heart work in a somewhat different way. A la recherche du temps perdu shows that it is possible for the mind to recover the time lost in an unrepeatable instant, albeit to the detriment of present reality.


Products contribute to carbon emissions in each phase of their life cycle, from manufacturing to disposal. Estimating the embodied carbon in products is a key step towards understanding their impact, and undertaking mitigation actions. Precise carbon attribution is challenging at scale, requiring both domain expertise and granular supply chain data. As a first-order approximation, standard reports use Economic Input-Output based Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) which estimates carbon emissions per dollar at an industry sector level using transactions between different parts of the economy. EIO-LCA models map products to an industry sector, and uses the corresponding carbon per dollar estimates to calculate the embodied carbon footprint of a product. An LCA expert needs to map each product to one of upwards of 1000 potential industry sectors. To reduce the annotation burden, the standard practice is to group products by categories, and map categories to their corresponding industry sector. We present CaML, an algorithm to automate EIO-LCA using semantic text similarity matching by leveraging the text descriptions of the product and the industry sector. CaML uses a pre-trained sentence transformer model to rank the top-5 matches, and asks a human to check if any of them are a good match. We annotated 40K products with non-experts. Our results reveal that pre-defined product categories are heterogeneous with respect to EIO-LCA industry sectors, and lead to a large mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 51% in kgCO2e/$. CaML outperforms the previous manually intensive method, yielding a MAPE of 22% with no domain labels (zero-shot). We compared annotations of a small sample of 210 products with LCA experts, and find that CaML accuracy is comparable to that of annotations by non-experts.


Abstract Stratigraphic, structural, palaeocurrent and palaeomagnetic analyses of Upper Albian deep-water deposits in and around the Deba block (Northern Iberia) are presented. Results indicate an anticlockwise vertical-axis rotation of this block by 35° during a maximum time span of c. 1 Ma (Late Albian intra-C. auritus ammonite Subzone). This Albian syndepositional block rotation is interpreted to be the consequence of the coeval activity of conjugate major sinistral strike-slip faults and minor (antithetic) dextral strike-slip faults, which border the Deba block. On the base of conservative estimations, a minimum block-rotation rate of 35° Ma−1 and a sinistral strike-slip rate of 1.2 km Ma−1 are calculated. As a consequence of the interaction of the rotated Deba block with adjacent non-rotated blocks, its corners experienced coeval transpressive (NW and SE corners) and transtensional deformations (SW and, possibly, NE corners). At the transtensional SW corner, two domal high-reflective seismic structures have been recorded and interpreted as high-level magmatic laccoliths. These magmatic intrusions triggered the development of a mineralizing hydrothermal system, which vented to the Late Albian seafloor warm to hot hydrocarbon-rich fluids. Vented hydrocarbon was generated from Albian organic-rich sediments by contact alteration with hydrothermal fluids.


ABSTRACT This article critically reflects on the use of audio-visual essays for assessment in undergraduate Screen and Media courses at Flinders University. Since 2018, audio-visual essays have been set as an optional assessment task in first-year and upper level units. In 2019, an audio-visual essay was set as a compulsory assessment item in the first-year course SCME1000 Film Form and Analysis. This was supported with a student-run audio-visual essay lab, in which upper-level Screen and Media students and recent graduates instructed first-year students in basic editing techniques for the audio-visual essay. These labs provided an opportunity for skilled upper-level students and recent graduates to engage with the first-year cohort, impart their skills, model good practice, and generated possibilities for future mentoring and collaboration. Students and demonstrators were subsequently surveyed and interviewed to reflect on the value of their experience working with audio-visual essays. Drawing on this data set, the assessment of the students' audio-visual essays is charted against the unit of study's stated educational aims and expected learning outcomes. In the process, this article considers the value of using audio-visual essays when designing assessment for a large, mixed cohort of students with diverse learning styles, skillsets, and professional ambitions.


The general nuclear contact matrices are defined, taking into consideration all partial waves and finite-range interactions, extending Tan's work for the zero range model. The properties of these matrices are discussed and the relations between the contacts and the one-nucleon and two-nucleon momentum distributions are derived. Using these relations, a new asymptotic connection between the one-nucleon and two-nucleon momentum distributions, describing the two-body short-range correlations in nuclei, is obtained. Using available numerical data, we extract few connections between the different contacts and verify their relations to the momentum distributions. The numerical data also allows us to identify the main nucleon momentum range affected by two-body short-range correlations. Utilizing these relations and the numerical data, we also verify a previous independent prediction connecting between the Levinger constant and the contacts. This work provides an important indication for the relevance of the contact formalism to nuclear systems, and should open the path for revealing more useful relations between the contacts and interesting quantities of nuclei and nuclear matter.


In an XMM-Newton raster observation of the bright local group spiral galaxy M33 we study the population of X-ray sources (X-ray binaries, supernova remnants, super-shells) down to a 0.5–10 keV luminosity of 10 35 erg s −1 – more than a factor of 10 deeper than earlier ROSAT observations. EPIC spectra and hardness ratios are used to distinguish between different source classes. We confirmed the 3.45 d orbital light curve of the X-ray binary M33 X7, detected a transient super-soft source in M33, and searched for short term variability of the brighter sources. We characterize the diffuse X-ray component that is correlated with the inner disk and spiral arms. We will compare the results with other nearby galaxies.


Abstract The abandonment of agricultural land is an actual problem in Estonia due to significant impact on landscape ecology and structure. Abandoned agricultural fields are usually converting into forest. Mapping of agricultural land use is a strategic interest of each country. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is used in many countries for topographical mapping and the laser pulse return positions are promising datasets for mapping the abandonment of agricultural land. We used ALS data based woody plant canopy cover estimates made at certain reference height unachievable for field crops to map abandoned agricultural land in nine test sites in Tartumaa, Estonia. The maximum height of trees in test sites ranged from 6.5 m to 13.4 m. The lidar pulse returns based canopy cover estimate was assessed 1) by using ortophoto based digitized maps of tree canopy, 2) repeated measurements made with plant canopy analyzer LAI-2000 and 3) by using allometric crown radius models and repeated tree measurements from sample plots. The interpretation of canopy boundaries and separation of small spaces between tree crowns from ortophotos is a challenging task for an operator. The relationship between ALS based canopy cover and ortophoto based canopy cover was linear in all test sites except when ALS data from beginning of June were used. It the beginning of June foliage is not fully developed on trees. An increase in the woody canopy cover was detected from repeated LAI-2000 measurements and also from repeated tree measurements-based simulated crowns. The impact of reference height change from 2.0 m to 1.3 m on canopy cover estimations was not significant and much smaller compared to the tree growth induced increase in canopy cover, indicating that similar errors originating from e.g. digital elevation model are not problematic for the proposed method in practical applications.


The presence of gas hydrate in marine sediments alters their physical properties. In some circumstances, gas hydrate may cement sediment grains together and dramatically increase the seismic P- and S-wave velocities of the composite medium. Hydrate may also form a load-bearing structure within the sediment microstructure, but with different seismic wave attenuation characteristics, changing the attenuation behaviour of the composite. Here we introduce an inversion algorithm based on effective medium modelling to infer hydrate saturations from velocity and attenuation measurements on hydrate-bearing sediments. The velocity increase is modelled as extra binding developed by gas hydrate that strengthens the sediment microstructure. The attenuation increase is modelled through a difference in fluid flow properties caused by different permeabilities in the sediment and hydrate microstructures. We relate velocity and attenuation increases in hydrate-bearing sediments to their hydrate content, using an effective medium inversion algorithm based on the self-consistent approximation (SCA), differential effective medium (DEM) theory, and Biot and squirt flow mechanisms of fluid flow. The inversion algorithm is able to convert observations in compressional and shear wave velocities and attenuations to hydrate saturation in the sediment pore space. We applied our algorithm to a data set from the Mallik 2L–38 well, Mackenzie delta, Canada, and to data from laboratory measurements on gas-rich and water-saturated sand samples. Predictions using our algorithm match the borehole data and water-saturated laboratory data if the proportion of hydrate contributing to the load-bearing structure increases with hydrate saturation. The predictions match the gas-rich laboratory data if that proportion decreases with hydrate saturation. We attribute this difference to differences in hydrate formation mechanisms between the two environments.


This paper presents the design, analysis, and real-time experimental evaluation results of a nonlinear sensor fault diagnosis scheme for quadrotor unmanned air vehicles (UAV). The objective is to detect, isolate, and estimate sensor bias faults in accelerometer and gyroscope measurements. Based on the quadrotor dynamics and sensor models under consideration, the effects of sensor faults are represented as virtual actuator faults in the quadrotor state equation. Two nonlinear diagnostic estimators are designed to provide structured residuals for fault detection and isolation. Additionally, after the fault is detected and isolated, a nonlinear adaptive estimation scheme is employed for estimating the unknown fault magnitude. The proposed fault diagnosis scheme is capable of handling simultaneous faults in the accelerometer and gyroscope measurements. The effectiveness of the fault diagnosis method is demonstrated using an indoor real-time quadrotor UAV test environment.


The objective of this study was to compare a novel controlled release tablet formulation based on interpolyelectrolyte complex (PEC). Interpolymer interactions between the countercharged polymers like Eudragit® EPO (polycation) and hypromellose acetate succinate (polyanion) and Eudragit® EPO and hypromellose phthalate (polyanion) were investigated with a view to their use in per oral controlled release drug delivery systems. The formation of inter-macromolecular ionic bonds between cationic polymer and anionic polymer was investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The FT-IR spectra of the tested polymeric matrices are characterized by visible changes in the observed IR region indicating the interaction between chains of two oppositely charged copolymers. The performance of the in situ formed PEC as a matrix for controlled release of drugs was evaluated, using acetaminophen as a model drug. The dissolution data of these matrices were fitted to different dissolution models. It was found that drug release followed zero-order kinetics and was controlled by the superposition of the diffusion and erosion. These profiles could be controlled by conveniently modifying the proportion of the polymer ratio, polymer type, and polymer concentration the in the tablets.


Objectives To predict the novel vaccine peptide candidates against gacS protein involved with the citrate utilization in the two-component system of A. baumannii-associated virulence as an alternative strategy to combat the multi-drug resistant strains using an immuno-informatic approach. Methods The study is designed as an observational in silico study design with the application of BepiPred, AlgPred, VaxiJen, AntigenPro, SolPro, Expasy ProtParam server, IEDB database, and MHC cluster analytical tools and servers to predict the immuno-dominant B-cell and T-cell epitopes from gacS FASTA sequences retrieved from UNIPROT database. Further peptide interactions with TLR-4 was assessed based on the number of hydrogen bonds. Results Nine peptides (20aa) with the highest score of 1 were selected from the 137 epitopes, and five were predicted as antigenic epitopes (E1–E5). E3 was selected as the potent antigen (score: 0.939537) and E1 as the best vaccine candidate (score: 0.9803) under AntigenPro and Vaxijen server, respectively. SolPro predicted all epitopes as soluble peptides. ProtParam predictions showed E3 and E5 as stable proteins with a shelf life of 3.5 and 1.9 h and possessed negative GRAVY values. PsortB server predicted a final localization score of 7.88 for the gacS protein sequence as a cytoplasmic membrane protein. IEDB conservancy analysis showed 100% conserved sequences within the gacS sequence, and class I conservancy yielded positive values for all epitopes. Cluster analysis showed strong interactions, and the protein-peptide interactions with TLR-2 finally detected E5 as the best interacting peptide (H bonds = 14) followed by E3 (H bonds = 12). Conclusion The study suggests five antigenic peptides as promiscuous vaccine candidates to target the gacS of A. baumannii using immuno-informatic approach toward the peptide synthesis and in vitro analysis. However, the study recommends further experimental validation for immunological response and memory through in vivo studies.


Background: Obesity bears multivariate causes and manifestations. Simple anthropometric and non-invasive physical markers are being proposed for easy and early detection of obesity-induced disrupted energy homeostasis and metabolic disorders. Adipose-tissuederived hormone, leptin is largely known for its role in energy homeostasis and paradoxically, higher serum leptin corresponds to higher degree of obesity. Thus, this study aims to investigate the association of plasma leptin with common physical measures of adiposity in a multiethnic, young adult Malaysian population. Methodology: Based on BMI, 185 volunteering participants were grouped as underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. Standardized anthropometric and bio-electrical impedance assessment (BIA) measure of adiposity was done using Karada Scanner while plasma leptin was measured using a sandwich ELISA assay technique. Results: A total of 61, 45, 56 and 23 Malaysian Malays, Chinese, Indian and other minor groups, respectively were included in this study. Out of this, 28 were underweight, 100 were normal weight, 29 were overweight and 27 were obese (n=27). One-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference among all variables except height and waist-hip ratio. The multiple regression analysis predicted plasma leptin value based on age, weight, height, body age, resting metabolic rate, visceral fat, total body fat, and body mass index in both male (R 2 =0.54) and females(R 2 =0.23). The results show that weight, resting metabolic rate, visceral fat and body were reliable predictors for plasma leptin between all the groups. Conclusion: Anthropometric indices can be used as predictors of serum leptin in adults irrespective of their body weight. This observation thus emphasizes the clinical significance of simple non-invasive physical markers for detection of obesity-induced metabolic disorders.


This article is to demonstrate that the current crisis in Darfur is not a spontaneous insurgency at the beginning of the twenty-first century but the culmination of neglect, religion, and racism since the end of the nineteenth century. Historically, there has been a long record of conflict between the African Fur and Masalit and the Arabs of Darfur, particularly the Baqqara. This racial hostility was compounded by the cultural discrimination between the rustic, illiterate Baqqara Arabs of Darfur, commonly known as the awlad al-gharib (westerners) and the more sophisticated literate riverine Arabs of the towns located in the heartland of the Sudan along the river Nile, the Awlad al-Bahr (people of the river). This juxtaposition of the center versus the periphery is central to any understanding of the history of Sudan of which the disaster in Darfur is the most recent manifestation. Moreover, since 1969 Darfur has been the strategic battleground in the much larger conflict begun by Muammar Qadhafi of Libya in 1969 to establish an Arab, Islamic Sudanic Libyan Empire south of the Sahara. In this 40 years' war the current crisis in Darfur is yet another act in a Shakespearean tragedy about the long road to disaster in Darfur. The theme of the play remains the same, but this act, the most bloody to be sure, must be understood by the international community as another episode in the continuing struggle for control of the most strategic regions of the Chad basin, Darfur.


The Tonga-Kermadec forearc is deforming in response to on-going subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Indo-Australian Plate. Previous research has focussed on the structural development of the forearc where large bathymetric features such as the Hikurangi Plateau and Louisville Ridge seamount chain are being subducted. Consequently, knowledge of the 'background' forearc in regions of normal plate convergence is limited. We report on an ∼250-km-long multichannel seismic reflection profile that was shot perpendicular to the Tonga-Kermadec trench at ∼28°S to determine the lateral and temporal variations in the structure, stratigraphy and deformation of the Kermadec forearc resulting solely from Pacific Plate subduction.

Interpretation of the seismic profile, in conjunction with regional swath bathymetry data, shows that the Pacific Plate exhibits horst and graben structures that accommodate bending-induced extensional stresses, generated as the trenchward dip of the crust increases. Trench infill is also much thicker than expected at 1 km which, we propose, results from increased sediment flux into and along the trench. Pervasive normal faulting of the mid-trench slope most likely accommodates the majority of the observed forearc extension in response to basal subduction erosion, and a structural high is located between the mid- and upper-trench slopes. We interpret this high as representing a dense and most likely structurally robust region of crust lying beneath this region.

Sediment of the upper-trench slope documents depositional hiatuses and on-going uplift of the arc. Strong along-arc currents appear to erode the Kermadec volcanic arc and distribute this sediment to the surrounding basins, while currents over the forearc redistribute deposits as sediment waves. Minor uplift of the transitional Kermadec forearc, observed just to the north of the profile, appears to relate to an underlying structural trend as well as subduction of the Louisville Ridge seamount chain 250 km to the north. Relative uplift of the Kermadec arc is observed from changes in the tilt of upper-trench slope deposits and extensional faulting of the basement immediately surrounding the Louisville Ridge.


In the wake of the financial crisis banks are likely to wish to hold far more highly liquid assets than before. Some of those liquid assets are likely to be held in the form of reserves at the central bank. We ask whether the central bank should provide these reserves by purchasing nominal, fixed-rate government bonds outright, or by repo-ing them in for a limited period. The key difference between these options is that with repos, the private sector retains the price risk associated with bonds, whereas this risk rests with the central bank if it purchases these bonds outright. There is a significant, practical policy issue for central banks here: should those central banks (most notably the Fed and the Bank of England) who built up a large stock of bonds during the QE operations, which were financed by creating reserves for commercial banks, expect to sell those bonds in due course or continue to hold a high proportion of them for a long period since the demand for reserves will be permanently higher? We develop and calibrate a simple OLG model in which risk-averse households hold money and bonds to insure against risk. We find that the composition of the central bank's assets should depend on how fiscal policy is conducted; but in general it has only a small impact on welfare.


A guide to research and library resources for the faculty and students of the University College. This guide includes both course guides for students as well as research resources for faculty members.


In 2006, hypomagnesemia was first described as a complication of proton-pump inhibitors. To address this issue, we systematically reviewed the literature. Hypomagnesemia, mostly associated with hypocalcemic hypoparathyroidism and hypokalemia, was reported in 64 individuals on long-term proton-pump inhibitors. Hypomagnesemia recurred following replacement of one proton-pump inhibitor with another but not with a histamine type-2 receptor antagonist. The association between proton-pump inhibitors and magnesium metabolism was addressed in 14 case-control, cross-sectional studies. An association was found in 11 of them: 6 reports found that the use of proton-pump inhibitors is associated per se with a tendency towards hypomagnesemia, 2 found that this tendency is more pronounced in patients concurrently treated with diuretics, carboplatin, or cisplatin, and 2 found a relevant tendency to hypomagnesemia in patients with poor renal function. Finally, findings likely reflecting decreased intestinal magnesium uptake were observed on treatment with proton-pump inhibitors. Three studies did not disclose any relationship between magnesium metabolism and treatment with histamine type-2 receptor antagonists. In conclusion, proton-pump inhibitors may cause hypomagnesemia. In these cases, switching to a histamine type-2 receptor antagonist is advised.


Several recent studies have reached quite different conclusions about which variable is the best indicator of the stance of monetary policy. These differences likely reflect varying assumptions about bank and Federal Reserve behavior. This paper takes a detailed and comprehensive look at the implementation of monetary policy and the identification of monetary policy shocks. The paper first outlines a general analytical model for studying and evaluating monetary policy procedures. The model is then used to estimate both the Fed's operational policy objectives and its intermediate objectives. The results can be summarized as follows: First, monetary policy shocks over the past several years have primarily affected the federal funds rate, even during periods when the Fed was reportedly targeting reserves. In addition, the paper finds a statistically-significant liquidity effect in all periods examined, although the effect is quite small. Finally, there is statistical evidence that suggests that the Fed's intermediate objectives have not been stable over time, and these differences appear to be economically important. Taken together, these results indicate that while monetary policy shocks can be uncovered by regressing the funds rate on appropriate variables in the Fed's information set, the reaction function should be estimated over subperiods rather than over the entire 1959-1993 period.


Introduction: Diabetes being one of the commonest non-communicable diseases worldwide has no cure. The available hypoglycemic drugs are costly, and have associated long-term side effects.  M. oleifera leaves are used in many countries in Africa and Asia to treat diabetes. The study compared the hyperglycemic control of M. oleifera leaves aqueous extract and Glibenclamide tablet in alloxan monohydrate induced diabetic rats.
Methods: Twenty-four female Wistar albino rats, made diabetic using alloxan monohydrate, received either M. oleifera extract, glibenclamide or distilled water were delivered intragastric. The mean body weight and mean fasting blood sugar were measured over a period of 28 days.
Results: Rats that received distilled water had a mean fasting blood sugar of 329.3+44.9 mg/dl at the beginning, which increased to 448.0+189.9 mg/dl on day 14; all   the rats were dead by day 21. The rats that received M. oleifera had blood sugar 443.4+134.7 mg/dl at the beginning, dropped to 166.5+162.79 mg/dl by day 14, and to 88.7+41.0 mg/dl by day 28. Rats that received glibenclamide had blood sugar 517.6+139.3mg/dl at the beginning, dropped to 209.0+201.9 mg/dl on day 14, and to 89.7+42.85 mg/dl on day 28.  The blood sugar of the M. oleifera and glibenclamide groups reached normal level by day 21 and remained within the normal range up to day 28. Conclusion: Moringa oleifera leaves aqueous extract has similar pattern to glibenclamide tablet in causing hypoglycemia to alloxan monohydrate induced diabetic rats.


We studied the feasibility of using saliva to detect cocaine and benzoylecgonine. Saliva was collected as an ultrafiltrate directly in the mouth with an osmotic device. We analyzed by immunoassay matched samples of urine, blood, and salivary ultrafiltrate from 69 patients who had used cocaine within 24 h of sample collection. Cocaine concentrations were 4.9 times higher in saliva than in serum; benzoylecgonine concentrations were 2.5 times higher in serum. Seven urine and two serum samples had undetectable concentrations of cocaine, but all 69 saliva samples were positive for the drug. For benzoylecgonine detection, all urine samples were positive and three serum and one saliva sample were negative. We also analyzed 43 samples of saliva by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry: all were positive for benzoylecgonine, whereas 40 were positive for cocaine. We conclude that simultaneous measurement of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in saliva is suitable in screening for recent cocaine use.


Research on urban heat mitigation has been growing in recent years with many of the studies focusing on green infrastructure (GI) as a strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of an urban heat island (UHI). This paper aims at presenting a review of the range of findings from GI research for urban heat mitigation through a review of scientific articles published during the years 2009–2020. This research includes a review of the different types of GI and its contribution for urban heat mitigation and human thermal comfort. In addition to analysing different mitigation strategies, numerical simulation tools that are commonly used are also reviewed. It is seen that ENVI-met is one of the modelling tools that is considered as a reliable to simulate different mitigation strategies and hence has been widely used in the recent past. Considering its popularity in urban microclimate studies, this article also provides a review of ENVI-met simulation results that were reported in the reviewed papers. It was observed that the majority of the research was conducted on a limited spatial scale and focused on temperature and human thermal comfort.


The rapid increase of bandwidth requirements between processors in high-end servers motivates the integration of optical interconnects on the first-level processor package [1]. In this perspective, additional bandwidth density can be achieved by integrating optical transceivers directly into the processor die. Optically enabled CPUs can provide energy-efficient, low-latency interconnects over long distances (>10m) in future data-centers. Integrated photonic interconnect technology will require sensitive and low-power receiver (RX) circuits that operate at high data rates.


The question of language of instruction is at the top of the educational agenda in many countries around the world. Decisions about language of instruction (including what mother tongue languages to teach, in what grades, when to transition to the national language or international language) and efforts to develop materials and instructional strategies to support the language(s) selected are well underway. This article reviews a study of language of instruction conducted in the United States that has a rigorous study design and compelling results. Its outcomes and implications can provide helpful guidance for selecting languages of instruction and for planning programs and instruction in contexts around the world. It also raises interesting questions about the impact of context (including time, place, and participants) on implementation of programs and instruction based on research. It concludes with support for the strong design and findings of the study reviewed and, at the same time, cautions about matters of the context in which instruction takes place and language choice in instruction.


A main aspect of the Android platform is Inter-Application Communication (IAC), which enables reuse of functionality across apps and app components via message passing. While a powerful feature, IAC also constitutes a serious attack surface. A malicious app can embed a payload into an IAC message, thereby driving the recipient app into a potentially vulnerable behavior if the message is processed without its fields first being sanitized or validated. We present what to our knowledge is the first comprehensive testing algorithm for Android IAC vulnerabilities. Toward this end, we first describe a catalog, stemming from our field experience, of 8 concrete vulnerability types that can potentially arise due to unsafe handling of incoming IAC messages. We then explain the main challenges that automated discovery of Android IAC vulnerabilities entails, including in particular path coverage and custom data fields, and present simple yet surprisingly effective solutions to these challenges. We have realized our testing approach as the IntentDroid system, which is available as a commercial cloud service. IntentDroid utilizes lightweight platform-level instrumentation, implemented via debug breakpoints (to run atop any Android device without any setup or customization), to recover IAC-relevant app-level behaviors. Evaluation of IntentDroid over a set of 80 top-popular apps has revealed a total 150 IAC vulnerabilities — some already fixed by the developers following our report — with a recall rate of 92% w.r.t. a ground truth established via manual auditing by a security expert.


Sustainable business model (SBM) research and practice has grown rapidly in the last two decades, not only showing the traits of an emerging research field, but also having an impact on business practices and government policies. Despite the wide-ranging academic and practical debates on SBMs, the academic literature still needs approaches specifically tailored to support the design of SBMs in developing countries, taking into account their characteristics, opportunities, and challenges. Our working paper aims to address these gaps in research and practice by proposing a framework supporting SBM design in developing countries. The SBM framework is composed of three main parts, i.e., value creation and delivery, value capture, and value proposition, and allows for an assessment of financial, economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits. It was applied to the case of small-scale irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically to a low-cost, automated solar-powered drip-irrigation technology, the ASPDI system, which was developed for small-scale vegetable farming in Ghana by an international research and innovation project. This research enabled a comprehensive ex-ante sustainability evaluation of the APSDI system and its associated business model in respect of its provision, covering the perspectives of technology providers, farmers, and society. The results of the evaluation highlight important issues related to the development, market diffusion, and farmer adoption of new small-scale irrigation technologies.


We show that an appropriate variable transformation can redistribute the sample points for the field in the collocation method such that the numerical accuracy of the field-propagation algorithm improves significantly. We also present results for some specific transformations that improve the accuracy by more than 2 orders of magnitude.


This paper examines the factors that affect market dominance in a standards competition by comparing the VHS–Beta war in the 1980s with that between Blu-ray and HD-DVD in the 2000s. We first look at the changing home video market in terms of technological development. Then we move on to discuss three main strategies in a standards war: first-mover advantage, indirect network effects and software provision, and strategic alliances of hardware firms. We find that technological innovation is essential. Being a first mover is helpful, but not sufficient, in building a dominant position in the market. Historical evidence shows that Sony created a network of complementary firms for Blu-ray. Consequently, an effective strategy to become a winner in a standards competition appears to be building a network of complementary products and subsequently an installed base.


ABSTRACT By manipulating resources or dispersal opportunities, mothers can force offspring to remain at the nest to help raise siblings, creating a division of labor. In the subsocial bee Ceratina calcarata, mothers manipulate the quantity and quality of pollen provided to the first female offspring, producing a dwarf eldest daughter that is physically smaller and behaviorally subordinate. This daughter forages for her siblings and forgoes her own reproduction. To understand how the mother's manipulation of pollen affects the physiology and behavior of her offspring, we manipulated the amount of pollen provided to offspring and measured the effects of pollen quantity on offspring development, adult body size and behavior. We found that by experimentally manipulating pollen quantities we could recreate the dwarf eldest daughter phenotype, demonstrating how nutrient deficiency alone can lead to the development of a worker-like daughter. Specifically, by reducing the pollen and nutrition to offspring, we significantly reduced adult body size and lipid stores, creating significantly less aggressive, subordinate individuals. Worker behavior in an otherwise solitary bee begins to explain how maternal manipulation of resources could lead to the development of social organization and reproductive hierarchies, a major step in the transition to highly social behaviors. Summary: Experimental alteration of pollen levels to recreate conditions of maternal manipulation of resources leads to the development of a worker phenotype and hence reproductive hierarchy in a subsocial bee.


The current study was undertaken to evaluate the responses of okra to salinity and to study the beneficial effects of silicon and gibberellic acid on yield and ionic attributes of okra under salinity stress. For this purpose, a pot experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Farm of the Department of Horticulture, The University of Haripur, Pakistan. Seeds of the okra cultivar 'Sabz Pari' were sown in pots. The experiment was established in a complete randomized design with factorial layout and included a total of 14 treatments deriving from the combination of two factors: two salinity levels and seven treatments with silicon or gibberellic acid. Okra seeds were pretreated with either 0, 50, 75 or 100 mg/L of gibberellic acid and then planted into pots. After germination plants were subjected to 0 mmol (control) or 50 mmol salinity; silicon (in the form of potassium silicate) was applied to plants exogenously at the rate of 2 mmol, 3 mmol, or 4 mmol. The following parameters were measured: number of days to flowering, pod length, pod weight, number of pods per plant and pod yield per plant, and the contents of Na+, Cl-, K+, and proline in the leaves. The results revealed that under 50 mmol NaCl salinity okra plants treated with 100 mg/L of GA3 had the shortest time to flowering (48.3 days) and the lowest Na+ ion content (14.9 mg/L) and Cl- ion content (9.8 mg/L), while in these plants we measured an increased pod weight (18.9 g), pod length (14.6 cm), number of pod per plant (22.6), pod yield per plant (1225 g), K+ ion and proline contents (18.9 mg/g and 28.8 μmol/g, respectively). Hence, this study allowed to conclude that the highest salinity level reduced the yield and altered the ionic status of okra plants, whereas GA3 and Si lowered the toxic effects of salinity and 100 mg/L GA3 along with 4 mmol silicon can be used in order to reduce salinity toxic effects


HR-QoL, and SS in FD patients treated with prokinetics. One hundred thirty-one (33.2%) articles were excluded by the following criteria: non-English language, active treatment n<10, duration of trial <2 weeks, age <18 years, open-label trial, trial without placebo, or duplicate studies. Twenty-seven articles met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Nine (33%) studies included GE scans; 5 reported GE as a primary or secondary treatment outcome. One study found a signifi cant correlation between GE and FD symptom scores. Seven (25.9%) studies reported HR-QoL of life as a primary or secondary outcome; a single study demonstrated a signifi cant improvement in HR-QoL with the use of a prokinetic agent. Nineteen (70.3%) studies reported a signifi cant improvement in at least 1 SS outcome variable, such as epigastric pain (25.9%), a composite SS index (40.7%), or a global assessment of treatment effi cacy (37%). Th ree (11.1%) studies found improvement in all SS outcomes. Conclusion: No clear relationship between the use of prokinetic agents to improve measured or presumed gastric dysmotility and HR-QoL or SS in FD emerged from this systematic literature review, suggesting that alternative treatment strategies are needed for symptomatic FD patients.


This service activity aims to help improve the understanding, knowledge and creativity of TK Nurul Iman and RA Assaadah teachers about their learning and development tools, learning media made from inorganic waste and their development, and the application of instructional media in the classroom according to themes / material to improve the quality of learning for teachers as educators. After this activity the results were an increase in understanding, knowledge, and creativity for teachers, the availability of goods/objects (in the form of learning media) and their application. The method of implementing this activity is packaged with workshops and direct practices (both in making and applying in class). Participants are grouped according to their respective classes and themes and given guidance on the implementation of activities. The evaluation was carried out before and after the activity to find out the improvement of basic skills until the end of the activity so that it was concluded that this activity provided added value to the teacher concerned. The criteria for the success of this activity can be viewed from the attendance of the participants, mastery of the material, the application of material for making learning media and demonstration activities on media use.