Abstract Background In Denmark, the Cancer Patient Pathway for Non-Specific Signs and Symptoms (NSSC-CPP) has been implemented with variations: in some areas, general practitioners (GPs) do the initial diagnostic work-up (GP paradigm); in other areas, patients are referred directly to the hospital (hospital paradigm). There is no evidence to suggest the most beneficial organisation. Therefore, this study aims to compare the occurrence of colon cancer and the risk of non-localised cancer stage between the GP and hospital paradigms. Material and Methods In this registry-based case-control study, we applied multivariable binary logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of colon cancer and non-localised stage associated with the GP paradigm and hospital paradigm. All cases and controls were assigned to a paradigm based on their diagnostic activity (CT scan or CPP) six months before the index date. As not all CT scans in the control group were part of the cancer work-up as a sensitivity analysis, we investigated the impact of varying the fraction of these, which were randomly removed using a bootstrap approach for inference. Results The GP paradigm was more likely to result in a cancer diagnosis than the hospital paradigm; ORs ranged from 1.91–3.15 considering different fractions of CT scans as part of cancer work-up. No difference was found in the cancer stage between the two paradigms; ORs ranged from 1.08–1.10 and were not statistically significant. Conclusion Patients in the GP paradigm were diagnosed with colon cancer more often, but we cannot conclude that the distribution of respectively localised or non-localised extent of disease is different from that of patients in the hospital paradigm.


The advent of the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) in the Southeast Asia in 1997 is an appealing case for research work in assessing corporate financial distress. From international perspective, AFC is a product of contagion effect that spread from Thailand and consequently to the other Asian countries. Domestically, the AFC has resulted a sudden economic slump and corporate failures in these economies. This paper examines the corporate failure before the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis in three emerging capital markets namely Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and develops, tests, and analyses a model for classifying and predicting financial distress. A failure classification model based on multiple discriminant analysis was utilised to classify listed corporations from these countries for the 1980 to 1996 period. The model is tested on a sample of 33 Malaysian, 17 Singaporean and 52 Thailand failed firms and similar number of non-failed firms in the respective countries as a control sample. The failure prediction model developed successfully discriminates between failed and non-failed listed firms at the rate of 86%, 82% and 71% of Malaysian, Singaporean and Thailand firms respectively. Further validation of findings show that the predictive accuracy was significantly better than chance.


The contamination of industrial water sources with synthetic dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), remains a persistent environmental concern, demanding effective remediation techniques. In response, this research centers on the utilization of trimetallic nanoparticles (TMNPs) composed of Fe-Ni-Cr, Fe-Ni-Cd and Fe-Ni-Cu as a promising solution to address color-related pollution in aquatic ecosystems. These nanoparticles were synthesized using the wet chemical precipitation method and rigorously characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-rays (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Armed with these trimetallic nanoparticles, our primary objective was to harness their photocatalytic prowess when exposed to direct sunlight in aqueous environments for the degradation of MB. The progress of photodegradation was meticulously monitored using a reliable visible spectrophotometer, providing insights into the degradation kinetics. Remarkably, within just six hours of solar irradiation, the TMNPs exhibited a remarkable capacity to degrade MB, achieving an impressive degradation rate ranging from 77.5% to 79.4%. In our relentless pursuit of optimization, we conducted a comprehensive examination of various parameters including catalyst dosage, dye dosage, and pH levels, focusing specifically on the Fe-Ni-Cr TMNPs. Through systematic experimentation, a trifecta of optimal conditions emerged: a pH level of 10 (resulting in a 79.35% degradation after 1.5 h), a catalyst amount of 0.005 g (yielding 43.5% degradation after 1.5 h), and a dye concentration of 40.0 ppm (culminating in a 42.54% degradation after 1.5 h). The study also extended its scope to explore the regeneration potential of the catalyst, shedding light on its sustainability in long-term applications. Amidst the vibrant interplay of color and water, TMNPs emerged as a symbol of optimism, offering a promising avenue for the removal of synthetic dyes from the water system. With each experiment and investigation, we inch closer to realizing clearer waters and brighter environmental horizons.


Fractured supply chains have been identified as a barrier to growth for the agricultural sector. Dairy is a key investment sector for the Government of Malawi, donors such USA, Japan and Belgium have focused part of their development aid on the sector. Despite this, domestic production response is unimpressive. This is not surprising several factors hamper the sector development. This case study presents some of the results of an analysis of the dairy supply chain in Malawi. The methodology used consisted of a combination of surveys, semi-structure interviews and secondary information from farmers to consumers. Highlights of the results are: efficiency heterogeneity in dairy production and lack of cows constraining the pass-on programme; infrastructure constraints at the milk bulking group level; prices paid to farmers are sporadically adjusted in an inflationary context; low milk quality standards due to lack of enforcement; high margins for mass consumption milk in supermarkets..


ABSTRACT At the centre of this article is iNakba, a digital navigational application created by a Tel Aviv-based NGO in 2014. The app superimposes a layer of ruined Palestinian localities destroyed following the 1948 war, on top of the established and hegemonic Israeli geographical representation. At the end of this war and with the formation of the State of Israel, the presence of these localities was eradicated from both the territory and Israeli maps. The iNakba app uses Google maps and Waze as platforms for allowing users to find these localities and navigate towards them in order to increase knowledge about the repressed geographical past of the territory and bring about a political change. By examining iNakba from a media practice perspective, and by comparing it to a printed map published almost seven decades earlier and in very different circumstances, we highlight the unique role of layers in constructing and deconstructing cartographical knowledge. Layers, we argue, allow new potentialities for the representation and imagination of space, specifically, problematizing the eradication of Palestinian localities from the map and suggesting to re-imagine the territory as comprising the two histories and the two peoples. More broadly, the article suggests to understand layers as both a technical and political device.


The natural distribution of honeybee subspecies in Europe has been significantly affected by human activities during the last century. Non‐native subspecies of honeybees have been introduced and propagated, so that native black honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera) populations lost their identity by gene‐flow or went extinct. After previous studies investigated the remaining gene‐pools of native honeybees in France and Spain, we here assess the genetic composition of eight northwest European populations of the black honeybee, using both mitochondrial (restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the intergenic transfer RNAleu‐COII region) and nuclear (11 microsatellite loci) markers. Both data sets show that A. m. mellifera populations still exist in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England, Scotland and Ireland, but that they are threatened by gene flow from commercial honeybees. Both Bayesian admixture analysis of the microsatellite data and DraI‐RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis of the intergenic region indicated that gene‐flow had hardly occurred in some populations, whereas almost 10% introgression was observed in other populations. The most introgressed population was found on the Danish Island of Læsø, which is the last remaining native Danish population of A. m. mellifera and the only one of the eight investigated populations that is protected by law. We discuss how individual admixture analysis can be used to monitor the restoration of honeybee populations that suffer from unwanted hybridization with non‐native subspecies.


Abstract The number of people using public transport is continuously increasing. Transport companies want to fulfil travellers' expectations wherever possible. However, the great number of public transport companies operating in the same area can sometimes confuse travellers as to which route they should take and how to obtain the information relative to their journey. In this paper we suggest integrating several traveller information systems from different companies into the same multimodal information system, offering companies the choice not to share their data. This encourages them to join the system. Additionally, we have minimised the number of nodes involved when processing travellers' requests in order to simplify the calculation process. To put our plan into action, we have opted for a multi-agent system coupled with the Voronoi decomposition for managing the network.


This work proposes a 2-dimensional programable SRAM-based PUF. The selection of challenge groups, orders, and sequence lengths dominates the responses with challenge-response pairs (CRPs) by order of rows<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\mathrm {(sequence~\textrm {}length- 1)}} \times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> columns<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\mathrm {(sequence~\textrm {}length - 1)}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The PUF bit cell has split word-lines with vertical and horizontal connections, the bit-lines are placed orthogonally to generate one-bit data with four cells, the entropy source is enriched to 24 transistors. The proposed PUF supports multiple data maps from a single chip. A test chip was fabricated in 65 nm CMOS technology. Under 0.8V and 20 °C (nominal point), the bit error rate reaches 3%. In a single chip, the hamming distance achieves 42.49% within the same group and different orders of challenges, and 47.32% within the different groups of challenges (when the sequence length is 5). The measured inter-hamming distance between chips is improved to 49.47%.


Grading refers to the symbols assigned to individual pieces of student work or to composite measures of student performance on report cards. This review of over 100 years of research on grading considers five types of studies: (a) early studies of the reliability of grades, (b) quantitative studies of the composition of K–12 report card grades, (c) survey and interview studies of teachers' perceptions of grades, (d) studies of standards-based grading, and (e) grading in higher education. Early 20th-century studies generally condemned teachers' grades as unreliable. More recent studies of the relationships of grades to tested achievement and survey studies of teachers' grading practices and beliefs suggest that grades assess a multidimensional construct containing both cognitive and noncognitive factors reflecting what teachers value in student work. Implications for future research and for grading practices are discussed.


The rise of the major questions doctrine—the rule that says that in order to delegate to the executive branch the power to resolve a "question of 'deep economic and political significance' that is central to [a] statutory scheme," Congress must do so expressly—threatens to unmake the modern executive's authority over foreign affairs, especially in matters of national security and interstate conflict. In the twenty-first century, global conflicts increasingly involve economic warfare, rather than (or in addition to) the force of arms.

In the United States, the executive power to levy economic sanctions and engage in other forms of economic warfare are generally based on extremely broad delegations of authority from Congress. The major questions doctrine (MQD) threatens the ability to fight modern conflicts for two reasons. First, classic national- security-related conflicts—wars of territorial conquest, terrorism, or nuclear proliferation—increasingly are met with economic measures. But the statutes that authorize economic warfare actions are incredibly broad and recent administrations have interpreted these statutes in ways that risk running afoul of an expansive and free-form MQD. Second, "foreign affairs exceptionalism," in which the Court decides not to apply the MQD to statutes involving foreign affairs, is not likely to work well as a response because what is "foreign" and "domestic" cannot be easily distinguished and attempts to do so will have perverse consequences.

The MQD raises serious problems for foreign affairs and national security. If the MQD is applied to domestic, but not foreign, delegations, then the executive branch will have an incentive to use broad foreign affairs delegations to accomplish domestic policy objectives in order to evade the safeguards and limits that attend domestic administrative action. At the same time, judges will have to police the porous boundary between "foreign" and "domestic," with especially high error costs because wrong decisions will affect national security. If the MQD is applied to economic delegations that touch foreign commerce, the most likely consequence is that judges—particularly lower court judges—will be put in the position of second-guessing executive branch decisionmaking on precisely those questions—economic foreign policy questions of deep economic and political significance—on which the political branches enjoy both constitutional primacy and institutional expertise. This result is troubling; judges lack the knowledge and training to make effective decisions bearing on foreign policy, and putting them in the position to do so contravenes the norms of our legal system.


Oil tracking in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon accident requires timely and accurate observations of major circulation patterns such as the Loop Current and LC eddies. When the eastern GOM becomes nearly isothermal at the surface and the use of sea surface temperature imagery is limited, MODIS ocean color data can be used instead. However, frequent and extensive sun glint prevents such an application when glint reflectance, Lg, is >0.01 sr−1. Here, an empirical approach is developed to remove sun glint and clouds based on band ratios between the Rayleigh‐corrected reflectance (Rrc) at 469, 555, 645, 859, and 1240‐nm. To minimize the effect of residual errors due to variable aerosols and imperfect glint correction, a color index (CI) is derived to represent the color patterns. Comparison between results from adjacent days with different glint and aerosol patterns suggests that the approach is able to derive consistent color patterns under severe sun glint (Lg < 0.15 sr−1). Tests of the approach over the Tropical Atlantic, East China Sea, and ocean waters off South Africa further validate the approach's general applicability. The color index (CI) also shows significant correlation with MODIS band‐ratio Chl (<1 mg m−3) for each case examined. The simple design of the approach makes it straightforward to implement for other subtropical and tropical regions when a qualitative MODIS CI is desired to infer circulation patterns and to trace eddies under severe sun glint.


Purpose

Customer engagement is of critical interest to both academics and practitioners. Extant literature focusses primarily on customer engagement with a single focal object, usually brands; this study takes another view to consider customer engagement with multiple focal objects (service provider and context). In addition to testing the relationship of the individual dimensions of engagement with the service provider and engagement with the context, this research elaborates on their drivers, with a particular focus on distinct engagement platforms. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey captures customer engagement with a service provider and a context in a higher education setting, with 251 responses collected across first- and third-year marketing courses in an Australian, mid-sized university.

Findings

Engagement with the service provider can drive engagement with the context. In turn, engagement with the service provider can be stimulated through the use of engagement platforms that enable customer-to-service provider interactions. The results show limited effects of customer-to-customer engagement platforms on engagement with the context though. The results are consistent across gender and student grade levels; some differences arise between international and domestic students.

Originality/value

This unique study broadens understanding of customer engagement with various focal objects and also details the flow of effects, from engagement with a service provider to engagement with the context. This research builds on conceptual discussions of engagement platforms and empirically examines their ability to facilitate affective, cognitive and behavioural engagement.


Dengue is an important mosquito-borne viral disease. In Taiwan, there are hundreds to thousands dengue cases each year, and dengue is considered one of the most important public health issues. The objective of this study was to use geographical information systems (GIS) methodology to map and analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of dengue in Taiwan during 2004 to 2007 and to elucidate the association of geographical and climatic risk factors with dengue incidence.Dengue annually occurs starting in summer, peaking in fall and goes down in winter. The spatial distribution: Spatial autocorrelation of dengue was measured using Moran's I at the global level and LISA at the local level. The global spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed a significantly positive spatial autocorrelation of dengue for 2004 to 2007, with Moran's I=0.171, p-value=0.03. The local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed a significantly high dengue incidence around Tainan county and Kaohsiung county (p-value<0.05), which are located in the southern Taiwan. Based on the geographical features, dengue tended to occur in the southwestern cities/counties in Taiwan with plains and rivers spread. Temperature had a positive relationship with dengue incidence in summer and fall (rs=0.74 and p-value=0.002 in summer, rs=0.53 and p-value=0.003 in fall). Rainfall had a positive relationship with dengue incidence in summer (rs=0.61 and p-value=0.017). However, there was no significant correlation between temperature or rainfall and dengue incidence in winter.The public health importance of this study: Disease maps have been playing a key descriptive role in public health and epidemiology. By this study, areas of the current geographical distribution of the incidence of dengue in Taiwan were identified. Through spatial autocorrelation analyses, the identification of unusual concentration of dengue in Tainan county and Kaohsiung county has been defined. This could prompt health agencies and the government to take a critical look at these risk areas, and make appropriate health planning and resource allocation.


An Application flow it contains broadcast trade is taken into account. Reducing the level of video distortion is essential per user perspective. Real-time wireless communications are the emerging theory in the field of wireless networks. The routing metrics depicted for wireless networks are application is new model concentrates on the area of wireless network. The application changes consist of video congestion. The dynamic modify network models causes' periodic connectivity which results in large packet loss. Video data in real time requires special algorithms that can overcome the losses of packets in the insufficient networks. In order to preserve data leakage and prevent piracy, conventional system addressed. The proposing method is observation of streamed traffic throughout the network .Also security hindered the use of open peer to peer networks for commercial data delivery. The basic idea is to propose to change dynamic data leakage detection model is robust to the variation of the video lengths. It changes the detection results in the environment subjected to variation in size of videos. A routing protocol for reducing distortion in videos is designed based on the framework's routing model. The protocol designed is efficient in minimizing video distortion end-to-end by distributing the frames in the paths through priority based. We evaluate via tested experiments that our protocol is efficient in reducing the video distortion and minimizing the user experience degradation.


The duration of the lease may be different, depending on the country. In Thailand, the maximum duration of the long-term lease for residential is 30 years. Even though the term of long lease are very restrictive, 30-years leasehold luxury residential properties in the prime area of Central Bangkok are well-received in the market. The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual framework to explore the influences of multidimensional roles of customer perceived value (CPV) and perceived risk toward both purchase intention and willingness to pay (WTP) for 30 years luxury leasehold residences in Bangkok. The components of CPV are developed based on PERVAL model including function, price, emotion and social value. While the components of perceived risk include performance risk, financial risk, psychological risk and time risk. To complete the purpose of this research, quantitative research approach with the use of questionnaire is employed. The main target respondent is Bangkok residents (both Thais and foreigners) who have heard about or visited 30 years luxury leasehold residences. Three hypotheses are developed: H1: CPV positively influences the purchase intention; H2: Perceived risk negatively influences the purchase intention and H3: Purchase intention positively influences WTP on 30-year leasehold luxury residences. Cronbach's alpha is used to determine the reliability and regression analysis is employed to test hypothesizes. The results will provide an important source of information for luxury leasehold marketers to develop effective marketing strategies that meet customer needs.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Members of Rubiaceae are generally characterized by an inferior ovary. However, Mitrasacmopsis is cited in the literature as having a semi-inferior to superior ovary. It has previously been hypothesized that the gynoecial development of Rubiaceae with semi-inferior to superior ovaries takes place in the same way as in Gaertnera, one of the most commonly cited rubiaceous genera with a superior ovary. To test this hypothesis, a floral ontogenetic study of Mitrasacmopsis was carried out with special attention paid to the gynoecial development.

METHODS
Floral ontogeny and anatomy of Mitrasacmopsis were examined using scanning electron and light microscopy.

KEY RESULTS
At an early developmental stage, a concavity becomes visible in the centre of the floral apex simultaneously with the perianth initiation. A ring primordium surrounding this concavity expands vertically forming the corolla tube (early sympetaly). Stamen primordia develop inside the corolla. From the bicarpellate gynoecium only two carpel tips are visible because the ovary is formed by a gynoecial hypanthium. In the basal part of each carpel, a placenta primordium is initiated. Two septa divide the ovary into two locules. In each locule, the placenta becomes mushroom shaped and distinctly stalked. Eventually, the inferior ovary of Mitrasacmopsis develops into a beaked capsule. Only very late in the fruiting stage, the continuously expanding ovary is raised above the insertion point of the persistent calyx, changing the ovary position of Mitrasacmopsis from basically inferior to secondarily semi-inferior.

CONCLUSIONS
Mitrasacmopsis follows an epigynous pattern of floral development. However, the presence of a prominent beak in the fruiting stage gives the whole ovary a semi-inferior appearance. This kind of secondarily semi-inferior ovary is shown to be different from the secondarily superior ovary observed in Gaertnera.


Novel sterically hindered chain extender, 2-acetyl-ethylenediamine (MEDA) was synthesized by acetylating of ethylenediamine(EDA) with glacial acetic acid in presence of phosphoric acid, in order to reduce high reactivity of synthesizing polyurea and study its kinetics equation. Its chemical structure was confirmed through FTIR and 1H-NMR analysis. Polyureas were synthesized by reaction of 4,4'-dipheSuperscript textnylmethane diisocyanate(MDI), amine terminated polyether(D-2000) with different chain extenders. The reaction kinetics of polyurea curing process was studied by FTIR. The results showed that extending reaction with MEDA was second order kinetic mechanism, its apparent activation energy was 36.81 kJ•mol-1.


This is a qualitative study aiming to find out how and why teachers work with art, music and movement in the English subject in the early years. In this study we have conducted a background study of previous research and as a starting point and as a point for reference we have relied on education policy documents like The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the Swedish curriculum for the English school subject. Our research has consisted of interviews with six teachers and ten observation occasions in a total of three different primary schools. Our result show that there seems to be a consensus in both theory and praxis when it comes to integrating art, music and movement in learning and teaching of English in the early school years. The use of methods including art, music and movement in early language learning seems to promote the language development for all students but especially for young learners that require extra support for their language development.


This thesis contains three papers focusing on estimation and inference in the spatial data. In the first paper (Chapter 2), we study the estimation and inference in spatial varying coefficient models for data distributed over complex domains. We use bivariate splines over triangulations to represent the coefficient functions. The estimators of the coefficient functions are consistent, and rates of convergence of the proposed estimators are established. In the second paper (Chapter 3), we extend the idea from the first project and consider a class of flexible partially linear spatially varying coefficient autoregressive models. Under some regularity conditions, the estimated constant coefficients are asymptotically normally distributed, and the estimated varying coefficients are consistent and possess the optimal convergence rate. We further develop an efficient algorithm to calculate the distance between neighbors over complex domains. In addition, we propose a model selection approach to identify explanatory variables with constant and varying effects. The proposed method is much more computationally efficient than the local smoothing method such as the geographically weighted regression, and thus capable of handling large scale of spatial data. The performance of the proposed estimation and model identification methods are evaluated by two simulation examples and the Sydney real estate dataseet. Note that selecting the smoothing parameter and triangulation mesh is a critical part of implementing the bivariate penalized spline fitting in the first paper and second paper. In the third paper (Chapter 4), we propose using the generalized cross-validation to show how to select the roughness penalty parameter and the triangulation jointly. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method via extensive numerical studies. We extend our method to spatially varying coefficient models, a generalization of linear regression models for exploring non-stationarity of a regression relationship in spatial data analysis.


In this study, physiological status of locomotive engineers were measured through EEG, ECG, EDA, PPG and respiration signals from 6 subjects to evaluate their arousal status during train operating. Existence of tunnels and mechanical vibration of train using 3-axes acceleration sensors were recorded simultaneously and were correlated with operator's physiological status. As the result of the analyzed subjects' physiological signals, mean SCR was increased in the section where more body movement is required. The RR interval was decreased before and after train stop due to the higher level of mental tension. The intensity of beta wave of EEG was found to be higher before and after train stop and tunnel section due to the increased mental arousal and tension. Therefore, it is expected that the outcomes of the physiological signals explored in this study can be utilized as the quantitative assessment methods for the arousal status to be used for sleepiness prevention system for vehicles operators which can greatly contribute to public transportation system safety.


Oxfam, among other NGOs, has often operated with a 'programming' divide between humanitarian and development departments. This has several fundamental implications. Firstly, while development programmes focus on the 'market ready', those people with some assets and who are able to make use of  market opportunities, emergency relief programmes tend to assist the most vulnerable in a crisis affected population, who often have very few assets and limited livelihood options. This gap means that, in practice, longer-term programmes do not regularly target or provide sustained support for poorer populations, nor are they often able or ready to deal with crises that arise during interventions. Moreover, few emergency programmes regularly develop into longer term work. This effectively reduces the chance of longer term thinking and programme design for the more vulnerable members of society. If we are serious about building resilience and addressing vulnerability and poverty – this needs to be dealt with. This case study charts the process, successes and learning from Oxfam's pilot joint market analysis in Guatemala.


In probability proportional to size sampling, including prism cruising and other forms of point and line sampling, calculation of an exact expansion factor requires that size be recorded exactly. When sizes are binned or recorded by class, this information is lost. While several alternatives for calculating the expansion factor have been proposed, theoretical attention has been lacking. A decision-theoretic perspective helps distinguish between the alternatives and offers some support to the use of the arithmetic mean size in calculating the expansion factor, a choice which had previously come under some criticism. However, consistency arguments strongly favor estimators based on squared error loss or minimax principles. Some new alternatives are suggested when prior information about the diameter distribution in a stratum is available.


Here we discuss the application of control theory to dynamic non-linear systems. This approach can be practically used for the space focusing of classical or quantum particles, for instance, in nanolithography with the beams of cooled atoms. For the practical purposes in the place of standard speed gradient method we introduce new type of controlled systems. We demand achievement of the spatial distribution of the dynamic particles and investigate the statistical properties of the particle dynamics but not the behaviour of the single particle.


In a context of potential fossil fuel shortage, it is relevant to question the viability of peri-urban areas in the event that private cars become an excessively expensive transport mode. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the on-going debate on the opportunities for change of these communities, usually considered to be totally dependent on cars. For this purpose, three intermunicipal communities within peripheral areas of the Paris region are analyzed in terms of 'supply', i.e. the various possibilities for sustainable practices they provide to the population. In other words, the goal is to highlight the potential of these peri-urban areas for forging energy efficient ways of life (i.e. excluding or restricting car use).The method consists of in situ observation using an analytical grid based on both the three principles of Transit Oriented Development (TOD, which refers to the New urbanism, promoting active commuting friendly urban design as well as public transit systems) and a spatial diagnostic process.After having highlighted benefits and weaknesses of the three case studies against key requirements of TOD principles, the paper provides analysis of concrete actions which could be carried out to take advantage of the opportunities available within these areas in order to make them less car dependent.


Blood volume tests made on a number of soldiers recovering from hemorrhage have shown that in many instances dilution of the blood occurs very slowly. The principal reasons for this seem to be (a) an initial lack of reserve fluid of the tissues, and (b) the absence of any subsequent attempt by the body to make up this fluid deficiency. By putting such patients on a large fluid intake by mouth and rectum it has been found that their blood volume can be promptly and greatly increased. Hemorrhage cases transfused, yet still showing a low blood volume, were first treated in this way. Then the effect of forced fluids without transfusion was tried. Immediately after a hemorrhage, or as soon as the patient came under observation, he was given large quantities of water by mouth, and salt solution by rectum. Under such treatment the blood pressure soon began to show a progressive rise, the volume increased, and the red cells became more evenly redistributed, as shown by the relative hemoglobin percentages of the capillary and venous blood. These changes were often well marked after only 2 or 3 hours of the treatment. More than this, forcing fluids in cases where the amount of bleeding is difficult to estimate on account of the presence of a high hemoglobin percentage is of distinct value, since the dilution of the blood which results serves to show the extent of the hemorrhage through the drop in hemoglobin that it entails. In attempting to determine the condition of the patient after hemorrhage with a view to deciding the most suitable form of treatment, it is of much importance to learn the total blood loss—which is often not even indicated by the hemoglobin concentration of the remaining blood. With a total hemoglobin reduced to 25 per cent or under transfusion is needful. New blood is necessary, not only to supply more oxygen-carrying cells, but also because it actually enables the circulation to increase its volume. For, as has been pointed out in Paper I, the hemoglobin percentage must be above a certain point if a rapid restoration of the blood volume by means of the organism's own activities is to come about. With the total hemoglobin above 25 per cent the chief need is for increased blood volume, and if the patient's condition demands an immediate and large addition of circulating fluid, gum acacia solution should be given. If the condition is not so urgent, forced fluids by the alimentary tract are indicated. The blood volume can be considerably reduced and yet a normal blood pressure maintained. It is pointed out that the vasomotor mechanism which, has adapted itself to the diminished blood bulk may in any individual case be very near the margin of its compensatory power. Increased strain in such instances may cause a failure of this mechanism with a resulting fall in blood pressure. The beneficial results of forced fluids after secondary hemorrhage suggest the value of the early use of fluids by the alimentary tract in cases of primary hemorrhage.


The experience with the original Superpave gyratory compactors (SGCs) introduced into the paving industry in 1994 was very positive. Consequently, since 1995 several additional manufacturers have developed SGCs to meet the growing demand for such devices. Although these units generally meet the broad requirements of the original SGC specification developed by FHWA, their basic designs are somewhat different. To ensure a systematic means for evaluation of the compactors, FHWA developed a standard protocol, designated AASHTO PP35. This procedure was used to evaluate various gyratory compactors. By using the discriminating value of 0.010 for difference in bulk specific gravity (Gmb), the compactors were evaluated in terms of Gmb. The five gyratory compactors evaluated were the Rainhart, Test Quip, Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc. (Troxler), Model 4141, Pine Instrument Company (Pine) Model AFG1A, and Interlaken compactors. These compactors were compared with either Pine Model AFGC125X (Pine 1) or Troxler Model 4140 (Troxler 1) SGCs, which were used as reference compactors. In addition, the project included a comparison of two Pine compactors (Pine 1 and Pine 2) of the same model (AFGC125XS) with each other. A total of 336 specimens (48 specimens for each compactor) were prepared for all the compactors to fulfill the comparison. Eleven comparisons of each candidate compactor and the reference compactor were made during a 12-month period. All of the candidate compactors compared favorably with an existing SGC. It was found that all seven compactors would provide the same results within the given tolerance range under the rigid conditions of the AASHTO PP35 protocol.


Ihave had the pleasure of participating in national forums on biotechnology development in diverse countries. A common theme I see is that emerging economies wish to develop 'a biotechnology industry like the United States.' I generally temper these ambitions by explaining that the United States does not have a biotechnology industry per se, but rather a handful of states have very strong biotechnology concentrations and many other states are still trying to build their domestic biotechnology industries. So the lesson for many emerging economies is to set ambitions at the US-state level rather than the US-national level. Furthermore, I also caution against aiming for drug development. Drug development is extremely expensive and risky—focusing on domestic agricultural or industrial biotechnology opportunities may be a better option.


The natriuretic peptide and renin–angiotensin systems are physiological counterparts with opposite roles in the regulation of electrolyte balance and blood pressure. In both systems, membrane-bound, zinc-dependent peptidases play an important role in the inactivation or activation of the system. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II, and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) degrades the natriuretic peptides. Simultaneous inhibition NEP and ACE by a single molecule (a vasopeptidase inhibitor) is a new therapeutic approach in hypertension. Wider applications for vasopeptidase inhibitors being studied include their role as cardioprotective agents in heart failure, as renoprotective agents in chronic renal failure and diabetic nephropathy, and as vasculoprotective agents in endothelial dysfunction and athersclerosis.


N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a myocardial stress biomarker that can be found in serum or plasma, saliva, and urine in the context of cardiovascular disease. In this study, we developed a rapid (~25 min) and straightforward localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-based assay for detecting NT-proBNP in urine. The assay employs citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and an aptamer specific for NT-proBNP, which initially interacts with NT-proBNP. The remaining unbound aptamer then interacts with the AuNPs, and the addition of NaCl induces the aggregation of the unprotected AuNPs, resulting in a decrease in absorbance at the LSPR band (A521) and an increase in absorbance at 750 nm (A750). The concentration of NT-proBNP showed a linear correlation with the aggregation ratio (A521/A750), and the assay demonstrated a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.303 µg·L−1 and a detection range of 0.566–8 µg·L−1. However, the presence of sulfur-containing proteins in saliva and fetal bovine serum hindered the detection of NT-proBNP in these biofluids. Nevertheless, the assay successfully detected NT-proBNP in diluted urine with an LOD of 0.417 µg·L−1 and a detection range of 0.589–6 µg·L−1. The observed values in urine samples from preterm infants with cardiovascular disease fell within this range, indicating the potential clinical relevance of the assay. The recovery percentages ranged from 92.3 to 116.3%. Overall, our findings suggest that the LSPR-based assay for NT-proBNP detection in urine can be a valuable tool for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.


We build an Asymmetric Spatial Error Correction Model (ASpECM) to investigate the role of spatial dependence at the retail gasoline price adjustment mechanism. We find evidence that the symmetric price pattern is fully reversed when we account for spatial spillover effects, indicating that retail prices adjust more rapidly in an upward than a downward direction. This finding raises the possibility that retailers are more likely to engage in anti-competitive practices which may be ignored when the regulators bypass the role of spatial dependence.


We articulate a teamwork process model of peer justice, defined as a shared perception regarding how individuals who work together within the same unit and who do not have formal authority over each other judge the fairness with which they treat one another. We argue that unit-level judgments of procedural and interpersonal fairness may influence team process, characterized by such things as better communication, better coordination, and more mutual support for members. These team processes, in turn, promote higher team performance and unit-level citizenship behaviors. These ideas were tested among teams of business students working on a semester-long class project. Findings generally supported our theoretical model, attesting to the importance of peer justice. We also found that peer procedural justice strength influenced team outcome variables, including performance, through teamwork processes. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.


Summary Many breeding colonies of Procellariiformes have been threatened with extinction. Chick translocation has been shown to be an effective method for establishing new "safer" colonies of burrow-nesting species, but techniques for surface-nesting species have not been fully developed. The entire breeding population of the threatened Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastoria albatrus is restricted to two sites, Torishima Island and the Senkaku Islands, and neither site is secure due to volcanic activity or political instability. The Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team has recommended facilitating the recovery of this species by establishing at least one additional colony through the translocation and hand-rearing of chicks at a safe historical breeding site. To evaluate the feasibility of this approach, we hand-reared 10 post-guard phase chicks of two related species in 2006–2007: Laysan Albatross P. immutabilis translocated from Midway Atoll to Kaua'i Island, Hawai'i and Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes translocated from a nearby islet in the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands to Mukojima Island, Japan. In these pilot studies, 40% of Laysan Albatross chicks and 90% of Black-footed Albatross chicks fledged successfully. Following this groundwork, 40 post-guard phase Short-tailed Albatross chicks were translocated from Torishima Island to Mukojima Island in February 2008–2010 and hand-reared to fledging. Their fledging success has been 100% in all three years. Fledging body sizes were similar or greater in hand-reared chicks at the release site than parent-reared chicks on Torishima Island. There were significant differences in levels of some blood chemistry parameters between pre-fledging hand-reared and parent-reared chicks. The techniques developed in our studies have broad-reaching implications for the future conservation of threatened populations of other surface-nesting seabirds.


This is a stunning photography collection on the use of typography in tattoo art, with an introduction and commentary provided by designer, Ina Saltz. This title will greatly appeal to graphic designers, typographers, the tattoo community, and a hip, pop-culturally savvy audience. The book has the written messages divided up into the following categories: Literature, poetry, lyrics; Typography; self-expression; self love; love; politics; religion; belief systems; and homage. This book captures the trend of "message tattoos" and explores the idealogy behind the letters involved in this indelible committment.


The combined chemical-hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 and CaTiO3 films on pure Ti substrates was examined with a focus on film crystallinity and surface morphology. Pure Ti disks were chemically treated with H2O2/ HNO3 aqueous solutions at 353 K for 20 min in order to form a TiO2 gel layer on the surfaces. The samples were then hydrothermally treated in an autoclave at 453 K for 12 h or 24 h. Anatase-type TiO2 and perovskite-type CaTiO3 films with high crystallinity were obtained upon treatment with distilled water or aqueous NH3 and aqueous Ca(OH)2, respectively. Uniform, crack-free films were obtained. The surfaces showed excellent attachment of osteoblast-like MC3T3E1 cells in an incipient stage. Furthermore, the cells showed satisfactory proliferation, though at a slightly lower rate than on Ti. In addition, the samples were immersed in SBF (Simulated Body Fluid), adjusted to 310 K. A light hydroxyapatite (HAp) precipitate was observed on the unmodified Ti surface after 6 days of immersion. In contrast, precipitation was observed only after 2 to 4 days on the present oxide films. Thus, these oxide films are non-toxic and enhance the deposition of HAp.


Unidentified disease was characterized by hypersensitivity, incoordination, a peculiar stiff-legged gait of the hind legs, severe generalized tumors of the skeletal muscles, progressive paresis, paralysis and constipation and death was reported in a cattle herd of 82 in Kathmandu valley in 2009 which was maintained in moldy rice straw feeding. The most notable gross pathological lesions in one bull and two cows which died were degenerative and necrotic changes in certain skeletal muscles, hemorrhages on the serosal surfaces, especially on the dorsal aspect of the rumen, and gastro-intestinal stasis. Samples of rice straw, feed and tissue samples of rumen,reticulum,liver revealed the growth of fungus species penicillum and when rest of animals in herds were treated with Anti Deg Nala liquor the general health of rest of animal steel feeding the rice straw and same sources of feed improved and mortality checked.


This work shows that viral protein fragments are capable of stimulating fish anamnestic immunological responses in leukocytes from the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, W.). Recombinant protein fragments of glycoprotein and nucleoprotein from the rhabdovirus causing viral haemorrhagic septicaemia of trout (VHSV), were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, Yersinia ruckeri (a trout pathogen) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The recombinant protein fragments stimulated anamnestic responses in leukocyte cultures derived from the anterior kidney of survivors of VHSV infection but not from uninfected trout. Two types of stimulatory anamnestic responses were detected, (i) a stimulation of lymphoproliferation as measured by thymidine incorporation assays and (ii) an increase in number, spreading and size of cells as determined by fibrin-clot and/or flow cytometry techniques. The evidence presented suggests that both adherent and non-adherent trout cell populations are needed for the immunological response to VHSV in this primitive vertebrate. The possible use of in vitro lymphoproliferation assays as a preliminary screening method for candidate fish vaccines prior to their testing in vivo is discussed.


Deterioration of steam-cured concrete specimens made with laumontite containing aggregates, under marine submerged, tidal, and atmospheric exposures for 30 years, was investigated. The expansion of the specimens exposed to the marine submerged and tidal exposures ranged from complete disintegration to the moderate deterioration. The deteriorated regions contains little calcium hydroxide as well as calcium silicate hydrates, but rich with ettringite, brucite, and calcite. At the deteriorated region, white rim of ettringite crystal is found around the aggregates. Ettringite, brucite, and calcite are also found at the voids as well as along the cracked path. No visible crack was found on the surface of the atmospheric specimens. It is clearly understood that exposure condition is a governing factor related to the expansion caused by the laumontite mineral. No expansion of 30 years old atmospheric and tidal specimens is found after further wetting and drying exposure utilizing natural seawater of temperature 60 o C.


Habitat islands can be defined as distinct patches of habitat surrounded by less contrasting matrix types. In contrast to true island biogeography (traditionally the study of islands surrounded by water), there have been less efforts to synthesize the myriad habitat island biogeography studies that have been published, particularly syntheses that cover the full range of habitat island types. By building on previous work, I aim to provide a review of habitat island biogeography in order to provide a blueprint for future research on habitat islands, including both naturally and anthropogenically fragmented systems. The review is organized into three main parts. First, the differences between habitat and true islands are summarized. Second, the main theoretical frameworks currently used to analyze habitat island systems are reviewed. Third, the findings of habitat island studies focused on various biological patterns are synthesized. Drawing on this synthesis, I put forward two main points regarding improving our understanding of habitat island biogeography: first, increasing the integration of matrix properties (including matrix variation across space and time) into habitat island biogeographic models and, second, testing for, and understanding the implications of, the potential prevalence of mass effects and source-sink dynamics in habitat island systems.


Objectives Disadvantaged older adults may benefit from social support in adhering to their medications, but the multidimensional nature of social relationships makes it difficult to identify the most relevant domain. We examined associations of structural and functional support with medication adherence among a cohort of older adults with asthma. Design Cross-sectional analysis of the Asthma Beliefs and Literacy in the Elderly cohort study. Setting Outpatient clinics in New York, New York, and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Participants English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults (≥60 years) with asthma. Outcome measures Medication adherence was measured using dose counts from inhaler and self-report. Results Among 383 participants, the mean age was 67 years, 38% identified as Hispanic, 33% identified as black, 52% reported monthly incomes ≤US$1350 and 64% demonstrated poor adherence to their asthma controller medication. Structural and functional support were weakly correlated (r=−0.15, p=0.005). In adjusted analyses, structural support was not associated with medication adherence. Participants who received infrequent functional support in managing their medications had lower odds of poor adherence according to dose counts (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.98), but not when assessed via self-report (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.48). Conclusion The receipt of frequent functional support in managing medications was associated with poor adherence to asthma controller medications. Further research is needed to better understand the manner and context which functional support operates in relation to medication adherence among older adults.


In the last decade, seismic wavefield processing has begun to rely more heavily on the solution of wave-equation-based inverse problems. Especially when dealing with unfavourable data acquisition conditions (e.g., poor, regular or irregular sampling of sources and/or receivers), the underlying inverse problem is generally very ill-posed; sparsity promoting inversion coupled with fixed-basis sparsifying transforms has become the de-facto approach for many processing algorithms. Motivated by the ability of deep neural networks to identify compact representations of N-dimensional vector spaces, we propose to learn a mapping between the input seismic data and a latent manifold by means of an Autoencoder. The trained decoder is subsequently used as a nonlinear preconditioner for the inverse problem we wish to solve. Using joint deghosting and data reconstruction as an example, we show that nonlinear learned transforms outperform fixed-basis transforms and enable faster convergence to the sought solution (i.e, fewer applications of the forward and adjoint operators are required).


A curvature sensor based on a highly birefringent (Hi-Bi) photonic crystal fiber inserted into a Sagnac interferometer is demonstrated. For this purpose, a novel Hi-Bi photonic crystal fiber was designed and fabricated. Half of the microstructured region of the photonic crystal fiber was composed by large diameter holes, while the other half contained small diameter holes. Because of this geometry, the fiber core was shifted from the center and high birefringence appears in the optical fiber. Curvature was applied for three different fiber directions for a range of 0.6-5 m(-1). Temperature and longitudinal strain was also characterized for constant curvature. The configuration showed insensitivity to these two physical parameters.


idea that a chronic defect of the mvocvte is a common feature. The authors also state that mortality is greater than two fifths within two years of diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy. That figure depends critically on the time of referral and on the circumstances in which patients reach the attention of investigators. In the Framingham study' the mortality from heart failure of any cause was 500,) at four years. In patients with heart failure due to viral myocarditis the prognosis is considerably better.5 Conventional treatment is said to make "very little difference to survival."' Conventional treatment is primarily with diuretics to prevent accumulation of fluid but is unlikely to be subjected to a clinical trial with an end point of survival. The report of the cooperative north Scandinavian enalapril survival study (CONSENSUS) showed that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors were beneficial in severe heart failure, but only 15% of the patients studied had cardiomyopathy. Over 50O of patients studied in a Veterans Administration cooperative trial of vasodilator drugs in chronic congestive heart failure' lacked coronary artery disease, and statistical analysis did not confirm a differential effect in those with and those without coronary heart disease. These data suggest that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are of some benefit in cardiomyopathy, even if the evidence falls short of definitive proof. Arrhythmias are common in heart failure, and Dr Caforio and colleagues imply that treating ventricular tachycardia might be advantageous. The only controlled trial reported' studied patients taking amiodarone, which had no effect on mortality.4 Furthermore, the terminal rhythm in most patients with severe heart failure due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy appears to be asystole,"' not ventricular tachycardia, in contrast to that in patients with atheromatous ischaemic heart disease.


Introduction: Underserved communities suffer from poor dietary habits and experience higher rates of chronic conditions mainly due to factors affecting their nutrition and grocery shopping behaviors. Method: A nutritional needs assessment was conducted with participants of the Community Wellness Program, a community resource center, at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, to assess the perspectives of the participant's nutrition and grocery shopping behaviors. Interviews were conducted with current members attending cooking demonstrations at the center (n=10). Results: 50% of the participants have struggled to purchase fresh, healthy foods in the past year. Half of the participants stated shopping for groceries 2-4 times per week, and 70% mentioned spending more than $80 per week on groceries. The top three types of stores participants reported shopping for groceries were supermarket chains (39%), boutique chains (22%), and farmer's markets (17%). When asked about what nutrition education material they wished to learn more about most answered cooking demos, affordable health market shopping tours, and a nutrition basics leaflet. The teaching method most suitable for this underserved community was determined to be hands-on (workshops, tours, one on one), class setting (lectures), and printed material. Conclusion: The perspectives of the Community Wellness Program members will be valuable in continuing to enhance current and future programs that will expand their self-empowerment and nutritional knowledge along with assisting them in reclaiming their health.


Syndromes with localized accumulation of subcutaneous fatty tissue belong to a group of genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous disorders. These diseases may show some common signs, such as nodular fat, symmetrical fat masses, obesity, fatigue, lymphedema and symmetrical lipomas (painful or otherwise). Other symptoms may be specific for the different clinical entities, enabling correct differential diagnosis. Disorders belonging to this spectrum are lipedema, generalized diffuse or nodular forms of Dercum disease, localized nodular Dercum disease and multiple symmetric lipomatosis. Here we summarize the genes involved in syndromes with localized accumulation of subcutaneous fat and the test we use for genetic analysis. (www.actabiomedica.it)


Cutinases, a group of cutin degrading enzymes with molecular masses of around 22-25 kDa (Kolattukudy, 1984), are also able to efficiently hydrolyse triglycerides (De Geus et al., 1989; Lauwereys et al., 1991), but without exhibiting the interfacial activation phenomenom (Sarda et al., 1958). They belong to a class of proteins with a common structural framework, called the alpha/beta hydrolase fold (Martinez et al., 1992; Ollis et al., 1992). We describe herein the structure of cutinase covalently inhibited by diethyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (E600) and refined at 1.9-A resolution. Contrary to what has previously been reported with lipases (Brzozowski et al., 1991; Derewenda et al., 1992; Van Tilbeurgh et al., 1993), no significant structural rearrangement was observed here in cutinase upon the inhibitor binding. Moreover, the structure of the active site machinery, consisting of a catalytic triad (S120, H188, D175) and an oxyanion hole (Q121 and S42), was found to be identical to that of the native enzyme, whereas the oxyanion hole of Rhizomucor lipase (Brzozowski et al., 1991; Derewenda et al., 1992), like that of pancreatic lipase (van Tilbeurgh et al., 1993), is formed only upon enzyme-ligand complex formation. The fact that cutinase does not display interfacial activation cannot therefore only be due to the absence of a lid but might also be attributable to the presence of a preformed oxyanion hole.


The rise in urban population, accompanied by growing poverty and hunger, has triggered debates on the relevance of urban agriculture in addressing the challenges of food insecurity in urban centres. This article examines the effects of urban planning practice on urban agriculture (UA) in Ilorin, Nigeria, and how it has contributed to improving the resilience of the city to food shock. Adopting a cross- sectional survey design, primary and secondary data were used. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain primary data from randomly selected urban farmers. Secondary data were obtained from the publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics, and the Food and Agricultural Organization. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistical techniques.  Respondents' Agreement Index (RAI) was used to measure the variables influencing the performance of UA. Findings revealed that UA contributed 16.9% to meat/fish/egg requirements in the city; 4.5% to yam/cassava/potato requirements; 0.58% to vegetable requirements;0.6% to fruit requirements, and 0.5% to grain requirements. RAI results indicated poor access to finance (0.93), limited land area (0.75), and lack of tenure security (0.44) as the dominant variables influencing the poor contribution of UA to food security. It is recommended that UA be integrated into urban planning and that more land for farming be provided.
Keywords: Nutritional requirement, urban agriculture, urban planning, city resilience, food security


Maltosyltrehalose syrup (TG4 syrup) is an enzymatically derived starch hydrolysate consisting of only glucose. The main components are maltotetraose (G4) and maltosyltrehalose (TG4). G4 is a common component of essentially all starch hydrolysates, and consists of only four glucose molecules with α-1,4 linkages. TG4 also consists of four glucose units, but the terminal glycosidic bond at the reducing end of the glucose chain is inverted, which results in the final bond being α-1,1. The two terminal glucose units form a trehalose disaccharide molecule, attached to a maltose molecule. The presence of the trehalose moiety in the TG4 molecule results in unique functional and technical properties from what is found in other α-1,4 linked oligosaccharides. This paper presents results of standardized toxicity studies of TG4 syrup, including an in vitro bacterial mutagenicity test, a 90-day oral feeding study in rats, and a 90-day oral toxicity (gavage) study in rats. Treatment with TG4 syrup resulted in no microbial mutagenic activity or growth inhibition in either Salmonella typhimurium or Escherichia coli, even at the maximum dose of 5,000 μg/plate. The NOAEL in the 90-day oral feeding study was calculated as 10% of TG4 syrup in the diet, which was equal to 6,818 and 7,464 mg/kg/day (dwb) in male and female rats, respectively. The 90-day oral gavage toxicity study had a NOAEL of 5,000 mg/kg/day (dwb) in male and female rats. Taken together these data showed that TG4 syrup was safe for use in these studies, suggesting it is safe for consumption by humans.


Contemporary educational theory and practice promote the development of subject-specific and generic competences. Cooperative learning is a generic competence whose development is recommended in all subject lessons/activities. The development of fundamental individual values that rely not only on individual achievements but also on empathy and helping others, the ability to listen, mentor, and assist is integral to primary education. Such education is supported by positive inclusion in the process and good-willed communication within the group to achieve a common result. It is through achieving common goals and witnessing the variety of activity approaches that certain activities become a success. The study aimed to include all students in the development process on the basis of cooperative learning and improve each and every student's individual learning of language performance in all subjects. The study is based on 186 first-to-fourth-year students from one major city school, representing a total of 8 classes. After the school-wide activities on cooperative learning, all pupils took part in a questionnaire survey halfway through the school year. The survey used a written questionnaire. The questions in the questionnaire were designed to explore pupils' attitudes towards school and language-related aspects of successful group cooperation. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 20. The data analysis used a descriptive approach, calculating the answers chosen by the pupils. An analysis of the survey results shows that the majority of pupils in years 1 to 4 think they can work in groups and cooperate because they are willing to listen to others, explain and help others, are not bored, are interested in working together, and are interested in learning new subjects.


The infostation communication paradigm represents a good trade-off between the size of investments in infrastructure and the connectivity needs in rural areas. In fact, exploiting the emerging mesh networking technologies, infostations can be deployed with low cost. In infostation systems, mobile nodes achieve network connectivity when they are in the radio coverage of the infostation. Nevertheless, preliminary to the communication, there is a phase in which discovery must be achieved between mobile nodes and the infostation. This is an energy consuming phase that has significant impact on the performance experienced by mobile nodes. In this article the trade-off between energy efficiency and performance experienced by mobile users is discussed. This is an important problem in rural areas since infostations will often be supplied by photovoltaic or eolic generators, which have a cost that increases as the need for energy increases. To carry the study, analytical results previously obtained for general mobile wireless networks are tailored to infostation systems deployed in rural areas. Such derivations have been utilized to gain insight into the design of energy-efficient protocols for the above application scenario.


With this insightful manuscript, Drs. Termuhlen and Kemeny shed some light on the surgical management of older cancer patients. The authors highlight pitfalls in patient selection and offer proposals to improve the surgical oncologist's approach to patient care. They review the role of curative surgical management of the most common forms of cancer in the elderly, while emphasizing the role of surgical palliation to improve the quality of life of older cancer patients.


The need of a data stream management system (DSMS), with the capability of querying continuous data streams, has been well understood by the database research community. We provide an overview on a DSMS prototype called T2. T2 inherits some of the concepts of an early prototype, Tribeca [M. Sullivan et al. (1998)], developed also at Telcordia, but with complete new design and implementation in Java with an SQL-like query language. Our goal is to build a framework that provides a programming infrastructure as well as useful operators to support stream processing in different applications. We set our first targeted application to healthcare biosensor networks, where we applied T2 to monitoring and analyzing electrocardiogram (ECG) data streams, arriving via wireless networks from mobile subjects wearing ECG sensors. Monitoring remote patients via wireless sensors not only provides convenience and safety assurance to the patients, but also saves health care cost in many aspects.


This paper presents the conclusions of machinability tests on a new austenitic stainless steel X6Cr16Ni10MoTiN, which applicated in food processing industry, and describes important concurrent parameters for the cutting zone during the process of turning. The content of this article also focuses on the analysis of selected basic indicators of steel machinability: quality of the processed surface. The results of the article are conclusions for working theory and practice for turning of austenitic stainless steels. Based on the cutting tests, cutting speeds of 60 to 220 m/min, feed rate of 0.06 to 1.2 mm and solid carbide indexable insert CNMG 160404-MF.


TensorFlow is a powerful, programmable system for machine learning. This paper aims to provide the basics of a conceptual framework for understanding the behavior of TensorFlow models during training and inference: it describes an operational semantics, of the kind common in the literature on programming languages. More broadly, the paper suggests that a programming-language perspective is fruitful in designing and in explaining systems such as TensorFlow.


Calcineurin (CaN) is a calmodulin-activated, serine/threonine phosphatase that is necessary for cardiac, vasculature, and nervous system development, as well as learning and memory, skeletal muscle growth, and immune system activation. CaN is activated in a manner similar to that of the calmodulin (CaM)-activated kinases. CaM binds CaN's regulatory domain (RD) and causes a conformational change that removes CaN's autoinhibitory domain (AID) from its catalytic site, activating CaN. In the CaM-activated kinases, the CaM binding region (CaMBR) is located just C-terminal to the AID, whereas in CaN, the AID is 52 residues C-terminal to the CaMBR. Previously published data have shown that these 52 residues in CaN's RD are disordered but approximately half of them gain structure, likely α-helical, upon CaM binding. In this work, we confirm that this increase in the level of structure is α-helical. We posit that this region forms an amphipathic helix upon CaM binding and folds onto the remainder of the RD:CaM complex, removing the AID. Förster resonance energy transfer data suggest the C-terminal end of this distal helix is relatively close to the N-terminal end of the CaMBR when the RD is bound by CaM. We show by circular dichroism spectroscopy and thermal melts that mutations on the hydrophobic face of the distal helix disrupt the structure gained upon CaM binding. Additionally, kinetic analysis of CaN activity suggests that these mutations affect CaN's ability to bind substrate, likely a result of the AID being able to bind to the active site even when CaM is bound. Our data demonstrate the presence of this distal helix and suggest it folds onto the remainder of the RD:CaM complex, creating a hairpinlike chain reversal that removes the AID from the active site.


1. The effects of the Na+ electrochemical potential gradient on gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)‐induced Cl‐ currents (ICl) in frog sensory neurones were studied, using a suction pipette technique with which internal perfusion can be accomplished under current‐ and voltage‐clamp conditions. 2. Under current clamp, the depolarizing response to GABA decreased in the presence of external Na+. A similar external Na+‐dependent reduction in the GABA‐induced inward ICl was observed under voltage clamp. The reversal potential of GABA‐induced ICl (EGABA) was nearly equal to the Cl‐ equilibrium potential (ECl), irrespective of the presence or absence of external Na+. 3. Varying the Na+ influx by changing the holding membrane potential (VH) altered the GABA response: the GABA‐induced ICl decreased progressively as VH became more negative. 4. The effects of changing the external and internal Na+ concentrations ([Na+]o and [Na+]i) on the GABA‐induced ICl were also studied. Increasing [Na+]o at a constant [Na+]i reduced this current while increasing [Na+]i at a fixed [Na+]o facilitated it. 5. A high temperature coefficient of about 3 was estimated with respect to the percentage reduction in GABA‐induced ICl due to [Na+]o. 6. These results indicate that the [Na+]o‐dependent suppression of GABA‐induced ICl was mediated chiefly by the uptake of GABA subserved by a Na‐GABA co‐transport mechanism. 7. GABA dose‐response measurements were made with and without external Na+. The [Na+]o‐induced suppression was more pronounced in relative amount at lower concentrations and in absolute amount at intermediate concentrations. Analysis of these data indicates, however, that the Na+‐coupled GABA influx kept increasing at GABA concentrations high enough to nearly saturate GABA‐induced ICl, and the same saturating level was observed as in the Na+‐free case. This indicates that the electrogenic co‐transport current was much smaller so that our measurements of GABA‐induced ICl' were contaminated very little. Thus, the present method based on recording of GABA‐induced ICl was legitimate for the analysis of the Na‐GABA co‐transport. 8. By analysing the [Na+]o‐dependent suppression of GABA‐induced ICl, the stoichiometric ratio of the underlying co‐transport was estimated to be one: one Na+ ion per GABA molecule. 9. The ICl induced by GABA agonists such as beta‐alanine, taurine, l‐GABOB (l‐gamma‐amino‐beta‐hydroxybutyric acid) and muscimol was not affected by the amount of external Na+ present, suggesting difference in the affinity between receptor and transport carrier.


To get a handle on how neuronal circuits manage integration of multiple signals, Ishihara et al. turned to Caenorhabditis elegans. The worm provides a system amenable to genetic analysis with a relatively simple nervous system of only a few hundred neurons. Wild-type animals are attracted to the odorant diacetyl and repulsed by Cu2+. Normally, avoidance of Cu2+ can be suppressed by the presence of diacetyl. But in hen-1 mutants, diacetyl was less effective in luring the animals across a barrier of Cu2+. This appeared not to be a result of insensitivity to diacetyl, because in the absence of Cu2+, the hen-1 mutants were just as sensitive to attractant properties of diacetyl. Furthermore, the hen-1 mutants were less sensitve than wild-type animals to Cu2+ as an inhibitor of chemotaxis toward diacetyl. Thus, the defect seems to lie in the interaction or integration of the two signals. Wild-type worms are attracted toward a source of NaCl, but can be conditioned to avoid the salt if they are starved in the presence of NaCl. In this behavioral assay, the hen-1 mutants were again less sensitive to interacting signals and showed a smaller change in behavior after conditioning. The HEN-1 protein appears to be a secreted protein with a region of similarity to the low density lipoprotein receptor. Although HEN-1 is normally expressed only in two pairs of neurons, normal behavior of hen-1 mutants was restored even if the protein was expressed only in neurons that usually do not make the protein. Discovering just how HEN-1 influences neuronal function may provide insights into mechanisms by which neuronal circuits process sensory information to affect behavior. T. Ishihara, Y. Iino, A. Mohri, I. Mori, K. Gengyo-Ando, S. Mitani, I. Katsura, HEN-1, a secretory protein with an LDL receptor motif, regulates sensory integration and learning in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cell 109, 639-649 (2002). [Online Journal]


Si film electrodes for Li micro-film batteries were fabricated on a Cu substrate and a Ni/Cu film. In the structural properties, Si film had an amorphous structure, while the crystallinity of Ni buffer film was improved after annealing. FE-SEM observation demonstrated differences in surface morphologies of Si films fabricated with different methods. In the electrochemical properties, the Ni-inserted film showed the largest initial charge and discharge capacity, and the cell with annealed Si/Ni/Cu film showed good cycleability. It is believed that the insertion of Ni film as a buffer film improved the charge and discharge capacity owing to the enhancement of adhesion between Si film and Cu substrate.


We show that strong optically induced intervalence band transitions in type-II InAs/GaSb/AlSb quantum wells lead to reverse saturable absorption, and propose to apply it to optical limiting in the mid-infrared spectral region. A salient feature of the proposed limiter is the flexibility of the design for different wavelengths and threshold powers. We develop a rigorous theoretical model of the proposed limiter, and use it to estimate the relationship between the key figures of merit: insertion loss, threshold, optical bandwidth and dynamic range. We investigate tradeoffs involving the dynamic range, optical bandwidth and thickness of the limiter, and show that one can attain a favorable combination of these.


We consider collective decision problems where some agents have private information about alternatives and others don't. Voting takes place under strategy-proof rules. Prior to voting, informed agents may or may not disclose their private information, thus eventually influencing the preferences of those initially uninformed. We provide general conditions on the voting rules guaranteeing that informed agents will always be induced to disclose what they know. In particular, we apply this general result to environments where agent's preferences are restricted to be single-peaked or separable, and characterize the strategy-proof rules that ensure information disclosure in these settings.


Decades after the previously unimaginable horrors of the Nazi extermination camps and the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, their memories remain part of our lives. In academic and human terms, preserving awareness of this past is an ethical imperative. This volume concerns narratives about and allusions to World War II across contemporary Europe, and explains why contemporary Europeans continue to be drawn to it as a template of comparison, interpretation, even prediction.

This volume adds a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to the trajectories of recent academic inquiries. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, linguists, political scientists, and area study specialists contribute wide-ranging theoretical paradigms, disciplinary frameworks, and methodological approaches.

The volume focuses on how, where, and to what effect World War II has been remembered. The editors discuss how World War II in particular continues to be a point of reference across the political spectrum and not only in Europe. It will be of interest for those interested in popular culture, World War II history, and national identity studies.


In the late 1980s, grain elevators in Ohio developed the hedge-to-arrive contract (HTA) to induce farmers to use their grain handling facilities and/or merchandising services. Farmers wanted to use HTAs to lock-in abnormally attractive price levels for more years of expected production. Supposedly, the multiple-year HTA would lock-in those attractive prices without farmer margin calls (money required by commodity brokers as security against default) if futures prices rose further. A National Grain and Feed Association survey in early 1996 found that 45 percent of responding elevators offered single or multi-year HTAs, accounting for 6 percent of their grain volume. Many multi-year HTAs proved to be an economic disaster in 1996 when corn prices skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. The false premise underlying the contract design which we discuss in this paper became exposed in dramatic fashion. How did this disaster happen? How might it be prevented in the future?


Introduction: According to induced sputum cell count,4 different asthma phenotypes have been recognised(eosinophilic, neutrophilic,mixedand paucigranulocytic). Aim: To detect the differences in functional and inflammatory characteristics of asthmatic patients according to the phenotype. Methods: 240(169 female)optimally treated asthmatic patients underwent pulmonary function tests, sputum induction and measurement of FeNO. The levels ofIL-8,IL-13, and ECP were measured in sputum supernatant. Patients treatment, asthma control [using the Asthma Control Test, (ACT)] and the presence of Severe Refractory Asthma(SRA) (according to the ATS workshop consensus) were also recorded. Results: Although ACT did not differ between the groups(p=0.288)patients with paucigranulocytic asthma had better lung function (i.e FEV1%74.2±19.8 vs 69.7±18.2 vs72.2±20.2 vs 81.9±20.4 for eosinophilic, mixed, neutrophilic and paucigranulocytic asthma respectively, p=0.009).SRA occurred more frequently in the eosinophilic and mixed phenotype (41.6% and 43.7% respectively) and less frequently in the neutrophilic and paucigranulocytic phenotype (25% and 21.7% respectively) (p=0.01).As expected,FeNO and ECP were higher in eosinophilic and mixed asthma while IL-8 was increased in patients with neutrophilic and mixed asthma (p Conclusion: According to our results,paucigranulocyticasthma is characterised bylower levels of inflammatory cells and inflammatory biomarkers,better pulmonary function and lower frequency of SRA which might reflect a better response to therapy in these patients.


Natural disasters often lead to regional failures that can cause network nodes and links co-located in a large geographical area to fail. Novel approaches are required to assess the network vulnerability under such regional failures. In this paper, we investigate the vulnerability of networks by considering the geometric properties of regional failures and network nodes. To evaluate the criticality of node locations and determine the critical areas in a network, we propose the concept of α-critical-distance with a given failure impact ratio α, and we formulate two optimization problems based on the concept. By analyzing the geometric properties of the problems, we show that although finding critical nodes or links in a pure graph is a NP-complete problem, the problem of finding critical areas has polynomial time complexity. We propose two algorithms to deal with these problems and analyze their time complexities. Using real city-level Internet topology data, we conducted experiments to compute the α-critical-distances for different networks. The computational results demonstrate the differences in vulnerability of different networks. The results also indicate that the critical area of a network can be estimated by limiting failure centers on the locations of network nodes. Additionally, we find that with the same impact ratio α, the topologies examined have larger α-critical-distances when the network performance is measured using the giant component size instead of the other two metrics. Similar results are obtained when the network performance is measured using the average two terminal reliability and the network efficiency, although computation of the former entails less time complexity than that of the latter.


This policy briefing discusses the centrality of communicating climate change impacts through a people-centred approach that considers communities' wellbeing by linking climate change to poverty and a human rights-based, gender-responsive migration policy in SADC. It seeks to incorporate considerations of poverty reduction into migration policies. Thus, internal and external migration in search of sustainable livelihoods becomes an adaptation strategy that has an inbuilt development plan that enhances climate resilience. Local government engagement is critical in the regional forum in order to accommodate the migration–development nexus that harnesses eco-inclusive poverty reduction policies that enhance peacebuilding; natural resource management; water, energy and food security; and health and sanitation. When decision makers communicate about climate Building Climate Resilience Through Effective, Gender-Sensitive Migration Policy in the SADC Region


This paper contributes to the on-going empirical debate regarding the role of the RBC model and in particular of technology shocks in explaining aggregate fluctuations. To this end we estimate the model's posterior density using Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo (MCMC) methods. Within this framework we extend Ireland's (2001, 2004) hybrid estimation approach to allow for a vector autoregressive moving average (VARMA) process to describe the movements and co-movements of the model's errors not explained by the basic RBC model. The results of marginal likelihood ratio tests reveal that the more general model of the errors significantly improves the model's fit relative to the VAR and AR alternatives. Moreover, despite setting the RBC model a more difficult task under the VARMA specification, our analysis, based on forecast error and spectral decompositions, suggests that the RBC model is still capable of explaining a significant fraction of the observed variation in macroeconomic aggregates in the post-war U.S. economy.


Respiration Refined Cells derive energy from redox reactions mediated by mitochondrial enzymes that form the electron transport chain. The enzymes can form large complexes, known as supercomplexes, whose function has been controversial. Lapuente-Brun et al. (p. 1567) discovered that a mouse protein, supercomplex assembly factor I (SCAFI), specifically modulates assembly of respiratory complexes into supercomplexes. Formation of the supercomplexes appears to cause electrons to be processed differently, depending on the substrate from which they are derived. Ordered formation of supercomplexes of respiratory enzymes influences metabolic efficiency in response to food supply. The textbook description of mitochondrial respiratory complexes (RCs) views them as free-moving entities linked by the mobile carriers coenzyme Q (CoQ) and cytochrome c (cyt c). This model (known as the fluid model) is challenged by the proposal that all RCs except complex II can associate in supercomplexes (SCs). The proposed SCs are the respirasome (complexes I, III, and IV), complexes I and III, and complexes III and IV. The role of SCs is unclear, and their existence is debated. By genetic modulation of interactions between complexes I and III and III and IV, we show that these associations define dedicated CoQ and cyt c pools and that SC assembly is dynamic and organizes electron flux to optimize the use of available substrates.


Amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) aggregation produces an oxidative stress in neuronal cells that, in turn, may induce an amyloidogenic shift of neuronal metabolism. To investigate this hypothesis, we analyzed intra- and extracellular Abeta content in NT2 differentiated cells incubated with 4-hydroxy-2,3-nonenal (HNE), a major product of lipid peroxidation. In parallel, we evaluated protein kinase C (PKC) isoenzymes activity, a signaling system suspected to modulate amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing. Low HNE concentrations (0.1-1 microM) induced a 2-6 fold increase of intracellular Abeta production that was concomitant with selective activation of betaI and betaII PKC isoforms, without affecting either cell viability or APP full-length expression. Selective activation of the same PKC isoforms was observed following NT2 differentiation. Our findings suggest that PKC beta isoenzymes are part of cellular mechanisms that regulate production of the intracellular Abeta pool. Moreover, they indicate that lipid peroxidation fosters intracellular Abeta accumulation, creating a vicious neurodegenerative loop.


Few studies have examined differential responses of partially migratory ungulates to human development or activity, where some individuals in a population migrate and others do not. Yet understanding how animals with different movement tactics respond to anthropogenic disturbance is key to sustaining global ungulate migrations. We examined seasonal resource selection of a partially migratory population of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in the Northern Sagebrush Steppe of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana from 2003 to 2011. We developed step-selection functions (SSF) for migrant and resident pronghorn during the summer and winter at two spatial scales (second order and third order) and then integrated SSFs across scales to estimate pronghorn responses to fences and subsequent habitat loss from these features while accounting for responses to other resource use. Both migrant and resident pronghorn showed the strongest responses to natural and anthropogenic features at the second order and weaker responses at the third order. Selection responses of migrant and residents differed the most in response to normalized difference vegetation index, topography, and anthropogenic features. Seasonally, selection for intermediate greenness was strongest in summer, whereas avoidance of roads strongly influenced winter resource selection of both tactics. Both migrant and resident pronghorn showed strong avoidance of fencing at both spatial scales during summer and winter. Model predictions with complete removal of fences from the landscape (i.e., natural conditions) predicted an increase in the area of highquality habitat of 16–38%. In contrast, doubling fence density on the landscape decreased the amount of high-quality habitat by 1–11% and increased low-quality habitat by 13–21%. Our results suggest that pronghorn winter and summer ranges can be improved by reducing the density of fences on the landscape, or mitigation measures to enhance fence crossings, to alleviate the indirect loss of habitat for this important endemic prairie species.


Used restaurant oil offers a sustainable and affordable energy source in broiler diets but variable lipid composition and the presence of harmful peroxidation products may alter intestinal immunity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding different lipid sources with variable peroxidation statuses on immune cell populations producing interleukin-6 (IL6) and interferon-γ (IFNG) in the broiler ileum. Two hundred broilers were fed diets with 5% inclusion of control or peroxidized palm, soybean, flaxseed or fish oil in a 4 × 2 factorial treatment design. At 21d, 2 birds/ treatment were euthanized for ileum collection and immune cell populations were analyzed by RNAscope- in situ hybridization (ISH). Ileal production of IL6 increased 85.8% by feeding peroxidized flaxseed oil while IFNG-producing cells were increased 55.1-59.9% by feeding either control or peroxidized soybean oil (P ≤ 0.05). Feeding peroxidized lipid generally reduced CD3+ T cells not producing either IL6 or IFNG by 14.9-39.0% (P ≤ 0.05). Overall, these results suggest that IL6 and IFNG have differential responses to lipid source and peroxidation while lipid peroxidation negatively impacts T cell presence in the broiler chicken ileum. Inflammatory outcomes observed in broilers fed peroxidized flaxseed oil suggest that yellow grease containing this type of oil may detrimentally impact broilers, while soybean oil generally contributes to intestinal inflammation regardless of heat exposure


In this paper we analyze the evolution of beer consumption between countries and over time. Historically, there have been major changes in beer consumption in the world. In recent times, per capita consumption has decreased in traditional " beer drinking nations" while it increased strongly in emerging economies. Recently, China has overtaken the US as the largest beer economy. A quantitative empirical analysis shows the relationship between income and beer consumption has an inverse U-shape. Beer consumption initially increases with rising incomes, but at higher levels of income beer consumption falls. Increased openness to trade and globalization has contributed to a convergence in alcohol consumption patterns across countries. In countries that were originally "beer drinking nations", the share of beer in total alcohol consumption reduced while this is not the case in countries which traditionally drank mostly wine or spirits. Climatic conditions, religion, and relative prices also influence beer consumption.


In this work, we present the first methodical approach to the preparation, molecular characterization and use of a novel type of full-length selenoprotein standard as exemplified for the human plasma selenoproteins, glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) and selenoprotein P (SEPP1), both in non-labeled and stable isotope-labeled forms. Their production was achieved by a cell-free protein synthesis in E. coli extracts. Plasmids with modified coding sequences for GPx3 and SEPP1 were used as DNA templates. In the plasmids, all selenocysteine coding nucleotide triplets (TGA), which in standard conditions serve as stop codons, were site-mutated to cysteine codons (TGT) resulting in exchange of all selenocysteine residues for cysteine residues in the protein amino acid sequence. We named this type of recombinant selenoprotein analog as [Sec-to-Cys]selenoprotein standard. To allow their accurate quantification by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS), selenium is introduced into [Sec-to-Cys]selenoprotein standards by replacing Met by SeMet during cell-free protein synthesis. The introduction of e.g.76SeMet allows the quantification of [Sec-to-Cys]selenoprotein standards by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID ICPMS). Molecular characterization of [Sec-to-Cys]selenoprotein standards is achieved by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ESI MS/MS) analysis including a trypsin digestion step. A [Sec-to-Cys]SEPP1 standard containing 76Se-enriched SeMet was successfully applied as a pseudo-species-specific SEPP1 spike for the quantification of natural SEPP1 in human serum/plasma reference materials (BCR-637 and SRM 1950) by species-specific isotope dilution ICP MS using double affinity high performance liquid chromatography separation. [Sec-to-Cys]selenoprotein standards will help to establish novel, validated and traceable analytical methods for the quantification of human plasma selenoproteins.


Islamic philosophy is not only a study on theology, but also a study of way of life as a whole. Even though Greek Phylosophy regarded as a philosophical root, but it is not the one reference for Muslim Philosophers who try to absorp history as a consept. Greek and Islamic Philosophy have two different view -- if it is not contradictive -- on history.History in Islamic viewis to record on a part of God planning which is already appeared. It should be recognized that this world is existed because of God power, where everything is planned since azali time. Knowledge about history is a thing opened by God to the universe. From this point of view, history has influenced by religiousity. Thus, Islam adds morality in historical consept. Al-Quran, Muhammad, and all Muslims form the first generation had talked us about how important of a history. We all need to history. Therefore, study from the past and history should be placed as a guidance for the life in the future.


TiN/Hf/HfO2/poly-Si structure was employed as the platform to investigate the resistive switching mechanism of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS)-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices. Based on the presence of a HfSiOx interfacial layer containing a large amount of oxygen vacancy defects, a resistive switching model is proposed to explain the observed bipolar switching behavior which is of opposite operation polarity as compared to metal-insulator-metal (MIM)-based TiN/Hf/HfO2/TiN RRAM devices. The dependence of dopant type/concentration on operation voltage is explained by depletion/accumulation effect of poly-Si bottom electrode. In addition, the MIS-based RRAM devices exhibit good reliability performance in terms of stable dc switching endurance up to 100 cycles and ten-year retention ability at 85 °C, with memory window higher and close to 100, respectively. The results suggest that MIS-based RRAM using Hf/HfO2 is a promising alternative for next-generation nonvolatile applications.


Pekka Jousilahti Research Professor, THL INTRODUCTION The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases for 2013−2020. The action plan includes proposals for health policy and practical action. The objective is for the member states to reach as many as possible of the nine international targets pertaining to the prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases by the year 2025. The attainment of the said targets is being monitored through 25 indicators, which represent risk of premature mortality, levels of noncommunicable disease risk and protective factors as well as the potential for and realisation of prevention and treatment. The baseline of the monitoring is year 2010.