This article deals with the political and economic implications of sanctions against Russia for the functioning of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which became operational in 2015. Assuming that the political conduct of EAEU states is based on political pragmatism, the author concludes that in spite of the fact that they provide official support to Eurasian integration, they also have an interest in acceding to alternative projects that strengthen their sovereignty. Therefore, the major challenge to the Union derives primarily from the political sphere since the number of alternatives to Eurasian integration is gradually increasing, disrupting relations between members and Russia. In this respect, the correlation between western sanctions and the EAEU's economic growth rate is of great importance. The principal purpose of sanctions is to limit a state's ability to pursue its independent and active policy, including the development of foreign economic projects. Consequently, anti-Russian sanctions must have influenced the EAEU and its key members. In 2016, Russia demonstrated a decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) which had an even greater negative impact on Belarus and Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, they have not only managed to regain lost ground on economic performance, but also to achieve some growth in GDP. Such dynamics confirm the author's hypothesis that the members of the EAEU have room for manoeuvre if some external player influences their political and economic development. However, the EAEU's internal capacities for dynamic development should not be overestimated. The Union faces problems such as weak aggregate GDP in comparison with the leading world economies, low GDP growth rates in the member states and a relatively low rate of EAEU population growth. In this context, the Union definitely needs to expand its economic influence in the global arena. Although EAEU states might have divergent interests, the author concludes that a pragmatic assessment of the benefits from participation in the Eurasian integration project, including the preservation of their identity and greater room for manoeuvre in their foreign trade and economic activities, remains the principal factor maintaining the integrity of the Union.


Tumors of the choroid plexus (CPT) are rare. While choroid plexus papillomas (CPP) are regarded as benign, choroid plexus carcinomas (CPC) have a dismal prognosis, and there is limited information available regarding the best treatment. Maximal possible surgery is generally believed to be the major prognostic factor, but data to answer the question, of whether second surgery improves the prognosis of CPC have been missing. A database of all cases of CPT reported in the literature until 2004 was created to determine prognostic factors and analyze therapeutic modalities. Eight hundred and fifty-seven cases of CPT were identified. Three hundred and forty-seven patients had CPC, 15 atypical choroid plexus papillomas (APP) and 495 CPP. Besides histology, complete resection was confirmed to be the most important prognostic factor in each of the subgroups defined by the three histological diagnoses. In CPP, complete resection was more frequently achieved (80.4%) than in APP (61.5%) or CPC (39.6%). Among the subgroup of incompletely resected CPC, 22.6% of the patients had second surgery. The prognosis of these patients appeared better when compared to incompletely resected CPC without second surgery (2-year overall survival 69% versus 30%). There was no such difference within the subgroup of CPP. This study suggests, if complete resection is not possible in the first surgery of a choroid plexus carcinoma, a second resection should be considered.


In this paper we perform an experimental investigation of using video frame differentiation in conjunction with the TXOP facility to enhance the transmission of parallel multimedia streaming sessions in IEEE 802.11e. The delay constraints associated with the audio and video streams that comprise a multimedia session pose the greatest challenge since real-time multimedia is particularly sensitive to delay as the packets require a strict bounded end-to-end delay. Video streaming applications are considered to be bursty. This burstiness is due to the frame rate of video, the intrinsic hierarchical structure of the constituent video frame types, and the different compression ratios for the different video frame types. The TXOP facility is particularly suited to efficiently deal with this burstiness since it can be used to reserve bandwidth for the duration of the packet burst associated with a packetised video frame. Through experimental investigation, we show that there is a significant performance improvement for video streaming applications under heavily loaded conditions by differentiating between the constituent video frame types. The results show that video frame differentiation reduces the mean loss rate by 12% and increases the mean PSNRby 13.1dB.


Control of glycemia in hospitalized patients is important; hypoglycemia is associated with increased mortality, and hyperglycemia is associated with adverse outcomes. For these reasons, though no such device is currently available, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an attractive option, especially in the critical care setting. Schierenbeck and coauthors, in this issue of Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, report on the use of a specialized central catheter designed to monitor glucose continuously in post cardiac surgery patients. This catheter, which was indwelled within the great veins, was specially designed with a separate lumen and membrane that allowed continuous glucose microdialysis. Accuracy was quite good, better than has been reported with the use of commercially-available CGM devices. Ideally, further development of this quite promising catheter-based device would allow it to be used also to deliver fluids and drugs, thus avoiding the need for a second catheter elsewhere.


Background: Anatomic localizations of septic foci and the relationship between these localizations and procalcitonin (PCT) in the clinical picture of sepsis/septic shock induced by these foci is not a sufficiently investigated topic. We aimed to determine the relationship between sepsis foci and procalcitonin values in intensive care patients. Methods: Data of the patients who were admitted in the intensive care unit and diagnosed with sepsis/ septic shock between 2016 and 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were grouped based on the localization of the infectious foci as respiratory system, urinary system, blood-catheter, soft tissue and abdominal. Additionally, the patients were grouped also based on number of foci and growing microorganisms. Subsequently, the relationship between septic foci and routine laboratory parameters, primarily PCT, was investigated statistically. Results: Totally 630 infection periods were analyzed in 424 patients who were diagnosed with sepsis/septic shock in the intensive care unit. Incidence of sepsis/septic shock was 36.5% while mortality rate was 65.6% in these patients. A higher mortality rate was encountered in the infections with two or multiple foci (p <0.001). Multiple-focal infections revealed higher PCT values than the single focal infections (p = 0.021). A higher mortality rate was detected in the patients with microbial growth in the respiratory infections than those with urinary and abdominal infections (p <0.001). The patients with microbial growth reported from blood and abdominal cultures revealed higher PCT levels than other patients groups (p <0.001). Conclusions: Higher procalcitonin levels are related to presence of multiple foci of infection and, as well, to higher mortality rates.


Background: While cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly related to survival, there are limited data regarding musculoskeletal fitness indicators. Our aim was to evaluate the association between the ability to sit and rise from the floor and all-cause mortality. Design: Retrospective cohort. Methods: 2002 adults aged 51–80 years (68% men) performed a sitting-rising test (SRT) to and from the floor, which was scored from 0 to 5, with one point being subtracted from 5 for each support used (hand/knee). Final SRT score, varying from 0 to 10, was obtained by adding sitting and rising scores and stratified in four categories for analysis: 0–3; 3.5–5.5, 6–7.5, and 8–10. Results: Median follow up was 6.3 years and there were 159 deaths (7.9%). Lower SRT scores were associated with higher mortality (p < 0.001). A continuous trend for longer survival was reflected by multivariate-adjusted (age, sex, body mass index) hazard ratios of 5.44 (95% CI 3.1–9.5), 3.44 (95% CI 2.0–5.9), and 1.84 (95% CI 1.1–3.0) (p < 0.001) from lower to higher SRT scores. Each unit increase in SRT score conferred a 21% improvement in survival. Conclusions: Musculoskeletal fitness, as assessed by SRT, was a significant predictor of mortality in 51–80-year-old subjects. Application of a simple and safe assessment tool such as SRT, which is influenced by muscular strength and flexibility, in general health examinations could add relevant information regarding functional capabilities and outcomes in non-hospitalized adults.


The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county's UF/IFAS Extension office. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Spraying Trees Sprayer Selection Most Florida citrus applications are made with aircarrier ground sprayers. These sprayers may be truck/ tractor-mounted, tractor-drawn (p.t.o./engine-driven), or self-propelled. They may be equipped with a positive or nonpositive displacement pump to pressurize the spray liquid and generate spray droplets by hydraulic nozzles, air-shear nozzles, or rotary atomizers. Spray droplets are normally transported by sprayer airflow, generated with one or more axial-, centrifugal-, or cross-flow fans. The air is directed toward the canopy by a series of fixed, adjustable, or moving deflectors (oscillators). Some sprayers use a short or tall tower attachment to discharge a portion of the spray-laden air close to the upper parts of the tree canopy. Sprayers may use mechanical and/or hydraulic agitation systems.


In positron annihilation studies of the electronic structure of metals, a nonuniform positron density can distort significantly the faithful detection of the Fermi surface. Recently, we have predicted a nearly complete cancellation of the aforementioned distortion in the spin-polarized two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation experiment on CrO2 [M. Biasini and J. Rusz, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 18, L289 (2006)]. We provide a detailed investigation of the predicted effect on several transition-element- and actinide-based systems of increasing complexity, demonstrating that the cancellation effect is of rather general nature.


We use a symmetry-motivated approach to analysing X-ray pair distribution functions to study the mechanism of negative thermal expansion in two ReO$_3$-like compounds; ScF$_3$ and CaZrF$_6$. Both average and local structure suggest that it is the flexibility of M-F-M linkages (M = Ca, Zr, Sc) due to dynamic rigid and semi-rigid "scissoring" modes that facilitates the observed NTE behaviour. The amplitudes of these dynamic distortions are greater for CaZrF$_6$ than for ScF$_3$, which corresponds well with the larger magnitude of the thermal expansion reported in the literature for the former. We show that this flexbility is enhanced in CaZrF$_6$ due to the rock-salt ordering mixing the characters of two of these scissoring modes. Additionally, we show that in ScF$_3$ anharmonic coupling between the modes responsible for the structural flexibility and the rigid unit modes contributes to the unusually high NTE behaviour in this material.


Komazawa University, which was founded by the Soto school, is thought to take the motto "the unity of practice and study" as its guiding principle. However, neither the time nor the background from which this motto was taken to be the principle for the establishment of the university is clear. Slogans resembling this one are still used as school mottoes in prefectural high schools and other educational institutions, a fact that suggests that this motto may actually be unrelated to the Soto school. The slogan "the unity of practice and study" is thought to be based on the thought of Hashida Kunihiko (1882-1945), who was once a professor in the Department of Medicine at The University of Tokyo. Hashida, who was influenced by the thought of Dogen and Wang Yangming, took science and praxis to be two aspects of one thing, and theorized that science should be practiced as a kind of religious activity. Hashida served as Minister of Education for three years during war, and so the influence received from his advocacy of this position was great. When students were ordered to work in munitions factories due to labor shortages, the Ministry of Education justified this using slogans such as "the integration of study and practice" and "study and practice are the same thing", and so forth. However, since these words in themselves originally have no militaristic connotations, they were probably taken as slogans for general usage, and imparted with a variety of meanings and utilized after the war.


Pressure sores are frequently seen in elderly hospitalized patients and leads to prolonged hospitalization and increased morbidity and mortality. The object of this paper was to retrieve the last five years literature regarding prevention and treatment of pressure sores. During the period 1987–1991, 751 papers on this topic were published and indexed in Medline. Only 9 of these papers represented controlled clinical trials. Three of them dealt with prevention, and the remaining 6 with treatment. Although 4 of 9 studies showed statistically significant differences between the actively treated group and the placebo group, none of the studies showed convincing clinical differences. Serious methodological flaws with respect to design, blinding, randomisation, sample size and statistical analysis were found in 8 of 9 studies. None of the clinical controlled studies on prevention of pressure sores showed any statistically significant differences between the control group and treatment with, respectively Prevasore lotion, Foam cushion and Silicore mattres. In the 6 trials on treatment of pressure sores, respectively mucopolysaccharide polysulphate creme, ketanserin creme and air-fluidized beds showed statistically better results than control treatment. We conclude that well-designed controlled clinical trials are needed to establish rational routines for prevention and treatment of pressure sores.


Heavy $t' \to bW$ is currently being searched for at the Tevatron, but a broader spectrum should be explored at the LHC. For $m_{b'} < m_{t'}$, we discuss the two decay branches, $b' \to tW^*$ and $t^*W$, below the $tW$ threshold, and how they merge with $b' \to tW$ above threshold. We use a convolution method with five body final state, and compare the production cross section with PYTHIA. This can be extended for a $b'$ with mass heavier than $t'$. A similar discussion is given for $t'$ decay, considering $t' \to b^{(*)}W^{(*)}$ processes, besides the $t' \to bW$ considered by CDF.


Financial literacy and behavioral finance have become a part of education not only in the United States, but also in the whole of Europe. The process of education, in terms of financial literacy, starts at primary schools where children start to be exposed to financial literacy. It is followed by additional stages of education system. Moreover, this is completed by range of other possibilities how to become familiar with this type of knowledge, in the way of various programs, usually conducted by governments and other specialized institutions. Especially, in terms of universities behavioral finance start to play important role as well. Based on the previous assumptions, financial literacy needs to be tested, measured and evaluated, notably the level of students studying Economics, since their participation in economic world might affect the future of our society and welfare. The goal of this article is to verify whether there are some gaps among students and find out what are predictors standing behind various level of financial literacy. Consequently, additional target is to detect how financial literacy influences the sensitivity to behavioral biases and heuristics. This goal is reached by doing own research, which is based on an electronic questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of three main parts. In the first part, respondents provide us with their demographic data, such as age, gender, education and other. The second one focuses on objective evaluation of respondent's knowledge of financial literacy. The last part examines behavioral finance, especially respondent's reaction to behavioral biases. The methods, used for the questionnaire evaluation, are descriptive statistics, enabling us to make a first assessment of the data file, and two-sample t-test, enabling compare different groups or samples. It also provides a chance to verify whether suffering from a particular bias corresponds with higher of lower level of financial literacy.


3D printing technologies enable physical objects to be produced from digital design data, created using computer aided design software (CAD), or by digitising the shape of existing objects using a 3D scanner. 3D printing, also known as rapid prototyping and solid freeform fabrication, is widely used by engineers and industrial designers, to make physical prototypes, enabling them to visualise and test new design proposals. 3D printing can also be used by surgeons, to produce patient-specific anatomical models based on medical scan data, to assist them in planning complex surgical procedures, and by archeologists and museums, to produce replicas of historic artifacts. These exciting technologies are also increasingly being employed by practitioners in the creative arts, to realise one-off and limited edition art and design artifacts, including works of sculpture, ceramics and jewellery.

In this article we will describe the 3D printing process and common 3D printing technologies currently in use. We will briefly introduce some of the academic research into new 3D technologies which is taking place within the art and design sector, including the work of the 3D Printing Laboratory at the Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England, where the authors are currently based. We will then go on to present a practical case study, focusing on a recent collaboration by the authors, in which 3D printing was exploited in the creative realisation of an artwork.


Abstract The West Iberia Lithosphere and Asthenosphere Structure (WILAS) project densely covered Portugal with broadband seismic stations for 2 yrs. Here we provide an overview of the deployment, and we characterize the network ambient noise and its sources. After explaining quality control, which includes the assessment of sensor orientation, we characterize the background noise in the short‐period (SP), microseismic, and long‐period (LP) bands. We observe daily variations of SP noise associated with anthropogenic activity. Temporary and permanent stations present very similar noise levels at all periods, except at horizontal LPs, where temporary stations record higher noise levels. We find that median noise levels are extremely homogeneous across the network in the microseismic band (3–20 s) but vary widely outside this range. The amplitudes of microseismic noise display a strong seasonal variation. The seasonality is dominated by very‐long‐period double‐frequency microseisms (8 s), probably associated with winter storms. Stacks of ambient noise amplitudes show that some microseismic noise peaks are visible across the whole ground‐motion spectrum, from 0.3 to 100 s. Periods of increased microseismic amplitudes generally correlate with ocean conditions offshore of Portugal. Some seismic records display an interesting 12 hr cycle of LP (100‐s) noise, which might be related to atmospheric tides. Finally, we use plots of power spectral density versus time to monitor changes in LP instrumental response. The method allows the identification of the exact times at which LP response changes occur, which is required to improve the understanding of this instrumental artifact and to eventually correct data. Online Material: Figures and movie illustrating the variation of seismic noise amplitudes with sensor type, time, and soil type.


Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a pathologic condition with progressive abdominal aortic dilatation of 3.0 cm or more that predisposes the abdominal aorta to rupture. Most abdominal aortic aneurysms are asymptomatic until they rupture, although some are detected when an imaging study is performed for other reasons. The risk factors for abdominal aortic aneurysm include hypertension, coronary artery disease, tobacco use, male sex, a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm, age older than 65 years, and peripheral artery disease. Abdominal ultrasonography is the preferred modality to screen for abdominal aortic aneurysm because of its cost-effectiveness and lack of exposure to ionizing radiation. Abdominal aortic aneurysm can be managed medically or surgically, depending on the patient's symptoms and the size and growth rate of the aneurysm. Medical management is appropriate for asymptomatic patients and smaller aneurysms and includes tobacco cessation and therapy for cardiovascular risk reduction. Surgical management, which includes open and endovascular aneurysm repair, is indicated when the aneurysm diameter is 5.5 cm or larger in men and 5.0 cm or larger in women. Surveillance of abdominal aortic aneurysm depends on the size and growth rate of the aneurysm. The most serious complication of abdominal aortic aneurysm is rupture, which requires emergent surgical intervention. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men with a history of smoking who are 65 to 75 years of age should undergo one-time abdominal aortic aneurysm screening with ultrasonography.


BACKGROUND
Topiramate is an antiepileptic drug with multiple possible mechanisms of action. Antiepileptic drugs are widely used to treat chronic neuropathic pain (pain due to nerve damage) and fibromyalgia, and many guidelines recommend them.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the analgesic efficacy and associated adverse events of topiramate for chronic neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia in adults (aged 18 years and above).

SEARCH METHODS
On 8 May 2013, we searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE. We reviewed the bibliographies of all randomised trials identified and review articles, and also searched two clinical trial databases, ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, to identify additional published or unpublished data.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with double-blind assessment of participant outcomes following two weeks of treatment or longer (though the emphasis of the review was on studies of eight weeks or longer) that used a placebo or active comparator.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We extracted efficacy and adverse event data, and two study authors examined issues of study quality independently. We performed analysis using two tiers of evidence. The first tier used data where studies reported the outcome of at least 50% pain reduction from baseline, lasted at least eight weeks, had a parallel group design, included 200 or more participants in the comparison, and reported an intention-to-treat analysis. First tier studies did not use last-observation-carried-forward (LOCF) or other imputation methods for dropouts. The second tier used data that failed to meet this standard; second tier results were therefore subject to potential bias.

MAIN RESULTS
We included four studies with 1684 participants. Three parallel-group placebo comparisons were in painful diabetic neuropathy (1643 participants), and one cross-over study with diphenhydramine as an active placebo (41 participants) was in lumbar radiculopathy. Doses of topiramate were titrated up to 200 mg/day or 400 mg/day. All studies had one or more sources of potential major bias, as they either used LOCF imputation or were of small size.No study provided first tier evidence for an efficacy outcome. There was no convincing evidence for efficacy of topiramate at 200 to 400 mg/day over placebo.Eighty-two per cent of participants taking topiramate 200 to 400 mg/day experienced at least one adverse event, as did 71% with placebo, and the number needed to treat for an additional harmful effect (NNTH) was 8.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.9 to 35). There was no difference in serious adverse events recorded (6.6% versus 7.5%). Adverse event withdrawals with 400 mg daily were much more common with topiramate (27%) than with placebo (8%), with an NNTH of 5.4 (95% CI 4.3 to 7.1). Lack of efficacy withdrawal was less frequent with topiramate (12%) than placebo (18%). Weight loss was a common event in most studies. No deaths attributable to treatment were reported.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Topiramate is without evidence of efficacy in diabetic neuropathic pain, the only neuropathic condition in which it has been adequately tested. The data we have includes the likelihood of major bias due to LOCF imputation, where adverse event withdrawals are much higher with active treatment than placebo control. Despite the strong potential for bias, no difference in efficacy between topiramate and placebo was apparent.


Co phosphides, although highly active for the hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis in acids, still deliver inferior performance in alkalis, limiting their application in alkaline water electrolysis. Building an effective Co phosphide/(hydroxide)oxide interface could be a viable way to improve the hydrogen evolution activity of Co phosphide catalysts under alkaline conditions, which however remains unexplored and challenging. In this communication, we report the facile development of a CoP–CeO2 hybrid nanosheet film on Ti mesh (CoP–CeO2/Ti) from easily made Co3O4–CeO2via a selective phosphidation strategy. In 1.0 M KOH, such CoP–CeO2/Ti achieves a geometrical catalytic current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a pretty low overpotential of 43 mV, 27 mV less than that for CoP/Ti. Remarkably, our CoP–CeO2/Ti also shows superior durability over CoP/Ti, suggesting that CeO2 greatly stabilizes the CoP catalyst. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that CoP–CeO2 possesses a lower water dissociation free energy and a more optimal hydrogen adsorption free energy than CoP. This selective phosphidation strategy is universal in engineering the transition metal phosphide/oxide interface for applications.


Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. They reduce fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary artery disease (CAD), sudden cardiac death, and all-cause mortality. They are well tolerated and cause minimal adverse effects. In this review, we sought to provide an overview of the current literature on the use of Omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of CAD and discuss the possible benefits.


The idea of the enterprise architecture (EA) has been active since 1980-ies. However, enterprise architecture performance attributes analysis still lacks a clear approach and tools for implementing it in practice. The paper presents an approach for the model-driven performance evaluation of the EA models. The suggested approach is based on the Unified profile for MODAF and DoDAF (UPDM), System Modeling Language (SysML) parametric diagram, and a bottom-up performance evaluation algorithm. The support for this method has been implemented in MagicDaw modeling product line. A real world example is presented to validate the suitability of the approach.


In the management of patients with craniosynostosis, it is important to understand growth curve of the normal cranium. Although three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) images taken in thin slices are easily available nowadays, data on the growth curves of intracranial volume (ICV), cranial length, cranial width, and cranial height in the normal cranium are mainly based on older studies using radiography, and there are insufficient reports using CT images especially taken in thin slices. The purpose of this study was to establish growth curves in the normal cranium of Japanese children using thin-slice images. Cranial images of 106 subjects (57 males, 49 females; aged 0–83 months) without significant cranial abnormalities were retrospectively analyzed. Using thin-slice CT images, the ICV and two-dimensional parameters such as cranial length, cranial width, and cranial height were measured by iPlan, followed by generating growth curves and calculating cephalic index (CI). ICV calculated from thin-slice CT images was compared with that obtained by substituting two-dimensional parameters into Mackinnon formula. The ICV growth curves for males and females were similar in shape. As with the ICV, the two-dimensional parameters increased most rapidly in the first year after birth. There was no significant difference in CI between the sexes or among any age groups. ICV calculated from thin-slice 3D CT images was 60% of that obtained from Mackinnon formula. These data will enable us to compare these specific measurements in craniosynostosis patients directly with those of normal children, which will hopefully help in managing these patients.


The purposes of this research are to explain the existence of Dangkong dance as the Malay traditional art, namely; to know the socio-cultural functions of Dangkong dance in Malay society, to know the socio-cultural functions of Dangkong Dance at Panjang Island society, to explain the facts of what caused the change occurrence of the Dangkong Dance roles at Panjang island society. To achieve these purposes, the research activities will be divided into two stages, namely the library research and the field research. The library research focused on searching some books that are relevant to the research, while the field research conducted in the form of surveying the sampling of the location, observation and in-depth interview. Furthermore, the methods used in this research namely Clifford Geertz's ethnographic analysis.The results show that Dangkong Dance as Malay traditional art consists of several elements: (1) musical accompaniment; (2) song accompaniment; (3) ornament. Dangkong Dance performance occupies the function as the entertainment art. Dangkong Dance performance also is regarded as the complementary of the core entertainment or as a cover in the entertainment. The changes of the traditional art relate with the decreasing of public interest to Dangkong Dance and rarely the Dangkong Dance performance. Factors which led to low public interest to Dangkong Dance, namely: (1) the appearance of some new entertainment facilities; (2) the emergence of the dance art appearance that appropriates with the development of modernization in Panjang Island Batam city.


CAHUN by ANGELA CHRISTINE WOODLEE (Under the Direction of Nell Andrew) ABSTRACT Many scholars have explicated a theory of identity politics at work in the photographs and writings of Claude Cahun (1894-1954), but most of these have focused on a lesbian identity and a visual vocabulary of sexuality. Although Cahun herself made mention of her Jewish identity, previous scholarship scarcely acknowledges this fact, much less the complex social and political associations conjured by such references. This gap in the literature is particularly glaring when one considers the historic period in which she lived. This thesis puts Cahun's photographic and literary allusions to Jewishness in the context of attitudes toward French Jews in the period leading up to World War II. By examining an under-explored component of her photographic interrogation of identity, this thesis illuminates Cahun's ambivalence toward her Jewish identity specifically and, thereby, her questioning of the notion of categories of identity as a whole.


Summary

1.  Restoration of depressional wetlands in mid-continental North America typically involves reflooding formerly drained basins. There have been several thousand restorations in this manner over the past 10 years. Deliberate revegetation is rarely attempted as it is assumed that native vegetation will eventually establish naturally. Carex (sedges), which occur commonly on the periphery of native wetlands and in adjacent saturated meadows, do not readily re-establish in reflooded basins. It is unlikely that Carex will reappear without deliberate reintroduction. Criteria for introduction and establishment of native sedges do not currently exist because environmental constraints are not well understood.

2.  In this study we investigated the environmental constraints that might limit the establishment of the native wetland sedge, Carex lacustris, in reflooded wetland basins. Immature sedges were planted in three experimental wetlands with different water-level fluctuation regimes (i.e. falling, rising, static) along an elevational gradient, to determine the effects on survival and stand development of changing water level, water depth, competition from naturally recruited vegetation, and planting density.

3.  The response of immature sedges to water-level fluctuation in the first growing season did not indicate the outcome of mature stand development by the end of three growing seasons. Whereas initial survival and growth were lowest in the falling water basin, stem density, height and biomass were greatest under this type of water-level fluctuation by the third growing season.

4.  Interspecific competition was most intense at the upper elevations, particularly in the rising water basin. Although sedge growth was limited by increasing water depth in the absence of competition, growth was uniformly low across all elevations in the presence of competition. Competition reduced sedge growth to differing degrees in the rising vs. falling and static water basins.

5.  Results suggest that C. lacustris can produce dense stands under a primarily annual weed community within two to three growing seasons, but that Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) can preclude successful establishment of C. lacustris.

6.  Control of water-level conditions and competition is most crucial during the first growing season to ensure appropriate conditions for successful stand establishment. The potential for growth as well as mortality is greatest during this first year.

7.  Competition can be a significant constraint on the successful establishment of C. lacustris and should be considered explicitly when developing a restoration plan.


Normal blood flow in the brain as a response to pressure fluctuations is commonly referred to as cerebral autoregulation. Linear, nonparametric models of cerebral autoregulation were estimated for 77 human subjects afflicted with brain injury, with mean arterial pressure used as input, and invasively measured regional cerebral blood flow used as output. The data were continuously monitored from the beginning of subject hospital stay. Mean transfer function gain as a function of frequency was calculated for each subject over a limited time window spanning 48 h, starting postsurgery. The mean transfer function gain of the cerebral autoregulation model provided a highly accurate, statistically significant, assessment of patient outcome. Subjects were accurately grouped by outcome, with a high significance (p <; 0.013) across the entire measurement spectrum (0.005-0.25 Hz). In addition, the frequency band from 0.1 to 0.25 Hz contains particularly low variance in transfer function gain. This spectral region provides a highly statistically significant (p <; 1.7e-3) assessment of brain injury patient health that is useful for outcome prediction.


Using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy we demonstrate that lead chalcogenide nanocrystals show efficient, photoinduced absorption (PA) in a broad wavelength range starting just below the bandgap. The time-dependent decay of the PA signal correlates well with the recovery of the band gap absorption. Therefore, the same carriers are involved, which decay with the typical Auger recombination rate in these nanocrystals. Based on this, we assign this PA signal to intraband absorption, i.e., the excitation of photogenerated carriers from the bottom of the conduction band or the top of the valence band to higher energy levels in the conduction and valence band continuum. This broadband response in the commercially interesting near to mid-infrared range is very relevant for ultra-high speed all optical signal processing.


The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of maternal and paternal age on Native American and Caucasian infants. Data were abstracted from birth records compiled in North Dakota from 1978 to 1992. Native Americans had a 45% higher risk for preterm births, a 140% higher risk for low birth weight (LBW) (<2500 g), and a 131% higher risk for very LBW (<1500 g) compared with Caucasians. Maternal and paternal age both had a "U-shaped" effect on preterm birth. However, while the risk for preterm birth was increased for both teenage mothers and fathers, the risk was also significantly increased only for mothers be-tween the ages of 36–40 and 41–45. There was also a "U-shaped" relationship be-tween LBW and parental age, and again the risk was statistically significant for different age groups. For mothers, the risk was decreased significantly for those 26 to 30 years of age, whereas for fathers, it was increased significantly for those <20 years of age.There was also a significant interaction between paternal age and race, with teenage Native American fathers having a slight (4%), but statistically significant, increased risk for having LBW children compared with teenage Caucasian fa-thers. The relationship between parental age and very LBW was also "U-shaped," but while the odds ratios for each maternal age group were significant, none of the odds ratios for any of the paternal age groups was statistically significant.The influence of teenage fathers on preterm and LBWs has not been previously reported, and the finding that paternal age has a greater influence among Native Americans is especially intriguing and deserving of further investigation.


Abstract No scholar currently defends the majority's decision on voting rights in New National Party v Government of the Republic of South Africa. Its place in the South African canon is one of rejection: a classic mistake, or at least an illustration of the problems of excessive deference, technicality, and/or nervous political calculation. Against this, I argue that the decision is in fact eminently defensible. Its universal rejection is therefore very intriguing: why have so many scholars treated the decision as clearly wrong, and the dissent of O'Regan J as clearly right? One of the reasons is that the majority judgment of Yacoob J is standardly misread, in part because he, confronting issues that were brand new in 1999, uses terms other than those that would soon thereafter become settled in South African constitutional talk. But the deeper and more interesting reason is that currently dominant ways of understanding constitutionalism in South Africa – interlocking ideas about apartheid, about the ANC, about the Constitutional Court and about rights – prime us to view New National Party as a clear error. That it is not, in fact, a clear error, therefore, should lead us to reverse course and reconsider the canonical ideas that label it as such.


Welcome to the Theatre Subject Guide. This guide contains links to databases and websites, as well as a select list of electronic and print titles in the Library, that support the Theatre program. Online reference support is also available.


Multiple system atrophy is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation of aggregated Ser-129-phosphorylated α-synuclein in oligodendrocytes. p25α is an oligodendroglial protein that potently stimulates α-synuclein aggregation in vitro. To model multiple system atrophy, we coexpressed human p25α and α-synuclein in the rat oligodendroglial cell line OLN-93 and observed a cellular response characterized by a fast retraction of microtubules from the cellular processes to the perinuclear region followed by a protracted development of apoptosis. This response was dependent on phosphorylation at Ser-129 in α-synuclein as demonstrated by site-directed mutagenesis. Treatment of the cells with the kinase inhibitor 2-dimethylamino-4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H benzimidazole that targets kinases like casein kinase 2, and polo-like kinases abrogated the toxicity. The polo-like kinase inhibitor BI 2536 caused apoptosis in the model. Ser-129 phosphorylation was linked to the formation of phosphorylated oligomers detectable by immunoblotting, and their formation was inhibited by 2-dimethylamino-4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H benzimidazole. The process of microtubule retraction was also dependent on aggregation as demonstrated by the protective effect of treating the cells with the specific peptide inhibitor of α-synuclein aggregation ASI1D and the non-selective inhibitors Congo Red and baicalein. The fast microtubule retraction was followed by the development of the apoptotic markers: activated caspase-3, phosphatidylserine externalization, nuclear condensation, and fragmentation. These markers could all be blocked by the inhibitors of phosphorylation, aggregation, and caspase-3. Hence, the model predicts that both Ser-129 phosphorylation and aggregation control the toxic α-syn pathway in oligodendroglial cells and may represent therapeutic intervention points in multiple system atrophy.


The central nervous system (CNS) is considered to be an immunological privileged site. However, inflammatory reactions in response to virus infections, in multiple sclerosis (MS) and in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAEl suggest that there are definite connections between the CNS and the immune system. In this review, we examine evidence for afferent and efferent pathways of communication between the CNS and the immune system, the pivotal role of regional lymph nodes in T‐cell mediated autoimmune disease of the CNS, and the factors involved in lymphocyte targeting of the CNS. Afferent pathways of lymphatic drainage of the brain are well established in a variety of species, especially rodents. Fluid and antigens appear to drain along perivascular spaces populated by immunocompetent perivascular cells. Drainage pathways connect directly via the cribriform plate to nasal lymphatics and cervical lymph nodes. Soluble antigens draining from the brain induce antibody production in the cervical lymph nodes. Using a model of cryolesion‐enhanced EAE, we review the role of lymphatic drainage and cervical lymph nodes in the enhancement of cerebral EAE. If a brain wound in the form of a cryolesion is produced 8 days post inoculation (dpi) of antigen in the induction of acute EAE, there is a 6‐fold increase in severity of cerebral EAE by 15 dpi. Removal of the cervical lymph nodes significantly reduces such enhancement of EAE. These findings suggest that drainage of antigens from the brain to the cervical lymph nodes, in the presence of activated lymphocytes in the meninges or CNS, resuIts in an enhanced second wave of lymphocytes targeting the brain. In examining the efferent immune pathway by which lymphocytes home to the CNS, several studies have characterized the phenotype of infiltrating T lymphocytes by the use of immunocy‐tochemistry or FACS analysis. T‐cells infiltrating the CNS are recently activated/memory lymphocytes typified by their high expression of CD44, LFA‐1 and ICAM‐1 and low expression of CD45RB in the mouse. Following the induction of EAE in susceptible mice, ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1 are dramatically upregulated on CNS vessels; lymphocytes bind to such vessels via the interaction of their known ligands, LFA‐1/Mac‐1 and 1times4‐integrins, at least in vitro. It appears that 1times4‐integrin plays a key role in lymphocyte recruitment across the blood‐brain barrier and may be a major factor in lymphocyte targeting of the CNS. Definition of factors involved in the afferent and efferent connections between the CNS and the immune system may clarify mechanisms involved in immune privilege of the CNS and may open significant therapeutic opportunities for multiple sclerosis.


In eukaryotic cells, the repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) by the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway is critical for genome stability. Until recently it was assumed that this DSB repair pathway was restricted to the eukarya. However, a functionally homologous prokaryotic NHEJ repair apparatus has now been identified and characterised. In contrast to the complex eukaryotic system, bacterial NHEJ appears to require only two proteins, Ku and a multifunctional DNA ligase, which form a two-component repair complex at the termini of DSBs. Together, these DNA repair factors possess all of the break-recognition, end-processing and ligation activities required to facilitate the complex task of DSB repair, both in vitro and in vivo. Our recent findings lay the foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms that co-ordinate the processing and joining of DSBs by NHEJ in bacteria and also provides a conceptual framework for delineating the end-processing reactions in eukaryotes.


OBJECTIVE
To determine clinical characteristics in children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) regarding impairment (range of joint motion and muscle strength) and disability (functional skills) in relation to the different types of the disease, and to study the correlation between characteristics of impairment and disability.

METHODS
In a cross-sectional study 54 children with OI (OI type I: 24; OI type III: 15; OI type IV: 15), the range of joint motion, muscle strength, and functional ability were measured in a standardized way and analyzed statistically.

RESULTS
The range of joint motion in almost all joints differed significantly with respect to the different disease types. In OI type I patients, generalized hypermobility of the joints was present, without decrease in joint motion. In OI type III the extremities were severely maligned, especially the lower limbs. In type IV the upper and lower extremities were equally maligned. Muscle strength differed significantly with respect to the different types of OI. In type I patients, muscle strength was normal except for the periarticular hip muscles. In type III, especially in the lower extremities, muscle strength was severely decreased, with a muscular imbalance around the hip joint. In type IV, muscle strength was mainly decreased in the proximal muscles of the upper and lower extremities. In children </=7.5 years of age, significant differences existed among the different disease types in functional skills regarding mobility. No significant difference was observed in self-care and social function, although the most severely affected children showed a tendency to score better with social function. Older children differed significantly concerning mobility and self-care items. In children </=7.5 years old, a correlation was sometimes observed between impairment and disability items, although in older children a moderate to good correlation was always present (r > .6).

CONCLUSION
In OI, severity-related profiles exist, within the different subtypes of the disease, regarding range of joint motion, muscle strength, and functional skills. In younger children, impairment parameters do not sufficiently correlate for disability. Rehabilitation strategies in younger children should therefore focus on improvement of functional skills and not only on impairment parameters.


The colloidal stability of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in natural aquatic environments influences their transport and environmental persistence, while their dissolution to Ag(+) influences their toxicity to organisms. Here, we characterize the colloidal stability, dissolution behavior, and toxicity of two industrially relevant classes of AgNPs (i.e., AgNPs stabilized by citrate or polyvinylpyrrolidone) after exposure to natural organic matter (NOM, i.e., Suwannee River Humic and Fulvic Acid Standards and Pony Lake Fulvic Acid Reference). We show that NOM interaction with the nanoparticle surface depends on (i) the NOM's chemical composition, where sulfur- and nitrogen-rich NOM more significantly increases colloidal stability, and (ii) the affinity of the capping agent for the AgNP surface, where nanoparticles with loosely bound capping agents are more effectively stabilized by NOM. Adsorption of NOM is shown to have little effect on AgNP dissolution under most experimental conditions, the exception being when the NOM is rich in sulfur and nitrogen. Similarly, the toxicity of AgNPs to a bacterial model (Shewanella oneidensis MR-1) decreases most significantly in the presence of sulfur- and nitrogen-rich NOM. Our data suggest that the rate of AgNP aggregation and dissolution in aquatic environments containing NOM will depend on the chemical composition of the NOM, and that the toxicity of AgNPs to aquatic microorganisms is controlled primarily by the extent of nanoparticle dissolution.


Background: There are many pathogenic intestinal parasites in humans, one of which is Giardia lamblia. This parasite has a variety of clinical symptoms in individuals. Poor health, weather conditions, and inappropriate lifestyle are all factors contributing to the high incidence of giardiasis. Objective: Based on factors influencing the prevalence of giardiasis in the region, this study was performed on subjects referred to Zahedan health care centers. Materials and Methods: A total of 671 stool specimens of subjects who referred between March 2017 and October 2018 were examined using direct and formalin ether concentration techniques. All demographic and clinical data in questionnaires were recorded. Data were analyzed using X2 test to determine any differences in the prevalence of giardiasis and clinical symptoms between different age groups. Results: Of 671 samples, 346 (51.1%) were positive. The most common complaint among participants was abdominal pain (64.1%), followed by diarrhea (53.7%), abdominal cramps (44.7%), nausea (32.6%), weight loss (30.9%), anorexia (26.8%), headache (22.2%), fatigue (14.1%), and fever (13.2%). Most of the clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, abdominal cramp, weight loss, and headache were reported in females, and the results of chi-square test showed a significant difference (P<0.05). The age group of 1-12 years had the highest percentage of infection (49.42%). The data indicated that the highest rate of infection was observed in this group, showing a significant difference in comparison with other age groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that in addition to health education, preventing the transmission of parasites to children would also be necessary.


This paper explores why a corporate board often fails to replace a substandard CEO. I consider the situation in which the incumbent CEO and directors make decisions in the absence of the new CEO. I show that the board and the CEO maximize the expected utilities of the negotiating parties that do not include the expected utility of the potential CEO. This sometimes results in the retention of an inefficient CEO. I argue this same logic provides a theoretical explanation for how a new CEO is chosen in relation to both the voluntary and enforced replacement of an existing CEO.


Abstract Few historical problems have attracted so much attention over so many years as the social consequences of the British industrial revolution. For the most part, historians presumed that working people produced very little historical evidence that could be used to contribute to our understanding. However, projects to catalogue and encourage the use of the nation's scattered, yet extensive, archive of working-class autobiography have revealed that such evidence does, in fact, exist. The insertion of working-class autobiography helps to offer a new perspective, one which suggests a more positive interpretation of industrial life than historians have usually been willing to admit. Yet there remains a problem with the archive. During the industrial revolution, life-writing was a male art form. Women only started writing autobiographies in any number around 100 years after the conventional periodisation of the industrial revolution. This article surveys the autobiographical writing during and after the industrial revolution – around 1,000 items in all – in order to rethink the relationship between economic growth and social change. It confirms that industrial growth improved the position of working men in society, but concludes that female perspectives on this change are far more ambivalent.


In this article, Professor Silberman offers a review of US choice of law approaches that address party autonomy in international commercial contracts. She explains that choice of law rules in the United States are the province of state, not federal law, and to that end gives examples from two states that have codified choice of law and identifies several states that have an absolute autonomy rule for situations when the parties choose forum law. However, the focus is on the provision in the Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws dealing with party autonomy in contracts because most states in the United States have adopted that approach. Professor Silberman criticizes the existing Restatement rule for its failure to distinguish between interstate and international contracts and observes that several US. Supreme Court decisions would seem to support broader autonomy for parties to an international contract to choose the applicable law to govern the contract.
Professor Silberman also explains that there is an ongoing American Law Institute project to revise the Restatement (Second) – the Restatement (Third) – and she suggests that the recent Hague Principles offer several features that might be included in a revision of the Restatement provision on party autonomy in contracts. In particular, she points to elimination of the requirement that there be a geographical connection to the applicable law chosen and distinguishing between commercial and other types of contracts.
Professor Silberman then compares the Hague Principles and the present Restatement provisions in their treatment of other limitations on the parties' ability to choose the applicable law in an international commercial contract. She criticizes several of the specific options offered in the Hague Principles and concludes that the present Restatement approach in this area is more desirable for courts in the United States.


This paper discusses the development of a basic language computer program that allows optometric data to be displayed in color on a standard television screen in a fashion similar to the traditional graphical analysis format advocated by Fry and Hofstetter. The programs are presented into distinct forms. One form incorporates a series of correction factors while the other does not, allowing for a visual comparison of corrected and uncorrected data. An analysis is performed to determine whether the correction factors result in an improvement of the apparent validity of the findings being plotted. It was concluded that the inclusion of correction factors does result in a significant improvement in the plotting of the data, especially at near distance.


The environmental conflict about the construction of a large cement factory in Tmaň, a small town South of Prague, bordering the nature protected area of the Cesky Kras, embodies some of the central features of post-socialist society: the privatisation of state-owned firms by foreign capital, the emergence of citizen initiatives, the formation of new democratic structures on the local level, and the creation of a public sphere through independent media. Nature conservation and limited resource use entered as new elements into the debates of opposing political fractions that had previously turned around concepts of planned and market economy. Differences of worldviews and projects for society that went beyond the divide into capitalist or socialist ideas took shape and became visible. The article analyses the arguments of the proponents and opponents of the project and examine what ideas about society the images of nature recreated and nature preserved evoke. It then shows in what larger historical and political context these ideas inscribe themselves and how they are negotiated and transformed in the current local political context.  Key words: post-socialist society, privatization, conservation of nature, images of nature, local politics, Czech Republic.


Delay-/disruption-tolerant networking is considered one of the most suitable technologies to handle the delays and disconnection inherent in space internetworking. To date, little work has been done in evaluating its effectiveness in cislunar communications involving long link delay and highly asymmetric channel rates. In this article, we present an experimental study of DTN convergence layer protocols over a typical cislunar communication infrastructure accompanied by a very long link delay, various asymmetric channel rates, and varying data loss rate. The intent of the work was to find answers to two questions: which CLP is the best for long-delay cislunar communications in the presence of highly asymmetric channel rates, and whether aggregation of bundle protocol bundles is helpful for improving goodput of DTN in the presence of IPN channel asymmetry.


The thesis deals with manpower planning problems within large organisations. The work was accomplished as a temporary employee of Dunlop U.K. Tyre Group under the auspices of the University of Aston I.H.D. scheme. The terms of reference for the project were; a) To determine a methodology for estimating the requirements relating to the requisition and dispersal of manpower. b) To produce a manpower plan for the short term (1-2 years), medium term (5 years) and the long term (10 plus years). After an initial analysis of the problem faced by Dunlop and the state of available manpower records, it was concluded that classical statistical methods would be inappropriate. The aim was, therefore, to construct an estimation procedure which could handle; limited data, time-variant parameters and account for information gained only through noise corrupted observations. Following a comprehensive and critical review of the current use of statistical techniques in manpower planning, a general stochastic model is formulated. The structure, solution and many applications to manpower planning of this general problem are examined. Consideration of the grade transitions in an organisation leads to a new probability distribution termed the 'Dirichlet-Multinomial', and the derivation of its properties. On the completion of suitable Supply and Demand models, the question of controlling manpower systems is considered. A general cost function is constructed and algorithms for minimal cost control are given. Finally, results obtained by the application of the stochastic models to Dunlop data over the period 1972-1977 are presented


Limited Singapore research indicated a lack of exposure of modelling tasks at primary levels. Teacher reflection is used as a tool in design research cycles exploring the potentials of modelling tasks in a Singapore primary five classroom. Findings reveal that the teacher identified three potentials of a modelling task on children's mathematisation process: the task provided a platform for children to (a) identify variables and form relationships between them, (b) relate school-based math learning to real-world experiences, and (c) justify their mathematical models. Implications on the promotion of modelling tasks at primary schools as well as teacher education are drawn.


The design of organizations or other coordination mechanisms for groups of computational agents, either interacting with one another or with people, depends crucially on the task environment of which they are a part. Such dependencies include the structure of the environment (the particular kinds and patterns of interrelationships that occur between tasks) and the uncertainty in the environment (both in the a priori structure of any episode within an environment and in the outcomes of an agent's actions). Designing organizations also depends on properties of the agents themselves—but this has been studied more thoroughly by other researchers. The central idea is that the design of coordination mechanisms cannot rely on the principled construction of agents alone, but must rely on the structure and other characteristics of the task environment—for example, the presence of uncertainty and concomitant high variance in a structure. Furthermore, this structure can and should be used as the central guide to the design of coordination mechanisms, and thus must be a part of any comprehensive theory of coordination. This working paper will briefly describe our modeling framework, TAEMS, for representing abstract task environments. We will also briefly describe a family of domain-independent, team-oriented coordination algorithms called Generalized partial Global Planning (GPGP). Having a family of algorithms allows us to tailor the algorithm to the environment (or even a specific situation). We will give an example of an analysis inspired by Burton and Obel's work on organizational structure and technology decomposability.


Layout planning is a process often used in architectural interior design, for factory production plans, and so on. We present CleaVR, a system that provides the user with an immersive virtual reality system that accurately visualizes the layout plan in three dimensions as shown in Figure 1(a). The user is able to freely orbit around the design to observe it in every angle for an accurate evaluation and assessment. The implemented gesture recognition system means that no physical buttons are required, allowing a complete immersion with intuitive controls. These controls allow the user to pan around the environment, pinch to pick and place objects, as well as swiping the view to switch into first person view, as shown in Figure 1(b). With our system, architects, engineers, designers, and even sports analysts may approach their targeted environment through a multi-user, multi-view tool with full control of the virtual environment purely by intuitive gesture controls.


This research study focuses on the social protection sector in Kenya, with a special emphasis on social assistance programmes. Although Kenya has made strides in terms of economic development and the improvement of access to education and healthcare, 45.9% of the population continues to survive on less than $1.25 a day. It is evident that many challenges lay ahead in tacking the issue of poverty and deprivation in Kenya. However, the state, with support from external actors, has invested in the development of social assistance measures such as cash transfer programmes as a means of providing support to the poorest and most vulnerable households in Kenya. This research study investigated why and how these cash transfer programmes were adopted and delivered in addition to whether social transfer programmes helped the poor and vulnerable to progressively realise their economic, social and cultural rights. Findings showed that social assistance measures such as cash transfer programmes has a positive impact on the well-being of households that took part in programmes. Examples of this include increased households consumption and nutrition, increased access to social services such as health clinics and schools in addition to vulnerable groups feeling empowered and catered for by the state. Although Kenya is far from successfully addressing developmental challenges, the investment in social protection as a tool to address poverty and vulnerability shows remarkable promise. However, it is imperative that the state fully understands its role as a duty bearer and its need to remain accountable to its citizens. Moreover, the state's point of departure when strengthening its long term social protection strategy and framework should be on the foundation of understanding social protection as a right of which its citizens are entitled. This in turn will progressively translate into more meaningful and tangible results that are universal and accessible by Kenyans who are entitled a decent quality of life.


Background: Income inequality is an important indicator of socioeconomic position which is a determinant of social, psychological, and physical health outcomes from childhood to adulthood. Different income inequality instruments (metrics) are used to investigate associations between income inequality and health outcomes (e.g. Gini coefficient). Income inequality instruments provide unique information on the construct of socioeconomic inequality. Albeit there is variation in studies as to the type and rationale for using a particular quantitative instrument of income inequality. The aim of this systematic review will be to investigate and identify the most used quantitative income inequality instrument in studies of children and adolescents up to 18 years of age.   Methods: The PRISMA-P framework will be applied to identify high quality articles (PROSPERO: CRD42021259114). A search will be conducted in PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO. The search will include studies concerned with income inequality and/or socioeconomic inequality in children and adolescents. All articles will be independently reviewed, data extracted, and quality appraised by two reviewers and a third to arbitrate disputes. Articles will be reviewed by title and abstract using inclusion criteria. A data extraction form will be used. Three questions will assess the quality of the rationale for using a particular income inequality instrument and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale will be used to assess bias and quality. The primary outcome of interest is the type and frequency of quantitative income inequality instruments used and the study outcome associated with that income inequality instrument.  Conclusions: This systematic review will aim to provide a summary of the different types of quantitative income inequality instruments used in studies of child and adolescent populations. This will help to guide researchers and policy makers on the use of income inequality metrics in future studies aimed at understanding associations with health and social outcomes in children and adolescents.


Science communication is a relatively new field of practice, shaped by a diverse group of professional science communicators and the way they make sense of their work. A distinguishing feature of these professional science communicators is the organisational context they work in. Based on a typology from an organisational theory framework, this study explores the perspectives of 15 German science communicators through qualitative interviews. It seems that while they tend to draw on a common set of building blocks, they use them to construct individual professional identity configurations partly influenced by their organisational context.


Wall shear stress is an important parameter in accessing the aerodynamics performance of an object. With the race to optimize the performance of an aerodynamic body, multiple shear stress measurements have been developed such as OFI(Oil Film Interferometry), MEMS (Microelectromechanical Sensors), Hotwire, Preston tube, Hot films, etc. where most of these techniques are expensive or intrusive. In the experimental measurement techniques, the complexities and intrusiveness often playa major role in selecting a measurement technique.Hence the developed shear stress measurement technique is simple yet effective to obtain accurate shear stress results using oil. The secondary challenge faced in the aerodynamic experiments is to obtain a flow visualization. The developed shear stress measurement technique is expanded to obtain the qualitative and quantitative flow development data around the ROI. The developed methodology relies on the thin film assumption where the droplet is sufficiently thin such that the gravity, pressure, and surface tension forces acting on the droplet are not significant, and the droplet is deformed only under the significant shear stress forces. This technique assumes constant shear stress along the deformed droplet, at regions of high shear gradient this technique can be employed using smaller droplets applied at the constant shear regions. The viscosity of the oil used must be chosen accordingly to the test conditions to obtain a constant thinning rate for a substantial amount of time. Finally, the droplet deformation is tracked using a camera and the thinning rate of the droplet is computed using an image processing tool developed.The obtained results are compared with the theoretical results for a flat plate and with the CFD results for the SACOC testing. The technique was tested in a range of test conditions with a low subsonic of 20m/s to a compressible flow of Mach 0.3 and Mach 0.5. Uncertainty estimation is performed to recognize the confidence level of the developed technique.Developed measurement technique clubs two different measurements, shear stress, and qualitative and quantitative flow viz, acquiring the data for both in a single test, thereby reducing the repeatability of experiments, resources, and computational power. Moreover, the resources required for this technique are easily available at a low cost and is very simple to implement.


This paper is aimed at discussing the critical view of Abdullah Saeed as far as murabahah is concerned. For Saeed, this banking practice, which is adapted and adopted from Syari?ah has caused a lot of controversies. The basic question that a man like him asks is, does this Syari?ah banking system really make a difference? Nonetheless, it is this Syari?ah-based banking product that dominated the whole Islamic banking system in the great majority of Islamic countries. Investigating the nature of this product becomes therefore both strategic and important so as to have a better and proper understanding of it. This proper understanding will in turn influence the way this product is promoted and sold to the public in line with the values of Syari?ah. The paper will also compare murabahah with the similar banking practices in the conventional banks.


Abstract : Diffusion-Transport (D-T) modeling is a branch of numerical weather prediction concerned with eddy diffusion of particulate pollutant plumes and their transport by the wind. When conducting D-T modeling, establishing the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is crucial to defining the vertical bounds within which a plume can become thoroughly mixed. The PBL can be deduced from observations or model simulation. Three sounding analysis PBL algorithms were considered - the Potential Instability Mixing Depth (PIMIX), Potential Temperature (POTEMP), and Gradient Richardson Number (RICH) algorithms. A turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) based PBL algorithm was also evaluated. The purpose of this research was threefold. First, observed atmospheric soundings were input, and algorithm output was compared to human analyses of the observed soundings (Analysis). Second, Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) generated forecast soundings were input, and algorithm output was compared to human analyses of the forecast soundings (Simulation). Finally, algorithm output from simulation was compared with the human analyses from analysis (Verification). These PBL comparisons were put into one of four categories: (1) hit, (2) indication of deep convection, (3) miss, or (4) algorithm failure. Algorithm performance was ranked based on the number of hits, then on indications of deep convection. PIMIX was the best analysis tool, while both POTEMP and TKE were the best simulation methods. All algorithms had a similar number of hits for verification, but PIMIX had more estimates indicative of deep convection, so was ranked best.


3D integration of micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) is expected to reduce the foot print of existing MEMS products and enable production of miniaturized sensor nodes on a large scale. However, 3D integration of MEMS is in general different from 3D integration of planar integrated circuits (ICs) due to additional mechanical requirements. Specifications regarding properties like stiffness, volume, and mass must be taken into consideration when selecting stacking technologies for MEMS. A demonstrator with a 3D integrated MEMS and the ideas behind the selection of stacking technologies are presented in this paper.


The treatment of cryptosporidiosis using pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) in immunosuppressed adult C57BL/6N mice infected with Cryptosporidium parvum was investigated. Five groups of 10 mice/group were used. Groups 1, 2, 3, and 5 served as normal, toxicity, placebo, and positive controls, respectively. Mice in groups 2-5 were immunosuppressed with dexamethasone phosphate administered ad libitum in drinking water at a dosage level of 12 microg/ml. Mice in groups 3-5 were inoculated per os with 10(6) C. parvum oocysts on the day immunosuppression was started. Mice in groups 2 and 4 were treated by administering Pycnogenol orally at 30 mg/kg/day. In group 4, Pycnogenol was first administered on day 3 postinoculation. Of the four groups of mice immunosuppressed with DEXp (groups 2-5), the two groups treated with Pycnogenol (groups 2 and 4) had no premature deaths. The other two groups (groups 3 and 5) had 3 and 4 mice die, respectively, before the experiment ended. Consequently, Pycnogenol was judged to be non-toxic at the dosage level used and even afforded mice some positive health benefits. Fecal oocyst shedding in groups 3-5 was initially detected on day 3 postinoculation. These mice continued to shed oocysts throughout the duration of the 28-day experiment. Oocyst shedding intensities were greater in group 3 and 5 than in group 4. However, histological examination of infected intestinal tissues in groups 3-5 revealed no significant difference with regard to parasite colonization and villus/crypt (V/C) length ratios. As a result, Pycnogenol was determined to be therapeutically effective against C. parvum at 30 mg/kg/day only when measured by fecal oocyst shedding intensity. There was no effect on parasite tissue colonization and V/C ratios in infected mice. We conclude that Pycnogenol is a useful dietary supplement for C. parvum-infected patients by affording some positive health benefits, significantly reduces fecal oocyst shedding, but does not decrease parasite colonization of intestinal tissue.


There exist few empirical rules for the effects of introduced species, reflecting the context-dependent nature of biological invasions. A promising approach toward developing generalizations is to explore hypotheses that incorporate characteristics of both the invader and the recipient system. We present the first general test of the hypothesis that an invader's impact is determined by the system's evolutionary experience with similar species. Through a meta-analysis, we compared the taxonomic distinctiveness of high- and low-impact invaders in several aquatic systems. We find that high-impact invaders (i.e. those that displace native species) are more likely to belong to genera not already present in the system.


The crystal structure of a metal is represented by an assemblage of bubbles, a millimetre or less in diameter, floating on the surface of a soap solution. The bubbles are blown from a fine pipette beneath the surface with a constant air pressure, and are remarkably uniform in size. They are held together by surface tension, either in a single layer on the surface or in a three-dimensional mass. An assemblage may contain hundreds of thousands of bubbles and persists for an hour or more. The assemblages show structures which have been supposed to exist in metals, and simulate effects which have been observed, such as grain boundaries, dislocations and other types of fault, slip, recrystallization, annealing, and strains due to 'foreign' atoms.


Background: Odontogenic cysts are distinctive disorders that affect oral and maxillofacial tissues.The majority of odontogenic cysts such as dentigerous cysts and orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst show an indolent course, whilst others demonstrate an aggressive behavior and may have higher recurrence rate like odontogenic keratocysts and glandular odontogenic cysts.Here wecompared FAK and PCNA expression in the previously mentioned cysts and attempted to correlate the findings to their variable clinical behaviors. Aim of the study:This study aimed to clarify the role of epithelial to mesenchymal transition in invasion potential, proliferation and aggressiveness of these lesions, which had been achieved. Methods: Double Immunostaining technique for FAK and PCNA was performed on the same tissue specimens using two types of chromogens. DAB chromogen was used for the assessment of nuclear expression of PCNA, while AEC chromogen was used for the assessment of cytoplasmic expression of FAK. Results: The greatest mean of the nuclear immunoexpression of PCNA was recorded in glandular odontogenic cyst group, followed by the odontogenic keratocyst, while the greatest mean area percent of the cytoplasmic expression of FAK was recorded in odontogenic keratocyst group, followed by the glandular odontogeniccyst. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine ISSN 2515-8260 Volume 08, Issue 03, 2021 3336 Conclusions:Odontogenic keratocyst has the highest epithelial to mesenchymal transition ability followed by glandular odontogenic cyst, while glandular odontogenic cyst has the highest proliferation activity followed by odontogenic keratocyst. On the other hand, orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst and dentigerous cyst have the lowest epithelial to mesenchymal transition ability and proliferation activity, which can explain the diverse behavior of those odontogenic cysts.


Monocular 3D object detection aims to localize 3D bounding boxes in an input single 2D image. It is a highly challenging problem and remains open, especially when no extra information (e.g., depth, lidar and/or multi-frames) can be leveraged in training and/or inference. This paper proposes a simple yet effective formulation for monocular 3D object detection without exploiting any extra information. It presents the MonoCon method which learns Monocular Contexts, as auxiliary tasks in training, to help monocular 3D object detection. The key idea is that with the annotated 3D bounding boxes of objects in an image, there is a rich set of well-posed projected 2D supervision signals available in training, such as the projected corner keypoints and their associated offset vectors with respect to the center of 2D bounding box, which should be exploited as auxiliary tasks in training.
The proposed MonoCon is motivated by the Cramer–Wold theorem in measure theory at a high level. In implementation, it utilizes a very simple end-to-end design to justify the effectiveness of learning auxiliary monocular contexts, which consists of three components: a Deep Neural Network (DNN) based feature backbone, a number of regression head branches for learning the essential parameters used in the 3D bounding box prediction, and a number of regression head branches for learning auxiliary contexts. After training, the auxiliary context regression branches are discarded for better inference efficiency. In experiments, the proposed MonoCon is tested in the KITTI benchmark (car, pedestrian and cyclist). It outperforms all prior arts in the leaderboard on the car category and obtains comparable performance on pedestrian and cyclist in terms of accuracy. Thanks to the simple design, the proposed MonoCon method obtains the fastest inference speed with 38.7 fps in comparisons. Our code is released at https://git.io/MonoCon.


The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been studying the performance of small grid-tied PV power systems since 1992. These 1 to 2 kW/sub AC/ systems are designed to conduct in-situ technical evaluations of the PV arrays in a high voltage configuration. This paper concentrates on the performance and reliability of four amorphous silicon systems currently being tested in Golden, Colorado, USA. The four systems include arrays from United Solar Systems Corp., Solarex and Advanced Photovoltaic Systems. Each of these systems is tied to the grid with an Omnion inverter. The data show that most systems employing amorphous silicon exhibit stable performance over time and are viable for commercial scale-up to larger systems.


This paper presented the reduction methods of NOx emission from not marine diesel engines, but marine transportation. In the first part of the paper, evaluations of NOx emission from sailing ships based on naval architecture and marine engineering were examined theoretically. Then, in order to demonstrate the evaluations, fuel injection timing retard and sailing performance under two different conditions (before and after drydock) were examined by using a 603GT/1618kW ship equipped with controllable pitch propeller. The results obtained from the examinations are as follows : (1) the quantity of NOx emission per dead weight and sailing distance that evaluates the emission from sailing ships including engine performance and hull performance is more proper for the NOx estimation than the quantity of the emission per unit time and engine output that evaluates the emission only from engines ; (2) NOx emission from sailing ships can be decreased by reducing NOx emission from engines, coefficient of total resistance and ship speed, and also by increasing propeller efficency ; (3) NOx emitted from ships can be decreased in a global scale by giving attention to the synthetic transport efficiency.


Strabismus and amblyopia were studied in a cohort of children born in 1979 or 1980 in the area of Västerås, Sweden. Forty percent of the children had participated in a voluntary eye examination at 1 year of age. All children diagnosed as strabismic and/or amblyopic between 1979 and 1988 at any of the three eye clinics in the area were included in this study. Strabismic cases were mostly detected by the parents while microstrabismus and straight eye amblyopia were found at the general 4 years of age screening at children's health centres. In 57 cases with (n = 31) and without amblyopia (n = 41) it was possible to obtain several refraction values between 1 and 6 years of age. In this study we concentrated on manifest esotropia and exotropia. The aim of the study was to describe changes of refraction before and after onset of strabismus and to establish risk indicators that identified populations at risk of developing strabismus. We found that patients with esotropia show a more pronounced hypermetropia than exotropic cases at the time of detection of strabismus. This difference becomes more definite over time, since hypermetropia increased in the deviating eye in the esotropic cases while refractive errors remained stationary in most of the exotropic eyes. It was also apparent that anisometropia frequently developed after onset of strabismus in esotropic cases in contrast to exotropic cases. An increasing refractive error in the deviating esotropic eye could be combined with an emmetropisation of the fixating eye.


Studies were performed in conscious Sprague-Dawley rats to determine whether the renal sympathetic nerves contribute to the renal excretory responses produced by central mu opioid agonist administration. Intracerebroventricular, but not i.v. injection of the selective mu opioid agonist dermorphin (0.1 nmol/kg), produced an increase in urine flow rate and a sustained decrease in urine sodium excretion. These renal excretory responses were completely prevented by pretreatment with the selective mu opioid antagonist, beta-funaltrexamine (20 micrograms, i.c.v.). Central dermorphin administration did not alter glomerular filtration rate or effective renal plasma flow. In contrast, efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity increased over the same time frame as the reduction in urinary sodium excretion. To investigate whether the dermorphin-induced antinatriuretic response was mediated via the increase in renal sympathetic nerve activity, experiments were repeated in Sprague-Dawley rats that had undergone chronic bilateral renal denervation. In renal denervated rats, i.c.v. dermorphin produced similar diuretic and antinatriuretic responses as were seen in rats with an intact renal innervation. Together, these studies indicate that the changes in urine flow rate and urinary sodium excretion produced by i.c.v. dermorphin were not mediated via central induced changes in renal hemodynamics or sympathetic outflow to the kidneys. Because an antinatriuretic response occurred in renal denervated animals, this suggests that central mu opioid receptor agonists may exert an influence on tubular reabsorption of sodium via mu opioid receptor-mediated mechanisms independent of intact renal innervation.


Recognition of human behavior plays an important role in context-aware applications. However, it is still a challenge for end-users to build personalized applications that accurately recognize their own activities. Therefore, we present CAPturAR, an in-situ programming tool that supports users to rapidly author context-aware applications by referring to their previous activities. We customize an AR head-mounted device with multiple camera systems that allow for non-intrusive capturing of user's daily activities. During authoring, we reconstruct the captured data in AR with an animated avatar and use virtual icons to represent the surrounding environment. With our visual programming interface, users create human-centered rules for the applications and experience them instantly in AR. We further demonstrate four use cases enabled by CAPturAR. Also, we verify the effectiveness of the AR-HMD and the authoring workflow with a system evaluation using our prototype. Moreover, we conduct a remote user study in an AR simulator to evaluate the usability.


Background The Pharmacy Department is involved in providing information and recording adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the national system. The Oncology/Day Hospital provides clinical data. This study increases the culture of safety and security of processing through the collection of data, helping to give statistical and epidemiological value to otherwise casual observations. Purpose To detect adverse drugs events in oncohaematology in a systematic and timely manner: the FARMAREL project. Materials and Methods Following the training sessions at the regional level, meetings were held every three months, to monitor progress and analyse any problems found. All haematological patients treated from April 2009 to July 2012 were monitored and if ADRs occurred, a team of physicians and pharmacists analysed the event according to the World Health Organization definition. The ADRs observed were posted to the network using special software, set up specifically to allow computerization and real-time monitoring progress of the project, as well as statistical analysis of epidemiological data. Results We reported a total of 74 cases, categorised by the severity of adverse events (38 not severe, 3 deaths, 3 life-threatening, 30 hospitalizations or extended hospitalisation). Among the ADRs reported the most significant clinical cases in terms of severity were: Gram-negative septic shock (suspect drug: thalidomide), intestinal infarction (bortezomib), acute renal failure (amphotericin B); hypokinetic cardiomyopathy (doxorubicin); atrioventricular conduction block (lenalidomide). The most significant case studies were presented and discussed with other participating hospitals during a meeting of Lombardy Region, and in a national conference. Conclusions The study has increased the culture of pharmacovigilance and awareness of the clinical data constituting ADRs. The present evaluation has revealed opportunities for intervention especially for the preventable ADRs which will help in promoting safer drug use. No conflict of interest.


Ureido-functionalized mesoporous polyvinyl alcohol/silica composite nanofibre membranes were prepared by electrospinning technology and their application for removal of Pb2+ and Cu2+ from wastewater was discussed. The characteristics of the membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and N2 adsorption-desorption analysis. Results show that the membranes have long fibrous shapes and worm-like mesoporous micromorphologies. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the membranes were successfully functionalized with ureido groups. Pb2+ and Cu2+ adsorption behavior on the membranes followed a pseudo-second-order nonlinear kinetic model with approximately 30 minutes to equilibrium. Pb2+ adsorption was modelled using a Langmuir isotherm model with maximum adsorption capacity of 26.96 mg g-1. However, Cu2+ adsorption was well described by a Freundlich isotherm model with poor adsorption potential due to the tendency to form chelating complexes with several ureido groups. Notably, the membranes were easily regenerated through acid treatment, and maintained adsorption capacity of 91.87% after five regeneration cycles, showing potential for applications in controlling heavy metals-related pollution and metals reuse.


The vector theory of laser radiation scattering in an integrated optical waveguide with three-dimensional irregularities in the presence of noise is developed. The solution of the electrodynamic problem of laser radiation scattering in an irregular waveguide is obtained by the mode coupling technique using the perturbation theory. An approximate solution of the inhomogeneous three-dimensional wave equation is obtained by the method of Green's functions. The analytic formulas are derived for the radiation fields of propagating and evanescent modes. A physical interpretation is given for the obtained results. The role of noise as an independent depolarising factor (in addition to the classical one) during scattering of light is pointed out.


This paper discusses some of the domestic implications of the recent large-scale use of foreign exchange intervention by emerging market economies to resist currency appreciation. Over the past five years, many countries have adopted an accommodating monetary policy while intervening. Despite the prolonged period of low interest rates that resulted, various other forces have kept inflation under control and so eased one policy dilemma for central banks. Nevertheless, large and prolonged reserve accumulation can still create risks other than near-term inflation. These include=high intervention costs; monetary imbalances; overheated credit and asset markets; and very liquid and perhaps distorted banking systems.


polyphonic singing, its roles and practice and the perception of destiny as represented in ancient Greek mythology, literature and philosophy are explored in this paper. an analogy drawn between them, between the living reality and the constructed reality, depicts connections that help weave polyphonic narration. Contextualization of polyphonic singing as a truly world phenomenon that encompasses aspects inherent in human nature and condition, while forming a manifestation of cultural diversity, is achieved through a broad perspective employing linguistics, social anthropology and philosophy. Thus, cultural phenomena such as polyphonic singing, although often employed in political discourse and the formation of national identity — with the narrative of self and other, directly involved, particularly in border areas — can no longer constitute issues of culture ownership.


An inline method for monitoring the solidification process during the injection molding of semicrystalline polymers is demonstrated. The method has been applied to various poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(buthylene terephthalate) (PBT) samples. The technique is based on a simple device by which an additional ejector pin is pushed onto the injection-molded part with a fixed force at different times during the solidification phase while the mold remains closed. The residual deformation (the so-called indentation depth) due to the applied load is measured offline after ejection. By the performance of indentation at different times during the cooling phase, an indentation depth profile, that is, the residual deformation as a function of time, is obtained. With a simplified solid/liquid two-phase model, the evolution of the solidification front in the mold as a function of the cooling time can be determined from the indentation curve. The obtained experimental results agree well with calculations based on the classical theory of heat penetration. Descriptions of several materials (including PET and PBT) with variations in the molecular weight (PET) have been obtained under different operating conditions (various mold temperatures, holding pressures, and indentation pressures). The results show that the indentation test may be regarded as a powerful tool for monitoring the solidification process during injection molding and, therefore, for optimizing injection-molding processing conditions according to material characteristics. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 3713–3727, 2003


Sustainable nut production and supply depend on soil nutrient availability, but current land management practices in macadamia farms, including soil erosion and minimal inter row groundcover in established orchards can reduce soil carbon (C) and impair soil fertility. Therefore, nut production in macadamia orchards relies heavily on inorganic and organic fertiliser application which brings an economic burden for farmers. Biochar, a C rich product from the pyrolysis of organic residues, has been shown to improve soil fertility and fertiliser use efficiency. In the current study, we aimed to explore the effects of a wood-based biochar at two application rates of 10 t ha-1 (B10) and 30 t ha-1 (B30) on soil C and nitrogen (N) cycling at months 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 following its application to a macadamia orchard. No significant effects of biochar on soil soluble organic C and N were observed at months 0, 6 and 12 following biochar application. At months 12, 18 and 24, biochar significantly increased soil nitrate concentration with B30 compared to the control and B10 but differences were significant only at month 12.; ;


Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have enjoyed wide spread applications in graph-structured data. However, existing graph based applications commonly lack annotated data. GNNs are required to learn latent patterns from a limited amount of training data to perform inferences on a vast amount of test data. The increased complexity of GNNs, as well as a single point of model parameter initialization, usually lead to overfitting and sub-optimal performance. In addition, it is known that GNNs are vulnerable to adversarial attacks. In this paper, we push one step forward on the ensemble learning of GNNs with improved accuracy, generalization, and adversarial robustness. Following the principles of stochastic modeling, we propose a new method called GNN-Ensemble to construct an ensemble of random decision graph neural networks whose capacity can be arbitrarily expanded for improvement in performance. The essence of the method is to build multiple GNNs in randomly selected substructures in the topological space and subfeatures in the feature space, and then combine them for final decision making. These GNNs in different substructure and subfeature spaces generalize their classification in complementary ways. Consequently, their combined classification performance can be improved and overfitting on the training data can be effectively reduced. In the meantime, we show that GNN-Ensemble can significantly improve the adversarial robustness against attacks on GNNs.