I introduce the unorthodox conceptualization of the body maintained by the followers of Fakir Lalon Shah (1774-1890) in contemporary Bangladesh. This study is an exploratory attempt to put the wisdom of the Fakirs in conversation with established social theorists of the body, arguing that the Aristotelian conceptualization of habitus is more useful than Bourdieu's in explaining the power of bodily practices of the initiates. My ethnographic research with the prominent Fakirs—participant observation, in-depth interview, and textual analysis of Lalon's songs—shows how the body can be educated not only to defy, resist, or transgress dominant socio-political norms, but also to cultivate an alternative subjectivity and sociality. I explain how the corporal body acts as the means of both spiritual cultivation and socio-cultural transformations, and show how the Fakirs manage desire without indulgence or suppression, but by sanctifying it. Sanctifying desire serves as the Fakirs' way of cultivating an ethical relationship to the self. Fakirs' sanctified desire strives, often unsuccessfully, to annihilate egoism and cherish the indivisibility of human beings, practices that together constitute the enduring fabric of a supposedly selfless subjectivity and ethical sociality. Finally, I discuss how in contemporary Bangladesh, public authorities, mass media, and civil society stakeholders have been gradually coopting the heterodox praxis of the Fakirs.


Turbulent boundary layer pressure fluctuations can be reduced by filtering either a wave number through a finite hydrophone or a hydrophone array or by filtering the wave number through an elastomer layer. In general practice, various configurations of hydrophone arrays are embedded within a layer of elastomer, thus reducing the turbulent boundary layer pressure fluctuations. The theoretical model considered in this paper is a plane elastomer layer backed by an infinitely rigid surface; the other side of the layer is exposed to turbulent flow. This paper examines the performance of shaded, rectangular and circular hydrophones for the flow noise reduction. The rectangular hydrophone is shaded with a triangular or semicircular loading. Similarly, the circular hydrophone is shaded with a conical or hemispherical loading. Numerical calculations were made for both flush‐mounted and embedded hydrophones. The results presented are comparisons of numerically calculated noise reductions between shaded and unshaded...


Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) are a phenotypically distinct population of lymphocytes that reside in mucosal epithelia, below the intercellular tight junctions. Although adhesive functions of this population have been previously studied, relatively little is known about IEL migration from the microvasculature into the epithelium. We demonstrated that cultured human IEL were capable of migration into polarized epithelial cells in vitro, where they assumed a subjunctional position, identical to that observed in vivo. The migration was rapid and efficient and was directionally polarized, such that IEL migrated into epithelial monolayers from the basolateral, but not the apical, aspect. After a 4-h period of residence, up to one-half of the IEL then exited the monolayer basolaterally. Migration was partially inhibited by pertussis toxin, suggesting a potential mechanism for IEL migration by chemokine receptor-mediated signaling. The conditions and ligand pairs used in IEL migration were different from those for neutrophils, another cell type known to migrate through epithelia. This system may serve as a model for microenvironmental homing of IEL into the epithelium.


Antibodies against GD1a, GM1 and related gangliosides are frequently present in patients with the motor variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and their pathological role in this variant of GBS is now widely accepted. However, two basic issues related to anti-ganglioside antibody-mediated neural injury are not completely resolved: (i) some anti-ganglioside antibodies can cross-react with glycoproteins and therefore the nature of antigens targeted by these antibodies is not well established; and (ii) although pathological studies suggest that complement activation occurs in GBS, experimental data for the role of complement remain inconclusive. To address these issues, we developed and characterized a simple anti-ganglioside antibody-mediated cytotoxicity assay. Our results demonstrate first, that both GBS sera containing anti-ganglioside antibodies and monoclonal anti-ganglioside antibodies cause neuronal cell lysis by targeting specific cell surface gangliosides, and secondly, that this cell lysis is complement dependent. In this assay, the GD1a cell membrane pool appears to be more susceptible to anti-ganglioside antibody-mediated injury than the GM1 pool. Further, human intravenous immunoglobulin (i.v.Ig), now a standard treatment for GBS, significantly decreased cytotoxicity in this assay. Our data indicate that the mechanisms of i.v.Ig-mediated protection in this assay include anti-idiotypic antibodies and downregulation of complement activation. This simple cytotoxicity assay can potentially be used for screening of (i) pathogenic anti-ganglioside antibodies in patients with immune-mediated neuropathies; and (ii) new/experimental therapies to prevent anti-ganglioside antibody-mediated neural injury.


This chapter studies criminal justice policies, practices, and the people who work within the system. It begins by tracing the origins and influences of criminal justice policies. Criminal justice policies predominantly come from the government, but other organisations and individuals such as academics, the media, corporations, and lobbyists can influence them. The motivations behind these policy influencers may vary, but they all share the ultimate aim of ensuring that their preferred strategy is implemented in practice. The chapter then considers the significant impact that 'penal populism' can exert on policy, and how government policy is shaping the ways in which the 'adversarial-lite' principle is implemented. It assesses use of both of those policies in practice in the courtroom and the community to see how key principles can play out in reality. Finally, the chapter reflects on the effects of all the components upon the people who work in the criminal justice system.


PRIMARY tumors of the rib, though uncommon as compared with similar tumors arising in other bony structures of the body, are not so rare as has been supposed. Such new growths are recognized more frequently today than in the past because of the improved diagnostic methods and the more complete knowledge on the part of the clinician, radiologist, surgeon, and pathologist of the nature of these lesions. This greater familiarity with these tumors has led to the erroneous impression that the incidence of rib tumors is rising. That this is not the case becomes obvious from a study of the cases reported in the world literature for the last half-century. Such studies also show that all types of primary neoplasms involving bone and cartilage, in other parts of the skeleton, may also be encountered in the ribs. Though more readily detected in our day than in former years, primary tumors


A study was carried out to investigate the effect of biochar produced from the pyrolysis of poultry litter feedstock in some of the physical properties of a Yellow Red Argisol eutrophic typical (Ultisol), located in the municipality Lagoa Seca, State of Paraiba, Brazil, that is, granulometric analysis,  bulk density, porosity and available water capacity. Six doses of biochar (0; 10; 15; 20; 25 and 30 ton ha-1) were incubated into an Ultisol samples during 60 days. All assays were carried out in duplicate. After the incubation period, the soil samples were analyzed in relation to physical properties. The results  of  this  study  confirmed  that  the  biochar prepared  from  the  poultry  litter improved these properties, that is,  modified the granulometric analysis, led to a decrease in bulk density, an increase in total pore volume as well as an increase in water content mainly in matric potential 0.5065 MPa. The biochar dose, 30 ton ha-1 was better in soil density and porosity; in the water retention the best biochar dose was 15 ton ha-1; however, as the biochar effects on the physical properties were very small, it suggests to investigate larger amounts of this material in the application of the soils.

 Key words: Poultry litter, soil amendment, soil physical, porosity, bulk density.


The hetero-oligomeric eukaryotic chaperonin TRiC (TCP-1-ring complex, also called CCT) interacts cotranslationally with a diverse subset of newly synthesized proteins, including actin, tubulin, and luciferase, and facilitates their correct folding. A photocross-linking approach has been used to map the contacts between individual chaperonin subunits and ribosome-bound nascent chains of increasing length. Whereas a cryo-EM study suggests that chemically denatured actin interacts with only two TRiC subunits (δ and either β or ϵ), actin and luciferase chains photocross-link to at least six TRiC subunits (α, β, δ, ϵ, ξ, and θ) at different stages of translation. Furthermore, the photocross-linking of actin, but not luciferase, nascent chains to TRiC subunits ζ and θ was length-dependent. In addition, a single photoreactive probe incorporated at a unique site in actin nascent chains of different lengths reacted covalently with multiple TRiC subunits, thereby indicating that the nascent chain samples the polypeptide binding sites of different subunits. We conclude that elongating actin and luciferase nascent chains contact multiple TRiC subunits upon emerging from the ribosome, and that the TRiC subunits contacted by nascent actin change as it elongates and starts to fold.


Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) of lead halides have played a significant role in the field of light-emitting devices and display systems. However, the potential toxicity of lead is considered as one of the main problems for further applications, and it is highly desirable to design the new lead-free OIHPs with outstanding white light emission. Herein, we present a new lead-free single-component hybrid as the potential white light-emitting semiconducting material, [4-methylpiperidinium]2SbCl5 (4-MPSC), which adopts the one-dimensional inorganic chains of corner-sharing SbCl6 octahedra. It is worth noting that 4-MPSC shows the Commission internationale de l'eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of (0.33, 0.32), which is highly close to the pure white light emission value of (0.33, 0.33). Meanwhile, the white-light emission of 4-MPSC shows an ultra-high color rendering index (CRI) value of 96.29. It is believed that such an ultra-high CRI value will fulfil the requirement for color-critical high-level potential applications. Moreover, 4-MPSC also exhibits semiconducting properties, as verified by the positive temperature-dependent conductivity along with an optical bandgap of 2.93 eV. This work will provide a pathway for further design of new white-light-emitting materials in the lead-free OIHP system.


Cancer is the second leading cause of death. Although it is already validated the use of techniques such as radiotherapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy, in the last decade the medical community has focused on the research of less invasive drugs, through the identification of new anticancer agents, as well as by the design of an innovative system for the drug delivery, like the liposomes, that allow the protection of the active principle until the achievement of molecular target, reducing the toxic effects. Among the new anticancer agents currently in clinical trials, there are the ruthenium-based compounds, NAMI-A and KP1019. These have emerged as promising alternatives to platinum compounds (Cisplatin, Oxaliplatin, Carboplatin) that constitute still an important class of chemotherapeutics, whose limit is the high toxicity. Although ruthenium and platinum belong to the same chemical series, the ruthenium complexes showed anticancer and/or antimetastatic activity, associated with fewer side effects. The difference between the derivatives of ruthenium and platinum is probably due to their different pharmacodynamics that, if is well known for Cisplatin and its analogs, it is not yet completely clarified for the other metal complexes. Also, the chemical characteristics like the redox potential, the charges and the lipophilicity are very different among the various classes of metal-based compounds, reflecting their different biological effects.
In this context, my Ph.D. aim was the validation of new metal-based agents for the cancer therapy; in particular I analyzed two different classes of compounds:
- The ruthenium complex inspired to the drug NAMI-A, AziRu, prepared (designed and developed) by the Department of Chemical Sciences of the University Federico II, Naples (Prof. Luigi Paduano, Prof. Daniela Montesarchio). Its pharmacokinetic profile was improved by the inclusion in liposomes, which should provide, by a passive targeting, for the protection of AziRu and its delivery to cancer cells.
- The C-N heterocyclic compounds Ruthenium-derived (RDC11) or Osmium-derived (ODC2, ODC16, ODC20), prepared (designed and developed) by the Department of Chemistry of University of Strasbourg (Prof. Michael Pfeffer).
Therefore, my research had different focuses: first, the validation of a nanotechnological platform of metal-based compounds by evaluation of biocompatibility and cellular uptake of different types of liposomes, as innovative carriers for metal complexes. The second point was the analysis of cell death pathways induced by these compounds. Finally, the research evaluated the possible targets involved in the mechanism of action. In fact, even if these compounds are really largely characterized by biological investigations, their mechanism of action, that, as mentioned above, is also closely dependent on redox status and chemical ligands, needs further insights. This study was carried out in particular on the compounds of RDCs and ODCs families, during the period of my Ph.D. at INSERM (French Institute of Health and Medical Research) of Strasbourg (supervisor Dr. Christian Gaiddon); in particular, it concerned the evaluation of the epigenetic changes correlated with the activity of such compounds and the identification of their specific targets.
All the results of this work are thus divided, according to the different chemical characteristics of the compounds, into four sections:
- Ruthenium-based nanovectors: comparison between neutral and cationic liposomes
- DOTAP-TothyCholRu: cholesterol improves the cellular uptake
- de-LOS-POPC-TothyRu: an alternative liposome inspired to the bacterial wall
- RDCs and ODCs: the role of epigenetic changes in their mechanism of action


The aim of this article is to discuss rice planting season and traditional precept
as a knowledge of past paddy planters in rice planting. This research is done
specifically in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, the states are Perlis,
Kedah Darul Aman and Pulau Pinang. This research is done through fieldwork
research, interviewing five paddy planters, going to the paddy fields, doing
research at the paddy museum and library research on rice planting season
and traditional precept. The works looked into are from Western writers as
well as Eastern writers. The findings prove that past paddy planters used rice
planting knowledge and traditional precept in carrying out work in their
fields. This is due to the fact that in some societies rice is seen as pure or holy
and is a staple for most of the world's population. Due to the importance of
paddy effort is made by planters to have a good yield. This research also shows
that paddy planters are very sanative towards natural phenomenon and they
learn from the universe. A phenomenon that occurs repeatedly when they plant
paddy will be planted in the minds of the planters'society and will form a body
of knowledge about what to do and not to do during planting season. This
knowledge is held and used so that the yield is rich. This is why there is special
knowledge about rice planting. However the changing times and technological
development has weakened the rice planting knowledge and traditional
precepts that go against the religion have been left out of the lives of the paddy
planters. This research is deemed important because it can be a sociocultural
view of the paddy planting of past paddy planters to be made known to current
society


A new species of the Culicoides (Hoffmania) hylas species group, Culicoides baniwa Felippe-Bauer is described and illustrated based on a female specimen from the state of Amazonas, Brazil. A systematic key, wing photographs, diagramme of the legs pattern, table with numerical characters of females and a synopsis of the 11 species of the C. hylas group are presented. This paper further presents a new record of Culicoides pseudoheliconiae Felippe-Bauer out of the previously defined geographic distribution of the hylas species group, in the province of Misiones, Argentina.


PURPOSE To report the successful application of a method to adjust a malpositioned bifurcated stent-graft after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. METHOD AND RESULTS A 62-year-old male patient underwent endovascular repair of a 5.1-cm abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with a Vanguard bifurcated stent-graft. After complete deployment of the stent-graft, the intraoperative completion angiogram disclosed unexpected occlusion of the left renal artery. Intra-aortic adjustment of the bifurcated graft was possible with a crossover guidewire, which was pulled caudally. The method worked perfectly to restore blood flow to the left renal artery. The patient is well 16 months postoperatively without any evidence of endoleak or graft migration; the left renal artery remains open. CONCLUSIONS A technique is demonstrated for intra-aortic repositioning of a bifurcated stentgraft to correct insufficient deployment. If required, this technique should be attempted before conversion to an open procedure.


In this paper, by virtue of the entangled state representation we concisely derive some new operator identities regarding to two-variable Hermite polynomial (TVHP). By them and the technique of integration within an ordered product (IWOP) of operators we further derive new generating function formulas of TVHP. They are useful in quantum optical theoretical calculations. It is seen from this work that by combining the IWOP technique and quantum mechanical representations one can derive some new integration formulas even without really performing the integration.


The effect of addition commercial fish collagen hydrolysate and encapsulated fish collagen hydrolysate on the quality characteristics of sucuk (a traditional Turkish dry-fermented sausage) was investigated. Fish collagen hydrolysates were encapsulated with maltodextrin (MD) which has two different dextrose equivalent (12DE and 19 DE), with two different types of core/coating material ratios (10% peptide : 90% MD, 20% peptide : 80% MD). Than six group of sucuk dough (control, peptide, MD1210, MD1220, MD1910, MD1920) prepared and naturally fermented. The effects of the ripening period (28 d), treatment (peptide and encapsulated peptide addition) 'ripening period × treatment' interaction on sucuk's pH, lactic acid contents, aw values and moisture contents were statistically significant (p<0.01). The pH, moisture and aw decrease and lactic acid concentration increses during ripening period. The highest pH was observed with peptide added group (5.41), and encapsulated peptide added groups (4.76-4.77) were lower than the control group (5.26). Lactic acid concentration was affected from treatment and all treatment groups lactic acid concentration (0.185-0.190%) were higher than the control group (0.164%). Antioxidant and Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition activities of water soluble protein extracts were significantly (p<0.01) increased during ripening time. Antioxidant activity reached the highest level at 28th d. There was no significant increase observed after fermentation for both activities. Antioxidant activity of encapsulated peptide added (%39.56-40.48) groups were higher than control (34.28%) and peptide added (33.99%) groups except MD1920 (38.30%). The effect of the ripening period of the sucuk samples on TBA values was found to be statistically significant (p<0.01) while treatment and 'ripening period × treatment' interaction were not to be significant (p<0.05). The value of hardness was the highest in the encapsulated peptide added groups (29.27, 35.83 N), and it was 20.40 N and 15.41 N in the peptide added group and the control group respectively.


High-potential new ventures are a source of economic growth, which policy makers call upon in times of crisis when entrepreneurship is seen as a remedy to economic downturn. Yet at these times new ventures face intensified selection, and survival hinges on heterogeneous capabilities. We examine how the innovative capabilities of new firms created in the Netherlands in 2001-2006, affected their survival likelihood before, during and after the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. We estimate a piecewise exponential model linking survival times, observed in the time period from 2001 to 2015, to longitudinal innovation data from the CIS. Our results show that new ventures innovating within two years from founding benefit of a long-term adaptive survival premium during and after the crisis. This premium and its duration over the stages of the crisis are contingent to the form of innovation: technological innovations entail a more effective and enduring premium, as compared to managerial innovations, which can be even detrimental for survival. Our study has implications for entrepreneurial management, by highlighting how the development of innovative capabilities at founding, lays the foundations for organisational adaptation and resilience in the longer term. Furthermore, our results can inform a policy approach that aims at sheltering from the storm of a financial crisis, those new ventures that do possess the specific and necessary adaptive capabilities, but that are also vulnerable because of the liabilities of newness and smallness. Such an approach could help to maintain alive the process of entrepreneurial experimentation during the crisis, and to boost economic recovery, without dispersing precious resources.


Abstract Understanding the impact of human capital on the achievement of career success is essential for each individual in turbulent times on the labor market. Banking sector also is human capital intensive and plays a critical role for the banks in meeting their goals and offering services to its clients. In the current era of technology, globalization and the general progress principles of "knowledge economy" are ruling. So, each individual in the labor market who wants to build own career, should work on continuous improvement of human capital. This helps their recognition in the increasingly competitive labor market, which eliminates "weak players" since their inability to adapt the modern trends and staff needs. The paper determines that human resource management (HRM) in banking sector must embrace strategic human resource planning programs with all banks strategy. This underlines the essential meaning of designing an effective recruitment policy with these strategies as formulation and implementation of active reward policy. Also, banks should include more active training and development for employees. This paper presents a statistical analysis of the correlation mentioned categories, based on 474 employees, in Serbian and Macedonian banking sector. Analyses such as Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U, Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z test and linear regression, proving the significance impact of the development of employees' human capital on career success, viewed through different hierarchical positions in a particular sector.


Phosphate binders are useful for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study was performed to examine the effects of switching from calcium carbonate (CC) to lanthanum carbonate (LC) on bone mineral metabolism and inflammatory markers in HD patients. We conducted 29 stable HD patients receiving CC, which was replaced by LC and followed‐up for 12 weeks. Patients underwent determinants of blood chemistries such as serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D status, and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) mRNA levels in whole blood cells were evaluated by real‐time PCR just before and after the treatment with LC. Corrected levels were significantly reduced, but serum phosphorus levels (P levels) were unchanged after LC treatment. Switching to LC increased whole‐PTH, osteocalcin, 1,25(OH)2D3 levels and 1,25(OH)2D3/25(OH)D3 ratio. 1,25(OH)2D3/25(OH)D3 ratio was negatively correlated with HD duration. Furthermore, whole blood cell IL‐6 mRNA levels were significantly reduced by LC treatment. We provided that the switching from CC to LC improved Ca overload and ameliorated vitamin D and inflammatory status in HD patients. These observations suggest that LC may play a protective role for the progression of atherosclerosis and vascular calcification in these patients.


INTRODUCTION
High submuscular (HSM) inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) reservoir insertion is a new technique that involves placing the reservoir high beneath the muscles of the abdominal wall. We queried a variety of surgeons to assess their impressions of how HSM reservoir placement compares with traditional space of Retzius (SOR) placement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A nationwide group of urologists trained in HSM reservoir placement was surveyed to assess preferences and concerns compared to SOR placement. Using a Likert scale survey, we compared HSM to traditional SOR placement with regard to ease of implementation, surgical preference, and patient safety. Results were analyzed according to numbers of implants performed by the surgeons.

RESULTS
A total of 25 urologists from eight states participated in this survey (12 residents and 13 attending surgeons). Overall, surgeons report that HSM placement is safer (p < 0.001). The participants believed it conveyed lower risk to visceral (p < 0.001) and vascular (p < 0.001) structures. Moreover it was easier to learn (p = 0.008) and to teach (p = 0.002). The majority (17/25, 68%) prefer HSM reservoir placement, while 4/25 (16%) are neutral, and 4/25 (16%) prefer SOR. Among high volume implanters (> 20 implants/year), 7/9 (78%) prefer the HSM technique and report that it is safer (p = 0.001) with lower risk of visceral (p = 0.010) and vascular (p < 0.001) injuries.

CONCLUSIONS
Urologists trained in HSM reservoir placement report that this technique is readily implemented, strongly preferred, and safer for patients.


A 4-year-old male German Shepherd Dog sustained subluxation of the right radiocarpal joint. A coaptation splint did not adequately stabilize the carpus, and arthrodesis of the radiocarpal joint was undertaken, utilizing a wedge graft and bone plate. Despite successful fusion of the joint, lameness persisted in the affected limb. The lameness was attributed to subsequent carpometacarpal subluxation, which was presumed to result from the added stress of weight bearing on the carpometacarpal joint following the arthrodesis. Arthrodesis of the right intercarpal and carpometacarpal joints, utilizing cortical bone grafts and a bone plate, restored normal gait.


We present results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a double-stranded DNA fragment of sequence 5'-d(CGCGAGTTCGCG)-3' and 3'-d(GCGCTCAAGCGC)-5' in its native form and altered with guanine in the G6/C19 base pair replaced by 8-oxoguanine (8oxoG). DNA was simulated in solution with Na(+) counterions and explicit water molecules. Trajectories were analyzed for radial distribution functions (RDFs), spatial distribution functions (SDFs), residence times, and occupancies, for both water and ions. Structural parameters of DNA fragments were also considered. Particularly, we report sensible differences in the statistical and dynamical behavior of water and ions between the healthy and lesion containing models. Structural features such as sugar-phosphate backbone torsion angles also significantly differ. We conclude that 8oxoG noticeably modifies its close environment and that the observed changes in the vicinity of the lesion site might help the enzymes in charge of cleansing 8oxoG from human DNA to locate the aberration in its intrahelical context. This work supports the existence of a determinant early recognition mode of 8oxoG for hOGG1.


Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptualisation of the components of contextual marketing (CM), in light of the outcome of the Charleston Summit, through the development of the meaning and operation of language used in context – that is: the language and the associated meaning of words used in a highly socialised setting such as a small firm and articulated through conversation.

Design/methodology/approach

– A conceptualisation of the components of CM are proposed based upon a critical review of pertinent literature and the development of extant conceptualisations for research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface.

Findings

– A model is produced that outlines a development of one of the four perspectives (as an outcome of the Charleston Summit) of research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface and proposes that a third notion be considered in developing research studies that includes the wider aspects of sociology, psychology, anthropology and philosophy – in this case: sociolinguistics, in order that a better insight be gained of the meaning and operation of marketing at the "interface".

Practical implications

– A more detailed understanding of the components of CM will advance research meaning and gain practitioner credibility.

Originality/value

– This paper develops a conceptual framework for future and further research at the interface by considering the need to introduce fundamental socially derived aspects to the scope of research – in this case the third notion of sociolinguistics – in order to gain a better insight to the phenomena of marketing in entrepreneurial small firms.


Five plants species; Cymbopogon nardus (serai wangi), Cymbopogon citratus (serai makan), Citrus hystrix (limau purut), Citrus limon (limau nipis) and Polygonum sp. (daun kesum) have been selected based on their aromatic properties. Air-dried samples were extracted using three different organic solvents; (hexane, chloroform, and ethanol). Extracts then were dried using the rotary evaporator. Aromatic samples were hydrodistilled for their essential oil and analyzed for the determination of chemical profile such as alkaloids, terpene and flavonoid using the gas chromatography (GC). The essential oil was tested on their repellent or attractant properties using guinea pigs and mosquitoes. Most extracts showed repellent properties.


During the late 1960s and early 1970s a newtype of collaboration between artists, scientists,and engineers developed alongside the emergingfield of computer art. This was an erawhen the computers, much larger than today,were rarely screen-based, and were almostimpossible to gain access to unless it wasthrough collaboration. In Sweden, the IBMemployee and computing expert Sten Kallinentered into collaborations with a number ofartists and scientists. In this article, I investigatehis collaborations with the textile designerAstrid Sampe, the artist Sture Johannesson,and the zoologist Mats Amundin. The perspectiveof this article differs from the morehabitual focus on artistic motivations, as Iinstead approach these efforts from the collaboratingcomputer experts' point of view,rather than the established artist collaborators.I argue that Kallin's interest in visualizationwas one of the driving forces that made himparticipate in these collaborations. I furthersuggest that their experimental approachestoward computing not only characterized thework of Kallin but was significant to othercomputer art practitioners during this era.


The performance of multi pixel photon counters (MPPC) of 3 mm × 3 mm size, with 14400 and 3600 pixels, were studied by means of the signal from a laser light pulser and using the 3 mm × 3 mm × 20 mm LSO pixel scintillator. Special attention was paid to measure number of fired pixels, generated by the light of pulser and that of the LSO crystal, using a direct method of a comparison of the light peak position in the pulse height spectrum with that of the single photoelectron. The tests of the LSO crystal showed 1550 ± 80 fired pixels per MeV in the MPPC with 14400 pixels assuring a good linearity of the response up to about 1 MeV energy of gamma rays absorbed in the LSO crystal. Energy resolution of 14.8% for 662 keV gamma rays from 137Cs source and a time resolution of about 850 ps for 511 keV annihilation quanta were limited by a rather low number of the fired pixels compared to the number of photoelectrons in photomultipliers.


Teacher's professional development is a long journey and it should be started from the college. The present paper discusses the development of pre-service teachers' teaching performance at English department of State Islamic University of Antasari Banjarmasin when they were participating in the teaching practice program. It elaborates what they had done in the program and how their performance improved week by week. There were ten pre-service teachers who became the subjects of this report. The writer recorded their teaching techniques, media, and some feedbacks in a field note. An interview was also conducted to better understand their personal self-reflection on what they have achieved and to figure out their problems in teaching. The result of the study shows that the teaching practice program helped the pre-service teacher to develop their teaching performance by getting the feedback from the supervisor. The students' ability to plan a lesson was improved week by week. They knew how to structure the lesson and write good lesson plan. In explaining the lesson, some common problems located on their pronunciation and grammar skills. Some also needed to know the way to manage and engage the students, and to close the lesson. The Pre-service teachers were able to use various media but they need to have better preparation to use them. In term of method used, CA, GTM, and ALM were commons method used by the students to teach various topics/ skills.


The paper "Mechanical MNIST: A benchmark dataset for mechanical metamodels" can be found at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eml.2020.100659. All code necessary to reproduce the metamodels demonstrated in the manuscript is available on GitHub (https://github.com/elejeune11/Mechanical-MNIST). For questions, please contact Emma Lejeune (firstname.lastname@example.com).


Extensive literature reviews showed that pacifier usage is associated with early cessation of breast feeding, as well as respiratory infection. This cross sectional study was a part of the bigger study of The Third National Health Morbidity Survey conducted throughout Malaysia in 2006. Survival and pearson cox regression was done to find association between pacifier user and breast feeding duration. Logistic Regression was done to find association between variables of interest. The prevalence of pacifier use was 32.9%. Chinese children reported significantly higher usage of pacifier (95% CI; 47.5, 58.7) as well as those resided in urban area (95% CI;32.5,37.7). One third of pacifier user had stopped breastfeeding at 6 months of age. Those with pacifier users were significantly shorter in breast feeding duration and significantly associated with non exclusivity in breastfeeding. Those without pacifier user were significantly associated with ever breast fed.(p value=0.001). There was no significant association between pacifier use with acute respiratory infection. Factors such as ethnicity and residential are non modifiable whereas modifiable factor such as pacifier use is certainly needed to be addressed at maternal and child health care level.


Recent work has focused on designing efficient receivers for code-division multiple-access (CDMA) channels with forward error control (FEC) coding. In particular with the advent of turbo coding, new receiver structures employing iterative processing have been proposed. A variety of iterative receivers, where multi-user detectors with different complexities are used, have been investigated. In this paper we study such decoders from a large system perspective, where K, N /spl rarr/ /spl infin/. We introduce the variance transfer (VTR) functions which accurately describe the convergence of the complete decoder, and are used to predict performance behavior, such as the onset of the turbo cliff, and the maximal supportable user load /spl alpha/=K/N for a given FEC code and interference suppression method. Closed-form expressions for the simple interference canceller as well as the MMSE filter are used. Among the results we present the guidelines on the choice of error control codes, maximal system loads and accurate performance predictions for given system configurations.


The paper is a presentation of our research focused on the ecological disaster caused by the explosion of the nuclear power plant reactor in Chernobyl in 1986, in terms of its social, cultural and artistic context. We apply the concepts of hyperobject (Morton) and hauntology (Derrida), and autoethnographic method (Adams, Jones, Ellis), in an attempt to reveal human and nonhuman agencies in the description of the catastrophe's long-term cultural consequences. In the autoethnographic and investigative-artistic part of our research we analyse our interactive installation, Post-Apocalypsis (2015), but also historical facts and private narratives. The notion of hyperobject in connection with the autoethnographic methods and investigative-artistic part of our research serves to trace the process of displacing phenomena, facts and private narratives about the Chernobyl accident in the context of time and space. The concept of hauntology enabled us to go beyond the uncovering of recurring cultural, political, social micronarrations and fear about nuclear energy in Poland.


Feng shui (the art of positioning) and Chinese astrology (the science of auspicious scheduling) have always captured western imagination, but in the process, these classical disciplines have been diluted by popular culture, sometimes beyond recognition. Now, an accomplished scholar of Chinese language, literature, and philosophy restores them in this remarkable volume, the first and only authentic translation of the original Chinese treatise on the Art of Scheduling and Positioning. Intellectually accurate and true to the original work, yet written to be accessible to the general reader as well as the specialist, the "Imperial Guide": reveals the organic connection between feng shui and astrology - a link overlooked by most other books on these two arts and illuminates the most complex aspects of feng shui and astrology theory in accessible language and lucid imagery. This guide introduces the essential concepts of Chinese cosmology: yin and yang, the five processes, the ten heavenly stems, the twelve earthly branches, the twenty-four seasonal nodes, and the sixty-four hexagrams and explains how these symbols relate to the whole of traditional Chinese thought - and what they mean for the modern world.


A retrospective cohort study was conducted to acquire the general picture of relapse in pulmonary tuberculosis in China and to clarify the relationship between potential causes and relapse rate. All data were collected from 4,797 initial sputum-positive cases. Results showed: (1) Bacteriological relapse rate within two years after chemotherapy was 4.6%. (2) Cumulative relapse rates within half a year and a year only accounted for respectively 28% and 43% of that within two years after chemotherapy. (3) Patients over 60 years old, with drug-resistant bacilli, with long excretion of bacilli, or with residual cavity(ies) or bacterial-negative conversion of less than 3 months at the end of treatment, were the high risk population of relapse.


OBJECTIVE
The authors discuss ongoing research to determine the mechanisms by which peptide hormones regulate growth of gastrointestinal cancer and ways in which this information might be used to develop noncytotoxic therapy.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND
Approximately 100,000 people die of cancer of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract each year. Surgery is curative only when the tumor is localized. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have limited efficacy for locally advanced or widespread disease. Various peptide hormones regulate the growth of these tumors. As for breast and prostate cancer, the growth regulatory effect of these hormones is being studied as a potential mechanism of hormonal therapy.

CONCLUSION
Gut peptide hormones regulate the growth of GI malignancies through all-specific receptors and signal transduction pathways. Interruption or modification of these growth regulatory mechanisms may lead to specific noncytotoxic therapy. In combination with surgical extirpation, such hormonally based treatment may be curative of advanced GI cancer.


Silicone hydrogel contact lenses (CLs) permit increased oxygen permeability through their incorporation of siloxane functional groups. However, contact lens biofouling can be problematic with these materials; surface modification to increase lens compatibility is necessary for acceptable properties. This work focuses on the creation of an antifouling CL surface through a novel grafting method. A polymer incorporating 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), well known for its antifouling and biomimetic properties, was grafted to the model lens surfaces using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The SI-ATRP modification generated a unique double-grafted polymeric architecture designed to resist protein adsorption through the presence of a surrounding hydration layer due to the PC groups and steric repulsion due to the density of the grafted chains. The polymer was grafted from model silicone hydrogel CL using a four-step SI-ATRP process. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and XPS were used to confirm the surface chemical composition at each step of the synthesis. Both the surface wettability and equilibrium water content of the materials increased significantly upon polyMPC modification. The surface water contact angle was as low as 16.04 ± 2.37° for polyMPC-50 surfaces; complete wetting (∼0°) was observed for polyMPC-100 surfaces. A decrease in the protein adsorption by as much as 83% (p < 0.000 36) for lysozyme and 73% (p < 0.0076) for bovine serum albumin was observed, with no significant difference between different polyMPC chain lengths. The data demonstrate the potential of this novel modification process for the creation of extremely wettable and superior antifouling surfaces, useful for silicone hydrogel CL surfaces.


Motivated by the capabilities of the SDR, we theorize in this work a simultaneous multi-standard radio definition receiver (SMS-SDR). An SMS-SDR receiver will be able to "simultaneously" decode the information of several heterogeneous wireless standards using the same RF front end. Our target networks are random access networks operating in unlicensed bands. These standards operate without centralized coordination and are subject to serious interference between channels of the same type of technology (CT-CCI) because their operating frequency bands overlap. We are developing several new baseband signal processing algorithms to eliminate ICC from single and multi-antenna receivers. We chose the case of the use of narrow-band and broadband signals, paying particular attention to OFDM-based systems, OFDM being an essential physical layer technique of modern wireless standards such as IEEE families 802.11 and 4G. During development, we focus on methods that can operate autonomously in the receiver, that is, without any cooperation from the transmitter or base station. In this way, they are appropriate random access networks operating in unlicensed bands. In addition, the algorithms can be integrated into the existing infrastructure without any significant effort. Finally, our interference mitigation methods are used to develop decision trees that recommend the sequence of steps to mitigate interference between two heterogeneous signals. Finally, we validated our algorithms by implementing them using SDR.


We conducted an urgent field survey at the Sendai Plain to measure the run-up heights and inundation distances of the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami. We used GPS measurements because of the remarkably long inundation distances (ca. 5.4 km). We established an accurate measurement scheme using the far electric reference points (about 350 km). Using this method, we quickly measured 69 run-up heights within 3 days. The tsunami run-up heights and inundation distances varied mainly according to the local topography, ranging from 9.6 m at 0.4 km to 0.2 m at 5.4 km, respectively. Furthermore, artificial structures and topography played an important role in constraining the inundation limit. Our observations are important for future analyses using aerial and satellite imagery and numerical modeling in the area because the maximum inundation area might be underestimated in the images as a result of the subtle traces of the tsunami inundation, which were difficult to identify in the field. However, results show that numerical modeling might not reproduce minor inundation beyond the highway without sufficiently high-resolution topographic data because data for the modeling are usually rough, and the highway, small channels, and street gutters, which played an important role in local inundation, are too small a resolution to be recognized in the model.


was noted with low doses of prednisone, however, in contrast with the dramatic improvement obtained in the original papers.5 6 On the other hand, synovial biopsy in our case did not show malignant infiltration. Thus it is reasonable to suggest that the rheumatic manifestations belong to a paraneoplastic syndrome, as has been previously reported with other neoplasms.7 To our knowledge this is the first description of peripheral synovitis and pitting oedema as an initial manifestation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We would like to emphasise the need to consider the possibility of an underlying malignancy in a patient with these clinical characteristics who is unresponsive to the usual medical treatment.


Abstract. Isoprene, the most abundant non-methane volatile organic compound (VOC) emitted into the atmosphere, is known to undergo gas phase oxidation to form eight different hydroxynitrate isomers in "high-NOx" environments. These hydroxynitrates are known to affect the global and regional formation of ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA), as well as affect the distribution of nitrogen. In the present study, we have synthesized three of the eight possible hydroxynitrates: 4-hydroxy-3-nitroxy isoprene (4,3-HNI) and E / Z-1-hydroxy-4-nitroxy isoprene (1,4-HNI). Oxidation of the 4,3-HNI isomer by the OH radical was monitored using a flow tube chemical ionization mass spectrometer (FT-CIMS), and its OH rate constant was determined to be (3.64 ± 0.41) × 10−11 cm3 molecule−1 s−1. The products of 4,3-HNI oxidation were monitored, and a mechanism to explain the products was developed. An isoprene epoxide (IEPOX) – a species important in SOA chemistry and thought to originate only from "low-NOx" isoprene oxidation – was found as a minor, but significant, product. Additionally, hydrolysis kinetics of the three synthesized isomers were monitored with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The bulk, neutral solution hydrolysis rate constants for 4,3-HNI and the 1,4-HNI isomers were (1.59 ± 0.03) × 10−5 s−1 and (6.76 ± 0.09) × 10−3 s−1, respectively. The hydrolysis reactions of each isomer were found to be general acid-catalyzed. The reaction pathways, product yields and atmospheric implications for both the gas phase and aerosol phase reactions are discussed.


The multipotent cells comprising the vertebrate neural crest (NC) generate an astonishing array of derivatives, including neuronal, skeletal and adrenal components and pigment cells. Zebrafish possess three chromatophores lineages, melanophores, iridophores and xanthophores, which lend themselves to investigating the complex gene regulatory networks (GRNs) underlying fate segregation of NC progenitors. Although the core GRN governing melanophore specification has been previously established, those guiding iridophore and xanthophore development remain elusive. This study explores the iridophore specification GRN via a previously employed systems biology approach. Loss and gain of function experiments were used to derive a preliminary GRN (model A), mathematically modelled using a system of differential equations and computationally simulated to predict gene expression dynamics. Predictions were experimentally evaluated and testable hypotheses were derived to render simulations of the resulting model B consistent with experimental observations. Iterations of this process led to a more sophisticated model D, which accurately predicted observed expression dynamics. Firstly, mutant phenotypes identified the transcription factors Sox10, Tfec and Mitfa and the receptor tyrosine kinase, Ltk, as key players for model A. Regulatory interactions were derived by analysing the spatiotemporal gene expression patterns on wild-type and mutant embryos by in situ hybridisation. Data indicated a sox10-dependent tfec/ltk positive feedback loop driving iridophore specification. Cycles of mathematical modelling and experimentation revealed important regulatory features, such as sox10 maintenance throughout iridophore development and its cooperation with tfec to activate the differentiation gene, pnp4a. Candidate repressors of mitfa, a melanocyte-specific target of sox10, were investigated. Surprisingly, data presented challenge the reported role of Foxd3, an established mitfa repressor, in iridophores. This study established the core GRN guiding specification of the NC-derived iridophore lineage using systems biology. Presented results reveal previously unacknowledged molecular mechanisms underlying fate choice and demonstrate the value of integrating experimental and mathematical approaches when investigating GRNs.


This work provides an explanation of the market underlying the evolution due to modern technologies and technical advances, especially in transactions. In this regard, the authors specify the aspect related to the creation of virtual currencies like bitcoin that can circulate thanks to the Blockchain system through miners' work. The authors consider areas related to the warnings on the use and exchange of virtual currencies. The aim is to conceptualize in a graphical way the current operational transaction in bitcoin through the existing exchange platforms. The authors try to attest the fickleness of the disintermediation ideal founding Bitcoin. The analysis purposed could be interesting and useful to provide a kind of interpretation of the phenomenon and a general overview about Bitcoin system.

 Key words: Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, transactions, blockchain, public administration.


In this paper, we report on the design, modeling, and experimental testing of a piezoelectric-driven microgripper making use of both an integrated gripping force sensor and an integrated tip displacement sensor. In the developed microgripper, a stack piezoelectric ceramic actuator is used to simultaneously obtain the tip displacement and the gripping force. A novel monolithic compliant mechanism is proposed to act as the microdisplacement transmission mechanism to obtain the large tip displacement and to provide the possibility of integrating both the gripping force sensor and the tip displacement sensor into the microgripper. The relationship between the gripping force, tip displacement, input force, and input displacement of the piezoelectric-driven microgripper and the dynamic model are established using the pseudorigid-body-model method. The characteristics of the developed microgripper are tested and the case of gripping an optical fiber is presented. The experimental results indicate that: 1) the theoretical model for the developed microgripper matched well with the measured results; 2) the integrated gripping force sensor and tip displacement sensor could accurately measure the gripping force and tip displacement; 3) the developed microgripper could achieve a displacement magnification of 16.0 × with respect to the stack piezoelectric ceramic actuator to realize the large tip displacement with high resolution but is also able to possess the parallel movement of its gripping jaws and the constant displacement magnification.


We analyze stability of conservative solutions of the Cauchy problem on the line for the Camassa–Holm (CH) equation. Generically, the solutions of the CH equation develop singularities with steep gradients while preserving continuity of the solution itself. In order to obtain uniqueness, one is required to augment the equation itself by a measure that represents the associated energy, and the breakdown of the solution is associated with a complicated interplay where the measure becomes singular. The main result in this paper is the construction of a Lipschitz metric that compares two solutions of the CH equation with the respective initial data. The Lipschitz metric is based on the use of the Wasserstein metric.


Strategic decision-making (SDM) processes in family firms represent a complex task involving family managers, family members and, in most cases, non-family managers. Drawing on the concept of socio-emotional wealth (SEW), this study aims to explore the characteristics of SDM processes in family firms, which groups of stakeholders they involve, and how the family itself influences the process. We present a multiple case study based on qualitative data collected through 30 interviews, representing 15 family firms in the service industry. Upon discussing the findings, we are able to identify family membership, adherence of decision-makers to SEW goals, as well as the expertise and work experience of employees as crucial factors in joining and forming SDM in family firms. Moreover, strategic decisions in family firms depend on long-term firm goals and are affected by the need to cooperate/compete with other firms to overcome barriers of size and hostile environmental dynamics.


This paper describes Gnothi, a block replication system that separates data from metadata to provide efficient and available storage replication. Separating data from metadata allows Gnothi to execute disk accesses on subsets of replicas while using fully replicated metadata to ensure that requests are executed correctly and to speed up recovery of slow or failed replicas.

Performance evaluation shows that Gnothi can achieve 40-64% higher write throughput than previous work and significantly save storage space. Furthermore, while a failed replica recovers, Gnothi can provide about 100- 200% higher throughput, while still retaining the same recovery time and while guaranteeing that recovery eventually completes.


Summary Production optimization under uncertainty is complex and computationally demanding, a particularly challenging process for carbonate reservoirs subject to WAG injection, represented in large ensembles with high simulation runtimes. Search spaces of optimization are often large, where reservoir models are complex and the number of decision variables is high. The computational costs of ensemble-based production optimization can be decreased by reducing the size of the ensemble with representative models (RM). The validity of this method requires that the RM maintain representativeness throughout the optimization process, where the production strategy changes at each evaluation. Many techniques of RM selection use production forecasts of the ensemble for an initial production strategy, which raises questions about the robustness of the RM. This work investigates approaches to ensure the consistency of RM in ensemble-based long-term optimization. We use a metaheuristic optimization algorithm that finds sets of RM that represent the ensemble in the probability distribution of uncertain attributes and the variability of production, injection, and economic indicators ( Meira et al., 2020 ). Our case study is a benchmark light-oil fractured carbonate with features of Brazilian pre-salt reservoirs and many reservoir and operational uncertainties. We obtained production, injection and economic indicators using different approaches to provide valuable insight for RM selection. We inferred about RM fitness for production optimization based on their adequacy for uncertainty quantification for varying production strategies. Despite the effects of changing decision variables on RM representativity, our results suggest the possible use of RM for ensemble-based production optimizations with limitations related to the estimation of the probabilistic objective function due to mismatches in the probabilities of occurrence. Using production indicators obtained from a base production strategy decreased RM representativeness when compared to RM selection based on a more robust evaluation of reservoir performance using a wide-covering well pattern and no restrictions from production facilities. Finally, our results suggest valid RM selection using production forecasts for intermediate dates of the simulation period, an important contribution for ensembles with very high simulation runtimes. We also provide a broad theoretical background on the uncertain reservoir system and on approaches to obtain reduced ensembles and their applications.


Transparency in disclosing the financial statements is required by decision makers asappropriate balance and adequate information so important to the company . In the presentfinancial statements , management took accounting method with a specific purpose . This isoften referred to manajamen profit . Management actions earning management raises a numberof scandals in corporate financial reporting .In this study, a sample of Islamic banking with theobservation period 2010 to 2013. The analytical method used is multiple regression method . Theresults showed that simultaneous ( F test ) independent variables used in this study are firm size ,debt to equity ratio , return on assets , the size of the company , the audit committee and the auditof ownership has a significant effect on the occurrence of earnings management in the company .Test results on an individual basis using the t test showed that the only variable return on assetsand institutional ownership has a significant effect on the occurrence of earnings management inthe company .


eThread, a meta-threading and machine learning-based approach, is designed to effectively identify structural templates for use in protein structure and function modeling from genomic data. This is an essential methodology for high-throughput structural bioinformatics and critical for systems biology, where extensive knowledge of protein structures and functions at the systems level is prerequisite. eThread integrates a diverse collection of algorithms, therefore its deployment on a large multi-core system necessarily requires comprehensive profiling to ensure the optimal utilization of available resources. Resource profiling of eThread and the single-threading component algorithms indicate as wide range of demands with respect to wall clock time and host memory. Depending on the threading algorithm used, the modeling of a single protein sequence of up to 600 residues in length takes minutes to hours. Full meta-threading of one gene product from E. coli proteome requires ~12h on average on a single state-of-the-art computing core. Depending on the target sequence length, the subsequent three-dimensional structure modeling using eThread/Modeller and eThread/TASSER-Lite takes additional 1-3 days of computing time. Using the entire proteome of E. coli, we demonstrate that parallel computing on a multi-core system follows Gustafson-Barsis' law and can significantly reduce the production time of eThread. Furthermore, graphics processor units can speedup portions of the calculations; however, to fully utilize this technology in protein threading, a substantial code development is required. eThread is freely available to the academic and non-commercial community as a user-friendly web-service at http://www.brylinski.org/ethread. We also provide source codes and step-by-step instructions for the local software installation as well as a case study demonstrating the complete procedure for protein structure modeling. We hope that genome-wide high-throughput structural bioinformatics using eThread will significantly expand our knowledge of protein structures and their molecular functions and contribute to the thriving area of systems biology.


III-V semiconductor nanowire-graphene photovoltaics is an emerging technology that has the potential of highly efficient, flexible and ultra-thin solar cells. This thesis has explored aluminum-induced crystallization(AIC) of amorphous silicon on graphene and graphite surfaces, with the aim of increasing the nucleation yield of nanowires. It is demonstrated that thin films of aluminum and amorphous silicon, separated by an oxide membrane, produces [111]-oriented crystalline silicon after annealing at 470-500◦C, well below the crystallization temperature of silicon, for glass, kish graphite and graphene substrates. The crystal orientation and elemental composition of the samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX). The crystallized silicon forms semi-continuous films on glass and graphene, while it forms dendrite structures on kish graphite substrates. Silicon crystallization is achieved with both sputtering and electron beam evaporation of aluminum, and it is suggested that the aluminum microstructure is the determining factor for whether silicon crystallization occurs or not. The developed process for AIC of amorphous silicon is combined with the one-shot exposure electron beam lithography(EBL) technique to pattern silicon nanodot arrays on few-layer graphene substrates, showing high yields and controllable dot diameter sizes of 80-160 nm. The processes developed in this thesis would have a high potential for the high-density nucleation of vertically aligned, self-catalyzed gallium arsenide(GaAs) nanowires on graphene, enabling the fabrication of an ultra-thin solar cell with GaAs nanowires as the photoactive component and graphene as the bottom electrode.


A vertical axis wind turbine is placed in a boundary layer flow in a wind tunnel, and its wake is investigated. Measurements are performed using an x-wire to measure two components of velocity and turbulence statistics in the wake of the wind turbine. The study is performed at various heights and crosswind positions in order to investigate the full volume of the wake for a range of tip speed ratios. The velocity deficit and levels of turbulence in the wake are related to the performance of the turbine. The asymmetric incoming boundary layer flow causes the rate of recovery in the wake to change as a function of height. Higher shear between the wake and unperturbed flow occurs at the top edge of the wake, inducing stronger turbulence and mixing in this region. The difference in flow relative to the blades causes the velocity deficit and turbulence level to change as a function of crosswind position behind the rotor. The relative difference diminishes with increasing tip speed ratio. Therefore, the wake becomes more homogeneous as tip speed ratio increases.


Abstract. During the ACRIDICON-CHUVA aircraft campaign in September 2014 over the Amazon, among other topics aerosol effects on the development of cloud microphysical profiles during the burning season were studied. Hyperspectral remote sensing with the imaging spectrometer specMACS provided cloud microphysical information for sun-illuminated cloud sides. In order to derive profiles of phase or effective radius from cloud side observations vertical location information is indispensable. For this purpose, spectral measurements of cloud side reflected radiation in the oxygen-A absorption band collected by specMACS were used to determine absorption path length between cloud sides and the instrument aboard the aircraft. From these data horizontal distance and eventually vertical height were derived. It is shown that, depending on aircraft altitude and sensor viewing direction, an unambiguous relationship of absorption and distance exists and can be used to retrieve cloud geometrical parameters. A comparison to distance and height information from stereo image analysis (using data of an independent camera) demonstrates the efficiency of the approach. Uncertainty estimates due to method, instrument and environmental factors are provided by the method. Main sources of uncertainty are unknown in-cloud absorption path contributions due to complex 3D geometry or unknown microphysical properties, variable surface albedo and aerosol distribution. A systematic difference of 3.8 km between stereo and spectral method is found which can be attributed to 3D geometry effects not considered in the methods simplified cloud model. If this offset is considered, typical differences found are 1.6 km for distance and 230 m for vertical position at a tpyical distance around 20 km between sensor and convective cloud elements of typically 1–10 km horizontal and vertical extent.


Liquid−liquid equilibria (LLE) for the system ethanol (1) + water (2) + tripotassium citrate (3) were measured at temperatures of (288.15, 298.15, and 308.15) K. The dependence of temperature on the LLE data is very small in the temperature range studied, but the slopes of the tie lines were found to decrease slightly with decreasing temperature. The binodal curves at each temperature were well fitted by a nonlinear equation with four parameters, and the tie line data were successfully correlated with the Othmer−Tobias and Bancroft equations. The LLE results were correlated using the nonlinear and Othmer−Tobias equations in addition to the nonlinear and Bancroft equations. Both correlations showed close agreement with experimental values, with (0.27 and 0.26) % as the average deviations of three temperatures, respectively.


The psychic hepatitis-associated disorders in children with different biological and microsocial influences were studied. The development of mental disturbances correlated with the severity of hepatitis. It is concluded that identification of aggravating factors of the microsocial environment is necessary for timely conduction of prophylactic measures.


Potent Ebolavirus (EBOV) inhibitors will help to curtail outbreaks such as that which occurred in 2014–16 in West Africa. EBOV has on its surface a single glycoprotein (GP) critical for viral entry and membrane fusion. Recent high-resolution complexes of EBOV GP with a variety of approved drugs revealed that binding to a common cavity prevented fusion of the virus and endosomal membranes, inhibiting virus infection. We performed docking experiments, screening a database of natural compounds to identify those likely to bind at this site. Using both inhibition assays of HIV-1-derived pseudovirus cell entry and structural analyses of the complexes of the compounds with GP, we show here that two of these compounds attach in the common binding cavity, out of eight tested. In both cases, two molecules bind in the cavity. The two compounds are chemically similar, but the tighter binder has an additional chlorine atom that forms good halogen bonds to the protein and achieves an IC50 of 50 nM, making it the most potent GP-binding EBOV inhibitor yet identified, validating our screening approach for the discovery of novel antiviral compounds.


The transverse carpal ligament (TCL) forms the volar boundary of the carpal tunnel and may provide mechanical constraint to the median nerve, leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the TCL are essential to better understand the etiology of carpal tunnel syndrome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo TCL stiffness using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging. The shear wave velocity (SWV) of the TCL was measured using Virtual Touch IQTM software in 15 healthy, male subjects. The skin and the thenar muscles were also examined as reference tissues. In addition, the effects of measurement location and ultrasound transducer compression on the SWV were studied. The SWV of the TCL was dependent on the tissue location, with greater SWV values within the muscle-attached region than those outside of the muscle-attached region. The SWV of the TCL was significantly smaller without compression (5.21 ± 1.08 m/s) than with compression (6.62 ± 1.18 m/s). The SWV measurements of the skin and the thenar muscles were also affected by transducer compression, but to different extents than the SWV of the TCL. Therefore to standardize the ARFI imaging procedure, it is recommended that a layer of ultrasound gel be maintained to minimize the effects of tissue compression. This study demonstrated the feasibility of ARFI imaging for assessing the stiffness characteristics of the TCL in vivo, which has the potential to identify pathomechanical changes of the tissue.


Purpose - This paper seeks to understand the impact of financial cost on customer value in health prevention services by comparing free government services with private fee-charging providers. This is important as there is a common belief that a free health service is of lower quality and thus lower value than a paid service. However there is no evidence to verify this notion.

Design / Methodology / Approach - A large-scale online survey was administered nationwide to Australian women. The respondents were asked about the functional and emotional value derived from their service experiences.

Findings - Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed non significant relationships between fee/free services and functional and emotional value (FV/EV). The non-significant relationship with FV is contrary to the theory of price quality relationship in services. This could be attributed to consumer perceptions that the technical quality of health professionals is comparable across free and paid services. The non-significant relationship with EV could be explained by the indicators used to reflect EV. These indicators were reflective of breast screening behaviour, not breast screening services. Subsequently, it may be posited that the act of having a breast screen is sufficient for consumers to derive emotional value, regardless of the financial cost.

Originality / Value - This research fills an important gap in the literature by investigating the impact of financial cost on a service that consumers use proactively(prevention), rather than reactively (treatment). Insights are provided into the impact of cost on customer value in preventive health services, which are valuable to social marketing academics, health practitioners, and governments


The relevance of professional training of future educators of IPE (institution of preschool education) for usage ethnological-aesthetic means in work with children is substantiated in the article. The concept of "means" is concretized and a complex of ethnological-aesthetic means, effective for the forming in preschool age children's ideas about culture, life, traditions, customs, rites of the Ukrainian people and aesthetic taste (folk toys, crafts and handicrafts, state and folk symbols, everyday life, arts and crafts) is proposed. Importance of involving senior preschool age children in folk crafts and handicrafts, arts, making folk toys is actualized, which promotes patriotism, development of personal qualities such as kindness, compassion, courage. The role of aesthetics of everyday life, state and national symbols in awareness of the beauty of the surrounding reality by child is determined. The paper suggests theoretical and methodological aspects of professional training of students for decorative drawing and decorative application classes (drawing and application of Easter eggs on planar forms, Yavoriv toys, exercises in elements of Hutsul and Petrykivka painting), making a folk toys from various materials (threads, fabric, hay, straw), modeling visits to a virtual museum in work with senior preschool age children; the importance of such classes for mental, speech development, preparation for schooling of senior preschool age children is substantiated. The pedagogical conditions for the effectiveness of the usage of ethnological-aesthetic means in the practice of institutions of preschool education are proposed. The authors emphasize the importance of training future educators to create an appropriate educational environment, develop skills to select tools and methods for work with children that would promote their creative attitude to the aesthetic development of reality, reflecting it in their own creative activities.


Structural variation occurs in the genomes of individuals because of the different positions occupied by repetitive genome elements like endogenous retroviruses, or ERVs. The presence or absence of ERVs can be determined by identifying the junction with the host genome using high-throughput sequence technology and a clustering algorithm. The resulting data give the number of sequence reads assigned to each ERV-host junction sequence for each sampled individual. Variability in the number of reads from an individual integration site makes it difficult to determine whether a site is present for low read counts. We present a novel two-component mixture of negative binomial distributions to model these counts and assign a probability that a given ERV is present in a given individual. We explain how our approach is superior to existing alternatives, including another form of two-component mixture model and the much more common approach of selecting a threshold count for declaring the presence of an ERV. We apply our method to a data set of ERV integrations in mule deer [Odocoileus hemionus], a species for which no genomic resources are available, and demonstrate that the discovered patterns of shared integration sites contain information about animal relatedness.


Shea butter is a product traditionally made solely by women. The demand for this product in the world has grown drastically over the past decades and this has changed the production and production space of the commodity significantly.
Women's Gold is an observational film, telling the story of the shea butter processing women of Tampe-Kukuo, a community on the outskirts of Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region in Ghana. This documentary investigates ideas of social space, dignity and gaining more than material independence, connected to the shea butter industry. The growing demand in the west means bigger productions, exporting the butter and growing profit, but it also means that the sole women-safe space is not guaranteed for the future.


Abstract The failure probability of a passive decay heat removal (DHR) system after a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) is evaluated as part of a risk-informed design process for a helium-cooled fast reactor. The system was modeled using RELAP5-3D. The epistemic uncertainties in input parameters as well as the epistemic model uncertainties in the code were assessed and propagated through the model using Latin hypercube sampling. The changes in the design that we investigated reduced the overall failure probability of the system by reducing the impact of the major contributor to the failure probability. Sensitivity analyses led to two unexpected results. First, the key factors affecting the system failure probability are the location of the thermal insulation (inside or outside the hot leg) and the uncertainty in the insulation thermal conductivity. Second, the heat transfer coefficient in the core is not as important as one might expect. Our results show that the heat transfer coefficient in the containment structures is more important. Different methods for sensitivity analysis were applied and gave consistent results. The calculated conditional (given a LOCA) failure probability of the passive DHR system was deemed to be unacceptable and led the Massachusetts Institute of Technology design team to adopt an active DHR system as the main mode of DHR for the gas-cooled fast reactor


The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant fiscal implications around the world. A key question facing governments is whether and how the pandemic has shaped taxpayer attitudes and what that means for the prospects for tax reform and new revenue raising in the wake of the pandemic. We aim to understand the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on attitudes toward taxation and, in turn, to unpack what the crisis reveals about the dynamics and politics of taxation more broadly. We do so in the context of Sierra Leone with novel survey data, collected before the pandemic, shortly after the pandemic's onset, and for almost a year afterwards. Four key findings emerge. First, immediately after the onset of the crisis we see increased support for taxation in Freetown, despite escalating economic challenges. Second, however, we also see taxpayers express increasingly conditional attitudes toward taxation; that is, at the same time that they show greater general support for taxation, they become more likely to believe that one could refuse to pay taxes if government fails to deliver services in return. Third, while we lack baseline data from before the pandemic on support for progressive taxation, we find rising and sustained support for progressive taxation over the course of the pandemic. Finally, although we see an initial increase in willingness to pay more for taxes for services immediately after the onset of the pandemic, we find evidence of that support eroding over time, potentially reflecting a combination of continued economic hardship, declining feelings of social solidarity, and some disappointment with government taxation. These findings have potentially significant implications for understanding both immediate responses to the pandemic, and the broader politics of taxation and tax reform.


In recent years, the UK government skills policy has emphasised the role of workforce
skills development as a key driver of economic success and improving productivity
across all sectors of the economy. The importance of skills (as a vehicle for enhancing
productivity performance) is highlighted within numerous government reports, such as
Skills White Papers (2003 and 2005), in addition to the Leitch Review of Skills (2006) which coincided with the outset of this research. Thus, the aim of this research was to
examine the relationship between skills development and productivity in the
construction industry in order to assess the assumptions of government skills policy in
the context of the sector.
A multi-method approach was adopted in this research. This involved the analysis of:
official construction statistics, levy/grant and financial accounts data of construction
companies, in addition to a telephone survey. The main findings of the research are
published in five peer reviewed academic papers, demonstrating the tenuous nature of
the relationship between skills development and productivity performance, particularly
when considering the heterogeneous nature of the construction industry. Government
claims about the mono-causal relationship between skills and productivity should be
treated with caution. A simple boost in qualification levels or participation rates of
training is unlikely to lead to productivity improvements in the construction sector.However, skills development and training activities needs to be targeted and focused if
the desired outcome of enhancing productivity performance is to be achieved.
Construction companies needs to be proactive in addressing the skills and training needs
of their business through drawing on the various support available through CITBConstructionSkills
training grants or participating in appropriate skills/training
initiatives, such as apprenticeship schemes. The provision of 'productivity-based'
training grants should be considered by CITB-CS in order to prompt construction
companies to consider training as a plausible means for enhancing their productivity
performance.
Finally, the recommendations presented in this thesis and areas for further research sets out
the potential way forward in terms of advancing knowledge in this area.


Liposarcomas are the second most frequent soft tissue sarcomas occurring in adults after malignant fibrous histiocytomas; however, liposarcomas rarely occur on the scalp. A mass was detected on the hairy skin of a 38-year-old male patient who had undergone surgery for a mass on the posterior aspect of the right thigh and had been diagnosed with a myxoid liposarcoma 3 years earlier. The patient had undergone total bulk excision and the histopathologic examination of the mass lesion revealed liposarcoma metastasis. Chemotherapy was initiated. Relapse or metastasis did not develop during 3 years of follow-up. Here we present a patient with a myxoid liposarcoma, which metastasized from the posterior side of the right thigh to the scalp.


Preparation of activated carbon from silk cotton wood and coconut shell has been done. Carbon was made by pyrolysis process in the Muchalal furnace with 3000 watt electric power. The electric power was increased gradually from 1000, 2000 and then 3000 watt with interval 2 hours during 7 hours. Carbon was activated in Muchalal furnace with 4000 watt electric power during 2 hours and flowed with nitrogen gas. Product of the activated carbon was compared to standart product with several analysis including the surface area, acetic acid adsorption, iod adsorption and vapour adsorption. The results of analysis showed that surface area for silk cotton wood carbon, coconut shell carbon, and E.Merck product were 288.8072 m 2 /g, 222.9387 m 2 /g and 610.5543 m 2 /g, respectively. Acetic acid adsorption for silk cotton wood carbon, coconut shell carbon, and standart product were 157.391 mg/g, 132.791 mg/g, and 186.911 mg/g, respectively. Iodine adsorption for cotton wood carbon, coconut shell carbon, and standart product were 251.685 mg/g, 207.270 mg/g and 310.905 mg/g, respectively. Vapour adsorption for cotton wood carbon, coconut shell carbon and standart product were 12%, 4%,and 14%., respectively Key words : Activated carbon, pyrolysis, Muchalal furnace


Nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) requires the cofactor, (6R)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (H4B), for catalytic activity. The crystal structures of NOSs indicate that H4B is surrounded by aromatic residues. We have mutated the conserved aromatic acids, Trp676, Trp678, Phe691, His692, and Tyr706, together with the neighboring Arg414 residue within the H4B binding region of full-length neuronal NOS. The W676L, W678L, and F691L mutants had no NO formation activity and had very low heme reduction rates (<0.02 min−1) with NADPH. Thus, it appears that Trp676, Trp678, and Phe691 are important to retain the appropriate active site conformation for H4B/l-Arg binding and/or electron transfer to the heme from NADPH. The mutation of Tyr706 to Leu and Phe decreased the activity down to 13 and 29%, respectively, of that of the wild type together with a dramatically increased EC50 value for H4B (30–40-fold of wild type). The Tyr706 phenol group interacts with the heme propionate and Arg414 amine via hydrogen bonds. The mutation of Arg414 to Leu and Glu resulted in the total loss of NO formation activity and of the heme reduction with NADPH. Thus, hydrogen bond networks consisting of the heme carboxylate, Tyr706, and Arg414 are crucial in stabilizing the appropriate conformation(s) of the heme active site for H4B/l-Arg binding and/or efficient electron transfer to occur.


Description Reverse reduction marine transmission with hydraulically actuated multi-disc clutches . Suitable for high performance applications in luxury motoryachts, sport fishers, express cruisers etc . Robust design also withstands continuous duty in workboat applications . Fully works tested, reliable and simple to install . Design, manufacture and quality control standards comply with ISO 9001 . Compatible with all types of engines and propulsion systems, including waterjets and surfacepiercing propellers, as applicable . Features Lightweight and robust aluminum alloy casing (sea water resistant) . Case hardened and precisely ground gear teeth for long life and smooth running . Output shaft thrust bearing designed to take maximum propeller thrust astern and ahead . B/W connection integrated with casing . Smooth and reliable hydraulic shifting with control lever for attachment of push-pull cable . Suitable for twin engine installations (same ratio and torque capacity in ahead or astern mode) . Replaceable oil filter cartridge . Compact, space saving design due to 8° down-angle and beveloid gear principle . "SUPERSHIFT" clutch control . Integrated bosses for speed pick-up installation at output flange . Options Engine-matched dual stage coupling . SAE 2 and SAE 3 bell housings . Oil cooler complete with fittings and flexible oil hoses . Mounting brackets . Propeller shaft flange . Control cable bracket for mounting of push-pull cable to the control lever . Classification by all major Classification Societies on request . SAE «A» Power Take Off . Thermostatic valve for better performance of trolling valve in cold sea water . Trolling valve (mechanical) for slow-speed drive . Electric Trolling . Supershift (with Autotroll and Easidock) .


The necessity to promote smart grid (SG) has been recognized with a strong consensus. The SG integrates electrical grids and communication infrastructures and forms an intelligent electricity network working with all connected components to deliver sustainable electricity supplies. Many advanced communication technologies have been identified for SG applications with a potential to significantly enhance the overall efficiency of power grids. In this paper, the challenges and applications of communication technologies in SG are discussed. In particular, we identify three major challenges to implement SG communication systems, including standards interoperability, cognitive access to unlicensed radio spectra, and cyber security. The issues to implement SG communications on an evolutional path and its future trends are also addressed. The aim of this paper is to offer a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art researches on SG communications.


In order to identify the reasons for early weaning in Teheran, we interviewed 900 mothers using a systematic randomized sampling method. A total of 15% of the mothers were illiterate, 93% were housewives, and 97% had given birth in hospitals. Only 3% of the newborns benefited from rooming-in facilities in hospital, and 68% were bottle-fed while still in hospital. In 3.1% of cases the mother had not breast-fed her newborn at all. Of those who had breast-fed their infant, 38% used only their own milk, whereas 62% used a combination of breast milk and infant formula. The median duration of breast-feeding was 16 months (mean, 14 months). A total of 74% of mothers who used supplementary formula and 39% of those who had completely stopped breast-feeding blamed milk insufficiency, although 67% of these mothers had reached this conclusion only because their infants cried or were irritable. The following factors had a negative influence on the duration of breast-feeding: use of supplementary formula and of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives; fathers with high incomes; and mothers with a high educational level. In contrast, the mother's religious motive to breast-feed and her insistence on breast-feeding had a positive impact. Unfortunately, 21% of the mothers started using supplementary formula during the first month postpartum, and two-thirds before the end of the fourth month. Every month that bottle-feeding was started prematurely shortened the duration of breast-feeding by 20 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Traditionally, the Bible curriculum in many K-12 Christian schools is based on memory work. If students can correctly reproduce a passage of Scripture, then they are somehow considered to be "educated." The authors of this paper suggest that a Bible curriculum should be shifted away from this traditional approach and towards an approach that is based in constructivist philosophy. Such a shift is necessary if the goal is to move students toward a mature and thoughtful Christian life. After establishing the need for this shift and describing what the shift would entail, the authors offer brief vignettes of classrooms where the constructivist approach is being used. These vignettes should provide readers with ideas for application of the constructivist approach.


It is known that polymer films based on a copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride and tetrafluoroethylene P(VDF-TFE) have piezoelectric properties, and these properties appear only after preliminary stretching of the films. The polar crystalline β-phase of the copolymer is responsible for the piezoelectric properties in the P(VDF-TFE), the percentage of this phase in the polymer can vary. In this work, we have studied the influence of the orientational stretching rate on the stability of the electret, and, as a consequence, the piezoelectric state. The influence of rheological parameters on the polymer structure and the parameters of electrically active defects responsible for polarization processes is shown.


BACKGROUND
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most potent antioxidant of all the green tea catechins. The objective of the present study was to find out whether it improved the age-induced hemorheological abnormalities or not.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Twenty-four-month-old aging guinea pigs were used to test the effects of EGCG on hemorheological properties. Orally feeding EGCG at 30 mg x kg(-1) x day (-1) for 28 days resulted in a decrease in erythrocyte membrane malondialdehyde, and further improved erythrocyte deformability and blood viscosity at high and middle shear rates. In addition, it also significantly reduced erythrocyte aggregation, and improved blood viscosity at low shear rates and viscoelasticity at oscillatory flow. Consequently, efficiency of blood oxygen transport in aged guinea pigs increased after administration with EGCG.

CONCLUSIONS
Orally feeding EGCG 30 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) for 28 days significantly improves the abnormal hemorheological parameters. These results suggest that EGCG has considerable potential as a substantial component for the development of new drugs or functional foods in improving the age-induced hemorheological abnormalities.


The plant-specific, B3 domain-containing transcription factor ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE3 (ABI3) is an essential component of the regulatory network controlling the development and maturation of the Arabidopsis thaliana seed. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip), transcriptome analysis, quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction and a transient promoter activation assay have been combined to identify a set of 98 ABI3 target genes. Most of these presumptive ABI3 targets require the presence of abscisic acid for their activation and are specifically expressed during seed maturation. ABI3 target promoters are enriched for G-box-like and RY-like elements. The general occurrence of these cis motifs in non-ABI3 target promoters suggests the existence of as yet unidentified regulatory signals, some of which may be associated with epigenetic control. Several members of the ABI3 regulon are also regulated by other transcription factors, including the seed-specific, B3 domain-containing FUS3 and LEC2. The data strengthen and extend the notion that ABI3 is essential for the protection of embryonic structures from desiccation and raise pertinent questions regarding the specificity of promoter recognition.


Many engineers and hydrologists use the curve number method to estimate runoff from ungaged watersheds; however, the method does not explicitly account for the influence of season or forest cutting on runoff. This study of observed rainfall and runoff for small, forested watersheds that span the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States showed that curve numbers calibrated for the growing season tended to be smaller than for the dormant season. Forest cutting tended to increase curve numbers. However, the increase in water yield following forest cutting on these watersheds only lasted 1 year to 11 years, thereby limiting the precision of the curve numbers estimated for these brief hydrologic effect periods. This study highlights the need to account for seasonal and forest cutting when estimating runoff from some forested watersheds.


Abstract : Lithium ferrite materials for avionic phased array applications at Ku- and X-band were developed by using conventional methods of ceramic processing and firing. Composition variables of Mn, Ti, and Co substitution were used to adjust the magnetic properties to the intended use. Bismuth oxide additions in the range of 0-0.2 wt. percent were used to alter the sintering and grain growth characteristics. Correlations were made between the resulting microstructures and structure sensitive magnetic properties. The stress sensitivity was determined on dense ceramics for different magnetizations and as a function of Mn and Co content. The Co concentration and not Mn was found to be the determining factor. Where single-crystal data were available, correlation was found between sign and magnitude in stress sensitivity and in the anisotropy constant K sub 1. The correlation of stress dependence and the single crystal magnetostriction coefficients was only weakly apparent. (Modified author abstract)


Reconfigurable design is becoming more and more important in the product design. Based on the interchange and the assembled character of the module, module design is the main technology of carrying out reconfigurable design. Reconfigurable design system in this paper uses function and structure module, builds the virtual design floor to decompose and mapping the function and structure of the stone grinding equipment. Based on the equipment database created in Pro/Engineer software, this software can design, modify and assemble the module and the whole product according to the customer requirements. The application effect of this software is prefect.


Archaeoseismology is currently controversial, with criticisms over the extent to which this research field can contribute to seismic-hazard analysis and, in- deed, as to whether man-made structures can be used as earthquake indicators at all. Addressing these concerns—in other words, refining the utility of archaeologi- cally derived earthquake information to permit its inclusion in earthquake-hazard assessments—requires first a systematic, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the seismocultural record. Here, we modify a semiquantitative logic-tree formalism developed for palaeoseismology to explore a methodological scheme that can track uncertainties in successive stages of archaeoseismological investigation. The end result of our logic-tree formalism is a value that expresses the level of certainty to which an archaeological site has recorded a palaeoearthquake and thus reflects its relative significance with respect to a seismic-hazard analysis; we call this measure the archaeoseismic quality factor (AQF). We illustrate how the methodological scheme might work by applying it to Saga- lassos in southwest Turkey, an archaeological site for which earthquake effects are extensively reported. The resulting AQF that we derive from our critical review of the Sagalassos dataset is currently meaningless, because comparable values from equiva- lent reappraisals of earthquake evidence at other archaeological sites are needed for its relative significance to be appreciated. Nevertheless, the varying levels of uncertainty that we assign for different stages in the logic tree allow us to identify key weaknesses in the earthquake hypothesis at Sagalassos, deficiencies that might be redressed through future investigations onsite. The logic-tree formalism offers the potential of a standardized procedure to compile, categorize, and evaluate archaeoseismological information in a form that might, with refinement from wider earthquake archaeology studies, be appropriate for seismic-hazard analysis.


Vilnius University By reconsidering the fragments from early texts on north Indian temple architecture, namely the Purāṇas and their supposed sources, this paper sets out to explore the accounts of arrangement of the plans for temple ground plans and the modes of proportional measurement. It is contended that the general system of proportional measurement, called sāmānya or sarvasādhāraṇa and elaborated on in the texts under discussion, comprises temple garbha-shrines of various scales and forms, from which measurements for the entire temple structure are derived. The importance given to the garbha-shrine is attested by the method of classification of diverse temple types that are distinguished by the geometrical form of the ground plan of the garbha-shrine. It is consequently suggested that the arrangement of the ground plan of a garbha-shrine adapted by temple architects most probably reiterated the practices used for building Vedic altars, the layouts of which, as the Śulbasūtras state, might have served as models for structuring the ground plans of garbha-shrines.