Recently, various fields, including Political Science and International Studies, have embraced insights from the literature on intersectionality. With its origins in feminist studies, this literature explores how numerous variables such as linguistic differences, ethnicity, gender or national identity combine to determine an individual's fate in a global context. How can the insights from this rich literature be applied to the contemporary Political Science and International Studies classrooms? Are they likely to change the ways in which fundamental political concepts such as power, rights, security, freedom and democracy are conceptualized and taught? This paper attempts to apply the theoretical insights from the literature on intersectionality to "real world" situations in the classroom, thus demonstrating the ways in which this literature can enrich teaching. For example, intersectional approaches to the study of legal documents, such as international treaties, constitutions or administrative decisions mandates that the institutionalized framework connecting "real" people, concepts and events are explored. It is argued that intersectional approaches offer valuable insights into the study of social movements (including feminisms) and their exclusions, as well as civil rights and human rights. The presentation will focus on one project within an international interdisciplinary project started at Georgia Gwinnett College. In practice, classrooms at Georgia Gwinnett College (and elsewhere in the USA) are becoming increasingly diverse. Gwinnett County is home to one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States. There is a growing realization in different fields that it is necessary to find ways to analyze relations between global issues, such as immigration, and local realities. Research suggests that immigrant high school students have complex and even contradictory transnational identifications, and that traditional pedagogical methods in lower level undergraduate government courses (based on memorizing facts on constitutions, etc) may be inadequate. Taking these realities into account, this project focuses on the following question: How to create a "transformative classroom" (James A. Banks's term) which fosters global awareness and helps to understand the changing power structures better? Theoretically, the project is grounded in the intersectionality literature which explores teaching strategies that address how complex variables such as global developments, linguistic differences, ethnicity, gender or national identity combine to determine an individual's fate in a global context. Drawing on the intersectionality literature, the presentation will focus on an overview of specific strategies to create a transformative classroom used in introductory undergraduate courses. I am currently developing several in-class projects for my introductory political science classes. The goal of these projects is to come up with culturally sensitive ways to study controversial topics, such as immigration and anti-discrimination policies. This paper consists of two parts. The first part is a brief overview of the interdisciplinary literature on intersectionality. The second part highlights the relevance of this literature to teaching political science and international studies classes. Overview of the Literature on Intersectionality In the words of Julianne Melveaux (2002), "intersectionality is a big word to talk about the small ways in which we live, and the limited tools of analysis we use to describe the details that define our living. In other words, the subject of analysis expands to include multiple dimensions of social life: We are used to using one or two things to explain our reality, when four or five factors might influence our space." Pioneered in feminist studies and often used to analyze inequality and discrimination, the concept of intersectionality helps to re-imagine discrimination as "traffic" through an intersection. It may flow in one direction, but it also may flow in another. If there is an "accident" (that is, if discrimination occurs), it can be caused by several cars or all of them. Probably one of the most important achievements of intersectionality literature (which is inseparable from the writings of feminists) is that an analysis of discrimination which singles out one identity trait cannot adequately account for various intersecting aspects of identity, including race and sex. Using the concept of intersectionality for the study of oppression and discrimination allows the deconstruction of categories that may have been taken for granted, challenges hierarchies and reveals oppressions that were previously unseen or have been ignored for a long time. Kimberlé Crenshaw, a theorist who wrote several groundbreaking articles about the inadequacy of the current legal system and its inability to take the experiences of black women's experiences of discrimination into account, is usually identified as an author who came up with the term "intersectionality." As a paradigm and a theoretical lens, intersectionality has attracted scholarly attention since the early 1990s (Collins 1998). It is commonly understood as an approach/paradigm to study and analyze the disempowerment of marginalized groups. Its goal is to capture the consequences of the interaction between several modes of subordination (Cole 2009; Crenshaw 1994; Culp 1997; Damaske 2009; Grabham et al. 2009; Hancock 2007; Kantola and Nousiainen 2009; among others). Studies related to intersectionality address the ways in which racism, patriarchy, economic inequalities and other hierarchies create lasting unequal structures (e.g., Anthias and Yuval-Davis 1993; Eberhardt and Fiske 1998; Moghaddam 1998; Sharp et al. 2007; Shih and Sanchez 2009; Squires 2008; among others). The paradigm has been applied to study political institutions (Hawkesworth 2003), legal issues (Grabham et al. 2009), ethnic relations (Hurtado and Sinha 2008), discrimination in places of employment and institutions (Damaske 2009) and gender relations (Yuval-Davis 2006). There is a growing literature examining the ways in which the European Union (EU) has recently attempted to institutionalize intersectionality in its policies addressing various expressions of inequality in political institutions, the workplace and educational settings (Lombardo and Verloo 2009; Kantola and Nousiainen 2009; Pruegl and Thiel 2009; among others). There is a significant number of studies documenting what it is like to "live through intersectionality" in everyday life experiences. This approach is often embraced by feminist scholars who dwell on the pedagogical choices that teachers make. One goal of those whose teaching is informed by writings on intersectionality is to challenge the preconceived ideas about different population groups and cultures (Berger and Guidroz 2009). As a methodology, intersectionality (also known as "an intersectional methodology") is described as consisting of four distinct components or stages. The first stage is data collection; it involves documenting and describing various inequalities or modes of subordination. The second stage is contextual analysis. It may involve conducting case studies and describing the cultural or social context of the modes of subordination. The third stage is a review of policies and systems of implementation to address issues related to diversity and modes of subordination. These policies can be those that are adopted by international institutions and national governments (for example, the EU and/or national governments; see Kantola and Nousiainen 2009; Pruegl and Thiel 2009), or social units and educational institutions (Damaske 2009; Fair 2009; Bryan 2009), among others. The fourth stage refers to the implementation of the intersectional policy initiatives that can be proposed by both governmental and non-governmental actors (Center for Women's Global Leadership 2009). Specific methodological approaches to the study of intersectionality can be divided into three broad approaches (McCall 50-51). The first approach attempts to reject and to deconstruct analytical categories to capture the complexity of social life and to avoid using fixed categories—"simplifying social fictions"—that lead to the production and re-creation of new inequalities. Leslie McCall calls this approach the "anti-categorical complexity" approach, and its origins are in feminist literature which started with demands to include women's experiences into the study of social realities. The second approach, or intra-categorical complexity, to use McCall's terminology, is the approach with which intersectionality studies started. Similarly to the first approach, it sets out to question and problematize boundaries and boundary-making. Authors using this approach tend to focus on "particular social groups at neglected points of intersection," those whose identity crosses the boundaries of traditional group identities. The goal is to reveal the complexities of lived experiences in such groups. To be specific, the intra-categorical approach was embraced and used by those who criticized hegemonic Western feminist theorists, including feminists of color, who argued that lived experiences, especially in locations outside of the West, could not fit into any one single "master"/hegemonic category. However, unlike those who have fully embraced the first approach (post-structuralists), the representatives of the intra-categorical approach did not fully reject the existence of categories, arguing for the need to conceptualize and define the intersections of categories. In research, the representatives of the second approach tend to use case studies exploring one cultural group, using ethnographic studies ("thick" description). This methodology also highlights the difference between qualitative and quantitative methods—quantitative research can use categories without que


Bipolar magnetic regions on the solar surface are believed to correspond to the topmost portions of Ω-shaped arching flux tubes that have risen buoyantly from the base of the solar convection zone, where strong toroidal magnetic fields are being generated by the dynamo process. The dynamic evolution of such rising flux tubes in the solar convection zone has been studied extensively using a simplified 1D thin flux tube model, and more recently with direct multidimensional MHD simulations. In this paper we review some recent results of MHD simulations of the formation and dynamic rise of buoyant Ω-loops in the solar convection zone. We discuss results with regard to the following topics: (1) the formation of buoyant flux tubes from a horizontal magnetic layer at the base of the solar convection zone due to the growth of the buoyancy instabilities, (2) the necessary twist for maintaining cohesion of the rising flux tubes, (3) the kink evolution of highly twisted emerging tubes, (4) the influence of 3D stratified convection on the rise and the structure of buoyant flux tubes, and finally (5) the emergence of twisted magnetic flux tubes into the solar atmosphere.


An ordinary jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758) is a mammal species of the Canidae family that has been characterized by a rapid expansion of the range in recent decades. In Belarus, the first report on the registration of the jackal appeared in 2012 and concerned an animal that was found in the southeast of the Brest region at the end of 2011. However, this finding was not scientifically confirmed at that time. The purpose of this work was to establish by means of molecular genetic methods the species affiliation of "jackal-like" individuals hunted at different times in the territory of Belarus. Molecular genetic studies conducted on the biomaterial of three animals with unclear species affiliation confirmed the fact of the first registration of the Asian jackal in the territory of Belarus in December 2011. It is given that an Asian jackal has a connection with the Balkan distribution center. The other two "jackal-like" individuals were the representatives of the species Canis lupus on the maternal line. However, it is possible that their morphological features unusual for wolves are a consequence of their hybridization with domestic dogs. This requires a further careful study based on the nuclear genome.


Providing people with a good standard of living through food consumption, businesses with employment opportunities, and the government with tax revenue through product exports, as well as creating an environment that is favorable for the economy to flourish, determines how well the agricultural sector is performing. Due to insufficient funding, excessive interest rates, and poor policy measures, the agricultural sector's performance continues to suffer. Therefore from 1989 to 2019, the study examined the impact of credit finance on agricultural performance in Nigeria. An ex-post facto research design was used in the study. The study made use of Time series data. The data were obtained from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin. The study employed descriptive statistics, unit root test, co-integration, bound test, and Auto regressive Distributed lag models, and inferences were made at 5 percent significant level. The study showed that Deposit money banks credit to the Agricultural sector was positively related and significant to agricultural sector performance in Nigeria (β=0.759; P=0.004), while government expenditure on agriculture was positively related and significant to agricultural sector performance in Nigeria (β=0.598; P=0.0002) and interest rate posits a positive but insignificant effect on agricultural sector performance in Nigeria (β=0.1507, P=0.580) within the observed period. The study concluded that deposit money banks' credit to the agricultural sector and government expenditure on the agricultural sector has positively influenced agricultural sector performance, while interest rate on deposit money banks' credit does not have a significant effect on agricultural sector performance. It was recommended that Commercial banks should establish a panel examining committee to make sure that the money distributed is rigorously used for its intended purpose and is not diverted in any way. The delay and strict requirements in assessing deposit money banks' credit and facilities should be overhauled.


Summary Small grain varieties are evaluated each year by University of Arizona personnel at one or more locations. The purpose of these tests is to characterize varieties in terms of yield and other attributes. Variety performance varies greatly from year to year and several site-years are necessary to adequately characterize the yield potential of a variety. The results contained in this report will be combined with results from previous years in a summary available from University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.


A single oscillator circuit using an FET pair with RF coupled, dc isolated gates, which is capable of operating at two widely separated but selectable frequencies, will be presented. Unswitched, the oscillations are at 200GHz, and when the second FET is pinched off, the output frequency changes to 12.5GHz.


Background: The acute respiratory syndrome named "COVID-19" is caused by a novel coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Lack of specific antiviral drugs or proper vaccination has led to the development of new therapeutic methods against this virus. Objective The Mpro 3Clpro is the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 which plays an important role in replication and transcription of the virus. Therefore, targeting this enzyme is a valuable approach for drug development. Methods: In the present study, the structural properties of 69 anti-migraine and 212 anti-HIV drugs were first obtained from Drug Bank database. To select the appropriate drugs for the enzyme inhibition, the AutoDock Vina software was used. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method was applied for better recognition of the structural changes. Results: We identified Rimegepant (PubChem ID: 51049968), Dihydroergotamine (PubChem ID: 10531) and Ergotamine (PubChem ID: 8223) as potential inhibitors of Mpro 3Clpro. These complexes were equilibrated after 70 ns. Conclusion: Among these compounds, the anti-migraine drug "Rimegepant" showed the highest affinity for binding to the Mpro 3Clpro (-60.8 kJ/mol). This study provides enough evidence for further accomplishment of the identified compounds in the development of effective therapeutics methods against COVID-19.


Wireless Ad-hoc network is composed by wireless nodes with the ability of sensing,data processing and wireless communications which can work in a self-organization manner.To solve Near-far effect and interference problem,to increase the spatial reuse of spectrum,and to reduce the consumed energy,increase the network lifetime,the transmi-ssion power of network nodes was constrained.How to satisfy data transmission requirement with constrained power is an important problem in wireless neworks.This paper proposed a new model for power-constrained wireless ad-hoc networks.In the model,the convex function of power was taken into consideration to measure the network utility.Dual decomposition technology was adopted to solve the optimization problem.Through solving the model,a distributed power and rate control algorithm had been achieved;numerical simulation shows the convergence of the proposed algorithm,and investigates the effect of the relationship between transmission power and data rate.


Timothy H. Dixon. 2017. Curbing Catastrophe: Natural Hazards and Risk Reduction in the Modern World. (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press) 300 pp. ISBN 978-1108113663. Despite all we know scientifically about geologic and other natural hazards, why is it that they continue to wreak havoc on humankind? Spurred initially by Fukushima (Japan, 2011) and Katrina (New Orleans, 2005), I have concluded that three factors are key: the lack of communication between experts, public and policy makers, especially when to comes to scientific concepts; time lags; and the need to consider longterm economic consequences. Earth scientists often think in terms of decades, centuries and longer, but for most people, long time scales are pretty abstract. Thus my book underscores the perils of ignoring the need for critical infrastructure. The issue is particularly acute for disasters associated with the hazard of climate change – the subject of my excerpt from Chapter 8, "What's All the Fuss about Climate Warming?"


Thermonuclear driven microinstabilities have potentially significant system level effects. experiments conducted to date, while confirming quasi-linear theory, have been performed at low densities, low temperatures and high threshold fractions. The feasibility of performing an experimental of the beam driven, fast magnetosonic mode at dramatically reduced threshold fraction (approximately 10/sup 1/5-10-/sup 4/) is demonstrated for an ISX-B plasma.


ABSTRACT The electrical energy consumption in Malaysia has increased sharply in the past few years, and modern energy-efficient technologies are desperately needed for the national energy policy. This article presents a comprehensive picture of the current status of energy consumption and various energy conservation options viable for the Malaysian environment. A detailed survey is made to assess the consumption pattern and the existing techniques for energy efficiency. Based on the survey, the feasibility of improving the available systems and adopting new programs in different sectors is investigated. The proposed options are then categorized into four main sectors such as building, industrial, electrical and transportation. The study reveals the fact that the energy conservation policy of the country has been fairly improved in the last ten years. However the country has to pay more attention to this area and make urgent measures to adopt more energy-efficient technologies in various sectors.


This paper systematically discusses the evolution of the theories and practices about Comprehensive National Power abroad in centuries, including its origins and all kinds of schools, views and thoughts, evaluating systems and measurement models. The article gives the applications and practices significance of synthetic national strength, basic trends and researches for needing to be continued.


Philippe Aries was one of the most highly regarded social historians of the second half of the 20th century. His first essays on the history of death appeared in 1975, just when emerging medical capacities to keep people alive on ventilators to the end of the tax year had given a whole new meaning to the biblical adage to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. Aware of changing attitudes to death, and wondering if we were facing a radical break with a continuous tradition embodied in the rituals of visiting cemeteries and in piety for the dead, Aries continued his work on this subject, which culminated in 1981 in this book, a work of exciting scholarship and humanity. Exciting because, using the history of large urban cemeteries, ancient funerary practices, notarial records, wills, and works of literature and art, Aries shows that far from there being a continuous tradition regarding death, our current "alienated" forms of death have replaced a relatively short lived tradition of romantic death that started with the Victorians.Victorians.

Figure 1

Philippe Aries

Oxford University Press 1991 (Alfred A Knopf 1981), pp 651 ISBN 0 19 507364 9

This classic book is currently out of print, but may be available from libraries and online secondhand bookshops

Rating: ★★★★

In contrast, from the early Christian centuries through to the Middle Ages the promise of eternity seems to have shaped considerations of death, leading our ancestors to more or less abandon corpses to the Church. In the Middle Ages a change of culture brought a growing concern with the fear of judgment, which eventually trumped the promise of eternity. The focus on death changed from a communal one to a much more personal one. Previously a good death was one that came on slowly, was anticipated by the sufferer, and took place in the presence of others. A bad death was one that came abruptly, leaving people unable to settle their mental or worldly affairs.

The rise of modern individualism has seen a growing preference for abrupt deaths. The bodily indicators of death that once allowed people to compose themselves and arrange their affairs have been transformed into signs of bodily corruption. A fascination with bodily changes before and after death ultimately issued in a new mythology: the perverse resurrection of vampirism. These changes also set the stage for the increasing role of medicine as a means to stave off the corruption of death. With Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilyich we see how the interventions of doctors led to a move from resignation in the face of death to anxiety as to whether the efforts of doctors will succeed in prolonging life.

While Aries illustrates how each of us might have faced death at various points during the last 1500 years, his ultimate interest is in how communities face death. The relatively rapid transformations in our understanding of death reflect our capacity to make myths and to embody these myths in communal and personal memories. This myth making capacity seems even more active—and perhaps is ever more needed—in our modern scientific era. Any juxtaposition of myth and science is unsettling, but this tension finds a resolution within the bigger picture that this book gives, and thus the book is not just a profound work of historical scholarship but also one to consider giving to a friend who has been bereaved. The Hour of Our Death might even appropriately be called a book of consolation, if that word could be stripped of the connotations of piety that have encrusted it in the last 100 years and that have left us unsettled by the changing face of death in our time.


Cardiac glycosides inhibit the sodium pump. However, some studies suggest that nanomolar ouabain concentrations can stimulate the activity of the sodium pump.


This research was conducted to determine the acceptability of the alcoholic beverage with the addition of lemon juice (Citrus aurantifolia) var. Subtle and passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) var. Flavicarpa as flavoring and flavouring natural through sensory analysis, analyze during storage the affectation of the organoleptic characteristics, assess the physicochemical characteristics changes and determine if the juices use entail some growth of microorganisms. This research experimental was attached to a design blocks completely at random (DBCA) in A bivariate array * B where settled combinations between types of juices (a1, a2) and their concentrations in the alcoholic beverage (10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%) having a total of 10 treatments. The acceptability of treatments was evaluated and subsequently using the random factor days of storage (1, 15, 30) discussed the parameters of total quality: organoleptic (odor, taste, color, fluency), chemical-physics (Gay Lussac, acidity, pH, Brix) and microbiological (count of aerobic microorganisms Mesophiles, moulds, yeasts).It was determined that the most acceptable treatments were T9, T1, T8, T2, T10 and T3. The results shows significant changes in the organoleptic attributes (flavour, odor and smoothness) and NS (not significant) for color, stressing that they obtained better results in treatments with juice of passion fruit, T8, T9, T10. Significant changes in chemical physical attributes for pH, acidity, obrix and NS (not significant) for degrees of alcohol. And the microbiological results are within the range permitted for beverages type cocktail using the standard NTE INEN 2802 (2015).


Theoretical expression of attenuation constant of anharmonic Ba1−xCaxTiO3 ferroelectric crystal in paraelectric phase using double times temperature dependent Green's function technique, is derived. The variation of attenuation constant with frequency and temperature has been studied by considering thirdand fourth-order anharmonic interactions, taking electric field as an important parameter. The mass and force constant change due to the presence of impurity atoms in SilvermanJoseph Hamiltonian augmented with higher order anharmonic terms. The effect of electric field, defect and anharmonicity on stabilization of the soft mode frequency has also been studied. The attenuation constant increases with increasing temperature and frequency in the presence of an electric field. In the vicinity of the Curie temperature, attenuation constant increases anomalously.


The net primary productivity, vis-à-vis crop growth rate is mainly dependent on radiation use efficiency (RUE). Considering the scarcity of instruments to measure RUE, the indirect approaches should be evolved to determine this important crop characteristic. Keeping this point in mind, Global Solar Radiation (GSR) was determined through indirect approach and field experiment was conducted during 2013-2015 at University Farm of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India to determine the light extinction coefficient plus RUE of two popular rice cultivars of the region. In the split-plot design, four dates of transplanting were allotted as main plot treatment and two rice cultivars (V1: Swarna; V2: Satabdi) were considered as sub-plot treatment. Statistical tests confirmed that Angstrom equation can be useful for estimation of GSR for this region. Above ground crop-biomass was linearly related to Intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR) for all of the data sets. Irrespective of years, Swarna cultivar used the radiation more efficiently than the Satabdi cultivar. The mean RUE values were 2.75 and 2.57 gm MJ IPAR for Swarna and Satabdi cultivars respectively.


Within the University of Twente, the Netherlands, TRIZ is seen as a powerful methodology that stimulates students in investigating innovative solutions during the product development process. The TRIZ methodology has been part of the Twente curriculum for many years, mainly as small parts of courses and projects. In 2009, TRIZ was presented as an 84 or 140 hour master course for the first time. The course organisation differs from regular university courses both by subject, timing and intensity. The course was offered during the summer break within two weeks, with a workload reaching 10+ hours a day. This paper describes the course itself, course results and the student evaluation of the course.


Recent Scientific Perspectives on the Indian Hydrogeology DIPANKAR SAHA, SHASHANK SHEKHAR, SHAKIR ALI, L ELANGO and S S VITTALA Former Member, Central Ground Water Board. Expert, Ground Water, Government of Gujarat, India Department of Geology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India Department of Geology, Anna University, Chennai 600 025, India Central Ground Water Board, MOWR, RD & GR Government of India


This paper describes single-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with active filter and flywheel. The UPS consists of a diode rectifier, a single-phase inverter, a flywheel energy storage unit with PM motor/generator and a three-phase inverter, not using a bulky electrolytic capacitor, battery and filter reactor. It contains many excellent characteristics: small size, lightweight and maintenance-free. The switching frequency of the single-phase inverter is more efficient with low frequency, which is synchronous with source voltage. However, it can supply stable power with the load. The unity input power factor control and the sinusoidal current waveform control of input side are realized by the active filter ability with quick energy charge/discharge control based on flywheel. The proposed system gives rise to sinusoidal output voltage waveform without LC filter. In this paper, the experiments are carried out under the structural conditions of using the pilot flywheel unit and the driving simulator of PM motor/generator connected to flywheel. The results indicate that the UPS has a desired active filter operation, and supplies the stable power with the load under any power condition.


An attempt o explain the phenomenon of the effect of electrode rotation on the ozone generation process will be presented. An ozonizer with an electrode rotating system may be one of the possible ways to increase ozone synthesis efficiency. The presented research shows that, with electrode rotation the ozone generation efficiency increases about 15% compared to an ozonizer with a non-rotating electrode. Also during the research an attempt will be made to find the most suitable lectrode rotational speed for the ozone generation process.


A large‐amplitude model is developed to describe the three A1 vibrational modes of CH3 I. The use of a relatively simple choice of curvilinear coordinates is shown to be suitable for the regions of the ground electronic state probed by resonance Raman experiments. The essentials of the earlier two‐mode linear triatomic model are regained by an adiabatic separation of the symmetric C–H stretch coordinate, but with a slightly different kinetic energy operator. A potential energy surface is constructed for the CH3 umbrella and C–I stretching coordinates. The resulting two‐mode levels agree with almost all of the observed transitions to within experimental uncertainty up to 9300 cm−1 . Use of all three modes allows us to approximately apply the same potential surface to CD3 I. It is also hoped that the present model will be useful in excited state calculations, and in other CX3 Y molecules as well.


Decision matrices represent a common tool for modeling decision-making problems under risk. They describe how the decision-maker's evaluations of the considered alternatives depend on the fact which of the possible and mutually disjoint states of the world will occur. The probabilities of the states of the world are assumed to be known. The alternatives are usually compared on the basis of the expected values and the variances of their evaluations. However, the states of the world as well as the alternatives evaluations are often described only vaguely. Therefore, we consider the following problem: the states of the world are modeled by fuzzy sets defined on the universal set on which the probability distribution is given, and the evaluations of the alternatives are expressed by fuzzy numbers. We show that the common approach to this problem, based on employing crisp probabilities of the fuzzy states of the world computed by the formula proposed by Zadeh, is not appropriate. Therefore, we introduce a new approach in which a fuzzy decision matrix does not describe discrete random variables but fuzzy rule bases. The problem is illustrated by an example.


We have implemented a simple and cost-effective OADM by using one 2/spl times/N multiplexer and N couplers. The result shows that the proposed OADM did not cause any significant power penalties. In addition, we found that the reflection from inside of the AWG caused substantial crosstalk comparable to the first-order crosstalk. Thus, the suppression of the first-order crosstalk (by placing optical isolators in the coupled fold-back paths) may not improve the performance of the proposed OADM.


In May 2000 the United States was voted off of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. This reflected the frustration of much of the international community with the United States' increasingly obstructionist approach to international institutionalism. The United States' opposition to the proposed International Criminal Court (ICC) reflects its pursuit of double standards in human rights policy. Double standards are manifest in U.S. support for Israel and Turkey with their records of gross human rights violations. They likewise are discernable in the strategic motives behind the 1999 Kosovo intervention. The proposed ICC challenges the United States' use of human rights rhetoric to pursue unilateral objectives by forging a more neutral means of prosecuting international justice. If the United States is to recover its status as the world's human rights leader, it must renew its commitment to multilateral institutionalism and must avoid double standards that undermine the legitimacy of human rights discourse.


Background. Previously we reported that patients sensitized to pollen-allergens who had seasonal allergic rhinitis and seasonal asthma may show increased plasma levels of platelet activation markers during grass pollen season. Objective. To find out whether the pattern of platelet activity measured by plasma PF-4 level in the same group of patients changed off-season compared with the pollen season as well as in comparison with healthy control subjects. Methods. Off-pollen season, plasma PF-4 level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 16 grass pollen allergic patients who had seasonal allergic rhinitis and seasonal asthmatic symptoms (none of them had any history of allergic diseases outside the season) and in 29 healthy nonatopic subjects. Results. Plasma PF-4 level in the patients off–pollen season was significantly lower as compared with the season and did not differ significantly as compared to the healthy subjects. Conclusions. This observation taken along with our previous results indicates that patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and asthma symptoms may have an increased circulating platelet activation, yet this phenomenon disappears in the asymptomatic period of the disease. This might indicate that platelet activation within the systemic circulation is an important factor in the development of seasonal allergic airway inflammation.


ABSTRACT

Nafi'ah, Lailatun. Registered student. 2813123096. 2016. The Effectiveness of Using Snake and Ladder Game Toward The Students' Speaking Achievementat at MAN 1 Tulungagung.Thesis. English Educational Program Department of Islamic Education State Islamic Institute of Tulungagung. Advisor: Nany Soengkono Madayani, S.S, M.Pd

Keyword:Effectiveness, snake and ladder, students' speaking achievement

Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving, and processing information. Speaking involves speaker (s) and listener (s) who interact each other, convey message or tranfer information. Therefore, mastery of speaking is important to express ideas, opinions, feelings, thoughts and emotions and to respon what other say orally. By this study the researcher wants to implement snake and ladder in teaching speaking.

The formulation of the research problems were: 1) How is the students' speaking achievement before being taught by snake and ladder game? 2) How is the students' speaking achievement after being taught by snake and ladder game? 3) Is there any significance different scores of the students before and after being taught by snake and ladder game?

The purpose of this study were: 1) To know the students speaking score before being taught by snake and ladder game, 2) To know the students speaking score after being taught by snake and ladder game, 3) To know the significance different score before and after being taught by snake and ladder game. The subject of this study is students in eleventh grade at MAN 1 Tulungagung, especially for XI IIK U.

The research methodology: quantitative approach used in this study with pre-experimental research design. Because of the subject of study is single class that is XI IIK U, thus the researcher used one group pre-test and post-test research design. The population was the entire students of eleventh grade at MAN 1 Tulungagung which consist of eleven classes. Then, the sample of this study was XI IIK U (Excellent Religion) consisting of thirty students. The instrument in this study was speaking test both pre-test and post-test. The researcher used SPSS Statistics to analyze the reliability testing and the t- test.

According to the result of this study, the students' mean before the treatment were 63.5. Besides, the students' mean after the treatment was 76.8. Then, the significant level two tails is 0. 00,while the standard level of significant is 0.05. By balancing the significant level and the standard level significant, the researcher got calculation. The calculation shown that the result of tcountis 8.86 and to know whether it is significant or not, the researcher used ttable. It can be known that t with significant level 5% and degree of freedom 29 it is 1.69. In short, the output was 8.86 > 1.69. Thus, it can be categorized that tcountis greater than ttable(tcount>ttable) or the significant level two tails is < the standard level significant (0, 00< 0, 005). Because the significant level two tails is < the standard level significant, it can be concluded that the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted and the null hypothesis is rejected.

On the basis of explanation above, it means that there is significant different between students' speaking achievement before being taught using snake and ladderand after being taught using snake and ladder. The conclusion is snake and laddergame is effective toward the students' speaking achievement.In line that that snake and laddergame can be applied by English teacher in teaching and learning process especially for speaking learning.


Objective To report the experience of the revision procedure with morselized bone grafting and a special design of acetabular prosthesis with three wings for loosened acetabular component in our hospital. Methods Since December 1989 to Junanry 1999, 23 cases with loosened acetabular component and bone defect were revised by morselized bone auto/allografting. There were 12 males and 11 females, the average age of the patients was 54.2 years old (range from 38 to 71 years old). The prosthesis of primary THA was double cup in 4 cases, the conventional THA in 19 cases, cemented in 22 cases and cementless in 1 cases. The severity of acetabular component loosening was classified into four types according to Gustillo: Type II in 3 cases, type III in 9 cases and type IV in 11 cases. The morselized bone autografting and allografting with size 4- 6 mm were used in 6 cases and in 17 cases respectively. Different acetabular components had been used, the thread metal acetabular cup in 2 cases, screw fixed conventional metal acetabular cup in 10 cases and special design acetabular prosthesis with three wings in 11 cases. The latter prosthesis consists of an conventional acetabular component with pearl porous surface and three wings with different length and sharp edge distributed centrally in the superior lateral quadrant on the surface, the liner is made of UHMPE. Results No infection of the wound occurred in this group. The mean time of follow- up was 3 years and 8 months. Except 3 cases, all of the bone grafts was healed well and X- ray showed that the containing of acetabular component was good, no translucent line between donor bone bed and prosthesis, and the bone defect had been repaired. The average Harris score was 47 before revision, and 86 after revision. The successful rate of revision was 86.9% . There were 3 loosening cases postoperatively, 2 cases were due to incorrect position of prostheses and insufficient bone graft, another case was due to the screw being too short to fix the acetabular component. However, all of the three cases have partial bone growth in the original loosening acetabular. Conclusion 1. Direct contact between the morselized bone auto/allograft and the surface of metal acetabular component and the firm fixation of the prosthesis have showed good result of bone defect reconstruction. 2. The special design of acetabular prosthesis with three wings could be selected as an alternative method for huge bone loss of acetabulum (ranged from 64 to 79 mm), because it was able to enlarge the volume of the acetabular component.


This article expounds the influence of environment on green food, organic food and non-pollution food. In order to meet the challenges and grasp the opportunities after China entered the WTO, the priovity over this development should be given to the cultivation of the technicians and managerial personnels concerned.


Efficient functioning of grain markets is an important component of food security in South Caucasus and Central Asia. Wheat provides almost half of total daily calories in those food-insecure countries. We examine the degree of integration of South Caucasian and Central Asian wheat markets with world wheat markets employing linear and threshold cointegration models. Results indicate that markets in South Caucasus region function more efficiently than in Central Asia. In addition, reduction of trade costs is critical for Central Asia as it hinders efficient functioning of wheat markets. Improvement of the transport infrastructure would improve food security in these countries.


In order to solve the problem of low reflectivity of reflector P and S light in space remote sensing optical system, this paper, based on the theory of optical film, adopts Essential Macleod film system design software, and uses physical meteorological deposition method to coat nickel substrate with highly reflective polarization film. H4 is selected as the high refractive index material, Ag as the low refractive index material, Al2O3 as the bonding layer, the film device meets the incident Angle of 30°, 1545nm-1555nm, Rs>99.96%, Rp > 99.8%. The device has important application value.


Central banks have long played a far larger role in policy-making than their legal mandates might imply. In recent years their power and influence have become even greater. Since the financial crisis, public banks around the world have taken on more direct responsibilities for financial supervision and regulation, and pushed monetary policy to new limits in order to stimulate the global economy. In the United States and Eurozone, in particular, political barriers have limited legislative responses to the crisis, forcing regulatory institutions to pick up the slack. As a result, central banking institutions today possess broader policy-making authority and discretion than they possessed a decade ago. With greater power comes greater responsibility and, in the world of academia, greater scrutiny. In recent years, a number of books have challenged some of the idées reçues on central banks. Chief among the critical targets has been a set of theories, influential in policy-making circles since the inflation-ridden economic crises of the 1970s, extolling formally independent central banks as the best (if not only) way for governments to maintain price stability. Such theories argued that, since elected officials would always be incentivized to use monetary policy powers to gin up the economy preceding an election, leaving monetary policy to the discretion of elected officials would produce an inflationary bias. Only formally independent institutions, freed from the influence of the short-term election cycle, could make the 'credible commitments' necessary to maintain price stability. In the 1980s and 1990s, a number of studies found correlations between low inflation and independent central banks (e.g. Alesina and Summers 1993). In the same period, many states established formally independent banks, particularly in Europe. The EU even enshrined the principles of Central Bank Independence (CBI) and a commitment to low inflation in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty.


Part 1 The world in black and white: Basic structural drawing linear perspective in square objects learning shape awareness the importance of values translating values into light and shadow modeling the four basic forms various light directions the behavious of cast shadows. Part 2 The world in limited colour: Bedrock basics of colour theory functional colour in realism complementary colour sequences more light and shadow observations colour perception and harmony analogous colour sequences. Part 3 The world in full colour: complementary colour wheel and colour solid composition design more techniques in oil painting colour in landscape practical concerns for the emerging artist.


Relation between the party and the mass is an important theoretic and practical problem for construction of the party in power. Each of the three-generation core leaders has ever stated it deeply. Correctly understanding and handling relation between the party and the mass by politics underlined is an important idea Jiang Zemin proposed. To each party members and leaders, the key to deal with the relation between them lies in continuously changing their own subjective world.


direct observations and interviews. Results The total economic cost per inhabitant (p.i.) per month. (p.m.) increased from 2.76 USD in months without dengue transmission to 6.05 USD during an outbreak. In months without transmission, the routine Aedes control programme cost 1.67 USD p.i. p.m. Incremental costs during the outbreak were mainly incurred by the population and the primary/secondary level of the healthcare system, hardly by the vector control programme (1.64, 1.44 and 0.21 UDS increment p.i. p.m., respectively). The total cost for managing a hospitalized suspected dengue case was 296.60 USD (62.0% direct medical, 9.0% direct non-medical and 29.0% indirect costs). In both periods, the main cost drivers for the Aedes control programme, the healthcare system and the community were the value of personnel and volunteer time or productivity losses. Conclusions Intensive efforts to keep A. aegypti infestation low entail important economic costs for society. When a dengue outbreak does occur eventually, costs increase sharply. In-depth studies should assess which mix of activities and actors could maximize the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of routine Aedes control and dengue prevention. Effectiveness of adaptive designs for phase II cancer trials. Lopez MF, Dupuy JF, Gonzalez CV. Contemp Clin Trials. 2011 Oct 7. [Epub ahead of print]. Background Evaluation of new therapies for cancer has suffered a paradigm shift in the last years. The use of innovative and more effi cient designs is a priority for the scientifi c community; nevertheless, the use of this kind of design is not yet wide spread. Purpose In this paper will examine the effectiveness of adaptive designs compared with traditional designs in phase II clinical trials. Methods We reviewed a group of abstracts records between 1980 and 2008 and extracted data regarding statistical design, year of publication, kind of evaluated product, localization, sample size and results of the trials. Results Nine hundred and eighty-nine clinical trials were identifi ed and from them 333 traditional designs and 19 adaptive designs were included in the review. Two hundred statistical papers were located and 16 were included in the review. The most frequent designs were Standard up and down designs, continual reassessment methods and its variation and designs


Final report on a three year study designed to investigate the effects of the Maryland hydraulic escalator clam dredge on populations and recruitment of the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria. Experimental plots were established in the Potomac river, Maryland, and were dredged ina commerical manner by removing only legal size clams. quarterly samples were taken in the experimental and control plots by means of a van Veen grab for juvenile clams and the hydraulic dredge for older, deeper burrowing clams. Sediment samples were taken at selected periods for organic carbon and grain size analysis. Clams were separated into two size-groups. (PDF contains 38 pages)


Yifengyou huazhan, a new late-season hybrid indica rice combination derived from the cross of Yifeng A/Huazhan,was bred by China National Rice Research Institute and Jiangxi Dazhong Seed Co Ltd. It is mainly planted as a late-season rice in Jiangxi province and shows good plant type, high and stable yield, high grain quality, resistant to blast,wide adaptability as well as high yield of hybrid seed production. It was registered and released to commercial production in Jiangxi Province in March, 2014. The key points of its cultural management and F1 seed production techniques were discussed in this paper.


Records. Why keep them? I have no doubt that some will say that they have no time to keep records-they are too busy; the answer to that is that if doctors keep good records they are not nearly so busy. They have the facts about their patients in front of them in black and white instead of in some inaccessible area of their brains. The patients get out of their surgeries in half the time; they are cured in half the number of attendances and the doctor has twice as much free time.


A power industry technical supervision and management system based on blockchain intelligent contract is designed in this paper. The tamper-proof and traceable features of blockchain smart contracts are used, thus making the technical supervision more transparent in the whole process of design, procurement, installation, operation and maintenance. After an accident, the cause and responsibility of the accident can be accurately determined to avoid problems such as uncertain cause of the accident and the shirking of responsibility by the responsible person. It is convenient for relevant government departments to supervise. The decentralized architecture is adopted in this system to provide managers with dynamic information of the whole process of technical supervision. Accidents caused by imperfect management have been reduced.


Lack of information is one of the main challenges for learners to participate in various competitions and events. Schools need various activities, during which students are informed and motivated to participate in various competitions, receive the necessary information from various aspects: from a theoretical and practical point of view, so that young people learn about the resources available to them in Rezekne secondary schools. Here, learners can receive support, ideas, advice, experience for further career development. There is a need to organize more career guidance activities for learners about the importance of the self-motivation process and the career development process.


Inguinal hernia repair is the most common surgery performed in infants and children. The incidence rises in premature neonates. Our practice is to repair inguinal hernias diagnosed in premature infants before discharge from the neonatal unit. Many premature infants will also have feeding problems due to neurological impairment or congenital anomalies. A gastrostomy feeding tube may be required. We present a successful technique of simultaneous repair of the inguinal hernia and laparoscopic-guided gastrostomy tube placement. The fiber optic camera can be placed through the hernia sac for excellent visualization. We recommend consideration of the feeding status of all neonates with hernias because the optimal time to place a gastrostomy may be at the time of hernia repair.


Introduces the background and the advantages of Linux system.By analysis on the advantages of Linux system and the present situation of IT field,expounds the importance,feasibility and necessity of developing students to learn Linux technology in higher vocational education.


The asymmetric unit in the crystal of the title compound, C18H21N8O7PS, contains two independent molecules, which are linked by a pair of N—H···O hydrogen bonds [N···O 2.852 (4) and 2.914 (4) Å]. These two molecules exhibit significant differences in conformation: two β-azidoethyl groups are far from the shielding area of the α-benzene ring and almost vertical to it, while in molecule 2 these two β-azidoethyl groups are close to the plane of α-benzene ring and approximately parallel to it.


The present invention relates to a retrovirus (retrovirus) vectors, and thus transformed poultry and a method of manufacturing the same by for transformation and expression of the gene coding for granulocyte colony stimulating factor (human Granulocyte-colony Stimulating Factor) in human blood. According to the retroviral vector of the present invention to transition the hG-CSF gene of a person to effectively and efficiently transformed to allow expression of the cell and poultry the hG-CSF gene of various animals, transformed animal cells or chicken the use as a bio-reactor can economically produce a large amount of hG-CSF. Poultry, transformation, self-replication-deficient retroviruses (replication-defective retrovirus), granulocyte colony stimulating factor in people (human Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor, hG-CSF)


A Lyapunov function, for which both V and V? are sign-definite in only certain regions of the phase plane, is used to estimate the region of asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point of a nonlinear control system. An analytical result is obtained by restricting attention to a subregion where V and V? are signdefinite.


The development of a microstrip patch antenna with a band-pass frequency selective surface superstrate for 5G New Radio applications at 3.5 GHz is presented in this paper. The frequency selective surface is based on the four-arms star geometry. The structure proposed was manufactured and measurements were performed and compared to simulations. The superstrate performance in function of the distance between the microstrip patch antenna and the FSS is analysed in detail. A measured gain improvement of 5.74 dB is achieved for a distance of 4.5 cm, approximately λ/2.


The possibility of high repetition rate laser interference with semi-active laser guided weapons operating based on real time gate signal was studied. The parameters, such as the laser interference frequency, output power were analyzed, and the interference measures, assistant systems were presented briefly.


This paper investigates the influence of pre-strain and temperature on the bake hardening (BH) effect of the low strength interstitial free (IF) steel with the yield strength of 137 MPa. The tensile specimens were pre-strained to 2-4-6 % at room temperature followed by baking at temperatures of 150-200-250 C for 20 minutes. The BH strength was determined by a standard procedure based on the difference between the lower yield strength of the baked specimen and the flow stress of the initial one. The microstructure of the IF steels was characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy for the purpose of explaining the BH effect. All the initial and baked steels show a microstructure that includes the ferrite phase, of an average grains size of 45 μm. This observation was consistent with the mechanical properties of the initial steel. The BH strengths have been achieved from 12 to 35 MPa, in which the maximum value was found for the specimen that pre-strained to 6 % and baked at 200 C. The BH strengths increased with increasing the pre-strain, but slightly decreased when the baking temperature was 250 C. This mechanism is attributed to pinning of dislocation by carbon solute atoms during the baking process, and the BH strength was correlated with grain boundary segregation.


To strengthen financial returns and sustainably manage pine plantations for a mixture of traditional merchantable forest products and biomass for energy, we may need to modify and optimize loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation man- agement regimes. There is limited information on stand-level biomass production and partitioning, which is critical to evalu- ate alternative culture regimes including cultural intensity and planting density. In the present study, effects of cultural intensity and planting density on biomass accumulation and partitioning in loblolly pine plantations at age 12 were eval- uated with destructive biomass sampling data from plots of a unique culture/density study. More intensive culture increased stand-level stem, bark, and branch biomass and aboveground biomass but did not affect foliage biomass. In general, culture intensity did not affect stand-level aboveground biomass partitioning. Planting density significantly affected stand-level aboveground biomass accumulation and partitioning; however, this effect was no longer significant among densities above 2224 trees·ha -1 . More intensive culture or lower planting density resulted in less foliage per unit of live-branch biomass. Partitioning to stems relative to branches increased with increasing planting density. Both cultural intensity and planting density had no significant effects on leaf area index and stand-level specific gravity. Planting density significantly affected the foliage density. There were no significant interactions of planting density and cultural intensity.


Increased urbanized lifestyle implies diet transition, reduced physical activity, mental strains with tobacco and alcohol use. That in turn, increases obesity, raises blood pressure, sugar and lipids, the common risk factors of interrelated non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Individual susceptibility and chronic inflammation make huge area of biomedical understanding. Behaviour modifying interventions are prudent for control but food choices also depend on affordability and availability. The low and middle income groups are driven to cheap unhealthy energy dense foods. The scenario of socioeconomic and nutrition transition in India is mounting the non communicable diseases at alarming speed and magnitude. Cardiac death has become number one killer already. Demographic transition is making the poorer and rural population vulnerable too. Prevention programmes are warranted with urgency. Whole grains, legumes, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables constitute healthy old food pattern. Dietary education under strained finances may be ineffective. Policies of food availability made in exclusion of consultation with health sector undermine prevention of NCDs. Recognition of diverse perspectives in social life and environment call for multisectorial engagement with appropriate interventions to reverse the NCDs epidemic.


The paper presents data and analysis of aerosol sizes during a two year period in Finokalia, Crete, as representing conditions in central Mediterranean. This is one more important paper that comes out of the same group. In many aspects this paper complements the previous results by providing size distributions and also comparison between in-situ ground measurements and remote sensing of columnar integrated size distributions from AERONET. The value of the paper is not only academic, but it also has some practical aspects to it. For example, it illustrates that for air pollution control it is more important to measure the PM10 and PM1. This is because the PM10 and PM2.5, which


Measuring, controlling and minimising transaction and execution costs for institutional investors are becoming increasingly important. This paper discusses the issues involved and presents a theoretical model which minimises the expected cost of Block Trading. Transaction costs and Execution costs are fully defined and discussed. Unfortunately, the data necessary to analyse many questions of interest is very difficult or impossible to obtain.In reality, Execution costs are not directly observable. Therefore, many different measures exists, each with it's own advantages and disadvantages. Theoretically, execution costs can be measured via price impact functions. Some of the most important issues concerning block trading is market capitalisation, volume traded, speed of execution, the inventory levels, the trader involved and the firm involved. All of the issues are discussed from a general perspective, therefore it is not discussed from the view of one particular market.


Mary Wroth's major literary works, The Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania and the poetry collection Pamphilia to Amphilanthus, are distinctively Baroque: Wroth repeatedly, obsessively, demonstrates a fascination with multiple narratives, the blurring of fiction and history, and eruptions of magical or miraculous interventions. She establishes the contours of a female Baroque subject, who has to absorb and attempt to transcend enculturation by the dominant male discourse. What happens when a woman enters the predominantly male discursive poetical playground of Petrarchism? Could a woman envisage anything more than her own fragmentation? Would hers be the 'same' anguish as that articulated on behalf of the dominant male subject position? What cultural forces speak through her in addition to those she attempts to control?


: Packaged fresh food is one of the factors that negatively affect the shelf life; It is at the forefront that the liquid percolated by food accumulates inside of the package, accelerating chemical and microbial spoilage and finalized with reducing food quality. In order to prevent the accumulation of liquid in the package, the absorbent pads disposed therein are partially presented as a solution of the problem. The aim of this research is to enrich absorbent pads with naturally derived antioxidants to make them more functional and extend the shelf life of food. It is also possible to easily inform the consumer about the quality of food with the expected color change in the absorbent pad. This is the first study by making use of the extract of red cabbage plant and preparing absorbent pads by combining with cellulose for examination of color change on the pad through microbial growth by time. In this study, 25 gr of trout sample were used to observe color change on the fresh prepared food pads. Each pad was prepared using 5 ml of red cabbage extract (1:1 ratio) and dried. Salmonella typhi ATCC 14028, Escherichia coli ATCC 25893, and Staphylococcus aureus 25922 were inoculated to each fish sample to make the microbial growth faster. After 12 hours, color change on the pad was observed with a naked eye that purple-red cabbage color was changed to greenish-blue. However, pH measurements also showed a similar result with the color change and pH value (6.3) observed in the fresh fish increased to 9.0 on day


One of the greatest challenges facing the Department of Energy (DOE) is the remediation of the 100 million gallons of high-level and low-level radioactive waste in the underground storage tanks at its Hanford, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, Idaho, and Fernald sites. Bench-scale batch tests have been conducted with sludge from the Melton Valley Storage Tank (MVST) Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to evaluate separation processes for use in a comprehensive sludge-processing flow sheet for concentrating the radionuclides and reducing the volumes of storage tanks wastes for final disposal. This report discusses the hot cell apparatus, the characterization of the sludge, and the results obtained from a variety of basic and acidic leaching tests of samples of sludge. Approximately 5 L of sludge/supernate from MVST W-25 was retrieved and transferred to a stainless steel tank for mixing and storage in a hot cell. Samples were centrifuged to separate the sludge liquid and the sludge solids. Air-dried samples of sludge were analyzed to determine the concentrations of radionuclides, other metals, and anions. Based upon the air-dried weight, about 41% of the centrifuged, wet sludge solids was water. The major alpha-, gamma-, and beta-emitting radionuclides in the centrifuged, wet sludge solids were {sup 137}Cs, {sup 60}Co, {sup 154}Eu, {sup 241}Am, {sup 244}Cm, {sup 90}Sr, Pu, U, and Th. The other major metals (in addition to the U and Th) and the anions were Na, Ca, Al, K, Mg, NO{sub 3}{sup {minus}}, CO{sub 3}{sup 2{minus}}, OH{sup {minus}}, and O{sub 2{minus}}. The organic carbon content was 3.0 {+-} 1.0%. The pH was 13.


Objective The objective of this study is to describe the incidence of injuries and illnesses sustained during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games from 4 February 2022 to 20 February 2022. Methods We recorded the daily number of athlete injuries and illnesses (1) through the reporting of all National Olympic Committee (NOC) medical teams and (2) in the polyclinic and medical venues by the Beijing 2022 medical staff. Results In total, 2848 athletes (1276 women, 45%; 1572 men, 55%) from 91 NOCs were followed prospectively for the occurrence of injury and illness. NOC and Beijing 2022 medical staff reported 289 injuries and 109 illnesses, equalling 10.1 injuries and 3.8 illnesses per 100 athletes over the 17-day period. The injury incidence was highest in ski halfpipe (30%), ski big air (28%), snowboard slopestyle (23%) and ski slopestyle (22%), and lowest (1%–2%) in curling, alpine mixed team parallel slalom, Nordic combined and alpine super-G. The illness incidence was highest in ski aerials (10%), skeleton (8%), cross-country skiing (8%) and Nordic combined (7%). In the study period, COVID-19 affected 32 athletes, accounting for 29% of all illnesses affecting 1.1% of all athletes. Conclusion Overall, 10% of the athletes incurred an injury and 4% an illness during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The incidence of illnesses overall, which was the lowest yet recorded in the Winter Olympic Games, and COVID-19 was mitigated through comprehensive countermeasures.


The proto‐oncogene int‐2 has been implicated in the formation of mouse mammary‐tumour‐virus‐induced mammary tumours. Analysis of the predicted coding sequence indicates that int‐2 is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family. Previous studies using Northern blot analysis suggested that normal expression of int‐2 may be confined to extra‐embryonic endoderm lineages of embryonic stages of mouse development. We have used in situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis to examine directly int‐2 expression in embryo stem cells and in the developing embryo from early gastrulation to midsomite stages. Complex patterns of accumulation of int‐2 RNA were observed in embryonic and extra‐embryonic tissues. The data suggest multiple roles for int‐2 in development which may include migration of early mesoderm cells and induction of the otocyst.


Excerpts from an address, "Some Aspects of the Problem of the Inter-Allied Debts and Reparation Payments," delivered by Frederick C. Goodenough to the American Chamber of Commerce in London


Mail server is an application which is one of the most widely used Internet-based applications today. It enables users to send and receive E-mail messages among each other within and from outside of the local area network. A computer dedicated to running such applications is also called a mail server. It is used every day in almost all organizations as a communication tool between managers, employees, customers, and partners for better information flow and conduct business which requires communication with people outside the organization, or from different geographical locations. It offers a fast, reliable and easy solution for such communication. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a transportation protocol used to transfer E-mail messages over the Internet. All E-mail servers use the SMTP to send E-mails from one E-mail server to another. SMTP is also used to send E-mail messages from E-mail clients to E-mail servers. One of the important aspects dealing with email server is security. The email server should be able to reject incoming connections which are not safe. This can be done by using sockets. A firewall can be used to accept or reject connections using sockets in the email server. Hence using sockets we can achieve a secure email server which helps us to send emails using SMTP protocol which leads us to a reason of implementing socket programming. In this paper you will see the application of SMTP protocol using socket programming in email server. It is divided into two modules server module and client module. Server accepts connection from client through sockets. Client can connect to server when server is active. A client can access Inbox, sent mails, compose mail and chat options and communicate with the server.


Figures and Tables page vi Introduction: The Growing Crisis of Expertise 1 1 Academics and How the World Feels 17 2 Experts 49 3 Citizen Sceptics 80 4 Citizen Whistle-blowers 103 Conclusion: Are We All Experts Now? 115 Notes 133 Bibliography 138 Index 142


Ultrasonic treatment combined with flocculants was used in dewatering of sediment by geotextile tube.For obtaining low sludge water mass fraction,the effect of the sequence of adding flocculants and ultrasonic on the dewatering performance was discussed.The optimal conditions of ultrasonic treatment were also determined.The results show that adding flocculants firstly and then ultrasonic treatment can achieve better dewatering performance.When the flocculants dosage is 5‰(dry basis,mass fraction),the ultrasonic energy density is 0.5 W/mL and treatment time is 10 s,the dehydration effect is the best.Finally,the pilot test of geotextile tube structure was performed.The result indicates that when flocculation mass fraction is 4‰,the dewatering performance of geotextile tube with ultrasound is better than that of the control group without ultrasound,and the curing time of geotextile tubes is shorten.Appropriate ultrasound can decrease the amount of flocculants,reduce costs and shorten the curing time of geotextile tubes,thus improving the efficiency.


The high nutritional exigency of new cultivars of coffee led this study to estimate correlations between nutrient contents and to estimate their direct and indirect effects, by path analysis, over the early growth of eight genotypes of 'Coffea arabica' L, cultivated in environments with different levels of phosphorus supply. The experiment was conducted under controlled environment, following an 8 5 factorial scheme, in a completely randomized design, with four replications. The factors studied were eight genotypes of 'Coffea arabica' L. and five conditions of availability of phosphorus in the soil: 0.00, 0.18, 0.36, 0.72, and 1.44 grams of P2O5 per kilogram of soil. The growth analyses were based on dry matter, leaf area, and chlorophyll content accumulated in 150 days of cultivation. The leaf content of P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn were used as nutritional components. The correlations were estimated and unfolded between direct and indirect effects through path analysis. Significant correlations were observed between nutritional components, and these correlations are modulated by environmental factors, such as soil type and water supply. Different levels of phosphorus fertilization promotes interactions between P Mg, K Ca, Ca Mg, Ca Mn, Ca Zn; Mg Mn, Cu Fe, Cu Mn, and Mg Zn. Some nutritional components cause strong positive effects over the early growth of genotypes of 'Coffea arabica' L.; highlighting the content of K for accumulation of biomass and development of leaf area, and Fe for chlorophyll synthesis; being possible to be explored in the indirect selection aiming to improve the early growth simultaneously to improvement of nutritional parameters.


The subject matter of the invention is a dental composition consisting of a pourable ceramic powder of a powder component, comprising at least one dental glass, glass ceramic, metal oxide, or mixed oxide selected from metal oxides, and/or a mixture comprising at least two of said components, as well as a printing dental ink, and a method for manufacturing dental prosthesis shaped bodies.


Many pregnant women will experience nausea and vomiting, generally in the first trimester. While not all will find the condition debilitating enough to


It is not precise and unreasonable to describe for the motion of the mesoscale systems with severe convective character adopting directly the motion equations in pressure (\%p\%) and sigma (\%σ\%) coordinates included assumption of quasi\|hydrostatic approximation. Therefore the more precise non\|hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric motion equations must be developed. In this paper, the non\|hydrostatic atmospheric motion equations in (\%x, y, ζ, t\%) (abbreviation \%ζ\%) coordinates has been derived through inducting a relative vertical acceleration delta (\%δ\%) and a generalized \%ζ\% coordinates. In the equations, the vertical motion equation is the non\|hydrostatic; the relative vertical acceleration delta (\%δ\%) is predictable; the vertical acceleration may get directly from \%δ\%; the \%δ\% has directly effect on the fields of the velocity, geopotential height and mass, while the \%δ\% also has indirectly effect on the temperature field. It is quite easy to get the non\|hydrostatic motion equations in the \%p\%\| or the \%σ\%\| as well as other vertical coordinates through the use of the non\|hydrostatic motion equations in the \%ζ\% coordinates. The motion equations in \%p\%\| and σ\| coordinates included assumption of quasi\|hydrostatic approximation are simplifying results of corresponding to the equations when the \%δ\%=0. Because this effect of the \%δ\% did not considered in the atmospheric motion equations in the coordinates included assumption of quasi\|hydrostatic approximation, therefore, the error must be generated for predicting a few fields. This error accumulation must be increased with time increasing of numerical integration. Obviously, the contribution of the \%δ\% has been considered in the developed new non\|hydrostatic atmospheric motion equations, the errors have been removed in the equations. Therefore the equations are more precise and also suitable to describe and predict the motion of the mesoscale systems.


This article discusses the forces that promise opportunity in the hydrocarbon sector of Alaska but inhibit action. These matters are reflected in economic terms. The cost of constructing process plants in Alaska is probably the best known factor that affects project economics. Major process-plant investments in Alaska can be made only for the exportation of product to other markets. The cost of transporting oil and gas away from Alaska's North Slope to market bears strongly on use policy. Regulatory agencies governing tariff settings for both the crude oil and gas lines have allowed premium rates of return to pipeline owners. The transportation systems represent investment opportunities with a large profit potential. The ownership of hydrocarbon reserves is another factor to be considered. Two factors encourage hydrocarbon-processing industry development: (1) the security of a large and long-lasting supply of crude oil, NGL, and methane (2) natural gas and NGL's can find no other economic outlet if the gas pipeline is not built. (DP)


Objective
The aim of this study was to examine the change of serum bone-derived hormones osteocalcin and lipocalin 2 (LCN2) level in patients with active acromegaly, and to further investigate the potential role of osteocalcin and LCN2 in glucose metabolism.

Methods
Fifty consecutive patients diagnosed as acromegaly in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from December 2016 to August 2018 were recruited. Of those, 41 patients after operations with complete follow-up data were also included. 30 sex, age, and body mass index matched healthy persons as normal controls. Serum osteocalcin and LCN2 levels were compared between controls and patients with acromegaly, as well as at pre- and post- operation periods. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to investigate the correlation between bone-derived hormones and glucose metabolism indexes and to determine the independent associations between variables.

Results
Compared with normal controls, serum osteocalcin increased [(55.45±34.02 vs 19.46±6.69)ng/ml, P 0.05). After operation, with the decrease of serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), serum osteocalcin level decreased [24.79(18.39, 32.59) vs 43.51(26.73, 65.66)ng/ml, P<0.01] and LCN2 level increased [(45.15±15.33 vs 37.03±9.73)ng/ml, P<0.05] significantly compare to pre-operation levels. In a multivariate linear stepwise regression analysis, lean mass was shown to be the only positive predictor for LCN2 (β=0.44, P=0.015) and elevated serum IGF-1 was a positive predictor for osteocalcin (β=0.512, P<0.01). In the multivariate models, low LCN2 (β=-0.398, P=0.017) and elevated serum osteocalcin (β=0.553, P=0.001) were predictors for AUCINS, osteocalcin was a positive predictor of HOMA- β (β=0.519, P=0.004). GH (β=0.294, P=0.029) and IGF-1(β = 0.428, P=0.002) were all identified as positive predictors of HOMA-IR during multivariate testing in acromegaly patients.

Conclusions
Acromegaly patients had increased osteocalcin and decreased LCN2 serum levels, and corresponding alteration was detected with the correction of biochemical abnormalities. Serum osteocalcin and LCN2 were predictors of β-cell function in acromegaly patients. This study adds new evidence for the role of bone in regulating glucose metabolism in acromegaly.

Key words:
Acromegaly; Osteocalcin; Lipocalin 2; Glucose metabolism


Air Traffic Control (ATC) is a complicated, time-evolving, and real-time procedure to direct flight operations in a safer and ordered manner. Although enormous data storages are available during air traffic operations for over 40 years, data-driven intelligent application in aviation is still an emerging task due to the safety-critical issue. With the prevalence of the Next Generation ATC system, artificial intelligence (AI) -empowered research topics are attracting increasing attention from both industrial and academic domains and a high-quality dataset naturally becomes the prerequisite for such practices. However, almost all ATC-related datasets are only unimodal for certain tasks, which fails to comprehensively illustrate the traffic situation to further support real-world studies. To address this gap, a multimodal air traffic situation (M2ATS) dataset is constructed to advance AI-related research in the ATC domain, including airspace information, flight plan, trajectory, and speech. M2ATS covers 10362 flights ATC situation data, involving 110000+ utterances (104 hours) with diversity golden text annotations, 16 intents, and 51 slots. Considering the real-world ATC requirements, a total of 10 multimedia-related tasks (24 baselines) are designed to validate the proposed dataset, covering automatic speech recognition, natural language processing, and spatial-temporal data processing. New ATC-related metrics corresponding to ATC applications are proposed in addition to the common metrics to evaluate task performance. Extensive experiment results demonstrate that the selective baselines can achieve designed tasks on this new dataset, and further investigations are also required to address task and data specificities. It is believed that the proposed new dataset is a new practice to advance AI applications to an industrial scene, which not only promotes ATC-related applications but also provides diverse research topics in the common multimedia community.


Abstract The time‐related distribution and muscarinic receptor binding of orally administered cimetropium, a quaternary ammonium antimuscarinic drug, in longitudinal smooth muscle of intestinal segments and other bodily tissues of the rat was investigated in parallel with atropine in an in‐vivo binding study combined with autoradiograpic imaging. Unlike the binding of the quaternary drug in duodenum, jejunum and ileum, which decreased with time, the binding of the drug to colonic smooth muscle increased with time over a 15‐h period. Binding was absent in the right atrium and minor and temporary in submandibular glands. The tissue distribution of (3H)cimetropium 24 h after oral administration mirrored the binding data. Micro‐autoradiographic imaging performed 24 h after oral administration of (14C)cimetropium showed silver grains to be distributed in highest density in colonic tissues, i.e. the smooth muscles, blood vessels (mainly venulesj and the deep mucosal glands; and in hepatocytes. Negligible grain densities were seen in heart, exocrine glands and other bodily tissues. The results indicate that oral cimetropium, differently from atropine, accumulates selectively in colon–and binds specifically there to muscarinic receptors in smooth muscle–by a mechanism more reflective of transit along the enterai tract, and local uptake and elimination, than absorption in the upper gastrointestinal region.


The objective of the study is to get the best dose of boiler ash and tofu wastewater to increase the growth of palm oil seedlings in the nurseries. The study used a completely randomized design in factorial with three replications. The first factor is the dose of boiler ash consisting of four levels, namely 0 g, 300 g, 350 g, 400 g, and 450 g per polybag. The second factor is the concentration of tofu wastewater, which consists of four levels, namely 0%, 60%, 80%, 100% per polybag. The results showed that the interaction between boiler ash and tofu wastewater had a significant effect on the growth of palm oil seedlings in the nurseries. Interaction between boiler ash doses 350-450 g per polybag with tofu wastewater concentration 80-100% per polybag can increase seedling height, shoot diameter, root volume, and dry weight of palm oil seedlings.


The comparison between industrialized seedling nurturing and seedling nurturing by manual seeder showed that through industrialized seedling nurturing,the sowing efficiency was able to be increased in that 375 trays could be sowed in an hour and approximately 700 m2 of seedbed in greenhouse could be sowed in five or six hours.The work efficiency of industrialized seedling nurturing increased four to five times over conventional seedling nurturing;furthermore,the yield increased by 2.8% and 15 full grains increase was obtained per panicle.


Editors, We read the article by Sharpton et al1 with great interest. Using a familial cohort, the study reported the prevalence of liver disease among firstdegree relatives of Mexican Americans diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); 17% had significant fibrosis and 42% had hepatic steatosis. In addition, individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity had particularly high odds of these conditions, predominantly secondary to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We here present a full and simplified directed acyclic graph (DAG)2 based on the discussion and the publications cited there, including the pivotal review articles from the same group3,4 (Figure 1).5 DAGs provide a simple and transparent way for scientists to identify and demonstrate their theories and assumptions about the (causal) relationships between variables.2,6 The simplified DAG illustrates the relationship between HCC among MexicanAmerican adult probands and the liver fibrosis of their firstdegree relatives, an association that is due to common genetic (e.g. PNPLA3) and lifestyle risk factors.3,4 The relatives' genetic and lifestyle risk factors are unmeasured and hence not controlled, creating an unblocked backdoor path between the probands' HCC and the relatives' liver fibrosis (i.e. an association between them). As such, the probands' HCC status acts as a surrogate for those "background" risk factors.2 However, it is worth considering whether there are any better surrogates for this association. It is well established that there is an increased incidence of hepatic fibrosis in firstdegree relatives of patients with advanced fibrosis secondary to NAFLD,7 and that more advanced liver fibrosis is strongly associated with a higher incidence of HCC.8,9 The DAGs illustrate these relationships as well. Thus, additional sensitivity analysis to model the relatives' liver fibrosis based on the probands' liver fibrosis status (e.g. using the FIB4 index of the probands, which appeared to be available per their Table S2) may be of interest. The analysis could involve creating strata of the relatives based on the degree of liver fibrosis in the probands, enabling the estimation of differences in the relatives' liver fibrosis among the strata. In addition, the probands' liver fibrosis status could be included as a categorical or continuous variable using the FIB4 index in their logistic regression models. Although a family history of HCC is memorable and notable overall, if the prevalence of liver disease in the relatives of the probands with HCC but without advanced fibrosis is low, and the probands' FIB4 index is strongly associated with the relatives' fibrosis, a family history of significant liver fibrosis may serve as a better surrogate than HCC status and therefore remain a basis for more efficient targeted screening.7


Optical bistable device arrays have gained much interest for their potential application in optical parallel information processing. The symmetric self-electrooptic effect device (S-SEED) is one of the most promising bistable devices because of its low switching energy. In order to increase the optical bistability in a S-SEED, one needs to increase the reverse bias. This approach, however, inevitably entails an increase in switching energy and thermal ohmic heating. For fast switching and fabrication simplicity, it would be desirable to achieve optical bistability without external bias. In this paper, we report our experimental results on the zero-biased optical bistability (ZBOB) of a S-SEED array that we fabricated in a very simple lay-out and present some design considerations to maximize the bistability.


A multicenter study was performed in 12 Italian medical centers by members of Gruppo Italiano Ricerca Dermatiti da Contatto e Ambientali (GIRDCA) over 5 years (January 1984 to December 1988) to set up a computerized data bank on contact dermatitis. With a subsequent analytical study, the significanc


" This annual report briefly describes progress oi research in nonlinear control theory. Results reported include characterizations of C the family of linearizations about constant operating points of non-L.) linear systems described by transform-domain Volterra series, explicit formulas for the linearization of an interconnected system in terms of L subsystem linearizations, and a characterization for linearization by feedback. Publications describing these results in detail are listed. Approved for public relearle distribution uliuilted.


A critical evaluation is made of the Chinese-English translation test papers of TEM8(2012)in terms of Chinese and English contrastive analyses in the lexical meaning and grammaticl structure with a view to shedding light on some common problems in the Chinese-English translation of TEM8(2012) in specific cases and on the teaching of translation of psychological description text in the course "Chinese-English Translation"in general.


Abstract This study tackles the debate on the relationship between insurance development and economic growth by providing new evidence on the insurance sector. Most of the existing empirical studies focus primarily on the banking sector. This article applies linear dynamic panel-data approaches to examine the nexus between insurance (life insurance, non-life insurance, and the total insurance) and economic growth in 16 OECD countries from 2009 to 2020. We show that insurance development is associated with economic growth. The relationship between life and non-life insurance premiums and economic growth is non-linear. Based on the analysis of the data, an inverted U-shaped relationship is observed between insurance premiums and economic growth, thereby supporting the hypothesis reported in the literature on the non-linear relationship between financial development and economic growth. This implies that more finance may only be better up to a point, after which it tends to harm growth. Thus, our results confirm that the relationship between the insurance sector and economic growth appears to behave like the association between the financial industry and GDP. These findings offer several useful empirical implications for insurance companies and certain perspectives that would help policymakers, governments in OECD and other regions identify important aspects that can be considered while formulating financial regulations related to insurance activities.


Assistive technology is an emerging area where robots can be used to help individuals with motor disabilities achieve independence in daily living activities. Mobile robots should be able to autonomously and safely move in the environment (e.g. the user apartment), by accurately solving the self-localization problem and planning ef paths to the target destination speciied by the user. This paper presents a vision-based navigation scheme designed for Sony AIBO, in ASPICE, an assistive robotics project. The navigation scheme is map-based: visual landmarks (white lines and coded squares) are placed in the environment, and the robot utilizes visual data to follow the paths composed by these landmarks , and travel to the required destinations. Performance of this vision-based scheme is shown by experiments and comparison with two previously existing ASPICE navigation modes. Finally, the system is clinically validated, in order to obtain a deenitive assessment through patient feedback.


Introduction : The purpose of this study was to identify factors that affect the expression of opinions regarding choices in end-of-life medical services by community-dwelling elderly people. Methods : We mailed a self-administered questionnaire to 780 elderly people who participated in preventive care projects in two municipalities in the Kanto region. Results : Of the 368 respondents (response rate, 47.2%), we included 348 who provided valid responses (valid re-sponse rate, 94.6%) in the analysis. We performed logistic regression analysis to identify factors influencing the expression of opinions regarding choices in end-of-life medical services. As a result, the experience of being at someone's deathbed was an influencing factor (p=0.046, OR=1.576). Conclusion : The factor affecting the expression of opinions regarding choice in end-of-life medical services was the experience of being at someone's deathbed.


In Brazil, the high complexity of the oncology care network is composed of general hospitals qualified to diagnose and treat the most frequent types of cancer in their respective insertion regions. The study sought to determine the prevalence of malnutrition, its main risk factors and the preventive / corrective strategies adopted in patients recently admitted to a regional hospital for cancer care in the Triângulo Mineiro-MG, Brazil. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study, with data collected from medical records of patients over 18 years old, recently admitted (up to 72h) for admission to the hospital, between April 14 and 26, 2012. The study was authorized by Hospital and of the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (protocol No. 922,449). Data from 122 patients were used. The global prevalence of malnutrition was 44.3% (nutritional risk + malnutrition detected by Subjective Global Assessment). The most frequent site of malignant neoplasms was the digestive system, 35.9% of the cases. Age> 60 years (p = 0.032), as well as cancer in the digestive system (p = 0.002) were associated with an increased risk of malnutrition. Only 5.7% of patients were receiving nutritional supplementation at the time of nutritional assessment. Therefore, a high prevalence of malnutrition was found associated with a low use of nutritional supplementation among newly admitted patients. Considering the severity of the disease, the nature of a hospital specializing in cancer care and the risk factors identified, it is necessary to encourage the early use of nutritional supplements in that hospital.


During the Chairman's recent press conferences, the first topic that he addressed was the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) set of economic projections. He outlined the Committee's expectations for economic growth, inflation, and the unemployment rate for the next few years and the longer run. The numbers that he presented, however, offer only a snapshot of the Committee's views.


A novel reduced graphene oxide-montmorillonite three-dimensional composite aerogel (rGO-MMT aerogel) was synthesized successfully. The rGO-MMT aerogel with good adsorption and recyclable property due to special 3D interconnection porous structure and good mechanical strength. The preparation process was carried out in aqueous solution under atmosphere pressure without any toxic agents or special instruments, which is a facile, green, and low-cost method. The aerogel was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The adsorptive capacity and recycling of the aerogel were studied, including remove organic dyes (such as Methyl orange and Methylene blue) from wastewater and cycled five runs. The adsorption equilibrium data, adsorption process, and thermodynamic parameters were investigated. Moreover, the rGO-MMT aerogel absorbent could be easily and directly separated with tweezers. The rGO-MMT aerogel may find important environmental applications.


he decade following the second world war heralded the publication of a collection of important papers on non-Newtonian fluid mechanics; Oldroyd's work eatured heavily in this collection. Not only did these articles establish important results, but Oldroyd's style and methods set the scene for subsequent work n the area, exploiting mathematical analysis to formulate problems, establish results and guide further research. While Oldroyd's name will forever be linked ith the study of elastic fluids, the purpose of the present paper is to offer a modern perspective on a number of Oldroyd's papers on viscoplastic fluids from 947–1951 [1–8]. Along the way, we sprinkle in a brief review of some of the subsequent developments stemming from Oldroyd's advances, together with a few ew results guided by his work. Following the approach of most of Oldroyd's original papers, we focus on unidirectional flow down conduits. In an Appendix, e complement this discussion with a lubrication analysis, extending, clarifying and correcting the important original analysis of Walton and Bittleston (1991) 9]; although lubrication theory was not directly utilized by Oldroyd, the methodology aligns with his philosophy of using asymptotic and analytical approaches.


It is a well known observation from clinical epidemiology that elevated blood pressure and hypertension tend to track with impaired glucose metabolism and risk of established type 2 diabetes. This will be even more visible with longer diabetes duration, more target organ damage (microalbuminuria) and increased burden of other risk factors. In a previous study [1,2] in middleaged women it was shown that study participants with a high normal blood pressure had an increased risk for type 2 diabetes after long-term follow-up. The reasons for this association are not fully clear but underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, such as insulin resistance and impaired endothelial function could well link the two conditions, elevated blood pressure and impaired glucose tolerance [3,4]. In many cases, a process of early vascular ageing (EVA) could be identified in some study participants with increased susceptibility not only for hypertension, but also for glucometabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular disease in a wider sense [5]. Of special relevance is the investigation of the long-term prognosis of study participants with a high normal blood pressure (130–139/85–89 mmHg), as defined in the current European Society of Hypertension Guidelines [6].


ABSTRACT Religious attribution has known to be important not only for individual religiosity but also for individual psychological states. Studies have shown there is a need to have a religious attribution measurement which derive from culture and socio-economic status different than the Western. In this present study, we developed a Religious Attribution Scale with a sample of economically disadvantaged adolescents in Indonesia. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out in two studies. The results supported factorial validity of scales to measure positive and negative religious attribution. Both scales had adequate alpha reliabilities. Participants also responded to religiosity scale and meaning in life scales. Positive religious attribution was related to religiosity and meaning in life. Negative religious attribution subscales was related to one of meaning in life indices but not related to religiosity. Positive religious attribution was found to be the best predictor for meaning in life. Findings are discussed in this study.