The utility of thin-film TiO2 for photocatalysis would be greatly improved if the spatial variation of the electronic band edges near the surface could be engineered a priori to control the current of photogenerated minority carriers. The present work demonstrates such a concept. In particular, remote oxygen plasma treatment of polycrystalline anatase TiO2 with specified majority carrier concentration is employed in the test case of methylene blue photodegradation. The photoreaction rate varies by up to 35% in concert with a 0.4 eV change in built-in surface potential measured by photoelectron spectroscopy. The correlation between these changes agrees quantitatively with a photodiode–photocurrent model. The plasma treatment affects concentration of charged native defects within the first few atomic layers of the surface, most likely by lowering the concentration of oxygen vacancies within surface crystallites. In tandem, the position in the deep bulk is controlled via engineering the defect concentration ...


The general objective of the study was to develop a computerized patient's Medical Record System for San Jose Hospital and Trauma Center that would help the hospital in the processing and keeping of medical records of their clients. The proposed system was intended to operate in wireless LAN connection as suggested by the clients for they have already the resources needed for the application of the said system. Iterative Life Cycle Model was used to develop the system. Survey results showed that respondents who tried the system gave a positive feedback. In general, the respondents indicated that the entire system is excellent. The study recommended that the hospital should use Local Area Network (LAN) instead of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) since there are instances that signals were not clear. The medical technician and staff are also advised to utilize the proposed system because it is more productive and more capable of delivering quality performance. Lastly, future researchers should improve the system by adding other services offered by the hospital.


To investigate the prevalence of monosymptomatic enuresis (ME) in children diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and the rate of resolution or improvement in enuresis following adenotonsillectomy. Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 541 consecutive patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy for OSAS secondary to adenotonsillar hypertrophy between January 2005 and January 2009. All of the charts for patients between 5 and 18 years of age at the time of surgery (n = 398) were included in the study. After reviewing the charts, the families were contacted by telephone. Those patients who had shown preoperative symptoms of enuresis were questioned to determine whether there had been any change in their complaints postoperatively. Results: Of the 398 patients whose records were reviewed, 98 were excluded from this study because of incomplete records. The incidence of ME in the study group (n = 300) prior to adenotonsillectomy was 30.7% (92 patients). Among these 92 patients, 64 (69.6%) were male and 28 (30.4%) were female (P = 0.001). The parents of 46 of these 92 patients agreed to allow their children to participate in the study. In 46 patients, 26 (56.5%) had complete resolution, 8 (17.4%) had a partial improvement, and 12 (26.1%) had no change in enuresis following adenotonsillectomy. Patients with OSAS had a 2.38-fold higher risk of ME (odds ratio 2.38, 95% confidence interval 1.60 to 3.53, P = 0.001). Conclusion: Children with OSA symptoms have a high rate of monosymptomatic enuresis. Relief of OSA symptoms also resulted in the complete resolution or partial improvement of ME in more than two-thirds of patients. In the differential diagnosis of a child presenting with enuresis, OSAS should be kept in mind and, conversely, the presence of enuresis should be investigated in children presenting with OSA symptoms.


Chili peppers are used worldwide in foods for their pungent flavor, aroma, and to prolong food spoilage. With capsaicin contents ranging from zero to millions of Scoville heat units, the different varieties offer a wide range of options for people all over the world. In addition to their use in cuisines, chili peppers have been explored for their antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Consequently, research is underway to determine the potential for the application of chili pepper extracts in the food industry in place of artificial preservatives. As new antibiotic-resistant food borne pathogens emerge, the discovery of natural antimicrobials in chili peppers will be invaluable to food scientists. This review goes over some relevant research that has already been done in this area. In addition it lays the ground for the new research that is emerging testing new varieties of chili peppers for nutrient content, flavor profiles, and for antimicrobial activities against numerous human pathogens.


For microwave applications, including mobile and satellite communications, ceramic resonators should have a high dielectric constant, low dielectric losses, and high frequency stability. In this sense, TiO2-ZrO2 ceramics have been investigated as a function of sintering behavior, phase composition, and microstructure. The ceramics were densified reaching a value of about 86% of theoretical density at 1400°C sintering temperature. The ceramics are prepared by mixing raw materials with the following TiO2-ZrO2 weight % ratio: 100 to 0, 90 to 10, and 80 to 20, respectively. The measured dielectric constants are between 79 and 88 values, while the quality factor due to dielectric losses are between 2820 and 5170. These results point out the influence of Ti/Zr ratio on controlling the dielectric properties.


An ideal vascular stent design promotes a thin anti-thrombogenic cellular lining while avoiding restenosis. To assess the utility of their designs, stent manufactures often use destructive techniques such as scanning electron microscopy to measure the percentage of the stent covered with a cellular lining. In this study, we use a custom-built longitudinal/rotational scanning endoscope and determine the ability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to quantify the percent cellular coverage of stented tissue engineered blood vessel mimics. Stents were deployed within twelve mimics after 14-days of development in bioreactors. OCT images were acquired within the bioreactor at several time points after the stent deployment. At 20-days post deployment, the mimics were fixed and imaged volumetrically with OCT. Matlab software was developed to automatically calculate the percent cellular coverage from the OCT images. Algorithm results were compared to similar measurements performed with bis-benzimide (BBI) fluorescence imaging and manually calculated percent coverage from three different observers of the OCT images. Progressive accumulation of cellular material on the stents could be visualized with OCT. For the volumetric images, the algorithm calculated percent cellular coverages ranging from 11 to 76%. Good agreement was found between the OCT-based measurements and the other techniques. On average, the algorithm differed less than 5% from the manual percent coverage calculations. OCT together with automated software can provide an accurate, non-destructive measurement of the percent cellular coverage of vascular stents.


The objective of Energy Management (EMAN) is to provide an energy
management framework for networked devices. This document presents the
applicability of the EMAN information model in a variety of scenarios
with cases and target devices. These use cases are useful for
identifying requirements for the framework and MIBs. Further, we
describe the relationship of the EMAN framework to other relevant
energy monitoring standards and architectures.


Cu/C:H films were prepared on the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) substrate under room temperature by ECR (electron-cyclotron-resonance) chemical vapor deposition coupled with a (-)DC bias system. Hydrogen contents in the plasma strongly affected the crystallographic structures, sheet resistivity, and the composition of deposited films. Cu (111) peaks by XRD analysis were clearly observed with the increase of hydrogen contents. The surface morphology also indicated that copper grains of very fine crystallites were incorporated in the metal-organic composite films by the introduction of hydrogen gas to the plasma. Cu/C:H composite films exhibited a good adhesion force due to the generation of sp3-CH2 bonding. These observations imply that hydrogen induced the formation of stable volatile organic compounds and the reduction of copper, consequently leading to a significant alteration of the crystallographic structure and composition of deposited films. Finally, the EMI shielding efficiency was increased by the addition of hydrogen gas to the plasma, probably due to the increase of copper contents in the film.


Unique sedimentary structures indicating the direction of brine currents are present in the Middle Miocene (Badenian) evaporite basin in Carpathian Foredeep. They occur within widespread gypsum deposits cropping out along the northern margin of the Foredeep, in Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic. The primary bottom-grown selenite crystals show apices turned horizontally in the same or similar directions, and are interpreted as the direction of inflowing calcium sulphate oversaturated brine. The upstream directed crystals are used to reconstruct brine palaeocurrents in outcrops of the Nida Gypsum deposits in NW margin of the Foredeep evaporite basin in Poland. Palaeocurrent analysis is based on simplified measurements which consisted in the determination of azimuth intervals enclosing groups of conformably oriented crystals. Measurements revealed that the brine flowed into the study area mainly from north and east, and outflowed farther towards the SW. This palaeoflow is roughly parallel to the basin margin contour and is a part of the longshore counterclockwise brine circulation well documented in other areas of the basin. Local deviations from the uniform flow directions suggest presence of shoals and islands forming obstacles for the brine streamlines on the Nida area.


The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is one of the world's most sensitive areas for climate change. Previous studies have revealed that air pollutants emitted from South and Southeast Asia can be transported to and have a negative impact on the TP. However, the majority of the investigators have focused on the pollutant transport processes from South Asian regions (i.e., India and Bangladesh) and parts of Southeast Asia, while the regions adjacent to the southeast fringe of the TP (i.e., Burma and the Sino-Burmese border) have been neglected. Here, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were collected during the period 11 March to 13 May 2018 at Gaomeigu, a high-altitude remote site in the southeastern margin of the TP. Characteristics, sources of PM2.5, and the potential source regions for different chemical components were investigated. During the sampling time, PM2.5 mass loadings ranged from 3.79 to 54.57 µg m−3, with an arithmetic mean concentration of 20.99 ± 9.80 µg m−3. In general, major peaks of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) always coincided with high loadings of K+ and NO3−, which implies that common combustion sources caused these species' concentrations to covary, while the daily variations of crustal elements showed different trends with the other chemical compositions, suggesting different source regions for crustal materials. Five source factors were identified as possible aerosol sources for PM2.5 by positive matrix factorization (PMF). They are the mining industry (5.3%), characterized by heavy metal elements; secondary formation (18.8%), described by the high concentrations of NH4+ and SO42−; traffic-related emissions (26.7%), dominated by carbonaceous species (especially soot-EC) and some metal elements; fugitive dust (15.2%), represented by crustal elements (Ti, Fe, and Mn), Ca2+, and Mg2+; and biomass burning (34.0%), which is typified by high concentrations of K+, NO3−, char-EC, primary OC, and secondary OC. The concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis results showed that the northeast part of Burma is the potential source region for high concentrations of EC and NO3− due to biomass burning emissions, while the tourism industry surrounding Gaomeigu gave strong grid cell values of SO42− as well as moderate values of EC and NO3−. Moreover, the mining industry in the southwest direction of Gaomeigu has important impacts on the zinc concentrations.


The seismic structure of uppermost crust evolves after crustal formation with precipitation of alteration minerals during ridge‐flank hydrothermal circulation. However, key parameters of crustal evolution including depth extent and rates of change in crustal properties, and factors contributing to this evolution remain poorly understood. Here, long‐offset multichannel seismic data are used to study the evolution of seismic layer 2A and uppermost 2B from 0 to 550 ka at three segments of the intermediate spreading rate Southeast Indian Ridge. The segments differ in on‐axis morphology and structure with crustal magma bodies imaged at axial high and rifted high segments P1 and P2, but not at axial valley segment S1 and marked differences in thermal conditions within the upper crust are inferred. One‐dimensional travel time modeling of common midpoint supergathers is used to determine the thickness and velocity of layer 2A and velocity of uppermost 2B. At all three segments, layer 2A velocities are higher in 550 ka crust than on‐axis (by 7–14%) with the largest increases at segments P1 and P2. Velocities increase more rapidly (by 125 ka) at P1 with spatial variations in velocity gradients linked to location of the underlying crustal magma body. We attribute these differences in crustal evolution to higher rates of fluid flow and temperatures of reaction at these ridge segments where crustal magma bodies are present. Layer 2A thickens off‐axis at segments P1 and P2 but not at S1; both off‐axis volcanic thickening and downward propagation of a cracking front linked to the vigor of axial hydrothermal activity could contribute to these differences. In zero‐age crust, layer 2B velocities are significantly lower at segments P1 and P2 than S1 (5.0, 5.4, and 5.8 km/s respectively), whereas similar velocities are measured off‐axis at all segments (5.7–5.9 km/s). Lower on‐axis 2B velocities at segments P1 and P2 can be partly attributed to thinner layer 2A, with lower overburden pressures leading to higher porosities in shallowest 2B. However, other factors must also contribute. Likely candidates include subaxial deformation due to magmatic processes and enhanced cracking with axial hydrothermal activity at these segments with crustal magma bodies.


Silymarin is a standardized extract from Silybum marianum seeds, known for its many skin benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, the potential of several microemulsion formulations for dermal delivery of silymarin was evaluated. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed for the various microemulsion formulations which were prepared using glyceryl monooleate, oleic acid, ethyl oleate, or isopropyl myristate as the oily phase; a mixture of Tween 20®, Labrasol®, or Span 20® with HCO-40® (1:1 ratio) as surfactants; and Transcutol® as a cosurfactant. Oil-in-water microemulsions were selected to incorporate 2% w/w silymarin. After six heating–cooling cycles, physical appearances of all microemulsions were unchanged and no drug precipitation occurred. Chemical stability studies showed that microemulsion containing Labrasol® and isopropyl myristate stored at 40°C for 6 months showed the highest silybin remaining among others. The silybin remainings depended on the type of surfactant and were sequenced in the order of: Labrasol® > Tween 20® > Span 20®. In vitro release studies showed prolonged release for microemulsions when compared to silymarin solution. All release profiles showed the best fits with Higuchi kinetics. Non-occlusive in vitro skin permeation studies showed absence of transdermal delivery of silybin. The percentages of silybin in skin extracts were not significantly different among the different formulations (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, some silybin was detected in the receiver fluid when performing occlusive experiments. Microemulsions containing Labrasol® also were found to enhance silymarin solubility. Other drug delivery systems with occlusive effect could be further developed for dermal delivery of silymarin.


In the present investigation, mixing has been carried out by dispersing fine alumina particles (Avg. size25 μm) in molten Al-Mg alloy using a turbine blade stirrer with impeller diameter 'd'. The molten alloy has a depth of H when kept in a crucible of diameter D and the stirrer is placed at height 'h' from its bottom. The dimensionless variables. d/D and h/H, have been varied to observe the dependence of optimum values of these variables on stirrer geometry. These studies are expected to contribute to optimum processing route for stircasting of composites. In the current investigation, it has been observed that a turbine stirrer incorporates higher aunount of particles in the ingot cast out of a slurry mixed by it as compared to a flat blade stirrer in the range of experimental parameters used. But the pore-particle ratio is also higher in the cast ingot processed by a turbine stirrer. In the cast ingots processed by a turbine stirrer the particle content increases when d/D ratio increased from 0.33 to 0.48 but a further increase of d/D to 0.62 did not change significantly the particle content. A similar trend in pore-particle ratio is also observed and the lowest poreparticle ratio was observed for d/D=0.62. For mixing a slurry of molten alloy with poorly wetting particles it appears that the recommendation of chemical engineers to keep the stirrer at h/H=0.35 may not work as well from the point of view of particle content in the ingot cast with the slurry. By enhancing h/H to 0.5, the particle content increased significantly and a lower pore-particle ratio was also achieved. The microstructural evidence clearly indicates formation of bubbles with particles adhering to it and even their coalescence during processing. Some of these bubbles are eventually invaded by the molten alloy. When the manner of stirring is changed from continuous four minutes to an interrupted one of two minutes each intervened by a two minute period of cessation of stirring, it has been observed that the particle content at the top reduces but that at the bottom increases making particle content more uniform along the length of the ingot. This has been attributed to enhanced floatation of bubbles containing particles and reincorporation of the latter. During interrupted stirring the porosity did not reduce as unuch as the particles and the poreparticle ratio at the top increased. Enhanced processing time may have contributed to


Abstract The aim of the article is to outline the activities of the Czech journalist, publisher and important representative of Czech national-economic thought in the 19th century, František Šimáček. Particular attention is focused on the operation of Šimáček's business. Through his own company, Šimáček implemented his national-economic ideas as the essence of Czech national emancipation. In his publishing programme, he emphasised the quality of the books prepared for publication (with abundant illustrations and decorative publisher's binding) in order to gain recognition for Czech books even in the highest social classes. As an employer and journalist, he acted as a classical liberal influenced by the pioneering ideas of Vojta Náprstek, whom he often met privately as well. He became a remarkable figure of Czech national life not only in Prague. He deliberately supported it through the distribution of the printed word, both as a radical journalist, which brought him police execution and large financial losses, and as a publisher or the owner of the printing works that offered not only the production of the publishing house but also a wide range of printed materials especially for Czech savings banks.


The importance of spectral cues in size discrimination of transient signals was investigated, and a model for this ability, tAIM, was created based on the biological principles of human hearing. A psychophysics experiment involving 40 participants found that the most important cue for size discrimination of transient signals, created by striking different sizes of polystyrene spheres, was similar to that of speakers listening to vowels – the relative positions of the resonances between comparison signals. It was found possible to scale the sphere signals in order to confuse listeners into believing the signal source was a different size, but two methods of scaling signals in order to sound the same size as another proved inconclusive, suggesting the possibility that transient signals cannot be scaled in a linear fashion as has been shown possible for vowels. Filtering the signals in a number of different ways found that the most important cue in size discrimination of transient signals is the difference between the most prominent resonances available in the spectra of the comparison signals. A model of the auditory system using the dynamic compressive Gammachirp filterbank, and based on the well-known AIM, was created to produce auditory images of transient signals that could be normalised for size. Transient-AIM, or tAIM used the Mellin transform to produce images that showed size normalisation was possible due to the spectral envelope similarities across the sizes of the spheres. tAIM was extended to carry out size discrimination of the spheres using the information contained within the Mellin images. There was a systematic association between Mellin phase and size of objects of various shapes, which suggests that tAIM is able to infer object size from sound recordings of objects being struck.


With the tremendous growth of the Internet, information system security has become an issue of serious global concern due to the rapid connection and accessibility. Developing effective methods for intrusion detection, therefore, is an urgent task for assuring computer & information system security. Since most attacks and misuses can be recognized through the examination of system audit log files and pattern analysis therein, an approach for intrusion detection can be built on them. First we have made deep analysis on attacks and misuses patterns in log files; and then proposed an approach using support vector machines for anomaly detection. It is a one-class SVM based approach, trained with abstracted user audit logs data from 1999 DARPA.


The influence of forming process on mechanical properties and microstructure of high strength microalloyed steel has been studied in this research. All samples selected from 90º and 180º of pipes in transverse and longitudinal orientations after UOE forming. The steel was supplied as a hot rolled plate with accelerated cooling. Microstructure of the micro alloy steel was various combinations of acicular ferrite, granular ferrite and M/A phases. Charpy impact fracture toughness tests were carried out in -50 °C to 0 °C. Minimum and maximum yield strength appears in the 180º and 90º of pipe in longitudinal and transverse orientations respectively. Increasing in the yield strength related to minimum amount was about 5.8 % after UOE forming. Comparison between yield strength after and before forming appears increased about 6.9 % due to forming. With decreasing in the test temperature from -50 °C to 0 °C, fracture energy decrease up to 0.9 % that it's very little and relinquishment. However for samples that fractured in the temperature of -50 °C difference between highest and lowest energy was about 5.9 %. Charpy test results appear that fine M/A phase not a major factor on decrease of upper shelf energy, if homogenize distributed in the acicular ferrite matrix.


By solving analytically and numerically dynamical diffraction equations, we study the modulation of x-rays in ideal crystals by a co-propagating wave of impulsively excited optical phonons. Our results for a diamond crystal suggest that the output diffracted x-ray field can have a time structure much shorter than the period of the excited vibrational mode (Tv = 25 fs). We explain this dynamics in terms of high-order Raman scattering of x-rays by optical phonons. The potential of this ultrafast modulation technique for controlling x-rays from synchrotron and FEL sources is discussed.


Like many developing nations over the last twenty years or so, Mauritius has undergone - and continues to
undergo - a revolution in the way its society lives and works. From a transport perspective what makes the country
of interest, is that this small, densely populated, developing island nation located in the Indian Ocean, serves as a
microcosm of how transport systems in most of the world's more developed nations have evolved. Mauritian
policy makers are already faced with many of the problems faced in other countries, but with less time, experience
and resources to develop a solution before the situation becomes critical - due to the faster pace of population,
economic growth, and the lack of space. The aim of the paper therefore, is to construct a case study of Mauritius to
provide a simplified and manageable model of how physical, economic and social factors - combined with transport
policy choices - can influence how transport systems develop. The paper will outline the development of transport
policy in Mauritius to date, and look at the options available for the future. From this, conclusions will be drawn as to
what can be learnt from the Mauritian experience.


A new discrete wavelet transform (DWT) architecture is proposed to realize a memory-efficient 2-D DWT processor. The proposed DWT processor conforms to dual-line scanning to remove the transpose buffer. In the previous single-line DWT architectures, the transpose buffer size is proportional to the row size of the image. The conventional dual-line DWT architecture is constructed by using the convolution-based filter structure and replicates registers to alternatively deal with two lines, resulting in a long delay, as well as a number of operators and registers. The proposed architecture is based on the lifting-based DWT to embed the additional registers in the middle of the DWT operation. In addition, the computation topology is optimized for the proposed dual-line DWT architecture to achieve almost the same hardware cost and critical path as the single-line DWT architecture.


Combustion modelling is an important science focused on the study of chemically reactive flows for applications of power and propulsion. The correct prediction of the flow dynamics and heat release in combustion devices has important implications in the fuel consumption, efficiency, stability and pollutant emissions in many engineering and energy systems. In particular, turbulent combustion is of great importance since most of practical flows are turbulent.


In the present article, columnar specimens of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) were subjected to static compressive stress, and the characteristics of fracture under compression were clarified. The fracture tests were interrupted at certain intervals, and resonance and anti-resonance frequencies and electrostatic capacity were measured by means of an impedance analyzer with the compressive stress unloaded. The interruption and measurement were repeated with the maximum stress increased up to the fracture. The material properties of the specimens such as the electromechanical coupling coefficient, the dielectric constant, the elastic coefficient, and the piezoelectric constant were evaluated based on the resonant properties, and the variation of the material properties in the process of the fracture were clarified experimentally. An elastic coefficient was also evaluated from stress— strain relations during the compression fracture tests, and the difference in the elastic coefficient depending on the method of evaluation was discussed. Furthermore, internal damage developed in the specimens during the compression fracture tests was evaluated based on the variation of the elastic coefficients indirectly as a scalar damage variable on the basis of the continuum damage mechanics. Features of the damage development and the dependence of the quantitative value of the damage variables on the evaluation method of the elastic coefficient were discussed. SEM micrographs of the fracture surface were observed and the causes of the damage were investigated.


In this paper we explore a family of type isomorphisms in System F whose validity corresponds, semantically, to some form of the Yoneda isomorphism from category theory. These isomorphisms hold under theories of equivalence stronger than βη-equivalence, like those induced by parametricity and dinaturality. We show that the Yoneda type isomorphisms yield a rewriting over types, that we call Yoneda reduction, which can be used to eliminate quantifiers from a polymorphic type, replacing them with a combination of monomorphic type constructors. We establish some sufficient conditions under which quantifiers can be fully eliminated from a polymorphic type, and we show some application of these conditions to count the inhabitants of a type and to compute program equivalence in some fragments of System F.


The complex formed between the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and the "TATA box" of eukaryotic class II promoters is the foundation for assembly of the complex to which RNA polymerase II is ultimately recruited. TBP binds productively to canonical and diverse variant TATA sequences with >100-fold differences in transcription efficiency. Co-crystals of canonical sequences and >11 variant sequences bound to various TBP molecules all have ∼80° bends. In contrast, the bend angles for TBP·TATA complexes in solution, derived from distance distributions, are ∼80° for a canonical sequence but range from 30° to 62° for five variant sequences (1). We show in this study that the osmolytes used to crystallize TBP·TATA complexes induce profound increases in the DNA bends of two transcriptionally active TBP-bound variant sequences to a common angle of ∼80° but have little effect on a transcriptionally inactive variant. The effect of osmolyte on the TBP-induced DNA bend of a variant TATA box sequence is also manifest in the kinetics of association, demonstrating a functional consequence of an osmolyte-induced structural change.


The primary goal of the present study is to improve methods for contrastive corpus investigations. Our data is the Russian construction дело в том, что and its parallels in English, German and Swedish. This construction, which appears to present no difficulty for translation into other languages, is in fact language-specific with respect to at least one parameter. It displays a large number of different parallels (translation equivalents) in other languages, and possesses a complex semantic structure. The configuration of semantic elements comprising the content plane of this construction is unique. The empirical data have been collected from the corpus query system Sketch Engine, subcorpus OPUS2 Russian, and the Russian National Corpus (RNC). The analysis shows that the construction дело в том, что has more than 50 parallels in English, over 30 in German, and about 30 in Swedish. In all three languages the most common means of translating the construction is to omit it. Also frequent are the English equivalents the fact/thing/point/truth is (that); (it's/this/that is) because; the German expressions nämlich; die Sache ist, die; denn; and the Swedish constructions saken är den att; problemet/faktum är att. The semantic structure of дело в том, что includes the following components: 1) substantiation of something stated previously; 2) indication of the reason something has happened; 3) emphasis on the significance of what has been stated. The different translations of the construction are motivated by the fact that each specific context focuses on one of these meanings.


This paper is a critical review of recent discussions of rigour in nursing research. We will argue that 'borrowing' evaluation criteria from one paradigm of inquiry and applying them to another is problematic. We attempt to map the 'rigour' field and add a dimension to the existing debate about rigour and qualitative research through inclusion of reflexivity guided by philosophical hermeneutics. We describe reflexivity and appeal to writers to incorporate a reflexive account into their research product by signposting to readers 'what is going on' while researching. We contend that researchers bring to the research product, data generated, a range of literature, a positioning of this literature, a positioning of oneself, and moral socio-political contexts. We suggest that reflexive research is characterized by ongoing self-critique and self-appraisal and that the research product can be given shape by the politics of location and positioning. We emphasize that in the creation of a text (the research product) it is desirable that the researcher be a skilled writer. Finally we claim that if the research product is well signposted, the readers will be able to travel easily through the worlds of the participants and makers of the text (the researchers) and decide for themselves whether the text is believable or plausible (our terms for rigour).


Background Diagnostic errors have often been attributed to biases in physicians' reasoning. Interventions to 'immunise' physicians against bias have focused on improving reasoning processes and have largely failed. Objective To investigate the effect of increasing physicians' relevant knowledge on their susceptibility to availability bias. Design, settings and participants Three-phase multicentre randomised experiment with second-year internal medicine residents from eight teaching hospitals in Brazil. Interventions Immunisation: Physicians diagnosed one of two sets of vignettes (either diseases associated with chronic diarrhoea or with jaundice) and compared/contrasted alternative diagnoses with feedback. Biasing phase (1 week later): Physicians were biased towards either inflammatory bowel disease or viral hepatitis. Diagnostic performance test: All physicians diagnosed three vignettes resembling inflammatory bowel disease, three resembling hepatitis (however, all with different diagnoses). Physicians who increased their knowledge of either chronic diarrhoea or jaundice 1 week earlier were expected to resist the bias attempt. Main outcome measurements Diagnostic accuracy, measured by test score (range 0–1), computed for subjected-to-bias and not-subjected-to-bias vignettes diagnosed by immunised and not-immunised physicians. Results Ninety-one residents participated in the experiment. Diagnostic accuracy differed on subjected-to-bias vignettes, with immunised physicians performing better than non-immunised physicians (0.40 vs 0.24; difference in accuracy 0.16 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.27); p=0.004), but not on not-subjected-to-bias vignettes (0.36 vs 0.41; difference −0.05 (95% CI −0.17 to 0.08); p=0.45). Bias only hampered non-immunised physicians, who performed worse on subjected-to-bias than not-subjected-to-bias vignettes (difference −0.17 (95% CI −0.28 to −0.05); p=0.005); immunised physicians' accuracy did not differ (p=0.56). Conclusions An intervention directed at increasing knowledge of clinical findings that discriminate between similar-looking diseases decreased physicians' susceptibility to availability bias, reducing diagnostic errors, in a simulated setting. Future research needs to examine the degree to which the intervention benefits other disease clusters and performance in clinical practice. Trial registration number 68745917.1.1001.0068.


This study aims to compare the effectiveness of three different pliers in debondingstainless steel and ceramic brackets, also to evaluate enamel surface damage and thesite of bond failure after debonding.Sixty premolars, extracted for orthodontic purposes, were divided into 3 groups of20. The enamel surfaces were examined with 10X magnifying lens. Two types ofbracket (stainless steel and ceramic) was bonded and debonded in each group using:conventional debonding pliers, bracket removal pliers, and ligature wire cutter. Afterdebonding, the enamel surfaces were inspected under a stereomicroscope to determinethe predominant site of bond failure. Then stereomicroscope was used to evaluateenamel surface damage after the removal of residual adhesive.The enamel surface damage showed a statistically significant difference in ceramicbracket groups, whereas, it was statistically insignificant in stainless steel bracketgroups. The amount of the adhesive remained on the tooth surface was statisticallyinsignificant in both stainless steel and ceramic bracket groups. The predominantfailure site was within the adhesive itself for both types of brackets.The enamel surface damage that results from debonding of ceramic brackets washigher than that found with the stainless steel brackets especially with the use ofbracket removal pliers "used in this study"


summary The hrp gene cluster of the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) encodes a type III secretion system required for the delivery of virulence and avirulence proteins into the plant. Some of these effector proteins, e.g. AvrBs1 and AvrBsT, are recognized by pepper plants carrying corresponding resistance genes, triggering the hypersensitive reaction (HR). In this study, epitope tagged AvrBs1 and AvrBsT proteins were detected in culture supernatants only in the presence of a functional type III apparatus and not in a hrcV mutant, showing that both proteins are secreted by Xcv in an hrp-dependent manner. Expression of both avirulence genes is constitutive and independent of the hrp gene regulators, hrpG and hrpX. Transient expression of avrBs1 and avrBsT in resistant host plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer resulted in the induction of a specific HR. This indicates that recognition occurs intracellularly, and suggests that during the Xcv infection, AvrBs1 and AvrBsT are translocated from Xcv into the plant cell. We describe a conserved protein motif which is present in the N-terminal region of all known Xcv avirulence proteins and discuss its potential role in translocation into plant cells.


Employers in Indonesia must set themselves apart from competitors to attract high quality graduates from the university since the competition for talent is so high. Therefore, employer needs to increase the value of company as a good employer by conducting early-recruitment branding strategies. This study aims to examine the impact of employer branding strategies and perceived job attributes of employer image towards organizational prestige and job pursuit intention. This paper also reveals the differences between those variables, which carried out by two oil companies in Indonesia with differ-ent characteristics. The one is state-owned oil company, and another one is multinational oil compa-ny. The respondents of this study are undergraduate students of Faculty of Economics and Business in one of the reputable university in Indonesia. Using structural equation modeling method, the results show that for state-owned oil company, word of mouth endorsement is the most significant dimension affecting perceived job attributes of employer image. While for multinational oil company, advertis-ing is the most significant dimension affecting perceived job attributes of employer image. Three of four employer image dimensions (working atmosphere, payment attractiveness, and task attractive-ness) influence organizational prestige, which in turn influences job pursuit intention for both compa-nies. The paper discusses the implication of the results for academic and company in the oil industry. Research paper Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Devina. M., Astrini, M. R., Syaebani, M. I. (2016). "Employer Branding Strategies Effects on Job Pursuit Intention of Business School Under-graduates: Case Study of Oil Companies in Indonesia", Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 1–39


Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is one of the most attractive materials for wear applications because it has excellent wear resistance and offers advantages such as light weight, higher strength and toughness, and good corrosion resistance. In 1984, Materials Div., Toshiba Corp. (today, Toshiba Materials Co., Ltd.) and Koyo Seiko Co. Ltd. (today JTEKT Corp.) successfully utilized high-strength silicon nitride for anti-friction bearings for the first time in the world.1-3 This ceramic bearing was a most successful product and has expanded in area and volume through key innovations such as pioneered compositions, further improvement of durability against a steel ball and the development of a conventional fabrication process. Since 1989, Yokohama National University group has investigated new materials development in silicon nitride ceramics, densification/strengthening mechanisms in an optimized sintering aids system, powder processing for reliable components and tribological evaluation for bearing applications. Subsequently it was confirmed that the addition of TiO2 and AlN to an Si3N4-Y2O3-Al2O3 system promoted densification at low temperatures.4 During firing, the TiO2 changed into TiN at the grain boundary, causing grain boundary strengthening.5,6 Most recently, it has developed a carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersed silicon nitride with high strength and high electrical conductivity that is expected to open up new applications as a new functional silicon nitride.7 However, there are many items to be overcome toward the future, which are the development of cost reduction processes with higher material reliability, and the opening up of new applications supported by validated evaluation techniques including tribology, flaw detection and life prediction, raw powder problems related to cost and production volume, and the classification of silicon nitride bearings for various graded applications.


Device optimization considering supply voltage Vdd and threshold voltage Vt has little chip-area increase but a great impact on power and performance in the nanometer technology. This paper studies simultaneous evaluation of device and architecture optimization for field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). We first develop an efficient yet accurate timing and power evaluation method called a trace-based model. By collecting trace information from a cycle-accurate simulation of placed and routed FPGA benchmark circuits and reusing the trace for different Vdds and Vts, we enable device and architecture cooptimization considering hundreds of device and architecture combinations. Compared to the baseline FPGA architecture, which uses the Versatile Place and Route architecture model and the same lookup table and cluster sizes as those used by the Xilinx Virtex-II, Vdd suggested by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductor, Vt optimized with respect to the preceding architecture, and Vdd architecture and device cooptimization can reduce the energy-delay product (ED) by 20.5% and the chip area by 23.3%. Furthermore, considering the power gating of unused logic blocks and interconnect switches (in this case, sleep transistor size is a parameter of device tuning), our co-optimization reduces ED by 55.0% and the chip area by 8.2% compared to the baseline FPGA architecture. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in-depth study in the literature on architecture and device cooptimization for FPGAs.


It is undeniable that artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain concepts are spreading at a phenomenal rate. Both technologies have distinct degree of technological complexity and multi-dimensional business implications. However, a common misunderstanding about blockchain concept, in particular, is that blockchain is decentralized and is not controlled by anyone. But the underlying development of a blockchain system is still attributed to a cluster of core developers. Take smart contract as an example, it is essentially a collection of codes (or functions) and data (or states) that are programmed and deployed on a blockchain (say, Ethereum) by different human programmers. It is thus, unfortunately, less likely to be free of loopholes and flaws. In this article, through a brief overview about how artificial intelligence could be used to deliver bug-free smart contract so as to achieve the goal of blockchain 2.0, we to emphasize that the blockchain implementation can be assisted or enhanced via various AI techniques. The alliance of AI and blockchain is expected to create numerous possibilities.


Due to the high costs of conflict both in theory and practice, we examine and experimentally test the conditions under which conflict between asymmetric agents can be resolved. We model conflict as a two-agent rent-seeking contest for an indivisible prize. Before conflict arises, both agents may agree to allocate the prize by fair coin flip to avoid the costs of conflict. The model predicts that "parity promotes peace": in the pure-strategy equilibrium, agents with relatively symmetric conflict capabilities agree to resolve the conflict by using a random device; however, with sufficiently asymmetric capabilities, conflicts are unavoidable because the stronger agent prefers to fight. The results of the experiment confirm that the availability of the random device partially eliminates conflicts when agents are relatively symmetric; however, the device also reduces conflict between substantially asymmetric agents.


This study examines aspects of the accounting and financial history of the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR) from its formation in 1907. In particular we focus on the 1930s, a period in which the activities of the SMR became increasingly dominated by the demands of the Kwantung Army which effectively controlled Manchuria. As a special company, the SMR had always faced the dilemma of pursuing the private interest of shareholders as a business enterprise against the backdrop of the requirement to serve the national interest. Following the formation of the State of Manchuria in 1932, the Kwantung Army placed significant and growing financial demands on the SMR while at the same time wishing to alter the juridical personality of the company. Such demands were repelled by the SMR's management for fear that the change in its legal status would cause problems in obtaining the finance necessary to carry out the army's requirements for new lines and improvements to the existing railway network in Manchuria. This problem, and its eventual resolution through the State of Manchuria taking an equity stake in the company in 1940, provides important insights into the impact of military power and wartime conditions on the operation of special companies. In this way, this study contributes to filling a gap in Japanese accounting and financial history research by examining the motives, commitments and (inter)actions of the various parties concerned – the company's management, the Japanese government, the Kwantung Army and the State of Manchuria – and the interaction of such factors with the social, political and economic conditions surrounding the SMR's operations in Manchuria.


This study empirically evaluated the relationship of working capital management policy and financial performance of Nigerian foods and beverages industry, using Nestle Nigeria Plc as case study within the period of 2008-2012. However, the need for this study arises as a result of persistent wind-up of most Nigerian manufacturing firms, of which a greater proportion of the firm's capital is made up of fixed assets rather than working capital which theoretically have direct effects on profitability and liquidity of business enterprises irrespective of their sizes.  The study employed the use of descriptive analysis, accounting ratios and simple correlation analysis to test the formulated hypotheses respectively. The findings revealed that working capital management policy have relationship with the firm's financial performance. Specifically, a negative significant relationship existed between WCM and profitability performance while a negative insignificant relationship do exist between WCM and liquidity performance of Nestle Nigeria Plc within the period covered by the study. Based on this result, it is recommended that the company should adopt aggressive investment working capital policy as well as aggressive financing working capital policy as against the conservative working capital policy used in Nestle Nigeria Plc within the period of the study which hampered their financial performance. Keywords: Working Capital Management Policy, Financial Performance, Profitability, Liquidity and Accounting ratios


As part of a prospective study of the seroprevalence of HIV, a cohort of 930 men were interviewed regarding their condom use. Of the 270 respondents that engaged in insertive anal intercourse in the month preceding interview 38.9% always used a condom, 49.6% never used one, and 11.5% sometimes used one. Of the 254 respondents that engaged in receptive anal intercourse in the same time period 42.5% always used a condom, 45.7% never used one, and 11.8% sometimes used one. Compared to other research the proportion of respondents who always use a condom for anal intercourse is relatively high, though use is by no means universal. Condom use is more widespread and consistent with casual rather than regular sexual partners, and it is significantly more common within open rather than monogamous relationships. Out of a wide range of other factors only geographical location (London against outside), marital status, perceived HIV status, number of sexual partners, and how seriously respondents take safer sex are correlated with condom use.


Abstract The debate about concepts has always been shaped by a contrast between subjectivism, which treats them as phenomena in the mind or head of individuals, and objectivism, which insists that they exist independently of individual minds. The most prominent contemporary version of subjectivism is Fodor's RTM. The Fregean charge against subjectivism is that it cannot do justice to the fact that different individuals can share the same concepts. Proponents of RTM have accepted shareability as a 'non-negotiable constraint'. At the same time they insist that by distinguishing between sign-types and – tokens the Fregean objection cannot just be circumvented but revealed to be fallacious. My paper rehabilitates the Fregean argument against subjectivism. The RTM response rests either on an equivocation of 'concept'—between types which satisfy the non-negotiable constraint and tokens which are mental particulars in line with RTM doctrine—or on the untenable idea that one and the same entity can be both a shareable type and hence abstract and a concrete particular in the head. Furthermore, subjectivism cannot be rescued by adopting unorthodox metaphysical theories about the type/token and universal/particular contrasts. The final section argues that concepts are not representations or signs, but something represented by signs. Even if RTM is right to explain conceptual thinking by reference to the occurrence of mental representations, concepts themselves cannot be identical with such representations.


I HAVE been interested for some time in the appearance of late emptying of the anterior chamber (with or without choroidal detachment) in certain cases of cataract operations, even when the wound appeared hermetically sealed with three firm corneoscleral sutures. The accepted explanation that the emptying of the anterior chamber is caused by leakage of aqueous humor in some part of the wound appears plausible in certain cases, since in these it coincides with the removal of the stitches. In other cases, however, doubt is thrown on this explanation by the fact that the wound appears entirely sealed, as tested by the use of fluorescein. In these cases it has been thought that the emptying of the anterior chamber is produced by detachment of the choroid. Emptying of the anterior chamber does occur, however, in the absence of detachment of the choroid in cases in which postoperative convalescence up to


After having been in power for just a little over a year and a half, the Parti Québécois government led by Pauline Marois decided to call an early election in the hope of getting the majority of seats that had evaded them the last time around. That bet was lost as the 2014 election campaign resulted in the worst showing for the PQ since 1973. The inter-election period was dominated by the debate over the PQ's proposed Charter of Quebec Values. The Charter also influenced the debate during the campaign, as did the issue of Quebec's sovereignty due in part to the arrival of Pierre Karl Péladeau as a star candidate for the PQ. The Liberal Party of Quebec is now back in government with a majority of seats and under the leadership of Philippe Couillard.


Eleven lakes and ponds and three lacustrine sediment sequences from coastal East and North-East Greenland were studied for recent hydrological and phytoplankton characteristics and for palaeolimnology, respectively. The limnological survey of lakes and ponds from Store Koldewey in summer 2003 revealed cold, monomictic, thermally unstratified, alkaline and likely oligotrophic water bodies. The diatom phytoplankton, present in six lakes and dominated by four species, varied distinctly between the lakes. The results give information about the recent status of the ecology of these High Arctic freshwater bodies. The sediment sequences were investigated for their chronology, changes in physical and biogeochemical properties, macro- and microfossils, grain-size distribution and in the case of one sequence for its elemental profiles using XRF. The palaeolimnological studies address different time intervals at various temporal resolutions with particular attention to the latitudinal differences of late Quaternary climatic and environmental changes along the coast of East and North-East Greenland. The results include information about the Late Weichselian ice-front environments on southern Store Koldewey with information about the temporal and spatial evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet margin west of the island. Furthermore, the results and the interpretation of one sediment sequence comprise information about the postglacial and Holocene environmental history of central Store Koldewey. Detailed information about the Holocene climatic history on Store Koldewey are obtained from another record. Changes of the lacustrine biogenic productivity varied on long-term and short-term scale and correspond to the Holocene climatic condition in East Greenland. It also revealed the sensitivity of coastal lacustrine bioproductivity to changes in sea-ice coverage of the northern North Atlantic. Additionally, one sedimentary record contains the first evidence of the Storegga Tsunami deposits of East Greenland. These deposits show the long distance impact of tsunami waves and indicate that besides coastal areas of Norway, Scotland and the Shetland and Faroe Islands also low elevated areas of East Greenland were affected by this event 8200 years ago. The studies presented here demonstrate the diversity of information obtained from water samples and lacustrine records. Depending on focus, methods applied and sampling resolution investigation of lacustrine records from the High Arctic provides valuable information about past climatic and environmental changes and will contribute to our understanding of previous, recent, and future processes of the environment not only in Polar Regions. However, the results also emphasize the difficulties associated with the interpretation of lacustrine records.


Outbreaks of infections have emphasized the necessity for rapid and economic detection methods for pathogens in samples ranging from those of clinical origin to food products during production and retail storage, and increasingly, in environmental samples. Flow cytometry (FCM) allows the rapid acquisition of multi-parametric data regarding cell populations within fluidised samples. However, the application of FCM to pathogen detection depends on the availability of specific fluorescent probes such as antibodies and RNA probes capable of detecting and isolating pathogens from these diverse samples. A particular issue for FCM methodology is the ability to recover and discriminate bacteria from the sample matrix which may pose a major technical hurdle towards accurate and sensitive analysis. This review article focuses on detection of pathogens using FCM in samples originating from food, water, environmental and clinical sources and outlines the current state of the art and potential future applications.


The precipitation mechanism of secondary-precipitated phase β in AZ80 magnesium alloy during the hot compression deformation under different temperature was investigated. The results show that there are β-Mg17Al12 phases with different morphology and precipitation mechanism in the microstructure of AZ80 alloy deformed both in two-phase region、critical region and single-phase region. β-Mg17Al12 phases were directly deformed and broken to be strip form during the compression under 200、250、300 and 350°C. A lot of fine granular second phase particles precipitated with the grain refinement simultaneously in AZ80 alloy deformed in two-phase region with tremendous deformation. There are also fine granular second phase particles precipitated in the alloy deformed in critical region. There are massive β-Mg17Al12 phases precipitated in the alloy deformed under higher temperature such as 350 and 400°C during the water cooling after the compression, the high power observation of which is fine and tightly lamellar microstructure. Compared with coarse reticular β-Mg17Al12 phases in the as-cast microstructure of AZ80 alloy, the morphology of β-Mg17Al12 phases precipitated during the hot compression has obvious improvement.


Evidence–based practice in entrepreneurship requires effective communication of research findings. We focus on how research synopses can "promote" research to entrepreneurs. Drawing on marketing communications literature, we examine how message characteristics of research synopses affect their appeal. We demonstrate the utility of conjoint analysis in this context and find message length, media richness, and source credibility to have positive influences. We find mixed support for a hypothesized negative influence of jargon, and for our predictions that participants' involvement with academic research moderates these effects. Exploratory analyses reveal latent classes of entrepreneurs with differing preferences, particularly for message length and jargon.


The Wageningen Innovation Assessment Tool (WIAT) assesses a company's drivers and barriers to innovation and benchmarks the critical success and failure factors of its innovation projects with data of agrifood prospector companies around the world. The present paper discusses its application in 12 multinational agrifood prospector companies in the Netherlands and France. It is concluded that WIAT by uncovering the tacit knowledge of the innovation project team creates opportunities for substantial improvement of the innovation process, and that agrifood companies should specifically pay attention to market and product related up-front activities.


Introduction The first ASPIRE survey, conducted by the British Cardiovascular Society in 1994–1995 showed a high prevalence of modifiable risk factors in coronary patients in the UK and a real potential to further reduce coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. The aim of the ASPIRE-2-PREVENT survey was to determine in patients with established coronary disease whether JBS2 and NICE guidance on cardiovascular disease prevention are being followed in everyday clinical practice. Methods ASPIRE-2-PREVENT survey was undertaken in 2008–2009 in 18 randomly selected hospitals in 12 geographical regions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Consecutive patients, men and women <80 years of age at the time of the index event or procedure, and with one or more of the following diagnoses: coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, acute myocardial infarction, acute myocardial ischaemia and exertional angina, were identified retrospectively. Data collection was based on a review of hospital medical records and a prospective interview and examination at least 6 months after index event or procedure. Results A total of 1522 medical records (26.1% women) were reviewed and 676 patients were interviewed on average 13.0 (10.3, 16.2) months following their index event (participation rate 47.2%). At interview, 14.1% of patients smoked cigarettes and 47.1% were persistent smokers, 78.4% were overweight (BMI≥25 kg/m2), 38.0% obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2), 76.4% had central obesity (waist circumference ≥ 94 cm in men (≥90 cm in Asian men) or ≥ 80 cm in women), 46.9% raised blood pressure (BP≥130/80 mmHg), 52.6% elevated total cholesterol ≥ 4 mmol/l, 17.8% self-reported diabetes and 4.4% newly diagnosed diabetes (fasting plasma glucose≥7 mmol/l). Cardioprotective drug therapies: aspirin or other anti-platelets drugs 95.4%, β-blockers 74.8%, ACE inhibitors/ARBs 78.9%, statins 92.8%, anticoagulants 3.9%. 53.2% of patients on blood pressure lowering medication were controlled (BP<130/80 mmHg) and 48.3% patients on lipid-lowering medication had total cholesterol < 4.0 mmol/l. 29.6% of patients with self-reported diabetes had a fasting glucose ≤ 6.0 mmol/l. Conclusions ASPIRE-2-PREVENT shows the lifestyle of coronary patients continues to be a major challenge with high prevalences of persistent smoking, obesity and central obesity and many patients not achieving the blood pressure, lipid and diabetes targets. So, a gap continues to exist in the implementation of evidence-based preventive medicine in cardiological practice. Prevention and rehabilitation of coronary, and other patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease, needs a systematic, comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach, which addresses all aspects of lifestyle, risk factor and therapeutic management.


An automatic tuning scheme for continuous-time bandpass filters based on a frequency synthesizer and a peak detector is proposed. A g/sub m/-C second-order filter is designed to demonstrate the proposed tuning scheme. The circuit is designed in AMI 0.5/spl mu/m process. The measured frequency tuning error is 0.25%, and the Q tuning error is 3% for a 200 MHz filter with desired Q of 28.6.


A non-parallel analysis of time-oscillatory instability of conical jets reveals important features not found in prior studies. Flow deceleration significantly enhances the shear-layer instability for both swirl-free and swirling jets. In swirl-free jets, flow deceleration causes the axisymmetric instability (absent in the parallel approximation). The critical Reynolds number $\hbox{\it Re}_{a}$ for this instability is an order of magnitude smaller than the critical $\hbox{\it Re}_{a}$ predicted before for the helical instability (where $\hbox{\it Re}_{a}= rv_{a}/\nu, r$ is the distance from the jet source, $v_a$ is the jet maximum velocity at a given $r$, and $\nu$ is the viscosity). Swirl, intensifying the divergence of streamlines, induces an additional, divergent instability (which occurs even in shear-free flows). For the swirl Reynolds number $\hbox{\it Re}_s$ (circulation to viscosity ratio) exceeding 3, the critical $\hbox{\it Re}_a$ for the single-helix counter-rotating mode becomes smaller than those for axisymmetric and multi-helix modes. Since the critical $\hbox{\it Re}_s$ is less than 10 for the near-axis jets, the boundary-layer approximation (used before) is invalid, as is Long's Type II boundary-layer solution (whose stability has been extensively studied). Thus, the non-parallel character of jets strongly affects their stability. Our results, obtained in a far-field approximation allowing reduction of the linear stability problem to ordinary differential equations, are more valid for short wavelengths.


Two domestic silicon carbide powders with different particle size distribution and one petroleum coke powder were blended in proportion and then dispersed in aqueous medium. Green bodies were solidified from these suspensions via conventional slip casting. The effects of pH, solid loading, and the amount of dispersant on the formability and packing ability were evaluated. The results showed that the pH within 9.5-10.5, solid loading of 42vol%, aging time more than 24h, and 0.3wt% of dispersant were optimal. Complicated green bodies with height of 300mm and thickness of 3.5mm were obtained. The corresponding suspension viscosity was 1200mPa∙s and the relative packing density was 64.8%. The density is 3.01g∙cm-3 and the flexural strength is 305±15 MPa after reaction sintering. These results may be attributed to accurately using of dispersant and in-depth study of processing parameter.


Islamic legal theory (usūl al-fiqh) is literally regarded as 'the roots of the law' whilst Islamic jurists consider it to be the basis of Islamic jurisprudence and thus an essential aspect of Islamic law. This volume addresses the sources, methods and principles of Islamic law leading to an appreciation of the skills of independent juristic and legal reasoning necessary for deriving specific rulings from the established sources of the law. The articles engage critically with relevant traditional views to enable a diagnostic understanding of the different issues, covering both Sunnī and Shī'ī perspectives on some of the issues for comparison. The volume features an introductory overview of the subject as well as a comprehensive bibliography to aid further research. Islamic legal theory is a complex subject which challenges the ingenuity of any expert and therefore special care has been taken to select articles for their clarity as well as their quality, variety and critique to ensure an in-depth, engaging and easy understanding of what is normally a highly theoretical subject.

Contents: Introduction; Part I Nature of Islamic Law: Islamic law: an overview of its origin and elements, I. Abdal-Haqq; Islamic law as Islamic ethics, A.K. Reinhart; Understanding Islamic law in theory and practice, M.A. Baderin. Part II Sources of Islamic Law: Groundwork of the moral law: a new look at the Qur'an and the genesis of Shari'a, W.B. Hallaq; Law in the Qur'an: a draft code, T. Mahmood; Some reflections on the contextualist approach to ethico-legal texts of the Quran, A. Saeed; A revaluation of Islamic traditions, J. Schacht; On the origins of Shi'I Hadith, R.P. Buckley; The role of culture in the creation of Islamic law, J. Hursh. Part III Methods of Islamic Law: Al-Shafi's's role in the development of Islamic jurisprudence, A. Hasan; The concept of Ijma' in Islamic law: a comparative study, R.A. Abd Rahim; Non-analogical arguments in Sunni juridical qiyas, W. Hallaq; Illa and qiyas in early Islamic legal theory, N. Shehaby. Part IV Principles of Islamic Law: The maslaha (public interest) and 'illa (cause) in Islamic law, M. Khadduri; Maslaha in contemporary Islamic legal theory, F. Opwis; Legal logic and equity in Islamic law, G. Makdisi; Maqasid al-Shari'ah: the objectives of Islamic law, M.H. Kamali; Cut and paste in legal rules: designing Islamic norms with talfiq, B. Krawietz; Muslim custom and case law, N.J. Coulson; Qawa'id al-Fiqh: the legal maxims of Islamic law, M.H. Kamali. Part V Legal Reasoning (Ijtihad): Interpretation in Islamic law: the theory of ijtihad, B. Weiss; The closing of the door of ijtihad and the application of the law, F. Vogel; A critical analysis of the role of ijtihad in legal reforms in the Muslim world, R.A. Codd; Ijtihad in contemporary Shiism: transition from individual-oriented to society-oriented, H. Mavani; Name index.


Most carbonate rocks tend to be oil wet, which negatively affects the recovery of hydrocarbons in waterflooding. Studies have shown that alteration of wettability through ion adjustment and surfactant addition can alter the wettability of the carbonate rock from oil wet to moderate or water wet. Through alteration of wettability recovery can be increased to higher values than what is expected when the reservoir is flooded with seawater. Adjustment in concentration of Mg2+, Ca2+, and SO42− ions and addition of surfactants have shown to be most effective in altering wettability. There has been limited research related to imbibition of carbonate rock samples representing reservoirs in brines containing solely Mg2+, Ca2+, or SO42− at atmospheric conditions. The effect of Non-Ionic and mixed Non-ionic with cationic surfactants on the alteration of wettability has been addresses in previous research.In this study, Imbibition experiments were done on samples using brines of different ion components and concentrations to study the effect of salinity and ion composition on the recovery. Imbibition of lower salinity brines showed noticeably higher recovery than high salinity brines. The results are presented in dimensionless form of recovery and time for better comparison of wettability alteration and effect between samples. Lower salinity brines of Ca2+ and SO42− ion composition showed highest improvement in recovery. Surfactants were added during the imbibition measurement to view any further enhanced recovery at atmospheric conditions.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Recently, the importance of face recognition has been increasingly emphasized since CCD cameras are distributed to various applications. This paper proposes a robust method for face recognition from two image sequences taken by stereo cameras, so the facial appearance changes by lighting variations or other causes wonpsilat lead to serious performance degradation. The feature correspondences between images are extracted and refined automatically by the relation of the stereo cameras. Given a point on left image, the correspondent point on right image is the intersection of maximum correlation coefficient and epipolar line. Identical database of the person is synthesized form photometric stereo images of training data. Some experimental results are presented to demonstrate the proposed technology. The results show that high-resolution 3D data of free surface has been acquired and higher recognition rates are gotten.


Abstract. We present two years of in situ measurements of water vapour (H2O) and its isotopologue ratio (δD, the standardized ratio between H216O and HD16O), made at two remote mountain sites on Tenerife in the subtropical North Atlantic. We show that the data – if measured during night-time – are well representative for the lower/middle free troposphere. We use the measured H2O-δD pairs, together with dust measurements and back trajectory modelling for analysing the moisture pathways to this region. We can identify four principally different transport pathways. The air mass transport from high altitudes and high latitudes shows two different scenarios. The first scenario brings dry air masses to the stations, as the result of condensation events occurring at low temperatures. The second scenario brings humid air masses to the stations, due to cross-isentropic mixing with lower-level and more humid air during transport since last condensation (LC). The third pathway is transportation from lower latitudes and lower altitudes, whereby we can identify rain re-evaporation as an occasional source of moisture. The fourth pathway is linked to the African continent, where during summer, dry convection processes over the Sahara very effectively inject humidity from the boundary layer to higher altitudes. This so-called Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is then advected westward over the Atlantic and contributes to moisten the free troposphere. We demonstrate that the different pathways leave distinct fingerprints on the measured H2O-δD pairs.


LINE-1s (long interspersed nuclear elements-1) are abundant non-LTR retrotransposons that comprise 17% of the human genome. The 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of human L1 (L1Hs) houses a poorly understood internal promoter. Here we report that mutations at a putative runt-domain transcription factor (RUNX) site (+83 to +101) in the 5'UTR decreased L1Hs transcription and retrotransposition in cell culture-based assays. Exogenous expression of RUNX3, but not the other two RUNX family members, RUNX1 and RUNX2, increased L1Hs transcription and retrotransposition, which were otherwise decreased by siRNAs targeting RUNX3 and a dominant negative RUNX. Further more, the specific interaction between RUNX3 and its binding site was demonstrated by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) using an anti-RUNX3 antibody. Interestingly, RUNX3 may also regulate the antisense promoter activity of L1Hs 5'UTR via another putative RUNX site (+526 to +508), as revealed by site-directed mutations and exogenous expression of RUNX factors. Our results indicate an important role for RUNX3 in L1Hs retrotransposition as well as transcription from its 5'UTR in both sense and antisense directions, and they should contribute to our understanding of the mechanism underlying L1Hs retrotransposition and its impact on the expression of adjacent cellular genes.


This paper describes a method for dense depth reconstruction from a small set of wide-baseline images. In a wide-baseline setting an inherent difficulty which complicates the stereo-correspondence problem is self-occlusion. Also, we have to consider the possibility that image pixels in different images, which are projections of the same point in the scene, will have different color values due to non-Lambertian effects or discretization errors. We propose a Bayesian approach to tackle these problems. In this framework, the images are regarded as noisy measurements of an underlying 'true' image-function. Also, the image data is considered incomplete, in the sense that we do not know which pixels from a particular image are occluded in the other images. We describe an EM-algorithm, which iterates between estimating values for all hidden quantities, and optimizing the current depth estimates. The algorithm has few free parameters, displays a stable convergence behavior and generates accurate depth estimates. The approach is illustrated with several challenging real-world examples. We also show how the algorithm can generate realistic view interpolations and how it merges the information of all images into a new, synthetic view.


Kusumaningrum EN, Supriatna J, Abinawanto, Bowolaksono A. 2018. Short Communication: Ethnozoology – The perception of Tobelo Dalam tribal community in Saolat Village, East Halmahera, Indonesia towards cuscus (Phalangeridae). Biodiversitas 19: 2140-2146. The complexity of the hard lives of Tobelo Dalam tribal community who live in Saolat village, district South Wasile provokes the high activity of animal poaching in Aketajawe-Lolobata National Park (TNAL) including cuscus hunting for both sale and consumption purposes. The study aimed to describe the traditional knowledge of Tobelo Dalam people in Saolat village in applying the systems of utilization and local conservation knowledge towards cuscus. This study was analyzed by the qualitative method with explorative survey technique, interview, and completing questionnaires. This study used 4 key informants (3 males, 1 female) and 50 adult respondents (25 males and 25 females). The results showed that the average percentage of traditional knowledge owned by males and females were 69.1% and 30.9 %, respectively, so the males had an advantage of knowledge around 38.3 % than females in addressing the traditional knowledge of cuscus. The community of Tobelo Dalam tribe hunts cuscus for four different purposes, i.e., for traditional ceremonies, traditional medicine, cuisine, and sell it for more income to support the economy of family.


The purpose of this article is to consider the role of the physical therapist in locomotor training for people with Parkinson disease. The ways in which disease progression, medication status, environmental conditions, individual factors, and the goals of locomotor tasks contribute to clinical decision making are explored. Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, gait training will be considered in relation to impairments of body structure and function, activity limitations, and participation restrictions in people who are newly diagnosed through to those with end-stage disease. Based on the principles of neural adaptation and clinical research findings, practical suggestions are made on how to provide the most efficient and effective physical therapy services at different stages of Parkinson disease.


Earth science methods for mapping, discretization, and separation of homogenous regions are recently used extensively to estimate the natural landscape response to hydrologic processes. For more homogenous study areas, the accuracy of the precision increases and the operation of water resources management system and/or natural wizard controls are less complicated. There are several methods to natural landscape discretization to identify homogenous regions. Because of continuity in landscape specifications, the use of Fuzzy classification/ clustering methods such as Fuzzy C- Mean (FCM) can be a desirable choice. In this study the FCM was used for discretization of homogenous regions in regards to runoff generation for Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) located in southeast Arizona. This watershed is selected to benefit from the quality and adequacy of the hydrologic data. The process of choosing and preparation of data was addressed earlier in texts. The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was performed and then the three essential steps for making decisions based on the FCM method was taken; determination of appropriate fuzzifier; controlling of Confusion Index (CI), and optimization of number of clusters using validation indices. It was shown that use of these validation indices would surely not lead to determination of optimal number of clusters and therefore a rational method was proposed.


&NA; Date Presented 3/31/2017 This systematic review used an ecocultural framework to synthesize qualitative data across 11 studies involving decision making of parents, teachers, and other adults around outdoor play for children with disabilities. Results highlight the complexity of the decision‐making process. Primary Author and Speaker: Julia Sterman Contributing Authors: Geraldine Naughton, Michelle Villeneuve, Elspeth Froude, Shirley Wyver, Kassia Beetham, Anita Bundy


Revegetation by planting shrubs on moving sand dunes is widely used to control desertification in arid/semi-arid areas. The soil including microbial community can gradually be improved along with plantation development. The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate the responses of microbial communities involved in the mineralization of soil organic phosphorus (OP) and dissolution of inorganic P (IOP) in the development of sand-fixating plantation and (2) to discuss the interactions between P turnover microbial communities and soil properties. We assessed the compositions of soil phoD gene (one of the Pho regulons encoding alkaline phosphomonoesterases) and gcd gene (encoding glucose dehydrogenase) in microbial community by using high-throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing in a chronosequence of Caragana microphylla plantations (0-, 10-, 20-, and 37-year plantations and a native C. microphylla shrub forest) in Horqin Sandy Land, Northeast China. Soil properties including soil nutrients, enzymatic activity, and P fractions were also determined. The abundance of phoD and gcd genes linearly increased with the plantation age. However, the diversity of soil phoD microbes was more abundant than that of gcd. The phoD gene abundance and the fractions of total OP and IOP were positively correlated with the activity of phosphomonoesterase. Actinobacteria and Streptomycetaceae were the dominant phoD taxa, while Proteobacteria and Rhizobiaceae were the dominant gcd taxa. Plantation development facilitated the progressive successions of soil phoD and gcd communities resulting from the increase in the abundance of dominant taxa. Total soil N, NH4-N, and available K were the main factors affecting the structures of phoD and gcd communities, while pH was not significantly influencing factor in such arid and nutrient-poor sandy soil. Many phoD or gcd OTUs were classified into Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium, suggesting the coupling relationship between soil P turnover and N fixation.


Over 14 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) have been consistently identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) as associated with glioma risk in European background. The extent to which and how these genetic variants can improve the prediction of glioma risk has was not been investigated. In this study, we employed three independent case-control datasets in Chinese populations, tested GWAS signals in dataset1, validated association results in dataset2, developed prediction models in dataset2 for the consistently replicated SNPs, refined the consistently replicated SNPs in dataset3 and developed tailored models for Chinese populations. For model construction, we aggregated the contribution of multiple SNPs into genetic risk scores (count GRS and weighed GRS) or predicted risks from logistic regression analyses (PRFLR). In dataset2, the area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of the 5 consistently replicated SNPs by PRFLR(SNPs) was 0.615, higher than those of all GRSs(ranging from 0.607 to 0.611, all P>0.05). The AUC of genetic profile significantly exceeded that of family history (fmc) alone (AUC=0.535, all P<0.001). The best model in our study comprised "PRURA +fmc" (AUC=0.646) in dataset3. Further model assessment analyses provided additional evidence. This study indicates that genetic markers have potential value for risk prediction of glioma.


The Ethics of Medical Practice. The General Medical Council. Consent. Transplantation of Organs and Tissues. Medical Negligence. Compensation: Industrial Injuries and Disease. The Legal Systems and Courts of Law (England and Wales). The Coroner System. Medical Reports and Certificates. The Doctor and the Dead Body. The Doctor at the Secene of Death. Identification. Sudden Natural Death. Injury and Death from Natural Agents. Wounding. Examination of Motor Vehicle Injuries. Asphyxia. Immersion and Drowning. Sexual Offences. Pregnancy and Abortion. Divorce and Nullity. Sterilisation, Artificial Insemination and in Vitro Fertilisation. Infant Deaths. Sudden Death Syndrome (SIDS). Child Abuse Syndrome. Neglect, Chronic Alcoholism and Drunkeness. The Drinking Driver. General Aspects of Poisoning. Drugs and the Doctor. Legals Aspects of Mental Disorders. Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Index


The purpose of the article is to develop the methodical apparatus of national wealth's assessment specifically the assessment of natural resources. In national wealth, there is a part that can be defined as a natural resource capital. In the paper methodical approach to its assessment for the territory if regional level is allocated. The general scheme of technique is introduced; examples of indicative indicators are given. At the heart of the offered technique, the principle of the indicative analysis is laid seven degrees of security with the natural resource capital are allocated for more exact classification. In the article, the basic elements of natural resource capital forming territories' condition are allocated dynamics of their change during 2000-2012 is given. The analytical part of the paper is based on the author's estimated data. The situation description of federal districts and some Russian Federation territorial subjects in the framework of natural resource capital security are provided; numerical values of the main indicative indicators are presented.


In response to Paul R. Gross's illuminating discussion of maternal inheritance and the cloning hysteria (Letters, 14 Apr., p. 126), Mitchel Sayare (Letters, 5 May, p. 486) contends that a literal replica of an individual would result" . . if the donor of the somatic nucleus were the same person as the source of the ovum." On a date so close to Mother's Day, the facts must be set straight. A truly identical copy of the donor of a nucleus would need to have developed under the influence of egg cytoplasm identical to that which influenced the donor's development. Therefore, the production of exact copies is not limited to persons capable of oogenesis, but to those with living mothers. Since the size of a woman's oocyte pool declines progressively from a maximum attained before birth, and since human oocytes apparently undergo senescence, as indicated by the increase in chromosomal nondisjunction with age, the candidates for exact duplication may be further restricted to those with young mothers, a category which presumably excludes millionaires in their 60's. RALPH A. SORENSEN Department ofBiology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325


Rafik Skaf

Dr Rafik Skaf, who retired in January 1988, worked for 23 years at FAO where since 1980, he was Director of the 'Locusts, Migrating Pests and Emergency Operations Group'. He was previously Director of Plant Protection for 16 years in Syria, his native country.

A new wave of an old menace is threatening Africa. After the drought and the grasshoppers, it is now the migrating locusts that are invading sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb. However, this imminent disaster was predictable and could have been avoided. People more than fate are largely responsible for this 'disaster in the making'.

The last major invasion of migratory locusts ended in 1963. Since then, the preventative action plan implemented with the help of FAO enabled crop damage to be kept to a minimum. The swarms of locusts sighted were systematically destroyed by the application of a powerful pesticide, dieldrin.

This product is not only very efficient but also inexpensive. In fact, it has a strong residual effect, remaining active more than a month, and the required doses are low: 20-30 g of active ingredient per hectare. Applications in bands spaced several hundred metres apart suffice to kill the locusts, particularly their larvae, over vast zones.

Dieldrin is certainly very toxic for mammals and birds but the applications are done only in deserted arid regions where locusts are found when they are not migrating. There have been no human deaths attributed to such use of dieldrin since it began to be used 30 years ano.

The fact is that there is no ready alternative to this chemical: studies are under way but no new product will be available for a year or two. However, environmental considerations over the past few years have prompted several countries, such as those in North Africa, to ban its use in agriculture. Not having suffered from locust invasions, the effect of this ban was hardly noticed. Furthermore, the drought between 1983 and 1985 resulted in the lowest recorded levels of locusts in more than 50 years.

Since September 1985, however, favourable climatic conditions have facilitated their rapid multiplication along the coasts of the Red Sea. Control programmes have not been able to eliminate these populations entirely because military considerations (notably in Eritrea) meant that not all infested regions could be treated.

During the summer of 1986, the locusts continued to reproduce in Sudan and Mauritania. Some control efforts were made but there was little use of dieldrin. The countries concerned mostly used organophosphates supplied by the international community to control the grasshoppers that constituted a serious threat that year. From June to September 1987, the abundant rains that fell in northwest Sudan and northeast Chad favoured a new explosion of this serious pest. In August 1987, the concentration of locusts in northern Chad was the only opportunity to destroy them in order to prevent the looming invasion. Unfortunately, this opportunity was not used.

During the meeting of donors and governments in Rome, specialists proposed the elimination of these menacing swarms by applying dieldrin in bands. This operation would have meant 15 days of treatment by a large aircraft at a cost of about half a million dollars. Some donors, such as the USA and several northern European countries, preferred a month-long operation involving several large aircraft and costing about six million dollars...

By refusing to sanction the use of dieldrin, they effectively recommended the use of fenitrothion, an insecticide with low persistence that kills only those insects directly sprayed. The infested zones must therefore be treated in their entirety, which requires much larger quantities of insecticide and greater transport facilities.

This was a practically impossible task in such vast (500,000 ha) and isolated areas. The locusts that escaped treatment were thus able to continue their migration towards the west reaching Niger and Mali and, in October, Morocco. These countries were then obliged to organize intensive efforts, costing several million dollars, to stop the locusts from invading their cultivated areas. Algeria was also forced to treat some locusts that arrived in the southern part of its territory.

At the same time, other locust swarms formed and invaded Mauritania in the first months of 1988. Land-based control operations were undertaken but it quickly became obvious to FAO (which subsequently advised the Mauritanian government) that only dieldrin treatment in bands over the entire affected region could control the invasion. But as in Chad, Niger, and Mali, the donors persuaded the government not to use dieldrin.

When the first rains arrived in March, these locusts migrated from Mauritania towards Morocco and Algeria, which were forced to launch a second control programme. When the rainy season arrives, it will be the sub-Saharan countries that will be next in line. No-one knows yet just where and when this invasion will stop given the great ability of locusts to travel. A new generalized invasion seems imminent and it will only be able to be stopped at prohibitive cost. Furthermore, the application of massive doses of insecticides over inhabited areas which will be needed also poses risks for the environment which are much more dangerous than the proposed use of dieldrin in the desert

In fact, whether due to lack of information or understanding, the decision-makers have saved the locusts by refusing to sanction the use of control measures that have previously proven their effectiveness. The situation is now urgent and there is no time left to beat about the bush. Several countries still have dieldrin stocks and the means to apply them. They must be able to do so without being advised otherwise by countries that have nothing to fear from locust invasions

There is no time left to mince words: do we have the right to let famine return to these already impoverished regions under the pretext of nature conservation? Is not an ear of corn grown to help feed one's family worth at least as much as a desert thornbush? When human lives are at stake, people must assume responsibility for their decisions in full knowledge of their impact.


When a company faced with financial difficulties finally enters formal insolvency, several creditor interests are affected. However, the relationship between employees and their employer is more threatened as companies faced with insolvency usually consider cutting labour costs as a mode of restructuring. Other stakeholder interests and mutual expectations such as continuity of employment may be severely altered or cease to exist completely where the company is either liquidated or sold as a going concern. This may prompt various parties with interests in that company to pursue and recover their interests against the debtor company. However, secured creditors such as banks with privately agreed contractual arrangements may choose to pursue their interests by exercising those contractual rights, usually to the detriment of general unsecured creditors like employees. This raises questions as to whose interest should insolvency law seek to protect on corporate insolvency? In other words, what the legitimate aim or goal of insolvency is or ought to be on corporate insolvency. This article will analyse two insolvency specific theories namely; the Creditors' Bargain Theory (CBT) and the Team Production Theory of Corporate Reorganizations (TPT) and two general theories namely; Marxist Legal Theory and Dworkin's Interpretative Theory of Law, to examine their normative position on the treatment of employees on corporate insolvency and the impact they would impose on the drive to rescue insolvent but viable businesses. The two general theories (Marxist Legal Theory and Dworkin's Interpretative Theory) will be analysed in light of insolvencies to establish whether their normative perspectives may inform law and policy justifications on corporate insolvency in a non–specific insolvency perspective. The article will conclude by analysing what the legitimate goal of insolvency law ought to be if a balanced approach to stakeholder interest consideration is to be reached.


A double-cross method was applied to improve yield and fruit qualities, as well as storage life of Malaysian 'Eksotika' papayas. A non-indigenous papaya, 'PR217' was chosen as one of the parents to provide a wider genetic base. It has very small fruits (about 200 g per fruit), is a dwarf (0.5 m plant height at the first flowering stage) and has longer storage life compared to 'Eksotika'. Besides providing a wide genetic base, a double-cross method can enhance expression of heterosis. Two double-cross hybrids, i.e., [Eksotika II × (Line 19 × PR217)] and [(Sekaki × Line 20) × (Line 19 × PR217)] were generated and evaluated together with 'Eksotika', 'Eksotika II' and 'Line 19'. The double cross [Eksotika II × (Line 19 × PR217)] shows improved overall desirable traits compared to the other four genotypes. It has higher yield (34 kg
plant-1 year-1), T.S.S. (13.6%) and longer shelf-life (6.3 days from Index 2 to 5 - eating stage) compared to 'Eksotika', 30 kg plant-1 year-1, TSS = 11.6% and 4.5 days, respectively. It also has better fruit appearance with minimal freckles on the skin compared to 'Eksotika'.


Global Organized Crime and International Security Edited by Emilio C. Viano (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, 1999) 240 pp. Global Organized Crime and International Security puts together many of the important and contested issues from the current research on global organized crime--the causes of this phenomenon, its recent development, its effects on the political, economic and social structures of the countries it affects, and proposed counter-measures. The book consists of 16 chapters, organized in three parts: the introduction and the chapters in the first part present some of the theoretical issues, which are addressed in more detail with the case studies in the second part and the third part, which presents some initial steps taken towards solving the problems. The 24 authors hail from nine countries and have multiple qualifications (in international relations, law and criminology) and area expertise that illustrate the benefits of discussing organized crime from a political, economic and legal viewpoint. At the same time, however, this diversity contributes to the lack of focus of the book. The purpose of the book is to offer a framework for assessing the economic and political linkages underlying organized crime and its globalization, while the emphasis is on how the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union in particular have boosted development of global organized crime. This phenomenon is defined as one of the most serious threats to international security at present, and has led to a slew of new literature on the issue, which has focused mainly on the supply and demand and the illicit trafficking of nuclear weapons-usable materiel from the former Soviet Union. Viano's book is an additional sign of the heightened concern of policy makers and academics alike about the problems posed by organized crime, a concern which has led Mr. Pino Arlacchi, UN Under-Secretary General, to make this the lead issue at a special UN meeting to be held in 2000. The book is consistent with one of the dominant approaches in the existing literature on organized crime--an economic-political one--which views it as an entrepreneurial activity whose main goal is the pursuit of profit Organization of this activity results from the desire to be more efficient and make bigger profits. Organized crime is thus best understood in economic and political, not just legal terms. In this connection, the contributors to this volume discuss important aspects of organized crime and its globalization. Organized crime has become a "worldwide phenomenon that has taken great advantage of enabling technology in banking, communication, and transportation to build what is probably the first true `virtual' corporation in the world" and is now a threat to national and world security That is, it is a: system of transnational alliances with the potential to destabilize democratic values and institutions; distort regional, if not worldwide, economies; and subvert the international order by allying itself with terrorist organizations, rogue states, and developing countries in search of rapid industrialization and market dominance. The authors of this project have set up an ambitious agenda: First, to share new research findings on the most recent trends in the globalization of organized crime; Second, to analyze the consequences of global organized crime and the corresponding strategies to fight organized crime that states and international organizations such as the United Nations; Third, to facilitate the understanding of the complexity of this phenomenon. The thread that binds all the chapters is the emphasis on the need for a cooperative and transnational approach to the problem of organized crime. Viano repeatedly states that there is a need for "redefining security" He states that effective counter-measures against global organized crime necessitate a transnational approach to security and a re-examination of national legal systems, as no country can cope alone with the challenges of global organized crime. …