Organeller proteomics is an emerging technology that is critical in determining the cellular signal transduction pathways. Nucleus, the regulatory hub of the eukaryotic cell is a dynamic system and a repository of various macromolecules that serve as modulators of such signaling that dictate cell fate decisions. Nuclear proteins (NPs) are predicted to comprise about 10–20% of the total cellular proteins, suggesting the involvement of the nucleus in a number of diverse functions. Indeed, NPs constitute a highly organized but complex network that plays diverse roles during development and physiological processes. In plants, relatively little is known about the nature of the molecular components and mechanisms involved in coordinating NP synthesis, their action and function. Proteomic study hold promise to understand the molecular basis of nuclear function using an unbiased comparative and differential approach. We identified a few hundred proteins that include classical and non-canonical nuclear components presumably associated with variety of cellular functions impinging on the complexity of nuclear proteome. Here, we review the nuclear proteome based on our own findings, available literature, and databases focusing on detailed comparative analysis of NPs and their functions in order to understand how plant nucleus works. The review also shed light on the current status of plant nuclear proteome and discusses the future prospect.


One of commodity in Bondowoso district is a coffee. There are two coffee flavor i.e. arabica and robusta. The quality of coffee is depending on the roasting temperature of coffee. At constant temperature, it require long roasting time around 1,5 to 2 hours. Because of that, automatically temperature control system was needed to control the roasting temperature to make the roasting time faster and more efficient by using fuzzy logic method. Sugeno method was used in this study by inputing error temperature and ∆ error temperature. The results show that temperature censor has 1.95% error against actual temperature of termometer. The fuzzy logic controls the actuator movement to regulate the valve of LPG that is fuel of furnace roaster. By using fuzzy logic, roasting time of arabica coffee and robusta coffee are 36,9 minutes and 30,216 minutes, respectively.


Two cats examined bronchoscopically to discover the cause of tracheal collapse were found to have tracheal obstruction cranial to the collapse. Cats with this unusual sign should be examined bronchoscopically to ascertain whether there is an obstruction, as the cause in these 2 cats was distinct from the diffuse airway abnormality that causes tracheal collapse in dogs.


Abstract A new genus and species of webspinner (Insecta: Embiodea  =  Embiidina, Embioptera auctorum) is described and figured from a well-preserved, alate male in mid-Cretaceous (latest Albian) amber from Myanmar (Burma). Sorellembia estherae, new genus and species, is distinguished from the only other Mesozoic webspinner, Burmitembia venosa Cockerell. Unlike the latter taxon, S. estherae embodies an array of notable plesiomorphies for the Neoembiodea (i.e., those Embiodea with strongly asymmetrical terminalia and the tenth tergum divided). Based on its phylogenetic position, S. estherae is placed in a new family, Sorellembiidae. Burmitembia venosa, on the other hand, possesses a synapomorphic suite of traits indicating placement in the Notoligotomidae (sensu novum) and as sister to the apterous subfamily Australembiinae (status novus). Past authors have considered Burmitembia as deserving of familial status, but it seems more conservative to combine the geographically restricted and species-poor sister families Notoligotomidae and Australembiidae and to consider Burmitembia as merely a subfamily therein (as Burmitembiinae). The phylogeny, classification, and geological history of the order are briefly reviewed.


The informatisation of our image of the human being Serious reflection is required to determine our position regarding our image of the human being. The image we maintain is of critical importance. It determines interhuman relations and human action. The traditional notion of the human subject as absolute, self-certain and autonomous has been comprehensively questioned for some decades and can be considered outdated. This rethinking has a long history and a diversity of insights has been developed by many influential thinkers. Processes of informatisation play a significant role in the development of these different perspectives. Three developments seem prominent. The first is the development of the notion of the so-called "decentred subject". The second development puts more emphasis on the mechanical – more specifically the mechanisation of the mind, with the consequent renunciation of human spirituality. This perspective is a predecessor of the third development which entails a further degeneration of human subjectivity. Non-corporeal consciousness can now be downloaded onto computers. The figure of the posthuman emerges. Problems of fallibility, mortality and ageing will disappear. Although such an apocalyptic viewpoint may indeed sound tempting, it leaves many crucial questions unanswered. On the other hand, when dealt with differently, this process of rethinking brings forward some rich and new articulations of what it means to be human, which can be of great significance for individuality and sociality in the light of the crises that threaten to fatally derail contemporary societies worldwide. It is, moreover, not totally unrelated to the other three ways and receives its inspiration from them.


Abstract The widespread use of military language to describe modern epidemics is often attributed to the popularization of the germ theory of disease. Whatever its origins, critics regularly deplore martial imagery in the medical context finding it by turns dangerous, humiliating, and offensive. This article examines the most famous of these critiques, Susan Sontag's rebuttal of disease-as-war language, and finds it problematic in a number of respects. Mass emergency response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003 offers a cross-cultural case study in the use of representations of war. Key to the argument is the proposition that disease-as-war language expresses something 'real' not illusory, vital not frivolous, about the community which employs it. The language is a vehicle for articulating social emotions of collective fear, patriotism, homage, and exculpation in conditions that presage collective death


Background Good patient information has shown to improve surgical outcomes. In this study we explore what kind of pre-surgical information patients need and if the provision of a 360˚ video of a surgical procedure can be of added value to the information provided by the hospital. Methods An explorative qualitative study using semi-structured interviews on information needs was conducted among 17 inguinal hernia patients to gain more insight in the patients' present surgical information needs. Patients either were planned to receive or already had received a surgical procedure. Questions were asked about the current information provision and, after being shown a 360˚ video of the surgery, whether this would be of added value. Results Of the total group of 17 patients (mean age 56, interquartile range 45–64) 16 were male and one was female. Most had no previous experience with virtual reality (14/17), already had undergone a surgical procedure (11/17). Patient information needs were all about "seeing" which can be viewed from three different perspectives [1] being seen as a unique person in the treatment process, [2] being seen as a partner, and [3] seeing is understanding. Patients wanted the contact with the doctor to be more personal, with the possibility to see the anesthetist in person, the surgeon to see their wound in the recovery phase, and to receive personal answers to questions about their specific situation. Patients found the 360-video not fearsome, and believed that visual content could be beneficial as it appeals more to their imagination than written or oral information and increases their understanding. It also provided them with a better understanding of their treatment options, their pre-, peri-, and post-surgical procedures and identification of the cause of post-operative side effects. Conclusion To address patients' information needs, complementary tools or services are needed that increase personal contact as well as tailor it to individual patient's needs. Even though video-apps are a partial alternative, hospitals should still offer patients the possibility of having face-to-face meetings with physicians as this is highly valued by patients and leads to increased trust in physicians' performance.


ABSTRACTClass management is needed by the teacher in utilizing the potential of the class,making learning and learning to remain optimal, enjoyable and to improve optimalconditions in the event of a disruption in the learning process. Motivation to learnis an impulse from inside and outside the self of students who can move it to bemore active in learning activities in order to obtain the desired goals by changingbehavior both from the aspects of thought, affective and psychomotor. This studydiscusses the motivation of the class towards the motivation to learn history andthe Islamic participants of class IX of YMPI Rappang's MTs. This type of researchis field research with associative quantitative design. As a technique of datacollection, namely observation, questionnaire and documentation with descriptiveand infrequent analysis techniques. The results showed that: (1) Management ofclasses in class IX of YMPI Rappang MTs showed a good category with apercentage rate of 77.4%. (2) Learning motivation of students shows a goodcategory with a percentage of 85.4%. (3) There is a significant difference betweenthe learning class towards the learning motivation of YMPI Rappang's IX gradestudents. This can be seen from the results of manual calculations tcount = 9.406>t table = 1998 and the value of R Square or r2 obtained 0.564. The value of XI forstudents 'learning motivation in Islamic culture class (Y) was 56.4%, while 43.6%of students' learning motivation at MTs YMPI Rappang was related to othervariables not expected by researchers.


Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a form of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS), has gained popularity in the last couple of decades. It is approved for treating depression in adults and is under investigation in pediatric depression. This paper aims to evaluate Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) studies in pediatric depression and provide a narrative overview by reviewing the research databases (PubMed, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library). Recent evidence suggests that in pediatric patients of treatment-resistant depression, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) of the frequency of 10 Hz when applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), can lead to remission, improvement in depressive symptoms, or decrease in recurrence of episodes. Existing literature also suggests that TMS's adverse effects in the pediatric population are minimal and comparable to those in the adult population. However, the limitations of existing studies, including lack of double-blind sham-controlled randomized trials or RCTs (only one RCT exists to date), small sample sizes, absence of long term follow-ups, and lack of homogenous age distribution, render the evidence insufficient for approval of TMS use in pediatric depression. This review suggests that although there is a scope of TMS use in pediatric depression, more proof is required to establish and quantify its efficacy and standardize its dosing regimens.


Through considerable efforts and investments of resources, adolescent pregnancy and birth rates in the United States have decreased significantly over the past two decades. Nonetheless, large disparities persist for many populations of youth. Reducing unintended adolescent pregnancies is considered a "winnable public health battle," but one that will require innovative thinking and continued persistence. This paper reviews the recent research literature and innovative programmatic efforts to identify six promising strategies that address the challenge of adolescent pregnancy in new ways. These strategies aim to: (1) understand and address the complexity of adolescent lives; (2) expand the provision of quality sexual health education; (3) engage youth through technology and media; (4) increase access to contraceptives and other sexual health services; (5) create tailored interventions for populations with special needs; and (6) create a supportive policy environment. By building upon lessons learned from past efforts, we can move the field toward the development, strengthening, and promotion of future strategies that enhance the sexual well-being of all adolescents.


In Labourship there is entrepreneur or employer and worker or labour. Where relation
between both having to balance, included in production process. To realize the balance,
an entrepreneur must make work agreement with the its the workers. Where in the work
agreement there is entrepreneur rights and obligations and also worker. Therefore,
entrepreneur and worker must execute the rights and obligations as well as possiblely. In
writing of this entitling law " Inexistence Of Equipment of Security and safety of Job
activity in Usaha Dagang Tiga-Tiga Yogyakarta " , writer is more emphasizingly
inexistence of equipment of job activity security and safety. Though equipment of security
and safety of job activity in a company very-very required by the workers, and functions
to protect x'self from danger or accident of job activity which possibly will happened, and
with existence of equipment of security and safety of job activity can minimize or prevents
the happening of job activity accident. Pass result of research and interview which has
been done by writer, that in Usaha Dagang Tiga-Tiga Yogyakarta has not majored
equipment of security and safety of job activity to all its the worker. Because selein
inexistence of assertive sanction, the the workers feels slack to use equipment of job
activity security and safety, and lack of socialization.
Therefore, be better if that must be done by entrepreneur is more job activity safety
firstly, so that production process can run at ease and good, so that result of his its is
also can gratify either entrepreneur and also worker.


Spinal dysraphism is usually accompanied with lumbosacral lipoma. The neurological deficits such as lower extremities sensorimotor disturbances, bowel and bladder dysfunction are produced by tethering, compression of lipoma and direct transmission of external force on the spinal cord during growth period. 25 patients treated surgically at our hospital between May, 1985, and January, 1993, were reviewed. Surgical approach was designed for debulking the lipomatous mass, untethering and decompressing the cord, repairing the dural defect and paraspinal muscle cleft. 2-59 months (mean 37.5 mons) after operation the 2 patients whose neurological system were normal before operation remained intact. In other 23 patients, bowel function recovered in 75%, active urination restored and improved in 66.2%. Motor dysfunction and paresthesia of the lower extremities alleviated in 78.3%. A case of mild uremia returned to normal and another moderate case improved. None was deteriorated by the operative procedure except one case in which a posterior nerve root was injured.


The ECB has a very clear idea of what European governments should do in the name of 'sound' economic management: balance the budget, reduce the role of the state in the economy by cutting public expenditures; increase the flexibility of labour markets by shrinking the welfare state (see for example the ECB's Monthly Bulletin April 2002), and increase competition in both product and labour markets. Structural reforms mean, in particular, reducing employment protection and the generosity of the system of unemployment benefits. It is expected that such a comprehensive policy framework will lead to an increase in work's incentives (lower taxes allowed by the decrease in public expenditure, and lower unemployment benefits), higher growth and lower inflation pressures (through the increase in the intensity of competition). This conception of the policy mix in a broad sense is fully mainstream, which is also fully normal, as nobody would expect that a central bank hold explicitly an heterodox position. It is thus utterly normal that the ECB take an active role in the budgetary debate, especially if this debate leans towards a possible reform of the SGP, which may be interpreted by the Bank as a reduction in the degree of cooperation from National States. The Stability and Growth Pact has indeed been designed also as an instrument to enforce the cooperation of European governments towards the aim of the ECB, namely price stability (...).


This volume revisits the Nobel Prize-winning economist Kenneth Arrow's classic 1963 essay "Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care" in light of the many changes in American health care since its publication. Arrow's groundbreaking piece, reprinted in full here, argued that while medicine was subject to the same models of competition and profit maximization as other industries, concepts of trust and morals also played key roles in understanding medicine as an economic institution and in balancing the asymmetrical relationship between medical providers and their patients. His conclusions about the medical profession's failures to "insure against uncertainties" helped initiate the reevaluation of insurance as a public and private good.

Coming from diverse backgrounds—economics, law, political science, and the health care industry itself—the contributors use Arrow's article to address a range of present-day health-policy questions. They examine everything from health insurance and technological innovation to the roles of charity, nonprofit institutions, and self-regulation in addressing medical needs. The collection concludes with a new essay by Arrow, in which he reflects on the health care markets of the new millennium. At a time when medical costs continue to rise, the ranks of the uninsured grow, and uncertainty reigns even among those with health insurance, this volume looks back at a seminal work of scholarship to provide critical guidance for the years ahead.

Contributors

Linda H. Aiken

Kenneth J. Arrow

Gloria J. Bazzoli

M. Gregg Bloche

Lawrence Casalino

Michael Chernew

Richard A. Cooper

Victor R. Fuchs

Annetine C. Gelijns

Sherry A. Glied

Deborah Haas-Wilson

Mark A. Hall

Peter J. Hammer

Clark C. Havighurst

Peter D. Jacobson

Richard Kronick

Michael L. Millenson

Jack Needleman

Richard R. Nelson

Mark V. Pauly

Mark A. Peterson

Uwe E. Reinhardt

James C. Robinson

William M. Sage

J. B. Silvers

Frank A. Sloan

Joshua Graff Zivin


The Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin films were prepared by co-electroplating Cu-Zn-Sn precursors followed by selenization at different substrate temperatures. The effect of substrate temperatures on the morphologies and structures of CZTSe films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman scattering spectrum respectively. The results revealed that the impurity phases in CZTSe thin films such as CuSe and SnSe disappeared when the substrate temperatures were increased. The surface morphologies of CZTSe thin films were also strongly dependent on the substrate temperature treatment in the selenization process though the selenium temperature was kept at 340°C.


Tests of up to three simultaneously firing 40-cm NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thrusters took place at NASA Glenn Research Center. In addition to numerous engineering tests, the experiment was instrumented to measure plasma properties in the interacting plumes, charge exchange return current to the active and dormant thrusters, and current and plasma properties at various locations. This paper describes the use of Nascap-2k to calculate plume potentials and charge exchange ion return currents to active and dormant ion optics and to diagnostic probes. Calculations were performed varying the numbers of active thrusters, thruster power levels, and gimbaling. The results were extrapolated to space conditions. Despite several simplifying assumptions, we obtained good agreement with experimental results. No major problems associated with multiple thruster operation were found.


Abstract : This work develops and tests RCMOP-2, an extension of the Requirements-Driven, Cost-Based, Manpower Optimization (RCMOP) model introduced by Clark. Like its predecessor, RCMOP-2 simultaneously guides monthly values for U.S. Navy officer manpower variables, including inventory, promotions, accessions, designator transfers, and forced and natural losses, to minimize a "gap index" reflecting the lack of fit between a given personnel inventory and a set of billet requirements. RCMOP-2 enhances RCMOP with added resolution to input data and the inclusion of nonlinear penalties for vacant billet requirements. Specifically, RCMOP-2 details individual flow of personnel in Intelligence, Supply Corps, Civil Engineering, and Other Restricted Line communities to avoid unsuited job assignments due to aggregation. Also, by increasing the planning horizon from two to four years, RCMOP-2 can narrow the initial inventory shortfalls at lower ranks. The utilization of nonlinear penalties ensures a balanced dispersion of unfilled jobs across multiple billet categories, which is consistent with current practice. Finally, a comparison of several natural loss rate scenarios yields minor differences in our gap index and number of unfilled jobs, which indicates RCMOP-2 can accommodate specific loss information without severely impacting the outcome.


Molecular biology is study of structure function, and makeup of molecular building blocks of life. It focuses on the interactions between the various systems of a cell. Including the interrelationship of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and how these interactions are regulated. Нe youngest of the biosciences, molecular biology is closely interrelated with fields of biochemistry, genetics and cell biology.


We study common properties of retail pricing models within a general framework of calculus of variations. In particular, we observe that for any demand model, optimal de-seasoned revenue rate divided by price elasticity is time invariant. We also obtain a generalization of a well known inverse relationship between price elasticity of demand and Lerner index. These invariance results are illustrated by two contrasting examples of markdown optimization and optimal continuous replenishment


Abstract The paper presents the results of the research on the influence of the adjuvant concentration on the size of the drops produced by the spray nozzles of agricultural sprayers. For the tests, adjuvant Normaton with the composition of total nitrogen, amide nitrogen (N-NH2) and phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) was used. The adjuvant was added to the water taken from the municipal water supply system of the city of Lublin. The tests were carried out for three concentrations, i.e. 75%, 100%, and 125% of the adjuvant concentration recommended by the manufacturer, and water without the adjuvant. The surface tension of water with adjuvant was examined for each nozzle. Then, the size of the obtained droplets was measured for each adjuvant concentration. Two types of nozzles were used for spraying, standard nozzle AP 120-03 and 6MSC injector nozzle, both with the same nozzle flow rate, but with a different design. The size of the droplets produced was measured on a HELOSVARIO laser diffractometer by Sympatec. The droplet measurement was performed at a pressure of 3 bar. The nozzle was placed 50 cm above the diffractometer laser light line. The droplet size was measured in three places of the sprayed liquid, i.e. in the position of the nozzle axis, 30 and 60 cm from the nozzle axis. It was shown that the addition of the adjuvant influenced the number of droplets produced in the indicated droplet size classes.


The amount of deciduous material throughout the year is mostly related to climatic conditions in tropical areas. A large deposition of litterfall in the dry season is described for deciduous and semideciduous forests. We aimed to assess the monthly deposition rate of litterfall during one year and the climatic influence in a deciduous thorny woodland area. The study area had a permanent plot of one hectare. To collect litterfall, 50 plots were selected and a collector (0.5 x 0.5 m) was installed. Samples were collected monthly for twelve months and divided into fractions: leaves, branches, fruits and seeds, flowers and miscellaneous. We tested the correlation of four abiotic factors (rainfall, soil humidity, temperature and wind) and the litter deposition.The annual litterfall collected had a total value of 2,731.6 kg ha -1 .The contribution fraction of leaves corresponded to 54.3%, branches (14.2%), fruits (12.6%), flowers (1.6%) and miscellaneous (17.2%). The wind was the abiotic factor most correlated with the total deposition of the litterfall, but other correlations were found. In this area, site-dependent climatic and edaphic variables have an important control on litterfall.


Volcanic ashes from Arizona and Hawaii, with chemical and mineral properties similar to those of lunar and Martian soils, respectively, are used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to simulate lunar and Martian environments for instrument tests. NASA needs toxicity data on these volcanic soils to assess health risks from potential exposures of workers in facilities where these soil simulants are used. In this study we investigated the acute effects of lunar soil simulant (LSS) and Martian soil simulant (MSS), as a complement to a histopathological study assessing their subchronic effects (Lam et al., 2002). Fine dust of LSS, MSS, TiO 2, or quartz suspended in saline was intratracheally instilled into C57Bl/6J mice (4/group) in single doses of 0.1 mg/mouse or 1 mg/mouse. The mice were euthanized 4 or 24 h after the dust treatment, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained. Statistically significant lower cell viability and higher total protein concentration in the BALF were seen only in mice treated with the high dose of quartz for 4 h and with the high dose of MSS or quartz for 24 h, compared to mice treated only with saline. A significant increase in the percentage of neutrophils was not observed with any dust-treated group at 4 h after the instillation, but was observed after 24 h in all the dust-treated groups. This observation indicates that these dusts were not acutely toxic and the effects were gradual; it took some time for neutrophils to be recruited into and accumulate significantly in the lung. A statistically significant increase in apoptosis of lavaged macrophages from mice 4 h after treatment was found only in the high-dose silica group. The overall results of this study on the acute effects of these dusts in the lung indicate that LSS is slightly more toxic than TiO 2, and that MSS is comparable to quartz. These results were consistent with the subchronic histopathological findings in that the order of severity of lung toxicity was TiO 2 < LSS < MSS < quartz.


In this paper, we present an energy-efficient architecture of the Canny edge detector for advanced mobile vision applications. Three key techniques for reducing computational complexity of the Canny edge detector are presented. First, by exploiting the rank characteristic of the convolution kernel of Gaussian smoothing and Sobel gradient filters, common computations are identified and shared in the image filter design to reduce the number of additions and multiplications. For the gradient magnitude/direction computation, only three directions of neighboring pixels are considered to reduce computation energy with minor degradation on conformance performance (CP). For the adaptive threshold selections, an interesting observation is that the mean values of gradient magnitudes show small variations depending on the classified block types. Thus, the threshold selection process can be simplified as multiplying the mean value of the local block with predecided constants. The proposed low complexity Canny edge detector has been implemented using both field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and a 65-nm standard-cell library. The FPGA implementation with Xilinx Virtex-V (XC5VSX240T) shows that our edge detector achieves 48% of area and 73% of execution time savings over the conventional architecture without seriously sacrificing the detection performance. The proposed edge detector implemented with 65-nm standard-cell library can easily support real-time ultrahigh definition video data processing (50 frames/s) with the power consumption of 5.48 mW (108.84  $\mu \text{J}$ /frame).


Abstract The article explores the political dimension of Alan Paton's poetry , a dimension of his literary work that has, thus far, received little critical attention. It analyses a number of poems that suggest that Paton' s themes chose him, as is ass e rted in the ironic poem, "Could You Not Writ e Otherwise?" Paton's books celebrate the multicultural nature of his "Beloved Country" and reveal his breadth of understanding of the experiences, hopes and fears of the white, black, coloured and Indian communities. The author critiques the cultural chauvinism that was the bedrock of "separate development", exposes it dissonance with Christian principles and challenges its tendency to peddle racist stereotypes. Paton champions an alternative, liberal political philosophy, and is mindful of the importance of acknowledging the dignity of the despised "others". He is conscious of the likely descent into violent confrontation with the apartheid state, which runs counter to his pacifist stance. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.80.2.2229


Hot Potatoes is an authoring tool which enables teacher to create interactive exercises. The various kinds of exercises are used as web-based learning material. The mixed method research is aimed to find out how the use of Hot Potatoes program facilitates students' learning process, students' motivation, and students' vocabulary achievement. The source of the data is collected through interview, observation, questionnaire and test. The data are analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The participants are 16 students at grade eleventh of SMA Bodhisattva Bandar Lampung. Based on the result of analysis, the researcher concludes that the use of Hot Potatoes program can facilitate both students' learning process and their motivation in learning. Students' learning process is facilitated from the features of the program which enable them to do exercise with direct feedback, cues of the answer, and automatic evaluation. Students' motivation is facilitated from the interactivity of the media which makes students interested in learning. In addition, students' vocabulary achievement is getting improved in which the result shows quite significant difference after doing treatment.


Present study aims at investigating the relationship between organizational learning and employees' empowerment. Organizational learning consists of such components as structure, strategy culture, and perspective based on Neefe's theory (2001) while employees' empowerment is considered based on introduced components by Spritz (1992) including effectiveness, significance, meritocracy, independence and trust. Present study is conducted by a descriptive survey and its population consists of management and employees in Qom Maskan Bank selected branches. In this research, 120 questionnaires were distributed by layered random sampling method and finally 100 ones were returned and analyzed. To gather data, the first questionnaire involves 12 items based on Neefe's components while the second one (employees' empowerment) involves Spritz indices that their validity can be supported. Chronbach's alpha value is used to measure reliability as 0.93 and 0.94 for organizational learning and employees' empowerment respectively. To analyze research data in SPSS and Amos software packages, such techniques as Spearman correlation coefficient, regression analysis and structural equations are used. The findings support research conceptual model and show that there is an association between organizational learning and employees' empowerment.


Three new potent neutralizing antibodies neutralize autologous HIV-1 strains and contribute to viral control in an HIV-1 controller. Antibodies can hold HIV-1 at an impasse Neutralizing antibodies put selective pressure on pathogens to mutate and escape from immune detection, which is one of the reasons why HIV-1 infection is difficult to contain. In this issue, Freund et al. studied samples spanning almost a decade from an individual who naturally controls HIV-1 infection without progressing to AIDS. They discovered three potent antibodies coexisting with viral strains that were sensitive to antibody neutralization, indicating that these antibodies may be contributing to viral control. These antibodies were also able to prevent HIV-1 viremia in humanized mice, demonstrating that the antibodies may be beneficial as passive immunotherapy for infected individuals. Some HIV-1–infected patients develop broad and potent HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) that when passively transferred to mice or macaques can treat or prevent infection. However, bNAbs typically fail to neutralize coexisting autologous viruses due to antibody-mediated selection against sensitive viral strains. We describe an HIV-1 controller expressing HLA-B57*01 and HLA-B27*05 who maintained low viral loads for 30 years after infection and developed broad and potent serologic activity against HIV-1. Neutralization was attributed to three different bNAbs targeting nonoverlapping sites on the HIV-1 envelope trimer (Env). One of the three, BG18, an antibody directed against the glycan-V3 portion of Env, is the most potent member of this class reported to date and, as revealed by crystallography and electron microscopy, recognizes HIV-1 Env in a manner that is distinct from other bNAbs in this class. Single-genome sequencing of HIV-1 from serum samples obtained over a period of 9 years showed a diverse group of circulating viruses, 88.5% (31 of 35) of which remained sensitive to at least one of the temporally coincident autologous bNAbs and the individual's serum. Thus, bNAb-sensitive strains of HIV-1 coexist with potent neutralizing antibodies that target the virus and may contribute to control in this individual. When administered as a mix, the three bNAbs controlled viremia in HIV-1YU2–infected humanized mice. Our finding suggests that combinations of bNAbs may contribute to control of HIV-1 infection.


Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the awareness about skin cancer, prevention, and early detection among university students. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with 404 students in a university located in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. A 35-item questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: Less than half of the students (37.9%) had knowledge about skin cancer mostly through the internet (24.5%) and media (24.1%). Half of them aware of the risk factors; mostly as avoiding direct exposure to the Sun between 10 am and 4 pm (45.3%); smoking and alcohol (38.4%); having fair skin color (34.9%); and ultraviolet light exposure (25.7%). Only one-third of them (32.9%) are knowledgeable about skin cancer signs and symptoms, such as a change in color and appearance of the nevus/moles (24%). The majority of the responders (77.3%) did not know about screening tests for skin cancer and only 18 (4.5%) students were practicing skin self-examination. Conclusions: This study showed a lack of knowledge about skin cancer, prevention, and early detection among university students and reported the need for educational interventions to raise awareness in this target group.


This study aims to analyze the messages of Twitter in the Saudi banking sectors. The strong correlation between Twitter messages and widespread updated information leads us to believe that Twitter data can be a useful resource for promotion, conversation and spreading news among banks' potential clients and these data can be used to promote business. The result provided an empirical investigation that showed strong correlations between aggregated tweets in the Saudi banking sectors. The study also analysis in detail is limited only to two banks. This is the first study aiming to understand social network dynamics of Twitter in the banking sector of the Saudi community.


Various designs of floating fish cages have been developed by the fishermen, both for applications on the rivers, reservoirs, coastal areas, offshore and lakes. In order to optimise the ecological use of Lake Rawapening as fish farming area, it is necessary to change the design of cages as well as farming practice. The development of design of floating net cage has been done using Stratified Double Net Cages (SDNC), and it is considered to be one of the best alternatives to solve the problem.  The aims of this study were to evaluate the application of Stratified Double Net Cages (SDNC) based on macrobenthic assemblages to assess the potential environmental impact caused by farming activities using SDNC. The results were compared to the reference areas, which were 1 (one) km away from the farming zones.This study was carried out at the ficinity areas of two SDNC. The cages were operated by fisherman groups of  Ngudi Makmur and Rukun Santosa, located on the water column of Lake Rawapening, close to Asinan District, Central Java. The results showed that the composition of species macrobenthic assemblages between farming sites and control sites were different both in number and compotition, indicating the initial stage of disturbance caused by organic enrichment due to farming actitivites. The study provides important implications for the arrangement of Stratified Double Net Cage (SDNC)  activities at Lake Rawapening, both in density and ordinate position in order to maintain the ecological function of this lake.


The title cyclophanes are dimers of methyl mesopyropheophorbide a that are connected by two covalent linkages. Insertion of zero, one, or two magnesium ions in the cyclophane provides a series of compounds that are useful in exploring artificial photosynthesis. In contrast to recently studied cofacial porphyrins, the macrocycles of these dimers have orthogonal transition moments. This preludes strong interaction in spite of their close distance. The ground-state absorbance and emission spectra of the dimetalated and nonmetalated cyclophanes are similar to those of the corresponding monomers but show small red shifts, broadening, and hypochromism of the lowest energy (..pi.. ..-->.. ..pi..*) transition. Difference spectra for absorbance of the excited state are presented for the monomers and monometalated cyclophane. A weak vibronic coupling mechanism is proposed to account for the absorbance band broadening and is indicated by the circular dichroism observed. The fluorescence yields of the cyclophanes are quenched by a factor of 2 with respect to the monomers. This is due primarily to a decrease in the radiative rate. As the dielectric strength of the solvent is increased, further quenching of the fluorescence and triplet yields of only the monometalated cyclophane is found. The data presented elucidate the photophysics of thesemore » chlorophyll dimers and provide the basis for further study of the photochemistry of a donor-acceptor system with restricted conformational freedom.« less


The European Community (EC), in particular, took upon itself the role of the key external player in the political and economic restructuring programs in Eastern Europe. It successfully used a combination of aid packages and advice-giving, to frame its political and economic relations with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. For their part, the Eastern states, hoping for a quick path to a convertible currency and EU membership, fully embraced the free market philosophy by swallowing the bitter pill of shock therapy, mass privatization and deregulation. The Eastern Europeans have gradually come to a significant twofold realization. First, that membership is not likely to be offered any time soon. And second, that there are significant barriers to the strengthening of ties with the EU. The EU eventually responded to the growing pleas for membership by announcing that the special relationship between Western and Eastern Europe would be assured through association agreements pursuant to Article 235 of the Treaty of Rome. Initially, the EU did not intend to make any reference in the Europe Agreements to future membership of the Association countries. A major indicator in the Europe Agreements, which highlights the EU's fundamental concern over its own interests rather than assisting Eastern Europe in the transition process, are the trade provisions. In essence, these maintain significant, potentially long-term barriers to trade between the EC and the East, particularly in sensitive sectors such as steel, textiles and agriculture. A second obstacle to the Associate countries' accession are the relatively weak institutional links created by the Europe Agreements. Convergence of laws is another important condition which needs to be satisfied before membership is granted to the Eastern European applicants. The present approach excludes the Eastern Europeans from exemption from the EU's anti-dumping law; it shuts them out of most of the EU's decision making; and it limits the effectiveness of their attempts to harmonise their legislation with the EU. Taken collectively, it seems certain that these exclusions will seriously restrict the Associates' prospects of rapid integration into the EU. The compromise may involve complicated negotiations between member states and also with potential applicants.


We propose an algorithm and a new method to tackle the classification problems. We propose a multi-output neural tree (MONT) algorithm, which is an evolutionary learning algorithm trained by the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA)-III. Since evolutionary learning is stochastic, a hypothesis found in the form of MONT is unique for each run of evolutionary learning, i.e., each hypothesis (tree) generated bears distinct properties compared to any other hypothesis both in topological space and parameter-space. This leads to a challenging optimisation problem where the aim is to minimise the tree-size and maximise the classification accuracy. Therefore, the Pareto-optimality concerns were met by hypervolume indicator analysis. We used nine benchmark classification learning problems to evaluate the performance of the MONT. As a result of our experiments, we obtained MONTs which are able to tackle the classification problems with high accuracy. The performance of MONT emerged better over a set of problems tackled in this study compared with a set of well-known classifiers: multilayer perceptron, reduced-error pruning tree, naïve Bayes classifier, decision tree, and support vector machine. Moreover, the performances of three versions of MONT's training using genetic programming, NSGA-II, and NSGA-III suggests that the NSGA-III gives the best Pareto-optimal solution.


New thermoelectric bulk materials such as CsBi 4 Te 6 have shown superior properties to traditional materials, however, optimal performance requires continuing investigations of doping and alloying trends. A recently modified high throughput measurement system is presented for doping and alloying investigations in several new thermoelectric materials. The modification includes a four-probe configuration for more accurate measurements while maintaining a relatively short sample preparation time. The system is fully computer controlled and provides flexible contacts to accommodate various sample dimensions. Optimal compositions are then identified for further investigations in thermoelectric prototype modules. The most promising materials will be further characterized for electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power, thermal conductivity, and Hall effect measurements as a function of temperature.


A major power outage occurred in Western North America on August 10, 1996. In this paper, the authors describe the simulation of this disturbance using a transient stability program. Initially, the sequence of events was simulated using the standard WSCC dynamic database, and the simulations did not agree with the disturbance recordings. Several model additions and data modifications were made before the simulations approximated the disturbance recordings. These model changes are discussed in the paper.


Phytophthora pod rot (PPR) caused by the specie Phytophthora megakarya is an important disease of cacao tree. Association mapping identified markers linked to PPR resistance in a cacao population of 260 trees planted under high disease pressure in a single plantation in a farmer's field. These cacao trees were derived from both selfing and full-sib progenies. The resistance traits were assessed through field observations of the natural pod attacks of the disease on the trunk (PRTnk) or the canopy (PRCpy) of cacao trees (expressed as the percentage of PPR-infected pods), and the development of the symptoms on the pods two (PT2d) or five days (PT5d) after artificial inoculations. A total of 108 SSRs markers loci covering the 10 chromosomes of the cacao genome were used in the analysis. The percentages of admixture of each genotype, estimated using 17 neutral SSRs markers, were used as co-factor in the analyses, decreasing the proportion of false-positive due to population structure. General and mixed linear models were used to analyze phenotypic data collected over 3 years. For field PPR incidence and artificial pod inoculation tests, a total of 36 and 18 individual marker-trait associations were detected, respectively. The positive and significant correlations found between PT5d and field measurements (PRTnk and PRCpy) explained the fact that both traits were co-localized with PPR scores in 9 marker-trait associations. The results of this study highlight the interests of association mapping to decipher the PPR genetic control and to guide the breeding strategies to produce a sustainable cacao resistance to Phytophthora species. (Resume d'auteur)


We propose a new protocol to achieve fault recovery of multicast applications in an IP internetwork with mobile participants. Our protocol uses the basic unicast routing capability of IETF Mobile IP as the foundation to leverage existing static host reliable IP multicast models to provide reliable multicast services for mobile hosts as well. We believe that the resulting scheme is simple, scalable, transparent, and independent of the underlying multicast routing facility. A key feature of our protocol is the use of a multicast forwarding agent (MFA) to address the scalability and reliability issues in the reliable mobile multicast applications. Our simulation results show the distinct performance advantages of our protocol using MFAs over two other approaches proposed for the mobile multicast service, namely mobile multicast protocol (MoM) and bi-directional tunneling, particularly as the number of mobile group members and home agents increases.


PURPOSE: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to left heart disease (LHD) is the most common subset of PH. It is defined by an increase of mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) ≥25mmHg in the presence of a mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (mPCWP) >15mmHg. In the current guidelines PH due to LHD with a TPG >12mmHg is labeled as "out-of-proportion" PH, as opposed to what is labeled as "passive" PH. Recent data have shown that patients with "out-of-proportion" PH and a diastolic pulmonary vascular pressure gradient (DPG) ≥7mmHg have an increased mortality and significant pulmonary vascular disease. We hypothesize that these patients may benefit from vasodilator treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the degree of acute vasoreactivity to inhaled nitric oxide (NO) in "out-of-proportion" PH with a DPG ≥7mmHg to that of "passive" PH and "out-of-proportion" PH with a DPG <7mmHg.

METHODS: A prospective data set of 94 patients with PH due to LHD undergoing first diagnostic right heart catheterizations at rest and after inhalation of 40ppm NO was analyzed. 31 patients were classified as "passive" PH, 28 as "out-of-proportion" PH with a DPG <7mmHg and 35 as "out-of-proportion" PH with a DPG ≥7mmHg.

RESULTS: The strongest decrease of mPAP was observed in patients with "out-of-proportion" PH and a DPG ≥7mmHg (-5.1±4.7mmHg, p<0.001). In contrast there was no significant change in mPAP in patients with "out-of-proportion" PH and a DPG <7mmHg (-2.2±5.9mmHg, p=0.075). In "passive" PH mPAP did not change upon NO inhalation.

CONCLUSION: DPG identifies patients with "out-of-proportion" PH who have significant pulmonary vascular disease that is reactive to inhaled NO.


Forty cows were supplemented with concentrate feed containing added fat with different degrees of saturation, offered individually twice daily at a rate of 0.5 kg/kg of milk produced. For two weeks, beginning the second week of lactation, they received a pre-treatment diet to obtain data for use in subsequent analyses of covariance. The cows were assigned to blocks according to parity (1st or ≥ 2nd), date of calving, previous milk production (multiparous) or milk production during the pre-treatment period (primiparous). For the 6-wk comparison period the cows were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: concentrate with no added fat (C); or with 5.9% fat from added tallow (T, low saturation level); a 50:50 mixture of tallow and partially hydrogenated tallow (T-PHT, intermediate saturation level); or all partially hydrogenated tallow (PHT, high saturation level). A forage dry matter intake of 5 kg/day was assumed for all treatments. The fat-supplemented diets partially replaced ground corn. Estimated net energy content of the experimental diets was 1.54 and 1.63 Meal NEL/kg for the control and fat supplemented diets, respectively. Daily intake of concentrate feed tended to be higher in the cows supplemented with fat (P = 0.09; 12.4, 13.1, 12.5 and 13.1 kg for C, T, T-PHT and PHT, respectively) and responded in a quadratic manner to the level of fat saturation (P 0.05), but responded in a quadratic manner (P < 0.05) to level of fat saturation, reflecting the lower daily concentrate consumption in the cows supplemented with the T-PHT (1.61,1.55,1.77,1.56 kg of milk/kg of concentrate intake, respectively). No differences were detected in visual body condition score of the cows on different treatments. Body weight change of the cows was not affected by fat supplementation; however, among those supplemented it tended (P = 0.07) to vary inversely with level of fat saturation. The inclusion of fat in the concentrate feed of cows under grazing conditions showed evidence of exerting beneficial effects on consumption of concentrates with minor effects on performance.


Fifty orange-pigmented, gram-negative, rod-shaped isolates were recovered from healthy and diseased turbot and from coastal waters (collected in Scotland). On the basis of the results of an examination of 125 phenotypic characteristics and the results of DNA-DNA and DNA-rRNA hybridization experiments, we concluded that these isolates are members of a new species in the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium scophthalmum is proposed. The type strain is CCM 4109 (= LMG 13028).


Automatic image registration is in high demand due to the enormous quantity of satellite, medical, and aerial images. This dissertation aims to develop an automatic image registration approach to the registration of aerial images of the Mississippi Delta area. Since there are many significant line edges in the aerial images, a line edge detector, the local standard deviation (LSD) technique is designed, and it is shown to be a successful line edge detector. The similarity metric, normalized cross-correlation (inner dot product, specifically), is demonstrated to be a reliable similarity measurement for images processed by the LSD technique. The developed transformation function search strategy, the vector-directed search algorithm, takes the affine transformation as a 5-parameter-vector function and searches toward the gradient direction that results in higher similarity values. The conducted experiments have shown that combined with the LSD technique, the vector-directed search method can successfully identify an optimal transformation function, provided the search starting point is relatively close to the best transformation function. In addition, another search algorithm—the best-parameter search algorithm is introduced, and it has been demonstrated to be as successful as the vector-directed search algorithm. As the registration of the aerial images requires registering a sequence of overlapping images, the initial-overlap alignment technique is developed, and it successfully ensures the automatic registration of all the aerial images in a sequential order.


We consider the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamforming problems where the array covariance matrix is rank deficient. The conventional approach handles such rank-deficiencies via diagonal loading on the covariance matrix. In this setting, we show that the array weights for optimal signal estimation can admit a sparse representation on the array manifold. To exploit this structure, we propose a convex regularizer in a grid-free fashion, which requires semi-definite programming. We then provide numerical evidence showing that the new formulation can significantly outperform diagonal loading when the regularization parameters are correctly tuned.


A probabilistic framework for content-based interactive video retrieval is described. The developed indexing of video fragments originates from the probability of the user's positive judgment about key-frames of video shots. Initial estimates of the probabilities are obtained from low-level feature representation. Only statistically significant estimates are picked out, the rest are replaced by an appropriate constant allowing efficient access at search time without loss of search quality and leading to improvement in most experiments. With time, these probability estimates are updated from the relevance judgment of users performing searches, resulting in further substantial increases in mean average precision.


Streamflow characteristics are determined by a large number of factors of the meteorological and terrestrial environments. Because of lack of quantitative data to describe some of the factors and complex interrelations among them, complete analysis of the relations between streamflow and the various environmental factors is impossible. However, certain simplifying assumptions and generalizations made possible a partial analysis for the Delaware River region. For relations involving average runoff or low-flow parameters, average annual precipitation was assumed to be the principal meteorological factor, and geology (a complex of many factors) was assumed to be the principal terrestrial influence, except for that of basin size which was largely eliminated by expression of discharge in terms of unit area. As a first approximation, physiographic units were used as a basis for classifying the geology. Relations between flow parameters and precipitation are fairly well defined for some physiographic units, but not for those in which the geology varies markedly or the areal variation in average precipitation is very small. These relations provide a basis for adjusting the flow parameters to reduce or eliminate the effects of areal variations in precipitation and increase their significance in studies of the effects of terrestrial characteristics. An investigation of the residual effect of basin size (the effect remaining when discharge is expressed in terms of unit area) on relations between flow parameters and average precipitation indicates that such effect is negligible, except for very large differences in area. Parameters that are derived from base-flow recession curves and are related to a common discharge per unit area have inherent advantages as indicators of effects of terrestrial characteristics of basins, because the.y are independent of areal variations in average annual precipitation. Winter base-flow parameters are also practically independent of the effects of evapotranspiration from ground water. However, in many parts of the region these advantages are reduced or nullified by the difficulties of defining base-flow recession curves, particularly winter curves, with sufficient accuracy. In the absence of suitable base-flow recession data and a suitable basis for adjusting parameters, the ratio of the discharge equaled or exceeded 90 percent of the time to the average discharge (Qtt/Qa), or a similar duration parameter, probably is the best indicator of the influence of terrestrial characteristics, although the ratio may vary somewhat with average precipitation. In a part of the region where geologic differences are large and areal variations in average precipitation are small, values of Qm/Qa for each major geologic unit were determined from streamflow records. From these values and the percentage of area represented by each unit, a ratio for each gaging station was computed. Comparison of these computed results with the observed results indicates that nearly all of the variation in the ratio is associated with variation in geology. The investigation indicates that the original assumptions are correct; average precipitation is the principal meteorological influence and geology is the principal terrestrial influence. Together these two factors account for a very large proportion of the variation in average runoff and low-flow characteristics.


The Bronx Community College Writing Center community is an eclectic mix of races, religions, cultures, and interests. Our tutors and staff are former or current BCC students. They are foreign nationals or have lived or traveled around the world; they speak languages from every corner of the earth—Spanish, French, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Twi, English, and Patwa. They are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, and Agnostic. They are equally academically diverse, with degrees ranging from bachelor's to master's and majors in Business, Education, Psychology, Social Work, Physics, Creative Writing, and English. These significant differences might easily divide any other community, yet the BCC Writing Center staff instead celebrates its diversity with a unique, familial, and welcoming camaraderie. The Bronx Community College Writing Center film project Who We Are explores how this is possible through reflections of the BCC Writing Center staff on their work at the writing center and the ways that eclectic mix is addressed with still another question in mind—does diversity matter? The tutors offer reflections of the impact of their differences on each other and their work, as well as their perceptions of the diverse identities of our institution's demographic.


This paper presents a running story of semiconductor research from its earliest beginnings up to the present day, with special emphasis on the inception of new ideas and the resolution of older discrepancies. At several points in the story; short interludes are taken to fill in the status as of that time. Semiconductor research began quite inconspicuously about 120 years ago with some observations on the electrical properties of silver suphide. Progress was very slow for the next 50 years and then, about 1885, a mild interest developed with the discovery of point contact rectifiers. These devices were used as detectors until displaced by the vacuum tube around 1915. Development of selenium and cuprous oxide rectifiers about 1930 revived interest and the publication of a good theory of semiconductors in 1931 added still more momentum. The next period of active interest came around World War II when the catwhisker diode was revived and developed into an excellent radar detector. The announcement of the transistor in 1948 gave this field of research such a boost that it has become a real giant in the last few years and semiconductor electronics now rates as a major field of endeavor.


Fair use is copyright law's most important defense against claims of copyright infringement. It provides courts with an equitable tool for allowing parties to use the copyrighted materials of others without liability when doing so facilitates copyright's constitutional purpose of promoting the "progress of Science and the useful Arts."
When analyzing fair use, modern courts place great emphasis on whether the purportedly fair use involves a "transformative use" of the copyrighted materials. In what some are calling the most important software copyright case in decades, a jury recently handed Google a victory by concluding that Google's reuse of some of Oracle's Java software in its Android platform constituted fair use. Oracle has appealed the decision, claiming, among other things, that Google's use of its copyrighted Java software could not be fair use because the use was not transformative. The use was not transformative, claim Oracle and its amici, because Google uses Oracle's software for the same functional purposes for which it was written.
This Essay contends that accepting Oracle's argument would mean that fair use rarely if ever applies in the software reuse context. Software's functional nature, after all, means that reuses of software will inevitably involve the software carrying out the same functions for which it was designed. But if that reality alone forecloses the possibility of a fair use defense, it means the productive balance that fair use helps strike between copyright holders and follow-on software innovators may be imperiled. The Essay concludes with some thoughts on how best to apply the transformative use inquiry in software reuse cases.


Cellular processes responsible for maintaining cholesterol homoeostasis are highly regulated. To determine whether two of these processes, cholesterol biosynthesis and receptor-mediated uptake of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are co-ordinately regulated in human liver, we employed a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) and measured the accumulation of mRNA for LDL receptor, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase and HMG-CoA synthase under a variety of conditions. Genomic Southern-blot analysis demonstrated that the integrity of these genes is maintained in the transformed cell. Treatment of HepG2 cells with mevalonate, 25-hydroxycholesterol, LDL, lovastatin or miconazole resulted in a similar effect on the accumulation of all three mRNAs at the concentrations tested. The onset of the response to drug, whether repression or induction of mRNA accumulation, occurred after approximately the same period of exposure for each mRNA. We conclude that the expression of the LDL receptor, HMG-CoA reductase and HMG-CoA synthase is co-ordinately regulated in HepG2 cells.


Risk factors for non‐melanoma skin cancer among populations with evidence of precursor damage are not well described. We examined and compared risk factors associated with the development of cutaneous basal‐cell (BCC) or squamous‐cell (SCC) carcinoma among a group of 918 adults with significant sun damage (≥10 clinically assessable actinic keratoses) but no prior history of skin cancer. These adults were participants in a 5‐year skin chemoprevention trial between 1985 and 1992, who had been randomized to the placebo group and followed for occurrence of skin cancer. During the study, a total of 129 first SCC and 164 first BCC lesions were diagnosed. The overall BCC and SCC incidence rates for this group of men and women, mean age 61 years, were 4,106 and 3,198 per 100,000 person‐years, respectively. Different constitutional and exposure factors were independently associated with BCC compared to SCC. Only increased age independently predicted BCC occurrence among this population. In contrast, older age along with male gender, natural red hair color and adult residence in Arizona for 10 or more years independently predicted SCC occurrence. The substantial incidence of skin cancer found among this population confirms the need for active dermatological monitoring among individuals with multiple visible actinic lesions. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This article explores the role of global commercial real estate in a strategic asset allocation. Global REIT and listed real estate stock indices are used to proxy the broader direct and indirect equity global commercial real estate asset classes. In a historical analysis, using traditional mean-variance optimization the author finds that adding North American real estate dramatically improves the risk and return characteristics of the resulting asset allocations, while the addition of Asian and European real estate offers little improvement. In a set of forward-looking optimization using robust asset allocation tools such as reverse optimization, the Black-Litterman model, and resampled mean-variance optimization, it is observed that global commercial real estate should play a relatively large role in strategic asset allocation moving forward. Other contributions include the development of a working version of the market portfolio that includes global commercial real estate, an analysis of the overlap between popular equity asset class proxies and indirect real estate proxies, and recognition that the popularity of indirect real estate has confused asset allocators.


Ti-doped MgB2/Cu tapes with Ta as a buffer layer were prepared through the in situ powder in tube method by using Mg, Ti, and B powders. The phase compositions, microstructure features, and superconducting properties were investigated by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. It is found that TiB2 phase was formed in Ti-doped MgB2 tape. Magnetization measurement results show that the critical transition temperature of MgB2/Ta/Cu tape with Ti doping is around 38 K. The irreversibility field Hirr and critical current density Jc can be greatly enhanced by Ti doping. Hirr of the Mg0.9Ti0.1B2 tape is as high as 7.4 T at 10 K. The high critical current density Jc of 1.5×106 A/cm2 (10 K, self field) and 9.3×105 A/cm2 (20 K, self field) are obtained in the Mg0.9Ti0.1B2 tape. In addition, a suitable amount of Ti doping can lead to a high density and fine grain size of MgB2, which may be the reason for high Jc in Ti-doped MgB2 tapes.


Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several genomic loci with candidate modifiers of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, but only a small proportion of the expected genetic contribution is accounted for at these loci. We leveraged expression data from CF cohorts, and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) reference data sets from multiple human tissues to generate predictive models, which were used to impute transcriptional regulation from genetic variance in our GWAS population. The imputed gene expression was tested for association with CF lung disease severity. By comparing and combining results from alternative approaches, we identified 379 candidate modifier genes. We delved into 52 modifier candidates that showed consensus between approaches, and 28 of them were near known GWAS loci. A number of these genes are implicated in the pathophysiology of CF lung disease (e.g., immunity, infection, inflammation, HLA pathways, glycosylation, and mucociliary clearance) and the CFTR protein biology (e.g., cytoskeleton, microtubule, mitochondrial function, lipid metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi, and ubiquitination). Gene set enrichment results are consistent with current knowledge of CF lung disease pathogenesis. HLA Class II genes on chr6, and CEP72, EXOC3, and TPPP near the GWAS peak on chr5 are most consistently associated with CF lung disease severity across the tissues tested. The results help to prioritize genes in the GWAS regions, predict direction of gene expression regulation, and identify new candidate modifiers throughout the genome for potential therapeutic development.


Modern political campaigning is becoming increasingly professionalised to the extent that in Australia today the major parties use electoral databases to assist with their campaigns. The electoral databases of the Coalition (Feedback) and the Australian Labor Party (Electrac) store information on the constituents of each House of Representatives seat. The information gathered in the databases, such as the policy preferences and party identification of individual voters, are used by candidates for House seats to tailor correspondence to swinging voters, and to identify potential party supporters. Party organisations aggregate the information in the databases and use it to conduct polls and focus groups of swinging voters, and to tailor policy development and campaign strategies. Electoral databases have the potential to improve the level of communication between elected representatives and their constituents. There are, however, a number of ethical problems associated with their use. While the usefulness of the databases to the major political parties is undeniable, their use underlines the trend in modern campaigning towards targeting swinging voters at the expense of the majority of the electorate. Considerable public resources are devoted to the smooth operation of the databases. They would be much less effective were political parties not exempted from the Privacy Act. The use of personal information collected by members of parliament by political parties should be more closely regulated. Despite the wishes of the major political parties to keep their operation a secret, the advantages and disadvantages of the use of electoral databases should be more widely debated.


Computational fluid dynamics simulations are conducted to study the performance of the sweeping gas membrane distillation module (SGMD) for seawater desalination process. The main objective of this work is to study the effect of membrane properties on the membrane flux performance and temperature and concentration polarization characteristics of the module. CFD simulations are conducted in a three-dimensional module to characterize the steady-state velocity, temperature and concentration field in the feed and permeate channel. The Reynolds number for the feed and the permeate stream are set to 900 and 2000, and thus the laminar flow model is adapted for each channel. The effects of the porosity and the membrane thickness are varied while the pore size is fixed for the parametric study. It is revealed that the membrane thickness has a profound influence while the membrane porosity has a slight influence on the SGMD performance. We observed a high level of temperature polarization within the module, which adversely affects the system performance. Remedies for mitigating temperature polarization should be considered for future studies.


: The method, which is commonly acknowledged in Islamic studies and education of Islamic sciences, is to examine knowledge through inter-madhhab approach. This approach traces its origins to the mid-19 th century and became widespread in the 20 th century. A critique of this method, which is almost undisputed today, needs to be done and what it has gained or lost should be examined. The disciplines, which have successfully guided the culture of Islamic civilization in a wide range of areas from law to politics, from economics to literature, and from art to philosophy, cannot provide solutions to the problems of humanity today, a fact that should be addressed. This consequence leads us to the question of how the education of Islamic law is practiced, or how knowledge of Islamic law is produced. So, my point of departure will be this question. Since Islamic economics is also taught or practiced through Islamic law, I will use it as my sample. I will deal with the current situation, and then I focus on the question of what happened in the 20 th century that led Muslim scholars to adopt a new method to study and teach Islamic sciences and economics. In doing so, I will question whether there has been such an approach in past centuries, and I will examine whether this new method has been successful or not. Finally, I will focus on an alternative method. Although it is difficult to do all of these in a short paper, I will try to emphasize the crucial points of the issue.


This paper is to use the power function Simpson's integration formula and some other methods to describe the geometric form of the dentition and edentulous arch in accordance with the theories and principles of tooth arrangement in textbook. The matching equations of artificial dentition and edentulous arch form and size are developed by using the multivariable regression method to analyze and summarize the clinical experiences of prosthodontists. Based on the above facts, a computer program that can be used to aid the dentist to arrange the artificial teeth for full denture is developed with Quick Basic Language and realized them in PC miniprocessors.


This paper presents a knowledge-based, data-driven method for using data describing action-sound couplings collected from a group of people to generate multiple complex mappings between the performance movements of a musician and sound synthesis. This is done by using a database of multimodal motion data collected from multiple subjects coupled with sound synthesis parameters. A series of sound stimuli is synthesised using the sound engine that will be used in performance. Multimodal motion data is collected by asking each participant to listen to each sound stimulus and move as if they were producing the sound using a musical instrument they are given. Multimodal data is recorded during each performance, and paired with the synthesis parameters used for generating the sound stimulus. The dataset created using this method is then used to build a topological representation of the performance movements of the subjects. This representation is then used to interactively generate training data for machine learning algorithms, and define mappings for real-time performance. To better illustrate each step of the procedure, we describe an implementation involving clarinet, motion capture, wearable sensor armbands, and waveguide synthesis.


Geological study was carried out in the Lesser Himalaya from Gorkha-Narayangarh section of central Nepal aiming to assessthe metamorphism of the area. The area consists of the Kunchha Formation, Fagfog Quartzite, Dandagaon Phyllites, NourpulFormation, Dhading Dolomite, Benighat Slate and the Robang Formation of the Nawakot Complex. Systematic study onpetrography and illite crystallinity was performed in the samples representing all types of lithology and formations. Bothpetrography and illite crystallinity show that the rocks south of Anbu Khaireni belong to chlorite zone. Biotite and garnet zonesare observed only in the north of Anbu Khaireni. The metamorphic zones are inverted as in the other parts of the Lesser Himalaya. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bdg.v14i0.5441 Bulletin of the Department of Geology  Vol.14 2011, pp.67-76


There have long been calls to reduce the bureaucratization of clinical trials and make them more 'sensible', with the focus on approvals and guidelines. Here, I focus on the mundane environments of a multi-centre clinical trial to ask how 'sensible' it is to standardize trials at the level of material objects. Drawing on ethnographic data collected in the UK, South Africa and Vietnam, I present three vignettes of material standardisation. While acknowledging some positive effects, I argue that standardising in this way may be antithetical to sustainable and relevant clinical research.  Three dimensions of this are discussed: 1) the external validity of evidence from pragmatic trials 2) the gap between experimentation and implementation and 3) long-term site capacity to conduct research.  Drawing on the literature on 'situated standardisation', the paper concludes by suggesting a greater acknowledgement of the need for trials not only to be 'sensible' but also 'situated'.


Objective: Patients with major depression are affected by a heterogeneous manifestation and severity of the disease, which is also reflected in a reduced motor performance. Under this prospective randomized controlled study, 28 patients (age 49.5 ± 10.8 years; weight 74.2 ± 13.4 kg, height 171.4 ± 12.4 cm, body mass index 25.2 ± 3.5 kg/m2) were assigned to a control or exercise group. The exercise therapy was four times a week, each sixty minutes in addition to regular treatment during the length of hospital stay. At the beginning and end of the hospital stay, physiological parameters of energy metabolism were collected by means of ergometry. In both groups the BDI showed a significant reduction (t-test, p 0.05). Despite the positive influence on depressive symptoms, the performance of the energy metabolism has only tended to improve in terms of economizing against physical stress. Since the effects are not been final to clarify, further studies are necessary on physiological parameters of energy metabolism in larger patient groups.


Objective: It is a widely held belief that the period of a full moon is associated with higher birth rates compared to periods when the moon is not full. We investigated whether more births occurred during a full moon in a rural African population.
Design: Data collected from 42 clinical sites in rural Zambia associated with the Better Health Outcomes through Mentoring and Assessment (BHOMA) Study were evaluated. We compared the proportion of pregnancies born during a full moon to the proportion that would be expected if there were no association.
Main outcomes: Proportion of births during the full moon.
Measures: Demographics and birth outcomes.
Results: A total of 10,127 women delivered at a participating site between 8 December 2010 and 19 August 2015. Mean maternal age was 25.1 years (standard deviation [SD] 6.4 years), mean maternal weight 62.7 kg (SD 13.9 kg), 14.4% were HIV seropositive, and 3.7% were syphilis positive. The mean birthweight was 3032 g (SD 0.5 g); 49.6% newborns were female, and 1.48% were stillborn. There was a full moon during 70 of the 1715 days under observation. In the absence of an association, we would expect 70 / 1715 (4.08%) of births to occur on these days. We observed a total of 434 deliveries (4.29%; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 3.89%, 4.68%) during these 24-hour periods. Thus, an association between the full moon and higher delivery rates was not observed (p=0.87). An additional analysis, where the entire lunar cycle was divided into 8 equal bins, also yielded no association. Finally, we did not identify any other birth outcomes that were associated with lunar cycle (birthweight, stillbirth, gender, or congenital malformation).
Conclusions: In this large, rural population, we found no evidence of a lunar effect on delivery or adverse birth outcomes. These results refute a common belief and should provide assurance to managers who opt to ignore lunar cycle when scheduling midwife staffing of rural clinics.


Keynote Speech. Graph-based Structure Search X.Lin. Location Significance Ranking from Quality Enhanced Trajectory Data X.Zhou. Ubiquitous Neural Interface B.Hu. HumanCom 2011. Session 1: Computer-assisted Learning, Cognition and Semantic Systems. Dynamic Recommendation in Collaborative Filtering Systems: A PSO Based Framework J.Yao, B.Li. Automatic Chinese Topic Term Spelling Correction in Online Pinyin Input S.Sha, et al. An Ontology-Based Approach for Semantic Web Service Searching S.Shen , et al. Applying Data Visualization to Improve the e-Health Decision Making Md.A.Rahman, S.Komiak. A Psychological Decision Making Model Based Personal Fashion Style Recommendation System J.Li, et al. A multi-modal augmented reality based virtual assembly system C.Wu, H.Wang. A Novel Memory-based Storage Optimization Approach for RDF Data Supporting SPARQL Query F.Zhao, et al. An Extended Supervised Term Weighting Method for Text Categorization B.Wei, et al. Session 2: Human-computer Interaction and Social Computing. Building Ontology for Mashup Services Based on Wikipedia K.Xiao, B.Li. A Hybrid Model for Simulating Human Crowd M.Xiong, et al. Automatic Inference of Interaction Occasion in Multiparty Meetings: Spontaneous or Reactive Z.Yu, X.Zhou. Managing Interactions in the Collaborative 3D DocuSpace for Enterprise Applications T.Sun, et al. Dempster-Shafer Theory Based Consensus Building in Collaborative Conceptual Modeling L.Jia, et al. Session 3: Network or distributed algorithms, applications. Research Application of the Internet of Things Monitor Platform in Meat Processing Industry T.Hu, et al. S-Rsync: An Efficient Differencing Algorithm With Locally Chunk Digests Generating For File Synchronization Services H.Zhang, et al. VESS: An Unstructured Data-Oriented Storage System for Multi-Disciplined Virtual Experiment Platform W.Jiang, et al. PKLIVE: A Peer-to-Peer Game Observing System H.YAO, L.YU. Session 4: Privacy, Security and trust management. Provably Secure Two-party Password-based Key Agreement Protocol H.Zhou, et al. Subjective Logic based Trust Update for Wireless Sensor Networks Y.Zhang, et al. A Detection Method for Replication Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks C.-Y.Ku, et al. VIsolator: An Intel VMX-Based Isolation Mechanism L.He, et al. Graph-Based Authorization Delegation Model J.Lei, et al. Session 5: Ubiquitous computing, mobile systems and applications. A Multiple Response Approach for Adaptive Learning Service with Context-Based Multimedia Contents X.Zhao, et al. Enhancing the Experience and Efficiency at a Conference with Mobile Social Networking: Case Study with Find & Connect L.Chang, et al. Tools for Ubiquitous PACS System D.Dragan, D.Ivetic. Contact-based Congestion Avoidance Mechanism in Delay Tolerant Networks C.Yu, et al. Session 6:Virtualization Technologies for Desktop Applications. Visualization of Knowledge Map: a Focus and Context Approach J.Wang, et al. A Think on Security and Trusty Measurement for Virtualized Environment X.Wang, et al. EMC 2011 Session 1: Cyber-Physical Systems and Real-time systems. An Efficient Deadline and Period Assignment Scheme for Maintaining Temporal Consistency Under EDF F.Zhu, et al. Scheduling Performance of Real-time Tasks on MapReduce Cluster F.Teng, et al. An Efficient Metadata Management Method in Large Distributed Storage Systems L.Ran, H.Jin. Study on Methods for Extracting Comprehensive Information Based on the Sequential Dynamic Weighted Fusion B.Sun, et al. Session 2: Distributed Multimedia Systems. A scalable multithreaded BGP architecture for next generation router K.Wang, et al. Meta Level Component-Based Framework for Distributed Computing Systems A.Shui-Yu Lai, A.Beaumont. Session 3: Embedded Systems, Software and Applications. Design of Remote Engine Room Monitoring System Based on Niche Stack TCP/IP S.Liu, et al. Design of an Efficient Low-Power Asynchronous Bus for Embedded System G.Zhang, et al. Exploring Options for Modeling of Real-Time Network Communication in an Industrial Component Model for Distributed Embedded Systems S.Mubeen, et al. A Low-Latency Virtual-Channel Router with Optimized Pipeline Stages for On-Chip Network S.Ren, et al. Towards A Web Service Based HCI Migration Framework Y.Shen, et al. Session 4: Multimedia Computing & Intelligent Services. Fast Clustering of Radar Reflectivity Data on GPUs W.Zhou, et al. A Compiler Framework for Translating Standard C into Optimized CUDA Code Q.Zhu, et al. A Dynamic Balancing Algorithm for VOD Based on Cloud Computing S.Chang, et al. High-quality Sound Device Virtualization in Xen Paravirtualized Environment K.Hu, et al. Emotional Communication Efficacy, Group Cohesion, and Group performance L.Dong, B.Shah. PDC 2011 A Robust Audio Aggregation Watermark Based on Vector Quantization J.Li, et al. A Service Giving a Case-based Instruction of Bioinformatics Workflow Running on High Performance Computer for Engineering Design and Education F.Lu, et al. A Fast Broadcast Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks Y.Zhang, Y.Wang. Survey of Load Balancing Strategies on Heterogeneous Parallel System W.Wang, et al. Data Management and Application on CPSE-Bio X.Cheng, et al. ENC 2011 Implementation of SOAS for SDR processor L.Yang, et al. Design of Greenhouse Monitoring System Based on ZigBee Technology Yong Chen. Preheating Simulation of Power Battery M.Li, et al. Intelligent Guide System Based on the Internet of Things J.Jiao, H.Lin.


This thesis investigates abnormal trading volume around scheduled and unscheduled announcements. The research is an extension of Chae (2005), Journal of Finance, Vol 60, which tests corporate announcements in the US stock market. In this thesis, Australian stocks are used to establish whether market characteristics affect trading behaviour around announcements. In addition, I extend the traditional methodology to overcome possible shortcomings in the previous studies. This thesis also discusses how information asymmetry affects the abnormal trading volume on the announcement day. In contrast to earlier studies, I nd abnormal trading volume does not change before either scheduled or unscheduled announcements, but, as expected, increases on and after the scheduled and unscheduled announcements. Information asymmetry increases trading volumes when unscheduled announcements are made, but has no effect for scheduled announcements. I show that the failure to adjust for the correlation between corporate events, results in abnormal trading volumes being detected prior to announcements. Differences between the Australian and US results can not all be explained by methodological differences. It appears that the underlying dynamics of the Australian market are different; casting doubts on the ability to generalize market characteristics from US based studies on abnormal trading volumes.


The Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST) is a screening instrument created to assess for potential malingering. The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the extent to which the M-FAST total score can differentiate overreporters from comparison groups. Research reports were located through searching databases (e.g., PsycINFO) and the M-FAST published manual. A random-effects model was used with Hedges' g as the effect size to represent the difference between the overreporting and comparison groups' M-FAST total scores. Twenty-one research reports were included in the meta-analysis, providing 25 effect sizes with nonoverlapping samples. A very large effect size was observed (g = 2.26, 95% CI [1.91, 2.62]), indicating a substantial difference on the M-FAST total score between the two groups. Moderator analyses were conducted to identify characteristics that might explain effect size variability. A significant difference was found between effect sizes that were part of the M-FAST development (g = 3.82, 95% CI [2.82, 4.82]) and effect sizes independent from its development (g = 2.03, 95% CI [1.70, 2.36]). Using 12 research reports, random-effects analyses found an average sensitivity of 0.83 and average specificity of 0.85 for the M-FAST total score at the cut-off of ≥ 6. Based on the findings, research performed independently from the M-FAST development should be consulted when evaluating the validity of the total score interpretations. Because it is a screening instrument, an examinee should not be classified as malingering from the results of the M-FAST total score alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of bank concentration and financial development on economic volatility for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries. Employing dynamic panel models, we find no evidence that bank concentration is significantly related to economic volatility when it is entered independently in the models. Meanwhile, financial development lowers economic volatility. Extending the models to include market structure–financial development interaction, we note that the impact of bank concentration on volatility depends on the level of financial development within OIC countries. More specifically, the volatility-increasing effect of bank concentration tends to be moderated by financial development. Accordingly, in the wake of banking sector consolidation in these countries, policymakers and regulators in OIC countries should focus on further developing their financial markets such that the negative consequences of resulting market concentration can be mitigated.


Conventional maize hybrid seed production has historically relied upon detasseling using either manual methods or semiautomated processes to ensure the purity of the hybrid cross. Monsanto Co. has developed biotechnology-derived MON 87427 maize with tissue-selective glyphosate tolerance to facilitate the production of hybrid maize seed. MON 87427 utilizes a specific promoter and intron combination to drive expression of CP4 EPSPS protein in vegetative and female reproductive tissues, conferring tolerance to glyphosate. This specific combination of regulatory elements also results in limited or no production of CP4 EPSPS protein in two key male reproductive tissues: pollen microspores, which develop into pollen grains, and tapetum cells that supply nutrients to the pollen. Thus, MON 87427 induces a male sterile phenotype after appropriately timed glyphosate applications. To confer additional benefits of herbicide tolerance and/or insect resistance, MON 87427 was combined with MON 89034 and NK603 by conventional breeding to develop MON 87427 × MON 89034 × NK603. The work described here is an assessment of the nutrient, antinutrient, and secondary metabolite levels in grain and forage tissues of MON 87427 and MON 87427 × MON 89034 × NK603. Results demonstrated that MON 87427 is compositionally equivalent to a near-isogenic conventional comparator. Results from this analysis established that the compositional equivalence observed for the single-event product MON 87427 is extendable to the combined-trait product, MON 87427 × MON 89034 × NK603. With increasing global demand for food production, the development of more efficient seed production strategies is important to sustainable agriculture. The study reported here demonstrated that biotechnology can be applied to simplify hybrid maize seed production without affecting crop composition.


Rational design of protein surface is important for creating higher order protein structures, but it is still challenging. In this study, we designed in silico the several binding interfaces on protein surfaces that allow a de novo protein–protein interaction to be formed. We used a computer simulation technique to find appropriate amino acid arrangements for the binding interface. The protein–protein interaction can be made by forming an intermolecular four-helix bundle structure, which is often found in naturally occurring protein subunit interfaces. As a model protein, we used a helical protein, YciF. Molecular dynamics simulation showed that a new protein–protein interaction is formed depending on the number of hydrophobic and charged amino acid residues present in the binding surfaces. However, too many hydrophobic amino acid residues present in the interface negatively affected on the binding. Finally, we found an appropriate arrangement of hydrophobic and charged amino acid residues that induces a protein–protein interaction through an intermolecular four-helix bundle formation.


End-to-end acoustic-to-word speech recognition models have recently gained popularity because they are easy to train, scale well to large amounts of training data, and do not require a lexicon. In addition, word models may also be easier to integrate with downstream tasks such as spoken language understanding, because inference (search) is much simplified compared to phoneme, character or any other sort of sub-word units. In this paper, we describe methods to construct contextual acoustic word embeddings directly from a supervised sequence-to-sequence acoustic-to-word speech recognition model using the learned attention distribution. On a suite of 16 standard sentence evaluation tasks, our embeddings show competitive performance against a word2vec model trained on the speech transcriptions. In addition, we evaluate these embeddings on a spoken language understanding task, and observe that our embeddings match the performance of text-based embeddings in a pipeline of first performing speech recognition and then constructing word embeddings from transcriptions.


Health is one of the critical components of the developmental agenda and governance of a state. One of the major health issues in Africa is the problem of effective national health system and sustainable maternal health policy which has contributed to the increase in infant and maternal mortality rate. The impact of these problems on global development is frightening to the extent that one of the main targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015 is the reduction by two-third in infant mortality and three-quarters in maternal mortality rate. Ondo State has the highest record in the Southwest region of Nigeria in infant and maternal mortality rate. However, the administration of Dr Mimiko initiated a health policy known as 'Abiye' in year 2009 to help address this maternal health problem. This study examines the MDG and maternal health in Nigeria and reviews the Abiye programme and its lessons for maternal health and national health system in Nigeria. The paper concludes that until the Abiye programme is integrated into the national health system and the Nigerian leadership demonstrate the political will to address the issues confronting maternal health in the national health care system, the targets of the MDG in Nigeria will be a mirage.


This article summarizes the current state of research on the chipped stone assemblages from the settlement of Alsonyek-Bataszek. This site belongs to the southeast Transdanubian group of the Late Neolithic Lengyel culture. Over 300 Lengyel culture sites are known in Hungary, about half of which are in southern Transdanubia. However, the site with the largest number of houses and graves is Alsonyek. Its huge extent and more than one thousand archaeological features make this one of the most important Neolithic sites in Central Europe. The chipped stone tools come exclusively from the settlement at Alsonyek-Kanizsa-dűlő. For this reason, only the preliminary results from the Kanizsa-dűlő settlement will be presented. Technological analysis of the chipped stone tools provides an opportunity for the reconstruction of the toolmaking process, which may be the result of the tool production system of a cultural unit. The research emphasis is on raw material identification. The focus of the interpretation is the technological and typological analysis and the aspect of household archaeology.


Certified cocoa represents 3% of the national cocoa production in Cameroon whereas buyers are supposed to buy certified cocoa by the year 2025. How can the rapid adoption of certification be favoured? This paper evaluates the impact of certification on the agro-economic performances of cocoa farmers in the Center of Cameroon , firstly by evaluating the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) for the total sample and for each certified and non-certified group. Secondly we used the "propensity Score Matching", the "Rosenbaum bounds sensitivity" and the "endogenous Switching regression" to assure a robust result. In 2014, the opinions of some 301 certified and non-certified farmers were sampled. Results revealed that two variables have positive and significant effects on the adoption of certification by cocoa farmers: an additional average yield of 174 kg/ha superior to the non certified and a profit margin of f cfa 233 280 /ha. In spite of the positive effects of certification, the objective of 100% of certified cocoa by 2025 in order to meet up the demands of buyers is very ambitious. The government needs to come out with complementary measures and actions to favour the process of certification (accompanying producers and a means of concerted actions among stakeholders).


Cell proliferation and protein phosphorylation in response to activation of lactogenic and interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptors were studied in Nb2 cells, a rat T-lymphocyte cell line. Human growth hormone (hGH) and rat IL-2 stimulated Nb2-cell proliferation to approximately the same degree, and the actions of both mitogens were potentiated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). A monoclonal antibody specific for the rat IL-2 receptor inhibited the mitogenic actions of rat IL-2, but not those of hGH. Exposure of Nb2 cells to either mitogen for 2-3 h increased phosphorylation of an 18,600-Da protein and decreased phosphorylation of a 15,600-Da protein. PMA also inhibited phosphorylation of the latter protein, but, by itself, PMA did not stimulate phosphorylation of the 18,600-Da protein. Overall, the results suggest that hGH and IL-2 act through separate receptors to stimulate proliferation of Nb2 cells, and that some of the actions of both mitogens may be mediated, in part, through regulation of protein phosphorylation.