Training multiple deep neural networks (DNNs) and averaging their outputs is a simple way to improve the predictive performance. Nevertheless, the multiplied training cost prevents this ensemble method to be practical and efficient. Several recent works attempt to save and ensemble the checkpoints of DNNs, which only requires the same computational cost as training a single network. However, these methods suffer from either marginal accuracy improvements due to the low diversity of checkpoints or high risk of divergence due to the cyclical learning rates they adopted. In this paper, we propose a novel method to ensemble the checkpoints, where a boosting scheme is utilized to accelerate model convergence and maximize the checkpoint diversity. We theoretically prove that it converges by reducing exponential loss. The empirical evaluation also indicates our proposed ensemble outperforms single model and existing ensembles in terms of accuracy and efficiency. With the same training budget, our method achieves 4.16% lower error on Cifar-100 and 6.96% on Tiny-ImageNet with ResNet-110 architecture. Moreover, the adaptive sample weights in our method make it an effective solution to address the imbalanced class distribution. In the experiments, it yields up to 5.02% higher accuracy over single EfficientNet-B0 on the imbalanced datasets.


Objectives
Breastfeeding might be associated with respiratory allergy and asthma subtypes(i.e., allergic asthma), but such relations have never been examined yet in the US. Therefore, the aims of the study were: To examined the association between breastfeeding and respiratory allergy in children aged six years.To examined the association between breastfeeding and asthma including asthma subtypes (allergic) in children aged six yearsOur hypothesis was that exclusively breastfeeding for 3 months would reduce the risk of developing childhood respiratory allergy and allergic asthma.

Methods
A longitudinal study was used, utilizing data from mother-infant pairs that participated in the infant Feeding Practices Study-II(IFPS-II) and the Year-6-Follow-Up Study(Y6FU) in the United-States(US). The data included mother-reported breastfeeding practices in IFPS-II, childhood allergies in Y6FU, and covariates as demographic variables, siblings, wheezing, RSV, history of family allergies, maternal smoking status, and introduction to complementary foods. Multiple logistic regressions were used to examine the study aims.

Results
Overall, 1,177 questionnaires were completed in IFPS-II and Y6FU. Until 3 months, 35.9%(n = 423) of the children were exclusively breastfed, and 24.6%(n = 290) were exclusively formula-fed. Based on mothers' reports, 20.8%(n = 245) of the children had been diagnosed by a physician as having had a respiratory allergy, and 10.2% (n = 120)with asthma, and of these, 105 cases had allergic asthma(8.7%). The results of the multivariable analyses showed that children who were exclusively breastfed for 3 months were significantly less likely by 37% to have respiratory allergy(AOR = 0.63 CI 95%:0.42-0.93) compared with children who were exclusively formula fed for 3 months after adjusting for associated covariates. There were no significant differences in the odds of having asthma across the different feeding practices. Allergic asthma, however, was significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding for 3 months (AOR = 0.54 CI 95%:0.30-0.96), after adjusting for associated covariates.

Conclusions
Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 3 months reduce the risk for respiratory allergies and allergic asthma in children.

Funding Sources
There is no funding source to declare.


Three types of conductive microcapsules are proposed; they all contain the same phase change material, eicosane, as the core and have different conductive shells with various types of nano silver (Ag) coatings. Due to the Ag coating, these microcapsules are highly compatible with commercial Ag pastes and nano Ag ink and show an improvement of almost 500% in mechanical strength. When an electrical circuit is incorporated with these conductive microcapsules, it exhibits at least 70% lower electrical resistivity than when incorporated with insulated microcapsules. In addition, a restoration efficiency of higher than 90% in the electrical current of a damaged circuit is achieved when 20 vol% conductive microcapsules are incorporated. Based on their excellent mechanical and electrical properties, the proposed conductive microcapsules are capable of being directly mixed with inorganic Ag particles, and show the capacity for being used as self-restorable ink for conductive inkjet printing.


Biomagnifications of toxic heavy metals to man through aquatic life occurs via industrial, runoff, agricultural, municipal and urban waste. Heavy metals such as lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) manganese (Mn) and cadmium (Cd) have World Health Organization (WHO) limits above which they are toxic. Some of the toxic effects include; reduced growth and development, cancer, damage to the nervous system, and in extreme cases death. Athi River,the second largest river in Kenya has its source in a densely populated area which has industrial and agricultural activities like coffee plantations.Some of its tributaries flow through Ruiru town, Athi River town and Nairobi City and hence the river risks untreated discharge and runoff from the activities. Nonetheless, water from Athi River is used for small scale farming and domestic purposes, while a variety of fish in this river including tilapia and mudfish are edible which could lead to accumulation of toxic metals to mankind. These pose a threat to human life hence the need to assess levels of heavy metals in Athi River. This study aimed at determininglevels of Pb,Ni, Mn, Zn, Cd and Cr in tilapia fish gills, sediments and water from Ruiru and Mbagathi tributaries of Athi River during wet and dry seasons in 2011.Purposive sampling was done to determine 4 sampling stations for fish and 10 for sediment and water, while statistical sampling was done to get fish (N=16), sediments (N=40) and water (N=40) samples. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used for measurement of the levels of elements. The mean concentrations (mg/kg DW) of the heavy metals in tilapia fish gills ranged as follows: Pb (1.42-4.48), Ni (0.12-1.75), Mn (81.50-158.92), Zn (28.00-76.33), Cd (0.71-1.77) and Cr (ND-0.2) . The mean concentrations (mg/kg DW) of the heavy metals in sediments ranged from: Pb (23.19-51.08), Ni (0.15-2.21), Mn (280.88-1294.01), Zn (10.98-50.79), Cd (0.05-1.81) and Cr (0.69-7.33). In water, the range of mean concentration (mg/l) of heavy metals were as follows: Pb (0.004-0.047), Ni (0.007-0.062), Mn (0.187-1.048), Zn (0.002-0.695), Cd (ND 0.01) and Cr (ND-0.068). The levels of the heavy metals increasedform water, fish and sediments. In the wet season, Zn was found to be significantly high in the fish gills, while Pb and Mn were significantly high in the sediments (P<0.0001). In the dry season, Zn and Cr were found to be significantly high in the sediment (P<0.0001). As far as the WHO's set limits are concerned, Pb was found to be high in all samples with Mn being high in fish and water while Ni and Cd were high in fish and sediments, the results show evidence of bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the fish with alarming levels that are higher than WHO limits, therefore posing potential risk for inhabitants that depend on the river. While the findings are geared towards providing baseline data on the current pollution status of this river, constant monitoring of the levels of contamination to assess the impact of the heavy metals is deemed necessary.


In the present scenario terrorist attacks are biggest problem for the mankind and whole world is under constant threat from these well-planned, sophisticated and coordinated terrorist operations. Now every country is focusing on counter-terrorism. Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, strategies and techniques that governments, militaries, police and security agency uses to prevent or in response to terrorist threats. This paper will focus on terrorist group prediction techniques for counter terrorism. Also analysis of predicting the responsible group using CLOPE algorithm.


As VLSI technology scales into sub-65nm realm, the complexity of timing optimization is drastically increased by the consideration of power and variations. Even though designers make great efforts during physical design, they are often faced with still heavy timing violations in deep post-routing stages. For the entire design convergence and timing closure, especially under current multi-corner multi-mode design, some more efficient methods need to be invented. In this work, we propose to address such a kind of issue by exploiting useful clock skew, which can help reduce timing violations rapidly. We also add mode/corner metric balancing measurements to make this method more flexible and applicable especially in such deep stages while the CTS is ready. The results indicate that our method can achieve an average improvements of 33.16% on the worst slack (WS) and 75.56% on the total negative slack (TNS), respectively.


Thermal convection-diffusion plays a crucial role in transferring heat energy in the nature, and hence its effective manipulation is of great significance. Although the transformation theory provides a possible approach, three severe problems still restrict practical applications. That is, the parameters as required by the transformation theory are anisotropic, inhomogeneous, and even singular, thus challenging the fabrications. To solve these problems, here we propose a scheme for realizing thermal illusion (including transparency, concentrating, and cloaking) of porous media with convection-diffusion process, which is governed by Darcy's law and Fourier's law. By designing two key parameters (i.e., thermal conductivity and permeability) of a shell, we can realize thermal transparency and remove the requirements of anisotropy, inhomogeneity, and singularity. The scheme can also help to realize thermal concentrating or cloaking by designing an anisotropic shell without the need of inhomogeneous and singular parameters. All these theoretical analyses are confirmed by finite-element simulations. This work provides an illusion scheme for manipulating thermal convection-diffusion with practical parameters, and offers a guidance to fabricate these metamaterials experimentally. Our results can also be extended to other diffusive fields, such as mass diffusion.


The airfoil shape of horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blade is optimized using genetic algorithm (GA). The algorithm is set to find the final airfoil shape with the highest gliding ratio (GR) and larger laminar boundary layer regime along the airfoil surface. The main aim is to find the best airfoil shape of higher lift coefficient with reduced drag in boundary layer from the reference airfoil shape. A 3D correction law is applied to model the effect of optimized airfoil in 3D rotational augmented situation. The thrust and power curves are generated by the blade element (BEM) and free vortex (FV) codes with 3D and loss correction. The higher power production is given when the wind turbine blades are designed using the optimized airfoil. This increment is thought to be made from the efficiency caused by the reduced separation bubbles from reduced turbulent boundary layer and 3D rotational augmentation. To validate its effectiveness in case of soiled condition, the aerodynamic parameters of airfoils are recalculated by enforcing the airfoil to undergo earlier transition, which models the leading edge roughness. The results indicate the soiled condition that does not affect the aerodynamic efficiency of the airfoil due to the positive effect of 3D rotation augmentation.


A hybrid method for nonlinear electromagnetic analysis that combines the Method of Moments (MOM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) is presented. By using the equivalence principle, an interior and an exterior problem are used to study the actual problem. The MOM is used for the solution of the exterior problem where equivalent surface currents replace the solid bodies and generate the fields in the free space. The FEM is used to solve the interior problem defined into the solid bodies with given conditions at their boundaries. Considering that the actual fields are given by the sum of the fields in the two problems, a nonlinear matrix equation for the problem solution is obtained by forcing the continuity of the actual tangential electric and magnetic fields on the boundary of the nonlinear solid bodies. Two-dimensional numerical results are used to show the characteristics of the method by the analysis of test cases and by comparison with other numerical methods.


Objective: The objective of this study is to examine ground kinetics early in stance while walking on a contaminated surface and assess the potential of kinetics to quantify risk of slipping. Background: Prior studies of slipping have dismissed early ground kinetic data, and therefore no prior literature has been able to assess the viability of using these data to quantify slip potential. Method: A total of 11 healthy male participants volunteered to walk over a force plate that was at random times contaminated with soap. Ground kinetics were measured by the force plate (2400 Hz), and heel displacement was quantified using high-speed video cameras (240 Hz) and retro-reflective markers. Results: The results indicated a significant reduction in shear force as early as 0.42 ms after heelstrike for contaminated trials, whereas for utilized coefficient of friction, a significant reduction was not seen until 11.34 ms. Heel displacements considered "safe" in the literature (< 30 mm) demonstrated proportionally different thresholds for shear force and utilized coefficient of friction. Conclusion: The authors suggest that shear force in early stance shows more promise in quantifying slip potential as compared to utilized coefficient of friction given that (a) significant differences are seen earlier in shear than utilized coefficient of friction and (b) the threshold for utilized coefficient of friction, over which heel displacement stabilized to a "safe" value, exceeded values for utilized coefficient of friction that have been recommended as "safe." Application: These results have wide implications for standards related to the design and testing of interventions to prevent injuries because of slipping.


We demonstrate that unidirectionally aligned, free-standing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit highly anisotropic linear and nonlinear terahertz (THz) responses. For the polarization parallel to the CNT axis, strong THz pulses induce nonlinear absorption in the quasi-one-dimensional conducting media, while no nonlinear effect is observed in the perpendicular polarization configuration. Time-resolved measurements of transmitted THz pulses and a theoretical analysis of the data reveal that intense THz fields enhance permittivity in carbon nanotubes by generating charge carriers.


A sustained release oral solid dosage form of metoprolol pharmaceutical formulation includes a sustained release matrix and a pharmaceutical diluent. The formulation provides release of metoprolol for at least about 24 hours. Methods of preparation are also disclosed.


We have produced this book for practitioners. Too much valuable research and reflection on disaster, hazards, vulnerability, risk and risk reduction has been written in technical language and published in either expensive or obscure places, or both. The editors have worked closely with practitioners at various scales for many years, probably well over 100 years if you total up our careers. We remain closely involved with networks that include many practitioners: the Gender and Disaster Network, Many Strong Voices, the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction, the ECB project, Peri-Peri, Duryog Nivaran, the Community Based Adaptation project, and the RADIX network. At a further distance, we are also engaged with ODI's Humanitarian Practice Network, the Sphere Project and ALNAP, amongst others.

Recognising this gap, we tried to fill it with a book that digests research and reflection on good practice, edited specifically for practitioners. Our work was made easier by the fact that our chosen authors are to varying, but close, degrees engaged themselves with the world of practitioners – or are practitioners themselves -- and come from many corners of Planet Earth.


Crustal-scale seismic-velocity models across the Denali fault zone along the Richardson Highway show a 50-km-thick crust, a near vertical fault trace, and a 5-km-wide damage zone associated with the fault near Trans-Alaska Pipeline Pump Station 10, which provided the closest strong ground motion recordings of the 2002 Denali fault earthquake. We compare models, derived from seismic reflection and refraction surveys acquired in 1986 and 1987, to laboratory measurements of seismic velocities for typical metamorphic rocks exposed along the profiles. Our model for the 1986 seismic reflection profile indicates a 5-km-wide low-velocity zone in the upper 1 km of the Denali fault zone, which we interpret as fault gouge. Deeper refractions from our 1987 line image a 40-km wide, 5-km-deep low-velocity zone along the Denali fault and nearby associated fault strands, which we attribute to a composite damage zone along several strands of the Denali fault zone and to the obliquity of the seismic line to the fault zone. Our velocity model and other geophysical data indicate a nearly vertical Denali fault zone to a depth of 30 km. Aftershocks of the 2002 Denali fault earthquake and our velocity model provide evidence for a flower structure along the fault zone consisting of faults dipping toward and truncated by the Denali fault. Wide-angle reflections indicate that the crustal thickness beneath the Denali fault is transitional between the 60-km-thick crust beneath the Alaska Range to the south, and the extended, 30-km-thick crust of the Yukon–Tanana terrane to the north. Online Material: Tables of locations for the tact 1986 and tact 1987 lines.


Background There is considerable media, political and public interest on both sides of the Atlantic in an alleged rise in violence among military personnel returned from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This study explores violence among a large sample of UK military personnel, a proportion of whom had been deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan. The aims were to estimate the prevalence of self-reported violence, examine the impact of deployment and combat experiences on subsequent violence and the association with post-deployment mental health problems and alcohol misuse. Methods This study formed part of a questionnaire-based cohort study established to explore the impact of deployment on mental health among UK military personnel. The sample was randomly selected from all military personnel serving in the UK Armed Forces between 2003 and 2007. A total of 9986 participants from all Services were included, some had been deployed and some had been trained but not deployed. Special Forces were excluded. Data, collected by questionnaire, included information on deployment experiences, socio-demographic and military characteristics, pre-enlistment antisocial behaviour, and post-deployment health outcomes. The main violence outcomes were self –report measures of interpersonal violence. Results 6.2% of the sample reported interpersonal violence in the last month. Deployment showed a stronger association with subsequent violence among reservists (OR=2.98 (1.50–5.93),P=0.002) than among regulars (OR=1.26 (0.96–1.67),P=0.098) when compared to their non-deployed counterparts. Performing a combat role whilst deployed was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of violence among regulars (OR=1.90 (1.38–2.75), P<0.001) and the risk of violence increased with the number of traumatic events experienced (P<0.001)). Violence on homecoming was also associated with mental health problems such as PTSD (OR=4.8 (3.2–7.2) P<0.001) and alcohol misuse (OR=3.1 (2.5–3.9) P<0.001). Conclusion Military deployment, in particular combat exposure, increased the risk of subsequent violence among military personnel and the risk of violence increased with increasing number of traumatic events experienced on deployment. Valuable information on risk factors for violence among military personnel is provided, especially regarding increased risk among deployed reservists and among personnel who report post-deployment mental health problems and alcohol misuse.


Vanishing points are elements of great interest in the computer vision field, since they are the main source of information about the geometry of the scene and the projection process associated to the camera. They have been studied and applied during decades for plane rectification, 3D reconstruction, and mainly auto-calibration tasks. Nevertheless, the literature lacks accurate online solutions for multiple vanishing point estimation. Most strategies focalize on the accuracy, using highly computational demanding iterative procedures. We propose a novel strategy for multiple vanishing point estimation that finds a trade-off between accuracy and efficiency, being able to operate in real time for video sequences. This strategy takes advantage of the temporal coherence of the images of the sequences to reduce the computational load of the processing algorithms while keeping a high level of accuracy due to an optimization process. The key element of the approach is a robust scheme based on the MLESAC algorithm, which is used in a similar way to the EM algorithm. This approach ensures robust and accurate estimations, since we use the MLESAC in combination with a novel error function, based on the angular error between the vanishing point and the image features. To increase the speed of the MLESAC algorithm, the selection of the minimal sample sets is substituted by a random sampling step that takes into account temporal information to provide better initializations. Besides, for the sake of flexibility, the proposed error function has been designed to work using as image features indiscriminately gradient-pixels or line segments. Hence, we increase the range of applications in which our approach can be used, according to the type of information that is available. The results show a real-time system that delivers real-time accurate estimations of multiple vanishing points for online processing, tested in moving camera video sequences of structured scenarios, both indoors and outdoors, such as rooms, corridors, facades, roads, etc.


Campylobacter is the main cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Within the EU reported cases are rising each year. Epidemiological studies have identified that chicken meat is one of the major sources of human infection. However, it is poorly understood whether differences in chickens' rearing and production methods impact on the contamination levels of Campylobacter on chicken meat and therefore the risk of entry into the food chain.
To investigate the role of production system, flocks from diverse broiler commercial production systems with differences in welfare standards, bird type and stocking densities were investigated during the whole rearing period and at slaughter. Caecal samples were collected to estimate the flock prevalence. In order to assess the level of carcass contamination during processing, neck skin samples were collected at different production stages. Breast meat samples were also investigated to estimate the risk that chicken meat poses to human health. The objective was to link the flock Campylobacter status to the risk of contamination on the consumer's plate.
All samples were cultured for the presence of Campylobacter species. A quantitative method based on ISO 10272-2:2006, was used to determine the level of flock colonisation and Campylobacter contamination on broiler carcasses and final products.
Results show that birds reared indoors under higher welfare standards with decreased stocking density with a slower growing breed (Hubbard JA57) had a reduced prevalence of Campylobacter, compared to the standard fast growing breed (Ross 308) when grown at the same stocking density. The production system with the higher Campylobacter prevalence and the higher Campylobacter count in the caecal contents, also reported a greater Campylobacter prevalence and counts on carcasses. The bacterial numbers on the final product appeared to be strongly associated with the intestinal colonisation of the slaughter batch. Consequently it is crucial to prevent flock colonisation during the rearing period, to ensure negative flocks are entering into the processing plant. The significance of the aforementioned point was also highlighted by the fact that production stages such as final washing and chilling have little impact in the reduction of contamination of the final product. The high level of contaminated carcasses showed clearly that the chicken meat is putting the UK consumers' health at risk.
An increased incidence of welfare issues, such as pododermatitis and hock lesions, was observed among the production system with the higher level of colonisation, which bring to light a link between Campylobacter colonisation and welfare issues. Furthermore, this study emphasised that stressful events such as thinning and transport were followed by an increase in Campylobacter prevalence. This highlights the importance of animal health and welfare interactions with Campylobacter spp colonisation.
Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) was used to determine how diverse and distinct the genetic Campylobacter population structure was among the different commercial production systems investigated. Results showed that all production systems could be potential sources of Campylobacter infection in humans with common clonal complexes found. Changes in the prevalence of genotypes associated with the final product compared to those genotypes found in birds arriving from farms were observed. This may reflect the enhanced ability of certain genotypes to resist environmental stressors, such as carcass washing, chilling, chlorine dioxide treatment and oxygen that occur during processing. In this data set, isolates belonging to the ST-257 complex showed a higher tendency to survive in the slaughterhouse environment.
Internal contamination of the breast muscle was also reported in our study, hence posing a further public health threat, as the bacteria contained within the muscle are better able to survive cooking. These studies have demonstrated that this pathogen was highly prevalent among the broiler population investigated. Due to the common extent of this pathogen in food and its impact on human health, it is necessary for the Government bodies, food producers and retailers, to raise consumers' awareness of the Campylobacter issue. Particularly the consumers must be made aware of how to manage the risk appropriately during food preparation.


The world aquaculture production (fresh and marine waters) achieved 11.1 million tonnes in 1986 (FAO, 1989). The molluscs represented 21 % of the total production. Marine aquaculture with 5.45 million tonnes reached 49% of the total production. The marine cultivated mollusc production was 2.25 million tonnes due mainly to oysters (36%), mussels (34%), clams (16%), and scallops (6%). As the aquaculture production is clearly identified in the statistics only since 1984, the evolution of the production of oysters and mussels for the last 15 years has been analyzed with the FAO data for the total catch (fisheries and culture). By comparison of the two statistics for the same year (1986), the fisheries represented only 17% for oysters and 16% for mussels. Fig. 1 shows an increase of 37% of the oyster production and a tremendous boosting of 176% for the mussels in the last 15 years. Asian countries (Korea and Japan) increased their production from 40 to 58% of the total oyster production and Europe from 10 to 14% mainly due to French production. North American production had decreased from 38 to 25% in relation with the problems on the East coast particularly in Chesapeake Bay (Heral et al., 1990). For mussels, the expansion of the production was related to the large increase in Asian countries (5 to 24% of the total mussel production) mainly caused by Chinese production. The European production (Spain, Holland, and France) was stable. In 1974, it reached 80% of the world production and in 1987 it represented 68%.


This study was carried out to find the most preferred type of live feed of Climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) and recommending the daily requirement of preferred live feed for culturing of A. testudineus in Sri Lanka. Wild guppy (Poecilia reticulata), tilapia (Oriochromis niloticus) and tadpoles (Bufu bufo) around 1 cm of total length were used to find out the most preferred live feed of A. testudineus. Daily requirement of the preferred live feed type was determined. Results showed that feed preference of A. testudineus for tadpoles were significantly (p<0.05) higher than for wild guppy and tilapia. Small (0-25 g), medium (25-50 g) and large (50-75 g) sized A. testudineus required 0.84, 1.78 and 1.93 g of tadpoles / fish / day respectively in fresh weigh basis.


Treatment of rat pituitary GH(4)C(1) cell membranes with calpain, a calcium-activated cysteine protease, increased adenylate cyclase activity, and this activity was inhibited by a calpain inhibitor, leupeptin. Calpain treatment potentiated the activity of guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP[S]), but did not attenuate MnCl(2) action on adenylate cyclase, suggesting that calpain acted at the G-protein level, rather than directly on adenylate cyclase. This calpain stimulation of adenylate cyclase was inhibited by an antibody raised against the C-terminal portion of G(s)alpha, but not by anti-G(i)2alpha or anti-Gbeta antibodies. Furthermore, it was shown that G(s)alpha is more susceptible to calpain-mediated proteolysis than G(i)2alpha or Gbeta. Therefore the stimulatory effect of calpain on adenylate cyclase is due to the cleavage of G(s)alpha in GH(4)C(1) cell membranes. Proteolysis of G(s)alpha by micro-calpain involved sequential cleavages at two sites, resulting in the generation of a 39 kDa fragment first, and then a 20 kDa fragment, from the C-terminus. Treatment of GH(4)C(1) cell membranes with cholera toxin increased the rate of cleavage. Cholera toxin treatment of intact GH(4)C(1) cells induced the translocation of calpain from the cytosol to the membranes, a hallmark of calpain activation. In addition, treatment of intact GH(4)C(1) cells with a calpain-specific inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Leu-leucinal, blocked the increased cAMP production and the down-regulation of G(s)alpha, which were produced by cholera toxin or pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide. These results suggest that calpain sustains adenylate cyclase in an active form through the cleavage of G(s)alpha to an active G(s)alpha fragment. This is a novel calpain-dependent activation mechanism of G(s)alpha and, thus, of adenylate cyclase in rat pituitary cells.


This paper asks how much employment is created by rising Japanese exports and how the export dependence of employment has changed over time. Using newly developed Japanese input-output table data from 1975 to 2006, this paper estimates the effect of exports on the industry's employment (i.e., direct effect) and the effect on other industries' employment (i.e., indirect effect). Estimation results indicate that the export dependence of Japan's employment gradually increased over the last three decades. In 2006, approximately 30 percent of manufacturing employment was created by exports, which is twice as much as it was in 1975. The magnitude of the indirect effect is almost the same as that of the direct effect. Less export-oriented industries sometimes have heavy export dependence of employment due to the intra-industry linkages with export-oriented industries.


ABSTRACT DNA microarray technology has already revolutionized basic research in infectious diseases, and whole-genome sequencing efforts have allowed for the fabrication of tailor-made spotted microarrays for an increasing number of bacterial pathogens. However, the application of microarrays in diagnostic microbiology is currently hampered by the high costs associated with microarray experiments and the specialized equipment needed. Here, we show that a thorough bioinformatic postprocessing of the microarray design to reduce the amount of unspecific noise also allows the reliable use of spotted gene expression microarrays for gene content analyses. We further demonstrate that the use of only single-color labeling to halve the costs for dye-labeled nucleotides results in only a moderate decrease in overall specificity and sensitivity. Therefore, gene expression microarrays using only single-color labeling can also reliably be used for gene content analyses, thus reducing the costs for potential routine applications such as genome-based pathogen detection or strain typing.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this investigation was to study the effects of pharmacologic manipulation of cyclic nucleotide levels on the uterine spontaneous contractile activity and responsiveness to nitric oxide in pregnant rats at midgestation and term.

STUDY DESIGN
Uterine rings from pregnant rats at midgestation and term were placed in organ chambers for isometric tension recording. Concentration-response curves were obtained for phosphodiesterase and guanylate cyclase inhibitors, membrane-permeable cyclic nucleotide analogs, and forskolin. In addition, the effects of minimal inhibitory concentrations of these agents on the concentration-response relationships for diethylamine nitric oxide (a nitric oxide donor) were studied.

RESULTS
Nonselective phosphodiesterase inhibitors induced more inhibition of contractions of uterine rings from pregnant rats at term than at midgestation and zaprinast induced less. Inhibitors of guanylate cyclase and membrane-permeable analogs of cyclic guanosine monophosphate were equally effective in tissues from pregnant rats at midgestation and term. All agents attenuated the inhibitory effect of diethylamine nitric oxide at midgestation; however, dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate and papaverine increased the inhibitory effect of diethylamine nitric oxide in tissues from pregnant animals at term.

CONCLUSIONS
Cyclic nucleotides modulate both spontaneous and nitric oxide-induced changes in uterine contraction during pregnancy. Application of nonselective inhibitors of phosphodiesterase, as well as membrane-permeable analogs of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, may counteract refractoriness to nitric oxide at term.


The purposes of this study are (1) to recognize the textbooks or other teaching materials used by the Madrasah English teachers, (2) to identify their obstacles in preparing the teaching materials, (3) to analyze the teaching materials which can be developed in MOOC, (4) to analyze the teaching materials for MOOC which are related to the Indonesian curriculum, (5) to analyze their willingness of proffesional teaching development by joining MOOC. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach. Moreover, the subjects of the study were 3 English teachers of MTs Negeri Salatiga and 5 English teachers of MAN Salatiga. Observation, interview and documentation were used as the techniques of data collection. The results showed that (1) they used the textbooks from Ministry of Education (MOE), selected main handbooks, supplemenatary teaching materials from certain websites, (2) communicative competence as the main issue of content of textbook from MOE gave different challanges for them to prepare the teaching materials, (3) authentic materials were highly needed to be developed in MOOC, (4) characters building based-teaching materials needed to be developed too as those are the uniqueness of the Indonesian curriculum, (5) they had less interest to join MOOC as their way to develop their proffesional teaching development. Keywords: MOOC, English teaching materials, authentic materials, characters building


The expected move to a market-based electric power industry will significantly change electric utility operations. These changes will fundamentally alter the pricing of electric power. How this pricing will be accomplished is a key issue. Traditionally, embedded cost based methods have been used. Spot-pricing has received attention as a possible approach in a market-based electric power environment. Another market-based approach is the use of auctions. This paper presents the application of a sequential sealed-bid and sealed-offer auction to the pricing of electric power by using linear programming. >


As healthcare in many countries faces an aging population and rising costs, mobile Health (mHealth) sensing technologies promise a new opportunity. However, the privacy concerns associated with mHealth sensing are a limiting factor for their widespread adoption. The use of wireless body area networks pose a particular challenge. Although there exist protocols that provide a secure and private communication channel between two devices, the large transmission overhead associated with these protocols limit their application to low-power mHealth sensing devices. We propose an adaptive security model that enables use of privacy-preserving protocols in low-power mHealth sensing by reducing the network overhead in the transmissions, while maintaining the security and privacy properties provided by the protocols.


A simulated wrist-cutting suicide attempt scenario was developed and implemented, with the goal of integrating the concepts of psychiatric emergency care, contraband, environmental assessment, and personal safety. Faculty also wanted to convey and provide care and support for participants through-out the visually and emotionally stimulating activity. The under-lying premise was that providing readings and lecture material on these topics was insufficient to the level of learning and performance needed by nursing students and novice nurses. How-ever, actual student clinical episodes integrating these concepts were also infrequent, unpredictable, and often not conducive to student learning. Therefore, faculty implemented a simulation teaching modality to deliver the concepts in a vivid and memorable format. A standardized rating scale on perceived learning and care from faculty during the course of the simulation was administered immediately following participation in the activity. Participants were overwhelmingly positive in their assessment of the activity, reporting an enhanced appreciation for safety in the conduct of inpatient psychiatric nursing care.Further, the faculty member's observation and post-simulation processing of the activity noted cognitive, behavioral, and emotional responses at the individual and group levels related to communication, observation and assessment, decision making,and interpersonal support


Polycythaemia vera (PV), a condition characterized by blood hyperviscosity due to the expansion of the erythrocyte mass is the most common entity among all Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms. Arterial and venous thrombotic events are leading determinants of morbidity and mortality but impairment of quality of life due to vasomotor symptoms (erythromelalgia, pruritus) and disease-associated symptoms (tiredness, fatigue, pruritus, night sweats, vision problems, headache, concentration loss, abdominal discomfort, early satiety, fever, weight loss) are also present. The review of polycythaemia vera is actual as the updated WHO 2016 classification of myeloid neoplasms has changed the diagnostic criteria and a new second-line treatment option - JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor ruxolitinib - has been approved for patients who had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea, which represents a breakthrough in the treatment of this patient population. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(44), 1743-1751.


We study the minimum size $f$ of a feedback vertex set in directed and undirected $n$-vertex graphs of given degeneracy or treewidth. In the undirected setting the bound $\frac{k-1}{k+1}n$ is known to be tight for graphs with bounded treewidth $k$ or bounded odd degeneracy $k$. We show that neither of the easy upper and lower bounds $\frac{k-1}{k+1}n$ and $\frac{k}{k+2}n$ can be exact for the case of even degeneracy. More precisely, for even degeneracy $k$ we prove that $f < \frac{k}{k+2}n$ and for every $\epsilon>0$, there exists a $k$-degenerate graph for which $f\geq \frac{3k-2}{3k+4}n -\epsilon$.
For directed graphs of bounded degeneracy $k$, we prove that $f\leq\frac{k-1}{k+1}n$ and that this inequality is strict when $k$ is odd. For directed graphs of bounded treewidth $k\geq 2$, we show that $f \leq \frac{k}{k+3}n$ and for every $\epsilon>0$, there exists a $k$-degenerate graph for which $f\geq \frac{k-2\lfloor\log_2(k)\rfloor}{k+1}n -\epsilon$. Further, we provide several constructions of low degeneracy or treewidth and large $f$.


The present thesis is a study of the development of gunpowder weapons in Late Medieval England. This was a new technology that had reached Western Europe by the early fourteenth century, which had first supplemented and later supplanted traditional forms of artillery. The development of early firearms has long been recognised as significant by historians and has been identified as a key part of the military revolution hypothesis. As a result of this, gunpowder weapons are often discussed in general works on English military history but there is at the moment no satisfactory study on its long-term development in England. The aim of the present study is to rectify this gap in the literature by carrying out a thorough examination and comparison of the extensive surviving financial records for the English Crown and towns for the period covering the reigns of Edward III to Henry VII. This information will be analysed to determine how the use of guns on military campaigns, in towns, royal fortifications and on ships changed over time, as well as to assess what factors influenced the development of gunpowder weapons and to see if these changes constituted a military revolution. As a result of this research, it is now possible to establish a comprehensive narrative of how English gunpowder weapons developed throughout this critical period in the history of the technology.


Predictions for the operation of tokamak divertors are reliant on edge plasma simulations typically utilizing a fluid plasma code in combination with a Monte Carlo code for neutral species. Pilot‐PSI is a linear device operating with a cascaded arc plasma source that produces plasmas comparable to those expected in the ITER divertor (Te ∼ 1 eV, ne ∼ 1021 m−3). In this study, plasma discharges in Pilot‐PSI are modelled using the Soledge2D fluid plasma code coupled to the Eirene neutral Monte Carlo code. The plasma is generated using an external source of plasma density and power. These input parameters are tuned in order to match Thomson scattering (TS) measurements close to the cascaded arc source nozzle. The sensitivity of the simulations to different atomic physics models is explored. It is found that elastic collisions between ions and hydrogen molecules have a strong influence on calculated profiles. Without their inclusion, supersonic flow regimes are obtained with M ∼ 2 close to the target plate. Simulation results are compared with experimental findings using TS close to the target and, in the case of Pilot‐PSI, a Langmuir probe embedded in the target. Comparison between experimental trends observed in a background pressure scan and the simulations show that the inclusion of the elastic collision is mandatory for the trends to be reproduced.


Small Outline Transistor (SOT) packages, widely used in consumer electronics, are very small, inexpensive surface-mount plastic molded packages. In order to maximize product throughput, the molded array matrix is employed for products fabrication, which leads to a potential critical wire sweep issue for SOT package during the transfer molding process. The unreasonably large wire sweep will extremely influence the package reliability, and even lead to failure of the product. In this study, both experimental and simulated works were resorted to analyze the wire sweep of SOT package array matrix mold. At the beginning, two different simulation methods, 3D analysis and Dual Domain analysis, were employed to predict the flow pattern and wire sweep during the transfer molding process with a hybrid finite-element/finite-difference method using commercial software Autodesk Moldflow Insight (AMI). It is found that both of the methods can obtain a well matched flow pattern but Dual Domain analysis acquire the more reasonable wire sweep distribution, compared with the experimental observation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Dual Domain analysis is the more reasonable and recommended method to cope with wire sweep problem. Furthermore, according to the Dual Domain analysis result, it is also found that the sharply increased velocity is the key reason for the wire sweep issue in the vent side of the mold, due to the flow front concentration. In order to address the issue, the transfer mold process optimization with transfer profile was carried out. The simulation results reveal the transfer molding process optimization is an effective way to deal with this problem.


A 72 year old man presented with persistent right upper quadrant pain, fever, and lethargy. He had been treated for cholecystitis the previous week with intravenous antibiotics and then oral antibiotics.

On examination, he was pyrexial and had a tender palpable mass in his right upper quadrant. His white cell count was raised, at 20.6 x 109/L, with a predominance of neutrophilia, and liver function tests were normal except gamma-glutamyl tranferase of 154.

He was started on intravenous antibiotics for suspected empyema of the gallbladder. Ultrasound scan of the abdomen showed multiple gallstones and an 8 cm inflammatory mass adjacent to the gallbladder. A contrast enhanced computed tomography scan of the patient's abdomen was performed, which confirmed a distended gallbladder with an abscess⇓ adjacent to the gallbladder fundus, which was suggestive of a contained gallbladder perforation.

Fig 1

An ultrasound guided drain was inserted to drain the collection and remained …


Products of phosphatidylinositol turnover have recently been implicated as regulators of cell growth and differentiation. Transformation of cells in culture by infection with certain viruses (Rous sarcoma virus, Kirsten sarcoma virus, and polyoma virus) or by transfection with the oncogenes carried by these viruses affect the steady-state level of intermediates in the PI turnover pathway. In addition, immunoprecipitates of the transforming gene products of Rous sarcoma virus and polyoma virus contain activities of certain enzymes in the PI turnover pathway. We have previously reported that polyoma middle T immunoprecipitates can catalyze phosphorylation of PI to phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PIP). This activity is not intrinsic to middle T or c-src but is due to a cellular enzyme that specifically associates with this complex. The PI kinase is found in immunoprecipitates of the middle T protein from polyoma viruses that are capable of cell transformation but does not associate with mutants of middle T defective in transformation suggesting that this association may be important for transformation.


The Playing for Life (P4L) philosophy was developed based on the concept of game play. It emphasizes learning through games within the sporting context to promote sports participation. The main aim of the study was to qualitatively evaluate the effectiveness of the P4L philosophy in contributing to enjoyment and in encouraging continued participation in sports. A total of 97 children (aged 5–12 years), who participated in the Active After-school Communities program that adopted the P4L philosophy by the Australian Sports Commission, took part in 56 paired or individual interviews. Transcripts were initially deductively coded based on pre-determined themes, and were inductively coded for additional themes that were indicative of the effectiveness of the afterschool sports program following the P4L philosophy. Main themes identified from the interviews were motor development and knowledge acquisition, psychological and cognitive benefits, social development, and active living awareness. The P4L philosophy appeared to be effective in engaging children in sports participation and in promoting potentially sustainable positive physical activity behavior.


The molecular mechanisms of salt sensitivity and the contribution of the kidney to salt-induced hypertension in Sabra rats are imperfectly defined. We investigated the expression of the nitric oxide (NO) system (endothelial, inducible, and neural NO synthases) and renin-angiotensin system (renin, angiotensinogen, and angiotensin II type 1A receptor) gene components in the kidneys of SBN/y (salt-resistant) and SBH/y (salt-sensitive) Sabra rat substrains, with and without deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt treatment. We also looked for immunocytochemical evidence of angiotensin II, the effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system. Inducible and neural NO synthase gene expression values were lower in SBH/y than in SBN/y before and after DOCA-salt treatment. The gene expression level of endothelial NO synthase was not different in SBH/y and SBN/y, either with or without DOCA salt. Renin gene expression was significantly higher in kidneys of SBN/y than in kidneys of SBH/y rats, whereas angiotensinogen gene expression was significantly lower in SBN/y. After DOCA-salt treatment, renin gene expression was strongly suppressed in both strains but more so in SBH/y. Angiotensinogen gene expression, on the other hand, was increased by DOCA salt in SBN/y rats so that the two strains were no longer different. Angiotensin II immunoreactivity was significantly higher in SBN/y than in SBH/y; however, after DOCA salt, immunoreactivity in both strains was no longer detectable. Angiotensin II type 1A receptor gene expression was not different between the two strains, either before or after DOCA-salt administration. We conclude that DOCA salt induced a decrease in the activity of the renin-angiotensin system but did not change NO synthase gene expression in SBH/y and SBN/y. Inducible and neural NO synthase gene expression values were less in SBH/y than in SBN/y, independent of DOCA-salt administration. Thus, the NO system could explain, at least in part, the salt resistance of SBN/y.


Blending hydrogen into the natural gas infrastructure is becoming a very promising practice to increase the exploitation of renewable energy sources which can be used to produce "green" hydrogen. Several research projects and field experiments are currently aimed at evaluating the risks associated with utilization of the gas blend in end-use devices such as the gas meters. In this paper, the authors present the results of experiments aimed at assessing the effect of hydrogen injection in terms of the durability of domestic gas meters. To this end, 105 gas meters of different measurement capabilities and manufacturers, both brand-new and withdrawn from service, were investigated in terms of accuracy drift after durability cycles of 5000 and 10,000 h with H2NG mixtures and H2 concentrations of 10% and 15%. The obtained results show that there is no metrologically significant or statistically significant influence of hydrogen content on changes in gas meter indication errors after subjecting the meters to durability testing with a maximum of 15% H2 content over 10,000 h. A metrologically significant influence of the long-term operation of the gas meters was confirmed, but it should not be made dependent on the hydrogen content in the gas. No safety problems related to the loss of external tightness were observed for either the new or 10-year-old gas meters.


Bee brood studies under semi-field conditions according to OECD GD 75 display a strong variability of the brood termination rates (BTRs) as the key endpoint. Therefore, the ICP-PR Bee Brood Group considered the performance of EPPO 170 field studies using the OECD GD 75 bee brood evaluation as one option to achieve more reliable BTR data. This approach was envisaged already some years ago and used for several years. However, broader data sets supporting the benefit of this combined methodology were still lacking. The analysis of current field studies performed since 2012 indicate that control BTRs were approximately half the size compared to values observed under semi-field conditions. Moreover, results give a strong indication that the BTR values under field conditions are more reliable and less variabel. Therefore, the combined method is a valuable tool to investigate potential effects of a plant protection product on the bee brood to refine the risk under realistic exposure conditions.


According to the sociology of literature, the popularity of sufistic literature in Indonesia and Egypt in the 1980s until 1990s is more than the literary phenomena. It is the phenomena of social, politic, and culture. In order to understand that phenomena, works of literature should be put, firstly, as the most representative "space" for discourse of sufistic discourse, it is not only as the practical and literary movement but also religious, social, political and cultural movements. So, every sufistic literature becomes relevant and contextual toward its time. Secondly, the field of literature challenge can move by following the change of society, culture and civilization, this make sufistic literature to be put in that themes. Practicing the sufistic literature can transmit the preservation of divinity or principles of monotheism continously. We can understand that there is a relation between the phenomena of popularity of sufistic literature either in Indonesia or in Egypt and modernity. Sufistic literature tries to give reaction, response, and resistance to the modernism discourse generally and secularism or secularization specifically.


This paper presents a novel approach to character identification, that is an entity linking task that maps mentions to characters in dialogues from TV show transcripts. We first augment and correct several cases of annotation errors in an existing corpus so the corpus is clearer and cleaner for statistical learning. We also introduce the agglomerative convolutional neural network that takes groups of features and learns mention and mention-pair embeddings for coreference resolution. We then propose another neural model that employs the embeddings learned and creates cluster embeddings for entity linking. Our coreference resolution model shows comparable results to other state-of-the-art systems. Our entity linking model significantly outperforms the previous work, showing the F1 score of 86.76% and the accuracy of 95.30% for character identification.


This article considers the economic production quantity problem with imperfect items in the fuzzy sense. Two economic production quantity models with fuzzy defective rate (LR-fuzzy number) are constructed, in which Model 1 is developed when the screening rate is lower than production rate consider and model 2 is proposed when the screening rate is greater than production rate. The signed distance and sample algebraic method are employed to find the optimal production quantity in the fuzzy sense so that the total cost per unit time in the fuzzy sense has a minimum value. The relationship between model 1 and model 2 is revealed through theoretical analysis. Furthermore, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the results of proposed model.


The author stresses here mainly the point that every neurosis is based on a misunderstanding in early childhood. This can be corrected cognitively by studying the nature of injury (Freud's trauma) and the reaction of the individual to injury. He deals with these questions in an eclectic way. In connection with the problem of &dquo;work functions&dquo;, and their relation to masochism, the author deals mainly with what Freud called sublimation of instincts and its resistance to it or, channelling instincts through ego characteristics (inherent talents).


An indicator ink based on the redox dye 2,6-dichloroindophenol (DCIP) is described, which allows the rapid assessment of the activity of thin, commercial photocatalytic films, such as Activ. The ink works via a photoreductive mechanism, DCIP being reduced to dihydro-DCIP within ca. 7.5 minutes exposure to UVA irradiation of moderate intensity (ca. 4.8 mW cm−2). The kinetics of photoreduction are found to be independent of the level of dye present in the ink formulation, but are highly sensitive to the level of glycerol. This latter observation may be associated with a solvatochromic effect, whereby the microenvironment in which the dye finds itself and, as a consequence, its reactivity is altered significantly by small changes in the glycerol content. The kinetics of photoreduction also appear linearly dependent on the UVA light intensity with an observed quantum efficiency of ca. 1.8× 10−3.


Division of the superior transverse scapular ligament for decompression of suprascapular nerve entrapment can be curative. However, the superior transverse scapular ligament can be difficult to locate, and large incisions are often required. This study was designed to determine the topographic coordinates of the superior transverse scapular ligament to permit reproducible surgical localization and reduce incision size. In 20 cadavers, the superior transverse scapular ligament was identified through a superior approach. Measurements were obtained from the superior transverse scapular ligament to external landmarks. The superior transverse scapular ligament was located 1.3 +/- 0.3 cm (+/- SD) posterior to the posterior border of the clavicle and 2.9 +/- 0.8 cm from the acromioclavicular joint in a two-dimensional surface plane. The depth of the superior transverse scapular ligament from the skin surface was 3.9 +/- 0.7 cm. An incision (mean length, 6.3 +/- 0.7 cm) derived from a novel system of planning marks facilitated access to the superior transverse scapular ligament. The authors conclude that the superior transverse scapular ligament can be located consistently through an incision located on the superior aspect of the shoulder on the basis of palpable topographic landmarks. The superior approach permits small incision size and the maintenance of local muscle anatomic integrity.


The efficient scheduling of large mixed parallel applications is challenging. Most existing algorithms utilize scheduling heuristics and approximation algorithms to determine a good schedule as basis for an efficient execution in large scale scientific computing. This paper concentrates on the scheduling of mixed parallel applications represented by task graphs with parallel tasks and precedence constraints between them. Layer-based scheduling algorithms for homogeneous target platforms are improved by adding a move-blocks phase that further reduces the resulting parallel runtime.The layer-based scheduling approach is described and the move-blocks algorithm is introduced in detail.The move-blocks extension provides better scheduling results for small as well as for large problems but has only a small increase in runtime.This is shown by a comparison of the modified and the original algorithms over a wide range of test cases.


This study conducted a bioassay on frog tadpoles of the Mexican endemic species Dryophytes plicatus exposed to lead and iron. This species was used because some of its populations live near urban areas that may exposed them to pollutants, such as heavy metals due to industrial processes or mining industry. Specimens in a post-embryonic stage of Dryophytes plicatus were collected in water bodies near El Chico National Park. For the bioassay, the collected samples were grouped into three namely; tadpoles in contact with steel cloves (99% Fe, 1% C); the second group in contact with lead plates; and the last was the control group (without heavy metals). A spectrochemical analysis was held to identify the concentrations of these elements in the liver, intestines, and gills. This study shows that Dryophytes plicatus can bioaccumulate these heavy metals in their tissues, particularly in the liver and the intestine. The concentration of lead and iron was similar in both the control and experimental groups, due to the use of tap water of a mining place, but the concentration in the tadpoles tissues indicates a bioaccumulation process.


Background and Objective: Pneumoconiosis is common occupational lung disease in many developing countries. The agriculture is the main occupation of workers in Thailand, estimated 24.1 million workers are agriculturist. Almost agriculturists are informal workers so they are not covered by the legal medical surveillance and occupational compensation.  The agriculturists exposed to occupational hazardous espacially inorganic dusts . There is the study about the relationship between agriculture mineral dust and occupational pneumoconiosis among the young farm workers. The result shows pneumoconiosis 20.9% among farm workers . Prevention is most important and needs to be implemented. This report presents a case of suspected occupational pneumoconiosis in a 47-year-old male due to prolonged occupational soil dust exposure. Method : The clinical symptoms and occupational history were taken from the patient during admission period.  The laboratory data such as blood test, sputum gram stain, sputum AFB and sputum cytology were assessed. The chest x-ray and Computed tomography (CT) of the chest were read by radiologist certificated AIR Pneumo (The Asian Intensive Reader of Pneumoconiosis) according to International Labour Organization classification (ILO classification) system. Result: A 47-year-old male visited the hospital with clinical presentation included progressive dyspnea, 5 kg weight loss within 1 month, no fever and left thyroid gland nodule. A chest X-ray revealed bilateral reticulonodular infiltration but sputum specimens for acid-fast bacilli stain were negative. The patient had a history of prolonged occupational soil-dust exposure from his job harvesting cassava using a backhoe and transferring them to a truck. He was therefore heavily and directly exposed to soil/sand-dust. His chest X-ray revealed perfusion 3/3+, bilateral mixed irregular linear and small nodular opacities, large opacity type A and emphysematous change compatible with pneumoconiosis. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest revealed multiple pulmonary nodules in both lungs with small mediastinal adenopathy, multiple subpleural blebs in both lungs and pulmonary emphysema in both lower lobes. The sputum cytology revealed a few squamous epithelials and inflammatory cells. A lung biopsy was not performed due to the patient's failing respiratory condition. According to the chest CT and chest X-ray together with exclusion of metastatic lungs and the history of prolonged and heavy exposure to soil/sand-dust, the diagnosis from expert opinion is propable case of  occupational pneumoconiosis. Conclusion: An agriculture worker presented with chronic interstitial lung disease; for which a diagnosis of pneumoconiosis was probable, due to prolonged occupational exposure to soi/sand-dust. Similar cases might have occurred but lack of awareness of occupational history-taking may be the cause of under-reporting.  A prevention program and hazard notification is therefore needed for agriculture workers in order to prevent this type of occupational disease.  A medical surveillance program and proper personal protective equipment needs to be formalized and implemented.


The precocious economic development, extensive urbanisation, and wealth of medieval Flanders was based largely upon producing and exporting a wide range of essentially wool-based textiles, from cheap mass consumption products (the coarse and light says, biffes, etc.) to extremely expensive and also very heavy woollen broadcloths, the most luxurious of which rivalled the better Italian silks in elegance, quality, and price. During the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries, and again in the 16th century, the Flemish manufacture and export of cheap, light says and other similar products of the draperies leg,eSres were probably the more important in terms of employment and export revenues; but during the intervening 14th and 15th centuries radical changes in European market structures, transport routes, and distribution networks made it more profitable for the Flemish to concentrate upon exporting very costly luxury woollen broadcloths [for reasons explored in my other publications and working pers]. But how cheap was cheap; and how costly indeed were the luxury woollen broadcloths? I measured their relative values, i.e. costs to an urban Flemish craftsman consumer, by using various sets of urban wage and commodity price data that I have collected from archival sources in the Low Countries. In particular, for the period 1350-1500, I have constructed a Flemish Basket of Consumables Price Index, modelled on the well known English index of Phelps Brown & Hopkins, splicing this Flemish commodity-price index to a similar index for Brabant constructed by Herman Van der Wee, for the 16th century. I have thus computed how many days' wages a master mason or carpenter would require to buy one of these broadcloths from the 1330s to the 1560s; similarly to buy says in the 16th century; and I have also computed the value of each broadcloth or say in terms of the value of these commodity baskets (i.e. how many baskets equalled in value one cloth). The data show a marked rise in the relative value of luxury broadcloths from the 1360s and again from the 1430s, as measured both in terms of wages (purchasing power) and of the commodity baskets, for reasons explored in other publications.


The standard interpretation of the phase diagram of type-II superconductors was developed in 1960s and has since been considered a well-established part of classical superconductivity. However, upon closer examination a number of fundamental issues arise that leads one to question this standard picture. To address these issues we studied equilibrium properties of niobium samples near and above the upper critical (cid:12)eld H c 2 in parallel and perpendicular magnetic (cid:12)elds. The samples investigated were very high quality (cid:12)lms and single crystal discs with the Ginzburg-Landau parameters 0.8 and 1.3, respectively. A range of complementary measurements have been performed, which include dc magnetometry, electrical transport, (cid:22) SR spectroscopy and scanning Hall-probe microscopy. Con-trarily to the standard scenario, we observed that a superconducting phase is present in the sample bulk above H c 2 and the (cid:12)eld H c 3 is the same in both parallel and perpendicular (cid:12)elds. Our (cid:12)ndings suggest that above H c 2 the superconducting phase forms (cid:12)laments parallel to the (cid:12)eld regardless on the (cid:12)eld orientation. Near H c 2 the (cid:12)laments preserve the hexagonal structure of the preceding vortex lattice of the mixed state and the (cid:12)lament density continuously falls to zero at H c 3 . Our work has important implications for the correct interpretation of properties of type-II superconductors and can also be essential for practical applications of these materials.


Bahzell Bahnakson of the Horse Stealer hradani had never wanted to be the champion of the War God. Unfortunately, the War God had insisted. Which was how he had found himself among hostile strangers in the Empire of the Axe - except that that was only the least of his problems. For a start, there was the Order of Tomanak, who were horrified that their deity had chosen a hradani as champion, and were resolved to rectify the matter in a most unpleasant fashion. And if he survived that, he had to get home somehow, in spite of the enemies determined to stop him, to face the Dark God who had sworn to destroy all hradani. But one thing Bahzell had learned: a champion of the War God Tomanak does what needs to be done. And those who got in his way had better watch out...


Research was carried out on antibacterial activity of Citrus limon on Acnevulgaris (Pimples). Samples were obtained from individuals having Pimples, by swabbing their faces, backs and chests. Samples were collected from Amanawa hospital in sokoto, Nigeria using Swab sticks. The sticks were transported to the Microbiology Laboratory of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. Citrus limon juice was used at different concentrations of (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) on Propionibacteriumacnes, the bacteria that cause Acnevulgaris (Pimples). The Citrus limon juice was found to be effective at all Concentrations used. Conventional Cleanser was used as positive control, and it was only found to be effective at higher concentrations of (60%, 80% and 100%) and was not effective at Lower Concentrations (20% and 40%). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of Citrulimon on Propionibacterium acnes was taken and presence of growth was observed at concentrations of 20%, 40% and 60%, and absence of growth was observed at 80% and 100%. The minimum inhibitory concentration of conventional cleanser indicated the presence of growth at 20% and 40% and absence of Growth at 60%, 80% and 100%. The Minimum bactericidal Concentration (MBC) taken on Propionibacteriumacnes using both Citrus limon juice and cleanser all showed absence of growth at all the concentrations used (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%). From the research conducted it was observed that lemon juice have strong anti Acne vulgaris effect morethan the convensional cleansers used for the treatment of Acne vulgaris.


The Internet of Things (IoT) has led towards a digital world in which everything becomes connected. Unfortunately, most of the currently marketed connected devices feed vertically-oriented closed systems (commonly referred to as vertical silos) which prevent the development of a unified global IoT. This issue is all the more valid in complex environments, such as smart cities, in which exceedingly large amounts of heterogeneous sensor data are collected, and in which platforms and stakeholders should also be able to interact and cooperate. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to move towards the creation of open IoT ecosystems to support efficient smart city service integration, discovery and composition. This paper contributes to the specifications of such an ecosystem, which has been developed as part of the EU's H2020 bIoTope project. The novelty of this ecosystem compared with the current literature is threefold: (i) it is based on the extensive use of open communication and data standards, notably O-MI and O-DF standards, that foster technical, syntactic and semantic interoperability over domains; (ii) it proposes an innovative service marketplace for data/service publication, discovery and incentivization; (iii) it integrates security functionalities at the IoT gateway level. The practicability of our ecosystem has been validated through several smart city proofs-of-concept set up in three distinct cities: Helsinki, Lyon and Brussels. Given the five major themes defined in the CITYKeys (a smart city performance indicator framework), namely People, Planet, Prosperity, Governance and Propagation, bIoTope mainly contributes to Prosperity-related metrics, as discussed in this paper.


In this thesis I tell a story of m y journey in accounting education, particularly as it relates to the giving of meaning to the phrase 'A True & Fair View', as it is used in external financial reporting. I have used the critical methodology of Habermas, enriching it by drawing on constructivist and feminist methodologies. In the theoretical work I explored the three stages of Habermas's theory of communicative action, including an exposition of theoretical, therapeutic and practical discourses. In doing so, I have drawn on critical and feminist pedagogic critiques of Habermas to analyse the ideal speech situation. I also used feminist and psychoanalytic literature to critique Habermas's use of Freud in his therapeutic discourse. In the critical-empirical work, I constructed the various discourses with four small groups of people as students. This was initiated through identifying their meanings for the phrase, and constructing tentative explanations, based on the Habermasian interpretation of needs. Then various critical theorems were derived. Both the tentative interpretations and the critical theorems were presented to the four groups of participants, who then conducted various practical discourses. Finally the participants were required to prepare reports giving 'A True & Fair View' of the process. Outcomes of the research/teaching process included the identification of the need for a critical exposition of ethics throughout programmes of accounting, and the courage to use self-reflective journals in accounting education. I drew on constructivist pedagogic literature to evaluate the authenticity of the work. Various dimensions of authenticity, including ontological, educative, catalytic and tactical were used to construct this evaluation. Ontological authenticity was gauged by the extent to which I had an increased awareness of m y own constructions. Educative authenticity was gauged by the extent to which I had an increased awareness of the constructions of other participants. Catalytic and tactical authenticity were explored by considering the extent to which the research acted as a catalyst for action, and increased m y ability to carry out action on behalf of myself and other participants. CERTIFICATE I, Mary M Day, hereby certify that this work is m y own and has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution.


The
present article reports a facile approach to fabrication of
mesoporous octahedron-shaped tricobalt tetroxide nanoparticles (Co3O4 NPs) with a very narrow size distribution for
eco-friendly remediation of toxic dyes. Co3O4 NPs were fabricated by a sol–gel process
using cobalt chloride hexahydrate (CoCl2·6H2O) and monosodium succinate (C4H5O4Na) as a chelating/structure-directing agent and sodium dodecyl sulfate
as a surfactant. Moreover, the phase structure, elemental composition,
and thermal and morphological facets of Co3O4 NPs were investigated using XRD, FT-IR, EDS, Raman, XPS, TGA, SEM,
and TEM techniques. The face-centered cubic spinel crystalline structure
of the Co3O4 NPs was confirmed by XRD and SEM,
and TEM analysis revealed their octahedron morphology with a smooth
surface. Moreover, the narrow pore size distribution and the mesoporous
nature of the Co3O4 NPs were confirmed by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
measurements. The photocatalytic activity of Co3O4 NPs for degradation of methyl red (MR), Eriochrome Black-T (EBT),
bromophenol blue (BPB), and malachite green (MG) was examined under
visible light irradiation, and the kinetics of the dye degradation
was pseudo-zero-order with the rate constant in the order of MR >
EBT > MG > BPB. Furthermore, the mechanism of photo-disintegration
mechanism of the dye was examined by a scavenging test using liquid
chromatography–mass chromatography, and its excellent photodegradation
activities were attributed to the photogenerated holes (h+), superoxide (O2–) anions, and hydroxyl
(·OH) radicals. Finally, the synergistic effect of
the nano-interconnected channels with octahedron geometry, mesoporous
nature, and charge transfer properties along with photogenerated charge
separations leads to an enhanced Co3O4 photocatalytic
activity.


"in the beginning / was the word," asserts the speaker of the poem "testament," who identifies herself as "lucille clifton" (Clifton, Good Woman 213). (1) Despite the fact that the biblical text to which she alludes goes on to proclaim "the Word was God" (John 1.1), Lucille Clifton draws no such parallels. (2) "i / lucille clifton / hereby testify," the speaker continues in language reminiscent of courtroom testimonies and in a style and rhythm akin to the practice of testifying at Christian tent revivals, that in that room there was a light and in that light there was a voice and in that voice there was a sigh and in that sigh there was a world. a world a sigh a voice a light and i alone in a room. (213) Here, "testament" documents an unearthly spiritual encounter with "a light" and "a voice," but an encounter that also highlights the speaker's connection to the world, as evidenced by the phrase "a world a sigh." A "sigh," of course, indicates sorrow or fatigue and, connected as it is to the "world" in the poem, may indicate heaviness on the part of the "voice" concerning the world of the speaker. This pairing of the spiritual and the earthly makes sense; from the beginning of her career, Lucille Clifton was heavily invested in exploring the relationship between the spiritual and the historical, and her own spirituality was one way she made sense of the world and of oppressive historical circumstances. "testament" should come as no surprise, then, to the reader already familiar with the rich spiritual world of the poet, who throughout her career drew on a variety of philosophical traditions including Hindu, Native American, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian. What is clear in "testament," however, is that what endures after the voice and the light are gone is only "the word." If the speaker of "testament" was "alone / in a room" when she had this experience, there is no witness other than the poem. The poem becomes sacred because it documents an encounter with the divine, and the poet becomes the bearer of "the word." Clifton's "testament" is significant, therefore, in that it sets the poet up as a spiritual authority early in her career, a role that is later developed more fully years later. In fact, published as they were in 1980, the poems in the section of Two-Headed Woman titled "the light that came to lucille clifton" were most likely written just after Clifton's encounter in the 1970s with a divine source known to her as "The Ones" (Mercy 51). Withheld from publication for nearly three decades, "the message from The Ones" appearing in Mercy (2004) documents this experience. That Clifton waited so long to publish "the message" may indicate that she remained hopeful that the human would triumph over its own worst tendencies toward self-destruction and ruin. In The Book of Light (1993), for example, she celebrates the human body with the Clark Kent poems in the volume, even against the backdrop of the Persian Gulf War (1990 to 1991) and the conservative backlash of the 90s. After the events of 9/11, however, that hope seems to have disappeared. Giving up the making of poems and Christianity in the same gesture, Clifton transcribes rather than fashions a new sacred text in "the message," a text that proposes a new moral code, with Clifton occupying the role of guide and bearer of the Word. In the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, however, Clifton was still trying to engage with the "world" of "testament" in ways that celebrated inherited sacred texts and spiritual traditions, such as the Bible and Christianity, although she often revised those texts to challenge the social hierarchies they condoned. In fact, a central focus of Clifton's work across the span of her career was the Bible and the narratives it contains; over 150 of her more than 500 poems feature biblical characters or incorporate biblical imagery. (3) Clifton's ten-poem "tree of life" sequence in Quilting (1991) and the eight-poem "brothers" sequence in The Book of Light in particular take up the Garden of Eden trope as a way to reclaim the biblical figure of Lucifer. …


ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 5 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Selenium is an essential nutritional trace element having vital role in immunoprotection, antioxidant defence system, muscle metabolism, growth and reproduction. Hence dietary selenium supplementation in the poultry has been regularly practiced using the inorganic and organic forms. These forms have the limitations of having narrow margin of safety and non specific binding to tissue proteins, hence an alternate form of selenium i.e. nano selenium having greater potential as poultry and livestock feed supplement with higher bioavailability, higher margin of safety and seven fold lower acute toxicity was prepared using starch, ascorbic acid and bovine serum albumin. The nanoselenium (15-40 nm) synthesized were characterized by XRD analysis, transmission electron microscopy and UV spectrophotometry. This nanoselenium was used for the biological trial in broiler chickens owing to simplicity and easy adaptability for large scale production. The treatment groups were supplemented with 0.3 mg/kg sodium selenite (T2), 0.3 mg/kg organic selenium (T3), nanoselenium at three levels viz.0.15 (T4), and 0.3 (T5) and 0.6 mg/kg (T6) and T1 group was the control, fed with the basal diet alone. The weekly body weight of individual bird was recorded upto the end of sixth week. The mean body weight gain (g) recorded at the end of 6 th week were 2050.35, 2108.40, 2117.58, 2136.50 and 2141.65 for the groups T2 to T6, respectively when compared to 2030.60 of T1 group. The mean body weight gain at the end of 6 th week was higher (p<0.05) in the organic and nanoselenium supplemented groups compared to control. All the nanoselenium supplemented groups (T4, T5 and T6) showed significantly higher (p<0.05) body weight gain than T1 from 4 th week onwards. The T5 and T6 groups supplemented with nanoselenium at 0.3 mg/kg and 0.6 mg/kg showed significantly (p<0.05) increased body weight gain than the groups T1, T2, T3 and T4. The mean body weight gain of T3 did not differ from T4. Hence supplementing the nanoselenium (0.3 – 0.6mg/kg diet) resulted in increased body weight in broiler chickens with minimal risk of toxicity and better bioavailability. K e y w o r d s

https://www.ijcmas.com/9-5-2020/P. Visha, et al.pdf


Abstract Outdoor exercise equipment has become popular as important environmental infrastructure to provide opportunities for physical activity and social connectedness in public settings. With higher sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity reported among older people, infrastructure changes and safe environments that promote older peoples' health and mobility are required. Due to ageing‐related functional decline and health conditions associated with ageing, older adults may have special physical needs that require careful consideration when choosing outdoor equipment. However, limited information is available regarding the suitability of the types of exercise equipment for older people. This commentary provides further information on the type of equipment available, its functionality and suitability for older age populations and key considerations for the decision‐maker involved in selecting, installing and supporting community use of outdoor exercise equipment. Recommendations on what is required to maximise usability from a system or organisational‐based approach using research evidence is also discussed. Older people are more susceptible to the negative influences of their local environment and outdoor neighbourhood conditions. Consequently, the age‐friendliness and suitability of the outdoor exercise equipment characteristics, location and settings may facilitate older adults' engagement in physical and social activities.


Respiration and anatomical variation during radiotherapy (RT) of lung cancer yield dosimetric uncertainties of the delivered dose, possibly affecting the clinical outcome if not corrected for. Adaptive radiotherapy (ART), based on deformable image registration (DIR) and Deep-Inspiration-Breath-Hold (DIBH) gating can potentially improve the accuracy of RT. Purpose: The objective was to investigate the performance of contour propagation on repeated CT and Cone Beam CT (CBCT) images in DIBH compared to images acquired in free breathing (FB), using a recently released DIR software. Method: Three locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients were included, each with a planning-, midterm- and final CT (pCT, mCT, fCT) and 7 CBCTs acquired weekly and on the same day as the mCT and fCT. All imaging were performed in both FB and DIBH, using Varian RPM system for respiratory tracking. Delineations of anatomical structures were performed on each image set. The CT images were retrospective rigidly and deformable registered to all obtained images using the Varian Smart Adapt v. 11.0. The registered images were analysed for volume change and Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). Result: Geometrical similarities were found between propagated and manually delineated structures, with a slightly favour of FB imaging. Special notice should be taken to registrations where image artefacts or low tissue contrast are present. Conclusion: This study does not support the hypothesis that DIBH images perform better image registration than FB images. However DIR is a feasible tool for ART of lung cancer.


Mayonnaise is the most consumed condiment in the U.S. with domestic consumers spending some $2 billion on its consumption and with a couple of brands controlling a significant portion of the market. However, the demand for mayonnaise at the brand level has not been studied extensively in previous research. In this study, the Barten synthetic model was estimated to investigate the demand for mayonnaise and competition among major mayonnaise brands (private label, Hellmann's, Kraft, and other brands) in Northeast Texas. Compensated cross-price elasticities revealed that Kraft was the major competitor to private label and other brands, while private label was the major competitor to Kraft.


Mechanical milling (MM) and a combination of MM and temperature heating were used to synthesize the intermetallic MmNi5 and a MmNi5-Ni mixture, respectively. The process evolution with time was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM was used to characterize size and morphology of particles in order to reveal the governing mechanisms during the milling of each system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was utilized to determine strain and crystallite size changes introduced by milling. The effects of integrated milling time on the sorption properties of the MmNi5-Ni mixture were analyzed. Results were correlated to defects introduced into microstructure. A comparison of the final characteristics of alloys obtained in each case is also shown.


A proposal is currently being drafted by the First Nations Tax Commission to create a national First Nations Land Title System (FNLTS) for reserve lands in Canada. This paper examines the implications of the FNLTS proposal for some economic development outcomes across diverse First Nations communities. The authors aim to situate the theory underlying a FNLTS within recent international development scholarship on land tenure formalization, asking whether and under what conditions net benefits from tenure reform are likely to be realized. Their evaluation begins with a brief overview of the history of reserve land tenure in Canada, followed by a survey of the tenure regimes currently available to First Nations, thus providing context for suggested reforms. The second half of the paper draws on the experiences of Indigenous communities with tenure formalization in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Overall, the authors conclude that the predicted economic outcomes of a FNLTS will depend heavily on historical, political, social and geographic factors unique to each community. First Nations will likely need to consider creative strategies for tenure reform tailored to their particular circumstances and traditions in order to meet economic development goals.


Purpose: The study examines the impact of institutional quality on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows for emerging economies from South Asiain the period 2002-2016. Other economic factors such as globalisation, financial development, and GDP are also considered. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses Im-Pesaran-Shin (IPS) panel unit root test to check stationarity property. It uses cross dependency (CD) and cross-sectional augments IPS tests to check cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity across the group countries. Next, it uses panel ARDL-PMG tests to check the existence of long-relationship among variables. Then, we apply the panel Granger causality test to check the direction of causality. Finally, for the robustness of results, we use the Pedroni co-integration technique. Findings: The study finds the existence of a long-run relationship between institutional quality and FDI inflows. Other economic factors such as globalization and financial development show long-run and strong causality with FDI inflows. However, the short-run unidirectional causality from institutional quality to FDI inflows is not found for all the countries. Finally, institutional quality strongly causes FDI inflows provided paired with either globalisation or financial development. Practical Implications: Institutional quality increases the FDI inflows. Therefore, policymakers should focus on institutional quality along with globalization and financial development for higher inflows of FDI in emerging countries. Originality/Value: The study considers institutional quality as one of the inputs for FDI inflows in selected emerging economies from South Asia. Further, it creates an institutional quality index for the emerging countries to examine the impact on FDI inflows.


[i]Staphylococcus aureus[/i] can cause life-threatening infections such as bacteremia, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, endocarditis and sepsis. Epithelial cells are able to sense microbes, creating an early line of defense. We investigated S. aureus-host epithelial cells interaction using multidisciplinary approaches. Bacteria slowed down cell proliferation and induced a cytopathic effect. We observed an enlargement of host cells at MOI (Multiplicity of Infection) 20:1, which started being visible from 72h post-infection. Increasing MOI to 100:1 resulted in the induction of apoptosis. Using flow cytometry analysis, we demonstrated that S. aureus induces a G2/M phase delay in synchronized HeLa cells, which was associated with accumulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1/cdc2, a key inducer of mitosis entry, and with the accumulation of unphosphorylated histone H3, which was correlated with a dramatic reduction of the mitotic cell number. This delay required the presence of live S. aureus since the addition of the heat-killed bacteria did not alter the cell cycle. Culture supernatants of S. aureus strains induced a similar G2/M phase transition delay, suggesting a soluble factor is involved in the transient cell cycle arrest. Analysis of S. aureus proliferation in asynchronous, G1- and G2-phase-enriched HeLa cells showed that the G2 phase was preferential for bacterial infective efficiency, suggesting that the G2 phase delay may be used by S. aureus for propagation within the host. Our findings reveal the potential of S. aureus in the subversion of key cellular processes such as cell cycle progression, and shed light on the biological significance of host cell cycle alteration.


This study examines how financial literacy and financial innovation can improve financial inclusion among households in Uganda. Large sections of the population in rural and urban areas in Uganda still remain out of the coverage of formal financial systems. The study uses a cross sectional survey research design. The study population comprised of the adult population in both rural and urban settings in Uganda. Empirical data was analyzed using correlation and regression analyses. Findings indicate that financial literacy and financial innovation are better determinants of financial inclusion among households. Therefore, financially literate households have a higher potential to make informed decisions on new innovations of financial products and services. This paper is the first of its kind to examine the importance of the determinants of financial inclusion as advocated for by the Central Bank of Uganda. JEL classification numbers: D14, G20Keywords: Financial Literacy, Financial Innovation, Financial Inclusion


At Sapienza the chair of topography, immediately after the Second World War, was covered by Giovanni Boaga. The great scholar, who at the time was also Direttore Generale del Catasto e dei Servizi Tecnici Erariali, was looking for an assistant. He was introduced to a young Roman, tall and handsome, brilliantly graduated in engineering, who had served in the Royal Army as a lieutenant and was briefly in Stuttgart for relations with the Wehrmacht. The assignment was immediately given to him, but shortly after the engineer entered in the cadastral administration, where he would then conduct his entire career. The young man was Enrico Vitelli, born in 1919; military service in Pavia, where he met a kind and beautiful young lady of excellent family, who would later become his wife.


The aim of this study was to investigate influences of three different ethylene copolymers on the toughness and other properties of very brittle biopolymer PLA (polylactide). For this aim, PLA was melt blended by twin-screw extruder with various amounts of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), ethylene-methyl-acrylate (EMA) and ethylene-n-butyl acrylate-glycidyl-methacrylate (EBA-GMA). SEM and DSC analyses indicated that these ethylene copolymers were thermodynamically immiscible with phase separation in the form of 1–5 µm sized round domains in the PLA matrix. Rubber toughening mechanisms of EVA, EMA and EBA-GMA were very effective to improve ductility and toughness of PLA significantly. Depending on the type and content of the ethylene copolymers, the highest increases in % elongation at break, Charpy impact toughness and GIC fracture toughness values of PLA were as much as 160, 320 and 158%, respectively. Although there were no detrimental effects of using EVA, EMA and EBA-GMA on the thermal properties of PLA, they resulted in certain level of reductions in stiffness, strength and hardness values.


Fulton County, Georgia is developing comprehensive water resources management plans for its watersheds based on water reclamation facility (WRF) service areas, including Big Creek, Camp Creek, Deep Creek, Johns Creek, Little River, and Sandy Springs. The Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs) are required by the County's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the Camp Creek WRF expansion and the County's stormwater NPDES permit. Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM) prepared the Big Creek WRMP. The management plans are addressing water quality (chemistry), habitat protection, water supply protection, flooding, and erosion to develop a sustainable water resources plan. The plans will include solutions to existing problems and fair and equitable development criteria to avoid problems from occurring in the future. CDM has also contributed to the Volume 1 Executive Summary and Volume 2 Methodology. These volumes contain summaries of the public information and involvement, data collection, infrastructure inventory, watershed characterization, hydraulic modeling, water quality modeling, and WRMP efforts. This paper presents an overview of the program goals, constraints, data evaluations, computer analysis tools, and recommended management plan components for a sustainable stream.


In surveys, nonresponse is considered a source of possible bias, which increases with the size of the nonresponding group. Nonresponse bias was investigated in 3 samples of offending drivers who were required to respond to an online questionnaire before taking a driver improvement course, creating an initial 100% response rate. The next 2 questionnaire waves were voluntary, and response rates were much lower. Results (means, internal consistency, correlations, etc.) in the first wave were compared between those who responded twice or thrice and those who responded only to the first wave. No substantial differences were found. Compared to common method variance, the effects of nonresponse are very small.


Author(s): Afnani, Moeen | Advisor(s): Algar, Hamid | Abstract: AbstractUnraveling the Mystery of The Hidden Treasure:The Origin and Development of a HadithQudsi and its Application in Sufi DoctrinebyMoeen AfnaniDoctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern StudiesUniversity of California, BerkeleyProfessor Hamid Algar, ChairThe tradition of the Hidden Treasure is the most widely used Hadith in the field of speculative mysticism. It states: "I was a Hidden Treasure; I loved to be known, so I created the creation in order to be known." From the 5th/12th century onward this tradition has occurred in major Sufi texts, and the great Sufi masters like Ibn al-Arabi and Rumi have made abundant use of it to build their mystical philosophy. Although it is very brief, this tradition refers to such themes as wujud (being), God as the Absolute Being, names and attributes of God, the self-disclosure of God, love as the motive for creation, the concept and process of creation, and the concept of knowledge. These themes are among the most fundamental concepts in speculative mysticism. Aside from Sufis, Islamic philosophers and theologians also have mentioned this tradition in their writings. A few brief commentaries have been written on this tradition by some Sufis and theologians, the translations of which are provided in the appendices. However, in spite of the popularity of this tradition no systematic study of this Hadith, and of its influence on the development of Sufi thought has been undertaken so far. It is hoped that this research will address this deficiency and open the way for further studies. This research is based mostly, though not exclusively, on study of the writings of Ibn al-Arabi and the prominent Sufis among his students who more than any other Sufi have referred to this tradition, and built some of their mystical concepts around it.