The Aux/IAA class of genes are rapidly induced by exogenous auxins and have been characterized extensively from many dicot species like Arabidopsis , Glycine max and Pisum sativum . We report here the isolation and characterization of rice ( Oryza sativa L. subsp. Indica ) OsIAA1 cDNA as a monocot member of the Aux/IAA gene family. The predicted amino acid sequence of OsIAA1 corresponds to a protein of ca. 26 kDa, which harbors all four characteristic domains known to be conserved in Aux/IAA proteins. The conservation of these Aux/IAA genes indicates that auxins have essentially a similar mode of action in monocots and dicots. Northern blot analysis revealed that the OsIAA1 transcript levels decrease in the excised coleoptile segments on auxin starvation, and the level is restored when auxin is supplemented; the increase in OsIAA1 transcript level was apparent within 15 to 30 min of auxin application. Auxin-induced OsIAA1 expression appears to be correlated with the elongation of excised coleoptile segments. In light-grown rice seedlings, OsIAA1 is preferentially expressed in roots and basal segment of the seedling, whereas in the etiolated rice seedlings, the OsIAA1 transcripts are most abundant in the coleoptile. A comparative analysis in light- and dark-grown seedling tissues indicates that the OsIAA1 transcript levels decrease on illumination.


In four experiments we studied precautionary decisions where participants decided whether or not to adopt a specified precaution
with a known cost in the face of a described risk. We find that both the weighting function and the value function required to
model these decisions exhibit different properties for precautionary decisions than those observed for choices between gambles.
Overweighting of probability is observed for moderate and high probabilities – a finding not anticipated by Prospect theory. Our
results highlight a need for differentiation between models to account for precautionary behavior and models of other types of
decision-making under risk\uncertainty.


Becoming Activists in Global China is the first purely sociological study of the religious movement Falun Gong and its resistance to the Chinese state. The literature on Chinese protest has intensively studied the 1989 democracy movement while largely ignoring opposition by the Falun Gong, even though the latter has beenmore enduring. This comparative study explains why the Falun Gong protest took off in diaspora and the democracy movement did not. Using multiple methods, Becoming Activists in Global China explains how Falun Gong's roots in proselytizing and its ethic of volunteerism provided the launch pad for its political mobilization. Simultaneously, diaspora democracy activists adopted practices that effectively discouraged grassroots participation. The study also shows how the policy goal of eliminating Falun Gong helped shape today's security-focused Chinese state. Explaining the Falun Gong's two decades of protest illuminates a suppressed piece of Chinese contemporary history and advances our knowledge of how religious and political movements intersect.


Th e occurrence of seven southern Odonata species has been watched in Wallonia over the last two decades (from 1981 to 2000). Th ey have clearly expanded in the meantime and this pattern is still highly signifi cant when the data are corrected for the increase of sampling eff orts. Moreover, reproduction evidences have been collected recently (from 1993 onwards) for all these species and several settled and have now resident populations in Wallonia. In a second step, all present regular and irregular resident species of Wallonia were looked for change in range size and observation rate per visit between two six years periods of a survey and monitoring scheme, from 1989 to 2000. Analysis was achieved on grid cells visited at the right time at both periods, a procedure designed to neutralize the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of sampling. Th e comparison of results in relation to the distribution types of species and their habitat preferences show a signifi cant global trend toward an increase for southern species during the investigated time interval, contrasting with other groups of species. If there is a tendency to rise for species preferring eutrophic still waters, this proves to be clearly due to the southern species sub-group, the other dragonfl ies of this habitat type showing a stable or even decreasing trend. Th ree distinct hypotheses are examined and discussed as possible explanations of the expansion pattern of southern species: (1) global warming, (2) change in aquatic habitats, especially eutrophication, and (3) intrinsic population dynamics. Th e rise of temperatures appears to be the main factor explaining the observed expansions.


A number of research issues are discussed on how best to visualize performance and vulnerability in complex and distributed network systems. A powerful paradigm would be to convey information about a distributed network to a decision maker using natural attributes of display systems such as color, shape, and other variables. Future visualizations are hypothesized to enable decision makers to better understand complex visualizations so they can allocate scarce resources to protect their networks.


When highly weathered weak rock used to fill embankment, compaction character and wetting deformation character are major evaluation indexes. Based on California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test for highly weathered weak rock under different compaction degree, it was shown that the value of CBR increased as the increase of compaction degree. By means of dry-wet double curve parallel tests and wetting deformation experiments of different compaction degree of highly weathered weak rock under complex stress, the results indicated that when the degree of compaction is 90%, under rather high deviatoric stress, wetting can not only generate high additional axial deformation, but also cause fairly high additional volumetric strain and partial strain. And wetting cause shear intensity of soil reducing. So increasing the compactions of subgrade filling is the important way to reduce wetting deformation and to enhance slope stability of subgrade.


A better understanding of bacterial communities and metabolomic responses to pristine zinc oxide manufacture nanoparticles (ZnO MNPs) and its sulfidized product (s-ZnO MNPs), as well as their corresponding Zn ions in rhizocompartments, critical in the plant-microbe interactions, could contribute to the sustainable development of nano-enabled agriculture. In this study, soybean (Glycine max) were cultivated in soils amended with three Zn forms, namely ZnSO4·7H2O, ZnO MNPs and s-ZnO MNPs at 0, 100 and 500 mg·kg-1 for 70 days. Three Zn forms exposures profoundly decreased the bacterial alpha diversity in roots and nodules. High dose (500 mg·kg-1) groups had a stronger impact on the bacterial beta diversity than low dose (100 mg·kg-1) groups. In the rhizosphere soil and roots, 500 mg·kg-1 of ZnSO4 and s-ZnO MNPs treatments showed the largest shifts in bacterial community structure, respectively. In addition, several significant changed bacterial taxa and metabolites were found at the high dose groups, which were associated with carbon and nitrogen metabolism. PLS-DA plot showed good discrimination in metabolomic profiles of rhizosphere soil and roots between three Zn forms treatments and control. Most metabolic pathways perturbed were closely linked to oxidative stress. Overall, our study indicates either dissolved or nano-particulate Zn exposure at high dose can drastically affected bacterial communities and metabolite profiles in soybean rhizocompartments.


Introduction: Periarthritis shoulder is unique condition, in sense that same pathology does not affect any other joints in particular other than shoulder. Spontaneous occurrence of pain in shoulder unrelated to injury, but at times associated with injury in 20-30% of cases. Main aim of treatment is symptomatic pain relief followed by restoration of normal joint movements. Manipulation under General Anesthesia (MUA) appears to be mainstay of treatment for people who do not benefit by physiotherapy and universal shoulder mobilization exercises. Aim of Study: To study effect of manipulation under general anesthesia on Periarthritis shoulder. Objective: To study improvement in Range of Movements, Pain and Short DASH score. Materials and Methods: Study was carried out in Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre during September 2010 to September 2012. 40 patients were selected for the study, underwent MUA with intra-articular steroid injection (40mg/ml methyl prednisolone), 2% Lignocaine (5ml) and Hydrodilation (40ml cold normal saline). They were started physiotherapy immediately and continued. Result: Among the 40 patients 6 patients never returned for follow-up. Data analysis of remaining 34 patients shows improvement in shoulder range of movement. Quick DASH score decreased from 83.72(S.D + 7.1) to 27.66 (S.D + 7.0). VAS score improved from 7.29 (S.D + 1.03) to 1.71 (S.D + 0.84). Conclusion: Periarthritis shoulder, treated with MUA with intra-articular steroid (steroid+Lignocaine) and hydrodilation (with normal saline) result in good immediate pain relief postoperatively and easy breakage of adhesions during the procedure. This followed by immediate physiotherapy decreases pain, adds good functional recovery and early return to daily activities of living. Physiotherapy and universal shoulder mobilization exercises should be continued thereafter to prevent recurrence of symptoms.


This research is titled Tela'ah Thought Alwi Shihab on Religious Tolerance in the Book of Inclusive Islam. This study aims to examine the various thoughts of Alwi Shihab in his book Islam Inclusive. To know the various problems that background the happening of intolerant cadet in religion in the middle of Plurality and religious diversity. To know how Alwi Shihab explains the various solutions and thoughts that he poured in his book Islam Inclusive. In today's reality we often find that the various conflicts between religious communities in various majorities and minorities of Muslims have become viral in the Netizen world about the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim community. In Miyanmar, this is certainly a test of every Religion that echoes religious tolerance. However, by re-examining the thoughts of Alwi Shihab became an important learning for every religious people. In an Inclusive Islam book written by Alwi Shihab, a scholar from the University of Temple of America and a Doctoral Degree at Egypt's Ayn Syam University, has made a significant contribution in establishing a religious tolerance stance, addressing issues and resolving conflicts and relationships between religious communities with views the more Universal. In examining the various thoughts of Alwi Shihab and by conducting literature study the authors found various thoughts of Islamic thought that supports the concept of religious tolerance in the offer Alwi shihab so that Alwi shihab thought this becomes something important contribution, especially in build attitude of religious tolerance. More to build tolerance in a group of religions who have different views to embody and revive the Islamic substance as Rahmatallil Alamin.


How do young children represent pretend play? One possibility is that recognizing and representing pretend play depends on children's ability to infer the mental states of the person engaged in pretend play (mentalist account). The two dominant alternative possibilities are that children view as a distinctive form of non-representational behavior (behavioral account), and that children represent pretense by temporarily treating objects as though they have fictional or make-believe properties (flagging account). This chapter provides an overview of the debate between these three accounts of pretend play, but then endorses a fourth position according to which children view pretend play as a form of communication, similar in many ways to drawing.


We present two integer-only algorithms to be used in tandem for rendering cubic functions and parametric cubic curves with rational coefficients. We then show how to take advantage of curve shape to improve algorithm performance. Analysis of execution speed of existing algorithms shows that our algorithms will match or outperform other current algorithms. Furthermore, while other existing algorithms can only handle curves shaped by rational coefficients by introducing some approximation error, our algorithms always choose the best approximation. When plotting parametric curves, our algorithms may require more bits of representation for some integer variables than other existing algorithms.


Of late there has been significant development in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which offers interaction with computing systems in a large scale. Text input mechanisms in users' own languages are necessary for bringing the ICT advantages to the English illiterates. QWERTY keyboard, however, which was designed for text entry in English, is not as suitable for text composition in other languages. As an alternative, researchers advocate virtual keyboards in users' mother languages. This article proposes an approach to designing virtual keyboards suitable for text entry in Indian languages. Composition of texts in Indian languages using virtual keyboards needs special attention due to the presence of large character sets, complex characters, inflexions, and so on. First, we examine the suitability of existing design principles in developing virtual keyboards in Indian languages. Then we propose a virtual keyboard layout suitable for efficient text entry in Indian languages. We have tested our approach with the three most spoken languages in India, namely, Bengali, Hindi, and Telugu. Performance of the keyboards have been evaluated, and the evaluation substantiates that proposed design achieves on average higher text entry rather than with conventional virtual keyboards. The proposed approach, in fact, provides a solution to deal with complexity in Indian languages and can be extended to many other languages in the world.


Cannabidiol (CBD), the second most abundant of the active compounds found in the Cannabis sativa plant, is of increasing interest because it is approved for human use and is neither euphorizing nor addictive. Here, we design and synthesize novel compounds taking into account that CBD is both a partial agonist, when it binds to the orthosteric site, and a negative allosteric modulator, when it binds to the allosteric site of the cannabinoid CB2 receptor. Molecular dynamic simulations and site-directed mutagenesis studies have identified the allosteric site near the receptor entrance. This knowledge has permitted to perform structure-guided design of negative and positive allosteric modulators of the CB2 receptor with potential therapeutic utility.


Drawing from the study of human reasoning, Argumentation describes different types of arguments and explains how they influence beliefs and behavior. Raymond S. Nickerson identifies many of the fallacies, biases, and other flaws often found in arguments as well as "stratagems" (schemes, illogical and alogical tactics) that people regularly use to persuade others (or themselves). Much attention is given to the evaluation of arguments. As a source for understanding and evaluating arguments in decision-making, it is ideal for courses on cognition, reasoning, and psychology.


: We studied effects of water regimens on crystallization efficacy in experimental nephrolithiasis on 3 groups of Wistar male rats with initial experimental nephrolithiasis (ethylene glycol model). The animals were on free, limited and supernormal liquid intake regimen. For 3 weeks each 3-4 days we estimated 24-h diuresis, urine concentration of calcium, phosphate and oxalate ions. After 3 weeks we made a morphological examination of the kidneys. We found that limited drinking leads to an increase in urinary concentrations of oxalate- and phosphate ions which stimulate enhanced formation of calcium-containing concrements. More water intake considerably reduces oxalate and phosphate concentrations in the urine resulting in reduction of the number and size of calcium deposits in renal tissue. Thus, low liquid intake leads to intensification of urine oversaturation causing formation of renal concrements. Much liquid intake weakens oversaturation and reduces the number and size of calcium deposits in the kidneys.


Find how to: obtain a library card, check out materials, reserve a study room, access remotely, request an item (interlibrary loan), obtain visitor privileges. Policies on: loan periods, returning items, overdue notices, replacement costs, and reserves.


This study presents research that was conducted in the Sandhills Region of North Carolina. In particular, the study involves focus group questionnaires that were distributed to two high schools within the Sandhills Region. The purpose of the study is to establish an understanding of the difference between male students' and female students' perceptions of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses and career pathways, as this will provide further evidence to suggest how educational leaders, teachers, and university teacher-education programs can work toward closing the gender gap in education. The literature review and results sections will provide substantive evidence to suggest that progress is being made in the way of closing the gender gap, but this process remains ongoing in the twenty-first century.


Peer-to-peer computing is becoming a very popular computing paradigm due to the wide diffusion of Internet file sharing applications. The growing number of mobile personal computing devices, together with the proliferation of wireless and pervasive communication technologies, also demand for the adoption of P2P paradigms in the mobile computing area. An interesting and challenging environment where P2P technologies could be employed is represented by "mobile ad hoc networks" (MANETs), which show many similarities with P2P systems. However, many of the classic assumptions that can be made for classical wired P2P systems do not hold for such environments. In order to develop P2P applications on top of mobile handheld devices, a framework, named JMobiPeer has been developed. It has been designed to work on J2ME enabled mobile devices, interacting each other in an ad-hoc fashion. In this paper we analyze the cost of its interoperability with JXTA, a well known P2P framework developed in Java, by comparing its performance with that of JXME, the JXTA prototype for mobile devices.


There are considerable variations in the pace and speed of EU's South-Eastern enlargement. Bulgaria and Romania joined European Union (EU) in 2007, Croatia became the 28th member-state only in July 2013 while the rest of the South-East European (SEE) countries are facing uncertainty about the time they will join the Union. The article revisits the previous debate on EU enlargement politics with the aim to uncover necessary and sufficient conditions that matter in the case of EU enlargement in South-East Europe. Our qualitative comparative analysis shows that having a liberal democracy as well as pro-enlargement EU member-states are both necessary conditions, if joined with the applicant's achievement of the condition of a functional market economy and effective administrative capacities, can sufficiently derive into EU accession.


No living being can avoid the process of aging. Aging changes physical and mental wellbeing which can cause variety of health conditions. One of such conditions that we associate with aging is dementia. In theoretical part of this thesis we focused on speech and language communication problems. These problems may arise with different types of dementia. Furthermore we described general signs of aphasia that resemble those seen with dementia. Aphasia is one of the signs of dementia therefore Paradis (2011) suggests using Bilingual Aphasia Test for testing dementia since it takes into consideration areas afflicted by various types of dementia. Testing was conducted on 20 people ages 65 to 75. They were all unilingual and without any neurological or degenerative conditions. Beforehand we conducted a Mini Mental State Examination which revealed that one person does not match our criteria therefore that person was excluded from additional analysis. Afterwards testing using Bilingual Aphasia Test was performed. Main goal of this thesis was to verify that Bilingual Aphasia Test is suitable for selected group age disregarding subject's sex or degree of education. Results we obtained support the hypothesis that person's sex does not affect outcome of Bilingual Aphasia Test. On the other hand our findings show that person's degree of education does have an influence on Bilingual Aphasia Test results. We attributed this finding to various factors such as person's activity level, reading books, etc. We also looked into a possible link between a Mini Mental State Examination and Bilingual Aphasia Test which proved to be statistically insignificant.


This book contains a co-ordinated series of papers considering how chemical changes in sediments, as they accumulate and lithify, affect their magnetization and how such changes can be monitored by studying their magnetic properties. It is especially relevant to sedimentologists, particularly those in exploration for hydrocarbons and sediment-hosted metals, as well as for geophysicists using the magnetization of sediments.


TaN-pure-GeTe-Cu bipolar switching devices which can be adaptable to semiconductor processes were fabricated as a function of top-electrode sizes (0.2, 0.4, 10, and 50 mum). The on/off resistance change ratio increased highly with decreasing electrode size. In particular, the on/off resistance change ratio was about 103 when the electrode size was scaled down to 200 nm. We obtained the characteristics of conductive bridging memory cell using pure-GeTe film without any doping of Cu or Ag; we also determined the reason for the enhancement of the on/off resistance change ratio when scaling down the electrode size.


Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a lifesaving therapy used in the management of cardiopulmonary failure. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is often added to the treatment for the correction of fluid and electrolyte imbalance in patients with acute kidney injury. Most of the literature on the use of combined ECMO and CRRT has been on pediatric patients. There are limited outcome data on the use of these combined modalities in adult patients. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of all the patients above the age of 18 years who underwent combined ECMO and CRRT at a tertiary care medical center during the period January 2007 to January 2012. The primary outcomes measured were mortality at one year and renal recovery or dialysis dependence at one month. Results A total of 40 patients who were treated concurrently with ECMO and CRRT were identified. The mean age was 47.01 ± 18.29 years. The most common indications for initiation of CRRT were combined fluid overload and electrolyte imbalance. Mortality at one month was (32/40) 80%. Among the 8 survivors (20%), 3 patients required continuation of hemodialysis and 5 patients were independent of dialysis at 30 days. Conclusions Mortality of patients treated with combined ECMO and CRRT is high. Initiation of CRRT in these patients is simply an indicator of severity of illness and fatality. Younger age, higher arterial pH, left ventricular dysfunction and use of VA ECMO are associated with improved survival in these patients.


We develop formal authorization allocation algorithms for role-based access control (RBAC). The formal approaches are based on relational structure, and relational algebra and operations. The process of user-role assignments is an important issue in RBAC because it may modify the authorization level or imply high-level confidential information to be derived while users change positions and request different roles. There are two types of problems which may arise in user-role assignment. One is related to the authorization granting process. When a role is granted to a user this role may conflict with other roles of the user or together with this role; the user may have or derive a high level of authority. Another is related to authorization revocation. When a role is revoked from a user, the user may still have the role from other roles. To solve these problems, this paper presents an authorization granting algorithm, and weak revocation and strong revocation algorithms that are based on relational algebra. The algorithms can be used to check conflicts and therefore to help allocate roles without compromising the security in RBAC. We describe how to use the new algorithms with an anonymity scalable payment scheme. Finally, comparisons with other related work are discussed.


Author(s): Taddeo, Sophie; Dronova, Iryna | Abstract: Significant wetland losses and continuing threats to remnant habitats have motivated extensive restoration efforts in the San Francisco Bay–Delta estuary of California, the largest in the western United States. Consistent monitoring of ecological outcomes from this restoration effort would help managers learn from past projects to improve the design of future endeavors. However, budget constraints and challenging field conditions can limit the scope of current monitoring programs. Geospatial tools and remote sensing data sets could help complement field efforts for a low-cost, longer, and broader monitoring of wetland resources. To understand where geospatial tools could best complement current field monitoring practices, we reviewed the metrics and monitoring methods used by 42 wetland restoration projects implemented in the estuary. Monitoring strategies within our sample of monitoring plans relied predominantly on field surveys to assess key aspects of vegetation recovery while geospatial data sets were used sparingly. Drawing on recent publications that focus on the estuary and other wetland systems, we propose additional geospatial applications to help monitor the progress made toward site-specific and regional goals. These include the use of ecological niche models to target on-the-ground monitoring efforts, the up-scaling of field measurements into regional estimates using remote sensing data, and the analysis of time-series to detect ecosystem shifts. We discuss challenges and limitations to the broad-scale application of remote sensing data in wetland monitoring. These notably include the need to find a venue to store and share computationally intensive data sets, the often cumbersome pre-processing effort needed for long-term analyses, and multiple confounding factors that can obscure the signal of remote sensing data sets.


Cancer of the thyroid gland has led to a great deal of controversy in the literature. There has been much disagreement as to incidence, classification, geographic relationship, diagnosis, and treatment of malignant disease of the thyroid gland. The reported incidence of carcinoma of the thyroid varies from 1% to as high as 24%. This wide variation is largely due to 3 main factors—(1) the geographic location in which the survey of goiter is made; (2) the difference in the pathologic grading of carcinoma by microscopic change in the thyroid tissue, and (3) the manner in which various authors segregate the types of goiter from which cancer may arise. For example, the incidence of cancer developing in toxic diffuse goiter is very low (about 0.2%), the incidence in toxic nodular goiter is about 1%, while the reported incidence of cancer in nontoxic nodular goiter ranges from 6% to as high as


, Abstract Background and objectives: The genesis of atherosclerotic lesions which is a major cardiovascular risk factor starts in the early life. If the premature development of cardiovascular risk factors can be anticipated during childhood, cardiovascular events can be prevented effectively by taking appropriate measures. The aim of the present study was to know cord blood lipid levels and its correlation with newborn's birth weight and gestational age. Methods: Present study was conducted in the department of paediatrics, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Mangolpuri, Delhi, from December 2019 to June 2020. In this observational cross sectional study, 105 newborn babies whose gestational age was between 28 to <42 weeks were included with due consideration of inclusion and exclusion criteria as per study protocol. Results: Cord blood lipid levels were significantly high (P <0.05) in low birth weight babies. Cord high density lipoprotein with gender (p>0.05). Conclusions: Lipid levels were significantly high in low birth weight babies, preterm babies and small for gestational age babies. Hence, low birth weight babies, small for gestational age babies and preterm babies should be closely monitored for lipid related disorders and co-morbidities.


Human adults have rich theories in their heads of how the world works. These theories include objects and relations for both concrete and abstract concepts. Everything we know either must be innate or learned through experience. Yet it's unclear how much of this model needs to be innate for a computer. The core question this dissertation addresses is how a computer can develop rich relational theories using only its raw sensor data. We address this by outlining a "bridge" between raw sensors and a rich relational theory. We have implemented parts of this bridge, with other parts as feasibility studies, while others remain conceptual.
At the core of this bridge is Ontol, a system that constructs a conceptual structure or "ontology" from feature-set data. Ontol is inspired by cortical models that have been shown to be able to express invariant concepts, such as images independent of any translation or rotation. As a demonstration of the utility of the ontologies created by Ontol, we present a novel semi-supervised learning algorithm that learns from only a handful of positive examples. Like humans, this algorithm doesn't require negative examples. Instead, this algorithm uses the ontologies created by Ontol from unlabeled data, and searches for a Bayes-optimal theory given this "background knowledge".
The rest of the dissertation shows in principle how Ontol can be used as the "workhorse" for a system that finds analogies, discovers useful mappings, and might ultimately create theories, such as a "gisty" theory of "number".


different speech sound if it is associated with a different speech source.3 This latter observation is particularly relevant to the earliest stage of language learning-the child will be unable to make progress if he cannot equate his sounds with those made by the adults around him-and possibly to some cases of language impairment in the adult since if this ability to abstract is absent there might be no speech comprehension presented with otherwise normal hearing. In the fairly near future this background knowledge will prov:de the basis for a speech pattern audiometry which will be truly intermed'ate between the classical pure tone and speech audiometric tests. Though its test stimuli are computer-generated and far more complex than those which are at present used, they can be tape-recorded and used clinically with quite simple and reliable apparatus. In addition to this we can expect eventually to see the employment of speech therapy techniques which depend on the analysis and display of speech pattern features,4 and the use of synthetic speech for the blind5 and as a prosthetic speech aid for those who are entirely without expressive speech. These technical developements which are :kely to stem from the use of our present knowledge of speech patterns will probably be paralleled by an increase in our understanding of the mechanisms which underly the speech mode of perception. The experimental techniques which have made hemispheric s-pecialization more accessible to measurement6 and those which are beginning to define the role of short-term auditory memory in speech processing7 may be capable of extension so that the process of speech pattern encoding itself is better understood. This rather superficial survey will have achieved its purpose if I have at least indicated how audiometric stimuli could, tc advantage, be related to the nature of speech itself.-I am, etc., A. J. FOURCIN Department of Phonetics and Linquistics, University College, London W.C.1.


The total light transmittance of hand lay-up glass fiber-reinforced polymer laminates for building construction was investigated with a view to two architectural applications: translucent load-bearing structures and the encapsulation of photovoltaic cells into glass fiber-reinforced polymer building skins of sandwich structures. Spectrophotometric experiments on unidirectional and cross-ply glass fiber-reinforced polymer specimens in the range from 0.20 to 0.45 fiber volume fraction and artificial sunlight exposure experiments on encapsulated amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells were performed. Analytical models have been developed to predict light transmittance through glass fiber-reinforced polymer structures and the percentage of solar radiation reaching encapsulated photovoltaic cells. The total amount of fibers in the laminates was the major parameter influencing light transmittance, with fiber architecture having little effect and regardless of fiber volume fraction. Eight-three percent of solar irradiance in the band of 300–800 nm reached the surface of amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells encapsulated below structural glass fiber-reinforced polymer laminates with a fiber reinforcement weight of 820 g/m2, demonstrating the feasibility of conceiving multifunctional glass fiber-reinforced polymer structures.


1. The activity of lateral-line sense organs was studied in swimming spinal dogfish by recording from filaments of the lateral-line nerve dissected in an anterior immobile part of the fish, the rest of the fish being free to move. 2. In a non-swimming fish most of the receptors were spontaneously active, discharging
at 15-20 impulses/sec. 3. When the part of the body overlying the receptor was flexed, the impulse frequency was either enhanced or depressed, depending on the direction of movement. 4. In swimming spinal dogfish the sense organs discharged in bursts at the same frequency as the swimming rhythm. 5. The lateral-line receptors could provide information which would be useful in locomotory co-ordination, for the burst length, frequency, discharge frequency and number of impulses in the rhythmical discharge could all be correlated with the swimming movements.


To recover strip coal pillar and reduce cost after strip mining, the short wall box style mining method was presented. Strata stability was analyzed based on support plate theory, mechanical model of the second strata movement was created, and safety factor was deduced .The ground movement and deformation were predicted, with probability integration method. The application demonstrates that this mining method can protect buildings on earth's surface, improve the recovery ratio of coal and reduce cost. This mining method has a good economic advantage and environmental benefit.


Studies on both second language discourse in general and Chinese EFL/ESL discourse in particular have reported mixed findings about the relationship between L1 and L2 writing. This study investigates the rhetorical features of argumentative essays written by Chinese college EFL students by analyzing paragraph and overall textual organization and development in 69 sample essays. The results show that the majority of the participants compose in a deductive pattern similar to what is typically employed by native English speaking writers. However, the way in which the Chinese EFL students develop their L2 written discourse lacks effectiveness and adequacy, in terms of the following features: the quality of the topic sentence (of paragraphs) and the introduction paragraph (of essays), the adequacy of supporting details, transitions between sentences and paragraphs, and the effectiveness of the ending (of essays). Furthermore, we explore the factors that may underlie the observed patterns. We conclude the paper by discussing the pedagogical implications of the findings and suggesting directions for future research.


Mimosa diplotricha is an invasive perennial,
scrambling, thorny, leguminous shrub of neotropical origin widely acknowledged
as a major economic, agricultural and ecological burden in its introduced
ranges. Although the plant is thought to have been present in Nigeria for well
over two decades, its mode and time of introduction is uncertain. In spite of
the continuing spread of, and the menace caused by M. diplotricha in Nigeria, no attempt has been made to map the
distribution of the plant countrywide. Therefore, we conducted a countrywide
survey between 2007 and 2009, sponsored by the Weed Science Society of Nigeria
(WSSN) to determine the spread and status of Mimosa diplotricha in
Nigeria. A further objective of this paper was to review literatures on Mimosa diplotricha in Nigeria and
elsewhere to enable comparison. In this paper, we report on the spread,
distribution and problems of Mimosa
diplotricha in Nigeria based on the field monitoring surveys conducted. The
distribution of this invasive plant in Nigeria has been mapped and is presented
together with its ecology and problems being caused. Since the early 1990s, the
weed has started to spread and invade many parts of the country causing
significant damage to many natural and semi natural ecosystems. The different
control options used by farmers to control Mimosa
diplotricha in Nigeria are discussed. Based on the successful control of
this invasive plant using the biocontrol agent, Heteropsylla spinulosa in countries such as Australia and Papua New Guinea
(PNG), we discussed the biological control prospects for the management of Mimosa diplotricha in Nigeria. Such
control attempts stands to benefit from international collaborations between
Nigerian institutions and a host of others in Australia, PNG and/or Brazil.
Finally three major causes for the massive and continuing spread of this weed
in Nigeria are presented with recommendations for the Nigerian government and
institutions to: 1) formulate policies and legislations regarding the
control and management of invasive alien plant species which is currently nonexistent; 2) enlighten the general
public on the dangers of invasive alien plant species such as Mimosa diplotricha; and 3) initiate actions such as
early detection and rapid response (EDRR) and biological control in order to
prevent further spread of, and invasion by invasive plant species including Mimosa diplotricha.


By the synchronizing time, the synchronizing force was controlled reasonably. The impact factors on synchronizing were analyzed and the shift synchronization time was studied. The benchmarking and the road tests were carried out for further investigation. Test data show that by the developed AMT shift control strategies, the average synchronization time is as follows: under the benchmarking condition the minimum time is 100ms (3->4 gear) while the maximum time is 485 ms (0->1 gear); under the road test condition the minimum time is 55ms (4->5 gear) while the maximum time is 100 ms (3->4 gear); The jerk as the utility comfort evaluation index under the road test condition was analyzed and the result was 5.43 m/s3 which satisfied the automated transmission requirement perfectly.


The Western Ghats (WG) of south India, a global biodiversity hotspot, has experienced complex geological history being part of Gondwana landmass and encountered extensive volcanic activity at the end of Cretaceous epoch. It also has a climatically and topographically heterogeneous landscape. Thus, the WG offer a unique setting to explore the influence of ecological and geological processes on the current diversity and distribution of its biota. To this end, three explicit biogeographical scenarios were hypothesized to evaluate the distribution and diversification of wet evergreen species of the WG – (1) southern WG was a refuge for the wet evergreen species during the Cretaceous volcanism, (2) phylogenetic breaks in the species phylogeny would correspond to geographic breaks (i.e., the Palghat gap) in the WG, and (3) species from each of the biogeographic subdivisions within the WG would form distinct clades. These hypotheses were tested on the centipede genus Digitipes from the WG which is known to be an ancient, endemic, and monophyletic group. The Digitipes molecular phylogeny was subjected to divergence date estimation using Bayesian approach, and ancestral areas were reconstructed using parsimony approach for each node in the phylogeny. Ancestral-area reconstruction suggested 13 independent dispersal events to explain the current distribution of the Digitipes species in the WG. Among these 13 dispersals, two dispersal events were at higher level in the Digitipes phylogeny and were from the southern WG to the central and northern WG independently in the Early Paleocene, after the Cretaceous Volcanism. The remaining 11 dispersal events explained the species' range expansions of which nine dispersals were from the southern WG to other biogeographic subdivisions in the Eocene-Miocene in the post-volcanic periods where species-level diversifications occurred. Taken together, these results suggest that southern WG might have served as a refuge for Digitipes species during Cretaceous volcanism.


The objective of this research was to compare the performance of growing cattle fed COBY-processed (CBP) or a commercial supplement during winter and spring. In addition, forage utilization was also measured.  Three treatments were evaluated:  (1) control (CON), no supplement, (2) commercial supplement (COMM), and (3) starch coated and extruded cotton gin by-products (CBP). Commercial supplements and CBP were fed three times a week at a rate of 1.0 lbs/head/day.  We used a total of 197 British and Continental crossbred steers with an average initial weight of 366 lb/hd (SD ± 17 lbs).  Steers that were fed with the COMM supplement gained 35 lbs/head more than the control, whereas steers fed with CBP gained 20 lbs/head more than the controls.  In contrast, steers fed with the COMM supplement gained 15 lbs/head more than those fed with CBP. Forage utilization for CBP treatment was 37%, while COMM steers achieved 63%, and CON 52%.   The research confirmed that CBP as a supplement was palatable but incomplete on nutritional value to support cost effective performance in growing cattle grazing tobosagrass rangeland.


Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by persistent fatigue, which often leads to physical and psychological damage. However, there is currently no clear explanation for this syndrome. Most treatments are based on symptoms, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered to be one of the most effective treatments. Little is known about the Prolong Life With Nine Turn Method (PLWNT) Qigong, a combination of complex two-way traffic path connecting the cognitive center and the enteric nerves. In this study protocol, we explored the effectiveness of PLWNT on gastrointestinal function, physical and mental fatigue, and sleep quality in patients with CFS. Methods/design A randomized controlled trial consisting of 90 patients will be divided into and The treatment group will be treated with either CBT or PLWNT. Both treatment groups will include a supervised intervention at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine once a week, and the remaining six days will be completed at home over 12 consecutive weeks. Both treatments will take three months. Qualified participants in accordance with the inclusion criteria and signed informed consent will be recruited. The primary outcome variable is to explore the regulation mechanism of the brain-gut axis in patients with chronic fatigue and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Secondary outcomes are the Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), which will be completed before and after the intervention. This will be the first to introduce the If our results demonstrate will provide


This thesis investigates the dropout problem in Samoan schools particularly at primary and secondary levels from 1995 to 2007. It aims at identifying and comparing the dropout rate by region (or geographical locations), school level (primary, primary/secondary and secondary) and school status (Government, Mission and Private). Moreover, it also investigates whether the student-teacher ratio, school size, the gender and ethnicity of the teacher, the qualification of the teacher, the school building and school facility variables are associated with the dropout of students. The investigation is carried out through analysis of census data gathered annually by the Samoa Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC) through census forms from all the primary and secondary schools in the country. Given our response variable is a dichotomous one, the logit regression models to model the effect of both the categorical and continuous explanatory variables on the dropout was adopted. Moreover, since the dropout rates across different year levels (eg, Year 2, Year 3, and Year 13) are correlated within each school we then use the Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) approach. The results show that higher dropout rates are found in the rural areas (Rest of Upolu combined with Savaii region) as compared to urban area (Apia urban region). In addition, students are more likely to leave secondary schools earlier than primary or primary/secondary schools. Apparently, the majority of these dropouts are those who have attended Government schools. Surprisingly, students are less likely to get affected with the dropout in larger schools and those schools with higher student-teacher ratios. The gender of the school teacher has nothing to do with the dropout however; having more Samoan and highly qualified teachers in a school will significantly reduce the dropout rate. Nonetheless, a couple of school building variables are significantly associated with the dropout in the positive direction, while another couple inversely relate with the dropout. Schools with more trucks as means of transportation for students, and more radios for school programs and students' activities are less likely to get affected with the dropouts.


The results of Zhou's retrospective observational study conflict with the evidence obtained from well-designed clinical trials. Retrospective analyses of administrative databases may indicate an association between 2 variables, but one must not infer that a causal relation exists. Limitations in the study design complicate interpretation of the results. Equivalence trials are designed to confirm the absence of a meaningful difference between treatments where a margin of clinical equivalence is prespecified, which was not the case here. If equivalence trials are not designed and analyzed appropriately, they often have intrinsic biases tending toward the conclusion of no difference. Despite adjustments for many confounding variables, the study did not capture a key independent risk factor that affects baseline cardiovascular risk, namely total cholesterol or lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol blood concentration. Finally, the rate of switches for non-atorvastatin users was high, resulting in "contamination" of other statin groups with atorvastatin users. This was not appropriately accounted for in the analyses. Switching may occur not only because of worsening clinical status, but also because of higher baseline cholesterol, which confers a higher cardiovascular risk. Zhou highlights the care gap observed between 1997 and 2001: 67% of elderly subjects did not receive lipidlowering therapy after myocardial infarction, and most of the remaining patients received low starting doses of statins. It is encouraging, however, that persistence rates were high, which is important in optimizing care after myocardial infarction.


The amino acid and ammonia profiles in various tissues of the rat exposed to different pressures of pure oxygen have been studied. Well-defined changes in behavioral activity accompanied a profile of increasing pressure, culminating in convulsive activity in each group of exposed animals. After an initial depression of ammonia, in all tissues studied at 0.68 atm oxygen ammonia increased significantly at higher oxygen pressures. A rise in tissue ammonia took place in the absence of undue muscular activity on the part of the exposed animals. A significant increase in ammonia occurred first in brain and liver at 3.40 atm. Ammonia concentration was high in all tissues after convulsions occurred at 4.08 atm. Between 0.68 and 2.72 atm oxygen, tissue ammonia concentration was generally low and brain glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid were high. At pressures higher than 2.72 atm oxygen, tissue glutamate declined and glutamine increased. Alanine became significantly elevated in serum and muscle at high oxygen pressure, and aspartate was depressed in heart, liver, and muscle. These pressure-course experiments on ammonia accumulation in tissue confirm previous serial time course observations that ammonia accumulates in the brain and several tissues of the rat even in the absence of undue muscular activity during high-pressure oxygen exposure and is a significant factor in inducing convulsions.


We examined ZO-1 protein content in cultured retinal vascular endothelial cells to test the hypothesis that histamine alters tight-junction-protein expression. Histamine (10(-9) -10(-4) M) causes a reversible concentration-dependent reduction of ZO-1 protein content, mediated by both H1 and H2 receptors. Histamine reduces ZO-1 expression within the time associated with increased paracellular permeability. Tight-junction-protein alterations may be a novel explanation for the mechanism by which vasoactive agents increase microvascular permeability.


Drought is a threat to public health. Individual and community adaptive capacity is crucial when responding to the impacts of drought. Gaps remain in the understandings of the relationship between wellbeing and adaptive capacity, and whether increased wellbeing can lead to improved adaptive capacity (or vice versa). This paper explores the relationship between drought, wellbeing and adaptive capacity to provide insights that will inform actions to enhance adaptive capacity, and hence increase opportunities for effective drought adaptation. The theory of salutogenesis and the associated sense of coherence (SOC) are used to measure adaptive capacity and to explain why some individuals remain well and adapt to adversity while others do not. An online survey of rural residents (n = 163) in drought-affected New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was conducted from November 2018 to January 2019. Linear regression was used to model the relationships between SOC, sociodemographic factors, drought and wellbeing. Findings demonstrate that SOC is strongly correlated with wellbeing. Drought condition did not influence adaptive capacity, although adaptive capacity and drought-related stress were only weakly correlated. Increased wellbeing was found to be associated with stronger adaptive capacity and therefore, an individuals' capacity to cope with adversity, such as drought.


Morphological characters of Pama croaker Otolithoides pama were established in the present study. The partial sequence of the fish was generated which is an important record of the species available in the Hooghly-Matlah estuarine system of West Bengal, for any further comparisons. The constructed Neighbor-Joining (NJ) tree based on Kimura's 2 parameter distance model indicated that O. pama showed an identical phylogenetic relationship with 28 sciaenid species. The tree showed high bootstrap support values with identical topology. The phylogenetic tree constructed for O. pama exhibited high similarity with Panna microdon , Otolithoides biauritus and Pama pama . Within the three closely related species, the overall mean distance between the individuals was found to be 10.30 %. The genetic distance value was highest between Panna microdon and Pama pama (15.60 %) and the lowest genetic distance was observed between Otolithoides biauritus and Panna microdon (0.30 %). The study revealed that for the identification of respective fish species based on nucleotide sequences, Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) genes can be used as barcodes.


This thesis aimed to evaluate stakeholder attitudes towards, and tools for, participatory planning in the ecotourism sector in Kurdistan. Ecotourism has been adopted widely to promote conservation and community development. Ecotourism has the potential to support post-conflict recovery as it requires multi-stakeholder involvement, and has the capacity to unite different community sectors and the government. Ecotourism development may, however, encounter a range of challenges in post-conflict areas and areas lacking democratic governance, an area which has been relatively under-researched (Nianyong and Zhuge, 2001; Fletcher, 2009; Altinay et al., 2007). Research is needed to underpin ecotourism development, especially in places where it is newly introduced. By evaluating participatory approaches to ecotourism development in Kurdistan, this study addressed the following research gaps: limited understanding of the needs of local communities in participatory planning; barriers and enablers to participatory planning and the potential of ecotourism in such post-conflict settings. In addition, the literature cites use of GIS-based Multiple Criteria Evaluation (MCE) for site selection, but generally with limited stakeholder consultation and a lack of critical appraisal of stakeholder input. Thirty-eight participants from different stakeholder groups, including civil society, private bodies, government agencies and academia, were consulted to gain an understanding of their perspectives on ecotourism development and potential ecotourism sites. The initial consultation used a participatory workshop adapted from the Ketso toolkit, followed by complementary semi-structured interviews with additional stakeholders selected via chain-referral sampling. After two years, the same stakeholders were consulted again about their preferences for potential ecotourism sites and the sites' suitability using a new, iterative GIS-based MCE approach. Local community attitudes and intentions towards conservation and a proposed ecotourism project were examined using questionnaire-based interviews with 70 respondents and RRA, adapted from a conceptual framework developed by Lai and Nepal (2006) in Taiwan. The workshop and survey suggested stakeholders lacked interest in participatory planning, and held ambiguous attitudes towards ecotourism development, particularly local community members, who were marginalised by other stakeholders. Several approaches could move Kurdish ecotourism forward. NGO participation should be encouraged, as NGOs are likely to be more trusted than government. Greater environmental education and awareness among stakeholders is essential to strengthen decision-making. Critically, local communities need to be empowered and engaged. Insight into the degree of consensus among different stakeholders was gained using a novel MCE and GIS approach, which developed suitability scores for proposed destinations based on stakeholder assessment of site criteria, followed by a comparison of suitability scores for destinations proposed by stakeholders versus 'control' locations chosen without reference to stakeholders. 78 destinations nominated by participants had significantly higher MCE scores than 'control' locations (58), suggesting consistency in stakeholder input. The application of existing techniques (questionnaires and a Ketso-derived stakeholder workshop) in a post-conflict setting forms part of the methodological contribution. The principal methodological contribution was to devise a GIS-based technique for assessing consistency in stakeholder input to participatory suitability mapping. The technique has potential application in ecotourism as well as other forms of participatory suitability mapping, and could be transferable to settings outside of Kurdistan.


In view of the little attention that the relationship between capital stock and unemployment has received, this paper aims at exploring the relationship between those two variables. A Post Keynesian framework comprising a set of demand-side variables provides the basis on which the econometric investigation is conducted. In this context, the application of panel data analysis to EU countries provides evidence on this hitherto untested issue. In so doing, it also explores the extent to which the emergence of the new economic orthodoxy in Europe may be held responsible for the dire state that European labor markets are currently in.


Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection of low serum-arrested confluent whole human embryo (Flow 5000) cells markedly stimulated ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. Increased ODC activity was apparent by 12 h post-infection. The capacity of HCMV to stimulate ODC was: (1) dependent upon multiplicity of infection; (2) eliminated when the virus was neutralized with specific antiserum; and (3) sensitive to ultraviolet irradiation. Virus-mediated induction, in contrast to high serum induction of ODC, was not subject to inhibition by polyamines added to the growth medium. Phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) which blocks HCMV replication by inhibiting the activity of HCMV-specific DNA polymerase and which does not prevent HCMV induced stimulation of cell DNA synthesis, reversibly inhibited HCMV-induced stimulation of ODC activity by 74%. Studies with PAA indicated that HCMV-induced stimulation of ODC activity is independent of cell DNA synthesis and that the mechanism regulating virus-induced stimulation may be related to the HCMV-specific DNA polymerase.


We report a detection of water vapor in the protoplanetary disk around DoAr 44 with the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph—a visitor instrument on the Gemini north telescope. The DoAr 44 disk consists of an optically thick inner ring and outer disk, separated by a dust-cleared 36 AU gap, and has therefore been termed "pre-transitional." To date, this is the only disk with a large inner gap known to harbor detectable quantities of warm ( T ∼ 450 ?> K) water vapor. In this work, we detect and spectrally resolve three mid-infrared pure rotational emission lines of water vapor from this source, and use the shapes of the emission lines to constrain the location of the water vapor. We find that the emission originates near 0.3 AU—the inner disk region. This characteristic region coincides with that inferred for both optically thick and thin thermal infrared dust emission, as well as rovibrational CO emission. The presence of water in the dust-depleted region implies substantial columns of hydrogen ( > 10 22 cm − 2 ?> ) as the water vapor would otherwise be destroyed by photodissociation. Combined with the dust modeling, this column implies a gas/small-dust ratio in the optically thin dusty region of ≳ 1000 ?> . These results demonstrate that DoAr 44 has maintained similar physical and chemical conditions to classical protoplanetary disks in its terrestrial-planet forming regions, in spite of having formed a large gap.


Objective: We set out to gain a better understanding of human psychic or "psi" functioning by using a smartphone-based app to gather data from thousands of participants. Our expectations were that psi performance would often be revealed to be in the direction opposite to the participants' conscious intentions ("expectation-opposing"; previously called "psi-missing"), and that gender and psi belief would be related to performance. Method:We created and launched three iOS-based tasks, available from 2017 to 2020, related to micro-psychokinesis (the ability to mentally influence a random number generator) and precognition (the ability to predict future randomly selected events). We statistically analyzed data from more than 2,613 unique logins and 995,995 contributed trials using null hypothesis significance testing as well as a pre-registered confirmatory analysis. Results: Our expectations were confirmed, and we discovered additional effects post-hoc. Our key findings were: 1) significant expectation-opposing effects, with a confirmatory pre-registered replication of a clear expectation-opposing effect on a micro-pk task,  2) performance correlated with psi belief on all three tasks, 3) performance on two of the three tasks related to gender, 4) men and women apparently used different strategies to perform micro-pk and precognition tasks. Conclusions: We describe our recommendations for future attempts to better understand performance on forced-choice psi tasks. The mnemonic for this strategy is SEARCH: Small effects, Early and exploratory, Accrue data, Recognize diversity in approach, Characterize rather than impose, and Hone in on big results.


This paper focuses on the process of engaging with families where a child is at risk of harm, and considers a relationship-based approach to work with 'involuntary clients' of child protection services. Contextualizing the discussion within a broader understanding of the role and importance of relationship-based practice, a conceptual and ethical framework is outlined that can, it is suggested, support effective relationship-based work and moral decision-making with involuntary clients. Making use of psychoanalytic and more broadly psychodynamic insights, along with perspectives drawn from recognition theory, it is argued that relationship-based practice offers the potential for recognition, respect and reciprocity, and that these three aspects of relationship provide a foundation for ethical engagement with involuntary clients. However, such an approach is not without tensions, so the latter part of the paper considers some of the challenges and dilemmas that accompany the process of trying to engage parents who do not want to be 'worked with'.


The biggest challenge in the field of image processing is to recognize documents both in printed and handwritten format. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a type of document image analysis where scanned digital image that contains either machine printed or handwritten script input into an OCR software engine and translating it into an editable machine readable digital text format. Development of OCRs for Indian script is an active area of research today. We are making an attempt to develop the OCR system for Oriya language, which is the official language of Orissa. Oriya language present great challenges to an OCR designer due to the large number of letters in the alphabet, the sophisticated ways in which they combine, and the complicated graphemes they result in. In this paper, we argue that a number of automatic and semi-automatic tools can ease the development of recognizers for new font styles and new scripts. We discuss briefly and show how they have helped build new OCRs for the purpose of recognizing Oriya script. We have used the Back propagation Neural Network for efficient recognition where the errors were corrected through back propagation and rectified neuron values were transmitted by feed-forward method in the neural network of multiple layers, i.e. the input layer, the output layer and the middle layer or hidden layers.


The technological progress to automated driving not only influences the motion of the vehicle itself but also enables passengers to productively shape their driving time in a new way as they are not occupied with driving tasks anymore. Therefore, non-driving-related activities such as sleeping, working on a notebook or watching movies, become relevant user scenarios for functionally designing the automotive interior. For this purpose, a non-driving-related activity can be described by functions, which support the users in performing their intentional tasks, and functions carriers, which fulfil one or several functions. Basing on previous research findings, a quantitative survey is conducted in order to identify relevant and prioritised functions and function carriers. Five non-driving-related activities are taken into account: 'Making a call', 'sleeping', 'watching a movie', 'talking to passengers' and 'working on a notebook'. Results show a significant difference between general relevancy and specific prioritisation of functions and function carriers. In this contribution, the setup of the study is described, the outcome exemplified and further research steps are deduced.


Summary
Reactions of virions of the potyvirus wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) with homologous antiserum in leaf-dips depended on the age of infection of the leaf. Virions from young and recently expanded leaves were completely or partially covered with immunoglobulin whereas virions from leaves infected earlier were not decorated. However, in ultrathin sections virions could be immunolabelled in leaves of all ages. These results suggest that the virions can be partially degraded upon extraction, particularly those from older leaves. Thus, a negative reaction with leaf-dip serology of a suspected WSMV infection does not in itself constitute evidence that the plant is not infected with WSMV. The same principle has implications for the routine serological identification of potyviruses in leaf-dips.


Very large, sparsely distributed, sinuous, gently dipping and occasionally branching tunnels with subordinate swells, as well as possible chambers and scratches, are described from the Hettangian Dealul Budinic Member of the Lower Jurassic continental Steierdorf Formation at Anina in the South Carpathians, Romania, and are interpreted as tetrapod burrows. No bone remains have been found in association with these structures. The morphology and large dimensions of the burrows suggest that the trace-makers were sauropsid amniotes, most probably either crocodyliforms or small-sized basal neornithischian dinosaurs, although their therapsid affinities, despite being less likely, cannot be discarded either. The age, large size and probable origin of these burrows add important information to a poorly documented period of the evolution of tetrapod fossoriality. It may be suggested that within a relatively short time interval following the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, when environmental conditions were still marked by strongly seasonal climate with prolonged droughts as well as extreme moisture and temperature fluctuations, fossorial habit probably became yet again an endurance strategy for burrow makers.


Since their introduction in a classical paper by Rudin, Osher and Fatemi [2], total variation minimizing models have become one of the most popular and successful tools for image restoration. Unfortunately, the total variation functional is not invariant under general affine transformation. Invariance under affine transformation is very important for many image processing tasks. In this paper we introduce a new affine invariant regularization functional which has many properties similar to total variation and can be used for affine invariant denoising and restoration tasks.


Electronic corpora can be used not only for language description but also as a resource for teaching and learning in what has come to be known as "data-driven learning" or DDL (Johns 1990). The arguments for and against have accumulated over two decades and more: in favour are numerous theoretical pedagogical advantages, while the objections tend to revolve around practical and logistical barriers to implementation. Certainly in its more extreme forms, it seems difficult to reconcile DDL with the reality of ordinary language classrooms (e.g. Mukherjee 2006). One of the most apparent obstacles here is the use of the technology itself - the computer with its query software and interfaces for accessing electronic corpora - which has repeatedly been found to pose substantial problems for many learners (e.g. Yoon & Hirvela 2004) as well as teachers (e.g. Farr 2008). Where this is the case, the obvious question is whether the computer can be successfully removed from the equation without losing the benefits of the overall approach (cf. Boulton 2010). It seems obvious that paper-based materials will not afford all the advantages of the fully autonomous, hands-on concordancing DDL is commonly associated with. However, the earliest instantiations of DDL relied almost exclusively on concordance print-outs, and prepared materials can be argued to allow a gentle lead-in, with teacher and learner roles changing gradually as they concentrate first on the new approach (DDL) and the new materials (corpora) without also having to worry about the new technology at the start. Indeed, such has been common practice in many DDL studies (see Boulton forthcoming for a review). Each approach has its adherents, but to date there has been little if any empirical research attempting a direct comparison of the use of paper-based and hands-on corpus consultation. This study draws on past experience with two different groups of students learning English at an architecture college in France. In the first case, the learners were highly receptive to an encounter with printed DDL materials (Boulton 2010); in the second, a hands-on approach to corpus consultation was far less well received (Boulton 2009). However, the varying conditions mean that direct comparisons are difficult to make. In the present study, two groups of lower-intermediate level students at the same college were introduced to English language corpora in the last 15-20 minutes of their regular weekly class. Each group covered the same points using essentially the same processes, but alternated between 'hands-on' consultation (i.e. on computer) and paper-based materials (i.e. 'hands-off'). In this way, after 10 weeks all the students (n=30) should have been at least moderately familiar with both approaches. The learning outcomes of the hands-on and hands-off approaches were compared by testing the final two items covered - language points which had previously been seen to pose problems for many of these learners. The results were compared against feedback obtained at the start and again at the end of the course on the participants' preferences and affective reactions. Previous experience suggests that those who do best are not necessarily most receptive, and vice versa. In an attempt to identify some of the variables that may underlie the individual differences, two instruments were used to relate the outcomes and reactions to motivation and learning styles. The overall conclusion seems to be that there is unlikely to be a single best version of DDL for all learners in all situations at all times, and that variety and sensitivity to learner variation and local conditions is crucial.


We consider the formation of point and line topological defects (monopoles and strings) from a general point of view by allowing the probability of formation of a defect to vary. To investigate the statistical properties of the defects at formation we give qualitative arguments that are independent of any particular model in which such defects occur. These arguments are substantiated by numerical results in the case of strings and for monopoles in two dimensions. We find that the network of strings at formation undergoes a transition at a certain critical density below which there are no infinite strings and the closed-string (loop) distribution is exponentially suppressed at large lengths. The results are contrasted with the results of statistical arguments applied to a box of strings in dynamical equilibrium. We argue that if point defects were to form with smaller probability, the distance between monopoles and antimonopoles would decrease while the monopole-to-monopole distance would increase. We find that monopoles are always paired with antimonopoles but the pairing becomes clean only when the number density of defects is small. A similar reasoning would also apply to other defects.


To better support multiscale modeling and simulation, we present a multiscale time representation consisting of data types, data structures, and algorithms that collectively support the recording of past events and scheduling of future events in a discrete event simulation. Our approach addresses the drawbacks of conventional time representations: limited range in the case of 32- or 64-bit fixed-point time values; problematic rounding errors in the case of floating-point numbers; and the lack of a universally acceptable precision level in the case of brute force approaches. The proposed representation provides both extensive range and fine resolution in the timing of events, yet it stores and manipulates the majority of event times as standard 64-bit numbers. When adopted for simulation purposes, the representation allows a domain expert to choose a precision level for his/her model. This time precision is honored by the simulator even when the model is integrated with other models of vastly different time scales. Making use of C++11 programming language features and the Discrete Event System Specification formalism, we implemented a simulator to test the time representation and inform a discussion on its implications for collaborative multiscale modeling efforts.


We present the results of N-body simulations of dissipationless galaxy merging in modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND). For comparison, we also studied Newtonian merging between galaxies embedded in dark matter haloes, with internal dynamics equivalent to the MOND systems. We found that the merging time-scales are significantly longer in MOND than in Newtonian gravity with dark matter, suggesting that observational evidence of rapid merging could be difficult to explain in MOND. However, when two galaxies eventually merge, the MOND merging end-product is hardly distinguishable from the final stellar distribution of an equivalent Newtonian merger with dark matter.


The main aim of the study was to indicate relational premises in the cooperation between industry organisations and farms with conservative breeds (cattle, pigs, and sheep). It has been assumed that the processes of integration of domestic animal breeders depend on the state of the relationships established (in terms of quality, sustainability, dependence and uniqueness) with industry organisations. The research was carried out on the basis of an interview questionnaire (in 2017) with farmers from south-eastern Poland, representatives of organisations, and a review of secondary sources describing the activities of industry organisations since the beginning of their existence. The specificity of the entities under analysis stems from their role and responsibilities. Breeders contribute to the growth of biodiversity, while industry organisations are an important partner in their relationships as they support farms (they mediate in the contracting process, organise trainings, represent the interests of producers in Poland and abroad). Preliminary results of the research indicate that the best conditions for cooperation are in the networks of breeders of conservative breeds of pigs as well as in interorganisational relationships with the 'POLSUS' industry organisation.


In this research, nanocrystalline Ni-Fe-Cu ternary thin films using electrochemical deposition technique were produced at low and high applied current densities onto Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coated conducting glass substrates. Change of surface morphology and microstructural properties of the films were investigated. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurements showed that the Ni-Fe-Cu ternary thin films exhibit anomalous codeposition behaviour during the electrochemical deposition process. From the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, it was revealed that there are two segregated phases such as Cu- rich and Ni-rich within the films. The crystallographic structure of the films was face-centered cubic (FCC). It was also observed that the film has lower lattice micro-strain and higher texture degree at high applied current density. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed that the films have rounded shape particles on the base part and cauliflower-like structures on the upper part. The film electrodeposited at high current density had considerably smaller rounded shape particles and cauliflower-like structures. From the atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses, it was shown that the film deposited at high current density has smaller particle size and surface roughness than the film grown at low current density.


The testability distribution of a VLSI circuit is modeled as a series of step functions over the interval [0, 1]. The model generalizes previous related work on testability. Unlike previous work, however, we include estimates of testability by random vectors. Quadratic programming methods are used to estimate the parameters of the testability distribution from fault coverage data (random and deterministic) on a sample of faults. The estimated testability is then used to predict the random and deterministic fault coverage distributions without the need to employ test generation or fault simulations. The prediction of fault coverage distribution can answer important questions about the "goodness" of a design from a testing point of view. Experimental results are given on the large ISCAS-85 and ISCAS-89 circuits.


Firmly situating South African teams, players, and associations in the international framework in which they have to compete, South Africa and the Global Game: Football, Apartheid, and Beyond presents an interdisciplinary analysis of how and why South Africa underwent a remarkable transformation from a pariah in world sport to the first African host of a World Cup in 2010. Written by an eminent team of scholars, this special issue and book aims to examine the importance of football in South African society, revealing how the black oppression transformed a colonial game into a force for political, cultural and social liberation. It explores how the hosting of the 2010 World Cup aims to enhance the prestige of the post-apartheid nation, to generate economic growth and stimulate Pan-African pride. Among the themes dealt with are race and racism, class and gender dynamics, social identities, mass media and culture, and globalization. This collection of original and insightful essays will appeal to specialists in African Studies, Cultural Studies, and Sport Studies, as well as to non-specialist readers seeking to inform themselves ahead of the 2010 World Cup. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer and Society. 1. Introduction Peter Alegi and Chris Bolsmann Part 1: Past is Prologue – History of Football in South Africa 2. Football as Code: The Social Diffusion of 'Soccer' in South Africa Lloyd Hill 3. White Football in South Africa: Empire, Apartheid and Change, 1892 – 1977 Chris Bolsmann 4. A Biography of Darius Dhlomo: Transnational Footballer in the Era of Apartheid Peter Alegi 5. Women and Gender in South African Soccer Cynthia Fabrizio Pelak Part 2: Football Culture after Apartheid: Local and Transnational Dynamics 6. "You Must Support Chiefs: Pirates Already Have Two White Fans!" Race and Racial Discourse in South African Football Fandom Marc Fletcher 7. "It wasn't that I did not like South African Football": Media, History, and Biography Sean Jacobs 8. Soccer in a Rugby Town: Restructuring Football in Stellenbosch Sylvain Cubizolles 9. Differing Trajectories: Football Development and Patterns of Player Migration in South Africa and Ghana Paul Darby and Eirik Solberg Part 3: The 2010 World Cup: Challenges and Opportunities 10. Football's Tsars: Proprietorship, Corporatism and Politics in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Scarlett Cornelissen 11. Sports as Cultural Diplomacy: The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa's Foreign Policy Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu 12. World Cup 2010: Africa's Turn or the Turn on Africa? Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed 13. The 2010 FIFA World Cup: Critical Voices From Below Percy Ngonyama.


Microwave and millimeter-wave generation based on photonic technology [1-3] is promising for many applications. In this method, the RF output power is limited by the maximum average optical power to the photo detector (PD). Therefore, photodiodes with high optical power handling are necessary if high RF output power is required. Hirata et al. reported that if the optical pulse width to the PD is narrower, though the average power to the PD is the same, the RF output power is enhanced since the fundamental frequency component included in the PD input is increased [4]. Kuo et al. theoretically analyzed this phenomenon with a phase-locked optical frequency comb with equal amplitude [5] and derived that the RF power is enhanced by 6 dB when the number of comb lines is increased from two (optical two-tone) to infinite (zero pulse width). So far, 100-GHz [5] and 160-GHz [6] RF generations have been reported by using short optical pulses to the PD. The use of an optical frequency comb and a spectral pulse shaper enables us to shorten the optical pulse width. Recently, we have proposed a new simple approach that utilizes an optical pulse compression in a constant dispersion optical fiber, which is performed by the combined effects of group velocity dispersion and self phase modulation [7, 8]. The optical pulse width can be shortened by properly adjusting the fiber length and launched power to the fiber in accordance with the fiber dispersion and pulse repetition frequency. In this talk, we present operational principle of the proposed method, results of simulation and experiment of 20-GHz RF generation using a standard single-mode fiber, and the simulation results for investigating the possibility of 100-GHz and 300-GHz RF generation.


The effects of oxide interlayer on cobalt-chromium-molybdenum substrate were investigated in order to improve the quality of hydroxyapatite (HA) coating as well as enhance the cell responses. Substrates were oxidized at temperature of 850 °C and 1050 °C for 3 hours. Oxidized substrates were then coated with HA slurry using dip coating technique. Analysis of surface morphology, thickness and chemical composition of oxide interlayer prior to HA coating were performed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and grazing X-ray diffraction respectively. It seems that rough surface of oxide interlayer provides better mechanical interlocking of HA particles to the substrate surface with no visible micro-cracks. In addition, the HA coated substrates with oxide interlayer also demonstrate strong attachment and better proliferation of cells compared to HA coated substrates without oxide interlayer. The results also demonstrates that cells were spread out more actively as earlier as day 7 and have greater extensions of filopodium on HA coated substrates with oxide interlayer. It is concluded that the introduction of an intermediate oxide layer on Co-Cr-Mo substrate prior to HA coating has shown a positive effect in terms of improving the quality of HA coating as well as cell bioactivity performance.


Introduction Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio- Pancreatography (ERCP) training has been widely discussed in a number of reports and was deemed to be unsatisfactory by The UK ERCP Stakeholders Working Party in 2007. Their report was as a result of concerns regarding suboptimal standards of training and insufficient exposure to cases. The aim of this study was to determine the number of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) and Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) surgical trainees receiving ERCP training and their satisfaction with training opportunities. Method An anonymous, online, non-incentivised questionnaire was distributed via National Research Collaborative leads to surgical trainees in England. The questionnaire assessed; their inclination to offer an ERCP service as a consultant; the degree of satisfaction with their ERCP training; and their attendance at a Joint Advisory Group (JAG) certified ERCP course. Results Only responses from surgical trainees with a declared interest in HPB and UGI were included in the analysis. 72 responses were received, 41 from HPB trainees and the remaining 31 from UGI trainees. 29 HPB and 16 UGI trainees intended to offer ERCP when appointed as a Consultant. 10 trainees (6 HPB, 4 UGI) felt they had adequate opportunities for ERCP training. Free text analysis revealed that respondents felt ERCP training was geared more towards gastroenterology trainees and regular sessions were difficult to come by. 12 respondents had attended a JAG certified ERCP course. Conclusion This survey demonstrates the difficulties faced by surgical trainees in obtaining ERCP training. The general consensus is that ERCP training is mainly organised for gastroenterology trainees. A level of frustration was noted at the lack of consistent, dedicated training opportunities which also formed one of the reasons as to why some trainees did not intend to offer this service once in a Consultant post. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


We study the experimental play of the repeated prisoner's dilemma when intended actions are implemented with noise. In treatments where cooperation is an equilibrium, subjects cooperate substantially more than in treatments without cooperative equilibria. In all settings there was considerable strategic diversity, indicating that subjects had not fully learned the distribution of play. Furthermore, cooperative strategies yielded higher payoffs than uncooperative strategies in the treatments with cooperative equilibria. In these treatments successful strategies were "lenient" in not retaliating for the first defection, and many were "forgiving" in trying to return to cooperation after inflicting a punishment. (JEL C72, C73, D81)


This paper evaluates the efficiency of thermochromic offset prints recycling using deinking flotation method. Since offset thermochromic inks differ in their composition from conventional offset inks, the aim of this research was to determine how effectively they can be recycled. In the experimental part of the work, the laboratory printing of two thermochromic inks was conducted. For both types of inks, white uncoated paper was used as a substrate. After accelerated aging, the prints were mixed in equal proportions and then recycled in laboratory conditions, by means of deinking flotation. During the recycling process, handsheets and filter pads were prepared from the pulp obtained before and after deinking flotation. Handsheets and filter pads were also prepared from unprinted paper that was used as printing substrate, in order to obtain reference samples. The deinking flotation efficiency was evaluated by calculating the flotation loss, ash elimination, pulp's brightness and whiteness increase and determination of residual ink area. The obtained results indicate that thermochromic prints are poorly deinkable. A small increase in deinked pulp's brightness and whiteness (approx. 7% and 11%) is noticed. The image analysis shows that flotation deinking managed to eliminate around 40% of the total dirt area of thermochromic ink.


Iraq, already struggling with war, poverty, and sectarian strife, faces a new threat. The loss of water in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which begin in Turkey and flow into the Persian Gulf, endangers farmers, city dwellers, and the famous Mesopotamian marshes that are home to a rich ecosystem. Turkish dams, a long drought, and water mismanagement mean that little freshwater reaches southern Iraq. As a result, the saltwater of the gulf is slowly working its way inland, with important ramifications for Iraq's future. University of Basra researchers are sounding the alarm.


Since the 17th century, the Tonnarella of Camogli, a small tuna trap, has been used to catch pelagic fish along the western coast of the Portofino Promontory (Ligurian Sea, Northwestern Mediterranean). The availability of long-term datasets on fish yields (1950–1974 and 1996–2011), with information related to the seawater temperatures and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), has allowed us to study the qualitative and quantitative changes in fish yields in the last decade and the possible relationships with the seasonal anomalies of temperature that have occurred in the Ligurian Sea. In 1950–1974, yields remained relatively constant over time (average of 35.6 ± 8.7 t·year−1). From 1996 through 2011, yields were high (42.9 ± 15.9 t·year−1) but inconsistent with strong annual variability in catches. The primary catches are Seriola dumerili, Auxis rochei, Trachurus spp. and Sarda sarda. Changes in species composition have occurred as well: S. dumerili, Sardinella sp. and Belone belone have appeared recently. Moreover, a significant decrease in the boreal scombroid (Scomber scombrus) and an increase of warm-temperate carangids and other typically Southern Mediterranean species such as Coryphaena hippurus and Sphyraena viridensis, appear to be linked to the warming of the surface water layer, particularly evident in the Ligurian Sea, for the last 10 years. The analysis of this kind of trend may be a powerful tool for assessing structural changes of the pelagic fish community in the Ligurian Sea (Northwestern Mediterranean).


Labor conditions, health and immune status of employees of clinicodiagnostic (biochemical and bacteriological) laboratories of medicoprophylactic institutions are studied. Syndromes of immunodeficiency are revealed, labor conditions and general and chronic morbidity rate among laboratories employees are interrelated.


Based on the theory analysis of electromagnetic shielding mechanism and structure design, a woven fabric with stainless steel core-spun yarns is selected. Several sets of shielding clothes with variable structure parameters are designed and manufactured through orthogonal experiment method. An experimental platform has been set up to measure the shielding efficiency of the shielding clothes in key parts. With direct and variance analysis identify the significant structure parameters which influence the shielding performance, so as to provide a theory basis for the optimization structure design of electromagnetic shielding clothes.


Abstract Umbelliferone has potential value as it has an inhibitory effect on tumor cells; however, its impact on an animal's circulatory system and hematopoietic function has not been reported. In this study, 4-methylumbelliferon (4-MU), an umbelliferone derivative, was used as a model drug, and its potential toxicity on hemocytes and hematopoietic organs (HOs) was investigated using an invertebrate animal model, the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The results showed that the level of reactive oxygen species in HOs increased when larvae (third day of the fifth instar) were orally exposed to 4 mM 4-MU for 8 min, followed by the induction of improved antioxidative metabolism of coenzymes in hemolymph. Exposure to 4-MU also significantly upregulated the expression levels of several genes in the hemolymph and fat body (a detoxification tissue similar to the liver in mammals) including antimicrobial peptide gene cecropinA and moricin, and a phagocytosis-related gene, tetraspanin E, suggesting an increased antioxidant level and antimicrobial ability of the circulatory system. However, the percentage of dead hemocytes increased and hematopoiesis significantly decreased in HOs, indicating the toxic effect of 4-MU on hemocytes and hematopoiesis, despite it inducing enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in the circulatory system.


In the frame of Italian research project «CROP», a magnetotelluric (MT) survey was carried out in Southern Italy, above the Apulian platform, with the aim to investigate its transition beneath the Apennine chain. The MT stations were divided into two areas, the first around Lavello town, the second south of Mount Vulture inactive volcano. The standard processing of MT raw data, collected with the single-site scheme, gave fairly non-plane wave response as concerns data of Lavello area, while the volcano's area data were compatible with a natural plane-wave e.m. field response. The Lavello area results were shown to be heavily affected by a near field effect of a strong wide-band electromagnetic source located several kilometers NE of Lavello. After the identification of this effect and an attempt to interpret these data, a 2D interpretation of the whole survey was then possible and the main result can be summarized as follows: a) the «electrical» boundary of the Bradanic trough should be displaced about 4 km toward SW; b) in the area south of Melfi town, the carbonatic platform should lie at a depth of about 8 km.


3 Abstract: This paper presents greater value to control a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) - based wind power complete persons living time system with series grid side changer (SGSC) under unbalanced network conditions. The behaviours of the DFIG system with SGSC during voltage unbalance are described by injecting a series control voltage Produced from the SGSC. To balance the stator voltage against effects of voltage unbalance upon the DFIG such as stator and rotor current unbalances electromagnetic torque and power pulsations can be removed , and then the Conventional vector control strategy for the rotor-side converter remains in full force under unbalanced conditions. Mean while, three control targets for the parallel grid-side converter (PGSC) are identified, including eliminating the oscillations in the total active power or reactive power, or eliminating negative-sequence current injected to the grid. Furthermore, a precise current reference Generation strategy for the PGSC has been proposed for The PGSC to further improve the operation performance of the whole system. The simulation results of a mw DFIG based wind turbine 12with SGSC and testing results on a laboratory13scale based on experience trick prices under small unchanging state grid voltage unbalance.


With meagre capital investment but with, supposedly, higher labour productivity than in agriculture, small-scale industries can be an important source of employment as well as a healthy contributor to industrial production in a developing country like Nigeria. A study of the Pakistan-Indian situation has shown that normally the highest employment per unit of capital is found in very small firms (of 20 or less workers). Such firms sometimes have the distinct short-term advantage of both lower capital-labour and capital-output ratios than larger establishments [20]. In fact, if the small-scale industrial sector is encouraged within a favourable economic environment, it can play an important role in economic development at least in the transitional state ..


Objective: To formulate and characterize Lorazepam loaded buccal patches using mucoadhesive, biodegradable, natural polymers-pectin (hydrophilic) and collagen (lipophilic) for treating epileptic seizures.
Methods: Lorazepam loaded buccal patches were prepared by solvent casting method and were subjected to various Physico-chemical evaluation parameters to find the optimized buccal patch. The in vitro drug release study and ex vivo permeation study was carried out. The stability study and histopathological study of optimized Lorazepam loaded buccal patch was also carried out.
Results: From in vitro drug release study, it was found that Lorazepam loaded buccal patch (B4) exhibited maximum drug release of 96.16 %±0.07 than other formulations at the end of 4 h, indicating an initial burst release followed by sustained release with release kinetics as Higuchi diffusion model. Based on the in vitro drug release, % drug content, % swelling index, folding endurance, B4 formulation was considered as optimised formulation and was further characterized. Ex vivo permeation study revealed that the cumulative amount of drug permeated from optimised Lorazepam loaded buccal patch (B4) was higher (3831.4±0.21µg/cm2) than marketed Midazolam buccal solution (1724±0.12 µg/cm2) and control drug solution (895.42±0.07 µg/cm2) with an enhancement ratio of 4.8. B4 formulation also showed a higher flux value (12.52±0.02µg/cm2/hr) compared to marketed formulation (5.732±0.01 µg/cm2) and control drug solution (2.563±0.03 µg/cm2) of P<0.05. The histopathological study using bovine buccal mucosa revealed that the B4 formulation is safe for buccal application. The stability study confirmed that B4 formulation is stable in both room and refrigeration conditions. Hence the formulated Lorazepam loaded buccal patch seems to be a promising carrier for the enhanced buccal delivery of Lorazepam in treating epileptic seizures.
Conclusion: The formulated Lorazepam loaded collagen/pectin buccal patch was found to be an efficient and stable route for the buccal delivery of Lorazepam in treating acute epileptic seizures which could be further explored scientifically.


An innovative departure from traditional approaches to political thought, this groundbreaking anthology includes minority ideologies where they occurred historically. By interweaving minority voices with majority documents rather than grouping them together, Political Thought in the United States presents us with a uniquely organic portrait of American political life. Beginning with the time of the explorers and early settlers, Lyman Tower Sargent presents the political beliefs and ideologies of religious minorities, women, North American Indians, and African Americans as fundamental components of American thought. Political Thought in the United States centers on two themes: the relationship between majority rule and minority rights, and the focus of power in the American system. Together with classic documents long heralded as cornerstones of American democracy, the book features writings of those opposed to the Constitution, slave petitions, Indian treaties, Emerson's Politics, works of conservatives like John Taylor and Herbert Hoover, documents from the feminist movements, labor manifestos, critiques of industrialization, and W. E. B. Du Bois's still-debated The Talented Tenth, and much more.