Proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint fracture-subluxations represent a small component of hyperextension injuries to the finger. Six unstable PIP fracture-subluxations that were not amenable to nonoperative treatment underwent open reduction and internal fixation. Among the patients, the technique of open reduction and internal fixation with temporary transarticular K-wire fixation and early protected range of motion has been found to result in a good range of motion with minimal complaints on follow-up.


Donald T. Nicolaisen (1944–2019) was an internationalist, a progressive thinker, and a leader of the U.S. accounting profession. This memorial article traces Nicolaisen's early education and career in the Milwaukee office of Price Waterhouse & Co. in the 1960s, his rise to partner and eventual transfer to the firm's national office in New York City in the 1970s, and his appointment and tenure as the Chief Accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission in the early 2000s. During his time as the Chief Accountant, Nicolaisen laid the groundwork for the lifting of the reconciliation requirement for foreign private issuers traded on American stock exchanges; the implantation of Sarbanes-Oxley's internal control reporting requirements; and the introduction of XBRL for companies' annual filings with the Commission. Through these initiatives, Nicolaisen leaves behind a legacy of improving both the quality of financial reporting and the efficiency of U.S. capital markets.
 JEL Classifications: M41; M42; M48.


The computation of total transfer capability (TTC) is a significant task in the new power system deregulated environment. In this paper, assumptions and considerations used throughout the study are indicated first, a framework for TTC calculation is then presented. A 4-bus test power system is used to demonstrate TTC calculation followed by further discussion,


A board and multi-chip module (MCM) manufacturing test simulator (MTSIM) is described, MTSIM is a concurrent engineering tool used to simulate the manufacturing test and repair aspects of boards and MCMs from design concept through manufacturing release. MTSIM helps designers select assembly process, specify, design for test (DFT) features, select board test coverage specify ASIC defect level goals, establish product feasibility, and predict manufacturing quality and cost goals. MTSIM was implemented in the Mentor Graphics Falcon framework at Colorado State University (CSU) and validated with high performance assemblies at Hewlett-Packard (HP). MTSIM is a step towards the simulation of the whole board/MCM assembly factory.


Ribonucleotide reductases provide the building blocks for DNA synthesis. Three classes of enzymes are known, differing widely in amino acid sequence but with similar structural motives and allosteric regulation. Class I occurs in eukaryotes and aerobic prokaryotes, class II occurs in aerobic and anaerobic prokaryotes, and class III occurs in anaerobic prokaryotes. The eukaryote Euglena gracilis contains a class II enzyme (Gleason, F. K., and Hogenkamp, H. P. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 4894–4899) and, thus, forms an exception. Class II enzymes depend on vitamin B12 for their activity. We purified the reductase from Euglena cells, determined partial peptide sequences, identified its cDNA, and purified the recombinant enzyme. Its amino acid sequence and general properties, including its allosteric behavior, were similar to the class II reductase from Lactobacillus leichmannii. Both enzymes belong to a distinct small group of reductases that unlike all other homodimeric reductases are monomeric. They compensate the loss of the second polypeptide of dimeric enzymes by a large insertion in the monomeric chain. Data base searching and sequence comparison revealed a homolog from the eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum as the closest relative to the Euglena reductase, suggesting that the class II enzyme was present in a common, B12-dependent, eukaryote ancestor.


The article resumes the results of 55th space years. It narrates about happened important events as the North Korea progress in a start of own satellite, work of American space apparatus «Curiosity» on Mars's atmosphere research, starts of science research by probes GRAIL-A (Ebb) and GRAIL-B (Flow) to the Moon's orbit, a flight of the Chinese spaceship «Shenzhou» and its successful doking with the orbital module «Tiangong-1», the Chinese interplanetary probe «Chang'E-1» mission to take photographs of Toutatis asteroid photos, a start of commercial exploitation of transport ships «Dragon», a finish of American interplanetary probe «Down» work on the asteroid «Vesta» researches and a start of asteroid «Ceres» researches, exit of the interplanetary probe «Voyager-1» to the Solar system limit.


We formulate and apply a three-body Glauber model and an adiabatic theory, as alternative approaches to the DWBA method, to study breakup and charge exchange reactions of loosely bound nuclei. The theories derive full finite-range transition amplitudes, which incorporate three-body effects. The formulated Glauber three-body breakup transition amplitude is applied to the (d, pn) deuteron breakup reaction. Three-body s-wave breakup calculations are performed to analyse 260 MeV 63Cu(d, pn) and 270 MeV 12C(d, pn) reaction differential cross-section data. The calculations describe the data fairly well, for low p-n relative energies. The adiabatic theory, in a special limit, is applied to enable computational checks of the Glauber three-body breakup calculations, and for estimation of non-s-wave breakup contributions to the (d, pn) reaction. An adiabatic theory of Coulomb breakup is presented which derives a closed-form adiabatic transition amplitude for Coulomb breakup. Calculations describe deuteron breakup at forward angles at 56, 140 and 270 MeV reasonably well. Previous DWBA analyses are also discussed, and assumptions made in those DWBA calculations are discussed critically. The three-body Glauber model is extended to study the (d, pp) charge-exchange reaction. Three-body effects in the 12C(d, pp)12B reaction are investigated by comparing Glauber calculations with their DWBA limits. The results indicate that these three-body effects are significant and might be responsible for ad hoc modifications needed in DWBA analyses of the same reaction.


The First Workshop on Graph Learning aims to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to discuss recent advances and core challenges of graph learning. This workshop will be established as a platform for multiple disciplines such as computer science, applied mathematics, physics, social sciences, data science, complex networks, and systems engineering. Core challenges in regard to theory, methodology, and applications of graph learning will be the main center of discussions at the workshop.


A system wide dynamic performance monitoring system (DPMS) using microcomputer technologies is presented. Design concepts are discussed to meet the system requirements. Special features such as oscillation detection and simultaneous recordings at several remote stations are proposed to capture overall system responses. The effectiveness of the DPMS is shown as compared with other field-test records. At present, the DPMS provides very valuable information about system analysis, planning and operations. >


Francis J. CARMODY: Physiologus Latinus. Editions pre'liminaires, versio B. Pp. 61. Paris: Droz, 1939. Paper. THE Greek text of Physiologus has been put on a sound basis in all its three principal versions by Sbordone in his recent book; but the Latin text, often as it has been studied, still wants a deal of doing to. It is found in three main versions, not corresponding however to those in the Greek; and each of these has at least one ninth-century MS.—older, that is to say, than any known MS. of the Greek text. Two of these, one in Beme (B) and one in Brussels (A), were carefully studied by Charles Cahier some eighty years ago; the third, a Monacensis, awaits transcription, save that Sbordone included seven of its chapters in his book. The present booklet contains a transcription of B, along with a careful collation of twenty other manuscripts of the same family, the most interesting of these being a ninth-century one in the Bodleian (Z), uncollated hitherto. Here and there the text is manifestly improved by Mr. Carmody's labours; in the chapter on Perdix, for instance, Sbordone gave fraudis suae pretium [multarum], but we may now read multatur. For no obvious reason Mr. Carmody changes the names of certain well-known manuscripts. The two Monacenses which he calls Y, Y,, have been known for years (and to Sbordone) as M and N; these two old and important manuscripts Mr. Carmody promises to collate and edit as his next undertaking.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and is part of a massive and growing health care burden that is destroying the cognitive function of more than 50 million individuals worldwide. Today, therapeutic options are limited to approaches with mild symptomatic benefits. The failure in developing effective drugs is attributed to, but not limited to the highly heterogeneous nature of AD with multiple underlying hypotheses and multifactorial pathology. In addition, targeted drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS), for the diagnosis and therapy of neurological diseases like AD, is restricted by the challenges posed by blood-brain interfaces surrounding the CNS, limiting the bioavailability of therapeutics. Research done over the last decade has focused on developing new strategies to overcome these limitations and successfully deliver drugs to the CNS. Nanoparticles, that are capable of encapsulating drugs with sustained drug release profiles and adjustable physiochemical properties, can cross the protective barriers surrounding the CNS. Thus, nanotechnology offers new hope for AD treatment as a strong alternative to conventional drug delivery mechanisms. In this review, potential application of nanoparticle based approaches in Alzheimer's disease and their implications in therapy is discussed.


Information and Communication Technology continues to be dispersed at a very rapid rate all over the world driving all the sectors of human endeavors. E-therapy is a new therapeutic modality aimed at assisting clients to resolve life and relationship issues through electronic means, synchronous or asynchronous. E-therapy, often called a variety of names including online practice, e-counseling, web-based therapy, web-based counseling, e-mail counseling, internet therapy, and therap-e-mail is a process of interacting with a therapist online in ongoing conversations over time when the client and counselor are in separate or remote locations and utilize electronic means to communicate with each other. This paper examines etherapy as a contemporary tool in clinical practice; consider its types and practicality, advantages and disadvantages, guidelines/ethical issues surrounding e-therapy, and prospects for use in Nigerian clinical settings.


The Zuccale Fault, central‐eastern Elba Island, has been regarded since the 1990s as a low‐angle normal fault that records Neogene crustal extension in the inner (Tyrrhenian side) portion of the northern Apennines. The flat‐lying attitude of the fault zone and the strong excision of thick nappes were the main reasons for this interpretation. Previous structural and petrographic studies have focused primarily on the fault rocks themselves without map‐scale investigation of the structural setting and deformation structures in the hanging wall and footwall blocks. Furthermore, despite the complex history proposed for the Zuccale Fault, the timing of deformation has not yet been constrained by radiometric age data. We present the findings of recent geological studies on eastern Elba Island that provide significant new insight on the nature and tectonic significance of the Zuccale Fault. We document in detail the architecture of breccias and cataclasites that comprise the Zuccale Fault. Our new observations are consistent with a purely brittle deformation zone that crosscuts older early‐middle and late Miocene regional and local tectonic structures. The activity on the fault postdates emplacement of the late Miocene Porto Azzurro pluton, and it displaces a previously formed nappe stack ~6 km eastward without any footwall exhumation or hanging wall block rotation. These new data raise questions about the development of misoriented faults in the upper crust.


A unique and highly versatile technique, stress echocardiography (SE) is increasingly recognized for its utility in the evaluation of non-ischaemic heart disease. SE allows for simultaneous assessment of myocardial function and haemodynamics under physiological or pharmacological conditions. Due to its diagnostic and prognostic value, SE has become widely implemented to assess various conditions other than ischaemic heart disease. It has thus become essential to establish guidance for its applications and performance in the area of non-ischaemic heart disease. This paper summarizes these recommendations.


The previous Australian timber design workshops were structured in a manner that divided the participants into 2 streams. One stream following a prescriptive series lectures and tours, the other focused on making a small public building. Doing everything-from design to completion.
The ATDW 05 has just one stream-That starts off with three prescriptive days followed by a day of reflection. Participants then embark on building an experimental structure that continues the learning and allows for outcomes to be determined by the participants.

Aims of ATDW 05
1. Learning by making extends and enhances design skills to include knowledge of construction and structure.
2. The aim of this experience is collaboration, to discover the sum of many contributions* makes a richer whole.
3. The final aim is to allow a team of participants to take unconditional responsibility to produce a finished product.

Introduction-Breaking Timber samples.
A. 20 90x35 samples of pine and hardwood where broken in front of participants.
Failure mode, sloping grain, density and ultimate load where all discussed on a sample-by-sample basis. Then all the samples where visually graded and the order compared to the order based on ultimate load. There was a good correlation.

B. 1 plywood box beam, 1 LVL beam, 1 I beam &1 LVL concrete composite where tested to destruction. During the tests the different engineered timber products where compared. Failure mode and deflection data played key roles in the discussion and discovery.

C. Building Plywood Box Beams as part of the fabrication of 2 grillage structures.
1. The first grillage consists of 24 box beams, about 300 x50mm and 2.4 meters long. When assembled they form a simple vaulted grillage capable of spanning 10.5 meters.
2.The second grillage consists of smaller box beams, about 120x20mm and 1.2 meters long, assembled into a 3.6 meter structure and tested to failure. This simple structure took 800 kg before it failed. All participants where surprised at the result. The second grillage was built to demonstrate the behaviour of the grillage system under load-to get a 'feel' for the potential loads and spans.

D. Building Portal
After a discussion and demonstration of portal frame action the participants built 2 small "sheds". Each shed consisted of 2 portal frames connected by girts and bracing. The connection was a 12mm plywood gusset. Special attention was payed to the design of the nailing pattern and size of the gusset. Each shed was put into the test rig and tested to failure. Both sheds took excess of 4 tonns before failure occurred. In both cases it was the gusset that was the point of failure, which was also the desirable mode of failure.
Peter Yttrup provided insightful professional explanation of structural behaviour.


This paper shows the strategic aspects of international outsourcing in a duopolistic market. Due to different costs of integrated production and outsourcing, the choice of a firm influences the strategy of the competitor via the output price. Therefore, the resulting market constellation depends on the fixed costs and the difference between marginal costs. We show that the three market constellations, both firms produce integrated, both use outsourcing and the firms operate with different strategies are possible. Also the welfare effects of the different outcomes are analysed. If the optimal firms decision is characterized by different strategies, this constellations for given costs is pareto superior to a constellation with equal strategies. On the other hand, for given costs, a resulting constellation of equal strategies can be pareto inferior or pareto superior to a constellation with different strategies. JEL classification: D43, L13, L22, L23, L24


There is a need to predict the working shape and hook depth of trolling line with sufficient accuracy to manufacture an effective and environmentally friendly trolling line for hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) fishing. We developed two numerical methods: static and dynamic (mass-spring) analyses. The static method provides a prediction of the gear shape in space under an equilibrium configuration, whereas the dynamic analysis provides a prediction of underwater shape in space and time. To understand the underwater performance of trolling line under different fishing conditions, we prepared two small-scale model gears and performed in two separate experiments. The first test was conducted to determine the hook drag coefficient. Second, two trolling line models rigged with 0.13 kg and 0.26 kg sinkers were towed at speeds ranging from 1.2 to 1.5 ms‑1 in a flume tank. Images of models at equilibrium were captured, analyzed using a photo digitizer, and compared with predicted values using two numerical methods. We confirmed that the measured data showed close agreement (mean errors within ±5%) with the data calculated by the numerical methods. At the post-verification stage, several simulation trials were also performed on computers using the VB6 coding software and graphic tools for models, as well as for a full-scale hairtail trolling line. Prominent factors that influenced the hook depth considered in the simulations were sinker weight, warp line length, towing speed, and tidal currents. Both model tests and simulation results confirmed that the gear shape, hook depth, and the spatial positions of the gear elements depended on sinker weight, towing speed, warp line length, and tidal currents in the fishing area. Thus, target hook depth can be achieved by the combination of controlling warp line length and sinker weight for any specific towing speed.


Summary Iterative data-domain least-squares migration can overcome acquisition limitations and recover the reflectivity for desired amplitudes and resolutions. However, migration noise due to velocity errors and multiple scattering energy related to strong contrasts in the velocity model can be erroneously enhanced as well. In this complex case, many extra iterations are needed to achieve the final desired image. Regularization can be applied at each least-squares iteration in order to suppress migration artifacts and improve inversion efficiency. However, in sedimentary layers, without proper fault constraints, the regularization cannot preserve the real geological features in the image. In this work, we propose to use convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to automatically detect faults on the migration image first, and then to use the picked fault information as a weighting function for regularization during least-squares migration. With proper training, our 3D predictive model can learn to detect true fault features and avoid erroneous picks of swing noise on the validation dataset. An offshore Brazil field data example in the Santos Basin demonstrates that our final least-squares migration images show enhanced fault structure, minimized migration artifacts, significantly increased image bandwidth and improved illumination after only a few iterations.


The daily geographies of consumption represent some of the most ecologically important and economically complex frontiers for critical research. Among these, the turfgrass lawn is perhaps the most overlooked, owing to its very ordinariness. Despite the serious risks posed to human health and ecosystem viability by high-input lawn systems, little critical scholarship has engaged the lawn, especially as a structured economic phenomenon. This paper explores the forces and political economic conditions under which the lawn is produced, promulgated, and resisted in North America. In the process, we draw attention to the deeply structured economic impetus behind the direct sale of potentially toxic chemicals to urban dwellers. Based on survey research and a review of the industry, we argue (1) that chemical demand is driven by urban growth and classed aesthetics, (2) that direct and aggressive sales of chemicals to consumers are spurred by crises in the chemical-formulator industry, (3) that the search for consumer-lawn markets is driven by declining margins in the worldwide chemical trade, and (4) that counterinstitutional struggles against high-input lawns represent a salvo against otherwise abstract and daunting cultural-economic hegemony.


Functionally Gradient Material (FGM) may have a controlled variation of the
material matrix so as to obtain the desired distribution of the properties such as
color, density, porosity, hardness, toughness etc. There is a growing interest in FGMs
due to their ability to offer high toughness, high strength, machinability, better
resistance to corrosion and oxidation effects, and facilitating bonding of metals
without severe internal thermal stresses. However, actual realization of FGMs still
remains a challenge. Most naturally occurring objects are gradient in nature; examples
are bamboo, bone, stone etc. Most man-made objects on the other hand are uniform.
This is mainly due to the complexity involved in their design and subsequent
manufacturing.
The objects built through Additive Manufacturing techniques are inhomogeneous or
non-uniform, i.e., they are inherently anisotropic. When this inherent nature is
carefully exploited, the anisotropy transforms into the desired distribution of the
properties. Weld-deposition based Additive Manufacturing techniques offer unique
advantages on that front due to their ability to control the properties of the
deposited matrix by controlling the process parameters like current, layer thickness
etc. Preliminary experiments carried out this subject have shown that the hardness
of the material is dependent on the weld-deposition current. Hence, online control
of the same will help in manufacturing a metal matrix with variable hardness value.
The variation possible through this method however will be limited in nature. A wider
control of material properties can be obtained with the help of tandem weld-deposition
setup like twin-wire. In twin-wire weld-deposition, two filler wires (electrodes) are
guided separately and it is possible to control each filler wire individually. The present
work focuses on obtaining a wide range of material properties by selecting filler wires
with complementary properties and controlling the deposition rate of each of them
separately. The experimental setup of Twin-wire Weld-deposition based Additive Manufacturing
(TWAM) are discussed in detail. Working principle of twin-wire weld-deposition
process along with the individual attachments viz. welding torch, wire feeder and

power source are also presented. ER70S-6 and ER110S-G are the two filler wires used
for the study; the former has lower hardness than the latter.
The range of process parameter for different combinations of these filler wires was
determined and the operating range of the same was identified. A second order
regression equation for predicting weld bead geometry of width and height as a
function of wire speed and torch speed was generated based on a series of experiments
and subsequently validated. Subsequently, the criterion for adapting the twin-wire
welding from joining to weld-deposition of a complete layer like thermal steady-state
condition, effect of torch direction and effect of overlapping beads have also been
studied.
Having established the primary process parameters and the secondary operating
condition for the TWAM process, various experiments carried out to identify the
suitable process parameters at a given location for a desired variation of hardness have
been presented. A predictive model for obtaining the wire speed of the filler wires
required for a desired value of hardness was also created. The following four sample
layers were fabricated to demonstrate the concept of realizing FGMs through TWAM
(1) gradient in stepover direction (2) gradient in weld-deposition direction and (3)
gradient in both the directions (4) gradient in three dimensions. The latter two as the
hardness variation is occurring in every weld-bead, a given weld-bead has to be
divided into multiple sub-programs and each sub-program representing the particular
set of process parameters has to be called from the robot controller. The fabricated
parts showed good match with the desired hardness values for a given location.
Furthermore, to demonstrate the possible applications of TWAM, two illustrative
examples were fabricated.
Once the methodology for fabrication of FGMs has been established, characterization
of objects fabricated through TWAM have been undertaken. Specimen made with five
different combinations of filler wires {100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100} were used
for the analysis. These specimen were examined further by subjecting them to micro
hardness, microstructural, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Energy Dispersive X-ray
analysis (EDAX) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Further on, the width of the

transition region while switching over from one set of parameters to another was also
investigated. That will help in assessing the best possible resolution of the gradient
matrix possible.
Modelling of the welding process is felt necessary to understand the evolution of the
material properties and to better control the thermal and structural characteristics like
residual stresses resulting from the process. With the help of Finite Element Analysis
(FEA) and experimental methods, the effect of area filling paths on the residual
stresses developed during weld-deposition have been investigated. Three area-filling
patterns viz. raster, spiral-in and spiral-out were chosen. FEA for these three patterns
was done using ANSYS Mechanical APDL. The twin-wire arc weld-deposition was
modeled as a set of two moving heat sources separated at a fixed distance. The
deposited material was activated by element birth method once the arc passes over a
location, simulating the weld material deposition. The temperature gradient induced
residual stresses produced during and post material deposition were predicted using
passively coupled thermo-mechanical simulations. For validation, the residual stresses
in the weld-deposition specimen were measured using an X-ray diffraction (XRD)
system. Temperature distribution plays a critical role in the evolution of the residual
stresses during weld-deposition. Hence, two metrics viz., thermal mismatch profile
and secant-temperature rate were introduced to quantify preheat and conduction. It
was observed that raster patterns had the lowest thermal mismatch and secant-rates
resulting in lowest residual stresses of the three area-fill patterns. Residual stresses
from experiments are of the same order as those obtained from elastic-FE simulations,
however, with a low accuracy of the prediction. Hence, these cannot be directly used
for investigating the residual stresses developed. Nevertheless, for comparing the
various area-fill patterns, these simulations can provide preliminary insights.
With a combination of (1) process parameter study of twin wire deposition, (2)
manufacturing of gradient objects, (3) characterization of gradient layers, (4)
modelling of twin wire deposition process, this research attempt tries to establish twinwire weld-deposition based additive manufacturing as the viable method for the
manufacture of functionally gradient materials.


The presence of calcium phosphate invert glass-ceramic (designated as CPIG) layer on the surface of artificial implant products can improve the bonding between these products and bones. In this study, the morphology of the CPIG layer on the surface of a /3-type titanium alloy, Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr (TNTZ), was investigated for biomaterial applications by a dip-coating treatment. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of TNTZ coated with the CPIG layer were also investigated. In the CPIG layer, a compositionally gradient zone with a thickness of approximately 2.0 μm exists on the surface of the TNTZ. The titanium concentration in the zone increases with the decreasing distance from the CPIG surface toward the base materials. On the other hand, calcium and phosphorus concentrations in the zone increase with the distance from the TNTZ surface. The tensile bonding strength between TNTZ and the CPIG layer is 25 MPa and that between aged TNTZ and the CPIG layer is 18.6 MPa. For easily understanding the change in mechanical properties by a dip-coating treatment, the values of those on TNTZ and TNTZ coated with CPIG layer were shown as follows. The tensile strength increases remarkably by a dip-coating treatment as compared with that of as-solutionized TNTZ while the elongation is a reverse trend. Young's modulus of TNTZ and aged TNTZ coated with the CPIG increases by 15 to to 27GPa after the dip-coating treatment as compared with that of as-solutionized TNTZ (approximately 60GPa). The fatigue limit of TNTZ coated with the CPIG layer is nearly equal to that (approximately 300 MPa) of as-solutionized TNTZ. On the other hand, the fatigue limit of aged TNTZ coated with the CPIG layer is a 100 MPa higher than that of as-solutionized TNTZ.


Oral cancer accounts for 2-3% of all malignancies and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. On the other hand, "oxidative stress" implies a cellular state whereby reactive oxygen species (ROS) production exceeds its metabolism resulting in excessive ROS accumulation and overwhelmed cellular defenses. Such a state has been shown to be involved in the multistage process of human carcinogenesis (including oral cancer) via many different mechanisms. Amongst them are ROS-induced oxidative modifications on major cellular macromolecules like DNA, proteins and lipids with the resulting byproducts being involved in the pathophysiology of human oral malignant and pre-malignant lesions. Throughout this manuscript, we review the current state of knowledge on the role of these oxidative-modified cellular byproducts in serving as reliable biomarkers for oral cancer detection, prognosis and diagnosis.


The central nervous system contains several populations of mononuclear phagocytes. Principal amongst these are the tissue-resident microglia. These cells are considered to derive from circulating blood progenitors that colonise the developing human nervous system in the second trimester of fetal life. They first appear as amoeboid forms and gradually differentiate to process-bearing 'ramified' forms with maturation. Signals driving this transformation are known to be partly derived from astrocytes in vitro, and amoeboid microglial cells progressively ramify when co-cultured with astrocytes, mirroring the 'differentiation' of microglia in situ during development. In the adult, microglia occupy distinct non-overlapping territories in their ramified conformations, and are capable of 'dedifferentiating' to their activated amoeboid morphological states in a number of pathological circumstances. This is in keeping with the capacity of these cells for a rapid response to inflammatory cues in the CNS. The interchangeable morphological continuum of these cells supports the view that microglia represent a single heterogeneous population of resident mononuclear phagocytes capable of marked plasticity. This review will discuss signals that drive the colonisation, differentiation and ramification of microglia, and examines hypothetical models for their spatial distribution in the adult nervous system.


This article seeks to contribute to theory and research on factors that shape public preferences for juvenile justice policy. To this end, it tests the argument that perceptions about juvenile crime, an instrumental concern, will influence individuals' willingness to vote for policymakers who support transfer of youth to adult court and, separately, for policymakers who support rehabilitation. It also tests the hypothesis that the identified effect will be greater among Whites, political conservatives, and, in particular, White political conservatives. The study employs multivariate regression analyses using survey data that are unique in including information about voter preferences. Results of the analyses suggest partial support for the hypotheses. The findings underscore the salience of examining voter preferences, and of taking into account the intersection of race and political orientations, in seeking to understand public views about crime and justice policy.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze different behaviors between long-term options' implied volatilities and realized volatilities.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a widely adopted short interest rate model that describes a stochastic process of the short interest rate to capture interest rate risk. Price a long-term option by a system of two stochastic processes to capture both underlying asset and interest rate volatilities. Model capital charges according to the Basel III regulatory specified approach. S&P 500 index and relevant data are used to illustrate how the proposed model works. Coup with the low interest rate scenario by first choosing an optimal time segment obtained by a multiple change-point detection method, and then using the data from the chosen time segment to estimate the CIR model parameters, and finally obtaining the final option price by incorporating the capital charge costs.

Findings
Monotonic increase in long-term option implied volatility can be explained mainly by interest rate risk, and the level of implied volatility can be explained by various valuation adjustments, particularly risk capital costs, which differ from existing published literatures that typically explained the differences in behaviors of long-term implied volatilities by the volatility of volatility or risk premium. The empirical results well explain long-term volatility behaviors.

Research limitations/implications
The authors only consider the market risk capital in this paper for demonstration purpose. Dealers may price the long-term options with the credit risk. It appears that other than the market risks such as underlying asset volatility and interest rate volatility, the market risk capital is a main nonmarket risk factor that significantly affects the long-term option prices.

Practical implications
Analysis helps readers and/or users of long-term options to understand why long-term option implied equity volatilities are much higher than observed. The framework offered in the paper provides some guidance if one would like to check if a long-term option is priced reasonable.

Originality/value
It is the first time to analyze mathematically long-term options' volatility behavior in comparison with historically observed volatility.


This paper proposes a new approach to factor modeling based on the long-run equilibrium relation between prices and related drivers of risk (integrated factors). We show that such relationship reveals an omitted variable in standard factor models for returns that we label as Equilibrium Correction Term (ECT). Omission of this term implies misspecification of every factor model for which the equilibrium (cointegrating) relation holds. The existence of this term implies short-run mispricing that disappears in the long-run. Such evidence of persistent but stationary idiosyncratic risk in prices is consistent with deviations from rational expectations. Its inclusion in a traditional factor model improves remarkably the performance of the model along several dimensions. Furthermore, the ECT -being predictive- has strong implications for risk measurement and portfolio allocation. A zero-cost investment strategy that consistently exploits temporary idiosyncratic mispricing earns an average annual excess return of 6.21%, mostly unspanned by existing factors. Keywords: Asset Pricing, Asset Returns, Equilibrium Correction Term, Dynamic Factor Structure JEL Codes: G11, G17


Soccer is one of the most popular sports globally, and the amount of soccer-related content worldwide, including video footage, audio commentary, team/player statistics, scores, and rankings, is enormous and rapidly growing. Consequently, the generation of multimodal summaries is of tremendous interest for broadcasters and fans alike, as a large percentage of audiences prefer to follow only the main highlights of a game. However, annotating important events and producing summaries often requires expensive equipment and a lot of tedious, cumbersome, manual labour. In this context, recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have shown great potential. The goal of this work is to create an automated soccer game summarization pipeline using AI. In particular, our focus is on the generation of complete game summaries in continuous text format with length constraints, based on raw game multimedia, as well as readily available game metadata and captions where applicable, using Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools along with heuristics. We curate and extend a number of soccer datasets, implement an end-to-end pipeline for the automatic generation of text summaries, present our preliminary results from the comparative analysis of various summarization methods within this pipeline using different input modalities, and provide a discussion of open challenges in the field of automated game summarization.


Abstract We investigated the ability of cathepsin L to induce a hypotensive effect after intravenous injection in rats and correlated this decrease in blood pressure with kinin generation. Simultaneously with blood pressure decrease, we detected plasma kininogen depletion in the treated rats. The effect observed in vivo was abolished by pre-incubation of cathepsin L with the cysteine peptidase-specific inhibitor E-64 (1 μM) or by previous administration of the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist JE049 (4 mg/kg). A potentiation of the hypotensive effect caused by cathepsin L was observed by previous administration of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril (5 mg/kg). In vitro studies indicated that cathepsin L excised bradykinin from the synthetic fluorogenic peptide Abz-MTSVIRRPPGFSPFRAPRV-NH2, based on the Met375–Val393 sequence of rat kininogen (Abz=o-aminobenzoic acid). In conclusion, our data indicate that in vivo cathepsin L releases a kinin-related peptide, and in vitro experiments suggest that the kinin generated is bradykinin. Although it is well known that cysteine proteases are strongly inhibited by kininogen, cathepsin L could represent an alternative pathway for kinin production in pathological processes.


Nanocluster arrays on graphene are suitable model systems for catalysis. We use this model system to study sulfur poisoning, which is a major deactivation process of heterogeneous catalysts. Using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we investigated the adsorption and desorption of CO on sulfur-poisoned graphene-supported palladium nanoparticles. We find that sulfur blocks CO adsorption sites, with hollow sites being most affected. From the unchanged desorption temperatures, we conclude that the Pd–CO bond strength is not altered by co-adsorbed sulfur. The degree of site blocking compared to the amount of sulfur indicates that the palladium nanoparticle surface is dominated by (111) and (100) facets.


Objectives. To describe associations between neighborhood racial and economic segregation and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. For 13 US cities, we obtained zip code-level data on 5 violence outcomes from March through July 2018 through 2020. Using negative binomial regressions and marginal contrasts, we estimated differences between quintiles of racial, economic, and racialized economic segregation using the Index of Concentration at the Extremes as a measure of neighborhood privilege (1) in 2020 and (2) relative to 2018 through 2019 (difference-in-differences). Results. In 2020, violence was higher in less-privileged neighborhoods than in the most privileged. For example, if all zip codes were in the least privileged versus most privileged quintile of racialized economic segregation, we estimated 146.2 additional aggravated assaults (95% confidence interval = 112.4, 205.8) per zip code on average across cities. Differences over time in less-privileged zip codes were greater than differences over time in the most privileged for firearm violence, aggravated assault, and homicide. Conclusions. Marginalized communities endure endemically high levels of violence. The events of 2020 exacerbated disparities in several forms of violence. Public Health Implications. To reduce violence and related disparities, immediate and long-term investments in low-income neighborhoods of color are warranted. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print December 9, 2021:e1-e10. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306540).


Soil erosion affects the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) by redistributing SOC within the slope. The spatial redistribution of SOC was closely related to the slope of microtopography erosion. Although the mechanism of this process is poorly understood, it has the potential to influence the C balance of terrestrial ecosystems. This research aimed to study the relationship between the slope microtopography and the spatial redistribution pattern of SOC and to explain the spatial variation in SOC via water erosion. An observation was conducted on the runoff plot to quantify the change in the SOC content (0 to 1 cm depth) based on the 40 soil sample sites before and after erosion. A microtopographical digital elevation model was built by using a three-dimensional laser scanner, which was used for the automated measurement of point-by-point elevation on the slope surface before and after rainfall events. A generalized additive model and a geostatistical approach were combined to explain the relationship between the slope microtopography and the loss of SOC. Results showed that the slope microtopography significantly changed after erosion, and all the microtopographic indices in post-erosion were higher than those in pre-erosion. The SOC content decreased after erosion, and the spatial redistribution of SOC was closely related to the intensity of erosion. The spatial variability of SOC was reduced by water erosion. Moreover, the relief amplitude was the key factor that affected the spatial distribution of SOC pre- and post-erosion. The relief amplitude and net loss volumes significantly influenced the change in SOC.


We perform a multicomponent analysis to evaluate the validity and limits of noise imaging in the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ) area. Estimates of noise propagation and scattering length scales in the area are combined with a noise correlation‐based analysis of variability of noise constituents, excitation regions, and propagation patterns. We evaluate the quality of correlation‐phase and ‐amplitude imaging of tectonic features in the context of observed noise properties. Statistical properties of a regional high‐resolution 3‐D velocity model indicate that propagation of double‐frequency microseism Rayleigh waves is sensitive to medium heterogeneity in the southern California plate boundary area. The analysis of noise correlation functions constructed from records of a regional seismic network suggests stable excitation of microseisms along the southern California coastline. The proximity to the source region together with randomization properties of the heterogeneous medium govern the scattered yet anisotropic character of the wave field. Insignificant travel time errors resulting from the associated imperfect reconstruction of interstation Green's function estimates allow the resolution of a velocity contrast across the SJFZ from noise correlations. However, attenuation estimates are biased by the anisotropic propagation directions. The interaction of the ambient surface wave field with medium heterogeneity facilitates imaging of the velocity structure, but the inversion of the amplitude pattern is limited since it is dominated by wave field instead of medium properties.


Abstract During the investigation of the Research Group Señoríos Medievales Segovianos in the Archive of the Diocese of Segovia an unusual document was digitized. It was a building license for Bishop Juan Arias Dávila to improve University facilities. This document was written in a different script: The Calligraphic Courtesan Script. related to traditional Courtesan script; this document was written in an especially clear writing style not connected with the usual cursive gothic styles in Castilla. This article tries to connect this clearness in the writing style with the presence of Juan Parix from Heidelberg in Segovia, who brought the first Spanish printing press to Segovia.


Microbes play an important role in the alteration of volcanic rocks emplaced on the seafloor as pillow basalts and hyaloclastites. Microbially altered basaltic glass hosts characteristic hollow etch structures, which are commonly filled and preserved by the precipitation of new mineral phases within the etch structures. Bioalteration textures occur in two distinct morphologies: micron‐scale granular aggregates, and long tubules (up to hundreds of microns). SIMS analyses of basaltic glass samples with abundant tubular bioalteration from the Ontong Java Plateau reveal significant chemical variations in areas with tubular microbial etch structures including: alkalis, which show depletion in Na and enrichment in K; enrichments in the alkaline elements (Ca, Sr, Ba) and the high field strength elements (Ti, Y, Zr); the first row transition metals V, Cr and Mn are slightly enriched, while Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn are depleted; W and the lanthanides are enriched in tubule‐bearing regions; slight enrichments in U and P are also observed. SEM imaging following SIMS analysis revealed complex micron‐scale spongy textures that may be related to microbial glass dissolution. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The aim of this article is to articulate and critically discuss different answers to the following question: How should decision-makers deal with conflicts that arise when the values usually entailed in ethical guidelines – such as accuracy, privacy, nondiscrimination and transparency – for the use of Artificial Intelligence (e.g. algorithm-based sentencing) clash with one another? To begin with, I focus on clarifying some of the general advantages of using such guidelines in an ethical analysis of the use of AI. Some disadvantages will also be presented and critically discussed. Second, I will show that we need to distinguish between three kinds of conflict that can exist for ethical guidelines used in the moral assessment of AI. This section will be followed by a critical discussion of different answers to the question of how to handle what we shall call internal and external values conflicts. Finally, I will wrap up with a critical discussion of three different strategies to resolve what is called a 'genuine value conflict'. These strategies are: the 'accepting the existence of irresolvable conflict' view, the ranking view, and value monism. This article defends the 'accepting the existence of irresolvable conflict' view. It also argues that even though the ranking view and value monism, from a merely theoretical (or philosophical) point of view, are better equipped to solve genuine value conflicts among values in ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence, this is not the case in real-life decision-making.


The unique three-dimensional pore structure of KCC-1 has attracted significant attention and has proven to be different compared to other conventional mesoporous silica such as the MCM-41 family, SBA-15, or even MSN nanoparticles. In this research, we carefully examine the morphology of KCC-1 to define more appropriate nomenclature. We also propose a formation mechanism of KCC-1 based on our experimental evidence. Herein, the KCC-1 morphology was interpreted mainly on the basis of compiling all observation and information taken from SEM and TEM images. Further analysis on TEM images was carried out. The gray value intensity profile was derived from TEM images in order to determine the specific pattern of this unique morphology that is found to be clearly different from that of other types of porous spherical-like morphologies. On the basis of these results, the KCC-1 morphology would be more appropriately reclassified as bicontinuous concentric lamellar morphology. Some physical characteristics such as the origin of emulsion, electrical conductivity, and the local structure of water molecules in the KCC-1 emulsion were disclosed to reveal the formation mechanism of KCC-1. The origin of the KCC-1 emulsion was characterized by the observation of the Tyndall effect, conductometry to determine the critical micelle concentration, and Raman spectroscopy. In addition, the morphological evolution study during KCC-1 synthesis completes the portrait of the formation of mesoporous silica KCC-1.


P a g e | 56 Copyright c 2019 Authors Haruki Murakami's Characters and Works-as the Representation of Postmodernism. A.Priya Assistant Professor of English Holy Cross College (Autonomous) Tiruchirappalli-2 Abstract As one of the most outstanding Japanese authors, Haruki Murakami always comes up with excellent ideas of surrealistic stories. The Postmodern condition is evident in most of Murakami's novels. A sense of alienation of character and world is evident by a language medium invented to form a kind of rhythmic syntax structure which complements the illustration of the main characters' subconscious fears and paranoia in the course of his exploration of a seemingly chaotic world. His portrayal of characters is unique and significant that expresses the dichotomy of characters who fight between reality and fantasy. Nevertheless, their ambition to be free from the structures that bound them do not always come true. Some of them left their symbolic mechanism to enter another one. In the end, the characters cannot be the Other; as long as they are still in the clutches of a particular token device they would only be able to be the other. His Characters explore themselves in search of meaning of their existence. His characters often utter speeches which directly contradict their subsequent actions.They are male, middle-aged, leading aimless existences. They enjoy preparing and eating such western foods as spaghetti; they love American pop culture, particularly music of the 1960s and 1970s; and they are hedonistic and idle. They either engage in casual love affairs or fantasize about having them. His novels like After dark(2004) and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994) is postmodern works by the coexistence of the surreal scenes.


This paper examines the determinant attributes of city brand personality that influence strategic communication of Bandar Melaka world heritage city UNESCO. The results will provide insight on the development of a city brand personality scale, that can be applied in the Malaysian context. Based on Aaker (1997), Brand Personality Scale (BPS), the study adjusted the scale used in the Bandar Melaka for strategic communication. The study approaches the issues from several perspectives including the marketing, tourism, strategic management and human communication in Bandar Melaka. It employs to administer the process of structural equation modelling to investigate the causal relationships between the dimensions of city brand determinants and city brand itself for strategic communication. Questionnaire surveys and interviews on measuring the determinants of city brand employs to examine the respondents' perceptions of the dimensions of city brand affected the overall city brand evaluations. Data collects from the internal stakeholders that involving directly or indirectly for planning and developing of Bandar Melaka. The study has found four dimensions of the city brand personality, "Peacefulness", "Malignancy", "Sophistication" and "Uniqueness". The City Personality Scale (CPS) proposes four dimensions with a total of seventeen items can be applied to the communication perspective of city brand in Malaysia. Implications for the stakeholders were discussed. They should consider the relative importance of brand dimensions in their overall city brand evaluations for strategic communication. City brand plays a pivotal role in contemporary strategic communication, and is the subject of much literature, both professional and academic. This study is perhaps one of the first to investigate city brand personality for strategic communication in Malaysia. Key words: City branding; City brand personality; Strategic communication; Bandar Melaka


Fluctuations in the heart's activity can modulate the access of external stimuli to consciousness. The link between perceptual awareness and cardiac signals has been investigated mainly in the visual and auditory domain. We here investigated whether the phase of the cardiac cycle and the pre-stimulus heart rate influence conscious somatosensory perception. We also tested how conscious detection of somatosensory stimuli affects the heart rate. Electrocardiograms (ECG) of 33 healthy volunteers were recorded while applying near-threshold electrical pulses at a fixed intensity to the left index finger. Conscious detection was not uniformly distributed across the cardiac cycle but significantly higher in diastole than in systole. We found no evidence that the heart rate before a stimulus influenced its detection but hits (correctly detected somatosensory stimuli) led to a more pronounced cardiac deceleration than misses. Our findings demonstrate interactions between cardiac activity and conscious somatosensory perception, which highlights the importance of internal bodily states for sensory processing beyond the auditory and visual domain. Impact Statement It is highly debated to what extent cardiac activity modulates the access of external stimuli to consciousness. The evidence is inconsistent across sensory modalities and previous research focused at specific intervals within the cardiac cycle. Here, we examined the perception of near-threshold electrical pulses across the entire cardiac cycle. Our results show that conscious somatosensory perception is enhanced during the late phase of the cardiac cycle (at diastole) and associated with a more pronounced cardiac deceleration (as compared to non-detected stimuli). This strengthens the evidence that the physiological state of the body influences how we perceive the world.


Between 1989 and 1993, the authors treated 39 patients by progressive bone lengthening in a total of 47 hands (17 post-traumatic and 30 congenital deformities). The Hoffman distractor was used in 34 cases and the Orthofix device was used in 13 cases. The percentage of lengthening obtained, compared to the initial bone length, was 87% for the hand skeleton and 47% for the forearm bones in congenital malformations while only 51% was obtained in post traumatic cases due to their older age and frequently associated skin problems. In 4 (8.5%) of these post-traumatic cases, the skin conditions had to be improved surgically. The average duration of treatment was 6.7 months, with a "healing" index (months/centimeters of lengthening obtained of 1.7. The time necessary to achieve complete bone healing was as long as the lengthening period. The complication rate was 34% (severe pain 8.5% delayed bone healing 8.5%, pin infections 6.3%, bone grafts 4.2%, tendon complications 2.1%), however none of these problems required pin removal. A complete failure was observed in two cases, followed by a second successful operation.


During the explanation of the origin of 'prescription (醫方),' an interesting phenomena in the accumulation and diffusion of medical knowledge in the Song Period is that many prescriptions contain narratives with bizarre elements, such as those given by God through dreams, received from 'strange people (異人),' or from animals appearing in these dreams. This study features an anecdote called 'zhiguai (志怪) Medical Cases,' which contains bizarre elements in the dissemination process of prescription, narrative of the treatment experience, and specific content of prescription, called a 'zhiguai prescription.' In previous research, such prescriptions were often called a 'God-delivered prescription (神授方).' However, a 'zhiguai prescription' appears adequate because it includes a number of factors beyond the 'God-delivered prescription.' This study examines the background of the intensive emergence of massive zhiguai medical cases in the Song Period, reviews the characteristics and significance of the zhiguai prescriptions in the context of postwar medical history, and finally investigates the influence of the bizarre narrative by tracing the dissemination of related prescriptions. This study found that the zhiguai prescription experiences were different from the so-called 'academic' that was formed in the Song Period, and it was 'another' method of medical knowledge dissemination based on their narratives. The emergence of many zhiguai medical cases in the Song Period, especially in the Southern Song period, is related to the activities of the literati official (士大夫). The literati officials of the Song Period frequently witnessed strange or anomalous phenomena in their daily life. They relied on them to relieve the powerlessness of reality and left records. In addition, unlike the authors of the zhiguai genre of the previous era, they maintained an attitude faithful to the facts when recording them. The massive appearance of the zhiguai medical cases in the Song Period was the result of the combination of the intention of the literati official who valued medicine their medical knowledge to spread the awareness, their reliance on the strange or anomalous phenomena, and their attitude that emphasized a realistic narrative. The significance of the zhiguai prescription of the Song Period can be found in the supplementation and diffusion of existing medical knowledge. In previous research, these were collectively described as 'public experienced methods'; however, various characteristics were found by analyzing the nineteen cases of zhiguai medical cases in Yijianzhi (夷堅志) by comparing them with the related contents of the herbal medicine and prescription books of the time. In the use of herbal medicines for specific diseases, there are cases that are unusual or meaningful when compared with existing herbal medicine or prescription books, and thus, this became a decisive basis for the expansion of herbal knowledge in the later period. Moreover, new treatment methods that were not often seen in medical books at the time were introduced, and they have been continuously transmitted to the medical and herbal medicine books since then. Additionally, this study also found cases that were focused on promoting medical knowledge that was not well-known, and the knowledge that must be known, although they were recorded in the existing medical and herbal medicine books. The record of the zhiguai medical cases evidently had its meanings in supplementing and disseminating existing medical knowledge. Prescriptions in the record of the zhiguai medical cases of the Song Period were subsequently recorded in various medical and herbal medicine books, and they handed down until the Ming and Qing period. Later, when a zhiguai prescription was described in a medical book, its bizarre narrative was not omitted, leaving a trace in the name of the prescription. It can be seen that this bizarre narrative served as a decisive opportunity for the prescription to be transmitted later, considering that existing medical books mentioned the related narratives in Yijianzhi (夷堅志) as the source for these subsequent transmissions. When discussing the characteristics of the Song Period in Chinese medical history, many studies state that a strong academic medical trend was centered on the pulse and internal medicine, referring to the development of printing technology, the literati official's interest in medicine, and the compilation of medical books. The contents and dissemination of the zhiguai medical cases of the Southern Song confirm 'another' tradition of medical knowledge transmission that relied on the bizarre phenomena and its narratives in Chinese medical history. Its transmission to the Ming and Qing period signifies the continuation of this tradition into later times. The fact that the zhiguai medical cases were later recorded in medical books in the Ming and Qing period clearly shows the dynamism of how knowledge of the 'case' affects the knowledge expansion of medicine, thereby revealing the power of 'another' tradition called the 'zhiguai' narratives.


Inthe United States, 42.5% of patients ages 18–59 years who sought treatment forgenital infections throughout 2013–2014 were infected with any type of humanpapillomavirus (HPV) (1). The HPV affects millions of reproductive-age adultsin the United States and countless more throughout the world. In 2016, the U.S.FDA released a 9-valent HPV vaccine, commonly known as Gardasil-9, withintended uses in preventing the contraction of HPV and development of HPV-relateddiseases (2). However, new research suggests that this vaccine may have otherclinically significant treatment applications. A recent study published byNichols et al. in JAMA Dermatology entitled "Combined systemicand intratumoral administration of human papillomavirus vaccine to treatmultiple cutaneous basaloid squamous cell carcinomas", which proposes the 9-valentHPV vaccine may be able to treat basaloid squamous cell carcinomas (bSCCs) (3).This novel finding has the potential to positively affect not only the millionsof people at risk for contracting HPV but also millions of patients sufferingfrom basal and squamous cell carcinomas, BCCs and SCCs, respectively.


To report on the clientele treated at community mental health services (CAPS) in the city of Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, a census was conducted of the patients examined at the services from June 1, 2001, to June 30, 2001. The patient's initial contact with the service was registered, and data were recorded on a standardized form, using the medical case history as a source of information. Among the 1,673 patients, average age was 46 years, 59.0% were female, 58.0% lived with their families, and mean duration of treatment was three years. Some 38.0% were schizophrenic, schizotypical, or in acute delusional states, 31.0% presented mood disorders, and 17.0% were neurotic. Treatment modalities included out-patient psychiatric (81.0%), individual (23.0%), group (13.0%), and psychosocial rehabilitation (4.3%). In Santos, CAPS treat all categories of mental disorders (and frequently those considered the most severe cases) expected at this type of service. The treatment model is that of an out-patient psychiatric clinic.


1. DGM / TNEB, Research Scholar/Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India Abstract Distribution loads vary in response to temperature, time of the day, day of the week and other factors such as humidity precipitation and season. The effects of daily load patterns of a typical low voltage network (LV network) need to be studied in depth for optimization. This requires a detailed collection of distribution transformer load recordings of all electrical parameters such as voltage, current, power and power factor for all three phases. Load analysis is the detailed systematic study of all load recordings to derive significant conclusions. Hence there arises a need for the development of distribution simulation package (DSP) for LV network load analysis and optimization.


Interstellar glycolaldehyde (CH2OHCHO) has been detected in emission toward the Galactic center source Sagittarius B2(N) by means of millimeter-wave rotational transitions. Glycolaldehyde is an important biomarker since it is structurally the simplest member of the monosaccharide sugars that heretofore have gone undetected in interstellar clouds. There is no consensus as to how any such large complex molecules are formed in the interstellar clouds. It may be that the typical environment of dense interstellar clouds is favorable to glycolaldehyde synthesis by means of the polymerization of formaldehyde (H2CO) molecules either on grain surfaces or in the gas phase. Alternatively, we speculate that glycolaldehyde and other complex molecules may undergo assembly from functional molecular groups on grain surfaces. Utilizing common chemical precursors, a chance process could account for the high degree of isomerism observed in complex interstellar molecules (e.g., methyl formate, acetic acid, and glycolaldehyde). This work suggests that the phenomenon of isomerism be investigated further as a means of potentially constraining interstellar chemistry routes for those individual sources where the condition of good source-beam coupling can be achieved.


Factors contributing to sex differences in the somatotrophic axis were investigated in growing lambs. In the first experiment, circulating patterns of GH in venous blood, pituitary content of GH and GH mRNA, and median eminence (ME) contents of GH-releasing factor (GRF) and somatostatin (SRIF) were characterized in prepubertal ram and ewe lambs which were pair-fed to remove sex differences in feed intake. Mean and baseline plasma GH concentrations, GH pulse amplitude, and integrated plasma GH were greater in ram lambs than in ewe lambs, but GH interpulse interval did not differ between sexes. The pituitary GH content and ME contents of GRF and SRIF were greater in rams than in ewes, but steady-state levels of mRNA for GH in the pituitary gland did not differ between sexes. A second experiment investigated sex effects on the levels of SRIF in hypophysial portal blood, and found that these did not differ between sexes. We concluded that the presence of sexually dimorphic patterns of GH secretion in the growing lamb is independent of feed-intake differences between sexes. The lack of sex differences in circulating patterns of SRIF in portal plasma implies that there may be a difference in GRF secretion which may produce sexually dimorphic patterns of GH secretion in lamb.


Chef Alistair Little presents over 100 recipes specially tested for the kitchen. Every single one of the recipes presented is intended for any one from the absolute beginner to the accomplished culinary artisan. Where possible, alternatives are given for ingredients difficult or costly to obtain and every recipe includes advice on how to prepare ahead for efficient and panic-free cooking.


Have you ever thought about programming a .NET applicaton with PHP? One that also includes a Graphical User Interface? Such a scenario has been unlikely so far, but this book turns the tide. It shows you how to translate PHP scripts into .NET assemblies and how to run them on Windows and other operating systems. Since PHP has become an exciting programming language, it is time for the . NET community to benefit from it. The focus of this book is not about programming web applications; it is about implementing the language PHP as for the .NET Platform and how to integrate it with other .NET languages. Thus, software engineers can use PHP as a fully-fledged programming language for developing standalone applications outside of web pages. For this purpose, a compiler is presented that translates PHP scripts into .NET bytecode called Common Intermediate Language (CIL). This book also introduces PHP and CIL in detail and provides a good insight into basics and concepts of compiler construction. Furthermore, it looks behind the scenes of the Microsoft .NET Framework and the Mono Project, which is a considerable open-source implementation of the .NET Platform.


Abstract. Increasingly, governments are adopting alternative strategies to mass incarceration and drawing on the rhetoric of community to create softer and less restrictive sanctions. This paper argues that this transition provides an opportunity for geographers concerned with incarceration to consider a more expansive understanding of the carceral state. To call for a more geographically expansive consideration of incarceration, this paper draws upon a study of one juvenile court that sought to end racialized over-incarceration by promoting a "community orientation". As a consequence, juvenile detention now acts as a single node in a broader process of sorting, placing, and punishing, but the carceral aspects of juvenile court involvement did not lessen. Instead, the community orientation encapsulated a range of practices that are traditionally outside the state, yet extended the power of the state over a broad geography that resulted in the coerced mobility of children and subjection to greater insecurity. By tracing how the carceral apparatus extends into neighborhoods, community programs, probation practices, and residential placement, I argue that paying more attention to variegated carceral practices is necessary to more fully consider how incarceration has permeated places outside the prison.


Global warming is currently of great concern. Yet the ecological effects of low-frequency climate variations remain largely unknown. Recent analyses of interdecadal variability in population abundance of the Oriental migratory locust (Locusta migratoria manilensis) in China have revealed negative associations with temperature and positive associations with Yangtze drought and flood frequencies during the past millennium (AD 957–1956). In order to shed new light on the causal relationships between locust abundance, floods, droughts and temperature in ancient China, we used wavelet analysis to explore how the coherencies between the different variables at different frequencies have been changed during the past millennium. We find consistent in-phase coherencies between locusts and drought/flood frequencies, and out-of-phase coherencies between locusts and temperature and between drought/flood and temperature at period components of 160–170 years. Similar results are obtained when historical data of drought/flood frequencies of the Yangtze Delta region are used, despite flood data showing a weak and somewhat inconsistent association with other factors. We suggest that previously unreported periodic cooling of 160–170-year intervals dominate climatic variability in China through the past millennium, the cooling events promoting locust plagues by enhancing temperature-associated drought/flood events. Our results signify a rare example of possible benign effects of global warming on the regional risk of natural disasters such as flood/drought events and outbreaks of pest insects.


ABSTRACT Two potent antibacterial agents designed to undergo enzyme-catalyzed therapeutic activation were evaluated for their mechanisms of action. The compounds, NB2001 and NB2030, contain a cephalosporin with a thienyl (NB2001) or a tetrazole (NB2030) ring at the C-7 position and are linked to the antibacterial triclosan at the C-3 position. The compounds exploit β-lactamases to release triclosan through hydrolysis of the β-lactam ring. Like cephalothin, NB2001 and NB2030 were hydrolyzed by class A β-lactamases (Escherichia coli TEM-1 and, to a lesser degree, Staphylococcus aureus PC1) and class C β-lactamases (Enterobacter cloacae P99 and E. coli AmpC) with comparable catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km). They also bound to the penicillin-binding proteins of S. aureus and E. coli, but with reduced affinities relative to that of cephalothin. Accordingly, they produced a cell morphology in E. coli consistent with the toxophore rather than the β-lactam being responsible for antibacterial activity. In biochemical assays, they inhibited the triclosan target enoyl reductase (FabI), with 50% inhibitory concentrations being markedly reduced relative to that of free triclosan. The transport of NB2001, NB2030, and triclosan was rapid, with significant accumulation of triclosan in both S. aureus and E. coli. Taken together, the results suggest that NB2001 and NB2030 act primarily as triclosan prodrugs in S. aureus and E. coli.


A novel method is proposed for virtual view generation of traditional dances. In the proposed framework, a traditional dance is captured separately for appearance registration and motion registration. By coordinating the appearance and motion data, we can easily control virtual camera motion within a dancer-centered coordinate system. For this purpose, a coordination problem should be solved between the appearance and motion data, since they are captured separately and the dancer moves freely in the room. The present paper shows a practical algorithm to solve it. A set of algorithms are also provided for appearance and motion registration, and virtual view generation from archived data. In the appearance registration, a 3D human shape is recovered in each time from a set of input images after suppressing their backgrounds. By combining the recovered 3D shape and a set of images for each time, we can compose archived dance data. In the motion registration, stereoscopic tracking is accomplished for color markers placed on the dancer. A virtual view generation is formalized as a color blending among multiple views, and a novel and efficient algorithm is proposed for the composition of a natural virtual view from a set of images. In the proposed method, weightings of the linear combination are calculated from both an assumed viewpoint and a surface normal.


Transsphenoidal approach to sella is not a new approach. In the last 100 years it has gone numerous changing refinements from using headlight to microscope and more recently the sensitive endoscope. In this prospective study, all patients with pituitary tumor who underwent endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery during the period of January 2006 to July 2009 in the department of neurosurgery, Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Islami Bank Central Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh were included. Among the 55 patients 36 cases were operated by combined endoscopic and microscopic techniques and 19 cases were operated by endoscope only. Total 73 procedures were done in 55 patients. Age range was 17 years to 70 years. Follow up period was 03 months to 42 months (mean 14.2 months) .Male: female was almost 1:1. Clinical features were pituitary apoplexy, pituitary apoplexy with 3rd/+6th cranial nerve palsy, headache, amenorrhea, loss of libido, galactorrhoea, gynecomastia, weight gain and psychosis. Visual impairment was in 35 cases. Functioning adenoma was 21 and non functioning adenoma was 34 cases. Among the functioning adenoma acromegaly was seen in 12 cases, gigantism in 01 case, prolactinoma in 05 cases, Cushing's disease 03 cases. Purely sellar tumor was 15, sellar & suprasellar 35 and sellar & parasellar 11 cases. Microscopic plus endoscopic techniques used in 54 procedures. Purely endoscopic procedures were 19. Complete removal of tumor in single stage was done in 33 cases. Complete removal with more than one stage surgery in 13 cases. In our initial cases of the series, we exposed the sella endonasally with endoscope then we used microscope for the rest of the surgery. In the later part of the series we gained experience and confidence for removal of pituitary tumor with an endoscope completely. The rate of diabetes insipidus occurred in 11(20%) cases and all are transient. Postoperative CSF leak was noted in 10(18%) cases. Patient with ocular palsy improved post operatively within 6 weeks. Among non functioning adenoma that were removed completely (30 cases) recurrence occurred in three cases. Eleven patients were stable in vision as preoperative. Other showed visual improvement to variable extents. Key words: Pituitary surgery; Endonasal; Transsphenoidal; Microsurgery; Endoscopic surgery. DOI: 10.3329/bjo.v15i2.5056 Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol 2009; 15(2): 45-49


BACKGROUND
The Burns Wean Assessment Program (BWAP) assessment checklist is designed to assist clinicians in the systematic evaluation of 26 clinical factors important to weaning. The authors recently described the relationship of the BWAP score (derived from the checklist) to weaning trial outcomes (weaning success or failure) in patients receiving mechanical ventilation for 3 days or longer in 5 adult critical care units. A BWAP score of 50 or higher was significantly associated with weaning success regardless of the specific category of patient (surgical, medical, cardiovascular, etc). This secondary analysis extends the evaluation of the BWAP checklist as it focuses on the importance of each individual BWAP factor to weaning outcomes in 5 different populations of patients.

OBJECTIVES
To identify the relative importance of the 26 BWAP factors to weaning success in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for 3 days or longer in 5 adult critical care units.

METHODS
BWAP checklists were completed within 24 hours of a weaning attempt in surgical-trauma, medical, neurological, thoracic-cardiovascular, and coronary care units in a 5-year period. Advanced practice nurses using a multidisciplinary pathway, the BWAP checklist, protocols for weaning trials, and sedation guidelines managed the patients similarly.

RESULTS
A total of 20 BWAP factors were significantly associated with successful weaning in all units combined (P ≤ .02). However, some differences in the importance of the BWAP factors to weaning outcome exist between units, with the neuroscience intensive care unit deviating the most from the other units.

CONCLUSIONS
Although not all BWAP factors are significantly associated with weaning success, most are predictive. Restructuring the BWAP as a unit-specific weaning checklist and potential predictor may assist clinicians to address factors that may impede weaning more efficiently and effectively.


The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of Milorganite ® as a repellent to mitigate damage on impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) by free-ranging ground hogs (Marmota monax). This biosolid byproduct of an activated sludge processing technique has been suggested as a repellent for a number of species. Three plots were established within 5 m of verified ground hog burrows at a feed and livestock working facility. Each plot consisted of three plastic containers with six impatiens plants per container. At each plot, containers were secured in drainage trays 2 m apart and received a topdressing application of 2500 kg/ha, 5000 kg/ha or 0 kg/ha equivalent of Milorganite ® . Changes in plant area as determined by digital photographs taken on day 0 and day 7 post-treatment were used as an indication of consumption. During the 21-day trial, new plants were treated and evaluated at 7-day interval. Each week, order of plant treatments within each plot was rotated in an array to test for potential location effects. No differences (P > .10) in post-treatment plant area were observed between the treatments. All plants received damage. No differences (P > .10) in level of damage could be attributed to week of study, order of treatments within plot, between plot or technicians evaluating digital photographs. Based on these results Milorganite ® did not appear effective as a repellent for ground hogs.


Human evaluations are broadly thought to be more valuable the higher the inter-annotator agreement. In this paper we examine this idea. We will describe our experiments and analysis within the area of Automatic Question Generation. Our experiments show how annotators diverge in language annotation tasks due to a range of ineliminable factors. For this reason, we believe that annotation schemes for natural language generation tasks that are aimed at evaluating language quality need to be treated with great care. In particular, an unchecked focus on reduction of disagreement among annotators runs the danger of creating generation goals that reward output that is more distant from, rather than closer to, natural human-like language. We conclude the paper by suggesting a new approach to the use of the agreement metrics in natural language generation evaluation tasks.


ABSTRACT ?Serravalian-Tortonian sediments of the Sorbas Basin, Southeast Spain, preserve an oblique slice through a narrow east-west-trending turbidite basin. Close to Lucainena, unusual "composite" sandstone sheets with thick mudstone caps can be traced obliquely away from the faulted southern margin of the trough in the vicinity of where north-to-south transverse paleoflows are replaced eastward by west-to-east axial flows. Three distinctive types of bed profile are recognized. Lateral correlations over distances up to 5 km establish that Types I, II, and III bed profiles are laterally equivalent and must have been emplaced together as part of the same event. Beds with Types I and II profiles are present to the WSW, where they thin and pinch out toward the contact with the Alhamilla basement to the south. As beds are followed along strike to the ENE, they thicken and develop Type III profiles before thinning again and passing laterally into bioturbated marls. The structure and lateral relationships are thought to have been produced by deposition from turbidity currents derived from the north and northwest but deflected against a raised Alhamilla block and forced to flow eastward. The composite structure of the beds close to the Alhamilla basement is related to deceleration and subsequent collapse of flows that partly rode up the southern flank of the basin as they were turned to travel eastward down the basin axis. The thick mudstone caps represent fallout from a suspension cloud produced by axial ponding of the muddy tail of the deflected currents (suggesting that the basin was closed to the east); internal seiches set up by ponding of the flows may account for some of the features of Type II profiles.


Expansion microscopy (ExM) improves the resolution of fluorescence microscopy by physically expanding the sample embedded in a hydrogel1–4. Since its invention, ExM has been successfully applied to a wide range of cell, tissue and animal samples 2–9. Still, fluorescence signal loss during polymerization and digestion limits molecular-scale imaging using ExM. Here we report the development of label-retention ExM (LR-ExM) with a set of trifunctional anchors that not only prevent signal loss but also enable high-efficiency protein labeling using enzymatic tags. We have demonstrated multicolor LR-ExM for a variety of subcellular structures. Combining LR-ExM with super-resolution Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM), we have achieved 5 nm resolution in the visualization of polyhedral lattice of clathrin-coated pits in situ.


The Balassa-Samuelson hypothesis, explaining real exchange rate volatility by the differential productivity of the tradable and nontradable sectors, was found to generally fit macro-economic developments since 1986. It turns out that the traditional measures of real exchange rate – the ratio of export/import prices to business-sector product prices – overstated the extent of real appreciation in 1993, 1997-1998, and 2001, being influenced by declining world trade prices, in comparison to the exchange rate of shekel to the US dollar adjusted by GDP deflators. The latter measure has a U-form with a turning point in 1997, suggesting robust real depreciation since then. The elasticity of this real exchange rate with regard to the appreciation of nontradable goods is estimated at 0.7 0.85, while the elasticity with regard to the terms of trade is unitary.


We present the Visually Grounded Neural Syntax Learner (VG-NSL), an approach for learning syntactic representations and structures without any explicit supervision. The model learns by looking at natural images and reading paired captions. VG-NSL generates constituency parse trees of texts, recursively composes representations for constituents, and matches them with images. We define concreteness of constituents by their matching scores with images, and use it to guide the parsing of text. Experiments on the MSCOCO data set show that VG-NSL outperforms various unsupervised parsing approaches that do not use visual grounding, in terms of F1 scores against gold parse trees. We find that VGNSL is much more stable with respect to the choice of random initialization and the amount of training data. We also find that the concreteness acquired by VG-NSL correlates well with a similar measure defined by linguists. Finally, we also apply VG-NSL to multiple languages in the Multi30K data set, showing that our model consistently outperforms prior unsupervised approaches.


The aim of this paper is to design a friendly-user framework for a successful launch of a locally-based start-up in the food supply chain. Specifically, the study is focused on a Small Medium Enterprises (SME's) cooperative store in a farm school. The store is operated by the students in the context of their entrepreneurship, business and marketing classes. Authors made a number of interviews with the managers and employees of the locally-based store so as to identify its potentials and challenges. The outcome of the study is a framework dealing with managerial, as well as, technological aspects and even if refers to a specific SME it will act as a road map for an effective start-up development.


High strength steels containing significant fractions of retained austenite have been developed in recent years, and are the subject of growing commercial interest when associated with the TRIP phenomenon during deformation. A new process concept "quenching and partitioning" (Q&P) has been proposed by CSM/USA, and the results show the potential to create a new kind of steel microstructure with controlled amounts of retained austenite, enriched by carbon partitioning. Four steels containing C, Si, Mn, Ni, Cr and Mo, were designed with variation in the Ni and C content, aiming to decrease Bs temperature and to suppress carbide formation during the partitioning treatment. Several heat-treatment procedures were performed in specimens previously machined for tensile testing, while x-ray diffraction was used to determine the fraction of retained austenite. The tensile test results showed that except for the high C high Ni alloy, most of the processing conditions resulted in strengths superior to those of advanced high strength steels (AHSS), although it is importantly recognized that higher alloy additions were used in this study, in comparison with conventional AHSS grades.. A variety of strength and ductility combinations were observed, confirming the potential of the Q&P process and illustrating the strong influence of the final microstructure on the mechanical properties. Experimental results for samples partitioned at 400 °C indicate that higher ultimate tensile strength is associated with higher fraction of retained austenite for multiple heat treatments of each alloy investigated. The amount of retained austenite obtained was generally lower than that predicted by the model. Further studies are in progress to understand the influence of alloying and processing parameters (time/temperature) on the partitioning of carbon and precipitation of transition carbides.


We present results from observations of 29 BL Lacertae objects, taken with the Whipple Observatory 10 m gamma-ray telescope between 1995 and 2000. The observed objects are mostly at low redshift (z < 0.2), but observations of objects of up to z = 0.444 are also reported. Five of the objects are EGRET sources and two are unconfirmed TeV sources. Three of the confirmed sources of extragalactic TeV gamma rays were originally observed as part of this survey and have been reported elsewhere. No significant excesses are detected from any of the other objects observed, on timescales of days, months, or years. We report 99.9% confidence level flux upper limits for the objects for each observing season. The flux upper limits are typically 20% of the Crab flux, although for some sources, limits as sensitive as 6% of the Crab flux were derived. The results are consistent with the synchrotron self-Compton model predictions considered in this work.


n October 2005, the European Council, having determined that Turkey fulfilled the Copenhagen political criteria, opened accession negotiations with Turkey. Following this decision, the arguments on Turkish membership has become a priority for Turkey since Turkey's accession to the EU would have considerable impacts on Turkey and the EU. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the potential economic impacts of Turkish membership to the European Union. Since much of the support and tariff protection in EU markets is associated with agriculture and food production, the study focuses principally on these sectors. In this context, to derive estimates of Turkey's accession a multiregional computable general equilibrium (CGE) model framework is employed. Using the standard Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model and version 6 database, the paper looks into the impacts of the accession, sectoral reallocations and the welfare effects.


ABC transporters couple ATP hydrolysis to the transport of substrates across cellular membranes. This protein superfamily has diverse activities resulting from differences in their cargo and subcellular localization. Our work investigates the role of the ABCG family member WHT-2 in the biogenesis of gut granules, a Caenorhabditis elegans lysosome-related organelle. In addition to being required for the accumulation of birefringent material within gut granules, WHT-2 is necessary for the localization of gut granule proteins when trafficking pathways to this organelle are partially disrupted. The role of WHT-2 in gut granule protein targeting is likely linked to its function in Rab GTPase localization. We show that WHT-2 promotes the gut granule association of the Rab32 family member GLO-1 and the endolysosomal RAB-7, identifying a novel function for an ABC transporter. WHT-2 localizes to gut granules where it could play a direct role in controlling Rab localization. Loss of CCZ-1 and GLO-3, which likely function as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for GLO-1, lead to similar disruption of GLO-1 localization. We show that CCZ-1, like GLO-3, is localized to gut granules. WHT-2 does not direct the gut granule association of the GLO-1 GEF and our results point to WHT-2 functioning differently than GLO-3 and CCZ-1. Point mutations in WHT-2 that inhibit its transport activity, but not its subcellular localization, lead to the loss of GLO-1 from gut granules, while other WHT-2 activities are not completely disrupted, suggesting that WHT-2 functions in organelle biogenesis through transport-dependent and transport-independent activities.


ABSTRACT In my essay, I document how the literary modernist critic and poet, William Empson (1906–1984), modeled his theoretical positions in the decades following the Second World War upon precedents found in the English Renaissance poetry of John Donne. After 1955, Empson emerged as a leading skeptic of literary "high" modernism by means of the novel analogy argued in his essay, "Donne the Space Man" (1957): namely, that literary depictions of space in Donne's early poetry, athwart high Church doctrine, paralleled contemporary skepticism, in Empson's own time, about interpretive orthodoxies within Eliotic criticism and among the American New Critics. With its focus upon what he calls "space travel," Empson's exegesis in "Donne the Space Man" (1957) pioneered what today one may call the scalar turn in literary modernist criticism. In Empson's case, a scalar criticism endorsed Donne's search for a more generous plurality of critical worlds and embraced cosmological scale irreducible to the more dogmatic worldview of Christian-inspired theorizations then prevailing. Re-reading the "Donne the Space Man" essay today – and when applying approaches inspired by the phenomenology of the contemporary built environment, object-oriented ontology, and unseen "lifeworlds" – allows for a more meaningful treatment of Empson's criticism in its historical context, and when using scale as an heuristic to broaden our understandings of cosmologies, near and far, vastly different from our own.


Background : Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic disease that affects the central nervous system. Its main clinical manifestations are epileptic seizures. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between neurotransmitter concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the different evolutive forms of neurocysticercosis with or without seizures. Methods : Neurotransmitter concentrations (Aspartate, Glutamate, GABA, Glutamine, Glycine, Taurine) were determined in CSF samples from 42 patients with neurocysticercosis divided into patients with the active cystic form (n = 24, 12 with and 12 without seizures) and patients with calcified form (n = 18, 12 with and 6 without seizures), and a control group consisting of 59 healthy subjects. Results : Alterations in amino acid concentration were observed in all patients with neurocysticercosis. Conclusion : We conclude that disturbances in amino acid metabolism accompany the presentation of neurocysticercosis. Replacement of the terms inactive cyst by reactive inactive cyst and calcification by reactive calcification is suggested.


The R2O-MO- Al2O3-SiO2 system glasses were prepared by conventional melt quenching technology. The composition mass fraction range of the glass is SiO2 (55%∼65%), MgO (0%∼15.2%), CaO (0%∼15.2%), SrO (0%∼15.2%), BaO (0%∼15.2%), Na2O (0%∼15.6%), K2O (0%∼15.6%). The relationship between the composition and the thermal expansion coefficient of the glass was investigated by comparing the thermal expansion coefficients of the glasses with different chemical composition. The results show that the thermal expansion coefficient of the glass increases sharply with the increase of alkali-metal oxide content and when K+, Na+ and Li+ exist simultaneously in the structure of the glass, the complex "mixed alkali effect" can be observed from the composition–thermal expansion coefficient curve. When introducing different kind but same quantity alkaline-earth metal oxide, the thermal expansion coefficient of the glasses increased obviously with the rising of the radius of alkaline-earth metal ions but the "mixed alkali effects" can also be observed for the glasses containing a few kinds of alkaline-earth metal oxides.


Background: Dengue is one of the major public health problems in the world. Currently, dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries of Asian pacific region. Prevention and control of dengue is largely influenced by the level of awareness and the preventive practices people undertake. In this background, the present study was conducted to find out the relationship between Aedes aegypti indices and perception and practices regarding dengue and its prevention. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban slum for the period of 1 year among 270 households selected by probability proportionate to size technique. Data were collected by structured questionnaire with details on sociodemographic characteristics, perception, and practices adopted by people toward dengue and its prevention. Larva survey was conducted by observing for the A. aegypti larvae in the containers within and outside the households. Results: Among 270 households included in the present study, overall, 70 (25.9%) and 96 (35.6%) of the study respondents were having poor and average levels of perception. 22 (8.1%) and 163 (60.4%) of respondents had poor and average levels of dengue prevention practices, respectively. Household index, container index, and Bretau's index (BI) were 5.52%, 6.05%, and 8.51%, respectively. Median perception and practice scores among the respondents of households with larva breeding were significantly lower as compared to the ones without larva breeding. Conclusion: Majority of the study participants had poor to average levels of perception and practices regarding dengue and its prevention. These scores were significantly lower among households with active larva breeding.


In response to the question of the relevance of 'classical' African Studies to the contemporary need of the continent, this article explores the dynamics of leadership challenge as portrayed in Yorùbá music drama genre, using Duro Ladipo's most popular folk opera: Ọba Kòso (The king did not hang) as a case study. Thematic exploration of the opera was carried out to establish the linkages between leaders' (characters') traits and styles as portrayed in the play, and Nigeria's political leaders' engagement and responses to social contracts with their citizens. By comparing the outcomes of the actions, inactions and (in)decisions of Nigeria's political leaders and the attendant consequences on their subjects with those found in the opera. I argue that the African political leadership challenge is shaped by a combination of complex factors, including the leaders' charisma and the quality of citizens' engagements in the affairs of governance. These are largely occasioned by multiple effects of torrential and irresistible mob pressures on leaders. At the fringes of the debacle is a convergence of human fate and other coincidental elements within the various sites of the divide in the contestation for and utilisation of power as a whole.