Technological advances in genome research have produced unprecedented volumes of genetic and molecular data that now provide the context for any biological research. However, data access, curation, and analysis have remained challenging areas for continued research and development and often prove to be the bottleneck for scientific progress. Many a paper in bioinformatics or even in general molecular biology these days start out just like the abstract above, with an acknowledgement of the explosive growth of molecular sequence, structure, and expression data. What fit nicely within the printed pages of a thin booklet only 25 years ago now comprises large and increasingly complex databases that are Web-accessible to the public. Figure 1 shows the growth on one major molecular sequence repository GenBank, maintained at the U.S. National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The slope of the curve is indeed impressive. However, the actual size of the data sets would seem to be easily dwarfed by database sizes in other commericial, governmental, or even other research fields. What then is the real problem, if any, facing the biology community? I think there are many aspects for consideration. One important facet is that the molecular databases themselves have evolved over the years, and surely many details of database design should have been done differently in hindsight. However, the rapid pace of new data acquisition has so far prevented any major re-design and re-construction of the databases the community is accustomed to. Another critical point is that the data derive from a large variety of sources and are intrinsically heterogenous. There are no uniform standards for data quality and annotation. In these notes I shall not further discuss the challenges faced by the large database providers, but rather I shall review the problem first from the point of a user and then suggest some approaches we have pursued to provide intermediate solutions. Figure 1: Molecular Database Growth (from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Genbank/genbankstats.html). 1 Some Comments on the Current Status of Molecular Databases 1.1 Existing Data Retrieval Systems Two of the centralized, prominent Web access points to existing sequence and molecular biology data are the Entrez system at NCBI (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Entrez/) and the SRS system developed in Europe (www.embl-heidelberg.de:80/srs5/). Both systems are limited in three ways: 1) data are provided in flat file formats only, often requiring much user manipulation after receipt; 2) retrievals are inflexible, and do not support items such as ranges and numerical operators (e.g., , , etc.), and 3) the Web and email server user interfaces are non-intuitive and force users to learn specific query syntaxes in order to use them effectively. For example, with current query protocols it is not possible to retrieve "all GenBank genomic DNA entries with a single CDS feature annotation"; or the subset of the previous query restricting the retrieved entries to "CDS with at least two annotated coding exons"; or "the DNA sequence segments in FASTA format for 500 nucleotides immediately upstream of the annotated ATG start codon"; or protein records including their cognate cDNA sequence (see Section 1.3 for further examples). 1.2 Annotation Errors in Public Databases Publicly available biological databases should be distinguished as either data repositories or curated databases. These two categories serve very different needs. Data repositories, including most prominently GenBank, provide centralized access to original data. Curated databases, on the other hand, provide annotated data according to the curators' discretion. In practice, of course, these distinctions tend to be blurred, and most databases serve a mixture of original and annotated data, or data with rather limited annotation. The data repositories are essential when a researcher needs to locate particular data from its original source. For example, a search of GenBank might quickly turn up a particular protein sequence translated from its corresponding genomic and cDNA sequence determined by author A in year X. Subsequently, errors in the interpretation of the data may be discovered, or author B may publish a corrected sequence independently in year Y. In this case, the data repository would still retain author A's entry, but in a curated database a single entry should represent the combined interpreted data (one correct sequence, or annotation of allelic variation). Brenner [Bre99] estimated the error rate of functional assignment in gene annotation to be at least 8%. To illustrate these problems, we followed up on a number of erroneous GenBank entries pointed out by Korning et al. [KHRB96]. These authors built a training set for a neural network algorithm to predict splice sites in Arabidopsis genes and encountered "an alarmingly high error rate" in the requisite GenBank annotation. While some errors were due to typographical misprints that could be corrected by comparison with the original papers, many errors were found to be systematic shift errors created by wrong assignments of splice sites (see below). Table 1 of the Korning et al. paper listed 24 specific GenBank entries with erroneous splice site annotations. Our present re-checking of these files revealed that only five of these entries have been corrected in the past six years. For others, the mostly obvious annotation errors remain. Figure 2 gives one example. For other files, splice sites are erroneously assigned when the and sequences are identically AGGT (the correct assignment is agGT ... AGgt, intron residues in capitals; based on cognate cDNA matching alone, there are four alternative assignments matching up the aggt of the cDNA). It is evident that erroneous data place a heavy burden on individual researchers who have to devote a large effort to clean up the errors before the data can be successfully used in their research. Even more disturbing is the persistence and propagation of errors in the LOCUS ATKIN2 880 bp DNA PLN 23-JUL-1992 CDS join(104..160,320..390,504..579) EST Accession 3450035: Exon 1 78 160 ( 83 n); cDNA 1 80 ( 80 n); score: 0.867 Intron 1 161 321 ( 161 n); Pd: 0.976 (s: 0.90), Pa: 0.972 (s: 1.00) Exon 2 322 390 ( 69 n); cDNA 81 149 ( 69 n); score: 0.971 Intron 2 391 504 ( 114 n); Pd: 0.999 (s: 0.96), Pa: 0.964 (s: 0.98) Exon 3 505 785 ( 281 n); cDNA 150 429 ( 280 n); score: 0.996 Alignment (genomic DNA sequence = upper lines): TTTTACAAGA AAAAAATATC TGAAAAATGT CAGAGACCAA CAAGAATGCC TTCCAAGCCG 137 |||| |||| ||| ||| || |||||||| | | | |||| | | |||||||| ||||||||| TTTTCCAAGG AAA-AATTTC TGAAAAAT-T CNGGGACC-A CNAGAATGCC TTCCAAGCCC 57 GTCAGGCCGC TGGCAAAGCT GAGGTACTCT TTCTCTCTTA GAACAGAGTA CTGATAGATT 197 |||||||||| |||| ||||| ||| GTCAGGCCGC TGGCCAAGCT GAG....... 80


Treaties — Operation and enforcement of — Necessity for municipal legislation — United States-Cuba Treaty of 1958 — Whether self-executing — Whether superseding state regulatory statute — The law of the United States of America.


The pursuit of health research by human biologists and biological anthropologists has been part of those disciplines for many years. Health and disease topics were included in the first edition of the classic textbook, Human Biology (Harrison et al 1964), and its following two editions, and its recent counterpart (Stinson et al 2000). Despite this long tradition of health and disease studies in our fields, there has been an increase in studies explicitly asking questions about biocultural health determinants over the last 15–20 years. Some scholars in human biology and biological anthropology spend all their efforts trying to provide answers to health and disease questions. For example, both Prof. Noel Cameron and I, who became Co-Editors of our journal in January 2006 ( joining Olga Rickards), study health and disease as a major part of our research programs. This editorial attempts to inform our readers about population health, link it to more standard scientific questions in human population biology, and serve as an invitation for our readers to consider incorporating these ideas in their manuscript submissions to our journal. The phrase population health has been used with increasing frequency in scientific publications and research training programs in the last decade (e.g., Murray et al 1996, 2002, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; www.healthandsocietyscholars.org). The broad objective of population health is to combine interdisciplinary etiologic research on the social, environmental and biological determinants of heterogeneities in health and disease, with detailed inferences from such research about ways to reduce health inequalities within and across populations. Population health perspectives try to link a multi-level array of causal factors to health variations to eliminate health disparities within societies. I would argue that population health also includes intervention studies and the necessary formative, translational and implementation research necessary to develop and determine if public health interventions are efficacious and cost effective in defined populations. The increase over the last two decades in explicit population health research by human biologists can be attributed to two major causes. First, studies of morphological and physiological variations and adaptations in specific human groups that had been undertaken with a predominant evolutionary, and an implied genetic, orientation became more concerned with understanding how such variations were associated with social environmental factors. As larger study samples were measured and socio-cultural variables were included, scholars came to see (1) how individuals on a continuum of biological values could be classified as less functionally able, unhealthy or in a clinically defined


The composition of birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and eucalypt (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) barks was studied after grinding and fractioning into different particles sizes. There was a significant difference in the fractionation of both barks in relation to the yield of fines (5.9% and 28.3% of particles under 0.450 for birch and eucalypt, respectively) and of coarser particles over 2 mm (70.7% and 41.4%). The chemical composition of birch and eucalypt barks, as a mass weighed average of all granulometric fractions was, respectively: ash 2.9% and 12.1%; total extractives 17.6% and 6.5% (hydrophilic extractives were dominant), lignin 27.9% and 28.8% and holocellulose 49.8% and 62.6%. Birch bark contained a considerable amount of suberin (5.9%) whereas eucalypt bark contained a very small amount (<1%). The carbohydrate composition differed between birch and eucalypt barks, i.e., respectively, glucose 47.0% and 68.4%, and xylose 33.8% and 23.2% of total neutral monosaccharides. Ash elemental composition was different in both species. Birch bark contained in relation to eucalypt bark, in the 0.250–0.450 mm fraction, more N (0.69% vs. 0.26%) and P (0.075% vs. 0.001%), and less Ca (0.39% vs. 0.62%), K (0.24% vs. 0.31%) and Mg (0.07% vs. 0.15%). High concentration of Zn was found in birch bark (217 mg/kg vs. 11 mg/kg in eucalypt bark). After grinding and granulometric separation, extractives were present preferentially in the finest fraction with an enrichment in dichloromethane and ethanol solubles especially in the case of birch bark. Eucalypt bark had a high content of cellulose and hemicelluloses especially in the coarser fraction. The fibrous character of this fraction shows its potential as a fiber source.


For Au + Au collisions at 200 GeV, we measure neutral pion production with good statistics for transverse momentum, pT, up to 20 GeV/c. A fivefold suppression is found, which is essentially constant for 5 < pT < 20 GeV/c. Experimental uncertainties are small enough to constrain any model-dependent parametrization for the transport coefficient of the medium, e.g., q in the parton quenching model. The spectral shape is similar for all collision classes, and the suppression does not saturate in Au + Au collisions.


In this paper, three types of linear prediction and two types of Markov property of a homogeneous random field with continuous parameters are posed and discussed. By the discussed results of the three types of linear prediction and the method of [1], the necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for the Markov property are obtained.


Several standardization technologies used in web-based virtual manufacturing- STEP,EDI AND HGML are introduced,and then a virtual manufacturing architecture is provided on the basis of given standardization technologies.


The issue of commoditization has been receiving more attention in recent times.  First the debate is now about how quickly commoditization is sweeping across the corporate world; in sectors and functions which we had previously thought were safe from it. And second, it is the depth and breadth to which commoditization is now penetrating; no longer the preserve of the blue collar worker it is beginning to spread into white collar work that is usually considered immune to the negative impacts of commoditization, particularly as it requires the application of intellect, skill and expertise which unlike blue collar work is generally harder to automate. Like so many processes that play out in the business world, it may have started quite slowly and in quite limited areas, but it is speeding up and extending its reach.


The article deals with the influence of adaptability of workers on effective functioning of the industrial enterprise. There are analyzed the adaptive qualities of the personnel influencing on the process of adaptation. The interrelation of adaptation and competitiveness of workers is revealed.


no political science textbook. The concept was in favour in some pre1914 anthropology, where it appeared at the end term of a presumed evolutionary sequence: savagery to barbarism to civilization. In that usage, civilization was the name for &dquo;us&dquo;, and its usage was in the singular mode. But that kind of grand sweep anthropology has more or less disappeared, although it fe-emerges from time to time in new clothing. Nineteenth century historians sometimes used the term but in the 20th century its use has been largely restricted to the grand comparativists (who were often simultaneously doomsayers) like Spengler and rI'®ynbee. However celebrated, these authors were distinctly marginal to the profession of history. Civilization has thrived as a term only in the bastard field of Orientalism, which came to be defined precisely as the study of other &dquo;civilizations&dquo; (there used in the plural), such as China, India, the Ottomans, the Arab-Islamic world (and analogously classical Antiquity). Orientalism is in poor repute these days, although it still has its advocates. All in all, however, the social sciences have been averse to talking about civilization, either in the singular or in the plural. 1


Endothelial dysfunction plays the key role in the development of cardiovascular system disorders. Sulodexide, decreasing oxidative stress and stabilizing endothelial cells, has protective properties on endothelial dysfunction. The article describes the role of sulodexide both in prophylaxis and therapy of venous and arterial diseases, underlining its clinical efficacy as demonstrated in clinical trials. Besides, the article describes its role in the management of some other diseases, like diabetic nephropathy, diabetic foot, tinnitus, or hemorrhoids.


A Rare Pulmonary Arterial Catheterization Complication: KnottingVarious complications related to pulmonary arterial catheterisation have been described and some of them such as hemothorax can be life- threatining. Knotting of the pulmonary arterial catheter is one of rare complications which has the potential to lead to other medical problems. In this manuscript, a case with knotting of the pulmonary arterial catheter has been described and solutions for this complication have been discussed.


Principal component analysis was carried out to study the slaughtering performance of cross combinations using Anas platyrhynchos as male parent.The results showed that six traits were combined into three independent principal components with an accumulating contribution rate of 94.95%,which could totally reflect the information of the original traits.Comprehensive assessment showed that the combination LBLY containing 1/2 Anas platyrhynchos blood, 1/4 Peking Duck blood and 1/4 Cherry Valley Duck blood was the best among three cross combinations.


NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antibody encephalitis is the second most common autoimmune encephalitis after acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, presenting with a multistage clinical progression with prodromal signs, psychiatric abnormalities, reduced levels of consciousness, epileptic seizures, dyskinesias, and autonomic dysfunction.1 Pathogenic NMDAR autoantibodies downregulate NMDARs in cultured hippocampal neurons2 and after injection into the rat brain.3 Teratomas are common in adult women and are believed to trigger the antibody response against NMDARs by ectopically expressing neuronal antigens.1 Causal factors in tumor-negative patients are largely unknown. Recent studies showed that infectious encephalitides with herpes simplex virus (HSE) are associated with the generation of NMDAR antibodies4 and that antibodies cause immunotherapy-responsive relapsing symptoms post-HSE.5 It is unknown, however, whether further types of neuronal damage can trigger a secondary immune response leading to NMDAR encephalitis.


There are many space subdivision and space partitioning techniques used in many algorithms to speed up computations. They mostly rely on orthogonal space subdivision, resp. using hierarchical data structures, e.g. BSP trees, quadtrees, octrees, kd-trees, bounding volume hierarchies etc. However in some applications a non-orthogonal space subdivision can offer new ways for actual speed up. In the case of convex polygon in E2 a simple Point-in-Polygon test is of the O(N) complexity and the optimal algorithm is of O(log N) computational complexity. In the E3 case, the complexity is O(N) even for the convex polyhedron as no ordering is defined.New Point-in-Convex Polygon and Point-in-Convex Polyhedron algorithms are presented based on space subdivision in the preprocessing stage resulting to O(1) run-time complexity. The presented approach is simple to implement. Due to the principle of duality, dual problems, e.g. line-convex polygon, line clipping, can be solved in a similarly.


Objective To study the significance of BAG-1 and bak expression in adenocarcinoma of cervix. Methods Both carcinoma tissues and their surrounding tissues from 36 patients with adenocarcinoma of cervix were studied for the expression of BAG-1 and bak by immunohistochemical staining. Results The BAG-1 was detected in the cytoplasm as well as in the nucleus of cancer cells. The BAG-1 was expressed in cytoplasm of 28 cases (77.8%) and in nucleus of 20 cases (55.6%) ,while those in 25 normal endocervical glands surrounding carcinomas were 8 (32.0%) and 10 (40.0%) respectively. The BAG-1 positive staining in cytoplasm of adenocarcinoma cells was significantly increased compared with that of surrounding normal cells (P0.05), while the difference in BAG-1 positive staining of the nucleus was not significant between two. The bak was expressed in all specimens of cervical adenocarcinoma. The staining intensity was much stronger in carcinoma than in surrounding normal (P0.01). There was no significant difference in the expression of BAG-1 or bak in carcinomas with different histopathologic categories or differentiation grades. There was no correlation between BAG-1 and bak expression. Conclusion The expression of BAG-1 and bak is increased in adenocarcinoma of cervix and the apoptotic modulation gene may be involved in the carcinogenesis of cervical adenocarcinoma.


Every culture sets up systems of strategies to fight against illness and more widely misfortune, calling for different kinds of practitioners. The behaviour when seeking medical care is of complex logics. It appears as a series of cognitive operations through which the knowledge of the illness is utilized to give rise to decision making and therapeutical orientations. Depending upon the events considered to be significant, a dynamic process of interpretations of the illness and symptoms can be linked to many causes.


A range of N-alkyl-2,6-dimethyl-4-oxopyridine-3-carboxylic acids XV have been prepared via reactions of primary alkyl amines with differing 2,6-dimethyl-4-oxopyran-3-carboxylate esters IX. The quantity of desired product formed and the character of by-products formed are determined by the natures of the amine and ester IX respectively. X-ray crystallography data for the N-ethyl analogue of XV indicates very strong intra-molecular hydrogen bonding to be present, with the heterocyclic ring exhibiting considerable aromaticity


We examine the formation mechanism of the Earth-group planets' iron core at the initial stage of its formation, assuming that at the initial stage (partly-melt condition) planets were intensely collided by huge meteorites and asteroids. "Lakes" of melt matter appeared on the surface of the planets after such collisions. Due to the process of differentiation that took place at those magmatic lakes, iron with addition of some other metals sunk to the bottom. At this stage of planet formation its temperature was rather high (~1450С) and was near the solidus of peridotites. The melting point of iron is about 100 higher. Iron is warming the environment with the gravitation energy due to viscous friction while shrinking. That's why iron is going to the centre of the moon, being melt. By the way, lighter silicate fractions of peridotites are going up along the melted channels. In the inner layers of the planet some physical parameters could change, so we are taking into consideration only the near-surface layer. We connect parameters with the Moon, but this model could be applied to other planets of the Earth group. At this region process of two-phase compaction takes place [Karakin, 2005]. One-dimensional approximation could be considered. On Earth such mechanism is still working in the mid-ocean ridges with the basalt layer formation of ocean crust. Heavier iron (and its alloys) moves significantly faster than silicates. That's why duration of the iron core formation is short compared to cosmic scales (hundreds of millions of years). Non-isothermal model of two-phase compaction is considered (two liquid phases are melts of iron and magmatic silicate and quasi-solid skeleton silicon phase). Phase transition between silicate phases is possible. Let's name r and f the density and porosity of porous viscous matter. Values that belong to the whole matter would be left without indexes. Values with upper indexes (o) and (k), (where k=s, f) belongs to skeleton and liquid silicate and iron phases. Let's write the Terzaghi relation and the force balance equation: ef ij ij ij p s s d = . (1)


Polyurethane(PU) resins were synthesized with polyol,isophorone diisocyanate,toluene diisocyanate.The PU resins were mixed with FR-4 CCL varnishes and the mixture were made to prepregs and laminates.The phenomena of pull-up of prepreg obviously relieved.When the PU resins content reached 20 Phr,dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the glass transformation temperature decreased 7℃~16℃,thermogravimetric analysis show that the Td(5%loss) temperature raised 2℃~3℃,the interlayer adhesion of warp raise 1.2~3 times,bending strength of warp decrease about 100 N/mm2.


Matching circuit design for multiantenna systems is getting increasingly complex due to the increasing number of antennas and the explosion the number of communication bands. In this paper we discuss the optimization criteria of matching circuits for multiantenna systems. It is shown that in many cases the matching circuits for different antenna ports cannot be optimized separately, because due to the antenna coupling a change in the matching of one port will affect the matching of all other ports. For multiantenna systems the goal of matching should be to get the best possible efficiency for each antenna port. This goal differs from e.g. filter matching where the goal is to get the best possible energy transfer between the external ports, which is typically equivalent to having a good impedance match at the external ports simultaneously.


The architecture seen throughout the City of Deadwood shows that the town was not built in a single day, year or period. Wooden 'falsefront " stores of the 1880s sit among the stately brick structures that came about later.


Experiment of applying organic manure on various plums demonstrated that mean single plant yield, mean single fruit weight and commodity rate of Black plum reached 25.6kg, 92.66g and 96.94% respectively after applying poultry dung, which ranged the first among 5 treatments, mean diameter increment reached 3.89%, which raged the third with normal growth. Mean single fruit weight and commodity rate of anether variety of plum topped 60.18g and 97.52% after applying rape cake, which ranged the first among 5 treatments, while mean single plant yield and mean diameter increment reached 6.25kg and 5.47%, which ranked the second with normal growth.


In the mid twenty first century there have been three key trends which have been identified across the world in the higher education sector: elitism, massification and access. Studies in South Africa (SA), postapartheid have also revealed these trends, with an emphasis on massification and the widening of access for previously disadvantaged Black students (with a focus on African students in particular who suffered the worst level of disadvantage in apartheid SA) taking centre stage. Whilst there has been significant progress with regards to broadening access for students into public higher education in the South African context, public higher education institutions have been feeling the pressure to demonstrate that these students are achieving success (good throughput levels and reduced dropout) and this continues to be a challenge. This article provides an overview of some of the discussions related to selected discourses within student access and success in SA higher education, by undertaking a review of the recent local literature with the aim of highlighting the progress made towards understanding these phenomena and the gaps in knowledge that still require more research for greater understanding in the pursuit of achieving student success in South African public higher education institutions.


An onboard interferogram compression, based on Principal Components (PC), is applied to a spaceborne FTS. On top of an impressive compression ratio of 10, the usage of PC permits the computation of the light power spectra without online Fourier transforms, an efficient detection of instrumental defects, their harmonization and automatic correction.


When does editing become censorship? This article focuses on the editing practices for the English productions of Vaclav Havel's plays, arguing that these practices transformed the plays into political emblems of the Cold War period. Once politicized, the plays became commercially viable; the article questions if such editing was a form of market censorship. In addition, the elision and derision of the female translator, Vera Blackwell, raises questions about gender censorship during the Cold War period.


In order to study the overall stealth performance of the exhaust system, three different mixers were presented to suppress infrared (IR) signature and reduce the system's radar cross section (RCS). The Reversed Monte-Carlo Method (RMCM) was used to calculate the infrared (IR) radiation characteristics, and the iterative physical optic approach (IPO) with equivalent edge currents method (EEC) was used to calculate the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of the electrically large nozzle. The results show that the lobed mixer has a lower IR radiation intensity within the detection angle of 155 ◦ ∼ 175 ◦ , which is 40% lower than that of the annular mixer and has a better IR suppression effect. The average RCS value of the nozzle with the lobed mixer is lower than that of the annular mixer, which is reduced by 50% in vertical polarization and 68.8% in horizontal polarization. After comprehensive evaluation and selection of various mixers, the lobed mixer is effective in terms of radar/infrared integrated stealth design.


According to the data of garbage dumped from 1993 to 2002 in Wuhan City, this paper predicts the garbage production quantity up to the year 2010 using the estimate method of grey system. GM (1,1) model is established,and the important three factors which affect the garbage production quantity are analyzed.The prediction is useful in enhancing program regarding management and recycling of urban wastes.


This research was conducted with the aim to be achieved, namely to find out how much influence online learning has on the learning motivation of 8th and 9th grade students in Islamic religious education subjects at SMP Plus Al-Ijtihad 2 Kutabaru, Pasar Kemis Subdistrict, Tangerang Regency. The research method used is a descriptive method with a quantitative approach. A method that describes a phenomenon in the field with a data analysis approach. The instrument in this study is to use a questionnaire (questionnaire) and interviews as a source of data. And the sample used in the study used systematic random sampling. Respondents of this study amounted to 54 students. Based on the results of data processing and discussion that the effect of online learning on the motivation of students in Islamic religious education subjects can be proven by calculating the Product Moment correlation, the result is 0.557. In variable X online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic and variable Y student learning motivation in the PAI folder, there is an influence between variables X and Y, the correlation is moderate/sufficient in the coefficient interval 0.40-0.599. So it can be concluded that the effect of online learning on students' learning motivation in PAI subjects is 31.0% and the remaining 69.0% is influenced by other factors which may be family environment factors, the environment between friends and so on.


This article describes a comparison investigation on the laminar burning velocities measurement methods of simulated synthetic natural gas(SNG). In this study, there were used three ways to compare the measuring method. First method was an angle method of Bunsen flame, next method was an adjustable area method using an annular diverging channel combustor, final method was a unstretched flat flame using a counter-flowing combustor. These results were also compared with numerical calculation by CHEMKIN package with USC-Ⅱ and GRI 3.0 mechanism . As an experimental conditions, hydrogen content was 3% and equivalence ratios was adjusted from 0.8 to 1.4. From results of this work, it was we found that the burning velocity of SNG fuel was the fastest in equivalence ratio of 1.1 and the various measurement methods had similar trends.


A thermoplastic composition comprising: a) a polyphenylene ether resin; b) a polyamide resin; c) an effective amount of a compatibilizing agent for components a and b; d) A radial block copolymer comprising 60% to 95% by weight of aromatic polymerized vinyl material and 40% to 5% by weight of conjugated diene monomer polymerized, said copolymer having at least three polymer chains which form the radial configuration; e) an elastomeric material other than radial block copolymer d).


The development of floating net cage aquaculture (KJA) in Jatiluhur Reservoir needs to pay attention to five dimensions of sustainable development (ecological, economic, socio-cultural, institutional and technological) to avoid problems arising from the KJA aquaculture activities, sustainable management is needed in order to optimize the benefits that can be obtained from KJA aquaculture activities. The purpose of this study was to analyze and assess the sustainability of KJA fisheries in the Jatiluhur Reservoir using the Rapid Apprisial Fisheries (RAPFISH) application with the MDS (Multi Dimensional Scaling) system approach. The results of the sustainability analysis of KJA aquaculture fisheries in Jatiluhur Reservoir showed quite sustainable with an index value of 51.33%, a stress value of 13.22% and a R 2 value of 95.65%. Based on the leverage analysis to determine the most sensitive attributes as lever attributes that are used to improve the sustainability of KJA aquaculture, there are 8 key attributes as sensitive attributes including aquatic fertility, market ease, labor wages, space conflicts, business ownership, law enforcement, size selection and thinning, hatchery technology.


Abstract COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected the life of global population across the world. Efforts have been made to deal with the current grave situation from divergent areas viz. community, economic, science and medicine, digital technologies etc. In absence of potential remedial arrangements, best efforts could be directed towards minimizing the impact of COVID-19 on people's health and economy. The present study focuses to provide a comprehensive model to reduce adverse impacts of COVID-19 disease to the minimum possible extent. A detailed review of scholarly works and web references is done on social, economic and technological interventions made to contain the impact of COVID-19. Relevant search key words were used on databases like Scopus, Ebsco, Google Scholar, etc. The second part of paper analyzes COVID-19 cases with respect to different economies of the world viz, upper income, middle income and lower income economies through Anova. Majority of the research works conducted on COVID-19 offer solutions from single perspectives. Present study suggested a conceptual model using multi-front approach considering social, economic and technological interventions. It also reveals mixed results about COVID-19 cases in different economies. There cannot be 'one solution' for controlling the pandemic and its aftermaths. Efforts are made to explore all possible ways ranging from display of socially accountable behaviors, economic reforms, medical research, and integration of AI and IoT with medical ecosystems. Surprisingly, COVID-19 has spread more in the high income economies of the world.


The forum has become not only a communication platform,has even become a stage for achieving self-worth.The forum Site developed by ASP(Active Server Pages) technology to realize dynamic webpage,Background database using SQL Server to meet the needs of a large number of users needs.This forum has mainly realized user to post and reply and management skills a simple online communication is achived for the user.


The invention discloses a simple folding shovel for building construction. The simple folding shovel comprises a shovel body and a handle rotationally connected with the shovel body through a rotating shaft, wherein a shovel head is arranged at one end of the shovel body, and a fixing end is arranged at one end opposite to the shovel head; magnets are arranged on one side wall of the fixing end, a groove is formed in one side wall of the handle, magnets are arranged in the grooves, and the fixing end can be embedded in the groove when the shovel body rotates around the rotating shaft; a fixing hole matched with the shovel head in shape is formed in the side wall of one side, opposite to the groove, of the handle, and the fixing end can be embedded in the fixing hole when the shovel body rotates around the rotating shaft; the width of the fixing hole is equal to that of the shovel head, and fillets for clamping the shovel head are arranged on two opposite side walls of the fixing hole. The simple folding shovel adopts the rotatable structure, the shovel body can rotate relative to the handle, the shovel head can be arranged in the fixing hole when necessary, and the shovel is convenient to store and carry.


The study was based on the socio-cultural significance of blessing and curses in Worailu Woreda, South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia. The main aim of this study was to study the origin of blessings and curses and to demonstrate in detail their benefits and purposes. Thus, the study could be a baseline as a starting point for researchers who want to study around the community, examine the interaction between blessing and curse, the sequence of performance as well as a detailed and in-depth look at the community's reaction to the subject. Both primary and secondary data sources were considered. The available data was analyzed by a functionalism approach. The finding showed that blessing and curse used to develop the moral law of the society used to shape the generation with humanity and ethics. The local community gives responsibility for the clan chiefs, religious leaders, and public figures to perform blessings and curses, and it has been believed that these individuals had relationship with the supernatural power (God). The finding confirmed that curses and blessing used by the people as conflict resolution in the study area. On the other hand, the study found that curses and blessings used to reflect and influence human emotions such as anxiety, fear, dismay, joy, and sadness.


Introduction: Substance abuse is a major health problem in Bangladesh. We examined socio-demographic characteristics of male patients with substance use disorder in drug addiction treatment center in Dhaka city. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Central Drug Addiction Treatment Center (CTC), Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2012 to June 2013. Data were collected by administrating a semi-structured questionnaire comprised of socio demographic variables, family characteristics and substance related variables. A total of 136 male patients were interviewed purposively by face to face from outpatient department of CTC. Substance use disorder was established on the basis of DSM-IV TR by the Structured instrument SCID-CV (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis-1 DisordersClinical Version). Patients with comorbid psychiatric disorder and other organic brain disorders were not included in this study. Results: The mean age of 136 patients was 30.63±7.23; about 42% were in 26-30 years age group, most respondents (48.5%) were unemployed, 95% were Muslim, and 70% urban dwellers. About 85% (115) of the patients started their using drugs by cannabis, about 9% took Phensidyl as a first drug, about 59% (80) took more than one drugs. In this study, 76 out of 136 patients took drugs by smoking which constitute 55.9%, followed by injections (37.5%). Conclusions: Cannabis was the most common as the first illicit drug used by the patients. The result suggested that 18-30-year age group was most commonly abusing time. Preventive programs could be targeted on this age group.


Purpose Brucellosis is an ongoing zoonotic disease in China, but there are few data in Beijing. This study was designed to illustrate clinical characteristics of patients with brucellosis in Beijing, China and explore the risk factors for focal brucellosis. Patients and Methods Data of patients with brucellosis were retrospectively collected from the patients' electronic medical records in Beijing Youan Hospital during 2010 to 2021, including epidemiological, demographic and clinical features. Risk factors for focal brucellosis were identified by multivariable logistic regression models. Results A total of 197 patients were included in the study, with 165 (83.8%) cases in acute phase and 32 (16.2%) cases in chronic phase. Patients in acute phase were more likely to have splenomegaly (24.2% vs 3.1%, p=0.007) than those in chronic phase, but had less arthralgia (62.4% vs 81.3%, p=0.040). The median level of alanine aminotransferase (36.9 vs 20.7, p=0.001) was higher in patients at acute stage than those at chronic stage. Of all the patients, 76 (38.6%) were reported with focal complications, including 16 (8.1%) peripheral arthritis, 36 (18.3%) spondylitis, 17 (8.6%) epididymoorchitis, 8 (4.1%) meningitis and 3 (1.3%) endocarditis. Additionally, male (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.15–6.64, p = 0.023), arthralgia (OR 6.23, 95% CI 2.36–16.43, p < 0.001) and higher level of platelets (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.01, p < 0.001) were the independent risk factors for focal brucellosis. Conclusion The control of human brucellosis still cannot be ignored due to the re-emerging cases in Beijing, which are more likely to present splenomegaly and abnormal liver function in acute phase. Moreover, male, arthralgia and high level of platelets were the independent risk factors for focal brucellosis.


A downconverter (101) for a light emitting diode (110) comprises a first switch (201, 205, 291) and a second switch (202, 206, 292) connected between a supply voltage terminal (211) and ground (215) in series with the first switches (201, 205, 291) is connected. The down-converter (101) also includes a storage inductor (212) connected between the supply voltage terminal (211) and an output terminal (213, 219) to the first switch (201, 205, 291) is connected in series. The down-converter (101) includes the output terminal (213, 219) which is adapted to output through the storage inductor (212) a load current (702) to the light-emitting diode (110) based on an inductor current (701). The down-converter (101) also includes a controller which is arranged to operate the first switch (201, 205, 291) and said second switch (202, 206, 292) in response to a dimming signal alternately and periodically in a conducting state.


A lunar outpost will involve a habitat with an integrated set of hardware and software that will maintain a safe environment for human activities. There is a desire for a paradigm shift whereby crew will be the primary mission operators, not ground controllers. There will also be significant periods when the outpost is uncrewed. This will require that significant automation software be resident in the habitat to maintain all system functions and respond to faults. JSC is developing a testbed to allow for early testing and evaluation of different autonomy architectures. This will allow evaluation of different software configurations in order to: 1) understand different operational concepts; 2) assess the impact of failures and perturbations on the system; and 3) mitigate software and hardware integration risks. The testbed will provide an environment in which habitat hardware simulations can interact with autonomous control software. Faults can be injected into the simulations and different mission scenari...


The midlatitude ionospheric trough (MIT) is a well‐known feature in the topside ionosphere. Previous MIT related studies mainly focused on the MIT structure itself, while few studies focused on irregularities inside the MIT region. In this study, we provided for the first time the magnetic latitude and magnetic local time distribution of irregularities within the MIT, by using the Swarm in situ plasma measurements. Orbital cases show that both the MIT equatorward and poleward walls are embedded with small‐scale irregularities. Further statistical analysis reveals that the particle precipitation is the dominant mechanism for the dayside MIT region irregularities, while nightside MIT region irregularities are strongly related with the temperature gradient drift instability. The Swarm observations show that the temperature gradient drift instability occur not only in MIT equatorward wall but also in MIT polarward wall, which is different to the theoretical prediction of Hudson and Kelley (1976, https://doi.org/10.1029/JA081i022p03913).


We use asymptotic methods from the theory of differential equations to obtain an analytical expression for the survival probability of an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process with a potential defined over a broad domain. Leading-order solutions in an interior, centered around the origin, and the boundary layers, near the lateral boundaries, are asymptotically matched to form a uniformly continuous analytic solution covering the entire domain. The analytic solution agrees extremely well with the numerical solution and takes into account the non-negligible leakage of probability that occurs at short times when the stochastic process begins close to one of the boundaries. Given the range of applications of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes, the analytic solution is of broad relevance across many fields of natural and engineering science.


The invention provides a modular external enclosure. The external enclosure comprises a shell, a buckle and a moving part, wherein the buckle comprises a bolt and a fixing portion; the fixing portion comprises a nut cap and a throat; the bolt passes through the shell from one side of the shell and is locked with the throat of the fixing portion on the other side of the shell; the moving part is movably sleeved on the throat of the fixing portion; the moving part is arranged between the nut cap of the fixing portion and the shell; and Teflon paste is arranged in the position where the bolt and the throat are locked to enhance connection of the bolt and the throat. The external enclosure has the following beneficial effects that the Teflon paste adjoins the contact portion of the bolt and the throat in the bolt and throat locking process so that the bolt and the throat can be tightly locked to prevent the buckle from getting loose.


Objectives The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for delirium after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and provide theoretical guidance for reducing the incidence of delirium after TJA. Methods The protocol for this meta-analysis is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020170031). We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase for observational studies on risk factors for delirium after TJA. Review Manager 5.3 was used to calculate the relative risk (RR) or standard mean difference (SMD) of potential risk factors related to TJA. STATA 14.0 was used for quantitative publication bias evaluation. Results In total, 25 studies including 3,767,761 patients from 9 countries were included. Old age has been widely recognized as a risk factor for delirium. Our results showed that the main risk factors for delirium after TJA were patient factors (alcohol abuse: RR = 1.63; length of education: SMD = −0.93; and MMSE score: SMD = −0.39), comorbidities (hypertension: RR = 1.26; diabetes mellitus: RR = 1.67; myocardial infarction: RR = 17.75; congestive heart failure: RR = 2.54; dementia: RR = 17.75; renal disease: RR = 2.98; history of stroke: RR = 4.83; and history of mental illness: RR = 2.36), surgical factors (transfusion: RR = 1.53; general anesthesia: RR = 1.10; pre-operative albumin: SMD = −0.38; pre-operative hemoglobin: SMD = −0.29; post-operative hemoglobin: SMD = −0.24; total blood loss: SMD = 0.15; duration of surgery: SMD = 0.29; and duration of hospitalization: SMD = 2.00) and drug factors (benzodiazepine use: RR = 2.14; ACEI use: RR = 1.52; and beta-blocker use: RR = 1.62). Conclusions Multiple risk factors were associated with delirium after TJA. These results may help doctors predict the occurrence of delirium after surgery and determine the correct treatment. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42020170031.


AIM
To investigate Chinese nurses' views and experiences in relation to quality improvement implementation, as well as to determine the impact of contextual factors on nursing quality improvement initiatives.

DESIGN
A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used for this study.

METHODS
A quantitative cross-sectional survey was used to assess the context of quality improvement initiatives. Simple random sampling was used to recruit quality improvement teams. The sample included 356 nurses from tertiary teaching hospitals; 291 (81.7%) of them completed questionnaires. Nursing managers and nurses (n=18) were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews; their experiences and perceptions regarding the contextual factors of quality improvement initiatives were obtained RESULTS: In the quantitative phase, the "microsystem" (mean=5.24) and "QI team" (mean=4.97) contexts were reported as supportive contexts. The organizational context was weak, with a mean score of 3.92.In the qualitative phase, three themes related to the contextual challenges emerged: (1) nurses' attitudes and satisfaction, (2) team efficacy, and (3) organizational infrastructure and culture.

CONCLUSIONS
Efforts to elevate organizational culture and reward systems are needed in Chinese hospitals. Further education aimed at increasing skills and knowledge should be provided, to ensure effective quality improvement implementation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
During quality improvement initiatives, management tasks should focus on increasing nurses' satisfaction, solving skill and knowledge deficits, and clarifying nurses' roles in relation to quality improvement.


ABSTRACT This research sought to provide a protocol to the community program leader in health education for the older adult which could assist identifying specific needs and potential approaches. A protocol was developed for a community program leader's guide in health education and promotion through a series of questionnaires with a group of experts. Utilizing the Delphi method of research, opinions from a panel of experts were elicited and combived to reach a consensus. The panel received a preliminary survey, with five distinct content domains including physical activity, nutrition, health concerns, and safety and stress management. The group was asked to make suggestions on the survey form. The panel reviewed the modified survey and rated each item for its usefulness. The results indicated: (1) the program outline should contain an introduction, program objectives, educational objectives, needs assessment, and learning activities and methods; (2) appropriate content domains and content information for such a guide should include physical activity, nutrition, health concerns, safety, and stress management; (3) all components of the guide are not required; (4) the majority of learning activities and methods were rated as essential; and (5) the proposed protocol should be a practical and usable tool for the community program leader. (ABL)


Oral health education is a part of human health education. Education for health is essential for a healthy behaviour. According to the World Health Organization's concept of health, a healthy behaviour must be a normality for an educated life, and the level of health is a measure of qualitative life.
Access to educational health services is important for good oral health. Health is a fundamental human right (W.H.O., 2002).
This paper is a short review of the methods and techniques of oral health education and of the practical possibilities that can improve the level of general health knowledge.
Conclusion: Oral health education can be achieved through different techniques and methods, included in the universal approach of education.


In Algeria, there is an urgent need for cartographic zones touched by erosion and also to target priority risk areas to improve the consistency of erosion prevention actions. Such a mapping must be able to display the areas at sensitivity to erosion and must take into account the developments to be undertaken. It is in this perspective that this study is carried out for (a) to map the sensitivity to erosion in the Mellegue catchment by relying on three factors of erosion namely topography, lithology and land use; and (b) to propose a management plan for vulnerable areas. This study is conducted using a Geographic Information System, which has allowed to characterize different areas of the study catchment and its sub-basins by producing a synthetic map of degrees of susceptibility to erosion.The results has shown that the basin has dominant areas of medium to high sensitivity to erosion, despite the existence of a considerable low sensitive area, corresponding to 47% of the basin area and observed mainly at the Meskiana sub-basin. The integration of the results into three levels of sub-basins has allowed identifying the most susceptible areas to erosion. This study provides sufficient data for a prioritization of the study basin according to their degree of erosion, making possible to the different actors, the management of the territory.


Abstract This paper proposes an effective scheme for detecting the number of buildings in a scene from a single high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image. The layover and double bounce echoes in SAR images are detected first as building elements, which are then split, merged, or discarded to make each patch correspond to one building. A model describing the statistical relationship between the number of buildings and the features of the detected building elements is constructed. Based on this model, large building patches are split into the proper number of small patches. This scheme is tested on 3-m and 6-m resolution TerraSAR-X images that cover two sites in different provinces of China, and its advantages and limitations are discussed.


It is well reported that repetitive administration of cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine each produces stereotyped behavior, and that each increases the response to either of the other two drugs (Post et aL, 1976; Klawans and Margolin, 1975; Sato, 1979). It is believed that specific central dopamine systems play an important role in the increased behavioral response. Nomif ensine which has been reported to produce stereotyped behavior in rats is considered an inhibitor of dopamine uptake (Hunt and Kannengiesser, 1974). Therefore, it is of special interest to examine whether the behavioral response is increased with nomifensine. This brief paper demonstrates that the behavioral response to nomifensine can be easily increased after repetitive administration of nomifensine. Male wistar rats, weighing 200-300 g at the beginning of the experiment, were used. The animals were fed laboratory chow ad libitum and placed in controlled lighting conditions (lights on at 7:00 A. M., off at 7:00 P. M.). Nomifensine, 20 mg/ kg, prepared as aqueous suspensions in 0.3 °o carboxymethylcellulose was administered subcutaneously daily for twelve consecutive days. Control animals were ad-


Cues for cognitive disregard are those attributes of strangers that signify their lack of interest for us. Disregarded strangers are not noticed beyond category level; their invisibility is shown by our failure to recognize them as familiar in a subsequent encounter. Five experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 established the operation of disregard in a lab setting with the finding that subjects had better recall for (photos of) persons with natural relevance to their lives than for other photos to which their attention had been especially directed. In Experiment 2, which compared the recall of undergraduate-aged and elderly subjects for persons of varying ages, it was found that age discrepancy acted as a disregard cue, although youthfulness per se enhanced memorability. In Experiment 3, undergraduate-aged and middle-aged male and female targets had brief interactions with subjects. The hypothesis that college students were more likely to disregard middle-aged strangers with whom they had a brief encou...


mountain in the world" and "Mt. Everest is not the highest mountain in the world" seem to have the same degree of specificity. But in general, Ayer urges we judge that the distinction in terms of specificity coincides with our feeling that reality is somehow positive or affirmative. For "any information which is provided by a less specific statement will always be included in the information provided by some more specific


Primary productivity is the basis of whole metabolic cycle in natural aquatic ecosystem and it regulates energy flow and nutrient cycling regime. Indiscriminate application of pesticides and agro chemicals in modem agricultural practices lead to the contamination of our water bodies. Currently, annual global consumption of pesticides accounts to 5 billion tones. The contami nation of water bodies with pesticides has created toxicity stress on aquatic biota. Hence, the present investigation aims at the evaluation of Organochlorine pesticide endosulfan toxicity on primary productivity of Lentic aquatic ecosystem by employing microcosm test. The primary production of lentic ecosystem is contributed primarily by phytoplankton and other aquatic macro phytes. In the present study phytotoxicity of endosulfan on the phytoplankton is determined by employing standard light and dark bottle method of primary productivity estimation. The toxic effect of different concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 ppm) of endosulfan on primary productivity was determined at the interval of 4 h for 12 h exposure to toxicant. It is evident from the data that the phytotoxic effect of endosulfan On net primary productivity is directly proportional to its concentration and duration of exposure. The reduction rate of community respiration is directly proportional to the concentration of toxicant. Our study clearly demonstrates that the endosulfan is responsible for the reduction in photosynthetic evolution of oxygen and primary productivity of aquatic ecosystem. The persistence of the toxicant in the aquatic ecosystem can cause acute toxicity to aquatic life. The microcosm test proved to be a convenient tool to assay the aquatic toxicity of xenobiotics.


This paper presents a damage estimation model suitable for evaluating earthquake damage using coherence images derived from interferometric SAR data. The damage degree is estimated through temporal decorrelation by employing a coherence ratio which is defined by dividing a post-event coherence image by a pre-event image. The temporal coherence ratio is confirmed to be closely correlated with the probability of the damage degree. As a result of applying both C and L bands SAR data for evaluating the damage of the 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu Earthquake in Japan, the cumulative probability of the damage degree can be approximated by a linear function of the coherence ratio.


Emmanuelle Levy1, Howard C Margolese2 and Serge Gauthier3 1Douglas Institute of Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, 2Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, McGill University Health Centre and Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, 3Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Medicine, McGill University, and Director of the Alzheimer's disease Research Unit, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, Montreal, Canada


CONTEXT: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are considered major public health problems and the leading cause of occupational injury. Activities such as prolonged standing, repetitive task, awkward sitting posture, heavy lifting, pulling, and pushing may result in functional impairment and pain due to poor working conditions and absence of work injury prevention programs. AIM: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of WRMSDs in factory workers. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: An observational study was carried out in a tyre factory in India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-two (n = 252) male workers aged 21–59 years with at least 1 year of job tenure were included in this observational study. The assessment was done using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) tool. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data analysis was done using Chi-square test to calculate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. RESULTS: The most commonly affected body regions of factory workers in 12 months were neck and lower back with P = 0.001and P = 0.146, and problems faced in the past 7 days were more common in the lower back and neck with P = 0.004 and 0.001, respectively. This study reported the highest prevalence in the neck (62.7%) and lower back (54.8%). The REBA tool revealed a majority of the workers emerged under the category of high risk. CONCLUSIONS: The study concluded that neck and lower back regions were found to be more commonly affected, and a majority of workers emerged into high-risk category.


The old saying, `Safety is paramount.' was never more true than it is in the area of ejection safety for high-speed fighter aircraft. The fighter aircraft of today has been designed to endure tremendous structural loading during dogfight or evasive maneuvers. It can fly faster, turn quicker, stay in the air longer (with in-flight refuel) and carry more bombs than its predecessor. Because of human physiological limits, the human has become the weak link in today's fighter aircraft. The fighter pilot must endure and function with peak performance in conditions that are much worse than anything the majority of us will ever encounter. When these conditions reach a point that human endurance is exceeded, devices such as anti-g suits and positive pressure breathing apparatus help the fighter pilot squeeze out that extra percentage of strength necessary to outperform the opponent. As fighter aircraft become more sophisticated, helmet trackers, helmet displays and noise cancellation devices are being added to the helmet. Yet the fighter pilot's helmet must remain lightweight and be aesthetically appealing, while still offering ballistic protection. It must function with existing life support equipment such as the Combined Advanced Technology Enhanced Design g-Ensemble (COMBAT-EDGE). It must not impede the pilot's ability to perform any action necessary to accomplish the planned mission. The helmet must protect the pilot during the harsh environment of ejection. When the pilot's only resort is to pull the handle and initiate the ejection sequence, the helmet becomes his salvation or instant death. This paper discusses the safety concerns relative to the catapult phase of ejecting from a high-speed fighter while wearing an advanced fighter helmet.


During this time, reflective thinking and analytical skills have not been one of the objectives of mathematics and learners have not demonstrated reflective activity and analytic learning. The ability of the students ' reflective thinking and analytics is an important aspect to be examined and developed so that the learner's math learning is more optimal. The study aims to describe the ability of the students ' reflective thinking and analytic of junior high school in solving the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) model. This research is a qualitative descriptive study describing the reflective thinking skills and analytical students of junior high school in solving the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) model. The subject in this study is a class IX student consisting of three learners with the details of each of the 1 learners with reflective thinking skills, 1 student with analytic thinking skills and 1 student with reflective and analytical thinking skills. The data collection techniques used are tests of reflective thinking and analytical skills as well as interviews. Test Data and interviews are analyzed based on indicators that meet the ability of reflective thinking and analytical thinking skills. Data analysis techniques refer to the Miles and Hiberman concepts which include data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion withdrawal. Data validity techniques use observer persistence, triangulation time and peer checking. The results of the study provide conclusions: 1) Subject 1 meets the indicator of the reflective thinking ability, subject 1 able to the reacting phase, comparing, less in the contemplating phase: 2) Subject 2 meets the analytical thinking ability indicator, subject 2 is capable at would phase, organizing and attributing: 3) Subject 3 meets the indicator of reflective thinking capabilities capable of the reacting, comparing, contemplating and subject 3, organizing and attributing.


Since modern formal education was introduced in developing countries, efforts have been made by various countries including Nigeria to universalize basic education. Based on the importance of education to development, there is need to address the effect of long distance between settlements and schools. Educational institutions are often scarce in rural areas, even when accessible, children may have to walk long distances to attend, which could have a greater deterring effect on girls due to safety reasons - hence adding to gender disparities. Many children, in rural areas, struggle with real difficulties such as walking long distance to school, the lack of classrooms. The aim of this study is to use geospatial approach in assessing the impacts of long distance to school on students and pupils of Gidan Mangoro and Garatu axis in Bosso local government Area. The data utilized in this study include structured questionnaires (QS) distributed throughout the five schools in the study area and the soft copy and hard copy of Quick bird image of 2006 of the study area was employed with the base map of the study area. Intensive field survey was carried out with the use of global positioning system (GPS) to locate the actual point of schools and settlements within the study area. Results show that, the majority of the pupils and students do walk long distance (between 0.5km-2.3km) to school. The impacts of this long distance trekking to school on the students and pupils within Gidan-Mangoro and Garatu area include; lateness to school, been tired quickly while doing school activities such as lessons, sleeping while lessons are going on and many are discouraged of going to school because of this stress of walking a long distance and it impacts on their body and on their learning capacity. Recommendations include that the various tares of government and stakeholders should establish more schools in the study area with the necessary facilities for effective teaching and learning; government should not shed the responsibility of providing equal education opportunity for rural residents in the name of limited resources; a map showing distribution and location of schools should be updated time to time for better decision making.


'Dinojaws' The discovery of the supposed fish-eating dinosaur Baryonyx in an unassuming quarry in Surrey, southern England, had dinosaur experts in the UK excited in the early 1980s (Lewis Smith, The Times, 30 June 2006). Many other dinosaur discoveries from exotic parts of the world have not diminished the pride in this 'stock-broker belt' dinosaur by London's Natural History Museum. Further fossil finds on the Isle of Wight and in Spain, and the reclassification of crocodile teeth as those belonging to the Cretaceous dinosaur, and it stars as part of a major new exhibit at the museum which will run until April. Scientists there also believe that Baryonx may well have been an ancestor of one of the biggest meat-eaters of all, Spinosaurus, star of the third movie of the Jurassic Park trilogy.


Over the course of several weeks, I conducted a series of observations at Indah Coffee Co. in order to better understand its marketing and interaction with the neighborhood. After observing the coffee shop several times, I consulted outside sources, a process that is considered to be in the psychological realm of "grounded theory", constantly comparing them to my own observations. After an interview with Indah's owner, I began compiling my findings. The following paper is an outline of my findings, including the importance of the product in the coffee industry versus other industries, the power of successful grassroots marketing, and the complexity of neighborhood development. This study taps into a host of related fields including marketing, craft beer, and sociology as it relates to the Millennial Generation.


Some problems exist during real-time multimedia transmission in non-QoS requirement packet switching network,such as packet loss,delay and collision.By adopting streaming media transmitting and controlling mechanism based on RTP/RTCP protocol and timestamp which synchronizes audio with video,the network transmission performance can be effectively improved.This paper designs a multimedia transmission system using audio line process as main line process.By comparing audio timestamp with video timestamp,the video process can be slowed down,accelerated or maintained to keep synchronization of video with audio.The method is convenient and easy to be realized.The paper also points out the shortages of this system.


A model of two-component two-phase critical flow is presented. The modelling approach is based on one-dimensional homogeneous gas-liquid two-phase isentropic flow of mixture. The homogeneous model is modified by taking into account the void fraction and two-phase mixture density dependence on velocity slip. The velocity slip is calculated using Chisholm correlation that depends on the gas phase quality and Zivi correlation for the prediction of the maximum velocity slip values. At the location of the critical flow the two-phase mixture velocity equals sonic velocity and it is calculated with the so-called ''frozen sonic velocity'' model. The model is validated against data measured in air water flow at the PUMA experimental facility. Obtained results are presented together with the predictions by the well-known Fauske model. It is shown that Fauske model overpredicts measured critical mass fluxes, while the present model shows acceptable agreement with the measured data.


A probabilistic model has been developed for treating the effects of microstructural variation on the fatigue crack growth response of large cracks in structural alloys. The proposed methodology is based on a microstructure-based fatigue crack growth law that relates the crack growth rate, da/dN, to the dislocation barrier spacing, yield stress, fatigue ductility coefficient, Young's modulus, and the dislocation cell size or crack jump distance. Probabilistic treatment of these microstructure-dependent variables has led to a fatigue crack growth law that includes explicitly the randomness of the yield stress, fatigue ductility coefficient, and the dislocation barrier spacing in the response equation. Applications of the probabilistic crack growth model to structural reliability analyses for steels and Ti-alloys are illustrated, and the probabilistic sensitivities of individual random variables are evaluated.


In the making of this Bachelor's thesis, a web application was developed, which gives the option to software development companies to record their software development method. The web application enables recording of projects and all of their important elements, like disciplines and their editing during the following software development. It also gives the option of drawing
the project method with two diagrams. The meaning of using a method to develop software is described in the first part of the thesis. It also describes some well known methods, developed
through the years. It goes on with a detailed description of the web application making process. We begin with the specification, of how the application should look and what options it should give it's users. There are also descriptions of the tools, used during development, from the database management system (DBMS) MySQL, to the integrated development environment (IDE) NetBeans, it's tools and libraries. The database model, made during the development of this thesis is also shown and described. In the last part we have a description of how the web application works
through a use case, which uses data, a real software company could insert in the system.


[Objective] To evaluate the efficacy of Testosterone undercanoate combined with Sildenafil in treating diabetic erectile dysfunction. [Methods] Eighty cases of Sildenafil non-responders in type 2 diabetics with erectile dysfunction were randomized into two groups, 40 cases in each. Group A was given Testosterone undercanoate (120mg/d) combined with Sildenafil for 1 month. Whereas, group B received Vitamin E (30mg/d) plus Sildenafil also for 1 month. Before and after the study the change of serum testosterone level, IIEF-5 score and intracavernous arterial inflow were investigated. [Results] In Testosterone undercanoate treated group, the serum testosterone was markedly increased (P<0.01), IIEF-5 score was significantly elevated (P<0.05) and intracavernous arterial inflow was greatly enhanced (P<0.05), consequently resulting in satisfactory penile erection during coitus in 30 cases (75%). By contrast, neither of the above parameters showed any significantly change in group B (P>0.05). There were no untoward reactions during Testosterone undercanoate treatment. [Conclusion] Testosterone undercanoate improves penile erection efficiently in the diabetic patients failing to Sildenafil alone. Testosterone undercanoate is safe and well tolerated.


A chiral guanidine-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 2-benzothiazolimines with azlactones characterized by a high yield, ee, and dr and a broad substrate scope has been developed. Gram-scale synthesis and derivatization of the product revealed the potential of utility.


The paper analyzes the effect of timing acquisition methods with multi-hypothesis on the UWB system performance, including the BER and user number tolerance, in the multi- path and multiuser channel environment. To our knowledge, it is the first time to investigate the stability problem about multi-hypothesis timing acquisition schemes. In the multi- path UWB systems, the multi-hypothesis timing acquisition strategy has been considered as the most effective method, which takes advantage of the indoor multipath propagation characteristics and considers more than one hypothesized phase as a good estimate of the true signal phase. That means there exists a multipath set where any a path can be locked on by the receiver. The strategy can contribute to speeding up the timing acquisition process through some efficient search approaches at the cost of timing accuracy. However, it is sure that the relative delay between the locked non-strongest path and the strongest one will have the effect on the system performance. In the paper, we have analyzed the effect of the different relative path delay on the BER and user number tolerance for DS-UWB systems employing the different PN sequences. Numerical results show that both the relative path delay and the cross-correlation performance of the PN sequence can degrade the performance of DS-UWB systems.


Chromium contamination in waters are highly toxic even in very low concentrations and need to be completely removed from the effluents before they are discharged into a stream, sewer or on land. Electroplating industry is one of the industrial sectors producing chromium bearing wastewaters, mostly originating from chromium plating, anodizing, electroplating solutions and dip solutions like passivating dips, bright dips, etc. Chromium concentration in the effluents varies from 3 to 50 mg/L depending upon the care with which the plating operations are carried out. The results of this study have shown the applicability of electrocoagulation as a clean method for treatment of Cr(VI) containing wastewaters. The optimum removal of Cr(VI) was attained between pH 4-8. Increase in current density enhances the removal rate and the quickest treatment with an effective reduction of Cr(VI) concentrations was achieved below permissible level within 20 min. Iron electrodes were found to be more efficient in removing chromium in comparison to the aluminum and hydrid Al/Fe electrodes. This may be due to the formation of stable Fe-Cr complex which is more stable than Al-Cr complexes. On the other hand, 1 kg of Cr(VI) removal produces only 2,8 kg of sludge against 36 kg of sludge generated from iron sulphate precipitation method. The rate of removal is faster in comparison to the adsorption on activated carbon which is one of the most important requirement for practical application of this treatment method.


In the presence of styrene (St),the melting-grafting of maleic anhydride (MAH) onto poly(1-butene) was conducted in twins screw extruder respectively.The effects of temperature,mass fraction of comonomer,proportion of comonomers on the graft ratio and the melt flow rate (MFR) of grafted iPB-1 were studied.It has been proved that the grafting degree begins to decrease after the temperature reaches 170 ℃,and the greater MAH grafting level is attained when the mass fraction of MAH reaches 5%.The grafting degree and MFR of the grafted iPB-1 both reach maximum points when molar ratio of the two monomers is 1:1.


In this paper we consider connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) in a traffic network as moving waves defined by their frequency and phase. This outlook allows us to develop a multi-layer decentralized control strategy that achieves the following desirable behaviors: (1) safe spacing between vehicles traveling down the same road, (2) coordinated safe crossing at intersections of conflicting flows, (3) smooth velocity profiles when traversing adjacent intersections. The approach consist of using the Kuramoto equation to synchronize the phase and frequency of agents in the network. The output of this layer serves as the reference trajectory for a back-stepping controller that interfaces the first-order dynamics of the phase-domain layer and the second order dynamics of the vehicle. We show the performance of the strategy for a single intersection and a small urban grid network. The literature has focused on solving the intersection coordination problem in both a centralized and decentralized manner. Some authors have even used the Kuramoto equation to achieve synchronization of traffic lights. Our proposed strategy falls in the rubric of a decentralized approach, but unlike previous work, it defines the vehicles as the oscillating agents, and leverages their inter-connectivity to achieve network-wide synchronization. In this way, it combines the benefits of coordinating the crossing of vehicles at individual intersections and synchronizing flow from adjacent junctions.


Key Points Question When is the sensitive window of ambient air pollution exposure in association with birth weight? Findings In this cohort study of 628 predominately low-income Hispanic women who were pregnant, exposures to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in early pregnancy to midpregnancy were significantly associated with lower birth weight, particularly for mothers experiencing higher perceived stress during the prenatal period and living in a neighborhood with a high level of stressors from environmental pollution. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that protecting women who are pregnant from air pollution may improve birth weight, particularly among mothers with high levels of psychological stress or environmental pollution.


Background: The Ministry of Health made a breakthrough through delivery care scheme as one solution to reducing the MMR and IMR called Jampersal. This policy is a delivery assurance scheme intended for all pregnant women and new mothers in Indonesia who are not covered by any insurance yet. Delivery care assurance scheme consist prenatal care, postnatal care including family planning postpartum and newborn care. This program also applied in the special region of Yogyakarta as one of the program in improving the health of mothers and children. During the implementation in Yogyakarta, the program still has some obstacles. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the delivery care assurance policy in the province of Yogyakarta. Methods: The research design used case study design. The research was conducted in the province of Yogyakarta. which The sampling technique used was stratified sampling. The unit of analysis in this study is the health districts / municipalities, general hospitals, health centers and private practice midwives who administer Jampersal. Data collected by in-depth interviews. Results: The result of this research shows that there are many problems in terms of input, process and output. In terms of input, the problems are related to human resources, financial, means and policy. In terms of process, the problems are related to socialization, regulations of patient, process of claiming, referral system and funding. In terms of output, the problem is related to overcrowding, patient refusal, and complains from the consumer. Conclusion: This program is a good program for reduction of infant and maternal mortality rates, but still needs some improvement. Improvements are needed in terms of strengthening cross-sector coordination, socialization of the program should be optimized, stregthening the electronic-based referral system, strengthening the commitment and motivation of personnel and improvement of health infrastructures. Keywords: Delivery Care Assurance Policy, Policy Evaluation.


It is well‐recognized that patients with atopic dermatitis handle certain cutaneous viral infections poorly. As natural killer (NK) cell activity is considered to contribute to the immune response to viral infection, seven young adults with atopic dermatitis had their NK cell function assessed over a 12‐month period. Natural killer cell activity was found to correlate inversely with disease activity. The more active the disease, the greater was the reduction in NK cell function (P<0.01). In addition, a strong correlation between clinical activity and IgE was shown (P<0.001).


same time, he maintains that &dquo;counterfactual history should be essentially regarded as an instrument for the elucidation of relatively short-term changes, preferably in situations in which the political factor may be largely neglected.&dquo; (&dquo;The Discipline and I,&dquo; p. 457.) But in Austria, the political factor could not be neglected, wherefore the failure of the Economic Party. TRAIAN STOIANOVICH


We use 10 years of data of the USArray project to estimate the areal distribution of crustal intrinsic and scattering attenuation of shear waves for frequencies between 1 Hz and 20 Hz in the contiguous United States. Additionally, we report energy site amplification factors and estimate moment magnitudes for small earthquakes (M 1.5 to M 3.5). The Qopen method is used to invert for intrinsic and scattering attenuation for each event and nearby stations. Observations are collected for around 25,000 events, averaged at each station and interpolated between station locations. In a second inversion, energy site amplifications and moment magnitudes are corrected by assuming that site amplifications for one station and frequency are the same for different earthquakes. We observe a west‐east decline of intrinsic attenuation for high frequencies which reflects the west‐east transition from young, hot to old and cold crust. Scattering attenuation for high frequencies is stronger in the east with an extraordinary high attenuation around the southern part of the Appalachian Highlands and the Interior Low Plateaus. Results at low frequencies do not show clear trends. A large site amplification is observed at high frequencies in parts of the eastern United States. Estimated moment magnitudes show a good agreement to moment magnitudes independently derived from moment tensor inversion. Moment magnitudes in the west are higher than in the east for the same Richter magnitudes.


By identifying the recently introduced Barbero-Immirzi field with the QCD axion, the strong CP problem can be solved through the Peccei-Quinn mechanism. A specific energy scale for the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking is naturally predicted by this model. This provides a complete dynamical setting to evaluate the contribution of such an axion to the cold dark matter content of the Universe. Furthermore, a tight upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio production of primordial gravitational waves can be fixed, representing a strong experimental test for this model.


Techniques for high-precision measurements of Fe isotope ratios using MC-ICP-MS at both low-and high-resolution modes have been reported in detail,which includes assessments of isobaric inferences,matrix effects,concentration effects and long-term repeatability.The external precision for the methods established at both low-and high-resolution modes are better than 0.5 e/amu,and the results obtained under the two modes are consistent with each other.Using the techniques developed,the Fe isotope compositions of national geological reference materials GBW 07105(basalt powder)and GBW 07111(grano-diorite powder)have been measured.Relative to IRMM-14,the Fe composition for GBW 07105 is:e57Fe=1.9±0.3(2σ),e56Fe=1.3±0.2(2σ),e57/56Fe=0.6±0.1(2σ);and e57Fe=1.8±0.4(2σ),e56Fe=1.2±0.2(2σ),e57/56Fe=0.6±0.1(2σ)for GBW 07111.


Abstract A consideration of some questions about open form in the 1980's. "Open" as a fluid notion which includes social and political meanings. It is not so much a technical issue (indeterminate techniques, whether applied to composing or performing) as a matter of how the music sounds. This is elusive to describe, but could be considered as the result of a dialectic between the music as presented and the historical situation of the listeners, in particular as the listeners are affected by their awareness of "content", i.e. what is not strictly musical or acoustic phenomena. It is the content, whose meaning changes with the history of the listeners, that allows the music to maintain and define its openness. Certain kinds of content are more conductive than others to an openness which is socially useful now. Three examples are considered: Luigi Nono's string quartet Fragmente‐Stille, An Diotima (1979–1980), Pauline Oliveros' Teach Yourself to Fly from the Sonic Meditations (l970‐ ) and the author's Bowery...


Cleft lip and palate (CLP) have a profound psycho-social impact on patients and parents. It is important to assess parental experiences and satisfaction as they play an important role in the care of the affected child, especially during the surgical intervention phase. This study assessed the parental experiences towards caring for CLP children, and their level of satisfaction with the treatment received and investigated the relationship between socioeconomic factors and parental satisfaction towards cleft management.


Silica-on-silicon (SiO2/Si) waveguide devices show great promise for practical integrated optical circuits. One of the challenges of this technology is to overcome the intrinsic strain birefringence which causes polarization dependent response. A number of methods have been suggested and demonstrated to achieve polarization independent response[1-4]. We present a novel method for achieving polarization independence in SiO2/Si waveguide devices by placing a thin patch of silicon nitride (Si3N4) under the waveguide core to achieve polarization independence in Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) and for compensation of polarization dependent loss (PDL). Our method requires an additional photolithography step but does not but does not require active tuning and is applicable to a wide variety of SiC2/Si waveguide devices.


The oldest fossil Piesmatidae, Eopiesma trimerum n. gen., n. sp. is described from the Lowermost Eocene amber of Paris Basin (France). It is considered as the sister group of all other Piesmatidae. This family probable diversified during the Lower Cenozoic.


From the perspective of social demography, selected changes in social roles, formal organizations and social stratification arising from immigration in New Zealand during the 1980s are identified and explained. It is argued, however, that both immigration and its social effects were deeply influenced by the nature and operation of the society's institutional structure of immigration. This structure consists in its ideal form of three main interrelated and complementary components — an immigration policy, an immigrant policy and an ethnic relations policy — that enhance the selectivity of immigration, shape public perceptions, set up safeguards for social interaction and provide for required adjustments between the host and immigrant populations. An examination of New Zealand's institutional structure in the 1980s reveals defects in all three policy areas, defects which were directly related to migrant adjustment difficulties and to less desirable social effects of immigration observed or experienced by New Zealanders.


In 1968, Norbert Schmidt-Relenberg (1968/1986, p. 121) wrote that "an analysis of traffic can enrich sociological theory." Little became of his hope, but in the interim, the "mobility turn" in the social sciences has transformed our understanding of all forms of movement, including automobility. This chapter develops a sociology of pedestrian, bicycle and automobile traffic by considering driving, cycling and walking as socially interactive mobilities. The complex coordination of movements between the multiple independent units that make up car, bike and foot traffic are performed by and between the mobile units themselves, largely through looking at each other. In contrast to the "eye in the sky" view of traffic planners and engineers, for whom traffic movements are akin to flows of particles (Lynch, 1993), and to studies of the physical, emotional and aesthetic experiences of individual drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, the relational approach developed here shows how the the material characteristics and speed of these pedestrian, bicycle, and automotive assemblages provide opportunities for and limitations on visual contact and social interaction between them.


During recent decades there has been substantial momentum for trade liberalization. At the same time, multinational production has become increasingly important in international competition. In this paper we show that these phenomena may be linked through environmental policy. When the national governments cannot use direct trade policy measures, environmental policy is distorted towards enhancing competitiveness of the domestic producers. In this environment, signing agreements that prevent the use of trade policy may lead to Þrms investing in production capacity abroad.


We use the microscopic derivation of the Jaynes–Cummings model master equation under field losses to study the dynamics of initial field-qubit states in the single-excitation manifold and beyond. We show that field-qubit detuning, as well as finite temperature, modify the effective decay rate of the system using measures like field-qubit purity and concurrence for the case of one-excitation, and for initial Fock states for more excitations. For initial semi-classical states of the field, we show that the microscopic approach, in phase space, provides an evolution to thermal equilibrium that is smoother than the one provided by the standard phenomenological approach.


This study is focused on social cognitive variables that motivate information seeking and information sharing related to Hurricane Harvey. Survey results from a nationally representative sample and a quota sample of Houston residents indicate that climate change beliefs and issue salience are consistent predictors of risk perception, which increases individuals' negative emotions and information insufficiency. This need for information subsequently motivates information seeking and information sharing. Informational subjective norms are significantly related to seeking and sharing in the Houston sample, whereas perceived information gathering capacity and trust in media are significant predictors in the national sample.


Purpose – Although numerous articles emphasize the importance of the servicescape (the physical facilities of a service company), the effect of the servicescape on quality perception has been inadequately captured by previous empirical research. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the servicescape on perceived quality in a more comprehensive way.Design/methodology/approach – The article proposes a new model for assessing the effects of the servicescape on quality perception based on SERVQUAL. The model considers the special role of the servicescape (or what is called "tangibles" in SERVQUAL) by taking into account that the servicescape elements act as search qualities, while the other SERVQUAL dimensions represent experience or credence qualities. In doing so, the model captures direct and indirect influences of the servicescape. Additionally, a more comprehensive scale for the servicescape is suggested, which exceeds the mostly tangible aspects of the physical environment covered in the...


An application study of modern pixel semiconductor detectors for characterization of runaway electron events in a tokamak is presented. This study is based on comparative techniques utilizing spectroscopy and timing measurements of X-rays produced by the runaway electrons. The measurements were performed on the tokamak Golem using three Advapix detection modules. The first two modules were based on a Timepix3 R/O chip with a 1 mm thick silicon sensor. The last module was based also on the Timepix3 R/O chip but with a 2 mm thick CdTe sensor. The modules were placed at different positions around the tokamak chamber and were triggered by a common trigger signal. We have observed that energy spectra measured by the two identical modules in the same place are identical. The spectra measured in different places show variations which can be used for runaway electron characterization. The time evolution of the signals from the detection modules are well correlated. Comparison of the time evolutions measured by the same two detection modules can be used for estimation of places where the runaway electrons interact with the tokamak matter.


Ion heating in dusty plasma of noble gas mixtures is studied by the observation of dust particles in stratified glow discharge. The particles and their formations can be used as a "contact‐free" probe of the ion flows. It is shown that under condition of experiments transition of dust particles into crystalline state in pure gases occur at much lower pressures in comparison to the case of gas mixtures. This observation is also supported by the evaluation of "effective" kinetic temperature of dust particles as defined from the velocity distribution function at the same set of discharge parameters. Absolute value of temperature of dust component in the mixture of helium and argon indicates important role of argon ionization process (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The magnetic viscosity was investigated at temperatures between 100 and 293 K for the nanocomposite Sm2Fe18.25Zr0.25Cu0.5Ga2C2 ribbons prepared by melt-spinning and subsequent annealing. It was found that the maximum S and χirr, located near coercivity, increase with increasing temperature. The viscosity parameter Sv was found to be strongly dependent on the applied fields at lower fields than the coercivities. The relation between Sv and coercivity was analyzed. The coercivity mechanism is mainly controlled by domain-wall pinning. The activation volume associated with magnetization reversal, which can be calculated from Sv, is much smaller than the grain volume.


A modified method for calculating generalized scattering parameters for neighboring coplanar lines is presented. A full-wave method is used to analyze important parameters such as insertion loss, isolation, and reflection not only for the coplanar mode but also for conversion to the coupled slot line mode. The proposed method is used to analyze various coplanar structures printed on a GaAs substrate of finite height 410 mu m without lower ground metallization and shielding. Numerical results as a function of frequency and distance for approximately 50 Omega lines are obtained.<<ETX>>


Provided are amine salts of {4,6-bis(dimethylamino)-2-(4-(4-(trifluoromethyl)benzamido)benzyl)pyrimidin-5-yl}-acetic acid, processes for their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing them, and their use for treating, preventing, or ameliorating one or more symptoms of a CRTH2-mediated disorder or disease.


This paper analyzes the problems of the organization of Bukovina social care institutions from the end of the 19th to the first third of the 20th century and characterizes the views of Bukovina social activists and teachers to the need for educational work with orphans and other defenseless categories of children and youth. The activity of local public organizations in the field of public care has been considered.


An optical method is used to measure optoacoustic waves that are generated by irradiating absorbing targets with nanosecond-laserpulses. Pressure-induced changes of optical reflectance on the surface of a glass prism are used to capture the stress distribution in a plane at a certain time with a gated video camera. The temporal resolution is limited by the exposure time of the camera, which was 5 ns in our experiments. With this technique we imaged optoacoustic waves that were generated in an absorbing liquid in front of an optical fiber tip after transmission of pulses from an optical parametric oscillator (OPO, 6 ns pulse duration). The absolute pressure amplitudes and the temporal development of positive and negative stress in the detector plane could be obtained from the images. In a second series of experiments crossed hairs were irradiated with laser pulses passing through the detector plane. The optoacoustic waves traveling back in opposite direction of the laser radiation were recorded. These measurements yielded absolute pressure values in the detector plane and the location of the absorbing targets. Two- dimensional recording of acoustic waves can be used for the analysis of optoacoustic emission from small absorbing structures and for imaging of buried absorbers in tissue.


Textile materials in their different forms and structures, especially fibrous materials, are widely being used as reinforcement materials for a wide range of matrix materials to form composites. They have a very wide range of applications and are used civil structures such as roofs, ceilings, and wall panels. In this work, agave fibre was used as a part of the constituents, in three different ratios, of earth stabilized blocks in subtraction of the cement amount normally used. Three different samples were produced with these three ratios and tested for their compressive strength to know the effect of the fibre and its quantity and the results were compared to that of the standard block. The lowest amount of the agave fibre used showed better compressive strength.