The objective of the present analysis is to understand some of the social and institutional dynamics on which gender asymmetry is founded within large companies. The idea was to study, in a region of Southern Italy, a productive organization in the service sector that has recently adopted policies and strategies for the conciliation. The basic hypothesis that has oriented the case study is that the results of these interventions depend on social and cultural factors and specific managerial cultures. More specifically, we focus on: (1) the organization of work activities and its influence on private and family lives; (2) the main difficulties related to the employment conditions and their consequences on future prospects; (3) the ability – and the inability – of the trade unions to comprehend the needs of women workers and (4) the impact of top management decisions in the field of conciliation policies.


which are poorly matched to the demand unit. While a frequency mismatch between patient and pacemaker may be uncommon, a combination of this with borderline amplitude may explain the increased incidence of inappropriate fixed-rate pacing in sick sinus syndrome. Thus, in summary, failure of inhibition of demand pacemakers may be expected to be more common in patients with sick sinus syndrome than in those with heart block because of a greater likelihood of myocardial infarction causing a fall in amplitude of the input signal to the pacemaker. Patients with sick sinus syndrome and a normal scalar QRS duration may have a sensed QRS in which the frequency distribution does not match the demand pacemaker.-We are, etc.,


This work is intended to challenge Frege's "Begriffsschrift" as the foundation of philosophical work which either uses formal methods or is inspired by them. Whilst it is emphatically not a work of Wittgensteinian scholarship, it attempts the synthesis of the antithetical ideas associated with Wittgenstein, the Picture-Theory, and the language-game conceived as the ultimate level of explanation. The games with which it is concerned are not language-games played with a language already instituted, but rather language-making games in the playing of which a language comes into being. These games are played with pictures, the only natural source of meaning. In the course of play meaning is extracted from elaborate pictures by a process related to Kant's schematization and exploiting (again following a suggestion from Kant) the homogeneity of symbols and simple drawings. Frege's artefact is rejected as merely a pseudo-language, parasitic upon natural language, and for that reason of no use in understanding the essence of Language; what is offered instead is a real language, Picture-Writing, which is autonomous from all natural language and so (being as it is our own artefact and thereby entirely intelligible) apt for showing us the nature of Language.


Bingol and the surrounding vicinity with its climatic conditions and rich flora is a convenient area for beekeeping. In this region, beekeeping activities are increasing day by day. In this study, by analyzing saccharose, invert sugar, pH, moisture and diastase enzyme activity, it is aimed to determine the conformity of the flower honey with standards that are produced in Bingol and its surrounding area. For this purpose, 7 honey samples were collected from seven distinct areas of Bingol and its surrounding (Bingol Central, Kigi, Solhan, Karliova, Yayladere, Genc, Adakli) and analyzed. The average contents of sucrose, invert sugar, pH, moisture and amylase enzyme activity in honey samples were determined to be 1.65%, 80.23%, 2.81, 15.43% and 0.074 units mL-1, respectively. When the biochemical analysis average of all the regions was taken into consideration, the honey was found to comply with the Turkish Food Codex, and TS 3036 criteria in terms of the examined parameters. In order to develop the beekeeping industry and high quality honey production in this region, educational activities and financial support -with various projects should be increased. The next step is to announce the findings obtained here about Bingol honey to the whole country and even abroad, with adequate advertising activities.


[Purpose] This study aimed to determine the effects of inspiration- and expiration-oriented breathing on pulmonary function and chest expansion. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty healthy male university students were divided randomly into inspiration-oriented and expiration-oriented breathing groups. Their pulmonary function and chest size during inspiration or expiration were evaluated and then re-evaluated after 15 minutes of breathing exercise five times a week for four weeks. [Results] The breathing with mainly inspiration group (BMIG) showed significant differences in chest size during inspiration (CSI), chest expansion values (CEVs), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) after four weeks. The breathing with mainly expiration group (BMEG) showed significant differences in all measured variables except CSI. Comparison of the groups after exercise showed that the BMEG demonstrated differences from the BMIG in chest size during expiration (CSE), CEV, and PEF. Comparison of the changes in variables after exercise showed that the BMEG demonstrated significantly different changes in CSE, CEV, FEV1/FVC, and PEF. The BMIG showed a significantly different change in FVC. [Conclusion] Although both groups demonstrated improvements in pulmonary function and chest expansion, inter-group differences were observed. Therefore, inspiration- or expiration-oriented breathing may be recommended differently according to the desired outcome.


In order to have access to fine phenomena such as ultrafast nuclear dynamics and electronic state - lifetime interferences (ELI) at high energies (few keV), one has to rely on great experimental resolution. The new experimental HAXPES endstation at the GALAXIES beamline of the French synchrotron SOLEIL provides photons in the 2-12 keV energy range along with a total instrumental resolution below 500 meV. In this work we show experimental evidences of ultrafast nuclear dynamics and ELI on HCl and CH3Cl excited around the Cl 1s resonance. We show also simulations that allow to disentangle the contribution of nuclear dynamics and ELI in our experimental spectra.


Nearly continuous water-level and barometric-pressure data were collected at Air Force Plant 6, Marietta, Georgia, as part of ground-water characterization efforts (Fig. 1). The study site encompasses about 150 acres in the Piedmont physiographic province of northern Georgia, which is underlain by fractured, crystalline rock. An 889-hour (37-day) constant-discharge aquifer test was conducted for August through October 2003. Many wells responded measurably to barometric-pressure changes, including a barometric event that occurred during the start of the aquifer test. The barometric effects on water level had to be removed to better interpret the aquifer-test data. Water-level data from 45 wells and barometric-pressure data from two barometers were recorded every 15 minutes. As part of the effort to remove barometric effects from water-level data, a graphical method was developed for estimating the barometric efficiency of a well using continuous water-level and barometric-pressure data. A plot of nearly continuous ground-water level on the y-axis as a function of nearly continuous barometric pressure on the x-axis will plot as a series of connected elliptical loops. Each loop (open or closed) represents a complete fluctuation in barometric pressure, in time series (Figs. 2 and 3). The slope of the preferred orientation of many elliptical loops is approximately the median slope of the major axes of the elliptical loops and is an estimate of the barometric efficiency. The graphical method was compared to other methods using six control wells, known to have a barometric efficiency close to zero based on surface influences. Compared to all methods, the graphical method results had the least amount of error in the estimate of barometric efficiency. The ratio of the variance of barometricpressure-independent water-level change to the variance of barometric-pressure change appeared to be a predictor of the amount of error in method estimates of barometric efficiency. A given plot can provide a range of possible values of the barometric efficiency using the graphical method because there is some subjectivity to the selection of the median slope. It is advisable that more than one person selects the preferred slope or that the same person fits the same data several times in order to minimize subjectivity. Figure 1. Monitoring wells in the study area, U.S. Air Force Plant 6, Marietta, Georgia. Figure 2. Example of (A) time series of hypothetical water level and barometric pressure and (B) hypothetical water level as a function of barometric pressure. One fluctuation or loop equals t1–t3; barometric efficiency equals 0.50. Figure 3. (A) Time series of water level and barometric pressure and (B) water level as a function of barometric pressure for well ob202b, August 2–October 6, 2003. Barometric efficiency equals 0.70; initial water-level and barometric-pressure measurements are normalized to zero. See figure 1 for well location.


Cytoplasmic (high-molecular-weight) DNA polymerase was partially purified from mouse myeloma. Upon chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex, following fractionation on phosphocellulose, the enzyme was resolved into three species named CI, CII, and CIII. The species CI and CII have equal sedimentation coefficients (10.5 S) in sucrose gradients without salt. In the presence of 125 mM ammonium sulfate the sedimentation coefficients are reduced to 8.6 S. The species CIII shows sedimentation coefficients of 5.7 S and 5.2 S without salt and in the presence of 125 mM ammonium sulfate, respectively. This species is assumed to be an artifact arising from either CI or to a minor extent from CII. The optima for pH, KCI and Mg2+ concentration, and the extent of inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide are the same. However, the enzymes differ in their responses to Mn2+ (substituting for Mg2+), and to addition of ethanol, dimethylsulfoxide, and various phospholipids in the assay mixture. The enzymes prefer poly [d(A-T) · d(A-T)] or partially degraded (activated) DNA as template rather than double-stranded or single-stranded DNA. The activity on activated DNA relative to that on poly[d(A-T) · d(A-T)] was found to be 93, 66, and 29% for DNA polymerases CI, CTI, and CIII, respectively.


This thesis aims to analyze the similarity of the change in Nietzsche's and Wittgenstein's approaches to the meaning of life. The main argument is that their approach to the meaning of life changed from a metaphysical perspective to an antimetaphysical one. Nietzsche gave a metaphysical interpretation of the meaning of life in the Birth of Tragedy. In this book Nietzsche conceived of Ancient Greek culture as the ideal culture since it was the product of the union of the two artistic deities: Apollo and Dionysus. This Primordial Unity (Ur-Eine), for Nietzsche, was the metaphysical essence of the world and the meaning of life was to be found in this unity. Nietzsche, later, with his new preface to the Birth of Tragedy called "An Attempt at a Self-Criticism" and Human All Too Human, criticized his earlier metaphysical approach to the meaning of life and shifted to an anti-metaphysical perspective. Wittgenstein had a similar shift in his thought. The Tractatus was written to explore the nature of reality and the world, and explain the relationship between the world and language. The Tractatus gave a metaphysical explanation of the nature of reality by dividing it into two levels, the world —the lower— and the mystical —the higher. Logic, ethics, aesthetics and religion are the mystical which is the scaffolding of the world. Language, on this view, can only state the world—totality of facts— and cannot state what is higher. Ethics is about the meaning of life thus the meaning of life is higher and cannot be attained within the limits of this world. Later Wittgenstein in Philosophical Investigations argued against this metaphysical interpretation of the meaning of life. From an anti-metaphysical point of view, Wittgenstein argued that the meaning of life can be found within the limits of this world.


The Board of Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank has requested that the Office of Evaluation and Oversight undertake an evaluation of Special Programs (SP) as part of its 2014 work program. The evaluation seeks to shed light on whether the current practice and arrangements for allocating US$100 million from Ordinary Capital (OC) net income to 19 SPs are an effective way to finance Technical Cooperations (TCs) to address priority social and economic development needs in the Bank's borrowing member countries. The evaluation covers the functioning of OC funded SPs from 2005 through mid-2014 and covers the SP TC portfolio from 2005 to 2013.


In order to double the positron injection rate into the KEKB ring, a two-bunch acceleration scheme has been studied at the linac, in which bunches separated by 96 ns are accelerated in 50 Hz. In this scheme the stabilization of energy and orbit of each bunch is indispensable. Thus the beam energy and orbit feedback systems have been upgraded. Since beam characteristics are acquired through beam position monitors (BPM), their read-out system was improved to meet two-bunch requirements. Combined waveforms from BPM's were adjusted with delay cables avoiding overlaps and they enabled simultaneous measurement of beam positions of two bunches. The beam energies of two bunches were balanced by tuning rf pulse timings, and the average energy was stabilized by adjusting the accelerating rf phases. The average beam orbits were also stabilized. Slow feedback systems at the injector section for charge and bunching stabilities are being planned as well. These systems were used successfully in the test beams and will be employed in the routine operation.


Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is one technique that is commonly used for measuring efficiency. Previous studies focus on identifying the sources of inefficiency with implicit assumption of homogeneity between efficient and inefficient farms. Since technical efficiency cannot be greater than one in the standard DEA, those studies are not capturing the marginal effects of input variables on the efficiency improvement for efficient farms, which leaves the heterogeneity in the marginal effects hard to be examined. We exploit a methodology called super DEA, which facilitates the study on the heterogeneity by producing the ranking information in the efficient Decision Making Units(DMUs). A quantile regression is employed to identify the sources of efficiency for efficient farms and inefficient farms, respectively. Using the Kansas Farm Management Association (KFMA), we find that an increase in feed affects efficiency in opposite ways for efficient farms and inefficient farms. This result suggests that efficient and inefficient farms are heterogeneous.


With the continuous improvement of pressure ratio and efficiency in centrifugal compressors, the aerodynamic load is increased significantly. Some unnoticed tiny structures are found having notable influence on centrifugal compressor performance, for example, corners profile between the end walls and the blades. Aiming at this problem, the present paper mainly focuses on the applicability of Blended Blade and EndWall (BBEW) design on the transonic centrifugal compressor.Firstly the Krain transonic impeller is chosen and the predicted flow field is compared with detailed measurement data using commercial CFD code Numeca. The results show that the overall performances are consistent and the details of flow fields are captured accurately. Then a series of uniform value fillets along streamwise are implemented to the hub of transonic centrifugal impeller. The numerical tests show that the aerodynamic performance is deteriorated with the augment of fillets radius, but it seems that adding fillet to the hub of splitter blade can brought positive and negative returns at the same time. Next, as a preliminary original work, a kind of simple Blended Blade and EndWall (BBEW) design which adapt variable radius distribution fillets along streamwise are implemented to the hub of the impeller. Through designing different configurations, the authors find that the performances of some impellers designed by BBEW can be not only higher than impellers with uniform value fillets, but higher than original impeller slightly. In addition, some results are presented on the comparison of flow field structures in different impellers.© 2014 ASME


The main purpose of this paper is to present a spray dryer device developed to synthesize ammonium niobium-oxalate precursor powder with controlled grain size. The dryer device is manufactured using stainless steel 304 and measures 0,48m in outside diameter and 1,9m in height. The spray dryer has a cylindrical shape assembled on a conical base. The central chamber is heated by three 4 KW resistances and is equipped with serpentine coil heaters placed around its main body. This configuration guarantees that the air is at the same temperature of the chamber walls and the adherence of the powder particles on the wall is prevented. The precursor solution is atomized on the air stream downwards from the top to the bottom, at low rates. Powder particles are collected on a 0,4m diameter horizontal plate placed at the bottom portion of the dryer and the wet air is released from the chamber by the opening located under the collecting plate. The synthesis of the niobium oxalate precursor and the results of the decomposition process are described.


Cabomba caroliniana is a perennial aquatic plant which was originally distributed in North and South America. During investigation in wild fields, it has been found to be a naturalized species. Many actual surveys have been carried out in eastern, southern and central China, including over 300 investigation plots in more than 80 counties (cities) of 10 provinces (municipalities). The results showed that 67 spots had cabomba. At present, the distribution of cabomba in China is restricted to networks of rivers and small lakes in the Hangjiahu Plain (N. Zhejiang), the Ningshao Plain (N.Zhejiang), the drainage area of Taihu Lake (S. Jiangsu), and Diangshanhu (W. Shanghai), with the range of latitude from 29°33′7″ N to 31°35′2″ N. C. caroliniana often occurs in small rivers and lakes whereever the main water bodies are fit for its habitation. Considering that its seeds lack mature embryos and the fronds are susceptible to dehydration, cabomba was probably introduced as an aquarium ornamental plant into China and then escaped. There are 21 species of aquatic plants, belonging to 18 genera and 8 families, in water bodies inhabited by cabomba, and most of plants co existing with cabomba are Ceratophyllum demersum (percentage of co appearance, PC =51.33%), Vallisneria natans ( PC =45.05%), Hydrilla verticillata ( PC =36.56%) and Potamogeton crispus ( PC =35.64%), which implies communities with these plants are easily invaded by cabomba. Cabomba is the dominant species in some investigation spots, while other populations are just beginning to be established, indicating that cabomba is now dispersing further. Considering the similarity of environment and climate of its native place, cabomba could be capable of spreading over a large range in China. If we do not bear the fast painful lessons produced by the Eichhornia crassipes in mind, we will surely repeat the same mistake.


PhTX2, one of the components of the venom of the South American spider Phoneutria nigriventer, inhibits the closure of voltage-sensitive Na+ channels. Incubation of cerebral-cortical synaptosomes with PhTX2 causes a rapid increase in the intrasynaptosomal free Ca2+ concentration and a dose-dependent release of glutamate. This release is made up of a slow component, which appears to be due to reversal of Na(+)-dependent glutamate uptake, and more rapid component that is dependent on the entry of extrasynaptosomal Ca2+. It has previously been shown that membrane depolarization using KCl can cause rapid Ca(2+)-dependent release of glutamate from synaptosomes. This requires Ca2+ entry through a specific type of Ca2+ channel that is sensitive to Aga-GI, a toxic component of the venom of the spider Agelenopsis aperta. We have compared the effects of PhTX2 and KCl on elevation of intrasynaptosomal free Ca2+ and glutamate release, and a number of differences have emerged. Firstly, PhTX2-mediated Ca2+ influx and glutamate release, but not those caused by KCl, are inhibited by tetrodotoxin. Secondly, KCl produces a clear additional increase in Ca2+ and glutamate release following those elicited by PhTX2. Finally, 500 microM MnCl2 abolishes PhTX2-mediated, but not KCl-mediated, glutamate release. These findings suggest that more than one mechanism of Ca2+ entry may be coupled to glutamate release from nerve endings.


Estimating evapotranspiration is an important component in the monitoring of agricultural and environmental systems. This chapter will focus on the developing evapotranspiration method using general meteorological data and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The proposed model in this chapter will be refined by using both the complemen tary relationship and the Budyko framework. The relative evaporation parameter in the complementary relationship will be derived by using precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and NDVI based on that the Budyko framework can support the complementary relationship. It is also important to determine whether the proposed model can compete and deliver accuracy similar to remote sending method in the aspect of application. The results in the first phase showed the proposed model could be a powerful methodology to estimate ET among the ground-based method. In the second phase, a nonlinear correction function was proposed to better describe the complementary relationship. We will also demonstrate that the use of ET is a better approach for drought estimations than considering reference ET. More importantly, the advantage of the proposed model is that it can comprehensively consider both effects of precipitation and vegetation information. Taken together, this chapter has extended our knowledge of ET to support water resource management.


Approximately one million people in the UK are served by private water supplies (PWS) where main municipal water supply system connection is not practical or where PWS is the preferred option. Chronic exposure to contaminants in PWS may have adverse effects on health. South West England is an area with elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater and over 9000 domestic dwellings here are supplied by PWS. There remains uncertainty as to the extent of the population exposed to arsenic (As), and the factors predicting such exposure. We describe a hazard assessment model based on simplified geology with the potential to predict exposure to As in PWS. Households with a recorded PWS in Cornwall were recruited to take part in a water sampling programme from 2011 to 2013. Bedrock geologies were aggregated and classified into nine Simplified Bedrock Geological Categories (SBGC), plus a cross-cutting "mineralized" area. PWS were sampled by random selection within SBGCs and some 508 households volunteered for the study. Transformations of the data were explored to estimate the distribution of As concentrations for PWS by SBGC. Using the distribution per SBGC, we predict the proportion of dwellings that would be affected by high concentrations and rank the geologies according to hazard. Within most SBGCs, As concentrations were found to have log-normal distributions. Across these areas, the proportion of dwellings predicted to have drinking water over the prescribed concentration value (PCV) for As ranged from 0% to 20%. From these results, a pilot predictive model was developed calculating the proportion of PWS above the PCV for As and hazard ranking supports local decision making and prioritization. With further development and testing, this can help local authorities predict the number of dwellings that might fail the PCV for As, based on bedrock geology. The model presented here for Cornwall could be applied in areas with similar geologies. Application of the method requires independent validation and further groundwater-derived PWS sampling on other geological formations.


The clinical characteristics of childhood‐onset restless legs syndrome are described. Thirty‐two of 538 subjects (5.9%) examined in our sleep disorders center received diagnoses of restless legs syndrome. They were classified based on published criteria into probable (n = 9/32 or 28%) and definite (n = 23/32 or 78%) categories. Apart from an earlier age of diagnosis of the probable group, no differences were found between the two categories. Sleep onset or sleep maintenance insomnia was the most common symptoms, being present in 28 of 32 subjects (87.5%). Inattentiveness was seen in 8 of 32 subjects (25%). Serum ferritin levels were measured in 24 of 32 subjects and were below 50μg/L in 20 of 24 subjects (83%). A family history of restless legs syndrome was present in 23 of 32 (72%) subjects, with mothers almost three times more likely to be affected than fathers (p = 0.02). We conclude that iron deficiency and a strong family history are characteristic of childhood‐onset restless legs syndrome. Ann Neurol 2004.


Results: At admission of suspected preterm birth, both preterm and term-born after suspected preterm labour pregnancies present a higher rate of SGA (12,4 % vs 6,6% vs 0,9%; p<0,001) compared to the control group. The proportion of SGA neonates was also increased in both groups after suspected preterm labour (11,8% vs. 7,7% vs. 5,6%; p=0.024), as well as the rate on neonatal intensive care admission (75% vs. 16,5% vs. 3,1%; p<0,001) compared with controls. Conclusions: Suspected preterm labour is a risk factor for fetal growth restriction and adverse perinatal outcomes even in term-born neonates. Fetal growth surveillance would be recommended after admission for suspected preterm labour.


This paper analyses the changes of foreign trade conditions of small and medium-sized enterprises after Lithuanian becoming the member of the EU. Small and medium-sized enterprises, presently, play the main role in the Lithuanian economy. Lithuania is a small open market, thus its economy largely depends on foreign trade. Small and medium-sized enterprises play the main role in Lithuanian foreign trade. Lithuanian integration into the EU opened huge possibilities for Lithuanian foreign trade. It was determined that in recent years export of Lithuanian small and medium-sized enterprises goods into EU countries and import from the EU comprised the biggest share of all export and import. However, in Lithuania is observing unevenness of small and medium-sized enterprises foreign trade development by counties. The analysis of scientific ideas and attitudes helped to distinguish various attitudes of scientists towards problems of the gains from small and medium-sized enterprises foreign trade. In the scientific literature benefit of foreign trade for country is evaluated using indicator of trade conditions which is calculated as proportion of country's export price index and import price index. This indicator helps to form country's foreign trade policy. The aim of the research is to examine the changes of foreign trade conditions of Lithuanian SME in the context of European economic integration and foresee the ways of improvement. Seeking for this aim, in the paper are presented the basic indices of estimation of foreign trade conditions; analysis of foreign trade condition's indices of Lithuanian small and medium-sized enterprises. Lithuanian foreign trade conditions of SME are estimated by counties and ways of improvement of foreign trade conditions' situation are presented in this paper. The object of this research is Lithuanian foreign trade conditions of small and medium-sized enterprises. The methods of research are: analysis and synthesis of the scientific literature discussing the problems of foreign trade conditions; the systematic statistical data analysis of Lithuanian foreign trade of small and medium-sized enterprises. The analysis showed that interregional contradictions increase due to uneven development of territories. Therefore, regional policy performed by the state must pay attention to peculiarities of their development. Complex of means for security of stability and sustainability of development of Lithuanian regions is necessary. In decreasing interregional contradictions special role may be played by purposeful support provided to export by the state that would help to diversify its marketable structure and extend assortment of imported ready production. Encouraging export development it would be purposeful to improve export credit insurance system. These means would help to develop export of small and medium-sized enterprises.


The Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE) is pleased to announce the selections for the 2015 Systems Engineering Technical Excellence Award.


Objective: To assess the pattern of and factors associated with geriatrics' utilisation of health services. Design: A cross-sectionol, study involving a random sample of 266 elderly subjects registered in the primary health care centres in Buruaidah city, Saudi Arabia. Setting: The primary health care centres in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Data was collected from PHC centres-registered elderly subjects at their homes. Information including utilisation of primary health centres, hospital admissions and durali6n of hospital stay were recorded. Results: The response rate was 96.7Vo. Twenty percent of the sample had not used any health services facility during the previous year. Two-thirds of subjects made visits to the primary health care centres, majority of them having made 6 visits or less. Signiftcant factors positively associated with those visits were female, advancing age, and having a family. Three-quarters of the sample did not have hospital admissions, Significant factors positively associated with admissions were diabetes mellitus, hypertension, paralysis, advanced age, and living with a family. Conclusions: Geriatric health services utilisation by the study sample is affected by family ties and the high prevalence of chronic diseases. Subjects living alone or crippled by immobility may not be able to utilise available health services properly. Community based geriatrics services can help this vulnerable group.


Seven years after the death of Anton Chekhov, his sister, Maria, wrote to a friend, "You asked for someone who could write a biography of my deceased brother. If you recall, I recommended Iv. Al. Bunin...No one writes better than he; he knew and understood my deceased brother very well; he can go about the endeavor objectively...I repeat, I would very much like this biography to correspond to reality and that it be written by I. A. Bunin." In "About Chekhov", Ivan Bunin sought to free the writer from limiting political, social, and aesthetic assessments of his life and work, and to present both in a more genuine, insightful, and personal way. Editor and translator, Thomas Gaiton Marullo subtitles "About Chekhov", "The Unfinished Symphony," because although Bunin did not complete the work before his death in 1953, he nonetheless fashioned his memoir as a moving orchestral work on the writers' existence and art..." Even in its unfinished state, "About Chekhov" stands not only as a stirring testament of one writer's respect and affection for another, but also as a living memorial to two highly creative artists." Bunin draws on his intimate knowledge of Chekhov to depict the writer at work, in love, and in relation with such writers as Tolstoy and Gorky. Through anecdotes and observations, spirited exchanges and reflections, this memoir draws a unique portrait that plumbs the depths and complexities of two of Russia's greatest writers.


The topic of this bachelor thesis is design and development of a battery powered robot lawn mower. In the introduction the history of lawn mowers is described as well as different types of lawn mowers. Similar devices currently on the market are listed and compared. The functional decomposition and morphological matrix of the device where created. The best solutions where further elaborated and standard parts where selected. The 3D CAD model of the device and the associated technical documentation were created in the SolidWorks 2016 software package.


Abstract Birds figure prominently in the traditional knowledge systems of many cultures by virtue of the diverse ways in which humans perceive these creatures, as religious totems, crop pests, food items, sentinels, guides and heralds, to name a few. This preliminary documentation of the traditional ornithological knowledge of the Solega people of southern India discusses the difficulties involved in obtaining a standard set of names that has the consensus of people living in widely dispersed settlements. Solega ways of using bird names in spontaneous speech have implications for theories of ethnobiological nomenclature. A comparison of bird species that are named in Solega, with those that are excluded from their lexicon, challenges some universalist claims concerning ethnotaxonomy. Finally, the ways birds are represented in Solega folklore and traditional ecological knowledge suggest that utilitarian and other cultural concerns, in particular the perceived real or potential interactions between birds and humans, have a significant bearing on Solega bird classification.


IN FEBRUARY 1788 EDMUND BURKE OPENED the impeachment of Warren Hastings, the East India Company's first Governor-General, for the crimes that his administration had committed in India with a four-day-long speech before the House of Lords, and London's fashionable society bought tickets as if attending theater. Referred to as ''the greatest public sensation of the seventeen-eighties, ''the impeachment brought more attention than any other contemporary event to the complicated relationships of the British nation-state and its young empire in India and, more broadly, of the principles of civil society and the early modern history of imperialism. Burke's Indian speeches constitute a much longer and more intense engagement with the fundamental question that he believed the French Revolution also posed: would the modern civil society that the late eighteenth century was clearly in the process of shaping subordinate the private interests of commerce to the public virtues of landed wealth, thereby preserving national progress, or would it subordinate property to the unchecked power of capitalism, thereby making the merchant's private ethic the basis of the nation's public life and precipitating national degeneration? While the Reflections on the Revolution in France claim that the civil self is the product of national traditions, Burke's speeches and writings on British India suggest that the civil self is in fact merely a performance that masks degeneracy. Indeed, Burke's performance in the impeachment, with its own exaggerated theatricality, represented the very basis of civil society, sympathy, in terms of a set of unmistakably legible signs. Burke assumed the role of a character easily recognizable to his fashionable audience, the male protagonist of sentimental fiction, unable to control his emotions in the face of women's suffering. His very theatricality suggested that the basis of civil society lies neither in reason nor in historical development, but rather in social mimicry, giving the lie to his own theory of civil progress.


Joint power and bandwidth allocation for multiuser single relay amplify and forward cooperative network is addressed. Conventional resource allocation schemes based on equal distribution of bandwidth and/or power may not be efficient given the constrained power and bandwidth at the relay node. Joint power and bandwidth allocation is proposed based on maximization of the sum rate of all users. For a given user bandwidth, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) is used; part of the data is transmitted through the relay, and the other part is transmitted using the direct link. The achieved data rate using AF (with amplification gain proportional to instantaneous channel information of the source-relay link) for a single user is not jointly-concave function in the power and bandwidth profiles. Based on the optimal power and bandwidth allocation for every user, the data either transmitted solely using the direct link, or transmitted using the relay link on part of the bandwidth and the direct link on the other part. For this scenario, the problem is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear optimization problem. Conventional optimization schemes can not be used. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to solve the formulated problem. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, and shed interesting throughput-fairness trade-off in the resource allocation problem.


What are the sources of deterrence stability and under what conditions can weak actors deter stronger adversaries? To deter a superior adversary, the weak actor must convince it that if conflict breaks out, the weak actor would be capable of rendering its opponent's strategic capabilities tactical and its own tactical capabilities strategic. The deterrence relationship that has evolved between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah in the decade since—and as a result of—the 2006 Lebanon War (a.k.a. the Second Lebanon War or the July War) confirms this observation. A comparison of these two actors' deterrence behavior in the years preceding the war and in its aftermath shows that one of the leading explanations for the ongoing stability along the Israeli-Lebanese border is that Israel and Hezbollah have learned to apply deterrence in a manner that meets the prerequisites of rational deterrence theory.


Unwanted pregnancy (UP), which may lead to unsafe abortion, is common among young women. Unwanted pregnancy can occur due to missed pills, forced sex, method failures, and condom breakage. To prevent such problem, Emergency Contraceptives (EC) are the only method that can be used after unprotected sex. This cross-sectional study has thus aimed at investigating the level of awareness, knowledge and attitudes of young female students of Haramaya University (HU) on EC. The study generated the required data from a representative sample of 572 female students drawn from the study population through multistage sampling. Data were collected using survey questionnaire, and subsequent analysis was done using simple descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis (logistic regression model).The findings of the study revealed that 47.6% of the respondents had ever heard about EC; 25.7 % had good knowledge of EC, and 76.5% had favorable attitude toward EC. In the multivariate analysis, certain variables have become significant predictors of awareness of EC including: age, previous place of residence, religion, grade level, knowing other methods preventing unwanted pregnancy, sex education, chewing 'Khat', and consuming alcohol. Similarly, religion, grade level, father's educational level, knowing other methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy, and currently chewing Khat were found to significantly predict attitude toward EC. Finally, the study has forwarded some recommendations based on the key findings.


Prolonged economic recession occasioned by the collapse of the world oil market from the early 1980 and the attendant sharp fall in foreign exchange earnings have adversely affected economic growth and development in Nigeria. This study was necessitated to identify the extent of relationship that exists between strategic orientation and recessed economy: options for consumer goods manufacturing sub-sector in Nigeria. Ex-Post Facto research design was employed for the study and simple regression analysis was adopted in analyzing the data. The findings of the study revealed that entrepreneurial orientation has a significant positive relationship with economic development. This explains that an increase in strategic orientation will lead to a resultant increase in economic development and vice versa. The study therefore recommended that government should key in by reversing the poor performance of consumer goods manufacturing sector in providing incentives for the firms to become more export oriented and improve the already established structural reforms in order to improve transparency and stability of both financial system, and fiscal activities to restore confidence in the economy during recession.


In this paper, we present a method for the optimal state estimation of a linear system, observed by various dynamically schedulable and distributed sensors. We consider this problem to be a problem of information fusion, where the information is obtained from the sensors in exchange of scheduling and sensor operational costs. Sensors over a distributed network can work together efficiently in order to maximize the overall network performance. We consider several costs related to sensor scheduling such as the continuous cost for keeping the sensor on, and sensor switching cost for turning a sensor on from off state and vice versa. Our goal is to estimate the state as closely as possible while minimizing the scheduling cost. We incorporate the error in estimation as a cost in the optimization function. The resultant problem is then converted into an optimal control problem, where optimal scheduling is obtained by pointwise maximizing the Hamiltonian of the system.


The appearance of the city is strongly linked to many aspects such as climate, culture and sociological background. In cities with a prevalence of clear skies, one of the determining aspects is the climatic condition, which defines a luminous context where all elements appear significantly bright. In order to establish the luminosity of the urban scene and its components, an analysis of pictures taken in real environments is proposed, carried out through a digital image processing software developed by the authors. The information contained in each pixel of a digital image is used to assess the distribution of light in the picture. The pictures selected for assessment represent an urban scene as seen by a standing observer. In this situation the scene can be divided in three zones with similar features: pavement, sky and facades. The developed software provides output information for the aforementioned zones and the whole image consisting on light data (average, maximum, minimum and standard deviation) convertible to luminance (cd/m2) if reference values are provided. The validity of the procedure is tested in this work and implemented in real pictures. After testing it, the software has proven to be easy to use and the results obtained in the examples have shown a trend in their values. The implementation of the software suggests that a wider number of cases of study would make possible to establish a pattern in the daylight distribution of urban scenes conceived as an addition of zones with different luminous appearance.


Cloth simulation has wide applications in computer animation, garment design, and robot-assisted dressing. This work presents a differentiable cloth simulator whose additional gradient information facilitates cloth-related applications. Our differentiable simulator extends a state-of-the-art cloth simulator based on Projective Dynamics (PD) and with dry frictional contact [Ly et al. 2020]. We draw inspiration from previous work [Du et al. 2021] to propose a fast and novel method for deriving gradients in PD-based cloth simulation with dry frictional contact. Furthermore, we conduct a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the usefulness of gradients in contact-rich cloth simulation. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of our simulator in a number of downstream applications, including system identification, trajectory optimization for assisted dressing, closed-loop control, inverse design, and real-to-sim transfer. We observe a substantial speedup obtained from using our gradient information in solving most of these applications.


(these are discussed in Section 3). Segments with strong Text summarization may soon become a competitive method of answering queries asked of large text corpora. A query brings up a set of documents. These documents are then filtered by a summarizer: it constructs brief summaries from document fragments conceptually close to the query terms. We present the implementation of such a summarization system, based on lexical semantics, and discuss its operation. It is a configurable system, in the sense that the user will be able to choose among two or more implementations of every major step.


Quick reaction on logistics service market, which is short time of designing and offering new products with the lack of its price establishment possibility, is the most important condition of competitive superiority preservation. It concerns both production and services enterprises, which are qualified in designing, research etc. Concurrent Engineering arose as an answer to the new market needs with the aim of increasing the technical efficiency of business on a higher level, mainly in the area of logistics and evaluation of the concept and project.


BACKGROUND:
 Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is more effective than clinic monitoring (CBPM) for both diagnosing and managing hypertension. However, reimbursement of home blood pressure monitors is uncommon in the United States due to a lack of evidence that HBPM is cost-beneficial from an insurance perspective.

 METHODS:
 We analyzed claims data from a large U.S. health insurer, which included both a commercial plan as well as a Medicare Advantage plan. We used a decision analytic model to depict transitions among various states from initial physician visit, to hypertension diagnosis, to treatment, to hypertension-related cardiovascular disease states, and beneficiary deaths or resignations from the plan. Model inputs were derived from the insurer's 2008-2011 claims data, the 2009-2010 National Health and the Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and from published literature. We estimated both short- and long-run (10-year) cost-benefit and return on investment (ROI) (net-savings relative to cost) of HBPM compared to CBPM for different age groups. We conducted a sensitivity analysis to estimate financial risk to the insurer under various implementation scenarios.

 RESULTS:
 Overall net savings per member were $33.80 (ROI = 0.94) in the first year and $414.80 (ROI = 8.37) after 10 years for the age group 20-44, $32.70 (ROI = 0.84) in the first year and $439.10 (ROI = 7.50) after 10 years for those age 45-64, and $166.20 (ROI = 3.75) in the first year and $1,364.3 (ROI = 19.34) after 10 years for Medicare beneficiaries age > 65. For non-elderly adults most of the savings were related to the superior diagnostic specificity of HBPM. Conversely, for Medicare beneficiaries most of the savings were related to better blood pressure control when HBPM was used to monitor hypertension treatment following diagnosis. For example, in those age 20-44 the ROI was positive in both the short run (1 year = 0.87) and long run (10 year = 11.26) when HBPM was used to diagnose hypertension, but negative when it was used to monitor hypertension treatment (1 year = -0.87; 10 year = -0.33). On the other hand, when HBPM was used to diagnose hypertension in elderly adults (age > 65), the ROI was initially negative (1 year = -0.36) but then became positive (3 year = 0.81; 10 year = 3.75), and when used to monitor treatment the ROI was positive throughout (1 year = 4.37; 10 year = 18.54).

 CONCLUSIONS:
 Our analysis shows for the first time that paying for HBPM is cost-beneficial for insurers. We also show that ROIs can be optimized, while minimizing financial risk, by focusing on specific uses of HBPM for different age groups. Our study suggests that optimal ROIs may be achieved if HBPM is used for hypertension diagnosis in non-elderly adults (age < 65) and for both diagnosis and management in the elderly (age > 65).


Improved representations of snow interception by coniferous forest canopies and sublimation of intercepted snow are implemented in a land surface model. Driven with meteorological observations from forested sites in Canada, the United States, and Sweden, the modified model is found to give reduced sublimation, better simulations of snow loads on and below canopies, and improved predictions of snowmelt runoff. When coupled to an atmospheric model in a GCM, however, drying and warming of the air because of the reduced sublimation provides a feedback that limits the impact of the new canopy snow model on the predicted sublimation. There is little impact on the average annual snowmelt runoff in the GCM, but runoff is delayed and peak runoff increased by the introduction of the canopy snow model.


Ventilation and perfusion (V/Q) lung scintigraphy has been used in the assessment of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism for more than 50 y. Advances in imaging technology make SPECT and SPECT/CT feasible. This article will examine the application and technical considerations associated with performing 3-dimensional V/Q SPECT and the contribution of a coacquired CT scan. The literature tends to be mixed and contradictory in terms of appropriate investigation algorithms for pulmonary embolism. V/Q SPECT and SPECT/CT offer significant advantages over planar V/Q, with or without the advantages of Technegas ventilation, and if available should be the preferred option in the evaluation of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism.


We describe the development of chimeric virus technology (CVT) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) env genes gp120 , gp41 , and gp160 for evaluation of the susceptibilities of HIV to entry inhibitors. This env CVT allows the recombination of env sequences derived from different strains into a proviral wild-type HIV-1 clone (clone NL4.3) from which the corresponding env gene has been deleted. An HIV-1 strain (strain NL4.3) resistant to the fusion inhibitor T20 (strain NL4.3/T20) was selected in vitro in the presence of T20. AMD3100-resistant strain NL3.4 (strain NL4.3/AMD3100) was previously selected by De Vreese et al. (K. De Vreese et al., J. Virol. 70:689-696, 1996). NL4.3/AMD3100 contains several mutations in its gp120 gene (De Vreese et al., J. Virol. 70:689-696, 1996), whereas NL4.3/T20 has mutations in both gp120 and gp41 . Phenotypic analysis revealed that NL4.3/AMD3100 lost its susceptibility to dextran sulfate, AMD3100, AMD2763, T134, and T140 but not its susceptibility to T20, whereas NL4.3/T20 lost its susceptibility only to the inhibitory effect of T20. The recombination of gp120 of NL4.3/AMD3100 and gp41 of NL4.3/T20 or recombination of the gp160 genes of both strains into a wild-type background reproduced the phenotypic (cross-)resistance profiles of the corresponding strains selected in vitro. These data imply that mutations in gp120 alone are sufficient to reproduce the resistance profile of NL4.3/AMD3100. The same can be said for gp41 in relation to NL4.3/T20.


The study of affective aspects is being encouraging on Information Science in recent years. The objective of this research is to analyze the emotive expresssions performed on information seeking process during information system interaction proccess. From the theoric models developed by Kuhlthau (1991, 2004) and Nahl (2005) a cualitative case study is developed to research about the emotivity as complementary strategy to evaluate information systems. Preliminary results show that experimented emotions during interaction can modify the cognitive patterns and seeking strategies adopted by users. Variations over the patterns can be explained by emotions, which converts them into indicators about system interaction efficiency.


We present a quantitative analysis of global and regional food supply to reveal the flows of calories, protein and the micro-nutrients vitamin A, iron and zinc, from production through to human consumption and other end points. We quantify the extent to which reductions in the amount of human-edible crops fed to animals and, less importantly, reductions in waste, could increase food supply. The current production of crops is sufficient to provide enough food for the projected global population of 9.7 billion in 2050, although very significant changes to the socio-economic conditions of many (ensuring access to the global food supply) and radical changes to the dietary choices of most (replacing most meat and dairy with plant-based alternatives, and greater acceptance of human-edible crops currently fed to animals, especially maize, as directly-consumed human food) would be required. Under all scenarios, the scope for biofuel production is limited. Our analysis finds no nutritional case for feeding human-edible crops to animals, which reduces calorie and protein supplies. If society continues on a 'business-as-usual' dietary trajectory, a 119% increase in edible crops grown will be required by 2050.


Adult Day Center Enhancement Act Requires the Administration on Aging to initiate a comprehensive survey of current adult day programs that provide care and support to individuals, including young adults, living with neurological diseases or conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, or traumatic brain injury. Requires the Administration to identify ongoing successful adult day programs and which of these serve young adults with neurological diseases and conditions and develop best practices to help guide the establishment of additional successful adult day programs. Directs the Administration to establish a competitive grant program to fund adult day programs serving younger people with neurological diseases or conditions. Defines an "adult day program" as a program that provides comprehensive and effective care and support services to individuals living with neurological diseases or conditions and to their family caregivers and that may assist participants in ways that: (1) maintain or improve their functional abilities or otherwise help them adjust to their changing functional abilities; (2) prevent the onset of complications associated with severe forms of the disease or condition; (3) promote alternatives to placement in nursing homes; (4) reduce the strain on family caregivers taking care of a family member living with neurological diseases or conditions; (5) focus on supporting the emotional, social, and intellectual needs of a younger adult population; or (6) address the needs of veterans living with neurological diseases or conditions.


Asthma is one of the most common heritable diseases globally, with highly variable clinical expression and response to treatment that is attributed to underlying genetic differences. Hundreds of loci on multiple chromosomes are associated with asthma. Genetic testing is not currently recommended for management, however, recognition of common asthma phenotypes, which are the result of genetic and environmental interactions, can help to guide treatment decisions. Asthma phenotypes are divided into two major categories of atopic and non-atopic disease, with further subdivisions within in each category that are associated with patterns in clinical presentation and responsiveness to treatment. In general, earlier onset, and allergic disease will respond well to traditional therapy with inhaled corticosteroids and leukotrienes, as these medications target corresponding inflammatory pathways for allergic disease. However, patients with late onset, symptom predominant (lacking inflammation) and obese asthma may be resistant to standard therapy and may require treatment modification. These patients are at risk for overuse of inhaled corticosteroids with poor response, and may benefit more by use of long acting beta agonists, long acting muscarinic agonists, weight reduction, and exercise. Research into genetic testing for responsiveness to common asthma medications is early stage, but shows evidence of clinically utility and cost effectiveness.


This article provides a description of the four methods of financial system regulation currently in use internationally, with case studies illustrating each system. Analysis is provided of the strengths and weaknesses of each. Research indicates that the "Twin Peaks" system is superior to its peers. However, this article also concludes, by reference to failings observed in "Twin Peaks" arrangements to date, that "Twin Peaks" alone is no panacea against financial crises, or market and consumer abuse. It is merely the best form of regulatory architecture. Other factors, such as the capacity and willingness of the regulators to discharge their mandate, even within a sound regulatory architecture, are as important to the success of financial system regulation, as evidenced by the failures in the United Kingdom around the time of the global financial crisis, and as evidenced by the success of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, despite Singapore's sub-optimal regulatory structure.


Energy efficiency is a major concern in the emerging mobile cellular wireless networks since massive connectivity is to be expected with high energy requirements from the network operators. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) being the frontier multiple access scheme for 5G, there exists numerous research attempts on enhancing the energy efficiency of NOMA enabled wireless networks while maintaining its outstanding performance metrics such as high throughput, data rates and capacity maximized optimally.The concept of green NOMA is introduced in a generalized manner to identify the energy efficient NOMA schemes. These schemes will result in an optimal scenario in which the energy generated for communication is managed sustainably. Hence, the effect on the environment, economy, living beings, etc is minimized. The recent research developments are classified for a better understanding of areas which are lacking attention and needs further improvement. Also, the performance comparison of energy efficient, NOMA schemes against conventional NOMA is presented. Finally, challenges and emerging research trends, for energy efficient NOMA are discussed.


Radiation therapy (RT), in particular intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), is becoming a more important nonsurgical treatment strategy in head and neck cancer (HNC). The further development of IMRT imposes more critical requirements on clinical imaging, and these requirements cannot be fully fulfilled by the existing radiotherapeutic imaging workhorse of X-ray based imaging methods. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has increasingly gained more interests from radiation oncology community and holds great potential for RT applications, mainly due to its non-ionizing radiation nature and superior soft tissue image contrast. Beyond anatomical imaging, MRI provides a variety of functional imaging techniques to investigate the functionality and metabolism of living tissue. The major purpose of this paper is to give a concise and timely review of some advanced functional MRI techniques that may potentially benefit conformal, tailored and adaptive RT in the HNC. The basic principle of each functional MRI technique is briefly introduced and their use in RT of HNC is described. Limitation and future development of these functional MRI techniques for HNC radiotherapeutic applications are discussed. More rigorous studies are warranted to translate the hypotheses into credible evidences in order to establish the role of functional MRI in the clinical practice of head and neck radiation oncology.


SIR,-I have read with great interest the instructive article by Zentler-Munro et al' about an association of vascular abnormalities and hepatic fibrosis in Osler's disease. Above all, I was impressed by their photographs. In Figure 3, there are dilated vascular spaces practically devoid of erythrocytes and still other ones full of red blood cells. I covered the latter by white stain and looked with astonishment how few hepatocytes remained from original hepatic tissue. To all appearances, a tissue of hepatic lobules was almost destroyed by vessels the aggressive character of which reminds of tumoral growth instead of telangiectases. As we believe that hyperplastic capillaries are involved in a pathogenesis of fibrosis, I looked for them in the article of Zentler-Munro et al. 2 Having been unable to identify them, I turned to other articles concerning Osler's disease. I found them in an article by Tedesco et al' who had described an angioma in the submucosa of a stomach and telangiectases associated with fibrosis in the liver. Further, I was attracted by an article by Nodle4 who had studied cutaneous telangiectases. His outstanding photographs of pathological vessels surrounded by nonhaematopoietic mesenchymal cells (Figs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) reminded me immediately of similar vessels that I had observed when I studied cutaneous vascular tumours. At that time, I described hyperplastic capillaries composed of epithelioid undifferentiated endothelial cells and situated in the vicinity of a capillary haemangioma, a haemangiopericytoma, and an angioleiomyoma. The capillaries were so similar to sweat glands that a careful morphological analysis was needed in order to distinguish these two structures. These hyperplastic capillaries could give rise: (a) to long narrow strips of smooth muscle tissue by an in situ differentiation of their cells into smooth muscle cells; (b) to pathological muscular vessels by a short distance centrifugal migration and a differentiation of their cells into vascular wall muscular cells'; and (c) to ectatic capillaries surrounded by fibroblast-like cells by a migration of their cells into the extravascular space and their differentiation there.' A similarity between the vessels described by Nodl4 and the vessels I have observed suggests that Nodl described in reality tumoral lesions. I looked, therefore, for hyperplastic capillaries in his article. I found them in Figs 3, 4, 6c, 6d, 7, 8. Nodl does not mention them because he considers them to be sweat glands. Why I believe that at least some of these structures are hyperplastic capillaries: (1) a number, a location, and a morphology of pathological muscular vessels indicate that they are not formed by remodelling pre-existing normal vessels; (2) some of them are collapsed and undergoing involution suggesting their high turnover; (3) there are structures clearly recognisable as mesenchymal but similar to sweat gland tubules (Figs 3, 4, 6d in the middle, 7a large tubule on the right side, 8 on the right side); (4) referring to my previous observation,' endothelial cells in the 'sweat glands' often degenerate, most probably because of hypoxia, and their nuclei form clusters leaving empty space in their vicinity (Fig 7 in the upper right corner); (5) endothelial cell nuclei often possess an elongated form. When they are oriented longitudinally hyperplastic capillaries manifest histopathological patterns incompatible with genuine sweat glands (Fig 7 in the upper right corner). Finally, there is a remnant of an original hyperplastic capillary composed of several layers of undifferentiated epithelioid endothelial cells (Figs 9, 10). Because there is no other pathological process present, the remnant is not a reactive hyperplasia but a manifestation of tumoural growth. If Osler's disease is a vascular tumour antiangiogenesis9"' may be tried in its therapy. This proposition is supported by a successful treatment of this disease by medroxyprogesterone acetate," an angiostatic steroid." There are several other diseases which present themselves as telangiectases but derive from hyperplastic tumoural capillaries. They are the senile haemangioma, Cutis marmorata telangiectatica,' the vascular spider," and generalised essential telangiectasia (unpublished personal observation). J T BERANEK Division of'Cardiothoracic Surgery, Harper Hospital, Department ofSurgerv, Wavne State University Medical Center, Detroit, MI 48201, USA


Abstract A case is made for the detection of melting snow or ice using multispectral remote sensing from earth satellites. Snow and thick ice are highly reflective in both the visible and the near-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. During thaw conditions, however, near-infrared radiation is absorbed strongly, while reflection of visible radiation is only slightly affected. Simultaneous visible and near-infrared imagery from the Nimbus 3 satellite illustrates how these reflectance differenecs can be used to obtain information of hydrologic usefulness. Two examples of such use are presented.


This guide contains information (but not legal advice) about aspects of copyright most commonly encountered by the students, faculty, or staff of institutions of higher education.


To the Editor. —In the JuneArchives, Finnerty et al 1 reported that 1.7% of 912 patients with breast cancer without distant metastases gave a history of irradiation to the chest between ages 1 and 22 years. They stated that, in most instances, the exact dose and dose fraction were not known. Nevertheless, they made the remarkable assumption that the radiation caused the breast cancers after a median latency period of 420 months. It may be that radiation is a possible cause of breast cancer. There are other possible causes. It would be interesting to obtain a careful history from 1,000 women with a median age of 52 years (range, 26 to 76 years), who have no evidence of breast cancer. If a history of exposure to ionizing radiation similar to that described was not obtained from at least 2%, it would be truly remarkable. Irrational fear of ionizing radiation


Although there are many stimulating and practical applications for system dynamics and automatic control, students often find the material too abstract, too mathematical, and difficult to master when it is presented in lectures. The difficulties experienced by students in learning system dynamics and controls include the following: (1) Dynamic and control systems are interdisclipinary in nature and require complex mathematical expressions that were taught in previous courses. (2) Computer simulation and hands-on experiments are necessary in order for the students to fully appreciate the basic concepts of automatic control. (3) Lecture hours are insufficient to provide both the theory and real-world applications of system modeling and automatic control. In order to overcome these problems, an interactive multimedia software tool that allows the students to explore the design space was developed. We discuss here the role of technology as it can be applied in teaching system dynamics and control. The primary goal of this work is to build a tool that assists students in learning system dynamics and control by providing a link between control system design (CSD) theory and laboratory learning. Specifically, the materials developed provide support in three different forms of instruction; labs, lectures and homework.


By the Pieri rule, the tensor product of an exterior power and a finite-dimensional irreducible representation of a general linear group has a multiplicity-free decomposition. The embeddings of the constituents  are called Pieri inclusions and were first studied by Weyman in his thesis and described explicitly by Olver. More recently, these maps have appeared in the work of Eisenbud, Fløystad, and Weyman and of Sam and Weyman to compute pure free resolutions for classical groups.
In this paper, we give a new closed form, non-recursive description of Pieri inclusions. For partitions with a bounded number of distinct parts, the resulting algorithm has polynomial time complexity whereas the previously known algorithm has exponential time complexity.


The study was conducted to assess the general milk production system, handling practices, processing, utilization and marketing system of raw cow milk produced in Mizan Aman, Debub and Shey Bench Districts. A total of 270 respondents (thirty respondents from each study area) were selected using simple random sampling technique and interviewed by using a semi structured questionnaires. The results of current study showed that the respondents of Shey Bench and Debub Bench were entirely (100%) engaged in farming activities, predominately mixed production system. Similarly, majority (82.2%) of the respondents of Mizan Aman were also pre-dominantly involved in mixed crop livestock production while the remaining 17.8% were involved only in Peri-urban production system. Majority of the respondents in the three districts (91.1, 100 and 90% of Mizan Aman, Debub and Shey Bench) had dairy cows from 1 to 5, some had from 6 to 10 and 11 to 15. About 95.6, 94.4 and 78.9% of the respondents in Mizan Aman, Debub and Shey Bench use plastic buckets for milking. As reported by most of the respondents (95.6, 58.9 and 55.6% of Mizan Aman, Debub and Shey Bench districts, respectively), clay pot is used for storage of milk until the wanted amount is accumulated for processing. About 60.0, 26.7 and 20.0% of the respondents utilize raw milk or fresh milk in Mizan Aman, Debub and Shey Bench districts, respectively. Majority of the respondents (97.8, 92.2 and 70.0% in the Mizan Aman, Debub and Shey Bench districts) reported that scarcity of milk is the main problem of milk and milk products marketing in the study areas. The common milk production constraints and prioritized by the sampled farmers were shortage of feed and scarcity of land, diseases, accessibility to marketing place, limitation of market information and inadequate infrastructure. Therefore, it was concluded that the majority of the milk produced in the study areas were not processed, marketed and mainly utilized by household family for home consumption. These suggest the need for enriched dairy cattle production scheme in the study areas.

 Key words: Bench Maji, milk handling, raw milk, utilization of milk.


Objectives: To determine serum levels of Apelin in healthy individuals, type-2 diabetic patients and diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients (DPN) and to find the correlation with serum Apelin levels and serum fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Physiology Department and Centre for Research in Experimental and Analytical Medicine (CREAM) lab of the Army Medical College/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan to Dec 2021. Methodology: A total of 90 individuals comprising three Groups having 30 subjects in each were recruited. Group-I included thirty healthy subjects, and Group-II consisted of thirty newly diagnosed patients having T2DM, Group-III consisted of thirty T2DM patients with DPN. We used Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) to assess neuropathy. Serum Apelin and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were recorded from the blood samples of all subjects by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human serum Apelin and TNF-alpha ELISA kit catalogue no. E2014Hu (bio-assay technology) and E0082Hu (Bio-assay technology), respectively. Results : The mean values of serum Apelin were higher in Group-III compared to Group-II and Group-I, and a statistically significant difference was found ( p value=0.001). The serum Apelin levels showed a strong negative correlation with Group-III serum FBG, HbA1c and TNF-alpha with r value -0.728, -0.79, and -0.95, respectively. Conclusion: Serum Apelin has a beneficial role in DPN in T2DM, with reduced TNF-alpha levels as one of the possible mechanisms.


Over the past few decades there has been an increasing use of asset recovery powers which claim to confiscate 'ill-gotten' gains from offenders who derive profit from their crimes. The embodiment of this came in the form of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, a piece of legislation that consolidated previous asset recovery legislation and which set out to make sure that 'crime does not pay' (Rees et al., 2012). Whilst the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 provides a number of asset recovery routes, the most frequently used within England and Wales is post-conviction confiscation (ibid). Despite the increasing use of confiscation powers there is an absence of research which accounts for the voices of those who are subject to this punishment. Such insights may be key to developing an understanding of the 'true' impact of the post-conviction confiscation punishment upon the defendant and their families and illuminate whether this system of punishment meets its wider crime control objectives. Therefore, through the analysis of narrative 'interviews' with twenty-one individuals who have been subject to the post-conviction confiscation punishment, this qualitative study investigates the lived reality of being subject to this contemporary form of punishment. Based upon its findings, this thesis will argue that this form of punishment represents a further level of punishment despite no further offence being committed; that it is a punishment that once inflicted becomes a 'life sentence' that is said to be inescapable; that it disproportionately impacts upon the [innocent] families of the confiscation defendant; that it fails to meet its stated objectives and has no social defence (Mathieson, 2009); and, in revealing both its iatrogenic and criminogenic nature, this thesis argues not for the reform of post-conviction confiscation, but for its abolition.


Designing a classifier in the absence of labeled data is becoming a common encounter as the acquisition of informative labels is often difficult or expensive, particularly on new uncharted target domains. The feasibility of attaining a reliable classifier for the task of interest is embarked by some in transfer learning, where label information from relevant source domains is considered for complimenting the design process. The core challenge arising from such endeavors, however, is the induction of source sample selection bias, such that the trained classifier has the tendency of steering toward the distribution of the source domain. In addition, this bias is deemed to become more severe on data involving multiple classes. Considering this cue, our interest in this paper is to address such a challenge in the target domain, where ordinal labeled data are unavailable. In contrast to the previous works, we propose a transfer ordinal label learning paradigm to predict the ordinal labels of target unlabeled data by spanning the feasible solution space with ensemble of ordinal classifiers from the multiple relevant source domains. Specifically, the maximum margin criterion is considered here for the construction of the target classifier from an ensemble of source ordinal classifiers. Theoretical analysis and extensive empirical studies on real-world data sets are presented to study the benefits of the proposed method.


This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Turmeric provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Turmeric can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the InDepth Nutritional Profile for Turmeric, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.


The papers in this issue are a selection of the presentations made at the second International Conference on Forests and Water in a Changing Environment. This special issue 'Forest Ecohydrological Processes in a Changing Environment' covers the topics regarding the effects of forest, land use and climate changes on ecohydrological processes across forest stand, watershed and regional spatial scales. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A closed loop control system for vasoactive drug infusion is described using a dedicated bedside microcomputer and a single volumetric infusion pump. The signal from an indwelling arterial cannula is taken from the bedside monitor through an analogue/digital converter to a microcomputer. After signal validation changes of infusion rate are calculated and communicated to a volumetric infusion pump through an RS 232 interface. The system has been successfully employed in four patients during cardiac surgery prior to cardiopulmonary bypass and in six cardiac surgical patients in the postoperative period. In both groups mean arterial pressure was controlled within 5 mmHg of target value for 75% of infusion time, and within 10 mmHg for 90% of the duration of infusion.


This paper presents a novel two-stage flexible dynamic decision support based optimal threat evaluation and defensive resource scheduling algorithm for multi-target air-borne threats. The algorithm provides flexibility and optimality by swapping between two objective functions, i.e. the preferential and subtractive defense strategies as and when required. To further enhance the solution quality, it outlines and divides the critical parameters used in Threat Evaluation and Weapon Assignment (TEWA) into three broad categories (Triggering, Scheduling and Ranking parameters). Proposed algorithm uses a variant of many-to-many Stable Marriage Algorithm (SMA) to solve Threat Evaluation (TE) and Weapon Assignment (WA) problem. In TE stage, Threat Ranking and Threat-Asset pairing is done. Stage two is based on a new flexible dynamic weapon scheduling algorithm, allowing multiple engagements using shoot-look-shoot strategy, to compute near-optimal solution for a range of scenarios. Analysis part of this paper presents the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed algorithm over an alternative greedy algorithm as applied to different offline scenarios.


From the Publisher:
An organization is more than the sum of its parts, and the individual components that function as a complex social system can be understood only by analyzing their collective behavior. This book shows how state-of-the-art simulation methods, including genetic algorithms, neural networks, and cellular automata, can be brought to bear on central problems of organizational theory related to the emergence, permanence, and dissolution of hierarchical macrostructures. The emphasis is on the application of a new generation of equation- and agent-based computational models that can help students of organizations to reformulate their basic research questions starting from assumptions about how to link -- rather than separate -- different levels of organizational analysis.


The purified xylanase from Bacillus alcalophilus AX2000 was modified with various chemical modifiers to determine amino acid residues in the active site of the enzyme. Treatment of the enzyme with group-specific reagents such as carbodiimide or N-bromosuccinimide resulted in complete loss of enzyme activity. These results suggested that these reagents reacted with glutamic acid or aspartic acid and tryptophan residues located at or near the active site. In each case, inactivation was performed by pseudo first-order kinetics. Inhibition of enzyme activity by carbodiimide and N-bromosuccinimide showed non-competitive and competitive inhibition type, respectively. Addition of xylan to the enzyme solution containing N-bromosuccinimide prevented the inactivation, indicating the presence of tryptophan at the substrate binding site. Analysis of kinetics for inactivation showed that the loss of enzyme activity was due to modification of two glutamic acid or aspartic acid residues and single tryptophan residue.


In this paper it is presented a study of the magnetic anisotropy of non-oriented and grain oriented Fe-Si strips with the surface area of 280 x 30 mm2. The measurements were performed with a unidirectional single strip tester on Fe-Si strips cut at angles of 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 with the rolling direction. For the representation of the magnetic field strength at constant magnetic flux density it was used a program that interpolated the experimental results. It was determined the hard and the easy axis of the materials and the influence of the frequency on the anisotropy of the materials.


Here, we analyze different sunspot group (SG) behaviors from the points of view of both the sunspot counts (SSCs) and the number of SGs, in four categories, for the time period of 1982 January–2014 May. These categories include data from simple (A and B), medium (C), large (D, E, and F), and decaying (H) SGs. We investigate temporal variations of all data sets used in this study and find the following results. (1) There is a very significant decrease in the large groups' SSCs and the number of SGs in solar cycle 24 (cycle 24) compared to cycles 21–23. (2) There is no strong variation in the decaying groups' data sets for the entire investigated time interval. (3) Medium group data show a gradual decrease for the last three cycles. (4) A significant decrease occurred in the small groups during solar cycle 23, while no strong changes show in the current cycle (cycle 24) compared to the previous ones. We confirm that the temporal behavior of all categories is quite different from cycle to cycle and it is especially flagrant in solar cycle 24. Thus, we argue that the reduced absolute number of the large SGs is largely, if not solely, responsible for the weak cycle 24. These results might be important for long-term space weather predictions to understand the rate of formation of different groups of sunspots during a solar cycle and the possible consequences for the long-term geomagnetic activity.


We observe reversible phase transition phenomena in proto-type chalcogenide random access memory (C-RAM) devices adopting ultra-thin (12nm) Ge2Sb2 Te5 thin film. In this kind of proto-type device, the ultra-thin amorphous Ge2Sb2 Te5 thin film undergoes a crystallization process when a voltage is applied. The polycrystalline Ge2Sb2 Te5 remain unchanged when the voltage is below 0.6 V. A higher power is needed if the transition from polycrystalline to amorphous is expected. The re-amorphization process can be realized by applying a voltage higher than 0.7 V. The threshold voltage Vth and threshold electric field Eth of the transition from the polycrystalline state to the amorphous state in this proto-type device are -0.7 V and-5×10^5 V/cm, respectively. The programming voltage is significantly reduced compared to the values of C-RAM devices adopting a 200-nm-thick Ge2Sb2 Te5 inset.


The introduction of non-deterministic networks to the automation field leads to new questions in the analysis of the resulting systems often called networked control systems (NCS). To determine reaction times not only the cycle times of the controllers but also the network delays have to be taken into account. The problem further increases in reliability analysis. Here the failures of a variety of components have to be considered. For this purpose probabilistic model checking (PMC) is a promising formal approach. This paper investigates the application of existing techniques and tools from PMC to the analysis of delay times in NCS under the consideration of component failures. A key idea in the presented approach is that the nature of signals in automation systems is taken into account. A case study shows how properties, relevant for the reliable functioning of an automation system, can be checked


A holistic education celebrates and makes a constructive use of alternative evolving points of view on reality and the multiple ways of knowledge. Not only intellectual and vocational features of human development need guidance and cultivation, also physical, social, moral, aesthetic, creative and spiritual (non sectary sense) ones; holistic education have in mind the deep mystery of life and universe, besides experiences. In holism, a new paradigm rises laying on a wealthy tradition from many erudite disciplines, which asseverate the interaction between themselves, as well as with the theory, the research and the constantly evolving practice. Holism has its roots in the proposition that universe is an integrated whole, in which everything is inter-connected. Besides, it corrects the reductionist models' lack of balance, underlining a expanded concept of science and manpower. It also have very meaningful implications for ecology and human evolution.


In this work, we propose minimal realizations for generating Dirac neutrino masses in the context of a righthanded abelian gauge extension of the Standard Model. Utilizing only U (1)R symmetry, we address and analyze the possibilities of Dirac neutrino mass generation via (a) tree-level seesaw and (b) radiative correction at the one-loop level. One of the presented radiative models implements the attractive scotogenic model that links neutrino mass with Dark Matter (DM), where the stability of the DM is guaranteed from a residual discrete symmetry emerging from U (1)R . Since only the right-handed fermions carry non-zero charges under the U (1)R , this framework leads to sizable and distinctive Left– Right asymmetry as well as Forward–Backward asymmetry discriminating from U (1)B−L models and can be tested at the colliders. We analyze the current experimental bounds and present the discovery reach limits for the new heavy gauge boson Z ′ at the LHC and ILC. Furthermore, we also study the associated charged lepton flavor violating processes, dark matter phenomenology and cosmological constraints of these models.


Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of urinalysis and Gram staining the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in pregnancy. Materials and methods: Diagnostic validity study in pregnant women with a high suspicion of UTI, hospitalized in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service of the Simon Bolivar Hospital, a Level III center, between January 1st 2009 and December 31st 2010. Gram staining and urinalysis with its parameters (leukocyte esterase, bacteriuria, leukocyturia, nitrites) were compared with urine culture, considered as the gold standard test. Specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and probability ratios (LR + and PR -) were calculated. A non-probabilistic sampling was done out of convenience. The sample size was calculated using the Epidat 4.0, with a minimum expected sensitivity of 90% and a confidence level of 90% for the prevalence of 20% established in the literature. results: Of the total of 212 samples of pregnant women included in the study, 115 (54%) had a positive urine culture and 97 (46%) had a negative culture. Seventy-eight per cent of patients presented with pyelonephritis, while 22% presented with low UTI (cystourethritis). The most frequent germ was Escherichia coli, found in 70% of patients. Gram stain had a sensitivity of 74% (95% CI: 65-81) and a specificity of 86% (95% CI: 78-92); urinalysis had a sensitivity of 21% (95% CI: 14-29) and a specificity of 92% (95% CI: 84-96). conclusion: Rapid tests done in the emergency room showed high specificity for the diagnosis of UTI in pregnant women. Gram staining is the test with the highest sensitivity for the diagnosis of UTI in this population at Hospital Simón Bolívar.


We demonstrate effective electron cooling of the normal metal strip by superconductor–insulator–normal metal (SIN) tunnel junctions. The improvement was achieved by two methods: first, by using an advanced geometry of the superconducting electrodes for more effective removal of the quasiparticles; and second, by adding a normal metal trap just near the cooling junctions. With simple cross geometry and without normal metal traps, the decrease in electron temperature is 56 mK. With the advanced geometry of the superconducting electrodes, the decrease in electron temperature is 129 mK. With the addition of the normal metal traps, the decrease in electron temperature is 197 mK.


Abstract. The floating ice shelves surrounding the Antarctic Ice Sheet is important for the stability of the grounded ice-sheet. Fracturing and calving event of an ice shelf can damage the structural integrity and contributes to an increase in ice discharge to the ocean. In this study, we focus on two large newly-developed traverse rifts in the frontal region of Filchner Ice Shelf which may lead to next major calving in the region. Two-dimensional evolution of the two rifts were investigated in detail using multisource remote sensing data, Two abrupt extensions in 2006 and 2011 were found with a rate of more than 1 km d-1. Moreover, a stereo pair of ZY-3 images was utilized for the first time to reconstruct the 3D rift model where an average rift depth of 48 m and ice melange rise of ~10 m were measured.


Objectives: to examine the profile of antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and establish the correlation between antibody levels and disease activity, and lupus nephritis. Methods: anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA), antinucleosoma (Nu), anti-Sm, antiRNP, anti-Ro, anti-La, and anti-Scl-70 antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as well as C3 and C4 were determined in 213 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who were treated consecutively. Disease activity was assessed by the SLEDAI 2K-index, without the contribution of anti-dsDNA, C3 or C4. The levels of antibodies, complement and activity of systemic lupus erythematosus were correlated. Results: the levels of antibodies turned out to be remarkably higher in patients in the active phase of the disease compared to those who were in the inactive phase. The higher Spearman correlation coefficients with SLEDAI-2K score corresponded to the anti-Nu and anti-dsDNA (p = 0.856 and p = 0.616, respectively, p <0.001 for both). The areas under the ROC curve analysis of the activity of systemic lupus erythematosus were in descending order as follows: anti-Nu = 0.948; anti-dsDNA = 0.810; anti-RNP = 0.705; C4 = 0.704; anti-Sm = 0.703; C3 = 0.688; anti-Scl-70 = 0.611; = 0.601 anti-La. Anti-Ro = 0.593; and renal activity for anti-Nu = 0.845; anti-dsDNA = 0.755; C4= 0.694; C3 = 0.670; anti-Sm = 0.641; anti-RNP = 0.630; anti-Scl-70 = 0.611; anti-Ro = 0.593 and anti-La = 0.567. Conclusion: the anti-Un exhibit excellent activity discriminating capacity of SLE lupus and renal activity, higher than the anti-dsDNA and other markers.


Mutations in two genes, presenilin 1 (PS1) and its homologue presenilin 2 (PS2), account for a majority of early onset familial Alzheimer disease cases which are characterized by intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular amyloid fibrils composed of the amyloid beta protein (Abeta). Abeta is derived from sequential cleavages of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) by beta-secretase and gamma-secretase, the latter is composed of four components, PS1, nicastrin (NCT), presenilin enhancer 2 (PEN-2), and anterior pharynx defective (APH-1). These components not only maintain the stability of the gamma-secretase complex but also regulate the activity of presenilinase, the protease responsible for the cleavage of full length PS1 into N-terminal and C-terminal fragments (NTF/CTF). We have previously shown that endoproteolysis of PS1 into NTF/CTF by presenilinase requires two critical aspartate residues, suggesting that PS1 may undergo autoproteolysis; full length PS1 complexes with NCT, PEN-2, APH-1 and forms the presenilinase. While these two aspartate residues are necessary for the endoproteolysis of full length PS1, they are equally critical for the gamma-secretase cleavage of multiple substrates, and it is hypothesized that the full length PS1/presenilinase is the zymogen of gamma-secretase. The inhibition profiles of presenilinase and gamma-secretase are illustrated by their biochemical similarity but are pharmacologically distinct. Since the uncleaved PS1 loop may obstruct the entry of gamma-secretase substrates to the docking site of the gamma-secretase complex, investigation of presenilinase inhibitors interfering with substrate-docking may facilitate a novel approach to identify APP specific gamma-secretase inhibitors.


We propose a nonparametric framework for analyzing and modeling dynamic postural shifts of human subjects. The postural shifts are represented in the phase space using time-delay embeddings and novel shape-theoretic features are extracted. The proposed multiscale descriptors are used as discriminative features to differentiate dynamical systems. The descriptors are simple and easy to compute, and model the multiscale characteristics of the attractor's multi-dimensional shape measurements. We demonstrate the usefulness of these features by using them to classify subjects into healthy and those affected by Parkinson's disease. We also use these features to assess the severity of the disease. In all these use cases, the proposed multiscale features perform better than their global counterparts.


Subsurface flow is an important phenomena in the study of reservoirs, water resources, geothermal applications, oil and gas extraction and storage, etc. One approach for solving the problem is to homogenize the media into a continuum. In this way meshing is mostly trivial but introduces simplifications in the original problem. Another approach is to consider the network defined by the fractures of the media, a Discrete Fracture Network (DFN), which is a complex 3D set made up by intersecting planar fractures. The complexity of the network generates unavoidable meshing challenges that may render impossible the meshing process. The Virtual Element Method (VEM) is a recently introduced numerical method that can be seen as a generalization of the standard Finite Element to polygonal meshes. The 2D VEM has already been successfully applied to solving flow in Discrete Fracture Networks while the framework for the three dimensional version has been recently developed. In this work we put forward a new approach for simulating flow in a porous fractured media, by using 3D elements for the porous matrix and 2D elements for the DFN. We introduce a coupling between the two types of elements so as to allow for flux exchange between the matrix and the network. Using Virtual Elements to obtain global conformity of the mesh, we preserve the complexity of the underlying DFN without introducing simplifications while avoiding all the problems that arise during the meshing process.


The following research has been carried out in order to assess the current state of access to both print and electronic scholarship at 6 universities in the developing nation of Cameroon and to gather information about the perceptions and needs that students, professors and librarians have regarding open access to scholarly resources through the use of the Internet. This has been done in order to discover how open access via the Internet can make a positive contribution to the scholarly lives of people who find themselves victims of the digital divide and the knowledge gap and to promote the democratization of knowledge access via this mode of information dissemination. Using questionnaires, this research asked 91 participants topical questions regarding these issues and discovered that the importance of increasing both access to technology and research literature is appreciated and supported. The questionnaires were prepared by John Willinsky and Henry Kang. Two librarians from Buea University in Cameroon, Kivin Wirsiy and Rosemary Sutcliffe, were hired to distribute, collect and then send the results back to Vancouver, Canada. The results of this thesis will be combined with the analysis conducted by Kivin Wirsiy and Rosemary Sutcliffe to form a joint international publication of the larger project. What was found as a result of this study is both a source of concern and hope. Even though their access to the Internet was restrained and often at their own personal expenditure, the Cameroonians participating in this study were committed to the use and possibilities of this medium to increase their access to academic literature and at the same time they positively anticipate overcoming the currently inferior state of access by the ameliorating capacities posed by online journals both from abroad and, more so among students, from Africa, for their research and teaching. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Table of


Global climate change is one of the most debated environmental issues of the 21st century. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the principal contributor to climate change. Higher levels of CO2 concentrations are primarily the result of burning of fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. Simultaneously, salmon populations are now being threatened and endangered. One technique to restore the salmon is the potential drawdown of the Snake River in Washington State. But, a paradox arises because this effort may increase the CO2 production by trucks and rail as barge transportation is stopped on the river. This paper uses wheat and barley transportation, the largest user of barge, to examine the impact on energy consumption and associated CO2 production if the river is breached and barge transportation ceases. A GIS-GAMS transportation model examines the pre and post breaching least cost wheat flows for the producer. Significant increases in rail movements are seen, with some increases in truck in a feeder role to the rail. The relative modal energy intensity coefficients affect the energy consumed. Overall results indicate that the paradox continues with breaching causing some increase in CO2 levels, especially for the barley movements (41%) and overall (1.61%), while offering the possibility of some perceived benefit to the endangered salmon stocks.


Previous results suggest that the crosstalk produced by the fiber nonlinearity in a WDM system imposes a severe limit to the capacity of optical fiber channels, since the interference power increases faster than the signal power, thereby limiting the maximum achievable signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). We study this system in the weakly nonlinear regime as a multiple-access channel, and show that by optimally using the information from all the channels for detection, the change in the capacity region due to the nonlinear effect is minimal. On the other hand, if the receiver uses the output of only one wavelength channel, the capacity is significantly reduced due to the nonlinearity, and saturates as the interference power becomes comparable to the noise, which is consistent with earlier results. The results hold in channels with or without memory. Every point in the capacity region can be achieved without knowledge of the nonlinearity parameters at the transmitters. The structures of optimal/suboptimal receivers are briefly discussed