The United States Boy Scouts of America (BSA) programs are designed to cover a range of different youth development activities. Central to the BSA program is the merit badge system. Merit badges provide an opportunity for scouts to learn about a specific topic, which may be focused on a hobby, physical activity, or prospective career field. There are more than 120 different merit badges that any Scout may earn, each with its own set of requirements. BSA introduced an oceanography merit badge in 1964. Very recently, a significant increase in demand for this particular merit badge throughout the Hampton Roads region of southeast Virginia was noticed by members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) Atlantic field office in Chesapeake, Virginia. CO-OPS also noted a limited number of opportunities to earn the badge, with some local events being booked beyond several years. In a pursuit to assist with the growing regional demand, a group of scientists, engineers, and marine technicians at the CO-OPS office in Chesapeake gathered to review merit badge requirements and then consulted with several contacts at Old Dominion University (ODU) that has recently been holding several different annual BSA merit badge events, including oceanography. The CO-OPS team designed a one day program that could be held at the Chesapeake field office and could meet all BSA badge requirements. The CO-OPS Chesapeake office is home to over 40 professionals in various fields of ocean science and marine technology and the facility houses a significant amount of oceanographic sensors, instrumentation, and a number of laboratory facilities. The first CO-OPS oceanography merit badge event was conducted during August 2011. Since, it has continued to be held on an annual basis, with five successful events completed to date. All five annual events reached the maximum registration limit of fifty scouts. An overview of the event program that CO-OPS has designed and continued to develop over the past 5 years will be presented along with examples of how interactive exhibits at the field office facility have been used to address BSA oceanography merit badge requirements.


Abstract The high temperature thermal deterioration, under oxidative pyrolysis conditions, of poly-α-olefins aviation lubricant material, was investigated. Detailed characterisation of products were performed with Fourier transform infrared, GC/MS and viscosity experiments. The results showed that poly-α-olefins had the lower thermal stability, being oxidative deteriorated at 200°C. The majority of poly-α-olefins pyrolysis products consisted of alkenes and olefins, and the related reaction mechanisms were discussed according to the experimental results.


Nanocellulose derived by the hydrolysis of alpha cellulose of corn straw using different acids has been examined. Its particulate and structural characteristics including morphology (SEM), thermal behavior (DSC) and crystallinity (XRD) showed dependence on the acid type. Packing and flow properties showed similar dependence, while hydration and swelling capacities exhibited direct and inverse correlation to packing characteristics, respectively. Tablet characteristics were satisfactory at the compression force used. Hence, the nanocellulose powder obtained using any of the acid types is a potential pharmaceutical excipient.


Pectin is a biocompatible polysaccharide with intrinsic biological activity, which may exhibit different structures depending on its source or extraction method. The extraction of pectin from various industrial by-products presents itself as a green option for the valorization of agro-industrial residues by producing a high commercial value product. Pectin is susceptible to physical, chemical, and/or enzymatic changes. The numerous functional groups present in its structure can stimulate different functionalities, and certain modifications can enable pectin for countless applications in food, agriculture, drugs, and biomedicine. It is currently a trend to use pectin to produce edible coating to protect foodstuff, antimicrobial bio-based films, nanoparticles, healing agents, and cancer treatment. Advances in methodology, use of different sources of extraction, and knowledge about structural modification have significantly expanded the properties, yields, and applications of this polysaccharide. Recently, structurally modified pectin has shown better functional properties and bioactivities than the native one. In addition, pectin can be used in conjunction with a wide variety of biopolymers with differentiated properties and specific functionalities. In this context, this review presents the structural characteristics and properties of pectin and information on the modification of this polysaccharide, its respective applications, perspectives, and future challenges.


Abstract The application by Nirex to build an underground Rock Characterisation Facility, was rejected by the Secretary of State on 17 March 1997. This decision has caused Nirex to reconsider its forward programme for the development of an underground disposal facility for intermediate level waste. This paper describes the transport related activities being undertaken by Nirex since that date.


Nonresponse is recognized as a major source of bias in sample surveys. Few surveys involving personal interviews, however, have focused on this source of bias. In view of the declining rates of response in household surveys involving personal interviews, the problem of nonresponse bias merits more attention. Moreover, when rates of nonresponse in particular segments of the population are known to be high, as for example among the elderly, the assessment of this source of bias becomes imperative. This paper examines the extent and nature of nonresponse bias in a national survey of elderly women, personally interviewed in the Spring of 1978, and reports on a followup of nonrespondents through the use of a mail questionnaire. The survey was designed for purposes of gaining a better understanding of the low fertility achieved by women born in the first decade of the 20th Century. Henceforth, this survey is referred to as the Low Fertility Cohort Study.


Salted sun-dried samples of the flesh of three different species of fish with different levels of salt in the flesh were exposed to infestation by the mite Suidasia medanensis in the laboratory under uniform conditions. Statistical analysis of the results obtained after one week's exposure showed that there is no correlation between the level of salt retained in the flesh and the number of mites infesting it. It would appear, however, from the results that there may well be a critical level of salt content above which infestation does not occur . .. RESUME: Des lots de chair de poisson sales et seches 'au soleil, representant trois especes de poissons et des niveaux de sel differents, ont Me soumis a l'infestation de l'acarien Suidasia medanensis en laboratoire et dans des conditions uniformes. L'analyse statistique des resultats obtenus, apres une exposition d'une semaine, a montre qu'il n'y a aucune correlation entre le niveau du sel retenu dans la chair et le nombre d'acariens qui l'infestent. Il semblerait, toutefois, d'apres ces resultats, qu'il pourrait bien y avoir un niveau critique pour le sel au dessus duquel l'infestation ne se produirait plus. INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS S. medanensis has so far been principally recognised as a pest of stored grain. PILLAI, 1957) listed S. medanensis in the group of fish-mites. In view of its economic importance a detailed study of the ecology of the mite was undertaken and the present paper reports the influence of the levels of salt content of the flesh of the dried fish on the intensity qf infestation by the Vlite . . Known proportions of salt by weight were added to fresh samples of different species of fish which were then sun-dried. The dried samples were then cut into four sub-samples of more or less equal weight. Of the four subsamples one was used to determine the percentage by weight of retained salt and the others exposed to infestation. It was presumed that the sal! content of the four sub-samples would be uniform. * Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, University of Kerala, Trivandrum 695007. Acarologia, t. XXII, fasc. 3, Ig81. The salt content of the control pIece/gm was determined in the following way. The unexposed piece was repeatedly extracted with hot water (80oC) till it was ensured that the entire salt present in the flesh was dissolved. The salt solution was then titrated against standard silver nitrate solution using potassium chromate as indicator and the weight of salt/gm of flesh was calculated. The experimental pieces were weighed and subjected to uniform chances of infestation by arranging them equidistantly around a stock culture of Suidasia in the laboratory. The pieces exposed for infestation were withdrawn after seven days interval and the number of adult mites on a weight of 10 gms of the sample was counted. Six levels of salt were tried in the flesh of each of the three different species of hosts. For each level of salt tried the intensity was determined based on the average of the counts of the mite on three samples subjected to infestation separately, each of one week's duration. The species of fish used were Trichiurus savala, Euthynnus affinis and Otolithus argenteus.


This paper emphasizes on the conflicts of interest between agents in order to assess whether venture capital can be a potential model of musharakah in imperfect markets. To achieve this purpose, this study opts for the financial contracting enforceability approach and MonteCarlo simulation to identify the contract that maximizes the value of the firm subject to the enforcement constraint for the agent and the participation constraint for the principal, taking into account market frictions, and the two levels of the industrial shocks. Findings reveal that musharakah is the optimal contract for agents, subject to their constraints when the shock is low and high. In addition, the simulation results indicate that the increase in market frictions engenders higher profit-sharing ratio for the financier when venture capital and musharakah financings are used. The increase in the value of the firm in case of high shock is attributed to the increase in the profit-sharing ratios for both contracts to mitigate the selfish behavior of the agent. Therefore, the financier tends to require a higher profit-sharing ratio as a compensation for the severer information asymmetry. JEL Classifications: C61, G24, G32, L24.


We demonstrate spectral measurement of frequency components generated from an electro-optic-modulator-based comb generator. Even with a cost-effective, low-resolution scanning etalon, the spectra of comb lines can be recovered and analyzed through an inverse-matrix deconvolution process.


A new model is proposed to represent and simulate non-stationary earthquake ground motion. A Markovian phase angle model is applied to the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to describe the non-stationarity. The Markov DFT (MDFT) model is developed from the well-established theory of narrow-band stationary Gaussian processes interchanging the roles of frequency and time. The MDFT model affords a convenient two-parameter description of the non-stationarity of earthquake ground motion. The model is found to accurately follow the observed behavior of a large California ground motion database.


On the base of the research of education informationization and the underlying database, an empirical data verification model is constructed. Modern management science, system theory, information science, statistics related theory and method of theoretical analysis and empirical analysis are integrated. The combination of vertical and horizontal comparison difference analysis, trend prediction and the method of the combination provide informatization level evaluation system research, analysis and prediction.


Kernel smut and Karnal bunt are the important diseases of rice and wheat, respectively. Kernel smut of rice caused by Tilletia bare/ayana (Bref.) Sacco and Syd. (Syn. Neovossia bare/ayana Bref., T. horrida Tak., N. horrida (Tak.) Padw. and Khan) is prevalent in almost all the major rice growing countries of the world (1). Widespread occurrence and up to 80% incidence of the disease have been observed in 1997 in the Punjab State (4). A similar disease Karnal bunt of wheat caused by Tilletia indica Mitra [Syn. Neovossia Indica (Mitra) Mundkur] has been reported from all the major wheat growing countries of the world. As the grade of infection of the grains increased, their weight is correspondingly decreased (5). Both the diseases can easily be produced artificially, yet incompatibility between monosporidial lines as it relates to heterothallism and pathogenicity has not been previously studied In detail. Incompatibility between rnonospondial lines was determined by pathogenicity tests using paired and unpaired lines of T. bardayana and T. indica Inoculating rice and wheat, respectively.


This paper analyzes the main aspects of the criminal liability for illegal access to computer information. The author emphasizes unauthorized ways of breaks in a computer system, and reveals the issues of the criminal liability for illegal access to the information.


Th e aim of this paper is to analyze the assessment of promotional activities by the residents of Polish cities and towns of various sizes. Th e conclusions are presented on the basis of a questionnaire conducted between May 11 and August 18, 2011, via the Internet and in direct interviews with respondents from various parts of Poland. Addi- tionally, the author compared the eff ectiveness of promotional instruments employed by Polish towns, as assessed by those towns' residents, with the results of a survey by TNS OBOP (Centre for Public Opinion Research), conducted at the turn of October 2010 among local government offi cials in charge of marketing activity. Th is compari- son allowed for the diff erences in how image campaigns are perceived by the two sides of promotional activity to be identifi ed. Th e paper provides useful observations to be analyzed by the representatives of local government promotional offi ces and place marketing experts, and it can also assist urban authorities in selecting the most eff ec- tive methods of promotion of places, directed at their residents.


The lifting equipment is applied more and more extensively with the fast development of economy. The fatigue and safety problems of lifting equipment in service are more and more prominent. The stress spectrum monitoring data was analyzed by the two parameters rain-flow counting method for fatigue analysis. The calculation for cumulative damage and prediction for fatigue life of the lifting equipment's hot region were calculated based on the double linear damage theory and the nominal stress method. According to the engineering application results, the real crack generation time is consistent with that of our estimation, which demonstrates that our prediction model and method for fatigue life are effective and give a method for the evaluation of the lifting equipment's fatigue life. The double linear damage theory is recommended for use in fatigue and damage prediction of lifting equipment in service.


From the discovery of oxide superconductors in 1964, there were frequent indications that these materials are metastable. This lack of thermodynamic stability has now become one of the predominant issues in the synthesis of the high‐temperature superconductors. Once prepared, metastable superconductors possess sufficient kinetic stability that we generally need have no concern that they will decompose into more stable phases that are not superconducting. Nonetheless, our understanding of the issues relating to the stability of the known superconductors greatly influences our approaches to synthesizing them. Furthermore, understanding the relationship between instabilities and the mechanism of high‐Tc superconductivity could be the key to the synthesis of superconductors with even higher critical temperatures.


Patient. —J. H., came to the clinic complaining of difficult urination, increased urination and decided urgency, with occasional attacks of complete retention. One such attack had occurred the day previous, for the relief of which he had been catheterized at another institution. He had had an attack of complete retention one year previously, and gave a history of several attacks of urethritis during his youth. He had been treated for stricture at one time. He had no hematuria and no pain. Examination. —The patient was a well-preserved man about 55 years old. The urine was very cloudy and contained many long shreds. The catheter met with obstruction in the prostatic urethra. A small woven bougie passed into the bladder. A No. 10 (French scale) tunneled steel catheter guided over a whalebone filiform passed over a long soft calculus on the floor of the posterior urethra. The end of the calculus


Inverse opal photonic crystals with opal spheres of small diameters in the range of 70 to 170 nm have been widely adopted to enhance photocatalytic efficiency near the TiO2 conduction band, using the slow-light modes on the red (long-wavelength) and blue (short-wavelength) edges of the fundamental optical stop gap. We show that these two spectral regions have comparable light harvesting abilities, but neither of them are the optimum spectral range for photocatalysis in TiO2. Instead, the ideal resonant photonic modes are distributed among the higher order 5th to 15th photonic bands. By using larger opal spheres of ∼380 nm diameter, to place these higher order slow-light modes into the visible spectrum of 400 to 550 nm in lightly doped anatase TiO2, enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is possible. For an imaginary part of the dielectric constant 0.01, the maximum achievable photocurrent density reaches 2.09 mA cm−2 for a 6-layer inverse opal placed on a mirror substrate. This is 5.6 times the photocatalytic response of blue-edge slow photons near the TiO2 electronic band edge.


The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the distribution, species composition of pathogens of cattle fasciolosis, improving the diagnosis and control measures of it. Fasciolosis is the most common and dangerous among bovine helminthiasis, causing significant economic damage to livestock by reducing milk yields, weight gain and deteriorating food quality. Further studies require the determination of the pathogenic effect of helminths on the body of animals, the improvement of intravital diagnosis and the development of an effective treatment regimen for animals.


Tuberculosis continues to be a major health hazard, inspite of notable advances in its diagnosis and treatment. Tuberculosis of the spleen is an extremely rare clinical entity. It often poses diagnostic difficulties as preoperative confirmation of diagnosis is not easy. We came across a young adult immunocompetent male from good socio-economic background, who presented with weight loss and left hypochondriac pain. Ultrasonography and CT scan of the abdomen revealed a single hypoechoic lesion in the spleen. Splenectomy was performed and the sample was sent for histopathological examination which revealed large areas of caseation surrounded by multiple granulomas of epitheloid and Langhans type of giant cells consistent with splenic tuberculosis. No primary focus of infection was detected in the lungs or any other organ.


In the past decade game design for "impact" has pro life ated. Yet fragmentation is also growing between researchers, designers and funders in their ability to compare game proposals and communicate effectively about impact. Success in this endeavor may require new umbrella language to guide meaningful c omparison and improve efficacy — especially across stakeholders. Fortunately, strate gies for reducing friction and aligning design with research are surfacing. In a report published last year by Games for Change and ETC Press (2015), we first revealed some of the hidden barriers in language an d framing around "game impact." Based on dozens of interviews with sector leaders ( primarily in the United States), the report identified five areas of concern that increa se confusion and undermine impact. Findings to be discussed (and explored outside the United States) include: • the gulf between research and practice is growing as silos begin to deepen; some types of impact are p rsistently marginalized by disciplinary divides; • we need common language and new frames to compare impact across domains, especially with diverse stakeholders • for research to affect practice, special care is needed to avoid framing research in opposition to creativity. In response to the report, more than 30 individuals submitted formal suggestions, including some leading game studios and academics. The feedback opened new areas of inquiry. In the past several months, we identified s veral "risky assumptions" that may drive fragmentation. Diagnosing assumptions is more delicate and subjective than documenting fragmentation; yet it yields more actio nable insights.


As part of the United Nations Development Program/ World Bank/World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, the Scientific Working Group on Immunology of Leprosy (IMMLEP) recently organized a workshop to characterize the specificity and reaction patterns of several murine monoclonal antibodies to Mycobacterium leprae which had been submitted to the IMMLEP M. leprae monoclonal antibody bank. The following preliminary report describes the results, as agreed upon by the international group of investigators participating in the workshop, which took place in Geneva, 4 to 5 June 1984, as part of a W.H.O.-sponsored joint meeting on the immunology of leprosy and tuberculosis. The workshop was organized as follows. A total of 22 monoclonal antibodies generated in six different laboratories were submitted to the IMMLEP monoclonal antibody bank located at the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga. Samples of these monoclonal antibodies were coded and sent to seven laboratories for independent analysis by a variety of methods, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), radioimmunoassay (RIA), electrophoretic or immunoblotting techniques, crossed immunoelectrophoresis, and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). A summary of the results obtained by the seven laboratories is given in Table 1. As can be seen, 10 of the 22 monoclonal antibodies tested were found to be specific for M. leprae, with another 10 antibodies cross-reactive for one or more of the 25 mycobacterial species tested. The remaining two monoclonal antibodies were found to be specific for a 95-kilodalton (KD) protein present in normal armadillo liver homogenates. Three broad antigen classes were recognized by the monoclonal antibodies tested. (i) Several protein antigens of different molecular weights were defined by electrophoretic immunoblotting techniques and sensitivity to proteolytic enzyme treatment. The possibility that one or more of the lower-molecular-weight species represents proteolytic breakdown products of a higher-molecular-weight antigen(s) remains to be determined. Cross-competition experiments are in progress to determine the minimal number of unique epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies reacting with polypeptides of the same molecular weight. (ii) M. lepraespecific phenolic glycolipids were defined by a solid-phase ELISA assay, using the deacylated form of the antigen. (iii) Carbohydrate or lipid class antigens or both were defined by resistance to proteolytic enzyme treatment. Crossed immunoelectrophoresis analysis clearly revealed that several specific or cross-reactive antigenic epitopes (protein or carbohydrate/lipid) as identified by independent monoclonal antibodies may precipitate in the same antigen complex (Table 1, line 7). However, despite the occurrence of shared determinants, three distinct precipitation patterns (Table 1, lines 2, 7, and 11) were evident. The results obtained by the IFA technique suggest that the source of M. leprae, the manner in which the M. leprae bacilli were isolated before being smeared on microscope slides, and the conjugate used may have influenced the results obtained with the monoclonal antibodies. With the use of the nonsonicated (NS) immunofluorescence method (Table 1, footnote f), it appeared that only surface antigenic determinants and not antigens present in the interior of the M. leprae organisms were detected. Several noteworthy points emerged from this workshop. (i) An international group of scientists working independently over a 2-month period came to virtually identical conclusions concerning the specificity and reactivity patterns of 22 different coded monoclonal antibodies submitted to the IMMLEP monoclonal antibody bank. (ii) The series of monoclonal antibodies investigated reacted with a broad range of different antigens and included: (a) M. leprae-specific antibodies reacting with four distinct M. leprae protein molecules; (b) M. leprae-specific antibodies which reacted with the major phenolic glycolipid of M. leprae; (c) a number of cross-reactive and M. leprae-specific antibodies that recognized 55and 65-KD protein polypeptides; (d) several cross-reactive antibodies that reacted with carbohydrate/lipid antigens. These monoclonal antibodies should prove extremely useful in the development of new methods for the immunodiagnosis of leprosy, in the identification of immunogenic M. leprae-specific gene products produced by recombinant DNA techniques, and finally in helping to characterize those M. leprae antigens important for stimulation of cellular immunity. Subject to available reserves, samples of the M. lepraespecific monoclonal antibodies will be made available by IMMLEP to qualified investigators upon receipt of a short (1-page) description summarizing the experiments to be carried out with the monoclonal antibodies.


A controlled comparative study was made of the osteogenic properties of various types of bone grafts in dogs. A rating scale was applied to the histological criteria used for the evaluation of the grafts, and a tabular and statistical evaluation of the results was carried out. Fresh autogenous bone was clearly superior; freezedried homogenous bone was the next highest in rating. The rest of the grafts tested rated in the following order: frozen homogenous, decalcified homogenous, frozen irradiated homogenous, freeze-dried irradiated homogenous, fresh homogenous, deproteinized heterogenous, and deproteinized homogenous. An indication of the approximate level of significance of this ranking was given. The deficiencies in the data related to the great variability in the response of the animals and the small numbers of animals at each test interval are discussed.


The invention discloses an ECoG (electrocorticogram) signal amplifier. According to the ECoG signal amplifier, an implanted electrode acquires ECoG signals; after impedance conversion of Headstage, the ECoG signals enter an inflammatory change effect on-line detecting network and then enter an AC (alternating current)/DC(direct current) amplifying module; parallel ECoG signal acquisition is carried out under the control of a microprocessor Atmega32; and acquired data is transmitted to a master control chip module through SPI port(series peripheral interface). Microprocessors Atmega48, Atmega 64 and Atmega 32 communicate with one another through high-speed isolation optocouplers; acquired amplified ECoG signals are packed into a data pocket at the microprocessor Atmega64, and then the data packet is transmitted to USB (universal serial bus) 2.0 chip; and after the data packet is processed by analysis software, epilepsia information can be extracted or displayed. The ECoG signal amplifier has a multi-channel parallel acquisition and amplification function and is capable of effectively removing and inhibiting high-frequency interference factors and completely extracting and displaying low-frequency ECoG physiological information of epilepsia.


Abstract : An array sorting problem is shown to have a linear lower time bound for n x n arrays. This negatively settles a conjecture of Kosaraju. Several other sorting schemes are considered, but all fail to improve performance. The impossibility of better than linear time sorting bounds for arrays with local rules is conjectured.


This study sought to examine the effect of competitive strategies on the growth of Saccos in Bungoma County. The study was anchored on Agency Theory; Resource Based View theory and Stewardship theory. Its specific objective was to determine the effect of differentiation strategy on the growth of Saccos in Bungoma County. The study employed a descriptive research design and targeted a population of 112 Sacco top management staff of active Saccos in Bungoma County. The Chief Executive Officers, Chairpersons, Treasurers and Honorary Secretaries were the main respondents and were studied in a census. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire whose reliability was tested in a pilot study. Findings of the study revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between differentiation strategy and growth of Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies in Bungoma County. The study therefore recommended that Saccos adopt differentiation strategy through initiatives like offering unique products and services, instituting non-executive boards of directors, establishing strategic committees, opening up the common bond, opening doors for licensing and regulation by Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA), and crafting strategic plans. Other initiatives include establishing reliable strategic partnerships with other financial and non-financial institutions, reserving sufficient funds annually as institutional capital to shield against unforeseen risks and operationalizing a unique operation/ service delivery system. The findings and recommendations of this study would be valuable in helping managers of Saccos and other financial institutions together with policy makers in this sub sector like SASRA, KUSCCO and WOCCU in determining the appropriate strategies to be embraced in fostering the growth of Saccos in Kenya and the world at large. Keywords: Competitive strategies, Differentiation, Growth CITATION:  Chesigor F. K., Wanyama K. W., & Otiso K. N. (2019). Effect of competitive strategies on growth of Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies in Bungoma County, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 6 (3), 552 – 561.


Traducción del texto de Yvonne Daniel. From Caribbean and Atlantic Diaspora Dance: Igniting Citizenship. Copyright 2011 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.


The kinin B1 receptor is a major determinant of cytokine (ie interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β))‐induced leukocyte recruitment. However, the exact mechanism involved in this response is unclear. Recently, we showed that chemokines, in particular CXCL‐5, play a crucial role in this response but the exact site of B1 receptor expression and source of CXCL‐5 remained uncertain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interaction between the B1 receptor and CXCL‐5 in endothelial cells and the participation of this pathway in leukocyte recruitment.


In this paper we consider the problem of discovering frequent temporal patterns in a database of temporal sequences, where a temporal sequence is a set of items with associated dates and durations. Since the quantitative temporal information appears to be fundamental in many contexts, it is taken into account in the mining processes and returned as part of the extracted knowledge. To this end, we have adapted the classical a priori (Agrawal and Srikant, 1995) framework to propose an efficient algorithm based on a hyper-cube representation of temporal sequences. The extraction of quantitative temporal information is performed using a density estimation of the distribution of event intervals from the temporal sequences. An evaluation on synthetic data sets shows that the proposed algorithm can robustly extract frequent temporal patterns with quantitative temporal extents.


We study the ratio of the number of sites in the largest and second largest clusters in random percolation. Using the scaling hypothesis that the ratio / of the mean cluster sizes M1 and M2 scales as f ((p - pc) L1/ν), we employ finite-size scaling analysis to find that / is nonuniversal with respect to the boundary conditions imposed. The mean of the ratios behaves similarly although with a distinct critical value reflecting the relevance of mass fluctuations at the percolation threshold. These zero exponent ratios also allow for reliable estimates of the critical parameters at percolation from relatively small lattices.


The adsorption of nonexcited molecular oxygen on cleaved GaAs(110) surfaces at room temperature has been studied using photoemission techniques. Detailed analysis of the oxygen‐induced structure in the valence‐band region revealed two different forms of adsorbed oxygen. Adsorption in the first form saturates at a very low coverage (∠0.01 monolayer) and is probably associated with defect sites. Adsorption in the second form occurs at normal surface sites and produces measurable chemical shifts in Ga‐3d and As‐3d core levels. The nature of the second form of oxygen has been further investigated with core level studies of surfaces oxidized at room temperature and subsequently heated to a high temperature. Annealing to moderately high temperature (∠370°C) causes transfer of oxygen from As–O bonds to form additional Ga–O bonds. Fast heating to high temperature (430°–450°C) leads to desorption of roughly half of the oxygen atoms and all of the chemically affected As atoms, while little change in the Ga‐3d core ...


Abstract Given a resplendent model for Peano arithmetic there exists a full satisfaction class over , i.e. an assignment of truth-values, to all closed formulas in the sense of with parameters from , which satisfies the usual semantic rules. The construction is based on the consistency of an appropriate system of -logic which is proved by an analysis of standard approximations of nonstandard formulas.


1 "... those involved in alcohol research and prevention programs should pay greater attention to patterns of drinking, since these patterns are important determinants of both the positive and negative consequences of drinking. Indeed, preliminary evidence indicates that patterns of drinking may be more important than levels of alcohol consumption in predicting whether people will experience problems with their drinking" (Single & Leino 1998. Drinking Patterns and Their Consequences).


Intense research efforts are directed toward Cu and Cu2O based catalysts as they are viewed as potential replacements for noble metal catalysts. However, applications are hampered by deactivation, e.g., through facile complete oxidation to CuO. Despite the importance of the redox processes for Cu2O catalysts, a molecular level understanding of the deactivation process is still lacking. Here we study the initial stages of oxidization of well-defined Cu2O bulk single crystals of (100) and (111) termination by means of synchrotron radiation X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Exposure of the (100) surface to 1 mbar O2 at 25 °C results in the formation of a 1.0 monolayer (ML) CuO surface oxide. The surface is covered by 0.7 ML OH groups from trace moisture in the reaction gas. In contrast, neither hydroxylation nor oxidation was observed on the (111) surface under similar mild exposure conditions. On Cu2O(111) the initial formation of CuO requires annealing to ∼400 ...


A binucleating pyrazolate-based ligand providing two tridentate PNN compartments is shown to form a dinuclear rhodium(I) complex [L{Rh(CO)}2](PF6) (1) that can be deprotonated at both side arm methylene groups between pyridine and phosphino donors to give K[L**{Rh(CO)}2] (3). Sequential twofold deprotonation has been monitored by NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy and proceeds via the neutral intermediate


This paper took a one-dimensional ultrasonic phased array probe as an example,began from the beam directivity function,analyzed the influence of the center distance of one-dimensional ultrasonic phased array probe on eliminating the grating lobe,and pointed out the best value range of the center distance.The results could be used as a good reference basis for the design of phased array probe and its performance optimization.


REVIEW OF The Problem of the Future World: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Race Concept at Midcentury by Eric PorterEric Porter is Professor of American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is the author of What Is This Thing Called Jazz? African American Musicians as Artists, Critics, and Activists.Eric Porter offers an engaging examination of W.E.B. Du Bois' midcentury work, at times presenting an unfamiliar Du Bois. For instance, Porter elucidates Du Bois' post World War II affinity for Communism and esteem for the Soviet Union while directing attention to Du Bois' insights about a post-racial world as part of the scholar's work at this stage of his life and career. While highlighting and favoring various ideologies and views of Du Bois, Porter also draws attention to shortcomings of Du Bois' midcentury works, such as his tendency to argue and present his ideologies from a masculine/heterosexual vantage point, demonstrating an oversight of sex and gender critical work. As well, though Du Bois expresses enthusiasm for communist approaches to social structure, Porter notes he tended to overlook the "the brutality and failures of Soviet policies" (155). Despite these shortcomings, Du Bois presents very powerful and shrewd observations of the social inequalities and imbalances of power plaguing the postmodern world.The examination of Du Bois' work begins with an exploration of the duality of him being both a social scientist and an activist, primarily explored through analysis of Du Bois' Dusk of Dawn. The first chapter captures the reader's attention by describing Du Bois' sense of purpose driven scholarship: "Du Bois sought to seek a balance between commitment to empirical investigation and reform" (35). Porter recounts Du Bois' haunting recollection of the Sam Hose lynching outside Atlanta in 1899, including coming across Hose's knuckles on display in a grocery store window. Du Bois would describe this event as a "red ray" that "cut across the plan which I had as a scientist.. .one could not be a calm, cool, and detached scientist while Negroes were lynched, murdered and starved" (26). Porter effectively employs Dusk of Dawn to position Du Bois' intense motivation to utilize his scholarly interests and pursuits to improve the plight of Blacks in America, as well as a general pursuit of social justice.As a fan of Du Bois' contribution to scholarship addressing race and civil rights, it is refreshing to be reminded that not only was Du Bois an astute intellectual but also a dedicated activist. Porter describes for the reader the nature of Du Bois' activism, rooted in the political and social economic powers of the oppressed. Highlighting Du Bois' proposal for an African American consumer movement, what he referred to as a "Third Path" (55) of activism, Porter frames Du Bois' intent on resisting the "domination of white Europe over black Africa and yellow Asia, through political power built on the economic control of labor, income and ideas" (26). Extrapolating Du Bois' positions on reform, Porter suggests, "...race and racial inequali- ties can persist when reforms do not adequately address existing exclusions..." (43). Building on Du Bois' thinking, Porter argues that without sincere commitment to investigating the causes of exclusions, true transformative reform will not take place in the United States, let alone on a global scale.The second chapter addresses Du Bois' assertion that war is utilized to continue Western imperialism, focusing on: 1) the violence of imperialism, 2) the centrality of war to modernity, and 3) the limitations of liberal democracies (63). In Phylon, Du Bois observes a "rhetoric of peace" employed by allied forces, noting peace proposals did not include an end to the violence of colonial exploitation or granting of rights to colonized people in their definitions. Porter explores Du Bois' scorn for this allied forces rhetoric referencing the scholar's disdain for South African leader Jan Christian Smuts labeling the war a "crusade. …


Achromobacter xylosoxidans is an opportunistic organism, mainly causing infection in immune compromised hosts, such as patients on dialysis. However, review of the medical literature showed that few cases of A. xylosoxidans infections following total knee arthroplasty have been reported. This organism has not been reported in prosthetic joint infections of patients who are not immune compromised. Here, a case of periprosthetic infection with A. xylosoxidans following total knee arthroplasty in a man with no medical history of immune suppression is reported.


The problem of identifying and correcting confusibles, i.e. context-sensitive spelling errors, in text is typically tackled using specifically trained machine learning classifiers. For each different set of confusibles, a specific classifier is trained and tuned.

In this research, we investigate a more generic approach to context-sensitive confusible correction. Instead of using specific classifiers, we use one generic classifier based on a language model. This measures the likelihood of sentences with different possible solutions of a confusible in place. The advantage of this approach is that all confusible sets are handled by a single model. Preliminary results show that the performance of the generic classifier approach is only slightly worse that that of the specific classifier approach.


If you are living in Sweden, you´re likely to consume around 15 kg textile every year (Palm, 2011). Of those 15 kg, 10.5 kg are most likely produced in Asia (IPCC, 2014). When producing textile, gr ...


In the article, the author discusses the possibility of obligatory preventive vaccinations among employees on the basis of the existing regulations. It refers to current press publications in which the above-mentioned position is presented. The author focuses primarily on food industry plants, which serve as a reference to an exemplary workplace. The attention is drawn to the fact that preventive vaccinations against influenza are recommended but not obligatory. The current legal status is analysed in detail, including the Labour Code, specific legislation and executive acts laying down employer's obligations in the scope of protective vaccinations prescribed by health and safety regulations. The author presents the role of an occupational medicine doctor in the process of conducting employee examinations. The article also summons a number of Supreme Court and administrative court provisions relating to preventivevaccination programmes. It is indicated for which occupations, due to particular exposure to biological factors, preventive vaccinations are recommended. The author emphasizes the informative role of the employer, who currently has no legal tools obliging employees to perform the recommended vaccinations. He maintains that, inter alia, the lack of a legal basis in this case excludes the possibility of disciplinary dismissal of an employee. In addition, he points to work regulations, which due to its legal nature may be used to provide information on prevention measures against influenza taken in the workplace, if such are the subject of the employer's interest. At the same time, it is emphasised that trade unions play a significant role of a social element, which should be involved in information-related activities. Moreover, it is pointed out that currently only widely understood informational and educational campaignspromoting recommended vaccinations carried out by the employer with the participation of the social factor such as trade unions, have a chance of effectively reaching employees.


In order to establish technology for future X‐ray FEL at 1 Angstrom wavelength region, RIKEN/SPring‐8 started SCSS‐project in 2002. It is a soft X‐ray SASE FEL machine aiming at demonstrating FEL operation below 10 nm wavelength with 1 GeV electron beam. Using the short period in‐vacuum undulator and the high gradient C‐band main accelerator, the machine becomes compact, and fits within a 100 m long tunnel, so that it was named SCSS: SPring‐8 Compact SASE Source. To saturate FEL within 25 m long undulator line, we need a high quality beam: r.m.s normalized emittance should be below 2 π‐mm‐mrad (r.m.s normalized) with 2 kA peak current. To generate this beam, we are developing a HV pulse gun using thermionic cathode (CeB6 single crystal) and sub‐harmonic buncher system. In 2003, we start beam test of HV gun and high power test of the C‐band accelerator. The first FEL operation is scheduled in 2006 at 100–10 nm wavelength.


The utility model relates to a screening strip fixing device. The screening strip fixing device comprises a base. A screening strip with the length extending in the front-to-back direction is fixedly arranged at the upper end of the base. A front hoop and a rear hoop are arranged at the lower end of the base. Each hoop comprises an upper half hoop portion and a lower half hoop portion, wherein the upper half hoop portion and the lower half hoop portion are connected through bolts. The upper half hoop portion of the front hoop and/or the rear hoop comprises hoop frames fixedly arranged on the base, and bolts on the upper half hoop portions are arranged on the hoop frames in a punching mode. A guide structure with the guide direction extending in the front-to-back direction is arranged on each hoop frame and provided with a sliding block in a guiding and moving mode, and an inward-sunken structure is arranged on the bottom of each sliding block, wherein the shapes of the inward-sunken structures are matched with the shapes of the peripheral surfaces of corresponding tube beams to be matched with the lower half hoop portions correspondingly so that the tube beams can be clamped and fixed. According to the screening strip fixing device, the distance between fixing points of the front hoop and the rear hoop can be adjusted.


We hope that this issue of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education is an impetus for further research into promising practices on inclusive education for deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students. We suggest a framework in which inclusion refers to the practice of educating D/HH and hearing children in the regular classrooms, while integration refers to the results of such practice. A review of the literature indicates that most D/HH students are educated with their hearing peers in the public schools. Nevertheless, the academic and social integration outcomes for these students are far from stellar. The articles in this issue have documented some of the diYculties inherent in inclusive practices, but, more important, several have described and examined promising practices that attempt to provide answers to some of the issues that have been raised. The first, and most basic, problem faced when


This study was to determine the fluctuation in phytoplankton assemblages with regarding to environmental conditions and nutrients, which were surveyed around Mokpo waters in the southwestern waters, Korea. Sampling was carried out on the Mokpo, Sinan, and Wando coasts from March to November 2003. The maximum sea surface temperature was recorded in August, and it ranged around regardless of sampling sites. However, salinity in Mokpo waters showed a great variation, which ranged from 5-30 psu and recoded the minimum of 5 psu in July and the maximum of 30 psu in November. Moreover, in Mokpo waters, the chlorophyll a and SS concentration of the surface layer were also the highest values of , respectively than those of Sinan and Wando waters. The concentrations of were also he highest values of , respectively in Morpo waters than those of Sinan and Wando waters. During the period of this study, the majority of the taxa were diatoms; Thalassiosira rotula, Rhizosolenia setigera, Prorocentrum minimum, Chaetoceros curvisetus, Leptocylindrus danicus, Pseudonitzschia pungens, and Chaetoceros spp. were detected in the dominant species of phytoplankton. The dinoflagellates were relatively abundant during the summer season in Wando waters, which attained an abundance of . In Mokpo waters, DIN/DIP was the highest value of 700 in March, whereas the lowest was shown in Wando waters. However, DIN/DIP value in summer at Wando waters was extremely reversed, which appeared to be associated with the development of dinoflagellates. On the bais of factor analysis using SYSAT 6.0, nutrient showed somewhat correlation with chlorophyll a. Consequently, the process of discharge of fresh water in Mokpo waters plays an important role in extremely fluctuation in nutrients and conditions. Although Wando waters maintains a lack of nutrients, it should be influenced by different water current and may be associated with a concentration of nutrients.


Objective To analysis the treatment of biliary complication after hepatectomy.Methods 588 cases of hepatectomy were analyzed retrospectively.Results The incidence of biliary complication was 6.2%,including bile leakage (4.4%),liver abscess (1.0%) and biliary hemorrhage (0.8%).2 cases of bile leakage were treated by reoperation,the other patients were cured by full drainage;6 patients with liver abscess were cured by full drainage and medical treatment;4 cases of biliary hemorrhage were cured by medical treatment,one was dead.Conclusion Full drainage,anti-infection and nutrition support may cure the biliary complication.


The Authors relate about the current state of knowledge on Cyclosporin A metabolism, mechanism of action, toxic potential, necessity of therapeutic monitoring. The methods for measurement of Cyclosporin A and its metabolites and the study of their immunosuppressive activity are described. Their use for measurement of Cyclosporin G is discussed.


Time-diary data from representative samples ofAmerican adults show thatthenumber ofoverall hours ofdomestic labor (excluding child care andshopping) has continued to decline steadily and predictably since 1965. This finding is mainly due todramatic declines among women (both in and out of thepaidlabor market), whohave cuttheir housework hours almostin halfsince the 1960s: abouthalfofwomen's 12-hour-per week decline can beaccountedfor bycompositional shifts - such asincreased labor force participation, later marriage, andfewer children. In contrast, men's housework time has almost doubled during thisperiod (to thepointwhere menwere responsible for a third ofhousework in the 1990s), and only about15% of theirfive-hour-per week increase can be attributed to compositional factors. Parallel results on gender differences in housework were obtained from theNational Survey of Families and Households estimate data, even though these producefigures 50%higher thandiary data. Regression results examiningfactors related to wives' andhusbands' housework hours showmore support for the time-availability and relative-resource models of household production thanfor thegender perspective, although there issome support for thelatter perspective aswell.


Abstract : This study describes how the U.S. Army developed training programs and management systems for instrument flying between 1981 and 1948. The study addresses the factors, such as attitudes, people and events that influenced the Army's development of an instrument capability during this period. This period of development is significant because the practices the Army evolved are still used by the Air Force today. (Author)


The objective of the study is to describe how communicative approach applied in SMA Negeri 2 Kandangan. The subjects of the study are the English teachers and the students. The data are the steps carried out by the teachers and students' reactions during the classroom activities. The additional data are also taken from the students by means of interview and questionnaires to cross check the result of interview with teachers. The data are analyzed during and after the data collection.The finding of the study reveals that the English teachers of SMA Negeri 2 Kandangan implement communicative approach with the audio-lingual method and grammar translation method mixed in the application in class. The implementation of communicative approach in the classrooms had been conducted as the ultimate instructional objective of the teaching of English in secondary school that has been stated in KTSP curriculum. It was found by the result of observation,  interview, and  questionnaire. Communicative approach was applied more seriously at the eleventh grade and the twelfth grade mixed with the audiolingual-method. Key word : Communicative Approach


In order to provide theoretical basis for the signal timing plan at Hook-turn intersection, motor vehicle delay model for the straight lane was developed. Then with consideration of two conditions that left-turning vehicles in the waiting area of the intersection spilled over and didn't spill over,the expectation delay model of the motor vehicles for the lane shared by straight,left-turning and right-turning motor vehicles was established.The impact of left-turning vehicles in the waiting area on other traffic flows in the same phase was studied and the calibration method for effectively utilized green time was established.With minimum average motor vehicle delay as the object,and cycle length and green time as variables,the optimization method for signal timing plan was developed.The traffic data of an actual intersection wereemployed to validate the method.Two improved plans were developed based on the Hook-turn method.Then the motor vehicle delay indexes of the two improved plans and current plan were collected in VISSIM and the indexes of the three plans were compared for analysis.The results show that the Hook-turn method can decrease the average delay of motor vehicles in the straight lane and all motor vehicles at the intersection under the optimal signal timing plans.The benefit of Hook turn is significant when the volume of left-turning motor vehicles is small.


Nowadays, poor solubility, lower bioavailability, and hindered physical, chemical, and biopharmaceutical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) become a very important matter of discussion for pharmaceutical scientists. It is a challenging task for pharmaceutical researchers and industry to develop a suitable formulation with improved physicochemical properties. The process of cocrystallization is long known; however, in the recent times, this approach has gained enormous importance in pharmaceuticals as a relatively new method for enhancement of solubility, bioavailability, stability, thermal properties, permeability, tablet ability, and other related physicochemical properties. Cocrystals are multicomponent systems in which two components, an API and a coformer, were present in stoichiometric ratio and bonded together with non-covalent interactions in the crystal lattice. Cocrystallization offers better optimization of not only physicochemical properties but also therapeutic response and pharmacological properties of APIs. The design of a cocrystallization experiment is based on robustness, hydrogen bonding rules, and potential intermolecular interactions. Various theoretical and experimental approaches increase the chances for selection of a suitable coformer, the most challenging step during the design of cocrystal formation. The present review covers classification of cocrystals, drug selection criteria for cocrystals, chemistry involved in cocrystal formation, methods of preparation, their characterizations, and various applications in pharmaceutical and biomedical fields.


DC is one of the most important features introduced in Release 12 of the 3GPP specifications. DC aims at increasing the per-user throughput by improving the utilization of radio resources across two base stations connected via non-ideal backhaul (X2) and operating on different carrier frequencies. By making it possible to maintain the connection to the primary cell located in the macro base station while accessing the extra capacity provided by the small cell layer, DC can also improve the mobility performance in small cell deployments. This article gives an overview of the DC feature as standardized in Release 12. We summarize the supported scenarios and the DC functionality, and also demonstrate by means of detailed system-level simulations how DC can improve end-user throughput and mobility performance.


Abstract (A = K, Rb, Cs) are the unique Cr-based ambient-pressure superconductors discovered in 2015. The new superconducting family are structurally characterised by quasi one-dimensional (Q1D) [() double-walled subnanotubes. Peculiar properties have been revealed, which mostly point to unconventional superconductivity. In this contribution, we first describe how the superconductors were discovered. Then we overview recent progress on the crystal structure, electronic structures, theoretical models and physical properties in . Some new experimental results are included. Finally, we conclude by addressing the related open questions in this emerging subfield of superconductivity.


Competition exists in multiple intercity transportation means. Ticket price is the adjustment lever for the given requirements. This paper presents a bi-level programming model for railway passenger ticket pricing. We initially construct a variational inequality model that can represent multi-class,multi-path cost and multi-criteria. It serves as the down-level model of the bi-level programming model. We then establish the up-level model of the bi-level programming model with total railway income as an object. We also design a chaos-modified projection algorithm based heuristic algorithm to solve a bi-level programming model. Results show that the proposed ticket pricing mechanism is reasonable. It will provide a better theoretical basis for government railway ticket pricing mechanism.


Both commentators hint at a different interpretation of the participants™ ac-tions/interactions. They ask whether it is possible to interpret the silence or non-engagement of some participants as a counter strategy or even resistance to what I termed 'slut bashing™ and what I assumed to be the dominant activity of the group. At first, I was surprised by this interpretation because I had been working with tran-scripts from the videotaped interactions and could


This work aimed at developing a synthetic route towards highly branched poly(isoprene) from commercially available raw materials, in good yield and devoid of microgelation, i.e., to prepare a completely soluble polymer via the versatile technique anionic polymerisation. The polymerisations were conducted under high vacuum conditions using sec-butyllithium as initiator at 50 °C in toluene. Toluene served both as a solvent and as a chain-transfer agent. The polar modifier used was tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), and a commercial mixture of divinylbenzene (DVB) was employed as the branching agent for the "living" poly(isoprenyl)lithium anions. The nature of the reaction was studied on the TMEDA/Li ratio as well as the DVB/Li ratio. The obtained branched polymers were characterised by triple detection size exclusion chromatography (SEC), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and melt rheology. Broad molecular weight distributions have been obtained for the highly branched polymer products. 1H NMR spectroscopy reveals the dominance of 3,4-polyisoprene microstructure. It was found that the complex viscosities and dynamic moduli of the branched samples were much lower compared to their linear counterparts. The results conform with earlier findings by the "Strathclyde team" for radical polymerisation systems. This methodology has the potential of providing soluble branched vinyl polymers at low cost using the readily available raw materials.


The influence of a long-term application of 4 different hormonal contraceptives on the excretion of various constituents of the urine was examined. A reverse effect after stoppage of the medication is to be established in none of the other parameters with the exception of calcium.


Importance: Lack of geriatric health care professionals is a growing concern. Negative attitudes toward older adults and aging bias in students can impact quality of care, and lack of evidence-informed practice has been linked to early training. Students must be nurtured to provide quality-appropriate care for older adults. Objective: To explore the development of an evidence-based program for older adults, specifically for balance training, to be used with students in a service-learning capacity. Design Setting, and Participants: A qualitative case study was conducted with physical and occupational therapy students, led by faculty, engaging in service-learning experiences. Students were from 3 consecutive cohorts attending a health sciences gerontology class. One-third of the students were randomly selected to participate in the developed movement and music workshop at senior centers, assisted living facilities, and memory care units. The remaining students participated in general activities in the same or similar locations. Surveys were completed by the students as well as a reflection paper. Exposures: Students participated in a 1-hour movement and music workshop alongside volunteer older adults. The workshop was developed using motivational theories and evidence-based recommendations for balance interventions for older adults. Main Outcome: Student surveys demonstrated a progressive ability to recommend advanced balance interventions for older adults. Student surveys and reflective papers showed that the service-learning workshop had specifically enhanced their comprehension of motivation and meaningful activities to push older adults. Results: The ability for students to recommend intermediate-level balance activities increased by 15% with a class only, but then advanced activity recommendations improved by 68% in those attending the workshop. Psychosocial aspects only emerged after the workshop. Service learning influenced all students, but concepts of motivation and meaningful activities were more understood by those participating in the movement workshop. Conclusion and Relevance: Service learning is an excellent opportunity for faculty to demonstrate to students how to apply evidence-informed interventions in a manner appropriate and motivational for older adults.


There is much to commend about the article 'The Evolving Discipline of Public Affairs', but there is always room for expansion and elaboration. This article (i) associates the public affairs (PA) function with the management of firm relationships with the institutions and organizations—at once, political, social, and cultural—operating in the nonmarket environment; (ii) gives a special meaning to the concept of political behavior in terms of force and intimidation; (iii) analyzes the multiple 'currencies' used in PA activity; (iv) identifies the different 'ordering systems' that rule relationships in developed and developing countries and that can help us avoid a 'Western' perspective on PA; (v) associates the social responsibility element of the PA function with the unique role of business in fulfilling the 'producer-interest role' in society; and (vi) draws attention to various research topics so far overlooked in PA research. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Due to the complex causality of failure and the special characteristics of test cases, the faults in GUI (Graphic User Interface) applications are difficult to localize. This paper adapts feature selection algorithms to localize GUI-related faults in a given program. Features are defined as the subsequences of events executed. By employing statistical feature ranking techniques, the events can be ranked by the suspiciousness of events being responsible to exhibit faulty behavior. The features defined in a given source code implementing (event handle) the underlying event are then ranked in suspiciousness order. The evaluation of the proposed technique based on some open source Java projects verified the effectiveness of this feature selection based fault localization technique for GUI applications.


Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common form of breast cancer, attributing to about 70 to 80 percent of all breast cancers; the medullary variety constitutes 1 to 10 percent of this carcinoma. A case review of the medullary carcinoma is presented with regards to clinical and pathological characteristics.


As the natural and social accident spring up in recent years,the government' s ability to deal with the public accidents is faced with great challenges and tests.This paper attempts to elaborate the solutions to the problems such as finding out our management mechanism' s defects in handling the accidents,as well as establishing and perfecting the mechanism.


This study intends to define the educational concerns of Turkish parents whose children at middle school. The study is conducted a phenomenon science pattern one of the qualitative research approaches. Data were collected by two focus group meetings from 22 parents, live in three different districts in Istanbul in the 2019-2020 academic year. The criterion sampling method, which is one of purposeful sampling method, was used to select participants. Data construed by content analysis. The study result indicates that the parents whose children in middle school, stable concern about education policies that change frequently in consequence of not paying attention to the goals and principles of the educational system, uncertainty that occurs because of the way practitioners understand and implement educational policies and not trust neither education system nor administrator and teachers. Besides these basic concerns, parents also have some expectancies. They desire that their children are advanced as a whole not only academically but also socially and psychologically on the base of their individual feature. They believe their children can not get the education which helps them to get a good job and make them successful in life. Some suggestions are made for policymakers and practitioners.


The objective of this paper is to analyze, through the evaluation of a theoretical review, the way in which human capital has been glimpsed in administrative theories and the modern ones and what has been needed to use it to its maximum potential. Therefore, it was proposed the idea of an evolution of human capital that has been due to an impulse caused by the search of new artisans able to solve problems of the organizations. In summary, in the contribution of human capital in theories, recognizing its complexity, its potential to generate greater productivity and competititve advantage, and being the main engine of any organization, the new organizational artisan. Keywords: human capital, administrative theories, potential, artisan.


Abstract Background Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a leading cause of respiratory tract infection in children and adults. However, mechanisms of pathogenesis are not fully understood. Methods We tested HMPV clinical and laboratory isolates in an established C57BL/6 mouse model and measured weight loss, airway function, and viral titers. Immune responses were determined using cytokine quantitation and flow cytometry. Results HMPV clinical isolates induced variable disease severity ranging from mild to fatal disease. Laboratory strain TN/94-49 did not cause weight loss, but mice infected with clinical isolate C2-202 showed dramatic weight loss and 40% mortality within 5 days post-infection (Figure 1). These findings were confirmed in other inbred mouse strains. C2-202-infected mice also suffered from impaired pulmonary function post-recovery. Lung viral titer did not correlate with disease severity, suggesting immune-mediated pathogenesis. C2-202-infected mice exhibited increased production of type I and III interferons (IFN) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and lung neutrophil infiltration. However, neutrophil depletion or inflammasome inactivation did not reduce disease. Stat1/Stat2 double knockout (KO) mice lacking type I and III IFN signaling exhibited reduced weight loss but increased lung viral titer after C2-202 infection (Figure 2). Type I IFN receptor (IFNAR) KO mice infected with C2-202 had reduced weight loss but unchanged lung viral titer (Figure 3), while the addition of type III IFN blockade to C2-202-infected IFNAR mice had no effect on disease but increased lung viral titer (Figure 4). Conclusion These results suggest that severe disease caused by virulent HMPV was due to exuberant IFN response. Moreover, type I IFN was primarily associated with disease, while type III IFN was associated with viral clearance. These data suggest that IFN signaling plays an important role in HMPV pathogenesis, and thus serves as a potential therapeutic target. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.


Using new accurate fundamental parameters of 30 Galactic A and F supergiants, namely their effective temperatures T eff and surface gravities log g, we implemented a non-LTE analysis of the nitrogen abundance in their atmospheres. It is shown that the non-LTE corrections to the N abundances increase with T eff . The nitrogen overabundance as a general feature of this type of stars is confirmed. A majority of the stars have a nitrogen excess [N/Fe] between 0.2 and 0.9 dex with the maximum position of the star's distribution on [N/Fe] between 0.4 and 0.7 dex. The N excesses are discussed in light of predictions for B-type main sequence (MS) stars with rotationally induced mixing and for their next evolutionary phase, i.e. A- and F-type supergiants that have experienced the first dredge-up. Rotationally induced mixing in the MS progenitors of the supergiants may be a significant cause of the nitrogen excesses. When comparing our results with predictions of the theory developed for stars with the mixing, we find that the bulk of the supergiants (28 of 30) show the N enrichment that can be expected (i) either after the MS phase for stars with the initial rotational velocities υ 0 = 200-400 km s -1 (ii) or after the first dredge-up for stars with υ 0 = 50-400 km s -1 . The latter possibility is preferred on account of the longer lifetime for stars on red-blue loops following the first dredge-up. Two supergiants without a discernible N enrichment, namely HR 825 and HR 7876, may be post-MS objects with the relatively low initial rotational velocity of about 100 km s -1 . The suggested range for υ 0 is approximately consistent with inferences from the observed projected rotational velocities of B-type MS stars, progenitors of A and F supergiants.


The purpose of the study is to investigate the clinical value of F‐18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) in detecting the primary sites in patients with carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP).


Raga or Pentecost Island) in Vanuatu. The work consists of twenty chapters and concerns various aspects of North Raga culture : its origin myth, kin relations, initiation rite, rank-taking system, chiefs, and customs concerning birth, marriage, and death. In this paper I translate Chapters 6 and 7 in which Rev. David Tevimule describes traditional kin relations and explains the meaning of relationship terms. 2)


1. Functional Analysis. 2. Function Spaces. 3. Partial Differential Operators. 4. General L p Theory. 5. Relative Compactness. 6. Elliptic Operators. 7. Operators Bounded from Below. 8. Self-Adjoint Extensions. 9. Second Order Operators. 10. Applications. 11. Notes, Remarks and References. Bibliography. Subject Index.


Since the demand for more sustainable products is growing, the pressure on material developers to improve the sustainability performance of the products that they are developing is increasing. As a ...


Backgroud Previous studies have shown that ischemia preconditioning is a powerful protective intervention to the treatment of ischemia/reperfusion injury(I/RI),but its clinical application has been limited by the time of intervention and ethical consideration.In recent years,several studies have been found that the opioids' preconditioning and postconditioning,which are more feasible and economical,also have protective effects.Objective Further research on the reasonable applications of opioids may be warranted.Herein,its development,underlying mechanisim,and clinical applications were systematically reviewed.Content The different ways by which opioids alleviate I/RI and the underlying mechanism.Trend Opioids can alleviate I/RI in a feasible way,which may be a research hot spot in the future.

Key words:
Ischemia/reperfusion injury ;  Opioids;  Preconditioning;  Postconditioning;  Continuous infusion during ischemia/reperfusion injury


Abstract Fatigue is a common feature in a wide variety of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, but fatigue in autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) has not been investigated so far. The aim of this study was to examine fatigue in patients with AITD and to analyse the correlation between fatigue and the serum concentrations of thyroid antibodies, thyroid function and depression. This cross-sectional clinical study included 62 patients with increased concentrations of thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAbs) as confirmation of AITD and 52 healthy individuals who were negative for thyroid antibodies; all controls were euthyroid. Thyroid antibodies, free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone were measured in the sera of all subjects. The Fatigue Severity Scale was used to measure the severity of fatigue; the level of depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. Eight (12.9%) patients had evident fatigue, 7 (11.3%) patients had fatigue limit values, and 47 (75.8%) patients had no fatigue. The frequency of fatigue was highly significant and almost three times higher in the AITD patients compared to the control group, in which only 2 (3.8%) patients had evident fatigue. The majority of patients with fatigue had normal thyroid function, and only one (1.6%) patient had overt hypothyroidism. Seven (11.3%) patients had both fatigue and depression, whereas one (1.6%) patient had fatigue without depression. We did not find significant correlations between fatigue and the concentrations of thyroid antibodies, but we found statistically significant correlations between fatigue and depression in AITD patients.


In the present work, the migration of three chemicals, benzophenone, 1,4-diphenylbutadiene and Uvitex® OB from low-density polyethylene samples into the food simulant, 50% ethanol (v/v), was studied. The key parameters of the diffusion process, the partition and diffusion coefficients, were calculated by using a mathematical model based on Fick's Second Law. As expected, the diffusion coefficients increased with temperature and the values obtained ranged between 3.87 × 10−11 and 1.00 × 10−8 cm2/s. Furthermore, the migration in different fruit juices was also evaluated and the results indicated that benzophenone migrated to a greater extent in comparison with the other two migrants in all beverages analyzed. To quantify the migrants, a high-performance liquid chromatographic method with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was used. The separation was performed on an Ace 3 C18-HL column (30 × 3 mm, 3 μm particle size) and using a gradient elution system consisting of Milli-Q water and acetonitrile. The total analysis time did not exceed 8 min.


Oil pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. var. styriaca) seeds and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tubers are alternative horticultural products containing impor- tant biologically active components. The objective of the three-year study was to deter- mine dry matter and micro-, macroelements accumulation in seeds of oil pumpkin Cucur- bita pepo L. var. styriaca - 'Miranda', 'Golosemiannaja', 'Herakles', 'Danaja', 'Olga'; and in tubers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) - 'Rubik', 'Albik', 'Sauliai' and selection lines Nr. 05-1, Nr. 05-7. Macro- and microelements were deter- mined by mass spectrometer. The highest amount of Ca, K, Fe, Mn, Se and Al was accu- mulated in oil pumpkin seeds of cv. 'Miranda' and amount of Ca, Mg and Se was identi- fied in cv. 'Rubik' and K, Na, in 'Albik' Jerusalem artichoke tubers.


Disclosed is a household energy efficiency monitoring system supporting multi-networking protocol, comprising an intelligent socket, an intelligent household electrical appliance, a resident intelligent interaction terminal, a master station system, and a resident household intelligent gateway, wherein the intelligent socket, the intelligent household electrical appliance, the resident intelligent interaction terminal, and the master station system are all connected with the resident household intelligent gateway. The household energy efficiency monitoring system of the utility model is capable of collecting the power utilization information of various household electrical appliances, effectively analyzing the collected power utilization information, guiding the power utilization behavior of the users, and supporting multi-networking protocol.


The strong polar monomer maleric anhydride was grafted onto the PE film surface by the binary photograft polymerization in liquid phase. The result of the experiment was verified by IR spectrum. Meanwhile, the experiment for discussing the relationship between the grafting degree of the maleric anhydride and the relative amount of the styrene in the monomer mixture indicates: it has strong impact on the grafting degree of the maleric anhydride when the molar fraction of the styrene is less than 10%.


The reference frequency measuring device (20) is situated between the output of the monomode fibre (5) and beam splitter (6) instead of, conventionally, at the laser head (1). It contains a non-polarized prism (18) and a phase measurer (19). The laser head and fibre are aligned so that the mutually perpendicular polarized beams (15) coincide with the major axes of the crystalline structure of the monomode fibre.


Review(s) of: A Woman in the Wilderness: The Story of Amalie Dietrich in Australia. By Ray Sumner. NSW University Press. Sydney, 1993.Pp.148 $19.95.


Traditionally used source spectral-distribution or detector spectral-response based standards cannot be applied for accurate UV LED measurements. Since the CIE standardized rectangular-shape spectral response function for UV measurements cannot be realized with small spectral mismatch when using filtered detectors, the UV measurement errors can be several times ten percent or larger. The UV LEDs produce broadband radiation and both their peaks or spectral bandwidths can change significantly. The detectors used for the measurement of these LEDs also have different spectral bandwidths. In the discussed example, where LEDs with 365 nm peak are applied for fluorescent crack-recognition using liquid penetrant (non-destructive) inspection, the broadband radiometric LED (signal) measurement procedure is standardized. A UV LED irradiance-source was calibrated against an FEL lamp standard to determine its spectral irradiance. The spectral irradiance responsivity of a reference UV meter was also calibrated. The output signal of the reference UV meter was calculated from the spectral irradiance of the UV source and the spectral irradiance responsivity of the reference UV meter. From the output signal, both the integrated irradiance (in the reference plane of the reference meter) and the integrated responsivity of the reference meter were determined. Test UV meters calibrated for integrated responsivity against the reference UV meter, can be used to determine the integrated irradiance from a field UV source. The obtained 5 % (k=2) measurement uncertainty can be decreased when meters with spectral response close to a constant value are selected.


Abstract The article first introduces the 1998 Disney production of the animated film, Mulan, and suggests that the film is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, especially on The Mulan Ballad. It discusses the cultural adaptations in the production of the film through various methods, such as additions, omissions, specifications, generalisations, explicitations, and so on. It focuses on the Chinese translation of the film, examining the cultural restorations and reformulations in the target text on the linguistic level by means of various domesticating and foreignising methods. Finally, it discusses and explores the bidirectional transfer between American and Chinese cultures, holding that there are intracultural and intercultural transfers, and that the establishment of a cultural repertoire is, in some sense, dependent on cultural borrowings and rewritings which will give rise to cultural deformations and reformulations.


Summary

The aims of this study were to evaluate the nutritional quality (proximate composition, amino and fatty acid profiles, cholesterol and mineral contents) of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and determine the effect of different cooking methods (grilling, boiling and frying) on biochemical composition. Frying produced the highest water loss and fat gain (P   P > Na > Mg > Ca > Zn > Fe > Cu > Mn) and nutrient-recommended dietary intakes are discussed and several indices (chemical score, amino acid score, essential amino acid index, biological value, nutritional index, retention values, atherogenic index, thrombogenic index and hypercholesterolaemic potential) are presented. The valorisation of these products may stimulate the development of aquaculture production and consumers' interest in Europe.


The term ontology originates from philosophy and was adapted to computer science, in particular to knowledge engineering and artificial intelligence The purpose of an ontology in computer science is to create a conceptualization of the concepts and relationships in the area of interest. Business ontologies define and organize relevant knowledge about the activities, processes and organization of enterprises for which they provide a formal framework for business modeling.
This Phd dissertation further develops an existent business ontology, the Resource Event Agent business ontology (REA-ontology), using generally accepted ontology engineering principles. Moreover it is shown that the improvements made to the REA ontology contribute to the operationalization of the REA-ontology by using the newly developed specifications in three different kinds of REA ontology applications. The basic pattern of the REA ontology was developed in 1982 and is based on well known accounting principles. Around 2000, the basic REA pattern was further extended into a full-grown business ontology. Currently, the actual use of the REA ontology is limited due to the absence of a generally accepted graphical and formal representation of the ontology.
The first part of this dissertation focuses on reengineering the REA-ontology. In a first study, the REA-ontology and its applications are classified using ontology classification schemes and application frameworks. This analysis clarifies REA's application potential but also reveals weaknesses that may impede its operationalization. A second study proposes a new REA ontology specification that uses an UML class diagrams for graphically representing ontologies. This new specification is more complete and precise than previously available specifications, without compromising understandability, and can easily be transformed into a machine-readable representation for automatic processing, which is a prerequisite for the successful application of REA in business modeling, software engineering, knowledge representation and interoperability creation. The last study of the first part of this dissertation uses the previously developed graphical representation to develop an OWL, which is a standard ontology representation language, representation of the REA ontology. Having a formalization in OWL makes the REA-ontology accessible to more researchers.
In the second part of this dissertation some of the previously theorized applications of the REA-ontology are investigated in more detail. The first study shows that a domain ontology can be used to evaluate the domain specific quality of existing conceptual models. The domain-specific quality is assured when the models are instantiations of an UML profile defined by the domain ontology. The domain-specific quality of existing UML models can be evaluated by annotating them with the profile's stereotypes and verifying whether the OCL constraints corresponding to the domain axioms are satisfied. This approach is illustrated using the REA ontology and empirically demonstrated using a sample of UML class diagrams intended as enterprise models.
A second REA-ontology driven application described in the second study of the second part investigates the use of domain ontologies to support model-driven development. It is generally accepted that domain ontologies can support the system development process, but it is not always clear how these special types of models should be used. In this study we incorporate domain ontologies in the development process by making a clear distinction between linguistic instantiation and ontological instantiation. This approach is operationalized in OMG's Model-Driven Architecture by reserving the meta-modeling extension mechanism for the linguistic instantiation and the profiling extension mechanism for the ontological instantiation. By means of a modeling case, the study shows that using the REA ontology for the ontological instantiation offers a series of benefits to the modeller. The definitions of the different concepts of the ontology, the relations between them and the axioms can be used as modelling guidelines and result in a more semantically rich early requirements model. The modelling case also shows that ontological instantiation of domain ontologies in models for the same application with different purposes improves the traceability between these models.
Finally the last study of the second part investigates another frequently mentioned benefit of ontologies: the creation of interoperability. E-collaboration modeling standards provide techniques, terms and reference models for modeling collaborative business processes. They also offer business partners a standardized approach for codifying the business conventions, agreements and rules that govern business collaborations, to ease business process information sharing. Although effective in creating interoperability between organizations at the business process level, this standardized approach requires that prospective business partners to commit to the same modeling standard. Therefore, this study shows the use of the REA enterprise ontology can for semantically relating two e-collaboration standards. Using the REA ontology as a shared business collaboration ontology, business partners can create interoperability between their respective business process models without having to use the same modeling standard. This approach offers a more flexible solution for agile organizations that must rapidly integrate and disintegrate their business processes with those of other organizations.


Cultivars of six leaf herb species were grown during 1999-2000 at South Finland (Piikkio, 60° N, 23 E) and North Finland (Ruukki, 64° N, 41 E). The plants were propagated by seedlings, grown in black plastic mulch, fertilized by 20 t/ha compost. Growth, fresh and dry leaf yield, essential oil content, and composition were studied. The yields obtained from the southern growing site were generally higher by 10-40 % than those from the site 500 km further North. The shorter growing season affected the biomass production, but did not strongly influence the essential oil content and composition which were similar to other European results. The yield differences were very high in the case of Greek oregano and marjoram, but savory and dragonhead showed a better tolerance to the cooler climatic conditions and the yield differences were much smaller. Sage and thyme can be only grown in Finland as annuals and their yields were almost identical from both sites. Using bred cultivars, sufficient quantities of high quality raw material can be produced under Nordic conditions. INTRODUCTION There is increasing interest in the use and cultivation of culinary herbs in Finland, by amateur gardeners and professional growers. Unfortunately, the cultivar name and characteristics of the cultivar are generally not marked on the seed packets, even though in some European countries there exist many cultivated materials. The aim of this experiment was to test several registered cultivars under Finnish climatic conditions and to give recommendations for seed companies and herb growers to improve the quality of domestically grown herb raw material. MATERIALS AND METHODS The cultivar trials were done in two phases. In the first phase from 1997 to 1998, twenty four herb cultivars obtained from European seed companies and Institutes were tested under organic growing conditions. These initial assessment trials were done at the experimental site of the Ecological Production, Karila, Agrifood Research Finland, Mikkeli (61° N, 44 E), situated in the South-East of Finland. The following cultivars were tested: Proc. Int. Conf. on MAP Eds. J. Bernath et al. Acta Hort. 576, ISHS 2002 140 Dracocephalum moldavica: 'Blue Dragon,' 'Snow Dragon Origanum majorana: 'Priganum,' 'Quedlinburg standard' Origanum heracleuticum: 'Greek Oregano' ( Finland), 'Pizza Dost' (Germany) Salvia officinalis: 'Extracta,' 'Syn-1' Satureja hortensis: 'Aromata,' 'Compacta' Thymus vulgaris: 'Varico 1,' 'Deutscher Winter' These selected cultivars were grown from 1999 to 2000, in South Finland (60° N, 23 E) at Piikkio, Plant Production Research, Horticulture, and in North Finland (64° N, 41 E) at Ruukki, North Ostrobothnia Research Station. Climatic data of the experimental places are presented in Table 1. The plants were grown in plots covered by black plastic mulch and fertilized with 20 tonnes/ha of compost. The plant density was 4-12 plants/m2 with a plot size of 5 m2 with three replications. Growth, overwintering, fresh and dry herb yield were measured. The essential oil content and composition were determined in Kosice, except for Dracocephalum moldavica, which was analyzed in Scotland. RESULTS The weather conditions of the cultivation areas did not vary much over the two years of the experiment, but there were differences observed between the two different sites. The average cumulative temperature of the growing periods in South Finland was 1482 °C, while in North Finland it was only 1071 °C. The average temperatures in the summer months were 1-3 °C higher in the South compared with the North (Table 1). These climatic differences strongly influenced the growth and biomass potential of the herbs. Dracocephalum moldavica There were no significant differences in the plant growth of the two cultivars of dragonhead. The length of the growing season from sowing to harvest was similar in both places – from 66 to 71 days. Similarly, for both cultivars the dry matter content was 20-23 %, and the leaf:stem ratio, at 63:37. The average plant heights were 55 cm in South Finland and 37 cm in North Finland. The fresh and dry yields, therefore, were higher in the South at 20 – 38%. Only in South Finland was the marketable dry leaf yield of the white flowered `Snow Dragon` cultivar 40 % higher than that of the cultivar `Blue Dragon` (Fig. 1). According to Table 2, the essential oil content of both cultivars was slightly higher in South Finland, but the composition of the oil was practically similar at both sites. Origanum majorana The growing season for marjoram was longer in South Finland (136 and 108 days) than in North Finland (111 and 101 days) in both 1999 and 2000, respectively. The warmer and longer growing season in the South in 1999, gave better conditions for growth than in the North, therefore two harvests and double yield were obtained (Fig. 2). The plants were also taller in the South (41 cm), than in the North (31-34 cm). The marketable dry leaf yields from the two cultivars were double in the South (215 g/m2, 232 g/m2) compared with those in the North (99 and 106 g/m2) for Priganum Blattmarjoram and Quedlinburg Standard respectively. The essential oil yield from the second harvest was only a bit higher than that of the first harvest (Table 3). Due to calibration problems, we could not detect the quantities of sabinene derivates in the marjoram essential oil as its main component, only the quantities of α and γ-terpinene and terpinen 4-ol. There were no significant differences between the composition of the essential oils of the two cultivars, however, the proportion of terpinene derivatives shows a small rise at the northern growing site.


The mechanical performance and failure property of metalc nanofilms made of face centered and body centered crystal lattices respectively were studied with the molecular dynamics method based on the modified embedded atomic potential.Variations of the atomic energy,stress and deformation of nanofilms during the failure process were analyzed.The elastic modulus,yielding stress and fracture strength of nickel and iron nano-films were obtained by simulation.The result shows that the failure process of FCC nano-film is close to the brittle fracture and its fracture strength agrees well with Griffith's theory;while the fracture of BCC nano-film appears to be plastic,and the elastic modulus falls down more obviously resulting from free surfaces.


--..-* Gottfredson, Denise C. Implementing a Theory /in a Large-Scale Educational Intervention... Johils Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, Md. Center for Social Organization of Schools. National Inst. for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency -Prevention (Dept:of Justice/LEAA), Washington/ D.C.; National Inst. Of.Education (DREW),' Washington, D.C. REPoRT NO CSOS-351 PUB DATE Feb 84 . GRANT 80-JN-AX-0005; NIE-jG-83-0002 NOTE 36p. PUB TYPE . Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142)


This study was carried out to assess and characterize the pollution/contamination status of the sediments in Warri River and its environs in view of the increasing level of oil spillages induced by willful acts of vandalization, lack of maintenance of pipelines, aging facilities, accident, illegal bunkering, petroleum refinery and production, urbanization, industrial activities and indiscriminate dumping of wastes. A total of thirty-two sediments samples were collected from eight sampling stations, grouped into locations B1-B8 respectively and analyzed for heavy metals. The chemical data set generated were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA)/factor analysis (FA) and Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) to determine the subtle factors responsible for their distribution. The heavy metal concentrations of locations B1-B8 were further evaluated using enrichment factor (EF), Contamination factor (CF) and Pollution load index (PLI) to assess the level of pollution in the area. The Factor Analysis results revealed four sources of pollutants which are explained by four factors (1)petroleum production, oil spills and illegal bunkering/pipe line vandalization (2) iron/steel industries (3)vehicular emission(4) indiscriminate dumping of waste. The R and Q mode cluster analysis yielded three clusters respectively.  The Contamination Factor (CF)showed that the sediments have considerable level of Cr contamination at locations B2, B3,B4 and B6 while Fe, Zn, Ni, V, Pb, Cd, Mn and Cu exhibited moderate contamination at locations B1-B7.The Pollution Load Index (PLI)revealed that locations B1-B6  shown progressive site deterioration with respect to the nine measured heavy metals. The Enrichment Factor (EF) indicated that Cr was moderately enriched at locations B1, B2, B4 and B6 while Zn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Mn, Fe, V, and Pb in the sediments ranged from background concentration to minimal enrichment. Since these heavy metals can become a threat to vegetation and animals and ultimately to humans through the food chain, it is important to continuously monitor the level of pollutants in the environment.


Abstract : The Russian invention involves a hermetic zinc-manganese alkaline cell in which the negative electrode has a metal current tap and is located in the cavity of the positive electrode. The electrode is separated by a cellophane diaphragm. The invention characterized by the current tap of the negative electrode which is constructed in the form of a tube, from sheet metal which is coiled into a spiral. The cavity within this serves as a gas compartment.


This paper describes the results of a study of potential air pollution reduction effects of advanced transport telematics. The project involves the field testing and demonstration of advanced traffic management, travel and traffic information and public transport information systems and the implementation of strategic information systems (SIS) which will provide dynamic decision-making tools to assist in the development of transport strategies. The paper includes a review of IVHS implementations. Work carried out to develop and modify the UROPOL air pollution prediction model is described. There is a short exploration of the relationship between IVHS and protection of the environment, illustrating how close cooperation between engine designers and transportation planners can allow an integrated approach to the evaluation of the air quality effects.<<ETX>>