Murray Goot, Policies and Partisans: Australian Electoral Opinion 1941 to 1968 (Occasional Monograph No. 1), Department of Government and Public Administration, University of Sydney, Sydney, 1969 (Mimeo.), pp. 10 + 219, $3.75. Murray Goot and Jaki Ilbery, Australian Public Opinion Polls: Index 1941–68 (Occasional Monograph No. 2), Department of Government and Public Administration, University of Sydney, Sydney, 1969 (Mimeo.), pp. 40 + iv, $1.00. (Both obtainable only from above address —make out cheques to Sydney Monographs.)


Although the human erythrocyte has been used to study insulin binding to its receptor, the specific erythroid cell responsible for insulin binding has not been determined. Therefore, in subjects with reticulocyte counts ranging from 0.5–20%, [125I]insulin binding was measured and corrected for the number of either erythrocytes or reticulocytes. The binding of [125I]- insulin to erythrocytes was similar to that shown for other cell types by a variety of binding criteria. Within any erythrocyte preparation, binding increased linearly with cell number; however, among 33 subjects, the level of specific [l25I]insulin binding did not correlate with the number of erythrocytes (r = 0.006; P = NS). Instead, the level of specific [l25I]insulin binding among subjects was better correlated with the number of reticulocytes (r = 0.74; P < 0.001). The greater the percentage of reticulocytes, the higher the binding, with the increase due to an increase in the total number of insulin receptors. Since the density of erythr...


Tempol and vasoconstriction of isolated vessels in vitro In this issue of the journal, Shastri et al. report on the effects of tempol on the vasoconstrictor response to angiotensin II in vitro [1]. Together with his colleagues, Shailesh Shastri, whose premature death during the completion of this study must be mourned, demonstrated that the superoxide dismutase mimetic, tempol, attenuated the exaggerated vasoconstrictor response to angiotensin II of spontaneously hypertensive rat vessels. The effects of tempol were specific for angiotensin II and were not observed with other vasoconstrictors. Finally, the action of tempol was observed only with an intact endothelium, and was abolished by pretreatment with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor [1]. Shastri et al. focus on different vasoconstrictors, differences between rat strains and superoxide generation.


This article studies FE,LOAN and IV on China's CPI influence from 1978 to 2009 through empirical tests and eviews.We research about these several factors that may affect CPI through establishing the vector error correction model and using Granger causality test.The conclusion is:annual LOAN and IV have co-integration relationship with CPI.Also they are the Granger cause and lag effects are both significant to the CPI,The FE has no co-integration relationship with CPI,and it can be argued that its impact on the CPI is little.So it is neglected in model.


Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a blood cancer implying bone marrow involvement, renal damages and osteolytic lesions. The skeleton involvement of MM is at the core of the present paper, exploiting radiomics and artificial intelligence to identify image-based biomarkers for MM. Preliminary results show that MM is associated to an extension of the intrabone volume for the whole body and that machine learning can identify CT image features mostly correlating with the disease evolution. This computational approach allows an automatic stratification of MM patients relying of these biomarkers and the formulation of a prognostic procedure for determining the disease follow-up.


This paper aims to discuss the construction of open language labs in higher educational institutions. It proposes that based on Humanistic Learning Theory,the construction of open language labs should involve the openness in space,time,management,learning resources,teaching and learning approaches.


: To approach the influence of altitude on stoichiometry of leaf carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of Pleioblastus amarus , the guidance of high-yield bamboo plantations cultivation of P. amarus forest is presented. We determined the concentration of leaf carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus for 1-3-year-old bamboo from stand at three different altitudinal gradients [Low altitude, (200±10) m ; middle altitude (400±10) m ; high altitude, (800±10) m ], and analyzed their stoichiometries and allometric growth. Bamboo age had great influences on the concentration of leaf carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and its stoichiometry. With increasing bamboo age, the concentration of leaf carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and N:P ratios decreased overall, while ratios of C:N and C:P increased. Altitude had significant effects on the concentration of leaf carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and its stoichiometry. With the increase of altitudinal gradient, leaf carbon increased remarkably and then deceased sharply, while leaf nitrogen and phosphorus decreased overall, and leaf C:N ,


A greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the effect of calcium (Ca) supply on pedicel growth of Cyclamen persicum "Metis" during flower development. When flower buds started to develop, four foliar spray Ca treatments were applied, including Ca0 (no added Ca as control), Ca(NO3)2, CaEDTA, and CaEDTA+H3BO3. Calcium spray treatments significantly reduced the number of short pedicels. There were 62% of the flowers with short pedicels (i.e., flower height lower than the foliar height) in the control treatment (Ca0). Short pedicels accounted for 23%, 12%, and 10% in the Ca(NO3)2-, CaEDTA-, and CaEDTA+H3BO3-treated plants, respectively. CaEDTA was a more effective Ca source than Ca(NO3)2 for improving cyclamen pedicel elongation and increasing flower numbers. Additional boron (B) supply may have enhanced Ca translocation within the plant. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that pedicel-cell structure was severely damaged in the control plants. Pedicel-cell damage was greatly alleviated in plants treated with Ca(NO3)2. No symptoms of cell damage were found in the CaEDTA- and CaEDTA+H3BO3-treated plants. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) analysis confirmed that CaEDTA+H3BO3 and CaEDTA had increased the Ca : O ratios. Therefore, Ca localization in the pedicel cell had a great influence on the pedicel height of cyclamen, and Ca concentration could be a good indicator for undisturbed cyclamen flower development.


Summary: In the northern Gulf of Mexico, deep salt movement causes faulting, oversteepening of slopes and resultant mass wasting, as well as hydrocarbon and brine seepage. To better understand these processes, we imaged ~2400 km 2 of the Louisiana slope using long-range side-scan sonar in areas of known hydrocarbon seeps. Sonar image features were interpreted based on morphology and a limited set of ground-truth data provided by near bottom geophysical data, cores, and observations collected by submersibles. The sonar records show extensive faulting, zones of seep-related sediments alteration, sediment flows, mass wasting, authigenic carbonate mounds, fluid expulsion features (mud volcanoes), erosional gullies, and possibly sand waves. Because of high spatial resolution as well as ease are rapidity of data collection, side-scan sonar data are a useful adjunct to traditional geophysical records for seafloor geologic interpretation.


The navigation of software models in current CASE tools is carried out through the use of navigation trees, and the displacement in the diagrams is typically performed by lateral scroll bars. This mechanism introduces a discontinuity between the information deployed and can cause cognitive and mechanical loads for the users. Our solution consists in applying the zoomable user interfaces (ZUI) paradigm in the visualisation and navigation of software models. To do this, we designed and built a Web tool for the visualization and navigation of graphs representing software models with the incorporation of ZUI through semantic zoom and composition hierarchies. We implemented different types of UML diagrams as case studies to test the capabilities of the tool and define future improvements.


An instability of Alfven waves driven by parallel velocity shear has been derived for a high β collisionless plasma. The unstable waves propagate in a narrow cone around the magnetic field.


Aiming at the inaccuracy of estimating the complex blur kernel,which was based on the regularization method of the image normalized sparse prior,this paper introduced the image preprocessing and proposed a novel method of blind image deblurring. The method divided blind image deblurring into three procedures. Firstly,it adopted the bilateral filter and impact filter to preprocess the image. It could strengthen image edge and reduce noise,which would be good for estimating blur kernel. Then,estimated blur kernel based on the regularization method of the image normalized sparse prior. Finally,it adopted TV regularization method in non-blind deconvolution processing. Fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm solved the model of image blur kernel estimation,simultaneously fast total variation image restoration algorithm solved non-blind deconvolution mode. Experimental results show that the proposed method is fast and very robust,and can accurately estimate the blur kernel. Moreover,it can improve the restoration effect of the blur image.


Peatlands cover a very restricted area of the earth's surface. Their total reliance on water to maintain natural processes make them highly significant terrestrial ecosystems. They are typically biologically hostile environments due to waterlogging, low pH and anaerobic conditions. The most extensive peatlands occur in the maritime and Tundra areas of the Northern Hemisphere, although tropical peats contain large volumes of peat. Peatlands in Australia are restricted and are rare due to the prevailing environmental conditions in this country. Nevertheless there are highly significant and unique peatlands with few similarities to those in other parts of the world. The natural diversity (geodiversity and biodiversity) of Australian peatlands needs to be investigated and recognised in order to understand, manage and protect these vulnerable environments. They are under increasing pressure from human development and climate change. A better understanding of their distribution, conservation status and hydrological characteristics would contribute to their protection and conservation.


This paper repor t s some investigation results about nanom eter antireflection coating prepared by spraying method. The influence of temper ature on structure and refractive index of nanometer TiO x is discussed. The p rocess of nanometer TiO x antireflecti on coating has been optimized for applic ation to commercial silicon photovoltaic cells. The experiments proved that the average of solar cells efficiency has be en raised by 8%~9% with the nanometer Ti O x antireflection coating.


(57) Abstract: The present invention provides a nasal formulation of aqueous containing beclomethasone dipropionate anhydrides for use in the treatment of respiratory disorders.


There can be few doctors who have never missed an acute abdomen. In England and \Vales from 1949 to 1953, 936 children died from appendicitis, 561 from intussusception, and 721 from other forms of intestinal obstruction. It is this background of possible catastrophe which makes every child with abdominal pain such an urgent and worrying problem. Yet the solution is by no means easy; it asks from the family doctor the prompt recognition of the acute abdomen amid the profusion of intestinal upsets which are his everyday responsibility, and from the hospital close collaboration between surgeons and paediatricians and a sufficient flow of cases to ensure that effective therapeutic skills are maintained.


....................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Background ............................................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 Existing Solutions ................................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.1 Rigid Mounting ............................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.2 Modifying Stock Seat Bases ......................................................................................................... 5 2.1.3 Aftermarket Bucket Seat Mounts ................................................................................................ 6 2.1.4 Powered 6-way Van Seat ............................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Patent Searches .................................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 Journal Article Research ..................................................................................................................... 9 3.0 Objectives ............................................................................................................................................. 10 4.0 Concept Design ..................................................................................................................................... 13 4.1 Initial Stages of Design ..................................................................................................................... 13 4.2 Selecting Top Designs ....................................................................................................................... 14 4.3 Chosen Design .................................................................................................................................. 17 4.4 Initial Design Risks, Concerns, and Future Challenges ..................................................................... 21 5.0 Final Design .......................................................................................................................................... 22 5.1 Structural Prototype CAD ................................................................................................................. 22 5.2 Design Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 23 5.3 Structural Prototype ......................................................................................................................... 23 5.4 Electrical Systems ............................................................................................................................. 24 6.0 Manufacturing ...................................................................................................................................... 25 6.1 Part Planning .................................................................................................................................... 25 6.2 Components ..................................................................................................................................... 26 6.3 Assembly .......................................................................................................................................... 30 6.4 Cost ................................................................................................................................................... 30 6.5 Final Product .................................................................................................................................... 30 7.0 Design Verification ............................................................................................................................... 32 7.1 Static Testing .................................................................................................................................... 32 7.2 Dynamic Testing ............................................................................................................................... 32


This paper presents a numerical analysis of adhesion contact due to meniscus between a sphere and a flat considering the elastic deformation of the contacting surfaces. Analytical model and basic equations for numerical analysis are explained first. Meniscus contact characteristics are presented for a 2-mm-radius glass contact on a magnetic disk coated with submonolayer mobile lubricant, and 2-  m and 20-nm-radius asperity contacts on mobile and bonded lubricant layer with a low elasticity. It was found that the sphere − flat contact with submonolayer liquid meniscus shows Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov theory-like behavior to Johnson–Kendall–Roberts theory-like one as the mobile layer thickness decreases from 1 nm to 0.3 nm. There is a critical liquid film thickness below which the meniscus length becomes zero so that the meniscus liquid cannot be transferred to the mating surface. This numerical method can be used for the rigorous analysis of various meniscus adhesion contact problems. Some of the experimental adhesion characteristics between a glass sphere and a magnetic disk are discussed from the aspect of the calculated results of elastic meniscus が大きくなるので,定性的に図


Brief literature reviews and commentary on gastroesophageal reflux disease associated pain management with rectal dosage forms and beliefs about use of opioids in non-cancer pain are presented. Relevant references including the model guidelines of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States on the use of opioids in non-cancer pain are cited.


Agriculture in Hawaii has changed over the past few decades. In the place of large-scale production of two main crops, sugarcane and pineapple, by a few large companies, we now have many smaller operations pro ducing a wide variety of crops. Today's farmers often cater to small niche markets, but they may be compet ing in a large international market. Hawaii's remote lo cation presents challenges for its producers who are at tempting to deliver high-quality products to distant lo cations. The Internet, as a means to engage in e-com merce, can assist Hawaii producers in their efforts to connect with buyers around the world. Some of Hawaii's agricultural producers have Web sites that allow consumers from anywhere in the world to learn about their products and place an order. To suc cessfully compete with the multitude of suppliers mar keting products on the Web is technically complex and often costly. Consumers expect professional Web site design and layout, multimedia presentations, educational information, price lists with detailed delivery options, order confirmation, and, most important, transaction security. A site capable of delivering content from a va riety of sources, including databases, video and audio feeds, and downloadable documents, can provide some of the new technologies that make selling on the Web more effective. However, these same technologies also make it more expensive for individual entrepreneurs to create and maintain their own Web sites. Many sellers will need a professional Web developer if their e-com merce business is to be a success. Small firms may find the costs of providing all the Web services expected by consumers prohibitive, and therefore they may not be able to take full advantage of the Web for marketing their products. In addition, the volume for an individual business may not be large enough to support the costs associated with this type of direct marketing. Many of Hawaii's agricultural products complement each other and could be marketed together on the same site. Farm produce, including nursery plants, flowers, herbs, spices, specialty crops, and value-added products, including meat, macadamia nut candies, and Kona cof fee, could be sold on the same e-commerce "shelves." Other efforts by private firms, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to market Hawaii agricultural products as a group have been or are now being under taken. An e-commerce cooperative or other similar group-marketing arrangement may provide the needed leverage for small companies to be competitive and suc cessful. This publication presents results of a survey done to determine if members of Hawaii's agricultural com munity would be interested in forming an e-commerce cooperative. We also estimate some of the start-up costs for examples of two such efforts. Finally, we describe related follow-up activities undertaken by the Univer sity of Hawaii to increase the competitiveness of Ha waii agricultural products.


Microbial electrochemical technology (MET) has recently been studied to improve the efficiency of a traditional anaerobic digestion (AD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of MET in the system when MET was combined with traditional AD (i.e., AD-MET). Electrodes used in the MET were Cu coated graphite electrodes. They were supplied with a voltage of 0.3 V. AD started to generate methane in 80 days. But AD-MET started to generate methane from the initial operation after the system started. It was observed that AD-MET reached steady state faster and produced higher methane yield than AD. During the steady state, the average daily methane productions in AD and AD-MET were 2.3L/d and 4.9L/d, respectively. Methane yields were 0.07-CH4/g・CODre in AD and 0.25L-CH4/g・CODre in AD-MET. In AD-MET, the production rates of total volatile fatty acids (TVFAs) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) were 0.12 mg TVFAs/mg VS・d and 0.35 mg SCOD/mg VS・d, respectively. They were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those in AD. However, the concentrations of residual TVFAs in both systems were not significantly (p > 0.05) different from each other, confirming that methane conversion in AD-MET was greater than that in AD.


This article lists specific cases,and describes clinical experiences on how the author makes good use of prescription of liver and spleen,clear air heat,nourishing,soothing heat and tonifying and recipe to treat blackish relate to depression,spleen phase fire disturbance,liver blood deficiency following liver stagnation and intermingled.Though the recipe is mediocre,but certainly its efficacy is positive and suitable for the treatment of blackish lesions caused by the regional environment in Shenzhen area.


Daylight responsive dimming systems are one of lighting control systems which are to control artificial lightings using available daylight for energy savings. This system is not popular because useful daylight is usually blocked by uncontrolled passive shading systems in buildings. It is necessary to integrate daylight responsive dimming systems and automata! roller shading systems. In this research, mock-up test is performed to analyze the daylight distributions in three different rooms for integrated systems. Roller shades are installed in two rooms. One is fully downed and the other is controlled by sun profile angle. The other room has no shading system as a reference room.


Several arboreal mangrove species were introduced from, Hainan Island, Zhanjiang of Guangdong Province, Australia and etc. to Shenzhen Bay. With good adaptability and cold_resistance during seedling stage, \%Sonneratia apetala \% could develop and blossom well in Shenzhen Bay. \%S.caseolaris\% had comparatively weak cold_resistance, but in warm habitat it could pass the winter smoothly. At the age of seven, \%S.caseolaris\% blossomed and the mean tree height and basal diameter reached 9\^9?m and 22 cm respectively. The cold resistance was enhanced significantly with years. \%Bruguiera sexangula\% grew and developed well because of a cold resistance with of an increasingly strong to medium at the seedling stage. The mean height of 7_year_old trees was 2 8 m. Its propagules(plumular axis) would exist for about 3_6 days at about 5℃, but injured for too long time. \%B.stylosa\% could pass the winter smoothly in specific warm habitat, the cold resistance increased with age increasing, and the trees could blossom. \%Avicennia marina\% var. \%australasica\% had a relatively strong cold resistance during seedling stage. But seedlings tended at the forward mudflat would die for duck gnawing. Some seedlings planted in the higher area of mudflat could grow very well and blossom partly. Neither \%R.apiculata\% nor \%Nypa fruticans\% acclimated in Shenzhen Bay (which with high latitude and low temperature). \%B.parviflora\% introduced from Australia was required to observe further.


The present invention relates to an object body transparent roaming method and system, mainly the visualization technology volume data based on the three-dimensional structure transparent to visualize the level of the combined with interactive virtual roaming technology object becomes uniform technologies and systems. Technical wherein: the three-dimensional object transparent three-dimensional object data, to form three-dimensional object transparent data, the transparent body the volume data by performing volume rendering processing, the transparency of the obtained three-dimensional virtual structure, using the virtual roaming technology to interact formula roaming processing, or in any orientation to the outside from the outside to the inside thereof interactive transparent roaming from any position inside a whole. With the present invention, given in the detection of visually "through" capability, the detection can be from a three-dimensional virtual object inside to the outside in any orientation, or roaming outside the three-dimensional object viewed from the formula to the inside of any orientation, the ability to detect and perspective precision surgical navigation capabilities.


In the literature it has been found that the T- stress or the second term of the Williams series expansion for linear elastic crack tip fields has many uses. Some researchers showed that the sign and magnitude of this non-singular and normal stress term, being parallel to the crack lines, substantially altered the size and shape of the crack-tip plastic zone at finite load levels (Matvienko; 2014). Motivated by a model of the response of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) pillars in uniaxial tension, the authors in the present paper consider the investigation of the mode I crack tip plastic zone shape and size for isotropic, plastically compressible rate dependent elastic-viscoplastic solid with a hardening softening-hardening type of hardness function in the presence of the T -stress term (Mohan et al .; 2013). In the present study, crack tip finite deformation, plane strain and small scale yielding conditions have been assumed. For hardening-hardening and hardening-softening-hardening materials studies have been carried out in support of both incompressible and compressible conditions. Numerical results clearly indicate that size and shape of plastic zone is sensitive to plastic compressibility and the non singular T -stress term. For plastically compressible material positive T -stress term increase the plastic zone significantly and on the other hand in the presence of negative T -stress, the extent of plastic zone is minimum. Furthermore, it has been observed that negative T -stress tilts the plastic zone forward whereas positive T -stress rotates the plastic zone backwards (Chen et . al .; 2001). Also it is reflected in the current study that at least up to the largest value of J app considered, the extent of the plastic zone is not very much sensitive to whether the material is hardening-hardening or hardening-softening-hardening although the near crack tip fields are very sensitive to this.


In this paper we describe the first phase of the fourth generation video, a project to investigate the next digital video format. Our system is a complete platform for 3D video, including acquisition, encoding, transmission and exhibition.


The issue of lawmaking function application possibility is considered in the article. The author draws the conclusion that judicial lawmaking within the frame-work of state mechanism based on separation of powers is impending and necessary nowadays.


The hydrodynamics and electrostatics of imperfect electric membranes are examined numerically. The investigation is based on the Nernst–Planck–Poisson–Stokes system of equations. A three-layer geometry, electrolyte–nanoporous membrane–electrolyte, is considered. The threshold of the electrokinetic instability of the one-dimensional quiescent state and the corresponding change of the current regime to the overlimiting one are studied. A map of the bifurcations, transitions, and regimes is constructed in the coordinates of the selectivity, the applied potential difference, and the Debye number. For good membrane selectivity (it corresponds to the dimensionless fixed charge in the membrane, N > 10), the hydrodynamics and electrostatics are quantitatively the same as for perfect membranes: the instability is monotonic and nonequilibrium and the voltage–current (VC) characteristic has all three portions: the underlimiting, limiting, and overlimiting regimes. For intermediate selectivity (1 10), the hydrodynamics and electrostatics are quantitatively the same as for perfect membranes: the instability is monotonic and nonequilibrium and the voltage–current (VC) characteristic has all three portions: the underlimiting, limiting, and overlimiting regimes. For intermediate selectivity (1 < N < 10), the imper...


The rejoinder highlights three issues in Schafer-Lichtenberger's article dealing with the fall of Canaanite Hazor, which are objectionable to A. Ben-Tor, the present excavator of Hazor. First, the introduction into the discussion of subjects entirely irrelevant to the topic, such as biblical accounts, which are either a matter of exegesis but not of archaeology, such as Joshua 11 vs. Judges 4, or the question of the final date of Mycenaean IIIB pottery. Second, factual mistakes and misquotes, such as the problematic geographical terminology used by Schafer-Lichtenberger, and the poor state of Hazor's fortifications at the end of the Late Bronze Age, which as such did not require a strong Egyptian army to take the city. (contra Schafer-Lichtenberger) Third, and most objectionable, are misquotes and wrong presentation of views: Ben-Tor never claimed that Hazor was destroyed around 1230 B.C., nor did he ever claim that it was destroyed by Joshua. What Ben-Tor does claim, (and publish), is that regardless of how late the account of the fall of Hazor as presented in the Book of Joshua was composed/edited, archaeology shows that Hazor was destroyed sometime during the 13th century B.C., a period during which "Israel" is mentioned in the Merneptah stela. This is better than Schafer-Lichtenberger's suggestion that Hazor was mentioned in an inscription of Ramesses II, in what is now a "lacuna". We do not yet know exactly when Hazor was destroyed and by whom, but, for the time being, the (Proto?)—Israelites should not be excluded a-priori as having had at least something to do with the downfall of the city. 14 See James P. Allen, "A Hieroglyphic Fragment from Hazor" (forthcoming).


In this paper, the "model reference" technique and Huber's minimax principle have been successfully used to de- velop an off-line output error method for robust identification of systems. This method is named the robust iterative output error method with modified residuals. A convergence analysis of the proposed method has been included as well as some simulation results. In the presence of a small number of large errors (called outliers) in the input-output data, the presented method has demonstrated its distinctive advantages over not only the nonro- bust methods but also previously developed robust methods. The main advantages are a fast convergence speed and satisfactory robustness. It can be concluded that the method developed in this paper is much superior to the other methods and therefore can be widely used in many real-time applications.


Purpose – This study aims to examine the effects of a simulation board game for teaching and learning shipping management at higher education. A framework of comprehensive shipping operation was developed according to the syllabus of the Shipping Management course in Universiti Utara Malaysia. The course core content in the game covers two main services—liner service and tramp service in the shipping industry.

Methodology – A quasi-experimental research design has been adopted to measure the effectiveness of the board game in post-learning. Data were gathered from a sample of 73 undergraduate students who enrolled in Shipping Management course using non-equivalent control group design. The data was analysed using McNemar Test to determine the effect of the students' achievement.

Findings – The findings of this study revealed that using board game in learning activities can contribute to the improvement of students' knowledge and skill. Further analysis indicated that there were differences in students' achievement for the tramp services and liner services content. This improvement has boosted their confidence in making decision in solving problem related to the tramp services and liner services knowledge.

Significance – The framework for the shipping management board game aims to provide the best learning experience for students when they immerse into solving problems and making decisions in the game. The framework can be used as a benchmark in the practice of game-based learning, particularly by affording students to engage learning by doing. Furthermore, this framework introduces a tangible problem space through the board game, encouraging students to discover knowledge on their own pace in a non-threatening environment.


ABSTRACT A new facile method was developed for simple green synthesis of methylene-bridged phloroglucinol oligomers using nonthermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in methanolic solution. The chemical structures of these newly generated oligomers 2–5 were determined by interpretation of the spectroscopic data, and the inhibitory activity toward α-glucosidase of all isolates was evaluated. The unusual phloroglcuinol pentamer 5 connected by four methylene linkages showed a much higher potential inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase than the other generated oligomers 2–4 and appeared to be a promising lead for development as a potential antidiabetic agent. Abbreviations: T2DM, type2 diabetes mellitus; DBD, dielectric barrier discharge; HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography; IC50, 50% inhibition concentration; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; FABMS, fastatom bombardment mass spectrometry Graphical Abstract A new method was developed for simple green synthesis of methylene-bridged phloroglucinol oligomers 2–5 with potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activities using nonthermal.


We consider the problem of computing a mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium (MSNE) in resource graph games (RGGs), a compact representation for games with an exponential number of strategies. In an RGG, each player's pure strategy is a subset of resources, represented by a binary vector, and her pure strategy set is represented compactly using  a set of linear inequality constraints. Given the pure strategies of the players, each player's utility depends on the resource graph and the numbers of times the neighboring resources are used. RGGs are general enough to capture a wide variety of games studied in literature, including congestion games and security games.In this paper, we provide the first Fully Polytnomial Time Approximation Scheme (FPTAS) for computing an MSNE in any symmetric multilinear RGG where its constraint moralized resource graph (a graph formed between the moralized resource graph and the constraints defining the strategy polytope) has bounded treewidth. Our FPTAS can be generalized to compute optimal MSNE, and to games with a constant number of player types. As a consequence, our FPTAS provides new approximation results for security games, network congestion games, and bilinear games.


Continuous K Nearest Neighbor (CKNN) queries is one of the kernel problems to the Location Based Service (LBS). To obtain efficient query algorithm, a CKNN queries algorithm based on self-adaptive distance threshold (CKNN-SADT) is proposed by detailed study of CKNN. Firstly, an improved method to construct index structure based on PMR quad-tree is used in the CKNN-SADT algorithm. Secondly, the idea of self-adaptive distance threshold is proposed in the query algorithm. Through simulation experiments, it was found that the CKNN-SADT algorithm is superior to the Unique continuous search (UNICONS) algorithm in term of execution time, and whether the queries objects are sparse or not. The improved construction method of index structure and the self-adaptive distance threshold can also be used by other query algorithms.


Objective To investigate the relationship between increased CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory(Treg) cells and immune status in patients with gastric cancer.Methods Levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 in peripheral blood and ascites of patients with gastric cancer were determined by ELISA.The Treg cell ratio and CD8+T cell(cytotoxic T lymphocyte,CTL) ratio in peripheral blood and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes(TIL) of 56 patients with gastric cancer were determined by multi-parameter flow cytometry.Also,the change of Treg cell ratio before and after surgery was determined in 12 patients with gastric cancer.Results Compared with the control group,serum Th1/Th2 ratio decreased significantly in gastric cancer patients(P0.05).Treg cell ratio in peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer was significantly higher than that in healthy controls,and was significantly higher in advanced stage patients than in early stage patients(P0.05).Treg cell ratio in TIL was significantly higher that in peripheral blood(P0.05).In TIL,Treg cell ratio was inversely correlated with CTL ratio(r =-0.4,P 0.05).Treg cell ratio decreased significantly after resection of gastric cancer.(P 0.01).Conclusions Treg cell ratio increased with the progression of gastric cancer.Increase of Treg cell ratio and decrease of CTL ratio might be involved in the immune escape of gastric cancer.


Spectral analysis is a technique that uses both the incident and reflected acoustic signals of a low-frequency subbottom profiling system. The differences in spectral quality are converted into time-frequency-energy plots which can be contoured within the dynamic range of 42 db. Analysis of the resulting energy contour map shows that certain "topographic highs" appear to be related to certain sediment types existing under differing degrees of in-situ moisture content and bulk (wet) densities. The resulting energy contours define these conditions and identify the stratal characteristics as if they were "sedimentary fingerprints." Data presently available from known areas of Fishers Island and Long Island Sound off the coast of southeastern Connecticut, and the Gulf of Mexico, show good correlation between the spectral energies and the sediment bulk properties to maximum depths of 200 ft. End_of_Article - Last_Page 846------------


CHx alters the ventilatory response to hypoxia which is mediated in part by changes in NTS neurons. We hypothesized that the response of NTS neurons to hypercapnia is also increased by CHx. Rats were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia (10–11%) for 7–14 days, and we simultaneously measured the intracellular pH (pHi) and firing rate (FR) of NTS neurons in slices using whole cell patch and fluorescence imaging microscopy techniques. CHx did not affect basal pHi (∼7.30) or FR of NTS neurons (∼1 Hz). Synaptic block (SNB: 0.2 mM Ca2+, 11.4 mM Mg2+) increased the FR of neurons from control (1.4 ± 0.2 to 2.8 ± 0.5 Hz) and CHx rats (1.0 ± 0.2 to 3.0 ± 0.6 Hz). pHi responses to HA (hypercapnia acidosis: 15% CO2; pHo 7.0) were unchanged in neurons from CHx rats. The percentage of NTS neurons activated by HA decreased from 46% (control rats) to 34% (CHx rats). The chemosensitivity index of NTS neurons activated by HA was unchanged by CHx (166 ± 11% for controls and 160 ± 6% by CHx). The percentage of hypercapnia‐inhibited NTS neurons from CHx rats increased markedly (28%) compared to normal (13%). The HA responses of NTS neurons are intrinsic since they were unaffected by SNB. CHx causes neuronal plasticity resulting in suppression of the HA response in individual NTS neurons from adult rats. This is the first example of plasticity at the cellular level in individual chemosensitive neuronal responses to HA.


The paper discusses the Polish word plandemia ('plandemic') as an instance of a formal and conceptual blend, drawing on the conceptual integration theory as formulated by G. Fauconnier and M. Turner. Other new lexical items constituting a group of the so-called COVID vocabulary serve as a background to our analysis in that they all pertain to the linguistically created alternative model of the COVID-19 reality (competing with the message of the scientific community, of medical professionals, and of state authorities). Polish language users coin new derivatives and neosemanticisms referring to the pandemic reality (e.g., antycovido-wiec, covidiota, kaganiec, koronasceptyk, koronaściema, koronabzdura). Those who display either a skeptical or a negative attitude towards the pandemic and the restrictions it has brought, employ the neologism plan-demia in order to present their opinion that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is instrumental in realizing somebody's plan and achieving a specific goal. © 2021, Society of Friends of the Polish Language. All rights reserved.


The CMS silicon tracking system measures the trajectories of charged particles with a hit resolution of the order of microns in the pixel detector and tens of microns in the strip detector. One of the most important inputs for track reconstruction is the precision with which the tracker geometry is known. Therefore the position, orientation, and curvature of each tracker sensor must be precisely determined. Changes in the operating conditions can cause movements in the different substructures and also in the sensors. For maintaining the targeted precision, frequent corrections are needed, and the procedure to determine these corrections is commonly referred to as tracker alignment. Due to accumulated radiation during data taking, the response of the sensors changes over time. This affects the local reconstruction of pixel hits and consequently the result of the alignment procedure. In this contribution, the alignment procedure in CMS is introduced, as well as the dedicated calibration for the pixel local reconstruction. The effect of the change in the local reconstruction due to aging of the sensors on the alignment procedure is discussed.


During the summers of 2007 and 2008 fruiting tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Orco) from commercial greenhouses near La Plata, Argentina (35 oS 57 oW) showed abundant adventitious root production, apical chlorosis of leaves and a brown discoloration of the stem pith (Fig. 1). These symptoms were similar to those reported by Lopez et al. (1994) and Catara et al. (2002) on tomatoes affected by Pseudomonas corrugata or Pseudomonas mediterranea. Bacteria consistently isolated from stem lesions formed cream-coloured, glistening, convex colonies on sucrose peptone agar (SPA) and were non-fluorescent on King's medium B (KMB). Four isolates were selected for further study. All were aerobic, Gram-negative rods with PHB inclusions. In LOPAT tests, all induced a hypersensitive response in tobacco plants, were oxidase positive, did not cause soft rot of potato tubers, and were negative for levan and arginine dihydrolase. Colonies developed at 28oC and 37oC but not at 41oC. Additional characterisation was achieved by API 20 NE tests strips (Biomerieux, Argentina). Reference strains 536.7 (Spain), 592.4 (Spain) and CFBP 10906 (France) of P. mediterranea and strain NCPPB 2445 of P. corrugata were included in all tests for comparison.


A method and an apparatus for three-dimensional imaging of ultrasound data by reducing speckle artifact data before the acquired data from a volume of interest is projected onto an image plane. An ultrasound scanner collects B-mode or color flow mode images in a cine memory, i.e., for a multiplicity of slices. The data from a respective region of interest for each slice is sent to a master controller, such data forming a volume of interest. The master controller performs an algorithm that iteratively projects the pixel data in the volume of interest onto a plurality of rotated image planes using a ray-casting technique. Prior to projection, the master controller smooths the speckle contained in the pixel data filtering using a convolution filter having a nine-point kernel. Convolution filtering of image data is carried out by defining a desired area of the image, such as an area represented by an array of pixels, by weighting each of the pixels in the array with a respective weighting coefficient, and then by summing the weighted pixels to produce a filtered pixel value which is substituted for the central pixel in the array. The filtered pixel data forms a new data volume which is then projected onto each successive image plane.


This cross-sectional analytical study was carried out at 23 Family Health Centers in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil. The objective was to verify the link between anti-hypertension treatment compliance and the types of cardiovascular complications present in hypertensive patients. The sample was composed of 182 hypertensive patients registered in the Sistema de Gestao Clinica de Hipertensao Arterial e Diabetes Mellitus da Atencao Basica who accepted to answer and fill in a structured form and an instrument to assess compliance. Among the arterial hypertension patients questioned, 62.0% were women, 66.9% were elderly people, 52.2% were patients with a family income between 1.5 and four monthly minimum wages, 61.2% had between one and eight years of education and 60.4% lived in households with two to four people. The most frequent complications found were cerebrovascular accident (37.9%) followed by acute myocardial infarction (20.3%). Treatment compliance was present in 52.0% of patients and was associated to cerebrovascular accident (p<0.001; OR=3.048; 95%CI=1.633- 5.681). The results obtained suggest the need for a behavioral change in hypertensive patients, adopting health promotion measures in order to prevent further cardiovascular complications. DESCRIPTORS: Hypertension. Complications. Cardiovascular disease. Patient compliance. Primary health care.


This paper presents a computational approach for solving linear time invariant quadratic optimal control system problem. The proposed approach is classified as a direct method, which is utilized by applying state and control parametrization using a finite length of Laguerre polynomials as a basis function with unknown parameters. In addition, the stochastic gradient descent approach was used to estimate the optimal parameters. Furthermore, this paper provides numerical examples to demonstrate the proficiency of the proposed method. The results of this study showed that using the direct method along with the stochastic gradient descent techniques were effective in solving the linear time invariant quadratic optimal control system problem.


The Yorkshire village of Todmorden has taken local food to heart – and to the street. The planting of food crops at forty public locations throughout the village offer locals, and visitors, the chance to pick their own fresh fruit and vegetables, and it's all free. The idea of open source food took some time to catch on in Todmorden. Public space food plantings, "propaganda gardens", are a tangible expression of a set of bigger ideas – including growing local, eating local and fresh, eating seasonal, and knowing the provenance of food. Now, from the local police station to the cemetery, from the health centre to the elderly care home (with raised garden beds at wheelchair height), in tubs on the street and in plots dug by the canal, Todmorden is embracing "local edible" with a passion.


The views expressed within this paper are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of The overarching objective of the Energy Technology Innovation Policy (ETIP) research group is to determine and then seek to promote adoption of effective strategies for developing and deploying cleaner and more efficient energy technologies, primarily in three of the biggest energy-consuming nations in the world: the United States, China, and India. These three countries have enormous influence on local, regional, and global environmental conditions through their energy production and consumption. ETIP researchers seek to identify and promote strategies that these countries can pursue, separately and collaboratively, for accelerating the development and deployment of advanced energy options that can reduce conventional air pollution, minimize future greenhouse-gas emissions, reduce dependence on oil, facilitate poverty alleviation, and promote economic development. ETIP's focus on three crucial countries rather than only one not only multiplies directly our leverage on the world scale and facilitates the pursuit of cooperative efforts, but also allows for the development of new insights from comparisons and contrasts among conditions and strategies in the three cases.


Although water temperature is important to stream biota, it is difficult to collect in a spatially and temporally continuous fashion. We used remotely-sensed Land Surface Temperature (LST) data to estimate mean daily stream temperature for every confluence-to-confluence reach in the John Day River, OR, USA for a ten year period. Models were built at three spatial scales: site-specific, subwatershed, and basin-wide. Model quality was assessed using jackknife and cross-validation. Model metrics for linear regressions of the predicted vs. observed data across all sites and years: site-specific r2 = 0.95, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) = 1.25 °C; subwatershed r2 = 0.88, RMSE = 2.02 °C; and basin-wide r2 = 0.87, RMSE = 2.12 °C. Similar analyses were conducted using 2012 eight-day composite LST and eight-day mean stream temperature in five watersheds in the interior Columbia River basin. Mean model metrics across all basins: r2 = 0.91, RMSE = 1.29 °C. Sensitivity analyses indicated accurate basin-wide models can be parameterized using data from as few as four temperature logger sites. This approach generates robust estimates of stream temperature through time for broad spatial regions for which there is only spatially and temporally patchy observational data, and may be useful for managers and researchers interested in stream biota.


Quantum resources, such as entanglement, can decrease the uncertainty of a parameter-estimation procedure beyond what is classically possible. This phenomenon is well described for noiseless systems with asymptotically many measurement resources by the Quantum Cramer-Rao Bound, but no general description exists for the regime of limited measurement resources. We address this problem by defining a Bayesian quantifier for uncertainty suitable for the regime of limited resources, and by developing a mathematical description for a parameter-estimation procedure which uses qubit probes to estimate a rotation angle induced on them. We simulate the qubit estimation scheme in the regime of limited resources using a single class of probe states. We find that, in noiseless systems, entanglement between qubits always decreases the uncertainty of the estimation; however, the quantum advantage decreases as fewer qubits are used in the estimation. We also find that the presence of strong dephasing noise removes the quantum advantage completely, regardless of the number of qubit probes used.


In the present globalized scenario, the right marketing strategy can convert the customers into advocates. Organizations must focus on customer service experience to satisfy the customer. The focus of the paper is to comprehend the customer service experience concept with the help of discussion and analysis of existing definitions and dimensions of this topic.


The prestige of the university and college is a typical immaterial assets,but management of the prestige is almost blank in universities and colleges.At present,the case that the prestige is violated is increasing gradually in the science and technology activity of the university and college.It is very necessary that the prestige management is strengthened basing on its property in the science and technology activity of the university and college.


Violence and masculinity is a normalized discourse of human interaction despite it being disruptive and toxic for individuals and socio-political interactions. Around the world, violent actions, either organized violence by states or non-state violence against civilians, have been fostering fear and causing damage to social and political fabrics of nations. Organized violence is largely regulated and practiced by militarized institutions of state and non-state actors. Developing on the theoretical work of RW. Connell regarding different forms of masculinities and their translation into socio-political interactions of societies, I will analyse the self-representations of masculinities and violence in the recruitment videos of the US army and Islamic State (ISIS) soldiers. My focus will be on the role of religion in defining masculinities and violence in ISIS recruiting discourses, and on the role of nation-hood in defining masculinities and violence in US army recruiting discourses. I am also interested whether there are similarities in ISIS and USA military discourses, and if so what these are.


The study was conducted to determine the absorption of L-Tyrosine and L-Proline by the intestines of Crucian carp and grass carp in Vitro by using L-[4,5-3H] Tyrosine,L-[2,3,4,5-3H]Proline as tracers and adopting the in-vitro perfusion technique.The results indicate that along with the perfusion concentration of L-Tyr and L-Pro rising,all the transmural velocities of them across intestines of either Crucian crap or grass carp have a positive correlativity with amino acids perfusion concentration,but,Crucian crap is remarkably higher than grass carp in the transmural velocity of the two amino acids.As the perfusion concentration of L-Tyr and L-Pro gradually declined,the percentage of them retained in guts of the two fishes decreased respectively,while the percentage of the transmural flux across the intestines increased gradually and that of grass carp is manifestly lower than that of Crucian crap(P0.01).To Crucian crap,the total absorptivity of L-Tyr and L-Pro in 40 minutes has a declining trend on the whole along with the perfusion concentration of amino acids decreasing;To grass carp,the total absorptivity of L-Tyr has a rising trend along with the perfusion concentration of amino acid decreasing .The total absorptivity of L-Pro is the heighest in the 5.0 mmol.L-1group(8.14%).Crucian crap is lower on the whole than grass carp in the total absorptivity of every concentration test team of L-Tyr and L-Pro.


Ionene polymers with N,N′-(p-phenylene)dibenzamide linkages were synthesized in high yields by the copolymerization of 1,4-bis[4-(chloromethyl)benzamide]benzene and α,ω-ditertiary amines in N,N-dimethylformamide. The ionene polymers provided physical hydrogels under ca. 1−5 wt % of the concentrations after heating and cooling at room temperature without any other additives. The gelation ability was dependent on the diamine spacers and/or the molecular weights, and the ionene polymer with the longest hexylene linker connecting ammonium cations was the most effective gelation capability in water among these ionene polymers. In the rheological measurement, the hydrogel showed a unique thixotropic nature that was a fast self-recovering property after the continuous oscillatory shear stress. Furthermore, the ionene polymer has an additional function as a dispersant for single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in water.


Tomato sauce is one of the diversification of processed tomato products that can increase added value and shelf life of tomatoes. Sauce made from tomato has a high water content (94 %) resulting in a watery sauce. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of crude extract Water Soluble Polysaccharide (WSP) from seeds fruit of durian on physical, chemical and organoleptic tomato sauce. The use of crude extract WSP from seeds fruit of durian is expected to increase the viscosity of sauce. The research design used was a randomized complete block design with three single factor replications. Parameters measured were viscosity, color (Hue and Chroma), total dissolved solids, pH, vitamin C, and organoleptic (panelist preferences) that continued with the effectiveness of the test to determine the best treatment. The results show that the tomato sauce composition significantly affect the viscosity, pH, color intensity and total dissolved solids, and no significant effect on the angle of color and vitamin C tomato sauce. Effectiveness test showed that the panelists preferred the tomato sauce was treated P4 (use crude extract WSP from seeds fruit of durian 0.8 %) with fondness value color of 2.68; aroma of 3.08; flavor of 3.48; viscosity of 3.44; overall liking of 3.56, and the value of viscosity, hue, chroma, total dissolved solids, pH, vitamin C respectively was 39.64 centipoise; 38,34°; 20.16; 35° Brix; 4.92; and 4.95 mg/g.


Early interactions between blood‐stage Plasmodium parasites and cells of the innate immune system are very important in shaping the adaptive immune response to malaria, and a number of studies have suggested that DC are responsible for this phenomenon. Therefore, we examined the capacity of murine BM‐derived DC to internalize parasites, be activated and produce cytokines upon in vitro interaction with murine erythrocytes infected with two different strains of rodent malaria parasites (Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi). We show that the increased expression of MHC class II and co‐stimulatory molecules and increased production of cytokines by DC following Plasmodium infection involves internalization of infected RBC. Such DC activation not only requires direct cell‐to‐cell contact and internalization of infected RBC by DC but also involves TLR4, TLR9, MyD88 and signaling via NF‐κB; however, TLR involvement in survival to Plasmodium infection was found to be negligible.


Studies on high-density storage of gases are very important for the development of a new technology inthe area of clean energy and environment protection.A brief review is given for the mechanism of enhancingthe storage and the present state of the art.Attention is especially paid to the storage of hydrogen,naturalgas and carbon dioxide.It is indicated that no method is principally viable for the practical application ofhydrogen storage on board of vehicles presently.However,storage of natural gas in mesoporous carbon inthe presence of water possesses great potential of practical utilization.Exploration of flammable ice inco njunction of CO2 sequestration is theoretically feasible.


545Background: Adolescent and young adults (AYAs) who develop gastrointestinal (GI) cancer are rare and have unique needs. There is limited literature defining the epidemiology of malignant disease across the entire GI tract in this age group. The objective of this study was to explore incidence and survival trends in the United States for all types of GI cancers in AYAs compared to older adults. Methods: We analyzed all incident cases of GI tract cancers in AYAs aged 15 to 39 and older adults aged 40 to 64 in the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program 2000-2013 database. For each age group and sex, we determined incidence rates, temporal changes in incidence, overall prognosis and stage-based prognosis for all primary tumor sites throughout the GI tract. Results: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) distal to the splenic flexure has increased in AYAs whereas all CRC has decreased in older adults. We found that compared to older adults, AYAs have experience...


Capacity fade and mechanical degradation are the main reasons to hinder the development of lithium-ion batteries. Temperature rise and thermal stress can lead to explosion and failure of LIBs during charge or discharge. In this work, in order to understand the mechanism of the temperature rise, the reversible heat source is regarded to be variable with SOC not constant, and a full thermo-mechanical coupling model is developed on basis of the heat transfer equation and mechanical equilibrium equation. Then numerical calculations are simulated to investigate the temperature and stress distributions of 18650 cylindrical LIBs. Simultaneously, the influences of the discharge current, ambient temperature and conductive heat transfer on the temperature, radial and hoop stresses are discussed. Finally, the temperature, radial and hoop stresses are compared in different coupling models and different heat sources, respectively. Numerical results show that the variable reversible heat source is more reasonable, and the discharge current, ambient temperature and the convective heat transfer are sensitive to the temperature, radial and hoop stress distributions. In order to avoid the temperature rise and reduce the magnitude of the stress, one should decrease the discharge current or enhance the conductive heat transfer coefficient.


The long‐ and short‐term prognostic value of pediatric spirometry, plethysmography, and gas transfer measurements in cystic fibrosis (CF) were assessed.


In order to calculate the continuous relative phase (CRP) between joints, the portrait method based on the joint angle and angular velocity and the Hilbert transform method based on the analytical signal have been widely used. However, there are few comparisons of these methods. Therefore, the aim of this study is to quantitatively compare these methods by calculating the CRP in the lower-limb joints of the elderly during level free walking. Eighteen elderly female adults ([Formula: see text] year-old, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]cm, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]kg) wearing a Helen Hayes full-body marker set walked 10[Formula: see text]m on level ground at a self-selected velocity. The angles of the hip, knee, and ankle were measured. To calculate the CRP using the portrait method, the angular velocities were measured. Then, the phases between the angle and the angular velocity were calculated. To calculate the CRP using the Hilbert transform method, analytical signals were acquired. Then, the phases between the real and imaginary parts were calculated. A CRP was calculated as the difference between the phase in the proximal joint and the phase in the distal joint. To evaluate the similarity in the shape between the portrait and Hilbert transform methods, the cross-correlation was calculated. Bland–Altman plot analyses were performed to assess the agreement between these methods. For the root mean squares (RMSs) and standard deviations (SDs), a paired [Formula: see text]-test and the Pearson correlation between methods were evaluated. There were similarities in the in-phase or out-of-phase features and in the RMS and SD between the methods. Additionally, a higher cross-correlation and agreement between them were found. These results indicated the similarity between the portrait and Hilbert transform methods for the calculation of the CRP. Therefore, either method can be used to evaluate joint coordination.


Owing to the diversity and complexity of combustion flames in tangentially fired furnaces, now there is limited research on the monitoring of flames in such furnaces. According to the structural characteristics of a tangentially fired furnace, a synchronous image acquisition system for three wavelengths (566, 600, and 633 nm) is designed and constructed to acquire the images of the flame field from four different directions in the furnace. To obtain better reconstruction result, a comprehensive model of heat radiation is given. An algorithm for the 3-D reconstruction of the flame field in the furnace based on above acquisition system is proposed in this paper. First, the synchronous flame image collected is subject to splitting and filtering. Then, based on single-angle synchronous flame images at different wavelengths, the reconstruction of the flame field is performed to obtain the temperature distribution of the single-angle flame field. Finally, the synchro-furnace flame field obtained through the inversion calculation at four angles is refined to obtain an accurate 3-D distribution of the flame field. The problem of inversion error caused by radiation attenuation due to the distance between each point and cameras in the furnace is solved to some extent in this algorithm. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed algorithm are verified through experimental tests.


Nowadays, the technological world represents a vital contribution for the growth of the human being, because everything that surrounds it is automated, in order to optimize resources and time. That is why this project is based on an implementation of a web application that allows obtaining results of software processes, by using the ISO / IEC 25000: 2005 SQuaRE standard that deals with the development processes of a In addition, the structure of the implementation of the web application will be guided by the RNA web methodology (Relations Navegational Analysis) that presents 5 development phases (Analysis of the environment, definition of elements of interest, analysis of knowledge, analysis of navigation and implementation of the analysis). Obtaining as a product software based on features and sub-characteristics of the SQuaRE standard that evaluated the development processes of other software.


To explore the aberration induced by hepatitis in peripheral lymphocyte chromosome of hosts and the relations among chromosome aberration,liyer pathological changes,and the indices of pathogeny duplication.The peripheral blood in 64 cases of virus hepatitis,with different clinical stages was drawn,mixed with haparin,cultured and with lymphocyte separation.The chromosomal smear was made by routine methods,the liver function and pathogeny indices were examined.The rate and type of aberration of chromosome were observed.50 Samples showed chromosome aberration.The rate of chromosome aberration was ≥3% in 16 cases,and reached as high as 4%-6 5% in another 15 cases.The infection of hepatitis virus may cause lymphocyte chromosome aberration,and it seems that there were some relations between the degree of live damage and the indices of virus duplication.


Camel brucellosis is a disease caused by Brucella mellitensis and B. abortus with considerable public health and economic importance to as owners consume raw milk. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2014 to April 2015 with the objective of identifying risk factors associated with infection of pastoralists and estimating their economic losses due to camel brucellosis in Mehoni District, Northeastern Ethiopia. From a total of 415 camel sera collected from three peasant associations, 24 camels were found positive by Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), and 14 of them were confirmed by complement fixation test (CFT). The overall sero-prevalence of Brucella antibodies in camels was 5.80% (24) and 3.37% (14) by RBPT and CFT, respectively. From a total of 120 camel owners participated in the interview, about 91% (109) drank fresh raw milk regularly, and 11.01% (12) of them owned the sero-positive camels. The risk of Brucella infection was found to be high (88.33%, 106) in owners with close contact to their animals (OR = 8.07, CI 95%; 0.476, 137.014). The logistic regression analysis showed that 85.71% (6/7) of the respondents previously having malaria-like symptoms were found to be significantly associated with owning seropositive animals (OR = 78.74, CI 95%; 8.419, 736.569). Based on the present findings, an estimated economic loss due to camel brucellosis was found to be 429,351.48 ETB (21,467.56 US $) for each individual infected camel with age above 4 years. This pilot assessment indicated high economic burden to the pastoral community and on national livestock industry at large. Lack of awareness about zoonotic diseases together with existing habit of raw milk consumption and close contact with animals can serve as means of Brucella infection to human beings. Thus, there is a need to design and implement control measures aiming at preventing further spread of the disease both in animal and nomadic pastoralists, and minimize economic loss due to camel brucellosis in this agro-pastoral region.


Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1927-2014) was an avid reader, and he acknowledged a wide number of literary debts in his career. Indeed, the academia has studied this extensively. This article, therefore, explores the not unlikely influence of Gabriel Miro (1879-1930) in the stylistic aspects that define magical realism, particularly in One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967). Although Garcia Marquez never mentioned Miro explicitly, there is indirect evidence that solidly suggests that he read the latter's work. Also, this article uses the notion of influence in a broad sense and it relies on previous bibliography that studies Miro's influence in Hispanic literature.


We investigate the dynamics of photoexcited carriers in a single monolayer graphene at room temperature in air by femtosecond time-resolved luminescence measurements. The luminescence kinetics observed in the near-infrared region from 0.7 to 0.9 eV are analyzed based on the two-temperature model describing the cooling of thermalized carriers due to the carrier-optical-phonon coupling. The observed luminescence kinetics are well reproduced by the model, though the calculated electron temperature increases only to ∼420 K at the maximum, which is much lower than the optical phonon energies. This indicates the predominance of optical phonons over acoustic phonons in the carrier-phonon interaction even at a temperature of ∼400 K.


Machine Learning (ML) algorithms have shown quite promising applications in smart meter data analytics enabling intelligent energy management systems for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). One of the major challenges in developing ML applications for the AMI is to preserve user privacy while allowing active end-users participation. This paper addresses this challenge and proposes Differential Privacy-enabled AMI with Federated Learning (DP-AMI-FL), framework for ML-based applications in the AMI. This framework provides two layers of privacy protection: first, it keeps the raw data of consumers hosting ML applications at edge devices (smart meters) with Federated Learning (FL), and second, it obfuscates the ML models using Differential Privacy (DP) to avoid privacy leakage threats on the models posed by various inference attacks. The framework is evaluated by analyzing its performance on a use case aimed to improve Short-Term Load Forecasting (STLF) for residential consumers having smart meters and home energy management systems. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the framework when used with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network models, achieves high forecasting accuracy while preserving users data privacy.


A highly sensitive, rapid assay method has been developed and validated for the estimation of diphenhydramine in rat plasma with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with electro spray ionization in the positive-ion mode. The assay procedure involves extraction of diphenhydramine and tolbutamide (internal standard, IS) from Sprague Dawley rat plasma with single step direct dilution with organic solvent. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an isocratic mobile phase (5 mM Ammonium acetate with 0.05% formic acid:acetonitrile :: 30:70, v/v) at a flow gradient of 0.4 to 0.7 mL/min on an Atlantis dC18 column (maintained at 40 ± 1°C) with a total run time of 3.0 min. The MS/MS ion transitions monitored were 256.1  152.2. for diphenhydramine and 271.0  155.0 for for IS. Method validation was performed as per FDA guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The lower limit of quantitation achieved was 2.01 ng/mL and the linearity range extended from 2.01 ng/mL to 1759 ng/mL. Method was highly sensitive with on column load of 29 pg/mL detection capability. The intra- and inter-day precisions were in the range of 1.06 to 8.82%and 3.02 to 10.1%, respectively.


In weather forecasts, the intensity of rainfall is often expressed either as a quantitative value – the amount of rainfall per hour – or using qualitative language such as "heavy rain." To date, however, there has been no research into the extent of rainfall that is assumed by information receivers when presented with these qualitative terms. Thus, the present study examines the correspondence between rainfall evaluation and expressions using a rainfall generator. The large-scale rainfall experiment facility owned by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience was used to generate rainfall of 60, 180, and 300 mm h-1, and 21 experiment participants experienced this rainfall without knowing the rainfall amounts. Following this, the participants were asked to give feedback using a scale that correlated numerical expressions of rainfall amounts per hour with 10 language expressions such as "heavy rain" and "downpour." The results revealed that rainfall rates of 60, 180, and 300 mm h-1 were evaluated by the participants as 135, 223, and 311 mm h-1, respectively. The 10 language expressions were felt to be stronger than the official criteria outlined by the Japan Meteorological Agency. In addition, there was no statistical significance among several expressions, suggesting that the qualitative language used to describe different rainfall amounts by information senders were not distinguished by information receivers.


Received 15 January 1996; revised received and accepted 10 February 1997 earlier and the mechanical properties were found to deteriorate with the increase of jute component in fabric9. But little information is available regarding the effect of multiple soap wash on jute/polypropylene blended fabrics after texturing and raising treatments. Therefore, in the present work the effect of multiple soap wash on the physical and mechanical properties of different jute/polypropylene blended semi-apparel fabrics such as blanket, jacket, lining fabrics, etc. has been studied.


Abstract This paper examines the effect of the gender combination of client-loan officer pairs on loan repayment in an Ecuadorian microfinance institution. We show that among the four possible client-loan officer gender pairs i.e. female client-female loan officer, female client-male loan officer, male client-male loan officer and male client-female loan officer, the most favourable pairs in terms of repayment are those with female loan officers whereas the least favourable are those with male loan officers. We also show that repayment is even further enhanced for all client-loan officer pairs when the client's previous loan officer was a woman. Our findings point to relational differences between male and female loan officers when interacting with microfinance clients, which is also highlighted by our qualitative insights from the field.


Circadian rhythms of Peromyscus maniculatus were studied at Heart Lake, Northwest Territories, in winter and spring of 1965-1966. Daily peaks of activity were of longer duration and higher amplitude in spring than in winter. In winter deer mice were frequently observed in torpor and most activity occurred at night. In spring daily peaks of activity began before dark and extended 4 to 5 hours into daylight of the next morning.


This study aims to explore the mental health of primary and secondary school students in earthquake-hit areas in Sichuan Province five years after the Wenchuan Earthquake,by surveying 2316 primary and secondary school students in the earthquake-stricken areas. The results show the following:( 1) The students surveyed score higher in"having difficulty in concentrating on learning," "feeling restless or easily getting angry,"and"maintaining continuous alertness. "( 2) They show a high level of post-traumatic stress disorder,a significant difference in their learning phase and gender, and a significant effect of their post-earthquake mental health on their learning. The study suggests an overall grasp of the mental health of the students,attention to the psychological conditions of different groups of students,the mental health education targeting those with different mental problems,and the settlement of problems restricting mental health education in the disaster-hit areas.


1. Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 2. Students' Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 3. Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 4. Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 5. Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran


Introduction: COPD and asthma affect almost 300 million individuals worldwide. Inhaled therapy is often associated with technical errors reducing efficacy and compliance. Objective: To assess the impact of teaching the inhalation technique in clinical and functional control of Asthma and COPD. Methods: Inhalation was evaluated in 4 steps: previous expiration, device activation, forced inspiration and end inspiratory pause. Clinical control was measured through Asthma Control Test (ACT), Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT), modified Medical Research Council and COPD Assessment Test. Pulmonary function tests were performed in all patients. After the first visit patients were educated on correct use of their devices using repeated placebo devices manipulation and visual support material. They were reevaluated 6 to 8 months later. Results: 44 participants were included. Overall there was a significant decrease in the number of performed errors (average 0.7) (p Conclusions: Inhalation technique education improves its performance, leading to an improvement in clinical and functional control in Asthma. These findings were not reproduced in the COPD group, which may reflect its physiopathological hallmark of irreversible obstruction.


There is a high-rise building whose main structure is framework - core tube. In order to meet the requirements for architectural features, the distance between the outer frame and the exterior wall of core tube is relatively small, therefore the floor structure program adopts a thick plate and wide flat beam floor system, and part floors of the upper structure adopt a thick plate and dark beam system. As wide flat beams (dark beams) have a small height and cannot form effective support for the floor, special analysis has been made on floors from the security point of view without considering the role of wide flat beams (dark beams). The floor system of this high-rise building has been analyzed and discussed with regard to bearing capacity, deformation, comfort and other aspects.


I saw her last foreshortened in her coffin, Propped like a puppet in a little box, The rigid insult—silent stillness—of death Compounded by this extra lessening To toylike nothing, husk of has-been flesh. Formerly, she'd been merely short and shapeless, Thanks to her fat and twenty years of black— Bandanna, shawl, and dress enfolding all But pallid toothless blue-eyed smiling face, Cheery indifference of the agèd widow. (Of all the things she said, I just recall Three words: ''Ramon, vem cá!''—''Raymond, come here!'' Which I could never do, except to hug her.)


In the ground short range target detection with the non-side-looking airborne radar,the two dimensional clutter spectrum varies with range due to the variation of elevation angle and shows high nonhomogeneity.That leads the error of estimated convariance matrix unacceptable,thus disabling usual STAP suppressing clutter.This paper presents a non-average subsection method,dividing unevenly each doppler channel based on support curve,the upper and lower bounds of the heavy short-range clutter areas.By so doing,the samples included in each section follow the independent and identically distributed,and their convariance matrix can be evaluated precisely.Simulation results prove the improvement of the STAP performance.


In order to ensure successfully withdrawing of the powered supports during the terminal mining period of the fully mechanized top coal caving mining face,based on mining technical conditions of the coal mining face in Buliangou Mine,with the site mine strata pressure observation and analysis,the mine strata pressure behavior law of the fully mechanized top coal caving mining face during the terminal mining period was studied.The study showed that after no top coal caving operation conducted at the terminal mining stage of the fully mechanized top coal caving mining face,the roof weighting step distance of the coal mining face was increased and the weighting intensity was in a reduced tendency.With the mining depth increased,the roof would be broken,a sliding stability lost would be turned to a rotary stability lost and the mine strata pressure behavior degree would be reduced.The working resistance of the timber packed supports increased in the main withdrawing gateway could effectively reduce the surrounding rock deformation and stability lost of the roof and floor and would be favorable to the surrounding rock stability of the gateway and the successful withdrawing of the powered supports.


In this work we characterize the changes induced by iron deficiency in the pigment composition of pear (Pyrus communis L.) leaves grown under high light intensities in field conditions in Spain. Iron deficiency induced decreases in neoxanthin and β-carotene concomitantly with decreases in chlorophyll a, whereas lutein and carotenoids within the xanthophyll cycle were less affected. Iron deficiency caused major increases in the lutein/chlorophyll a and xanthophyll cycle pigments/chlorophyll a molar ratios. The chlorophyll a/chlorophyll b ratio increased in response to iron deficiency. The carotenoids within the xanthophyll cycle in iron-deficient and in iron-sufficient (control) leaves underwent epoxidations and de-epoxidations in response to ambient light conditions. In control leaves dark-adapted for several hours, most of the xanthophyll cycle pigment pool was in the epoxidated form vio-laxanthin, whereas iron-deficient leaves had significant amounts of zeaxanthin. Iron-deficient leaves also exhibited an increased non-photochemical quenching, supporting the possibility of a role for pigments within the xanthophyll cycle in photoprotection.


Crop straw resources are abundant in China,but the utilization is low.Straw biogas development is an effective way to improve the utilization of crop straw,and is also an essential choice to impel the biogas development.Due to the nature of straw,there are a series of difficult technical problems in the biogas fermentation process.Currently,it is generally accepted that a good way of straw pretreatment is the premise improving biogas generation.This paper mainly introduces different straw pretreatment methods.The corresponding advantages and disadvantages and their applications in biogas project were also introduced.Furthermore,the current situation of straw pretreatment in China was summarized,and the developing direction in future was prospected.


This paper critically analyses vocationalisation school education, higher education, secondary education and commerce education. The contribution of education depends upon the values it teaches and skills impart. Education will become the foundation stone of a sustainable society only if it succeeds in imparting necessary life skills. The achieved status of being educated is largely appreciated as mobility enabler in traditionally stratified societies like India.


brought to the by post-Holocaust immigrants, is currently the native language of five generations of bilingual speakers in New York. In this new contact setting, a unified variety is emerging, which has diverged from its Eastern European Yiddish parent dialect(s). The present study is a bilingual comparison whose aim is to examine, for a subset of HY and English vowels, how early HY-English bilinguals organize their phonetic system(s), and to explore the degree and direction of cross-linguistic influence. To that end, 24 early HY-English bilinguals, eight per generation (starting with Gen2, the children of immigrants), were recorded reading monosyllabic HY and English CVC words containing the vowels /i, ɪ, u, ʊ, a/ (approximately 100 tokens per speaker, ten of each vowel). Pillai scores were calculated for each vowel category by generational group to measure the extent of overlap in the category by language. For /u/, Pillai scores were calculated separately for the lexical sets TOO and HOOP, reflecting the implicational hierarchy attested in North American English in these contexts (Fridland 2008; Hall-Lew 2009; Labov et al. 2005; Wong 2014). The findings suggest apparent time change between Gen2 and Gen3/Gen4 in two areas: 1) spectral overlap of /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ in the two languages; and 2) relative advancement of English vs. HY /u/. Specifically, HY and English high lax vowels are qualitatively distinct for the oldest generation but show greater convergence in the younger generations. Additionally, while Gen2 HOOP and TOO both overlap cross-linguistically, English /u/-sets of Gen3 and Gen4 show more fronting. The results are interpreted with reference to models of second language acquisition, emphasizing how differences in language input might result in the acquisition of different systems. This study illustrates how an understanding of the dynamic nature of the language systems of individual learners can help explain structural change observed in the


The design of data services engine play a decisive role in the process of building Data Center.The paper,by analyzing the process of the data services engine,presented the structure of the data services engine.Then some key design technologies,such as cache design,service design and interface design are presented.The methodologies presented by the paper will effective support the Data Center construction.


The influence of the upper layers of a star on p-mode frequencies can be described asymptotically by means of a phase function, which depends essentially only on the frequency of the mode. Here the extent to which the phase function may provide formation about the superficial layers of a star is investigated. In particular, a linear relation is derived between the phase-function differences and differences in equilibrium structure of the upper layers of two models


Combining energy storage systems with fast-acting grid interface electronics opens up a new route to dynamic control of active as well as reactive power.


Use videoendoscopic technologies, hyperbaric oxygenation and ozone solution beside surgical sick when enabling them in complex preventive action vastly exceed efficiency of the traditional preventive maintenance. Hyperbaric oxygenation, ozone solutions and video-laparoscopic to technologies in preventive maintenance: peptic ulcer; the mechanical jaundice, festeringinflammation of the diseases light, bile-stones disease are pathogenesis motivated and efficient methods of the preventive maintenance of the postoperative complications.


: [Purpose] This study investigated the association between the severity of cerebral palsy in infants and the attainment of early motor milestones. [Participants and Methods] Seventeen very-low birth weight infants with cerebral palsy were included in this study. Perinatal factors, attainment of motor milestones, and gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) scores were investigated. The infants were divided into 2 groups, GMFCS I–II and GMFCS III–V, and the survey items were compared between the groups. [Results] The GMFCS I–II group included a greater number of infants who could roll at the corrected age of 9 months than the GMFCS III–V group. [Conclusion] These results suggest that evaluation of the attainment of early motor milestones may help the early prediction of the severity of cerebral palsy in infants.


The author gives special attention to the role of procuracy in the improvement of municipal lawmaking which is to influence subsequently the reversal of legal acts. Measures which are to assist in unloading the judicial system at the expense of exclusion of some categories of cases connected with voidance of legislative acts are suggested.


The task of remote sensing image scene classification (RSISC), which aims at classifying remote sensing images into groups of semantic categories based on their contents, has assumed an important role in a wide range of applications such as urban planning, natural hazards detection, environmental monitoring, vegetation mapping or geospatial object detection. During the past years, the research community focusing on RSISC tasks has shown significant effort to publish diverse datasets as well as to propose different approaches. Recently, almost all proposed RSISC systems are based on deep learning models, which proves powerful and outperform traditional approaches using image processing and machine learning. In this paper, we also leverage the power of deep learning technologies, evaluate a variety of deep neural network architectures and indicate main factors affecting the performance of a RSISC system. Given the comprehensive analysis, we propose a deep learning based framework for RSISC, which makes use of a transfer learning technique and a multihead attention scheme. The proposed deep learning framework is evaluated on the NWPU-RESISC45 benchmark dataset and achieves a classification accuracy of up to 92.6% and 94.7% with two official data split suggestions (10% and 20% of entire the NWPU-RESISC45 dataset for training). The achieved results are very competitive and show potential for real-life applications.


An appropriate transfer pricing policy and procedures help to reach a win-win situation between involved parties – taxpayers and tax administration authorities. The paper deals with one of the instruments that could help to reach such a desirable status – namely with the Advance Pricing Agreement (hereinafter referred to as "APA" only). The aim of the paper is to identify fundamental rules as stated for the APAs in the standards of the OECD and subsequently describe, assess and compare general rules for the APAs in the Czech and Polish domestic law. The research realized is based on a qualitative research; a case study was selected for its realization. A content analysis of a text was a technique used for the collection of relevant data and information. On the basis of results reached, one can observe that the Czech domestic legal regulation does not meet the criteria, unlike polish one, for the APAs as stated by the OECD. The legal regulation contained in the Czech domestic law is insufficient and in this respect the provisions contained in the Polish domestic law can be considered as a suitable and inspiring. Following this conclusion, authors present some de lege ferenda proposals for the Czech domestic law rising from the Polish domestic law.


The authors discuss various asymptotic limits of the classical and quantum Heisenberg model. They give a new proof that the thermodynamic free energy of the quantum model converges to the free energy of the classical model in the limit of large spins. They also obtain Gaussian and free Bose gas limits for the classical and quantum models respectively.


Using computer simulations of a soft, coarse-grained model and a Lennard-Jones bead–spring model, we investigate the behavior of random block copolymer (RBCP) blends in the bulk and in the vicinity of a solid substrate. The RBCP is comprised of six random sequences of A and B blocks and adopts a microemulsion-like morphology as we increase the incompatibility between A and B segment species. The soft, coarse-grained model is used to efficiently equilibrate the morphology and molecular conformations in the melt, and its explicit molecular conformations are used to generate equilibrated starting configurations for the bead–spring model. Since the pure A and B melts are structurally asymmetric, A-rich and B-rich domains differ in their density and viscosity in the melt or mechanical properties in the glassy state, respectively. We demonstrate that the self-assembled morphology in the melt gives rise to a viscoelastic transient plateau in the stress autocorrelation function. While an analysis of the entanglem...


Objective To observe the influence of carbon disulfide(CS 2) exposure on worker's spectrum of erythrocyte membrane proteins. Methods CS 2 concentration in air of workplace was detected.The erythrocyte membrane of 16 workers(8 in exposed group,others in control group) were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE). Results The range of CS 2 concentration(TWA) in air of workplace was 0~8.98 mg/m 3.The relative percentage of erythrocyte membrane spectrin in exposed workers (34.48%) was higher than that in control workers(26.18%)( t =5.920, P 0.001).The percentage of spectrin was correlated with CS 2 concentration(TWA)( r =0.859, R 2 =0.738, P 0.001),as well as exposure index(EI, r =0.713, R 2 =0.508, P =0.002).A doubted new band in high molecular zone of erythrocyte membrane protein was found in two workers who had a long-term exposure history. Conclusion Long-term exposure to high levels of carbon disulfide may cause the spectrum abnormality of erythrocyte membrane proteins in workers.The results suggested that the spectrum of erythrocyte membrane proteins,especially spectrin might become a dose-effect molecular biomarker in workers exposed to carbon disulfide.


Transport policy is increasingly determined at EU level, with national, regional and local governments heavily constrained by a supranational regulatory framework. This one-size-fits-all approach has meant regulations have frequently been maladapted to local conditions, and as a result have imposed very large costs on individuals and businesses. The European Commission has wasted vast sums on 'white-elephant' transport projects where the costs have outweighed the benefits. EU climate change policies have imposed huge costs on the transport sector for little benefit. The biofuels requirement in petrol and diesel is costing taxpayers and consumers across the EU an estimated €20 billion a year, and harms the poor in developing countries by inflating food prices and drives deforestation by increasing the demand for products, such as palm oil. EU directives effectively prohibit full vertical integration on railways. The resulting industry fragmentation is thought to have increased costs by approximately £1.5 billion a year in the UK alone, pushing up taxpayer subsidies. A similarly flawed model is now being imposed on seaports. Rather than the top-down structures imposed by the EU, regulatory institutions should be free to evolve from the bottom up, their scale depending on market conditions rather than political diktat.


Abstract Violent political conflict results in socioeconomic fragmentation and hampers economic development. In contrast, trade crucially depends on cooperation. The article empirically analyses at the micro-level whether economic interactions affect political attitudes. Trading relations between Israelis and Palestinians are found to be extensive despite the conflict. Education and personal social networks facilitate contacts. Israeli traders do not see themselves as affected by the conflict, but wish for its quick settlement. This lends support to the Rational Group Conflict Theory and the Theory of Liberal Peace. Daily contacts are found to create positive functional interdependence which may be effective in fostering reconciliation in the Middle East.


Italian novelist and short story writer, Italo Calvino (1923-1985), is a complex, rich, and multi-faceted author, thoroughly engaged in the European intellectual dialogue of his time. Calvino's works, especially his novels and short stories of the 70's and 80's, are an integral part of the postmodern literary landscape, with their playfulness, allusions, recycling of styles, quoting, framing, and especially their interest in corporeal and sensory issues that lately seem to be one of the focuses of postmodern literature.


Sexist attitudes continue to demand the attention of studies, given their close relationship with sexual discrimination and gender violence. Adolescence is a key evolutionary stage in the development of these beliefs. Our research objective is to analyze how emotional intelligence is related to the maintenance of these sexist beliefs, in their different manifestations (hostile sexism and benevolent sexism) as the origin of more problematic behaviors. The sample consists of 134 participants between 12 and 17 years of a rural population of Castilla La Mancha. The evaluation instruments used were the sexism detection scale in adolescents (DSA) and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24). When taking into account the sex of the participants, we found significant differences regarding the greater degree of hostile sexism that men show against women, as well as the close relationship between excessive attention to emotions in men and hostile sexism. In the case of women, a greater capacity to regulate their emotions correlated with a benevolent sexist attitude regarding their relationship with men. These results are discussed by the involvement of emotion management in the adoption of sexist beliefs and attitudes towards the opposite sex. The conclusions drawn from this study support training in emotion management.