The main objective of this research is to review Korean fisheries structural adjustment policy and to evaluate the resource status and fishing capacity in the Yellow Sea. The Korean authorities have for some time followed a structural adjustment policy in fisheries, largely focusing on buyback of fishing vessels. This policy appears to have a significant contribution to reducing the rate of fisheries resource decline and some fish species, such as squid, Spanish mackerel and Jack mackerel, show signs of recovery. Nevertheless, even though a large number of fishing vessels has been retired for the last 15 years, the effective fishing capacity(i.e. engine power) has tended to increase. Thus, increased engine power has to a certain extent replaced decommissioned vessels. This trade-off, often observed under buyback programs, has occurred because of lack of effective institutional arrangements. In order to make the buyback policy more effective, the central and provincial governments need to develop an integrated policy including buyback, resource enhancement, off-fisheries income promotion, fuel subsidy reorientation and self (or co)-management programs. Also, the package program should be supported by a new R&D system that is focused on enhancing and maintaining the Yellow Sea's environment and ecosystem. This will require far closer cooperative work among South/North Korea, China, and related international bodies.


Drought varies spatially and temporally throughout the Amazon basin, challenging efforts to assess ecological impacts via field measurements alone. Remote sensing offers a range of regional insights into drought-mediated changes in cloud cover and rainfall, canopy physiology, and fire. Here, we summarize remote sensing studies of Amazônia which indicate that: fires and burn scars are more common during drought years; hydrological function including floodplain area is significantly affected by drought; and land use affects the sensitivity of the forest to dry conditions and increases fire susceptibility during drought. We highlight two controversial areas of research centering on canopy physiological responses to drought and changes in subcanopy fires during drought. By comparing findings from field and satellite studies, we contend that current remote sensing observations and techniques cannot resolve these controversies using current satellite observations. We conclude that studies integrating multiple lines of evidence from physiological, disturbance-fire, and hydrological remote sensing, as well as field measurements, are critically needed to narrow our uncertainty of basin-level responses to drought and climate change.


It is estimated that approximately 30% of ischemic strokes are caused by rupture of plaque in the carotid artery. Development of techniques focusing on identifying plaques that are vulnerable to rupture is thus indispensable for stroke prevention. Recent studies have demonstrated that motion analysis of plaques from B-mode and RF ultrasound (US) image sequences can be used to estimate plaque strain. However, viability of these methods in a clinical setting, with variable acquisition protocols, has not been demonstrated yet. In this paper, we explore the viability of estimating plaque strain from B-mode US images of asymptomatic patients, acquired in a real clinical setting with different acquisition settings, frame rates, and operators. Our proposed strain measures, shear strain rate entropy and variance, combined with the recently reported maximum absolute shear strain rate, show that the plaques fall into two distinct clusters. Moreover, these clusters show good correlations with plaque echolucency and echogenicity. We conclude that B-mode US imaging is a viable tool for characterizing plaque dynamics in clinical environments. In future studies, we plan to implement this method on multi-center studies for longitudinal monitoring of plaque.


This paper provides the results of a simulation-based fault characterization study of CMOS/BiCMOS logic families. We show that most of the shorts cause I/sub DDQ/ faults, while open defects result in delay or stuck-open faults. We propose a design-for-testability technique for detecting short and bridging faults in CMOS/BiCMOS logic circuits. The impact of this circuit modification on the behavior of the circuit in normal mode is investigated.


© CERN on behalf of the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations.Neutrino oscillation experiments proved that neutrinos have mass and this enhanced the interest in neutrinoless double-beta decay (0vββ). The observation of this very rare hypothetical decay would prove the leptonic number violation and would give us indications about neutrinos mass hierarchy and absolute mass scale. CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) is an array of 988 crystals of TeO2, for a total sensitive mass of 741 kg. Its goal is the observation of 0vββ of 130Te. The crystals, placed into the a dilution cryostat, are operated as bolometers at a temperature close to 10 mK. CUORE commissioning phase has been concluded recently in Gran Sasso National Laboratory, Italy, and data taking is expected to start in spring 2017. If target background rate is reached (0.01counts/day/keV/kg), the sensibility of CUORE will be, in five years of data taking, T1/21026years (1θ CL). In order to test the quality of materials and optimize the construction procedures, the collaboration realized CUORE-0, that took data from spring of 2013 to summer 2015. Here, after a brief description of CUORE, I report its commissioning status and CUORE-0 results.


The aim of this research was to analyse variation in body image perception and satisfaction by age, sex and nutritional status in an adult sample from the Basque Country, Spain. A case-control study was performed for 227 women and 178 men aged 18-70 years. Stunkard's silhouettes were used to evaluate Current Body Image (CBI) and Ideal Body Image (IBI), as well as dissatisfaction and inconsistency scores. Nutritional status was assessed following the WHO criteria for BMI in an adult population. The sample was divided into four groups based on sex and age (early adulthood <45 years, and middle/older adulthood ≥45 years). The Mann-Whitney U test was employed to evaluate sex and age differences, and the Gamma coefficient to assess the association between body image variables and nutritional status. Significant age differences in CBI (p<0.05) and sex differences in IBI (p<0.001) were detected. Both variables showed a positive association with BMI (p<0.01), which indicates that BMI is a biological characteristic related to body image satisfaction and influences participants' perception of themselves. Dissatisfaction scores showed that both sex and age differences (p<0.05) were negatively associated with BMI (p<0.001). Only participants ≥45 years presented sex differences in inconsistency scores (p<0.05); this variable was associated with BMI in women (p<0.01). Preferences in body image showed sexual dimorphism, with women preferring thinner bodies than men - a pattern observed in many Western populations - linked in part to sociocultural pressures. Women were more dissatisfied with their bodies than men; a higher dissatisfaction was observed in older relative to younger participants. The results confirm the association between nutritional status and body size perception and satisfaction, but also the relationship between nutritional status and the reliability with which women can classify themselves; in men, this relationship was not as clear.


Pragmatic competence is the skill to communicate in foreign language intended meaning. The objective of the study is to describe pragmatic competence of Indonesian EFL learners. This study was using descriptive qualitative approach. The participants were EFL learners, especially students in the first semester which take English course in Balikpapan University majoring mathematics and Health and Safety Environment. Furthermore, pragmatic test in the form of multiple choice DCT was used to assess learners' pragmatic competence. It was applying and/or adapting some of the items devised by Rover (2005: 122-129 and Hudson, Detmer and Brown (1995: 107-130) in Viljamaa (2012). Based on the analysis of the test, most learners have quite low pragmatic competence in implicature and speech act part. Although cultural background is usually a quite problem for us, it can be handled by a good cooperation and good awareness of pragmatic aspects between the speaker and the hearer. Therefore, we should increase our pragmatic competence in everyday life with many kinds of English activities because English is still a foreign language in Indonesia.


The neural basis of psychosis is yet to be fully elucidated. In this review the contribution of schizophrenia-like psychosis of epilepsy, delusional misidentification syndromes and psychotic phenomena, such as auditory and visual hallucinations, to our understanding of the neural basis of psychosis is examined. Schizophrenia-like psychosis of epilepsy is associated with seizures originating from the limbic structures. Reduced seizure frequency, left-sided electrical foci, and neurodevelopmental lesions manifesting as cortical dysgenesis are known to influence the likelihood of developing schizophrenia-like psychosis of epilepsy. The delusional misidentification syndromes are a group of rare psychiatric symptoms in which impairments of face recognition memory are present. These conditions appear also to be associated with organic lesions affecting limbic structures and also involving both the frontal and parietal lobes. There is evidence that right-sided lesions predominate in the aetiology of delusional misidentification syndromes. Thus, the common link between schizophrenia, schizophrenia-like psychosis of epilepsy and delusional misidentification syndromes appears to be involvement of limbic structures in their pathophysiology. Discrete psychotic phenomena such as visual and auditory hallucinations appear to arise from functional changes in the same cortical areas subserving the normal physiological functions of vision and audition but also involving limbic structures. In conclusion, the limbic structures appear to be central to the psychopathology of psychosis but with involvement of frontal and parietal structures. These inquiries are revealing as much about psychosis as they are about the nature of normal brain function.


Increased exudation of plasma proteins, as measured by Evans blue leakage into the innervated paw, was produced by antidromic stimulation of the saphenous nerve in the pentobarbital-anesthetized rat. This condition, termed neurogenic plasma extravasation (NPE), was inhibited by morphine, FK 33,824 (a stabilized enkephalin analog), dynorphin (1-13), dynorphin(1-10)amide and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) at median effective doses of 2700, 0.45, 1180, 4050 and 5.6 nmol/kg i.v., respectively. The inhibitory effect of CRF was present when injected up to 60 min before electrical stimulation of the nerve. By contrast, the effects of morphine and FK 33,824 were shorter in duration, lasting for only 20 to 30 min before nerve stimulation. Inhibition of NPE by morphine, FK 33,824 dynorphin (1-13) and dynorphin (1-10)amide was blocked by naloxone, 1 mg/kg i.v., but the CRF inhibition was not affected. CRF inhibited NPE in both hypophysectomized and adrenalectomized rats, indicating that its effects were not due to secondary release of endogenous opioid peptides. The inhibitory effect of CRF on NPE was also separable from its hypotensive properties and could be obtained at intradermal doses of CRF into the paw skin which were approximately 11 times lower than the i.v. doses. Intracerebroventricular injection of CRF did not affect the tail-flick latency of rats to warm water. CRF administered i.v. in mice did, however, inhibit writhing responses to phenylbenzoquinone (PBQ), suggesting possible peripheral antinociceptive properties.


Youth within the context of faith-based organisations carry with them certain power relations and misconstrued connotations. These power relations and connotations can contribute to alienation and marginalisation. The resolutions taken at the recent synods of the three dioceses within the Western Cape reflect and identify the areas - both liturgical and governance - of marginalisation of youth within the Anglican Church in southern Africa. The resolutions also call on the church governing bodies and the leaders to create safe spaces for the youth to be a central part of the mission of the church. Areas such as liturgy, training and formation, contemporary worship and nurturing relationships are identified within the resolutions. Theological notions of personhood within the Anglican tradition are to be investigated as possible motivations for more acceptable power relations of the youth and leaders and governance structures. What implications do such theological formulations have for the space that the youth occupy within the margins of the church? A critical reflection of the synod resolutions answers such questions and points to some contours for sense making of the youth within the margins of the church from a faith-based organisational perspective.


Mitochondria isolated from chickpea (Cicer arietinum) possess substantial alternative oxidase (AOX) activity, even in non-stressed plants, and one or two AOX protein bands were detected immunologically, depending on the organ. Four different AOX isoforms were identified in the chickpea genome: CaAOX1 and CaAOX2A, B and D. CaAOX2A was the most highly expressed form and was strongly expressed in photosynthetic tissues, whereas CaAOX2D was found in all organs examined. These results are very similar to those of previous studies with soybean and siratro. Searches of available databases showed that this pattern of AOX genes and their expression was common to at least 16 different legume species. The evolution of the legume AOX gene family is discussed, as is the in vivo impact of an inherently high AOX capacity in legumes on growth and responses to environmental stresses.


The main focus of this study is to evaluate the literature available on Information needs and seeking behavior by Pakistani researchers. Research articles published in local and international Journals were extracted and reviewed. It was pointed out that a reasonable amount of literature available on the subject under study. The Punjab has contributed more as compared to the rest of Pakistani territories. Dr. Saeedullah Jan, Khalid Usman, Teresa. Welsh, Dr. Ghalib khan, Dr. Rubina Bhatti, Maqsood Ahmad Shaheen, M. Arif, Syeda Bushra Naqvi, M. Asif Naveed, Mumtaz A Anwar, Surraya Bano, Shakeel A Khan, Farzana Shafique, Salman Bin Naeem Salman, Shamshad Ahmad, Amjad Khan, Azhar Iqbal, Khalid Mahmood, M. Tahir, Farid, Abiodullah, Ramzan, Muzammil Tahira, Kanwal Amin, M. Amir Hashmi, Faisal ur Rahman, Dr. Ashi Zeeshan, Munira Nasreen Ansari and Nisar Ahmad Zuberi are the researchers whose conducted the studies on information needs and seeking behavior of Regular students, Law faculty members of Pakistan, Women parliamentarian of Pakistan, Pakistani farmers, college faculty, doctors, Medical researchers in Pakistan, Medical faculty and students.


The occurrence of pressure ulcers is an important problem for persons with spinal cord injury. Pressure ulcers, though preventable, can engender serious physical and psychological consequences. Living with a spinal cord injury entails the adaptive mechanisms described by Roy (Andrews & Roy, 1991).


Electrodermal activity (EDA) is a biosignal that contains valuable information for monitoring health conditions related to sympathetic nervous system activity. Analyzing ambulatory EDA data is challenging because EDA measurements tend to be noisy and sparsely labeled. To address this problem, we present the first study of contrastive learning that examines approaches that are tailored to the EDA signal. We present a novel set of data augmentations that are tailored to EDA, and use them to generate positive examples for unsupervised contrastive learning. We evaluate our proposed approach on the downstream task of stress detection. We find that it outperforms baselines when used both for fine-tuning and for transfer learning, especially in regimes of high label sparsity. We verify that our novel EDA-specific augmentations add considerable value beyond those considered in prior work through a set of ablation experiments.


Objective To determine whether vitamin E supplementation influences the incidence or rate of progression of age related maculopathy (AMD). Design Prospective randomised placebo controlled clinical trial. Setting An urban study centre in a residential area supervised by university research staff. Participants 1193 healthy volunteers aged between 55 and 80 years; 73% completed the trial on full protocol. Interventions Vitamin E 500 IU or placebo daily for four years. Main outcome measures Primary outcome: development of early age related macular degeneration in retinal photographs. Other measures included alternative definitions of age related macular degeneration, progression, changes in component features, visual acuity, and visual function Results The incidence of early age related macular degeneration (early AMD 3) was 8.6% in those receiving vitamin E versus 8.1% in those on placebo (relative risk 1.05, 95% confidence interval 0.69 to 1.61). For late disease the incidence was 0.8% versus 0.6% (1.36, 0.67 to 2.77). Further analysis showed no consistent differences in secondary outcomes. Conclusion Daily supplement with vitamin E supplement does not prevent the development or progression of early or later stages of age related macular degeneration.


Large area substrate processing is a key solution for improving the productivity of multichip module deposition (MCM-D) technology. This project is focused on high temperature polymeric adhesives for attachment of silicon tiles to suitable pallets to facilitate large area film processing of MCM structures. Current polymeric high temperature adhesives are predominately polyimide-based that are not reworkable, which places an obstacle to remove the coated substrates and to reuse the high cost pallets. However, an approach will be presented in this paper to address this demand by introducing thermally cleavable links in the thermoset polyimide-amide resin. A series of novel reworkable high temperature (in excess of 350–400 °C) adhesives have been developed, that can meet the requirements of adhesion, viscosity, thermal stability, and reworkability of the MCM-D production. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) microstructure images are presented for intuitive reworkability analysis.


As the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased globally, so has the need to further investigate the disorder's underlying features and a potential target for treatment. Drosophila melanogaster has proven to be an excellent model organism to study type 2 diabetes (T2D). To see whether it can serve as a model organism to identify the treatment of T2D, a type 2 diabetes like model were created in Drosophila t hrough high sugar diet (HSD). The aim of the study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of six different probiotic bacteria strains on T2D characteristics markers. Longevity, size, and weight measurement were performed. Followed by verification of HSD effects on these phenotypes. It was demonstrated that probiotics could improve weight and lifespan. Treatment using probiotics showed statistically increased body weight in both 3 rd instar larvae and adult flies (p-value <0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in length between any of the groups including controls (p-value 0.25). However, the triglyceride assay showed a slightly significant difference between control low sugar diet and few of the treatment groups ( L. paracasei with p-value 0.037, and L. acidophilus with p-value 0.025) fed larvae/adult flies, and there was no statistically significant difference between controls (high and low sugar diets), and probiotics treatment groups ( L. plantarum, B. animalis and B. breve) fed larvae/adult flies with a p-value >0.05. To investigate the effect on gene expression of four genes (FASN CG3523 , FASN CG3524 , CG17374 & dsREBP) important in lipid metabolism, qPCR was performed using the Taqman method. All probiotic treatment groups had significantly decreased gene expression of FASN compared to the control groups. Findings of this study suggest that Drosophila melanogaster can be utilized as a model organism to study T2D and that further studies concerning the effects of probiotic treatment in Drosophila are required to fully understand the interactions and mechanism of action.


Abstract Archaeobotany is the study of plant remains from archaeological contexts. Despite Australasian research being at the forefront of several methodological innovations over the last three decades, archaeobotany is now a relatively peripheral concern to most archaeological projects in Australia and New Guinea. In this paper, many practicing archaeobotanists working in these regions argue for a more central role for archaeobotany in standard archaeological practice. An overview of archaeobotanical techniques and applications is presented, the potential for archaeobotany to address key historical research questions is indicated, and initiatives designed to promote archaeobotany and improve current practices are outlined.


The National Aeronautics and Space Agency consists of fourteen Facilities throughout the United States. They are organized to support the Agency's principal Enterprises: (1) Space Science, (2) Earth Science, (3) Aerospace Technology, (4) Human Exploration and Development of Space, and (5) Biological and Physical Research. Technical Standards are important to the activities of each Enterprise and have been an integral part in the development and operation of NASA Programs and Projects since the Agency was established in 1959. However, for years each Center was responsible for its own standards development and selection of non-NASA technical standards that met the needs of Programs and Projects for which they were responsible. There were few Agencywide applicable Technical Standards, mainly those in area of safety. Department of Defense Standards and Specifications were the foundation and main source for Technical Standards used by the Agency. This process existed until about 1997 when NASA embarked on a Program to convert NASA's Center-developed Technical Standards into Agencywide endorsed NASA Preferred Technical Standards. In addition, action was taken regarding the formal adoption of non-NASA Technical Standards (DOD, SAE, ASTM, ASME, IEEE, etc.) as NASA Preferred Technical Standards.


Industrial location theory has not emphasized environmental concerns, and research on industrial symbiosis has not emphasized workforce housing concerns. This article brings jobs, housing, and environmental considerations together in an agent‐based model of industrial and household location. It shows that four classic outcomes emerge from the interplay of a relatively small number of explanatory factors: the isolated enterprise with commuters; the company town; the economic agglomeration; and the balanced city.


It would have been easy for President Joe Biden to approach judicial appointments (and, particularly, circuit court appointments) the same way as the Administration he served as Vice President. Like President Obama, President Biden inherited a country in turmoil. A deadly pandemic had killed nearly 400,000 Americans. Necessary quarantine orders shuttered schools and businesses, and ground the economy to a halt. Partisan tensions were still raging, culminating in the violent storming of the Capitol by right-wing insurrectionists. People needed the vaccine, economic relief, and a return to some semblance of normalcy. Also, like President Obama (and thanks to President Trump), President Biden inherited relatively few judicial vacancies—only forty-six, the fewest since President George H.W. Bush inherited thirty-seven in 1989. So, like President Obama, you could understand if President Biden felt the need to focus his efforts elsewhere. But after watching President Trump appoint young, deeply conservative appellate judges and justices for four years, the Biden Administration realized it could not repeat the same well-meaning mistakes Democratic administrations had been making for decades. Instead, it has recognized that—at least for the time being—it has an opportunity to make an impact on the federal judiciary and seems poised to do what it can to maximize it.


This book chapter investigates the relationship between cosmopolitanism and internationalism through a case study of international freethought – a movement that challenged religious dogma and promoted the separation of state and church. From 1880, activists were organised in a veritable "freethinkers' international", the International Freethought Federation (IFF). The organisation's self-proclaimed aim was to "facilitate the propaganda of rationalist ideas by an alliance of all those who deem it necessary to liberate humanity from religious prejudices and to assure freedom of conscience". At the same time, the IFF was based on national affiliates and in this respect exemplified the organisational workings of internationalism before 1914.

The chapter considers the extent to which freethought internationalism can be viewed as cosmopolitan. At the same time, it examines how a cosmopolitan perspective can advance our understanding of the IFF. It does so by considering the IFF's intersections with four potential interpretations of cosmopolitanism: (i) cosmopolitanism as a lifestyle and space of experience; (ii) cosmopolitanism as an embrace of cultural diversity; (iii) cosmopolitanism as a form of universalism; and (iv) cosmopolitan peace.


This Research Guide will help you find scholarly information for researching a topic in your Computer Science & Information Technology courses.


The ability of two complementary molecular modules bearing H-bonding uracilic and 2,6-(diacetylamino)pyridyl moieties to self-assemble and self-organize into submicrometer morphologies has been investigated by means of spectroscopic, thermogravimetric, and microscopic methods. Using uracilic (3)N-BOC-protected modules, it has been possible to thermally trigger the self-assembly/self-organization process of the two molecular modules, inducing the formation of objects on a mica surface that exhibit crater-like morphology and a very homogeneous size distribution. Confirmation of the presence of the hydrogen-bonding-driven self-assembly/self-organization process in solution was obtained by variable-temperature (VT) steady-state UV-vis absorption and emission measurements. The variation of the geometric and spatial features of the morphologies was monitored at different T by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and was interpreted by a nonequilibrium diffusion model for two chemical species in solution. The formation of nanostructures turned out to be affected by the solid substrate (molecular interactions at a solid-liquid interface), by the matter-momentum transport in solution (solute diffusivity D(0) and solvent kinematic viscosity ν), and the thermally dependent cleavage reaction of the BOC functions (T-dependent differential weight loss, θ = θ(Τ)) in a T interval extrapolated to ∼60 K. A scaling function, f = f (νD(0), ν/D(0), θ), relying on the onset condition of a concentration-driven thermosolutal instability has been established to simulate the T-dependent behavior of the structural dimension (i.e., height and radius) of the self-organized nanostructures as ⟨h⟩ ≈ f (T) and ⟨r⟩ ≈ 1/f (T).


Received: August 25, 2017; Accepted: October 09, 2017; Published: October 11, 2017 Abstract The interactive effects of posture and exercise on cardiovascular drift remain controversial despite scientists have conducted extensive studies addressed to this topic. For example, changes in posture at rest are associated with significant changes in Left Ventricular (LV) filling and Stroke Volume (SV). A transition from the supine to the upright position produces a decrease in LV end-diastolic pressureand volumeand SV [1,2]. The results of previous studies of the alterations in LV end-diastolic volume during exercise in the supine position have varied [3]. There is general theory that end-systolic volume is smaller during exercise than at rest [3], most scientists have observed an exercise-induced increase in SV, although others have not [1]. LV stroke volume increases markedly during the transition from rest to exercise in the upright position and is almost as great as during supine exercise [1]. It has been found that, after exercise, the Heart Rate (HR) changes showing an initial dramatic decrease followed by a gradual decrease to a steady state level, which maintains itself elevated above the level of preexercise baseline for a period relatively extended [4]. Many studies have reported that when generally the body position changes from upright to supine, cardiac sympathetic nerve activity decreases while vagus nerve activity increases[5]. If, during recovery from exercise, a reciprocal change in the activity of the two autonomic nervous system divisions occurs, a decrease of post-exercise HR elevation would be stimulated by the supine position via a prevalence of vagus nerve activity, compared to the upright position. The gravitational force plays an important role on the transition from the supine to the upright position. In fact, the distribution of blood volume in the body is markedly influenced by this force. It has been observed that, adjustments of arterial blood pressure to compensate the postural perturbation, are achieved in a complex manner through a number of reflex mechanisms [6]. Recent studies have reported that, effects of post-exercise include a reduction in arterial blood pressure, are related to body position4. However, mechanisms involved in the post-exercise hypotension and why this event occurs, remain unclear so far. This could be addressed to body position differences, i.e. supine and sitting, during the period after exercise. To date, several studies have been conducted on this argument to ascertain and clarify what mechanisms are responsible and involved in the cardiovascular drift responses to posture changes. Certain mechanisms remain still unclear despite few attempts have been made to evaluate different theories on these. The purpose of the present manuscript is to discuss and try to clarify how a change in posture affects the cardiovascular responses during recovery from exercise. This


Visual deficits caused by abnormal visual experience during development are hard to recover in adult animals. Removal of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans from the mature extracellular matrix with chondroitinase ABC promotes plasticity in the adult visual cortex. We tested whether chondroitinase ABC treatment of adult rats facilitates anatomical, functional, and behavioral recovery from the effects of a period of monocular deprivation initiated during the critical period for monocular deprivation. We found that chondroitinase ABC treatment coupled with reverse lid-suturing causes a complete recovery of ocular dominance, visual acuity, and dendritic spine density in adult rats. Thus, manipulations of the extracellular matrix can be used to promote functional recovery in the adult cortex.


Objectives: In clinical trials of new cancer drugs, reliable data for progression-free survival will often become available far sooner than reliable data for overall survival. The aim of this study was to determine how many months it would be expected that any given new drug for metastatic breast or colorectal cancer will add to overall survival times given that the number of months the drug adds to progression-free survival times relative to a standard drug is roughly already known. Methods: A literature search was conducted over Medline for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between January 1980 and August 2008 that assessed the effect of a drug treatment in comparison to an alternative drug treatment on patients with either metastatic breast or metastatic colorectal cancer. Results: The literature search found 95 and 74 RCTs for metastatic breast and colorectal cancer, respectively, that satisfied the study's inclusion criteria. The results from these trials are consistent, in the case of each of these two metastatic cancers, with gains in time to disease progression being generally associated with no gains or with very slight gains or losses in post-progression survival (i.e., the time between disease progression and death). Conclusions: It would appear that drugs for metastatic breast or colorectal cancer that extend, by a given amount, the time period between the start of treatment and disease progression (i.e., time to progression) have a strong tendency to extend, by roughly the same amount, the period between the start of treatment and death (i.e., overall survival).


An experiment on New Zealand White (NZW) and Californian (CAL) rabbits was carried out to evaluate genetically postweaning coat traits of these two breeds raised under hot conditions. Data on 24680 and 10549 fibers collected from 1234 NZW and 520 CAL weaned rabbits were used, respectively. At 8 and 12 weeks of age, post-weaning coat traits included average hair length in cm (HL), hair diameter (µm) in down hair (HDD) and guard hair (HDG), medulla diameter (µm) in down hair (MDD) and guard hair (MDG), and medullation percent in down hair (PMD) and guard hair (PMG). Variance components and sire heritabilities were estimated for these traits using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) procedure. Transmitting abilities (TA) for these traits were estimated using a singletrait Animal Model (AM).Most postweaning coat traits in CAL were slightly higher than those in NZW. The estimates at 8 and 12 weeks, respectively were 2.4 and 3.0 cm in NZW vs 2.4 and 3.1 cm in CAL for HL, 12.2 and 18.8 µm in NZW vs 12.2 and 18.9 µm in CAL for HDD, 62.1 and 89.1 µm in NZW vs 62.3 and 88.9 µm in CAL for HDG, 10.2 and 16.4 µm in NZW vs 10.2 and 16.4 µm in CAL for MDD, 51.4 and 78.1 µm in NZW vs 51.5 and 77.8 µm in CAL for MDG, 82.2 and 87.1 % in NZW vs 83.5 and 86.3 % in CAL for PMD, and 82.2 and 87.4 % in NZW vs 82.6 and 80.5 % in CAL for PMG. Percentages of phenotypic variation in NZW and CAL for coat traits at earlier ages were slightly higher than at older ages with exception of HL. Except HL and HDD in both breeds, sire heritabilities for coat traits were low or somewhat moderate. Heritabilities for all coat traits in CAL rabbits at 8 and 12 weeks of age were higher than in NZW: 0.667 and 0.775 in CAL vs 0.357 and 0.392 in NZW for HL, 0.326 and 0.304 in CAL vs 0.401 and 0.246 in NZW for HDD, 0.051 and 0.142 in CAL vs 0.053 and 0.116 in NZW for HDG, 0.046 and 0.356 in CAL vs 0.053 and 0.075 for MDD, 0.058 and 0.174 in CAL vs 0.057 and 0.119 in NZW for MDG, 0.008 and 0.132 in CAL vs 0.052 and 0.031 in NZW for PMD and 0.074 and 0.047 in CAL vs 0.055 and 0.048 in NZW for PMG. The largest differences in TA for most coat traits were recorded in CAL breed and the lowest differences were observed in NZW. In favor of CAL breed at 12 weeks of age, there was a large range in TA between NZW and CAL rabbits with a difference of 2.474 cm for HL, 0.755 µm for HDD, 0.906 µm for HDG, 0.818 µm for MDD, 1.181 µm for MDG, and 1.5 % for PMO. Among coat traits, the largest percent of positive TA was recorded for HDD followed by HL, MDD and MDG, while the lowest percent was recorded for HDG.


The proof of irreversibility of clinically ascertained loss of brain functions is regulated in Germany by the Guidelines for the Determination of Brain Death (Richtlinien zur Feststellung des Hirntodes), established in 1997/98. The technical aids that may be used to this end include EEG, acoustic or somatosensory evoked potentials (AEP, SEP), and Doppler sonography. When comparing the results of these various supplementary procedures with one another and with a perfusion method that is not yet listed in the guidelines, it must be realized that they have different limitations and also differ in their availability. Furthermore, the findings depend on the timing of examination during the progressive dwindling of cerebral perfusion. The eventual complete cessation of perfusion may make the pathogenesis and irreversibility of loss of brain function particularly evident, but does not render the determination of death based on neurological criteria even safer than it already is with other techniques that are included in the guidelines. In this light, the widespread description of (catheter) angiographic demonstration of absence of cerebral perfusion as the "gold standard" of brain death diagnosis is understandable but problematic, because it can easily be misunderstood with regard to the diagnostic certainty of the other procedures.

Some have objected that EEG, AEP, and SEP as supplementary examinations measure electrical phenomena only in certain parts of the brain. That is undoubtedly correct. It is equally true, however, that there is no known case of recovery when properly conducted neurophysiological investigations carried out after clinical determination of loss of brain function according to the guidelines have revealed no cerebral electrical activity. Accordingly, the guidelines state that the supplementary examinations "cannot alone prove the irreversible loss of brain function".

Welschehold et al.'s single-center study of 71 patients in whom clinical loss of brain functions was determined according to the guidelines compares the results of the supplementary procedures used to demonstrate irreversibility with those of subsequent CT angiography. Although the sequence of the neurophysiological investigations and the precise timing of Doppler sonography are not clear, the known limitations of the various supplementary examinations were confirmed and no new concerns were raised with regard to their role in the demonstration and documentation of the irreversibility of functional deficits.

For good reasons, the authors obtained ethics committee approval and the relatives' consent before carrying out CT angiography. The compelling evidence corresponds to previously published findings. The painstakingly researched literature is discussed critically and presented clearly in a table. Taking everything into consideration—the literature, the timing of CT angiography, individual circumstances such as craniotomy defects and residual perfusion on Doppler sonography—the results are not surprising: in 67 of 71 patients, the first CT angiography showed absence of cerebral perfusion, thus confirming the irreversibility of the clinical deficits. The authors' definition of absence of perfusion is more precise and more stringent than in some previous studies. Their group of 71 patients is larger than in all but one of the eight publications summarized in their table. Should the guidelines be updated, CT angiography can by all means be discussed as a procedure for demonstrating the irreversibility of clinically established loss of brain function.


In Brazil, human fungal infections are prevalent, however, these conditions are not officially reportable diseases. To estimate the burden of serious fungal diseases in 1 year in Brazil, based on available data and published literature. Historical official data from fungal diseases were collected from Brazilian Unified Health System Informatics Department (DATASUS). For fungal diseases for which no official data were available, assumptions of frequencies were made by estimating based on published literature. The incidence (/1000) of hospital admissions for coccidioidomycosis was 7.12; for histoplasmosis, 2.19; and for paracoccidioidomycosis, 7.99. The estimated number of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis cases was 6832. Also, there were 4115 cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia in AIDS patients per year, 1 010 465 aspergillosis and 2 981 416 cases of serious Candida infections, including invasive and non‐invasive diseases. In this study, we demonstrate that more than 3.8 million individuals in Brazil may be suffering from serious fungal infections, mostly patients with malignant cancers, transplant recipients, asthma, previous tuberculosis, HIV infection and those living in endemic areas for truly pathogenic fungi. The scientific community and the governmental agencies should work in close collaboration in order to reduce the burden of such complex, difficult‐to‐diagnose and hard to treat diseases.


Human implantation involves extensive tissue remodeling at the fetal-maternal interface. It is becoming increasingly evident that not only trophoblast, but also decidualizing endometrial stromal cells are inherently motile and invasive, and likely contribute to the highly dynamic processes at the implantation site. The present study was undertaken to further characterize the mechanisms involved in the regulation of endometrial stromal cell motility and to identify trophoblast-derived factors that modulate migration. Among local growth factors known to be present at the time of implantation, heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) triggered chemotaxis (directed locomotion), whereas platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB elicited both chemotaxis and chemokinesis (non-directed locomotion) of endometrial stromal cells. Supernatants of the trophoblast cell line AC-1M88 and of first trimester villous explant cultures stimulated chemotaxis but not chemokinesis. Proteome profiling for cytokines and angiogenesis factors revealed neither PDGF-BB nor HB-EGF in conditioned media from trophoblast cells or villous explants, while placental growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and PDGF-AA were identified as prominent secretory products. Among these, only PDGF-AA triggered endometrial stromal cell chemotaxis. Neutralization of PDGF-AA in trophoblast conditioned media, however, did not diminish chemoattractant activity, suggesting the presence of additional trophoblast-derived chemotactic factors. Pathway inhibitor studies revealed ERK1/2, PI3 kinase/Akt and p38 signaling as relevant for chemotactic motility, whereas chemokinesis depended primarily on PI3 kinase/Akt activation. Both chemotaxis and chemokinesis were stimulated upon inhibition of Rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase. The chemotactic response to trophoblast secretions was not blunted by inhibition of isolated signaling cascades, indicating activation of overlapping pathways in trophoblast-endometrial communication. In conclusion, trophoblast signals attract endometrial stromal cells, while PDGF-BB and HB-EGF, although not identified as trophoblast-derived, are local growth factors that may serve to fine-tune directed and non-directed migration at the implantation site.


Limited resection can be a therapeutic approach in patients with cirrhosis with very low remnant hepatic function after resection. In this study, two hilar vascular clamping methods (hilar selective clamping [n=13] and hilar lobar clamping method [n=8]), which were used for resection ofhepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis, were compared based on cardiovascular stability during clamping, intraoperative bleeding, operative time and postoperative course. In the past, the Pringle method had been used (n=19) and those instances were included for comparison. The mean operation time of the lobar clamping group was 209 ± 44 minutes, which was significantly less than that of the selective clamping group (259 ± 44 minutes, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the mean intraoperative blood loss of the lobar clamping group was 920 ± 400 milliliters, which was significantly less than that of the selective clamping group (1,640 ± 590 milliliters, p < 0.01). The postoperative total bilirubin and glutamine-oxaloacetic transaminase levels tended to be high in the Pringle group, but there was no significant difference between the groups. Although the blood pressure during clamping significantly decreased in all groups, the decrease was profound in the Pringle group as compared with those in the other two groups. Thus, as a method for controlling afferent bloodflow during hepatic resection in patients with cirrhosis, we recommend the lobar clamping method as a simple, safe and effective way to minimize bleeding and maintain cardiovascular stability.


Deep neural networks have recently achieved tremendous success in image classification. Recent studies have however shown that they are easily misled into incorrect classification decisions by adversarial examples. Adversaries can even craft attacks by querying the model in black-box settings, where no information about the model is released except its final decision. Such decision-based attacks usually require lots of queries, while real-world image recognition systems might actually restrict the number of queries. In this paper, we propose qFool, a novel decision-based attack algorithm that can generate adversarial examples using a small number of queries. The qFool method can drastically reduce the number of queries compared to previous decision-based attacks while reaching the same quality of adversarial examples. We also enhance our method by constraining adversarial perturbations in low-frequency subspace, which can make qFool even more computationally efficient. Altogether, we manage to fool commercial image recognition systems with a small number of queries, which demonstrates the actual effectiveness of our new algorithm in practice.


Leptin has been shown to reduce body fat in vivo. Adipocytes express the leptin receptor, so it is realistic to expect a direct effect of leptin on adipocyte growth and metabolism. However, in vitro studies examining the effect of leptin on adipocyte metabolism require supraphysiologic doses of the protein to see a decrease in lipogenesis or stimulation of lipolysis, implying an indirect action of leptin. It is also possible that leptin reduces adipose mass by inhibiting preadipocyte proliferation (increase in cell number) and/or differentiation (lipid filling). Thus, we determined direct and indirect effects of leptin on preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation in vitro. We determined the effect of leptin (0-500 ng/ml), serum from leptin infused rats (0.25% by volume), and adipose conditioned media from leptin infused rats (0-30% by volume) on preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation in a primary culture of cells from male Sprague-Dawley rat adipose tissue. Leptin (50 ng/ml) stimulated proliferation of preadipocytes, but 250 and 500 ng leptin/ml inhibited proliferation of both preadipocyte and stromal vascular fractions, as measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation. Serum from leptin infused rats inhibited proliferation of the adipose (p< 0.06) and stromal vascular (p< 0.05) fractions, but conditioned media had no effect on proliferation of either cell fraction. None of the treatments changed preadipocyte differentiation as measured by GPDH activity. These results suggest that leptin could inhibit preadipocyte proliferation by modifying release of a factor from tissue other than adipose tissue.


Mesoporous carbon with high surface area and ordered structure was synthesized via a nanocasting process using mesoprous MCM-41 silica as a template and sucrose as a carbon precursor. Sample was characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and nitrogen adsorption. The results show that the templated carbon has a BTE surface area ∼1200 m2/g, a pore volume ∼1.0 cm3/g, and a bimodal porosity centered at around 4 nm and 46 nm.


Abstract Revenge pornography (hereafter, revenge porn) is the online, sometimes offline, non-consensual distribution or sharing, of explicit images of someone else by ex-partners, partners, others or hackers seeking revenge or entertainment – also referred to as non-consensual pornography. The vast majority of revenge porn is committed by men on women ex-partners. In this paper, we discursively analyse men's electronic texts accompanying their posting of explicit images on arguably the most popular revenge porn-specific website MyEx.com. Situating our analysis as a contemporary form of online gendered violence and abuse, we show the complex ways in which manhood acts are invoked by men to account for their practices. The impacts on victims/survivors and possible interventions are also discussed.


We use a mixture regression model to identify segmentation in the Israeli labor market, and propose a new method for assigning workers to simulated segments. We identified a lowwage segment and a high-wage segment, as well as a third segment with a large wage variability that we interpret as "noisy" observations. We found quantitatively small but qualitatively reasonable differences in workers' characteristics between the low-wage and high-wage segments, while the coefficient differences were much larger, indicating that much of the wage disparity in Israel is due to unobserved factors rather than to observable characteristics. Some policy-relevant insights are derived.


Electric filters have a relevant importance in electronic systems because they are present in almost any electronic system. For example, communication systems, as many other electric systems, make intensive use of filtering to separate unwanted noise from the desired signal. Unfortunately, filter design is an intensive computational task requiring a significant amount of numerical calculations to obtain either the parameters of a filter transfer function or the element values for a filter circuit realization. This paper describes a software package whose purpose is to provide a tool to be used as a teaching aid in analog and digital filter design courses. The feature of this package is that it uses MATLAB [ 2 ] for the numerical computations. The main advantage of the filter design software package described in this paper is that makes uses of one of the MATLAB toolboxes, the signals toolbox (which is used for analog and digital filter design), but used with an interface that makes possible even to the novice user to readily design filters, either analog or digital, without any previous knowledge of MATLAB or the signals toolbox. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 9: 259–264, 2001; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com.); DOI 10.1002/cae.cae.10004


The paper presents the identification of the existing skills gap between school-based learning (SBL) and work-based learning (WBL) in technical and vocational education (TVE) system in Bahrain. Several surveys have been formulated and the author has elicited the response of the various stakeholders namely: the teachers, people from HR departments of industrial collaborators and industrial supervisors on these surveys. The aim of this exercise was to find out the stakeholders' perceptions about the existing gap between the students' skills and industry requirements in three skills dimensions; cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. The surveys' responses were statistically analysed and it was obvious that a considerable skills gap exists between the industrial requirements and labour market skills.

Keywords – School Based Learning (SBL) – Work Based Learning (WBL) – Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) – employability skills gap


Aim: To describe the epidemiological findings of children diagnosed with cancer in a referral center. Material and Methods: D aily at Ophir Loyola Hospital visits were made - Belem / PA, in clinical pediatric oncology sector, from December 2013 to June 2014. The sample comprised 46 children 2-12 years, diagnosed with cancer, which was already or would begin anticancer treatment. A questionnaire containing questions about family, socioeconomic and environmental aspects was applied.. Results: The most frequent neoplasia LLA was followed by nephroblastoma, neuroblastoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and osteosarcoma. The genre most affected by childhood cancer was male. The age group with the predominant prevalence were children aged 8-12 years. By observing the religious belief that it was possible to detect most practiced Catholicism. The practice of sports is not part of the daily lives of these children. The origin of these families had dominated for deriving from the state. As the rating distribution of households according to the Economic Classification Criterion Brazil, the two classes were most frequently C2 and D.  Conclusions: We sought, in this article, to demonstrate the epidemiological profile of children seen at a referral center in the state of Para. Research like this, identifying population groups at highest risk or with more unfavorable prognosis, provide health authorities and researchers in the area of cancer with an important instrument in the definition of health necessary for proper control and prevention of the disease.


Wounding in multicellular eukaryotes results in marked changes in gene expression that contribute to tissue defense and repair. Using a cDNA microarray technique, we analyzed the timing, dynamics, and regulation of the expression of 150 genes in mechanically wounded leaves of Arabidopsis. Temporal accumulation of a group of transcripts was correlated with the appearance of oxylipin signals of the jasmonate family. Analysis of the coronatine-insensitive coi1-1 Arabidopsis mutant that is also insensitive to jasmonate allowed us to identify a large number of COI1-dependent and COI1-independent wound-inducible genes. Water stress was found to contribute to the regulation of an unexpectedly large fraction of these genes. Comparing the results of mechanical wounding with damage by feeding larvae of the cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae) resulted in very different transcript profiles. One gene was specifically induced by insect feeding but not by wounding; moreover, there was a relative lack of water stress–induced gene expression during insect feeding. These results help reveal a feeding strategy of P. rapae that may minimize the activation of a subset of water stress–inducible, defense-related genes.


Sulfoxaflor is an insecticide used against sap-feeding insects (Aphididae, Aleyrodidae) belonging to the family of sulfoximine; sulfoximine is a chiral nitrogen-containing sulphur (VI) molecule; it is a sub-group of insecticides that act as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) competitive modulators. Sulfoxaflor binds to nAChR in place of acetylcholine and acts as an allosteric activator of nAChR. Thanks to its mode of action resistance phenomena are uncommon, even few cases of resistance were reported. It binds to receptors determining uncontrolled nerve impulses followed by muscle tremors to which paralysis and death follows. Sulfoxaflor acts on the same receptors of neonicotinoids as nicotine and butenolides, but it binds differently. It binds to insects nAChRs more strongly than to mammals' ones, so it is much less toxic for mammals and man. Sulfoxaflor is supposed to have a low environmental impact and is not much aggressive against non-target species. Unfortunately, it is toxic to impollinator insects, so it must be used only in compliance with a series of legislative norms. At present sulfoxaflor can be considered one of the most interesting products to be used in fighting against agriculture insect pests.


This thesis investigates the expansion and continuing proliferation of Canadian historical fiction during the past three decades, and makes a case for reading a number of these novels as postmodern historical fiction. Characterized by the postmodern tendency to problematize history and cross genre boundaries, the novels discussed here are nevertheless rooted in their Canadian context. To establish a theoretical framework, the thesis reviews the reconfiguration of history in contemporary critical theories and its impact on the writing of history and historical fiction, and investigates the debate over Canada's postcoloniality. In the textual analysis, I address the questions raised by the interaction between postmodern problematization of history and local concerns in the selected novels. What narrative strategies are employed to launch an epistemological and ontological questioning of history? Are alternative reconceptualizations of history offered after the problematization? How do these texts achieve genre transgression through narrative devices and what is the purpose of this? What meta-narratives of national history are challenged? What national myths are subverted and dismantled? Are some other myths accidentally reasserted in this deconstructive process? What effects does this historical revisionism or scepticism have on the understanding of Canadian national identity? The focus of the discussion is on the relationships between formal experimentation and thematic concerns and the ways these texts interweave general critiques of history and its representation with specific investigations into the Canadian context. Finally, I propose explanations for the flourishing of contemporary Canadian historical fiction by taking into account both the combined theoretical framework and the complexities and subtleties of the texts under scrutiny. The thesis concludes that the authors of these novels have complicated the postmodern questioning of history at a variety of levels and made that questioning accommodate the novelists' concern with Canadian specificities.


The tertiary structure and biological function of a protein can be better understood given knowledge of the number and location of its disulfide bonds. By utilizing mass spectrometric (MS) experimental procedures that produce spectra of the protein's peptides joined by a disulfide bond, we can make initial identifications of these bonded cysteine pairings. The algorithmic problem then becomes how to match a theoretical mass space of all possible bonded peptides against the MS data. Our solution, MSHashID, utilizes the expected amino acid mass in combination with a hash structure to improve the time complexity of making an identification from worse than O(n2) to approximately O(n), where n is the size of the mass space. We have developed a software package, MS2DB, which includes an implementation of this algorithm. Experiments using published data show that the MSHashID algorithm efficiently makes the correct initial identifications, which can then be confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).


Distributed generation (DG) systems are the key for implementation of micro/smart grids of today, and energy storages are becoming an integral part of such systems. Advance‐ ment in technology now ensures power storage and delivery from few seconds to days/ months. But an effective management of the distributed energy resources and its storage systems is essential to ensure efficient operation and long service life. This chapter presents the issues faced in integrating renewables in DG and the growing necessity of energy storages. Types of energy storage systems (ESSs) and their applications have also been detailed. A brief literature study on energy management of ESSs in distributed micro‐ grids has also been included. This is followed by a simple case study to illustrate the need and effect of management of ESSs in distributed systems.


The current study investigated the development of children's sympathy, moral emotion attributions, and moral reasoning in two cultures: Chile and Switzerland. One hundred seventy-six children in two age groups (i.e., 6 and 9 years old) were asked to report their sympathy. Moral emotion attributions and moral reasoning were measured using two hypothetical moral transgressions (i.e., omitting a prosocial duty, stealing from another child). Younger Chilean children reported higher levels of sympathy than younger Swiss children. Across cultures, older children attributed more moral emotions than did younger children. Younger Swiss children used more moral reasoning following judgements about rule violations than did younger Chilean children. The findings are discussed from both a developmental and cross-cultural perspective.


The student of the early medieval Saxons faces a number of methodological challenges. First, before the ninth century, the Saxons can only be known through reports composed by outsiders. Either Saxons left no writing of their own, or more likely, none of it survived. Second, what little reliable evidence we do have with regard to the political organisation of the pre-conquest Saxons, suggests that they were deeply fragmented. In all likelihood, it was only as a result of their incorporation into the Frankish realm under the Frankish king Charlemagne (d. 814), that the Saxons became a well-defined people. This study tries to side-step these complications by adopting a different focus. Rather than taking 'the Saxons' as its point of departure, it focuses on the ethnic label Saxones and its use in late antique and early medieval texts. Following recent insights into the flexibility of ethnic terminology, this study abandons the assumption that this label always denoted members of a single homogenous people, i.e. 'the Saxons'. In fact, it leaves open the question whether there existed such a people prior to Charlemagne's Saxon Wars. Instead, it takes as its object of study the Roman, Frankish and finally Saxon authors writing about Saxons. Who were the people writing about Saxons? What were their literary intentions? And how did they react to larger geo-political developments: the political disintegration of the Western Roman Empire, the migrations to Britain, Frankish military expansion, the Saxon mission, etc.? Moreover, this study approached these texts not just as passive meditations on reality, but also as active attempts to influence and shape reality. Each text offered an individual interpretation of the label Saxones and imbued it with certain territorial, religious, social and/or political connotations. The resulting pictures may or may not have been 'accurate'. Either way, they served to perpetuate and spread a particular understanding of the term Saxo. In this way, they contributed to an ongoing discourse on Saxon identity. This study has looked into four 'stages' of this discourse: Saxons from a Roman perspective (ca. 150-500), Saxons from a Merovingian perspective (ca. 550-750), Saxons from a Carolingian perspective (ca. 750-830) and Saxons from a Saxon perspective (ca. 830-900). It has become evident that the term Saxones became ever more narrowly defined. In Roman texts, Saxones typically functioned as a blanket term for barbarian pirates attacking the coasts of Gaul and Britain. In the course of the Saxon Wars (772-804), Frankish historians and legislators came to offer a rather more strict definition of who the Saxons were, or rather, who they should be: a people residing north-east of the Rhine, that stood under Frankish rule and had embraced Christianity. In the eighth century, this definition was still very much contested. Yet it is precisely this definition that stands at the heart of ninth-century Saxon self-perception. Post-conquest Saxons thought of themselves as Christians inhabitants of the Frankish realm. To a large extent, the post-conquest Saxon elite accepted the identity imposed on them by Frankish historians and legislators.


In this paper, scaling trends and the associated challenges are discussed from the perspective of the 2001 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) for both high-performance and low-power logic technologies. Starting from the overall chip circuit requirements, MOSFET and front-end process integration technology requirements, scaling trends, and challenges are discussed, as well as some of the key potential solutions to the challenges, along with the long-term issues and possible solutions for mobility improvement and optimal scaling for very small transistors. Potential solutions include eventual use of high-k gate dielectrics, metal gate electrodes, and perhaps nonclassical MOSFET devices such as double-gate SOI.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between nutritional status, cell-mediated immune status and the incidence of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI).

DESIGN
Community-based longitudinal study.

SETTING
Three villages in rural Bangladesh at Matlab.

SUBJECT
696 children aged 0-59 months were followed up for a year.

METHODS
Trained field workers visited all children every fourth day and collected morbidity data for the preceding three days by recall. To determine the type and severity of respiratory infections, the field workers physically examined each child reporting a cough. Anthropometric status was determined monthly and cell-mediated immune status by skin tests was assessed at the beginning of the study and thereafter every 3 months.

RESULTS
The incidence of ALRI was 23 episodes per 100 child-years. A total of 73-78% of the children were below -2 z score weight for age, 15-30% were below - 2 z score weight for height, and 68-76% were below -2 z score height for age. In logistic regression models, malnutrition as assessed by weight-for-height status [odds ratio (OR) 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45-0.96, P = 0.03] or weight-for-age status (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45-0.92, P = 0.02) was significant predictor of ALRI. Anergic children had a higher risk of ALRI which approached to be statistically significant (OR 1.81, 95% CI 0.92-3.55, P = 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS
Improvement of nutritional and cell-mediated immune status in rural Bangladeshi children should reduce the incidence of ALRI.


Physical inactivity is prevalent among ethnic minority women including Korean American (KA) women. We explored the barriers to and facilitators of physical activity (PA) and strategies to promote continued engagement in a PA program with a component of an online community. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study of 37 KA middle-aged women who used to be physically inactive and participated in an exit interview following postintervention visit. Using a thematic analysis approach to analyze the data, we found the individual, interpersonal, and neighborhood/community-level barriers to and facilitators of PA; social influence and social support-related themes were evident. Participants expressed benefit and interest in lifestyle modification using social media. Such program that reduces the barriers and reinforces the facilitators may be able to help motivate KA women to increase their PA.


: The review discusses the date in the plant uptake and conversion of gaseous C1--C5 alkanes, hydroaromatic hydrocarbon--cyclohexane, aromatic mononuclear hadrocarbons--benzene and toluene, polycyclic carcinogenic hydrocarbon -- benzopyrene, monobasic alcohols - isopropyl, isobutyl, amyl, hexyl and octyl alcohols, aldehydes - formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, ketone - acetone, monocarboxylic acids -- formic, acetic, butyric, caproic and acetoacetic acids, phenols - hydroxybenzene and alpha-naphthol. The paper outlines pathways of their detoxication in plants and biochemical foundations of air purification from organic pollutants.


Thermochemical technologies for converting biomass into energy or chemicals mainly consist of combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification. This review summarizes the recent advances in biomass pyrolysis and gasification by using CO2 as a reaction medium. The CO2-looping pyrolysis or gasification of biomass is compared with conventional processes. In the integrated valorization of biomass by pyrolysis or gasification, CO2 can play a vital role in each stage, mainly including biomass pyrolysis, biomass/biochar gasification, biochar activation, and tar cracking/reforming. CO2 as a reaction medium can significantly improve the thermal efficiency of biomass pyrolysis. Pyrolysis in CO2 results in deep decomposition of biomass compared to pyrolysis in N2. Also, CO2 has an affinity to react with hydrogenated and oxygenated groups, leading to biochar with a higher specific surface area (SBET). Thus, exploiting CO2 as a reaction medium in biomass pyrolysis provides an attractive option for enhanced generation of syngas and tuned adsorption capability of biochar. In addition, the CO2 pyrolysis of biomass can enhance the thermal cracking of harmful organic compounds, thus suppressing of the formation of benzene derivatives (e.g., volatile organic compounds) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In general, CO2 gasification of biomass serves a dual purpose of reducing pollution and generating syngas. In addition, introducing CO2 with steam as a gasifying agent can enhance CO production. The internal mineral species (e.g., K, Ca) in biomass can also improve the reactivity of char gasification and tar reforming in the entire gasification processes.


The role of estrogens as promoters of breast carcinogenesis has been well established while their action in tumor invasion appears more complex. Breast cancer cells without estrogen receptor (ER) are generally less differentiated and more aggressive than those containing function ER. Moreover the reexpression of ER by transfection in ER-negative cell lines inhibit their metastatic potential. These results suggest a protective role of ER in the metastatic progression of breast cancers. Studies of the underlying mechanisms of this effect may open new therapeutical strategies.


BACKGROUND
Having one or 2 hearing aids is not a guarantee that a child will wear the instruments constantly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hearing aid acceptance by children (assessed using the daily wearing time).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
A total of 116 parents of a patient population of persistent hearing-impaired children with a need for a hearing aid (average age 51.1 +/- 30.1 months) rated the wearing acceptance of their children on a 5-point-Likert-scale. This assessment was made after the child had received its individual hearing aid for its specific disorder (on average after 5 months). Hearing levels ranged from mild to profound.

RESULTS
58.6% of the children accepted their electroacoustic aids amplier "excellent" or "good", 18.1% did it "average", 23.3% "bad" to "miserable" or even "not at all". There was no significant difference between girls and boys. The wearing acceptance from children with unilateral hearing impairments was reduced, especially from those with chronic conductive disorders by malformations of the ears. Very young children (prelingual hearing impairments), mainly those with additional handicaps and/or not German speaking homes demonstrated a "bad" to missing wearing behaviour. Hearing acceptance did not correlate with the severity of the disorder.

CONCLUSION
The wearing acceptance as one aspect of compliance should be rated before each regular hearing aid control. Finally it is an efficient and sensitive mean to detect faulty amplification and changed diagnosis.


This article consists of a citation of a published article describing research funded by the Health Technology Assessment programme under project number 12/25/03, and is provided as as part of the complete record of research outputs for this project. The original publication is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preghy.2021.02.012


We present a new analysis of multi-epoch, H-band, scattered light images of the AB Aur system. We use a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code to simultaneously model the system's spectral energy distribution (SED) and H-band polarized intensity (PI) imagery. We find that a disk-dominated model, as opposed to one that is envelope-dominated, can plausibly reproduce AB Aur's SED and near-IR imagery. This is consistent with previous modeling attempts presented in the literature and supports the idea that at least a subset of AB Aur's spirals originate within the disk. In light of this, we also analyzed the movement of spiral structures in multi-epoch H-band total light and PI imagery of the disk. We detect no significant rotation or change in spatial location of the spiral structures in these data, which span a 5.8-year baseline. If such structures are caused by disk–planet interactions, the lack of observed rotation constrains the location of the orbit of planetary perturbers to be >47 au.


In remote areas of the Northern Hemisphere, typical mixing ratios of black carbon (BC) in snow are 3–30 ng/g. In cold fine‐grained snow these BC amounts can reduce the broadband albedo by 0–1% and the visible‐wavelength albedo by 0–2%, representing significant climatic forcings. In melting snow the reductions are larger, 0–3% and 1–6%, respectively. Surface albedos inferred from satellite measurements have typical errors of a few percent, so a signal of reduced albedo will be difficult to detect. The inference of albedo from a nadir radiance measurement can be biased low because of undetected thin clouds or blowing snow altering the angular reflectance pattern. But even if the albedo could be measured perfectly from satellite, its attribution would be ambiguous because of the vertical variation of snow grain size, absorbing aerosol in the atmosphere above the snow, and especially because of subpixel heterogeneity of the thin and patchy snow cover of the Arctic and many other treeless regions. The spectral signature of thin snow resembles that of BC in snow. For these reasons, attempts to use satellite remote sensing to estimate the BC content of snow, or the reduction of albedo by BC, are unlikely to be successful, except in highly polluted industrial regions.


Proton pump Inhibitors are compared to mortality rates among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and were on H2 blockers. Methods: Patients at two major urban hospitals in New Jersey were identified for the study. Patients who were COVID-19 positive and hospitalized and were put on either famotidine or Pantoprazole were enrolled for the study. Mortality rates were studied between these two cohort of patients and results are analyzed using chi-square method. Results: A total of 1243 patients who got admitted were identified. Of them 613 patients were tested COVID-19 negative and 630 patients were tested COVID-19 positive. Of the 630 patients who were COVID positive, patients were on either famotidine or pantoprazole, remaining 223 patients were not on either pantoprazole or famotidine. The patients were put on either pantoprazole or famotidine depending on their severity of illness and they were observed for mortality rates. A total of 262 patients were put on PPI and 145 patients were put on H2 blocker. A total of 147 patients expired and 260 patients were stabilized. Among PPI usage patients 106 patients expired and 156 were stabilized. Among H2 blocker users 41 patients expired and 104 patients were stabilized. A chi-square analysis of the results was done. The chi-square statistic is 6.0037, p-value is 0.014276. The result was significant as the p value was less than 0.05. Conclusion: The study shows that there is a significant association between PPI use and mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients who were on PPI usage during admission are associated with more mortality than the patients who put on H2 blockers.


The microhabitats and the composition of living benthic foraminiferal faunas in the sediments deposited off the Rhone River mouth are directly influenced by the Rhone River input. In this shallow-water environment (20–98 m water depth), the vertical distribution of the species is not well defined, probably due to the low penetration of oxygen into the sediment. We show the existence of two types of species: "predominantly superficial" taxa showing a density maximum in the topmost sediment layer, and "potentially/ predominantly infaunal taxa" that are also frequent in the topmost sediment, but which show considerable densities in anoxic deeper sediment layers as well. In the area that is strongly influenced by river input (near the river mouth and in the southwestern direction, following the river plume), the fauna is composed mostly of "potentially/predominantly infaunal" species adapted to a higher contribution of terrestrial organic matter, generally of lower quality, and to the low penetration of oxygen into the sediment. This fauna is composed of species tolerant to strong environmental stress (e.g., Nonionella turgida , Nonion scaphum , Rectuvigerina phlegeri , and Valvulineria bradyana ). The stations less influenced by fluvial input (located south and east of the river mouth) are composed of species that colonize oxygenated interstices in the upper centimeter of sediment. The dominant species are mainly "predominantly superficial" taxa (e.g., Cassidulina carinata , Bulimina aculeata ), which are known to react quickly to provisions of labile organic matter. The correlation between these two types of faunas and the two prevalent environmental factors suggests that the vertical distribution of living foraminifera in front of the Rhone River mouth is primarily controlled by the quality of the organic matter and less by the quantity of the organic matter and depth of oxygen penetration into the sediment.


This investigation focused on the interrelationships among the frequency of cheating behaviors, impulsiveness, personal efficacy, and academic motivation. Sixty-one undergraduate students from a small private Catholic college in the Northeast completed the Academic Integrity Scale, subscales from Kurtines' (1978) Autonomy and Paulus' (1983) Spheres of Control scales, and Vallerand et al.'s (1992) Academic Motivation Scale. Correlations were slight and significant at the p & .05 level. Pleasure/Satisfaction was negatively related to Test Assistance and positively related to Accomplishing. Future Well-Being was positively related to Plagiarism and negatively related to Impulsiveness. Plagiarism and Amotivation were positively related, as were Accomplishing and Intelligence. These findings are unique in that researchers have rarely found individual difference variables to be related to cheating behaviors. ----- As society places greater emphasis on achievement and success, college cheating has reached epidemic proportions. Pino and Smith (2003) and Haines, Diekhoff, LaBeff, and Clark (1986) found that slightly more than half of the students they surveyed reported having cheated. Whitley (1998) noted that an average of 70 percent of the respondents in 107 studies had cheated in college, and Stern and Havlicek (1986), Michaels and Miethe (1989), and Cochran, Chamlin, Wood, and Sellers (1999) reported more than 80 percent. Prior research on individual or personality variables of students who cheat has failed to uncover many substantial relationships. One exception is that Schwartz, Feldman, Brown, and Heingartner (1969) investigated moral reasoning ability, a cognitive trait, and cheating, and found that fewer students on the highest (postconventional) level, the principled level of moral reasoning according to Kohlberg's (1981) theory of moral development, cheated than those on the middle (conventional) level. But neither Tang and Zuo (1997) nor Thorpe, Pittenger, and Reed (1999) found an association between self-esteem and cheating. Perry, Kane, Bernesser, and Spicker (1990) and Huss et al. (1993) found no relationship between Type A (achievement-oriented) personality and propensity to cheat, although Davis, Pierce, Yandell, Arnow, and Loree (1995) did find Type A students more likely to cheat on tasks over which they had no control. Thorpe et al. found no relationship between locus of control (using Levenson's 1973 scale consisting of the Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance subscales) and academic dishonesty. Nor did Antion and Michael (1983) find a relationship. Thorpe et al. suspected that Antion and Michael's sample was not large enough to detect a small locus-of-control effect size, and also that no relationship was found because the researchers had used a dated, unrefined measure of the construct. An increasing number of schools (e.g., Northeastern U., University of Maryland) have instituted academic honor codes to curtail academic honesty, but the results have been mixed. Since the code's inception at the University of Maryland, an increased number of cheating incidents have been reported, and the expectation is that the trend is likely to continue (Flandez, 2002). If honor codes are not as effective as first hoped, researchers should continue to isolate personality traits related to the propensity to cheat so that academia can begin to develop a general personality profile of students who engage in such behavior. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationships between two additional trait measures that are intuitively associated with college cheating, impulsiveness and Paulus'(1983) conception of personal efficacy, as well as to investigate the relationship between academic motivation and cheating. Method Sample and Procedures A total of 61 undergraduate students from a small northeastern college completed the series of questionnaires described above assessing academic integrity, impulsiveness, personal efficacy, academic motivation, and socially desirable responding. …


The downsizing of the Swedish armed forces during the late 20th century and early 21 th century has caused several thousand people to choose a different career. This undergraduate thesis investigates the self-observed employability and work-place competence of a number of Swedish armed forces officers who has made the transition to a civil career. The thesis seeks to answer questions about how the transition is comprehended, how military merits and competences are valued in civil work places and which differences in ability to use their competences the respondents experience. The study is made using qualitative interviews, which are analysed using a miexed method inspired by phenomenological method. The findings include that the essence of the respondents emplooyability is a shared work indentity as miltary officers and a common experienced problem in translating their merits. THe essence also includes the military leadership education as being the prime source of employability while the lack of economy skill and thinking is the biggest draw back.


The immune system plays a major role in animal models of hypertension (HTN) and end-organ damage. However, few studies have assessed the role of lymphoid organs in the pathogenesis of HTN. We have shown previously that prior splenectomy (SPLX) significantly alters tissue inflammation; however the effect of SPLX on HTN remains unclear. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to determine whether prior SPLX influences the development of HTN in 2 different mouse models. Mice underwent SPLX or sham surgery 7 days prior to the induction of HTN using angiotensin-II (AngII, 400ng/kg*min s.c.) or nitric oxide synthase inhibition using L-NAME (30mg/kg*d in drinking water). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured by tail-cuff manometer daily and mice were euthanized 14 days after induction of HTN. Heart weight/body weight (H/BW) ratios were calculated and kidney leukocyte infiltration was analyzed by flow cytometry. Mice with prior SPLX+AngII had significantly lower (P=0.03) SBP at both week 1 (148±7) and week 2 (135±7) as compared to Sham+AngII (174 and 173±7mmHg, n=5). Similarly, SPLX+AngII mice had significantly smaller (P=0.007) H/BW (4.3±0.3) as compared to Sham+AngII treated mice (5.2±0.4mg/g BW). Interestingly, no difference was observed in renal CD45+ (9.8±3 vs 10.6±3x105 cells/g, P=0.64) or CD3+ T-cell infiltration (8.8±0.2 vs 9.6±0.1x104 cells/g , P=0.64) between the Sham+AngII and SPLX+AngII treated mice, respectively (n=4/5). Furthermore, SPLX did not appear to influence the development of L-NAME HTN. SPLX+L-NAME mice had similar (P=0.84) SBP (145±4mmHg) as the Sham+L-NAME group (146±4mmHg, n=6) after 2 weeks. Relative heart weights were also similar (P=0.45) between SPLX+L-NAME (4.9±0.2) and Sham+L-NAME treated mice (4.8±0.3mg/g BW). Our data suggests that the full pressor response to AngII is dependent on the spleen. However, the effect of the spleen appears to be independent of renal inflammation. Moreover, the protective effect of the spleen is specific to AngII-dependent HTN and does not appear to be generalizable to all mouse models of hypertension. Further studies are needed to understand the physiological link between lymphoid organs (such as the spleen), renal inflammation, and the development of chronic HTN.


Objectives: This study evaluates the cost of dialysis care in Brazil, including costs of ambulatory care and hospital admissions due to all causes and cardiovascular events. Methods: Data were analyzed for 200 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on chronic hemodialysis in Brazil between 2001 and 2004. Main end points were all-cause mortality, all-cause hospital admissions, and cardiovascular events. Direct costs of dialysis treatment and complications were computed from the perspective of two payers, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and private health insurance (PHI). Results: Mean number of days of hospitalization was 12 per patient-year. There were 105 cardiovascular events; the most frequent events were coronary disease (n = 59, 56 percent) and congestive heart failure (n = 26, 25 percent). The rate of cardiovascular events was 193 per 1,000 patient-years. There were 43 deaths, and the death rate was 79 per 1,000 patient-years. Median cost per hospital admission was US$ 675 and US$ 932 from the perspective of the MoH and PHI. For admissions due to cardiovascular causes, the corresponding costs were US$ 1,639 and US$ 4,499, respectively. Mean global cost per patient-year for chronic hemodialysis therapy was US$ 7,980 and US$ 13,428 from the perspective of the MoH and PHI, respectively. Conclusions: Patients on chronic hemodialysis care incur significant healthcare resources due to the costs of dialysis and complications, notably cardiovascular disease. New disease management programs aimed at reducing cardiovascular morbidity and efficient use of resources are critical to ensuring the sustainability of treatments for ESRD in Brazil.


This study is an account of how the new art history revises the understanding of American art, society and culture of the past 50 years. It explores the overlapping social, political, cultural and aesthetic issues of post-New Deal America. The book focuses on pioneering developments in art history and cultural studies, from the dissolution of formalism in the late 1960s through the re-emergence of Marxism in the 1970s and the infusion of semiotic, feminist, psychoanalytical and racial issues in the 1980s.


"Engaging Minds: Learning and Teaching in a Complex World" involves readers in a stimulating, informative, comprehensive exploration of teaching and learning. It prompts examinations of the complexities of learning, pedagogy, and schooling while refusing simplistic notions or unresolvable tensions that sometimes infuse popular debates. A variety of sophisticated, interactive pedagogical features and graphic displays draw readers into new ways of thinking about and responding to the ideas and information presented. Topics include: * the biological and social roots of perception; * historical and contemporary perspectives on learning; * emergent understandings of intelligence, creativity, and diversity; * complexities and contingencies of self concept; and * technology, its impact on cognition, and its place in schooling. In addition to conceptual reviews of these topics, the text provides elaborated descriptions of many specific teaching events, in different subject areas and at all age levels, followed by interpretations which include suggestions for teachers. Written by authors with over 60 years collective experience as teachers at all levels of formal education, "Engaging Minds" offers fresh and insightful perspectives on topics such as lesson planning, classroom management, assessment and evaluation, learner diversity, inclusivity, and technology. It will be of interest to undergraduate students in teacher education, experienced teachers, and graduate students. This is an ideal text for courses in curriculum and instruction, curriculum and learning theory, social foundations of education, human development, or an excellent companion volume for any subject-specific teaching methods course.


The retention of different PCBs of toxicological and environmental interest was studied in a hydro-alcoholic reverse-phase liquid chromatography in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The influence of variables like type and percentage of alcohol, concentration of CTAB, temperature and mobile phase flow was determined. According to the aforementioned studies, the appropriate conditions for separation of PCBs in presence of CTAB in a hydro-alcoholic medium are: percentage of 1-Propanol 55% (v/v), concentration of CTAB 5.0 x 10(-3) M, temperature 50 +/- 1 degrees C and mobile phase flow 1 ml min-1.


Model update is a formal approach to correct a system model M w.r.t some property not satisfied by M. In this work, we show how this formal approach can be used for plan and planning domain verification and update. While a model checking method can directly be used to perform plan verification, model update techniques can be used to either update an incorrect plan and\or update a planning domain specification. Well known model update approaches are based on CTL — a logic which does not take into account the actions. In previous work, we have proposed the alpha-CTL logic, a logic whose semantics is based on actions. Here, we are proposing a model update system based on alpha-CTL which is able to automatically modify a plan M, generating a new plan M' that satisfies phi or, if there is not such a plan, to automatically update the corresponding planning domain.


Nanoscopic imaging or characterizing is the mainstay of the development of advanced materials. Despite great progress in electronic and atomic force microscopies, label-free and far-field characterization of materials with deep sub-wavelength spatial resolution has long been highly desired. Herein, we demonstrate far-field super-resolution transient absorption (TA) imaging of two-dimensional material with a spatial resolution of sub-50 nm. By introducing a donut-shaped blue saturation laser, we effectively suppress the TA transition driven by near-infrared (NIR) pump–probe photons, and push the NIR-TA microscopy to sub-diffraction-limited resolution. Specifically, we demonstrate that our method can image the individual nano-grains in graphene with lateral resolution down to 36 nm. Further, we perform super-resolution TA imaging of nano-wrinkles in monolayer graphene, and the measured results are very consistent with the characterization by an atomic force microscope. This direct far-field optical nanoscopy holds great promise to achieve sub-20 nm spatial resolution and a few tens of femtoseconds temporal resolution upon further improvement and represents a paradigm shift in a broad range of hard and soft nanomaterial characterization.


The responses to low temperature were determined for two species of cacti sensitive to freezing, Ferocactus viridescens and Opuntia ficus-indica, and a cold hardy species, Opuntia fragilis. Fourteen days after shifting the plants from day/night air temperatures of 30/20[deg]C to 10/0[deg]C, the chlorenchyma water content decreased only for O. fragilis. This temperature shift caused the freezing tolerance (measured by vital stain uptake) of chlorenchyma cells to be enhanced only by about 2.0[deg]C for F. viridescens and O. ficus-indica but by 14.6[deg]C for O. fragilis. Also, maintenance of high water content by injection of water into plants at 10/0[deg]C reversed the acclimation. The endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) concentration was below 0.4 pmol g-1 fresh weight at 30/20[deg]C, but after 14 d at 10/0[deg]C it increased to 84 pmol g-1 fresh weight for O. ficus-indica and to 49 pmol g-1 fresh weight for O. fragilis. Four days after plants were sprayed with 7.5 x 10–5 M ABA at 30/20[deg]C, freezing tolerance was enhanced by 0.5[deg]C for F. viridescens, 4.1[deg]C for O. ficus-indica, and 23.4[deg]C for O. fragilis. Moreover, the time course for the change in freezing tolerance over 14 d was similar for plants shifted to low temperatures as for plants treated with exogenous ABA at moderate temperatures. Decreases in plant water content and increases in ABA concentration may be important for low-temperature acclimation by cacti, especially O. fragilis, which is widely distributed in Canada and the United States.


Molecular imprinting has been conducted on the surface of TiO2 particles to enable the recognition of dibenzothiophene (DBT) molecules. This was achieved via the use of a novel surface molecular-imprinting technique. The adsorption behaviour of the dibenzothiophene-imprinted material (D-MIP/TiO2) was evaluated using batch adsorption experiments to determine the kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic parameters. The experimental results showed that the adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and that the experimental data were well fitted by the Freundlich adsorption equation. This indicated that adsorption involved a multilayer process. Values of the Gibbs' free energy (ΔG0) ranged from −7.11 kJ/mol to −9.36 kJ/mol over the temperature interval 298–318 K, indicating that the adsorption was endothermic in nature. In addition, D-MIP exhibited selective recognition of DBT relative to other similar compounds such as benzothiophene (BT), 4-methyldibenzothiphene (4-MDBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT). In the corresponding selectivity test, D-MIP/TiO2 showed a greater adsorption capacity towards DBT than BT, 4-MDBT and 4,6-DMDBT. The large imprinting factor (ca. 2.5) exhibited by D-MIP/TiO2 for DBT could be explained in terms of a covalent assembly mechanism.


In this paper we report the effects of Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE) processing on the phase transformation characteristics of Ni-Ti based shape memory alloys in terms of transformation temperatures, temperature hysteresis, and microstructural evolution. The ECAE process affects the material's shape memory behavior via microstructural refinement. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were utilized to investigate the effects of microtructural refinement and substructure formation on the shape memory behavior of these alloys. The microstructural refinement was found to have significant influence on the transformation temperatures.


The speed of data transfer and the amount of space within the communication service, taking into account the cost, security, capacity, and specifications of WiMAX is highly important in communications. There are varies difficulties for routing in WiMAX, for example, delay, long scheduling, interference and progressively stringent Quality of Service (QoS) backing and burden parity. This paper proposes a multi-transceiver and multi-channel centralized routing and scheduling algorithm to avoid the impact of packet collision with neighbor nodes. The proposed algorithm looks for a short path from the subscriber station (SS) node to Base station (BS), while the optimal path is achieved when the whole path has the lowest (energy bit minimum routing (EBMR)). After the route is fixed, and the traffic demanded at each node is known, the total traffic arriving at a node is centrally scheduled in order to avoid the transmission interferences. The results from the multi and nearest multi-transceiver systems showed that the proposed algorithm has effectively minimize the length of scheduling in the in multi \ nearest multi -transceiver system. Moreover, the channel utilization ratio (CUR) is found to be improved over the implementation of the proposed system.


The Eckmann-Hilton argument shows that any two monoid structures on the same set satisfying the interchange law are in fact the same operation, which is moreover commutative. When the monoids correspond to the vertical and horizontal composition of a sufficiently higher-dimensional category, the Eckmann-Hilton argument itself appears as a higher cell. This cell is often required to satisfy an additional piece of coherence, which is known as the syllepsis. We show that the syllepsis can be constructed from the elimination rule of intensional identity types in Martin-Löf type theory.


Although pretesting is an essential part of the questionnaire design process, the range of methodological work on pretesting issues is limited. The present paper concentrates on the effect of the pretest survey method on error detection by contrasting respondents who are interviewed personally with those who receive an impersonal survey method. The interaction between survey method and respondent knowledge of the questionnaire topic is also considered. The findings show that the pretest method does have an effect on the error detection rate of respondents; however, the hypothesised interaction between method and knowledge was not unequivocally supported. The detailed results illustrate which error types are affected by the method used during pretesting. Implications for future research are considered.


Objective: Recent research has shown that personality traits in childhood are related to attitudes toward substances. The purpose of this study was to investigate the personality traits of various disorders on working children and the attitude of working children towards substances. Method: The statistical population of this study consisted of working children in the Sun Helper Association who were studying in the academic year 2009-2010. 120 of these students were selected by random sampling. The subjects of this study were 120 students and children working in this association. The instruments of this study included short form NEO personality questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using correlation coefficient and regression analysis and analysis of variance and standard deviation was performed using SPSS software. Results: The results showed that personality traits and family cohesion had a direct and indirect effect on attitudes toward drug addiction. And peer attachment, altruism and social support had a direct and significant effect on attitudes toward drug addiction. It can also be concluded that the findings are consistent with previous similar studies. The mentioned results with scales (neuroticism, N) with 44% variance, (conscientiousness, C) with 18% variance, (extraversion, E) with 16% variance, (agreeability, A) with 28% variance And (flexibility, O) was obtained with 30% variance.