This paper examines how the climate change projects are designed and implemented in Nepal and the extent to which the projects engage with local context and organizations. Paper draws from a comparative analysis of three different climate change projects in adaptation and disaster risk reduction in three districts in Nepal (Dolakha, Rupandehi and Lamjung). Analysis, drawing from project documentation, interviews and field level observations, focuses on the design processes of these projects, the mechanisms of implementation including the partnerships established, the activities undertaken and the claims made about impact and relevance. The projects differ in terms of design and implementation modalities. The projects designed by the donors and international agencies are implemented through parallel structures at the district level and use local NGOs, and government agencies in an instrumental way to deliver project activities. Whereas the project designed with national and local government give more opportunity to local parties to influence implementation processes and practices. However, irrespective of the design process, the three cases clearly demonstrate that the projects' framing of climate change problem and interventions are primarily driven from donor or implementing agencies (influenced by their historical mandate). The development of local adaptation or disaster risk management plans, which forms a key interventions, are primarily driven from the technocratic process and externally driven template and standards with limited account of local climate related risks and institutional capacity. Moreover, the community organizations are mobilized in more instrumental ways in this planning process to fulfill the project achievements. This leaves a space for doubt that if the externally driven technocratic and bureaucratic process of planning fulfills the purpose of adaptation or disaster risk reduction needs at local level. 1 We draw the concept if regime from Krasner (Krasner, 1983, pp1-3) who defined '[r]egimes as a set of rules, institutions and structured interests that constrain individuals through compliance procedures '. 2 This paper draws from an ongoing research project called Climate Change and Rural Institution funded by DANIDA through the Danish Institute of International Studies. The project is working in three district of Nepal (Dolakha, Lamjung and Rupandehi). It is concluded that climate change projects responding to the frameworks and interests of donor and international agencies and driven from technocratic and bureaucratic process provide limited space for reflection of national and local interests and provide limited opportunity address the local issue of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.


The valence band offset for the Si/Ge interface is studied using the local density functional approach with a superlattice geometry. The effect of non-abrupt interfaces is modeled by including an interface layer of Si 5 Ge 0 5 ordered in a interface unit cell. The change in valence band offset is less than 0.01 eV. For an abrupt interface, the offset is found to be a function of strain in the Ge. The interface dipole is proportional to the perpendicular strain parameter which yields an interface contribution to the energy of the strained epitaxial Ge layers. The equilibrium strain parameter in epitaxial Ge differs from that in biaxially compressed bulk Ge.


We demonstrate the first 2-micron photon-pair source on standard 220 nm silicon-on-insulator, using type-0 spontaneous four-wave mixing in the TE1 waveguide mode, and characterise it with efficient 2-micron superconducting detectors.


In T. H. Hamilton's reply to Dawdy's comment-report (20 Nov., p. 1075), the second sentence of paragraph 2) should have read: "That 'linear' line should be labeled log Y = 1.456 . . ." instead of "Y = 0.1456 . . . ."


In this paper we focus on the description of the automorphism group Γ‖ of a Clifford-like parallelism ‖ on a 3-dimensional projective double space ( P(HF), ‖l, ‖r ) over a quaternion skew field H (with centre a field F of any characteristic). We compare Γ‖ with the automorphism group Γl of the left parallelism ‖l, which is strictly related to Aut(H). We build up and discuss several examples showing that over certain quaternion skew fields it is possible to choose ‖ in such a way that Γ‖ is either properly contained in Γl or coincides with Γl even though ‖ , ‖l. Mathematics Subject Classification (2010): 51A15, 51J15


Recurrent properties for the sections of d-dimensional two-parameterGeneralized Brownian sheet ={(s,t),s,t≥0} is discussed.It is proved that in the cases2 d≤ 4,dimH{s 0: e 0,≥ 1,t≥ n},such that (s,t) e} = 2-d/2,a.s.,if satisfies condition(C).The result reveals the quantity for the set of s on which thesection of ,{(s,t),t≥ 0} is recurrent.


Low-energy experiments allow for some of the most precise measurements in particle physics, such as $g-2$. To make the most of these experiments, theory needs to match the experimental precision. Over the last decade, this meant that even in QED next-to-next-to-leading order calculations (or even more in some cases) became necessary. McMule (Monte Carlo for MUons and other LEptons) is a framework that we have developed to obtain NNLO predictions for a number of processes, such as $e\mu \to e\mu$, $ee\to ee$, and $\mu\to e\nu\bar\nu$. I will discuss some of the challenges faced when dealing with QED corrections and some possible solutions we have implemented in McMule, namely the subtraction scheme FKS$^\ell$, massification, and next-to-soft stabilisation. I will also demonstrate how to calculate the three-loop massification constant that will be required at N$^3$LO.


This article deals with the re-interpretation of Tadeusz Hołuj's drama Puste pole (1963; The Empty Field) and its theatrical staging by Józef Szajna in 1965. Based on the drama I want to demonstrate how the artists – who were both survivors of the concentration camp in Auschwitz – managed re-presenting the Holocaust despite the political situation and the accompanying anti-Semitic government campaign in Poland in the 1960s. The reception of the drama of then and nowadays shows how that re-presentation was once interpreted due to the political circumstances, which made the issue of the Holocaust and the Jews bannend from public life, language, and memory. Finally I explore how Hołuj's drama can be read today when we approach it via postcatastophic re-reading determined by after-knowledge, retrospection, and retroactivity.


Objective: This research aims to determine the nursing students' medical errors. Methods: The research is a descriptive study carried out with 450 nursing students studying in the 3rd and 4th grades in the Department of Nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences from 15 July to 15 March, 2018. Data were collected using "The Medical Error Tendency Scale in Nursing" (METS). Results: The mean age range of the students who participated in the study is 21±1.36 age. 74.4% of the students are females and 52.7% of them are third year students. 21.8% of the nursing students stated that they made medical errors during the clinical practices and 68.4% of them reported the errors to the charge nurse. It was determined that the total average scores the nursing students got from the METS were 4.34±0.48 and the tendencies of nurses to commit medical errors were low. It was also revealed that the highest average score of the nurses related to the sub-scales (4.44±0.58) was about prevention of falls and the lowest average score was related to patient monitoring and equipment security (4.04±0.65). Conclusions: It is revealed that student nurses have low levels of making medical errors; however, due to the lack of establishing patient safety culture and student nurses' reservations about reporting the medical errors, it should be considered that they can answer the questions positively.


In the present study case applied in the dental department of the Technical University of Babahoyo in which there are certain complications in their processes, for which the application of the feasibility study for the implementation of a computer application for the dental clinical monitoring of the said department, which has as its line of academic research which is the development of information systems, communication and entrepreneurial and technological entrepreneurship and according to the proposed topic the research sub-line is the development of computer systems.
Nowadays, computers can provide a great favor to companies such as a dental clinic, offering solutions that facilitate the handling of large amounts of information with which they work every day. This application greatly benefits the Patient; saving from physical space for the storage of patient records to the large amount of time spent searching for the required information, in turn providing security and reliability of the stored data.
At present the computer provides great benefit to save, resolve and transmit information and data this application greatly enhances the patient, however it has been possible to observe the reasons that this dental department still did not have a computer application that will facilitate the management of information and knowledge is distrust, and conformism. Taking into account these factors, it was decided to implement an application that meets the needs of the patient.


We first recall some standard notions from measure theory. Let E be a complete metric linear space, by which we mean a vector space with a complete metric for which addition and scalar multiplication are continuous. Let B(E) be the σ-algebra of Borel subsets of E, and μ be a nonzero nonnegative measure defined on B(E). We write X + a for the translation of a set X ⊆ E by a vector a ∈ E. The measure μ(a) defined by μ(a)(X) = μ(X − a) for X ∈ B(E) is called the shift of the measure μ by a. Definition 1. A vector a ∈ E is called an admissible translation vector for μ in the sense of quasiinvariance if the measures μ and μ(a) are equivalent. We denote the set of all such vectors by Qμ. Definition 2. A vector a ∈ E is called an admissible translation vector for μ in the sense of invariance if μ = μ(a). We denote by Iμ the set of all such vectors.


The global flow field characteristics of a submerged annular viscoplastic jet were investigated within the steady laminar flow regime. The governing mass and momentum conservation equations, along with the Bingham rheological model, were numerically solved using a finite-difference scheme. Central and outer recirculation zones typically characterize the flow of a Newtonian annular jet. However, the performed parametric study revealed new and unique-to-viscoplastic-fluids flow features. The following flow patterns were observed and classified according to the characteristics of the central and outer recirculation zones: 1) for small yield numbers, central and outer recirculation zones exist. The extent of the outer zone and recirculation intensity of both zones were found to substantially diminish with the yield number; 2) at a high enough yield number, a stagnant, attached-to-the-wall region replaces the outer recirculation zone while a central, yet weaker one, still exists; 3) a further increase in the yield number results in the replacement of the weak central recirculation zone with a stagnant one and the elimination of flow recirculation throughout the whole flow field. The annular jet was found to decay faster and dissipate more rapidly when increasing the inner-to-outer annular nozzle diameter ratio.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


The corrosion-resistance of aluminum-based alloys and metal-matrix composites can be increased by treatment with cerium compounds. Immersion in a 1000 ppm solution of CeCl/sub 3/ for periods of several days has been shown to increase the pitting potential and reduce the corrosion rate. Such treatment is considered as an alternative to the use of chromate conversion coatings. It is proposed that the cerium oxide/hydroxide creates a barrier to the reduction of oxygen stifling cathodic reaction with a corresponding reduction in corrosion rate and open circuit potential. The authors' study is described.


We use linked-cluster series expansions, both at T=0 and high temperature, to analyze the phase structure of the spin- Heisenberg antiferromagnet with competing first- and second-neighbor interactions on the three-dimensional body-centered-cubic lattice. At zero temperature we find a first-order quantum phase transition at J 2 /J 1 ≃0.705′0.005 between AF 1 (Neel) and AF 2 ordered phases. The high-temperature series yield quite accurate estimates of the bounding critical line for the AF 1 phase, and an apparent critical line for the AF 2 phase, with a bicritical point at J 1 /J 2 ≃0.71, kT/J 1 ≃0.34. The possibility that this latter transition is of first order cannot be excluded.


Introduction . In Sao Paulo State in Brazil, there is a demand for pear tree varieties that present fruit complementary characteristics and high adaptation for a subtropical-tropical climate. Thus, our study aimed at evaluating variety selections with better fruit quality and mainly adapted to the different areas of the Sao Paulo State. Materials and methods . Crosses among Asian [Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm.f.) Nakai] and European (P. communis L.) pear cultivars were made in Brazil from 1992 to 1998 aiming at finding new pear types for subtropical areas of the country. The first interspecific hybrids of the IAC pear breeding program were planted in various regions of Sao Paulo State, at latitudes from 21° 11' S to 24° 11' S and (11 to 200) chilling units (CU). About 20 phenological characteristics were evaluated. The hybrids and their parents were genetically characterized through RAPD markers. Results and discussion . In the progeny of 'Okusankichi' × 'D'agua', the mean age for the first bearing and fruit development period (FDP) were 3.8 years and 137 days, respectively. The fruit characters early ripening, rounded shape, russet-brown skin and crisp flesh were dominant in all crosses of Asian × Asian and Asian × European pear trees. Twenty-six hybrids were selected, of which twelve are still being tested in a subtropical-tropical climate (0–80 CU). Their main characteristics are fruit with rounded, oblate, oblong or pyriform shapes, russet-brown or green skin, and crisp or soft flesh, and plants with medium-high vigor, an upright-spreading form and a fruit development period of from (110 to 160) days. Conclusion . The precocity of hybrids is highly dependent on the parental characteristics and the environmental conditions. A fruit development period close to that of the earliest parent was obtained. In F1 generations from crossings among Asian and European pears, certain characteristics were dominant. The RAPD analysis was efficient at identifying cultivar genotypes, selections and hybrids of pear from different botanical groups.


Introduction: Adaptation to a diagnosis of cancer has aspects common to all patients, regardless of the path each individual takes. In this case, we show how the challenges faced by the patient were shaped by their specific circumstances.
Description of the case: A 53-year-old businesswoman from an African country was diagnosed with breast cancer during a visit to Portugal. The patient perceived the disease and its effects negatively. The initial reaction was clearly aversive.
She was far from home during treatment and never felt integrated despite the presence of relatives. She experienced economic difficulties, which were aggravated by political turmoil in her country of origin.
With time, she came to know the disease better, overcame some challenges, and became adjusted to the changes in her life. Finally she accepted her new circumstances and was able to plan her future constructively.
Comment: Geographical distance between home and the place of treatment increases the psychosocial demands of a disease. This case shows the adoption of a variety of coping strategies with assessment and reassessment of the circumstances.
Coping has multiple functions, including emotional regulation and management of problems that cause distress. Coping, based on personal resilience, allows for control and resolution of problems or acceptance of circumstances when change is not possible. This case shows how challenges of a disease can be overcome, even in difficult situations.
The general practitioner can follow the adaptation of the person to chronic disease and promote function. This involves managing emotions, including modification of the patient's negative emotions about the disease.


Considerable amounts of fish and fruit wastes are produced on a daily basis due to the fish processing and postharvest handling of fruits. The proper management of organic waste by converting into valuable resources is of utmost importance, in order to reduce their adverse impacts on the environment. This study was aimed to assess the utilizing potential of fish waste hydrolyzed with fruit wastes of papaw (Carica papaya) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) to enhance the nitrogen content of organic liquid fertilizers. Ripe fruit peel + crown leaves of A. comosus, ripe fruit peel + leaves of C. papaya and (1:1w/w) combination were used to extract the protease enzymes bromelain, papain and both enzymes respectively. They were mixed separately with 400 g of powdered fish waste and incubated for two days at room temperature. Six different fertilizer combinations were prepared by mixing enzymatically-digested fish waste with eight-week decomposed plant leaves and immature stems of Tithonia diversifolia, Mikania scandens, Chromolaena odorata and Gliricidia sepium with coconut husk ash and allowed to decompose for another two weeks. Nutrients of the resulting fertilizers were analyzed. Albemonchus esculentus plants were foliar sprayed twice a week for three months. Results revealed that, the nitrogen content was higher in fertilizers enriched with fish waste hydrolyzed by papain (0.49%), bromelain (0.38%) and the mixture of both enzymes (0.35%) compared to the control (0.30%). Fish waste hydrolyzed with papain recorded the highest phosphorus (0.05%), potassium (0.34%), calcium (0.26%) and magnesium (0.04%) levels. Fish waste hydrolyzed with papain enzymes recorded the highest number of leaves (16.0±0.8), shoot height (55.9±0.5 cm) and number of pods (19.5±0.5), fruit weight (33.1±1.4 g) followed by the bromelain enzyme and the mixture of both enzymes for the growth of A. esculentus. Findings of this study recommend the use of the above organic waste in production of organic liquid fertilizers which would in turn be a low-cost and an eco-friendly alternative for the chemical fertilizers while helping for the sustainable nutrient management and recycle of wastes.


Staphylococcus aureus is the main pathogen of pyogenic infection,septicemia or pyosepticemia,and usually cause mastitis in dairy cattle,Staphylococcosis in chickens,tick pyemia and other diseases.Due to the abuse of antibiotics,there has been a lot of resistant Staphylococcusspp.,of which Staphylococcus spp.carrying multidrug-resistance cfr gene were widespread in animals.The encoding products of cfr gene mediate multidrug resistance to chloramphenicols,lincosamides,oxazolidinones,pleuromutilins,and streptogramin A by methylating C8 of A2503in 23 SrRNA.In order to provide theoretical basis for further study of transmission mechanism,development of new anti-staphylococcal drugs and establishment of cfr prediction and warning system,the present article reviewed latest advances in distribution,resistance mechanism,genetic environment and detection techniques of cfr in animal-derived Staphylococcus aureus.


This paper discusses a variety of nonparametric deconvolution and identification techniques that we have developed for application to 1-D transient signal problems. These methods are time-domain techniques that use direct methods for matrix inversion. Therefore, they are not appropriate for large data'' problems. These techniques involve various regularization methods and permit the use of certain kinds of a priori information in estimating the unknown. These techniques have been implemented in a package using standard FORTRAN that should make the package readily transportable to most computers. This paper is also meant to be an instruction manual for the package. 25 refs., 17 figs., 1 tab.


In hypertension research and treatment, there is a milestone approximately every 50 years. The Ž rst theory of a connection between the kidney and high blood pressure (BP) was put forward in 1836 [1]. Tigerstedt in 1898 showed the existence of a renally produced substance mediating hypertension [2] and Goldblatt demonstrated the connection between blood  ow and vasopressor release in 1936 [3], about the same time as the Ž rst crude treatments for hypertension were being tested. Probably the most important antihypertensive drugs of the last decade, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, were introduced in 1982. This cycle of half centuries is set to be broken by the explosion in biomedical research in recent years. ACE inhibitors may still be the treatment of choice with demonstrated effects on mortality in congestive heart failure (CHF) [4, 5], but their "heir apparent" may already be on the market: the angiotensin II (Ang II)-receptor blockers (ARBs). Both ACE inhibitors and ARBs act on the renin– angiotensin system (RAS) to inhibit effects of Ang II, but in contrast to ACE inhibitors, ARBs block speciŽ c actions of Ang II rather than its synthesis. Ang II has many different actions and it can function both as a circulating and as a locally produced hormone. As a circulating hormone Ang II is produced by the ACE, but locally acting Ang II can be synthesized both by ACE and through alternative pathways, e.g. by chymase [6]. These alternative enzymes are not sensitive to ACE inhibitors, which has been suggested to be a reason for the still high mortality in CHF, where residual levels of Ang II remain, despite treatments with ACE inhibitors [7, 8]. By using highly selective ARBs such as valsartan, local deleterious actions of Ang II can be effectively inhibited [9–11]. ARBs act on the Ang II AT1 receptor, which is responsible for most of the deleterious effects of Ang II. Its counterpart, the AT2 receptor, was long considered to be of importance during foetal development and upon tissue damage, as it was only detected in small amounts in normal tissues. This situation has changed in recent years and the AT2 receptor is now recognized to play a central role in the physiology of a range of organs, perhaps most importantly the endothelium, where AT2 stimulation is involved in, e.g., NO and bradykinin release, and opposes several AT1-mediated effects. This fact indicates that ARBs may have beneŽ cial effects on blood  ow beyond those achieved by AT1 blockade.


There are no planetary bodies other than the Earth, where presence of active mud volcanoes have been conclusively confirmed. However, considering possible conditions on planetary surfaces billions of years ago, ancient Mars may also have formed fields of mud volcanoes on its surface, as suggested by previous studies [e.g., Oehler and Allen, 2010; Skinner and Tanaka, 2007; Pondrelli et al., 2011]. Despite their great significance to the evolution of Mars surface, discerning possible mud volcanoes and the other analogous features is still challenging, and the detailed formational mechanism of mud volcanoes, even terrestrial ones [Kopf, 2002], remains uncertain, partly due to paucity of studies on the quantitative characterization of their complex spectral signatures and a variety of their geometries and dynamical behaviors. We here conducted thermophysical analysis on conical mounds inside an elongated basin-like structure (centered at 203.2°E, 26.7°S; between Bernard and Cross craters) in northern Terra Sirenum on Martian southern highlands. We utilized 100 m/pixel thermophysical dataset, Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) thermal inertia map [Christensen et al., 2013; Fergason et al., 2006], generated from nighttime infrared images acquired by the THEMIS instrument onboard Mars Odyssey spacecraft [Christensen et al., 2004]. Thermal inertia (units of J msK, referred to as thermal inertia unit, tiu), is defined as the square root of the product of thermal conductivity, bulk density and the specific heat of surface materials and represents the ability for the materials to store and radiate heat, which is strongly controlled by particle size. As a result, locations of relatively low thermal inertia values well correspond to the spatial distribution of the circular mounds identified in the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) ConTeXt (CTX) camera images with ~6 m/pixel spatial resolution [Malin et al., 2007], and the differences in thermal inertia between the mounds and the surrounding terrain are up to ~400 tiu. This indicates that the surface of the mounds consists of finer particles rather than the coarser ones forming the adjacent plains, which implies the finer grains (silt to fine sands) have covered at least surficial part of the mounds. Moreover, we measured the slope angles of targeted conical mounds by generating four high-resolution digital elevation models (1 or 2 m/post; expected vertical accuracies of tens of centimeters [Kirk et al., 2008]) from stereo pairs of MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images [ McEwen et al., 2007]. Their mean slope angles of the fifty mounds ranges from 5.4±2.0 to 19.8±11.0 degrees, mostly lower than the angle of repose. More importantly, the cross-sectional profiles of some mounds show upward-convex geometry, which is consistent with deformation of plastic materials with finite yield stress, rather than ballistic deposition and/or mass movement. Therefore, we applied a simple model of a mound-shaped Bigham fluid [Blake, 1990; Hulme, 1974; Moore et al., 1978] to the morphometric parameters measured from the mounds, to roughly estimate yield strengths of the mound-forming materials at the halt of the horizontal expansion. The yield strength estimates resulted from this modeling are on the order of 10–10 [Pa] which are comparable values to those of mud samples of terrestrial mud volcanoes and basaltic magmas from active volcanoes [Tran et al., 2015]. Combined with constituents suggestive of finer grains and their morphologies of flow-like peripheries, we assume these estimates can be explained most simply by the eruption and subsequent flows of muddy materials, while volcanic cones covered with fine particles cannot be completely precluded. With either origin of the mounds, they exist in spatial relation to older tectonic features (e.g., impact craters, grabens) on a regional scale, implying the interaction between confined groundwater and fault systems. Hyperspectral PPS05-P07 JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017


Objective To explore the value of arterial blood lactic acid and lactate clearance rates in the treatment of septic shock.Methods Ninty-two patients with septic shock before treatment for arterial blood lactic acid measurement and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation(APACHEⅡ),afterearly goal-directed therapy(EGDT),divided into the sufficiently resuscitated and insufficiently resuscitated groups basis on therapeutic effect,and disease outcome according to 28d divided into survival and dead group were compared among the groups of blood lactic acid,lactate clearance rate and APACHEⅡdifferences.Results There were significantly difference in the 6h arterial blood lactic acid and lactate clearance ratesbetween the sufficiently resuscitated and the insufficiently resuscitated group(P0.05),APACHEⅡwas no significant difference(P0.05) the survival group 24h blood lactic acid,lactate clearance rates and APACHEⅡwas even with the dead group has statistics difference(P0.05).Conclusion Dynamic changes in blood lactic acid and lactate clearance rates as septic shock evaluate the efficacy and prognosis.


This paper analyzes the effects of consumption and leisure externalities on growth and welfare in a two-sector endogenous growth model with human capital accumulation. Both types of externalities are shown to affect the long-run equilibrium and optimal growth rates in a rather different way. The relationship between the steady state of the market and the centrally planned economy is also analyzed. The optimal growth path can be decentralized by resorting to consumption or labor income taxation, whereas capital income should be untaxed. Numerical simulations suggest that growth and welfare effects of mild consumption and leisure externalities may be quantitatively important.


For a given Lagrangian L a differential form theta/sub L//sup l/ is introduced which generalizes the classical notion of the Cartan form theta/sub L//sup 1/. This extended Cartan form theta/sub L//sup l/ still gives rise to the same field equations (Euler-Lagrange equations), but has the added feature that dtheta/sub L//sup l/ = 0 if and only if the Euler-Lagrange equations for L vanish identically. This has the important consequence that the symmetries of a given Lagrangian L are precisely those diffeomorphisms which transform dtheta/sub L//sup l/ into itself, a property not shared by the classical form dtheta/sub L//sup 1/.


Background and Purpose: Intermittent cervical traction (ICT) has been widely used as part of a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation program for neck pain although its effectiveness remains limited or inconclusive. In clinic, tilting of head or trunk during ICT in sitting position is common, which may influence the therapeutic effect of cervical traction. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effects of correcting the deviation of traction angle during ICT in sitting position. Methods: Thirty-three subjects with chronic neck pain from a university-affiliated medical center were assigned to the experimental or control group. The experimental group (n = 11; mean age: 46.7 ± 11 years) received ICT that corrects the deviation of traction angle (>5° away from middle line) 3 times per week for 2 weeks. The control group (n = 22; mean age: 47.3 ± 1.2 years) received ICT without correcting the deviation of traction angle throughout the intervention period. We measured the outcomes of pain in VAS, cervical range of movement (CROM) by inclinometers, and disability of neck in NDI (neck disability index) before and after interventions. Results: VAS was significantly reduced in both control group (-2.1 ± 1.7, p < 0.0005) and experimental group (-2.6 ± 1.7, p = 0.003) after 2 weeks of intervention, but no significant difference in the amount of reduction between groups (p = 0.433). CROM of flexion, side-flexion and rotation of were increased in both groups, but no significant differences in the amount of increment between groups (p > 0.05). Moreover, there was no significant improvement in NDI after interventions in both groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Monitoring and correcting the deviation of traction angle which is larger than 5° during ICT did not show extra benefit in improving pain (VAS), CROM, and NDI for patients with chronic neck pain, comparing to conventional traction-without-correction approach. Further studies are needed to explore the issue of intervention program duration and threshold of correction during ICT. Clinical Relevance: A 5° deviation of traction angle during ICT may not significantly interfere the effect for traction in patients with chronic neck pain.


The Irish poet Paul Muldoon has consistently displayed a remarkably nimble ability to write neither as an insider nor as an outsider, neither as communal advocate nor as communal antagonist. By the mid-1980s this ability had come under increasing personal and professional pressure, as well as under the more diffuse pressure exerted by the Troubles. During these years, as he came to the decision to leave Northern Ireland, Muldoon was composing the poems that would become Meeting the British (1987).1 His first volume after his 1986 departure,


the definition of a crime has never yet been clearly made. A crime has been described as a result of human conduct, which it is the policy of the governing power in the state to prevent. Usually it is followed by a punishment , but this was not always so. In early years, suffering was imposed on the wrongdoer, and in Roman times expiation was necessary to placate the offended gods. That which did the deed was given the blame. In the thirteenth century, a distinction between crime and tort was made. Damages were awarded by a tribunal and so it was felt that there should be some tests for a man's legal responsibility for the chain of circumstances which led to the wrong. At this time, the Church was associated with moral values, penance and atonement. By a combination of Church and State, penance and atonement became linked with compensation to an injured party, so that a new concept arose?the mental attitude of the offender at the time of the act. A man's actions were considered wicked if he intended to do a wicked act.


This paper is concerned with the intelligent event-triggering-based positioning control of networked unmanned marine vehicle (UMV) systems with hybrid attacks, where the UMV and control station is connected by a communication network and the DoS attack and Deception attack are studied. Firstly, a stochastic switched Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy system model is proposed for the networked nonlinear UMV systems subject to aperiodic DoS attack and random Deception attack. Then, a novel asynchronous advantage actor-critic (A3C) learning-based event-triggering approach is introduced to alleviate the communication load. By using the Lyapunov stability theory and switched system analysis method, the mean-square exponential stability condition of the closed-loop system and the design method of observer-based controller are devised. Finally, an example of a networked UMV system is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed resilient control strategy.


We investigate the state of foreign exchange markets efficiency in Asia Pacific under different time periods based on some of the key economic events. We employ two popular techniques to test for foreign exchange markets efficiency. First, we use the Johansen cointegration technique to test for the unbiasedness hypothesis of the forward exchange rates. Second, we run the Fama regression to determine whether the forward exchange rates are unbiased predictor of future spot exchange rates. We found that the foreign exchange markets in Asia Pacific are generally efficient within-country in which the spot and forward exchange rates are cointegrated. From the across-country perspective, the foreign exchange markets are generally efficient when tested using the bivariate cointegration method but show some evidence of inefficiency when tested using the multivariate method. However, the finding of stationary forward premium reduces the argument for markets inefficiency as the error correction term could possibly be acting as proxy for risk premium. Lastly, the Fama regression results show that the forward bias puzzle is a pervasive phenomenon which happens in all of the currency markets. From the pooled regression analysis, this phenomenon is shown to be particularly prevalent among the high income and more liberalised nations during the overall and normal periods. On the other hand, this phenomenon is present among the medium income and not-so-liberalised nations during the turbulent periods.


The article reviews the problems of formation of cultural-language personality of the new type of translator in the process of teaching translation of fiction. The results of the theoretical analysis of such concepts as language personality and cultural-language personality of the translator are presented. The concept of translation competence is specified, the components of the intercultural constituent of translation competence are examined.


The electronic structure and spin polarization properties of pentagonal structure PdSe2 doped with transition metal atoms are studied through first- principles calculations. The theoretical investigations show that the band gap of the PdSe2 monolayer decreases after introducing Cr, Mn, Fe and Co dopants. The projected densities of states show that p-d orbital couplings between the transition metal atoms and PdSe2 generate new spin nondegenerate states near the Fermi level which make the system spin polarized. The calculated magnetic moments, spin density distributions and charge transfer of the systems suggest that the spin polarization in Cr-doped PdSe2 will be the biggest. Our work shows that the properties of PdSe2 can be modified by doping transition metal atoms, which provides opportunity for the applications of PdSe2 in electronics and spintronics.


Abstract Barbula tomaeulosa sp. nov. is described from arable fields on the Yorkshire Coal Measures. Its most distinctive characteristics are the mamillose areolation of the leaf lamina and the abundant rhizoidal tubers.


SUMMARY Frenet–Serret and Bishop rigid-body motions have many potential applications in robotics, graphics and computer-aided design. In order to study these motions, new characterisations in terms of their velocity twists are derived. This is extended to general motions based on any moving frame to a space curve. Furthermore, it is shown that any such general moving frame motion is the product of a Frenet–Serret motion with a rotation about the tangent vector. These ideas are applied to a simple model of needle steering. A simple kinematic model of the path of the needle is derived. It is then shown that this leads to Frenet–Serret motions of the needle tip but with constant curvature. Finally, some remarks about curves with constant curvature are made.


In frequent itemset mining, the main challenge is to discover relationships between data in a transactional database or relational database. Various algorithms have been introduced to process frequent itemset. Eclat based algorithms are one of the prominent algorithm used for frequent itemset mining. Various researches have been conducted based on Eclat based algorithm such as Tidset, dEclat, Sortdiffset and Postdiffset. The algorithm has been improvised along the time. However, the utilization of physical memory and processing time become the main problem in this process. This paper reviews and presents a comparison of various Eclat based algorithms for frequent itemset mining and propose an enhancement technique of Eclat based algorithm to reduce processing time and memory usage. The experimental result shows some improvement in processing time and memory utilization in frequent itemset mining.


In order to study the damage effect of long-rod kinetic energy projectiles with different velocity on target board with different velocity by different attack angle and impact angle,the penetration was simulated by ABAQUS,the residual velocity,deflection angle,torsion angle,the residual mass of kinetic energy projectile and the damage area of plate were analyzed.The result indicates the angle of attack in 60 degrees or so is better for penetration ability,and the smaller or larger the angle of attack is,the better is the damage ability;The damage ability of the kinetic energy projectile declines as oblique penetration.


In 1988 interviewers polled 91 prostitutes in Santo Domingo Dominican Republic to learn their knowledge and skill in handling condoms to design educational materials. 77% called a condom a therefore this term should be used in educational materials. The leading reasons for condom use included protection against sexually transmitted diseases (95%) especially gonorrhea and AIDS and prevention of pregnancies (62%). Since 42% would not use a condom if the customer insisted these reasons should be used to motivate them to use condoms each time. The most familiar and preferred brand was Tahiti. They tended to have Tahiti (65%) and Sultan (24%) brands with them. 94.5% recognized a sketch of a condom. Educational materials could therefore use a drawing of a condom with characteristics of Tahiti and Sultan brands. 76% considered a condom unsafe it if had holes or was punctured. Since many knew that condoms could indeed become damaged educational materials should include signs of deterioration such as changes in color. Health centers (54%) hotel/brothel (22%) and pharmacies (19%) were regular sources of condoms but in an emergency they tended to get them at work (62%) or from a pharmacy (37%). 83% of the workers provided the condom. Of these 99% wanted to protect themselves. 70% of the time the woman put the condom n and 73% of the times the customer removed it. 89% had used a condom at least one with 33.3% using it with each customer 24/7% with >50% of the customers and 60.5% using it within the 3 days prior to the interview. 72% had no complaints about the condom but 81.5% said that the customers did. The main complaint was the sensation changed with a condom. Men should be targeted in educational campaigns. 62% of the workers experienced at least 1 condom breakage mainly because it was too old. The missionary position posed the most condom related problems. 57% of interviewers concluded that the way the workers removed the condom would cause sperm to spill.


gamblers themselves drain from the pockets of the public-not all of whom are out of state tourists, either.... Gambling produces nothing and adds nothing to the economy or society of our nation. America will be in a bad way if we ever have to resort to taxing crime and immorality for the purpose of raising revenue to operate our institutions. Nevada gambling centers have become the headquarters for some of the nation's worst mobsters.


We adapt parameterized multidimensional signal interpolators for hierarchical compression methods and interpolation compression methods based on the coding of quantized post-interpolation residues. The considered interpolators automatically select the most appropriate interpolating function at each point of the signal using a parameterized decision rule. We propose a set of interpolation functions for these compression methods. We select the optimization criterion for the proposed interpolator. The optimization criterion is based on minimization the entropy of the quantized post-interpolation residues. We solve the optimization problem of the adaptive parameterized interpolator according to this criterion. We perform computational experiments to study the proposed interpolators in natural multidimensional signals. The experimental results confirm that the use of the adaptive interpolators can significantly increase the effectiveness of the mentioned methods of multidimensional signals compression. Keywords—multidimensional signal, heterogeneous signals, adaptive interpolation, decision rule, interpolation error


ABSTRACT In this article, we define a variant of billiards in which the ball bounces around a square grid erasing walls as it goes. We prove that there exist periodic tunnels with arbitrarily large period from any possible starting point, that there exist nonperiodic tunnels from any possible starting point, and that there are versions of the problem for which the same starting point and initial direction result in periodic tunnels of arbitrarily large period. We conjecture that there exist starting conditions which do not lead to tunnels, justify the conjecture with simulation evidence, and discuss the difficulty of proving it.


This paper presents a novel optimization-based method for multi-model affine abstraction (i.e., for simultaneous model reduction of multiple models), which solves for the existence of affine abstractions of a pair of different nonlinear systems with guarantees of model discrimination with the minimum detection time $T$ under worst-case uncertainties and approximation errors. Our approach combines mesh-based affine abstraction methods with $T$-distinguishability analysis in the literature into a bilevel bilinear optimization problem. Then, to obtain a tractable solution, we leverage robust optimization techniques and a suitable change of variables to obtain a sufficient linear program (LP). Finally, the efficacy of proposed methods is illustrated by several numerical examples.


The traditionalAMT (Automatic Manual Transmission) control software has problems such aspoor modularity, bad readability, and poor expansion. It is also difficult to control throttle during shifting in the traditional AMT control software. The paper discusses the application of embedded RTOS (Real Time Operating System ) in AMT. RTX51 RTOS is transplanted in microcontroller PHILIPS80C592. Based on RTOSa whole suit of AMT control software was developed. By using embedded RTOS, modularity,readabilityandexpansionof the control software are improved, and the difficultyof throttle control during shifting was resolved.


I study the interplay of errors with transversal gates in 3D color codes, and introduce some new such gates. Two features of the transversal T gate stand out: (i) it naturally defines a set of correctable errors, and (ii) it exhibits a `linking charge' phenomenon that is of interest for a wide class of 3D topologically ordered systems.


The physical attributes of agricultural product are utmost essential in developing technologies for different unit operations. Pertinent potato tuber attributes were studied. 100 samples of dominant and popular potato tuber varieties grown in Ethiopia which are free from any injuries from each variety were obtained from Holeta Agricultural Research Center. In this study, the physical attributes of potato tubers were determined at a moisture content of 70.75, 69.99, 71.75, 69.70 and 72.38% (wet basis) for Belete, Jalenie, Gera, Gudene and Chala varieties, respectively. Except specific gravity of potato tuber, other physical properties studied were significantly different at 5% of level of significance. Analysis of variance showed that there is also a significant difference in coefficient of static friction and angle of repose of all potato tuber varieties under four different materials and dynamic coefficient of friction under mild steel sheet metal and galvanized sheet.


Steel and iron manufacture works exist that many latency risk as melting liquid of high temperature, work of high place, and so on. Once in a while, the accident case make use of basic data for latency risk analysis in a place of business. In this paper, we investigated the cause of the accident in steel an iron works. The result, we came across that many latency risk in steel and iron manufacture works. The main type of risk are fall, narrow, come flying, etc. Most of the latency risk type are repetition and conventional accident. Accordingly, steel and manufacture works must prevent to repetition and conventional accident.


The paper recorded 61 species of butterflies collected in Gansu Xiaolongshan Forest Area,Among them 52species of Hesperiidae,3 species of Danaidae,5 specie of Danaidae,1 species of Libytheidae.Additonal reporting by 1 species of Papilionidae,9 species of Pieridae.


Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide improved electrical fiber types referred to as a dielectric waveguide. Metal coated fibers having electrical isolation may cause the bandwidth limitations typical of the radio path and the other adjacent electrical interference between the signal fiber, for transmission losses and smaller guided in better signal transmission distance can be increased to reduce the overall transceiver power loss. Further, the electrical characteristics of the fibers having a frequency independent attenuation, and fiber coupling in view of the vertical interconnection means, even with little or without any additional compensation receiver side can achieve high data rate transmission.


The results,analyzed the influence factors of China's wood forest products trade with EU by expanded gravity model and analyzed the status of wood forest products trade of China-EU by using the related data from UNcomtrade database to,shows that the trade of wood forest products is in the growth stage from 2000 to 2008,but adversely affected by the global financial crisis in 2008,the proportion of export continues to decline,the trade surplus is narrowing trend and market concentration and product concentration are high. The China's wood forest products trade with EU were significantly promoted by GDP, forest resources endowments, labor resources endowments, EU enlargement,coast etc,but were significantly inhibited by relative distance,exchange rate,the financial crisis etc.


Muslims in the West are under pressure to perform nationalism and hegemonic gender ideology to neutralize themselves as threats. This has triggered a series of "blindfolded hug" viral videos that show individual Muslim males standing blindfolded in a busy street asking for hugs from passersby who "agree" that they are not a danger to society. In this article, I examine 51 such videos and argue that the visual of a minority male made abject reifies state might while building an aesthetic of peacefulness that Western Muslims are compelled to demonstrate. Such an aesthetic relies on the rhetorics of disability, the affective circulation of hate, and the stripping off of oppositional gazing to be read legibly by White audiences.


ion from the thing x, whereas Aristotle's technical phrase carries with it the idea of "an actual thing" as well as "what the actual thing is", and, therefore, the composition of the thing and its essence in one. The 'this something' is Lear's translation of tode ti. Lear says that "the idea of something's being a 'this something' is the idea of its being an ontologically basic, definite item." Thus, for Lear, Aristotle is saying that, in order for x to be a substance, x must be an ontologically basic, definite, thoroughly definable and intelligible entity. If such is the case, then, for Aristotle, neither a particular nor a universal qualify as substances. Lear follows Aristotle's reasoning in Metaphysics VII and shows how Aristotle arrives at the conclusion that the form of the species just is substance. 896 Lear then goes on to discuss and respond to difficulties that might be raised by this theory, as well as how Form can be ontologically independent. Interestingly enough, Lear's explanation of Aristotle's answer to the question "What is Being?" appears to be almost exactly the same as Stanley Rosen's explanation of Plato's answer to the question "What is Being?" Lear argues that Aristotle answers the question "What is Being?" by saying that Being is substance and substance just is form. Stanley Rosen seems to imply that Plato's answer to the question "What is Being?" was, Being is a form. The Ibid. When discussing sensible substance Aristotle notes that there are three basic "aspects": form, matter and the composite of form and matter. Aristotle argues that the substance of the sensible substance is neither its matter, nor the composite of form and matter. Therefore, necessarily, the substance of the form matter composite is the form. In his exposition of Aristotle's argument which concludes that form just is substance Lear does not seem to consider the possibility that Aristotle is beginning with sensible substance, (composites of form and matter) in order to begin with that which is easiest to know, with the purpose of discovering what is the Being or Substance of sensible Beings, and this so as to move on to a deeper analysis of what Being is. Ibid., 278-92. Ibid., 292-3. Note that Lear does not explicitly refer to the question "What is Being?", however, it is implied by his discussion of Aristotle's question "What is substance?", which, for Aristotle, just is the question "What is Being?". Cf. Rosen, PSDOI, 44, 149, 188, 197, 230, 237-39, 243, 264, 273, et al. Rosen is not quite as clear on this claim in his later book, The Question of Being.


Gravitational wave is a strain wave of space and this can be also generated by strong magnetic field. The principle of gravitational wave generation using the fluctuation in strain field induced by magnetic field is introduced. Using both foregoing gravitational wave generator and gravitational wave detector (i.e. laser interferometric gravitational wave antenna), the gravitational communication system can be possible. This paper introduces its content presented at 20th Annual Lecture (1989) and the research trends in the latest gravitational wave.


In this paper the possibilities of negotiating the coordination of water sharing between governments is investigated in general and applied to the individual governments in the Krishna Basin in India. In this basin the water is shared between three rival states, all who need more water and suffer from inter-sectorial competition. Compounding the problem is that the flows of water along the basin are tied up in regulations and rules that were determined many years ago. Improvements to flows could potentially benefit people in all three states. However, the individual governments need to cooperate if this is to occur, something they so far have refused to do so. The question of whether coordination between interdependent markets is worthwhile revolves around individual states deciding between taking a unilateral approach or accepting a multilateral approach to policy settings on water. The model that is presented in this paper attempts to resolve this question from an individual governments' perspective. The model developed in this paper relies on understanding both the economic and diplomatic imperatives of the individual governments involved. No government is going to act in concert with another if there is no measurable benefit to it from doing so. Consequently, all governments need to gain something from coordinating water policy initiatives. In terms of an economic outcome, any transfer in water between states that arises from coordinating water sharing rules, has the potential to be beneficial to all states. However, a problem arises with some citizens within a state gaining, while others within that same state lose from changing water allocation rules. These outcomes can be shown in terms of a simple economic trade model, and provide the evidence for why individual governments are not keen on trading water or on coordinating policies which change the flows of water between them. For this reason alone it is argued that individual governments will not even enter into a negotiation process over water flows between states. However, such a model is inadequate as it also needs to be recognised that governments do not always conduct intergovernmental relationships with an economic goal in mind. To overcome this limitation, an International Theory perspective is added to the economic trade model. In this model individual governments are assumed to act according to one of three rules. They want to either: • maintain hegemony between the competing desires of other governments; • selfishly maximise gains to their own constituents; or • reform other governments. It was found that this model, an extended trade model that accounted for the individual motivations of governments, might be useful in bringing the individual governments together to negotiate better water sharing and flow regulations, as it tends not to be as narrow and unrealistic as a simple trade model.


This paper proposes a new perspective and methodology to model the behavior of the components as well as the system using the theory and methods for fuzzy sets. We propose to use the indicator or performance or substitute variable which is very well understood by the customer to fuzzify the states of the component or the system. Both component and system's fuzzy reliability definitions and models are constructed under fuzzy binary states and multi-state assumptions. Numerical examples are given to compute fuzzy reliability measures which also illustrate their advantages over the classical reliability measures.


This study has performed the relative flood risk assessment in the urban small watershed using entropy method and PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organizing METHod for Enrichment Evaluations) which is one of the multi criteria decision making method. The evaluation criteria are classified into three categories according to the rainfall and runoff characteristic and regional characteristic. Those are flood warning rainfall, rising curve gradient, flood magnitude ratio, flood duration time, flood contribution rate per unit area, impervious cover rate. Suyeong basin is separated to 20 subbasins and the suggested method is applied to verify its applicability. Out of twenty subbasins, six, fourteen and six basins are evaluated as high risk, medium risk and low risk. The flood occurred in one of high risk subbasins in the past and it is found that the method of this study is higher applicability.


In the 1930s Dutch elm disease (DED) was accidentally introduced from Europe into the United States. It had a devastating impact on American elm (Ulmus americana) and its relatives in urban and riparian environments. In the United States, the three-part pathosystem for DED is unique in that the affected elm species are North American, the pathogen originated in Asia, and the most common vector is a European beetle. Of the nearly 40 species of elms that span the globe from Asia to Europe to North America, European and North American species are the most DED susceptible. The disease outbreak was extremely costly and the scientific and regulatory reaction to the issue was interrupted by World War II, which allowed the disease to spread more rapidly (Campanella 2003).


The power system is rated to delivery 5 kW net unregulated DC power. Intelligent energy
new power plant has been design for automatic and stationary application. Running on pure
hydrogen, its provides a continuous out put up to 5 kW. A matched power conditioning
module is available then provides a regulated DC Voltage output for battery charging ,
vehicular or other application. 5 Kw Fuel Cell power system specification for performance :
Power output 5 kW maximum, current output 45 amps, DC voltage output 110-220 Volts
(regulated). Fuel composition 99 % gaseous hydrogen, nominal supply pressure 3 barg,
consumption 75 slpm


Cincinnati, Ohio, July 30, 1901. To the Editor: —Your editorial 1 on "Oversupply of Medical Graduates," presents statistics which are startling, because they prove that relief from the present oversupply is impossible under present conditions. There is also little prospect that those conditions will be altered so as to reduce the output of the "doctor factories" to any appreciable extent. In fact, we can only expect an increase. While everybody knows that there are four or five times more medical colleges than are necessary, the benefits attached to a professorship in even the poorest of them are such that "few die and none ever resign," while in order to attract the guileless student, and incidentally, his matriculation and other fees, we find the free clinics and hospitals are multiplied, in order that they may be advertised as evidence of "teaching facilities" and "abundant clinical material," etc. It would be right


This paper reviews computerized or automated cytopathological image analysis for cancer detection which is one of the most preventable diseases through early detection. Cytopathology refers to the study of cellular disease and spotting the cellular changes for the diagnosis of the disease. Papanicolau smear test (Pap Smear) is a well-known screening method for detecting abnormalities in the cervix cells that includes the changes in the cell when evolve into cancerous cell. The pathologist examines the pap smear images under a microscope to study the structure, distribution, color, size and shape of the cell to determine the benign and malignancy in an image. During mass screening programs, huge number of samples will be analyzed and diagnosed which is more time consuming and also accuracy of the diagnosis depends on training experience of cyto-technicians. To overcome this kind of problems, an automated cytological image analysis and classification system is essential for identification and quantification of these changes in the cell morphology which helps in discrimination of normal and abnormal cells. In this paper we intend to review and summarize the digital image processing intelligent model used for cytological image analysis which helps in early detection and diagnosis of malignant cancerous cells.


Abstract  Mallory bodies are cytoplasmic inclusions in hepatocytes consisting of abnormal keratins, ubiquitin and several proteins (p62, heat shock proteins) involved in the unfolded protein response. They are morphologic hallmarks of alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis but may also be associated with metabolic and toxic liver cell injury and hepatocellular neoplasms. Mallory bodies can be experimentally produced in mouse liver by chronic intoxication with griseofulvin or 3,5‐diethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dihydrocollidine (DDC). Mallory body formation is associated with derangement of the keratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton of the hepatocyte. The analysis of Mallory body composition and particularly their experimental induction in animal models and in tissue culture cells disclosed a major role of oxidative stress in the underlying liver cell injury.


The problem of determining minimum variance estimates for non-Gaussian situations is treated using probability histogram. To obtain a posteriori probability density function in the presence of non-Gaussian noise it is necessary generally to determine the Bayesian recursion results which describe the behavior of a posteriori probability density function of the state, but these relations are generally very difficult to solve. In this paper, the state estimation problem has been recast as the state noise estimation problem using the approximation to the system equations. It is not necessary to determine the recursion relations which describe the behavior of a posteriori probability density function of the state since the state noise is white. Hence, the estimation problem is made to be simplified and it is convenient to use probability histogram. Experiments show that the proposed filter performs better than the Kalman filter for non-Gaussian situations and very closes to the Kalman filter for Gaussian situations. In addition, this filter is significantly less computationally intensive than the Kalman filter (in the scalar case). Experiments show also that the proposed filter (PFIF) performs stably.


Information is crucial to the performance of researchers in Nigeria. The awareness of the existence of agricultural databases, library sources, and Internet facilities were examined among the researchers that were randomly selected from all over Nigeria. The result shows little awareness and little patronage of agric databases among those who were aware. The paper also considered the independent variable to isolate variables and explain the information seeking behaviour of the researchers. The paper concludes with policy implication for the access and use of agricultural information among researchers in Nigeria.


Problem statement: In Thai, tone is an essential feature of a prosodic syllable to identify the meanings of that syllable or that part of word. To generate the tonal speech with natural prosody, it is needed to manage the fundamental frequency (F0) of the speech appropriately. A successful approach of structural modeling from Mandarin Chinese has been adapted to model Thai tone. Approach: The structural modeling of voice F0 contours for Thai tones has been studied. Both male and female speech are concerned. The speech material covers 15 syllables with 5 tones. We use 30 samples for each syllable. The structural modeling parameters for all tones are extracted. Thereafter, the Root Mean Square (RMS) error between the re-synthesized F0 contour and the natural F0 contour is calculated. Results: The experimental analysis shows that RMS errors of all tones are mutually different. It has been noticed that the tone 1 or low tone has the smallest error among all tones in average. Conclusion: The structural model is effectively applied to model Thai tones. The structural modeling can distinguish each tone empirically."


This paper presents a mathematical model for the sustainable production of Igbemo Rice. The study reveals that the key to unlocking the potential of Igbemo Rice lies in Scienceand technology and empowerment of the producers, marketer and consumers to take advantage of what research offers. Factors considered to enhance Igbemo rice production in Igbemo Ekiti include Land, Improved seed, Agrochemical, credit facilities, processing machine, improved packaging, Extension agents, Regulated market, Research capacity building. The study employed the multiple linear regression models for data analysis. Of all the factors considered Credit facilities appeared to be more significant with an indication that if more fund is pumped into the production, poverty will be alleviated to the minimum. It is on this note that the paper presents a mathematical model of sustainable production of Igbemo rice in South West Nigeria.


Aim To summarize the stage achievement of Therapeutic drug monitoring of high-dose methotrexate in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia and assessing the clinical significance.Methods 140 acute lymphoblastic leukemia children were grouped according to the risk factor,the low-risk group received MTX 3.0 g·m-2 and the high-risk group received MTX 5.0 g·m-2.The MTX concentration in serum at 24,44 and 68h were detected by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).Then adjust the dosage of CF according to MTX concentration and observe the adverse effects of MTX in patientsResults The concentration of MTX at 24,44 and 66 h of low-risk group were 29.80±15.07,0.47±0.41,0.09±0.07 μmol·L-1 and the concentration of MTX at 24,44 and 66h of high-risk group were 57.17±16.65,1.22±1.86,0.53±0.54 μmol·L-1,respectively.The concentration of MTX is varied in two group,especially 68h and it is varied individually in the same group.None serious adverse effects was observed in All patients.Conclusion It's necessary to monitor the concentration of MTX when the patients received high-does MTX intravenously in order to give different formulas for different children.


Objective To explore the relationship between transforming growth factor-β1 and estrogen receptor with the occurrence of stress urinary incontinence(SUI)through analysis on transforming growth factorβ1(TGF-β1) and estrogen receptor(ER) in paries anterior vaginase.(Methods The) biopsy specimens in paries anterior vaginase were obtained from 88 subjects undergoing hysterectomia,tension-free vagina tape(TVT),Burch procedures,who were assigned into control,pelvic organ prolapse(POP 28 cases) and SUI groups(30 cases).The histological structures in paries anterior vaginase were examined with routine HE staining.TGF-β1 and ER in structures in paries anterior vaginase was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining.Results TGF-β1 positive staining rate in paries anterior vaginase was 20.00% in SUI group,14.30% in POP group,93.33% in control group,respectively.It was significantly lower in SUI group and POP group than that in control group(P0.01),and it wasn't significantly lower in SUI group than that in POP group(P0.05).ER positive staining in paries anterior vaginase was 1.66% in SUI group,1.83% in POP group,2.64% in control group,respectively.It was significantly lower in SUI group and POP group than that in control group(P0.01),and it wasn't significantly lower in SUI group than that in POP group(P0.05).Conclusion There is close relationship between degeneration of pelvic support construction and deficiency in TGF-β_1 and ER declined in paries anterior vaginase of SUI patient.


Background: Chronic hyperglycemia has been previously reported to affect bone metabolism. However, this association may also be affected by other factors surrounding the hyperglycemic state, including physiologic complications of diabetes mellitus and its treatments. This study aims to assess to what extent hyperglycemia itself affects bone metabolism, using HbA1c as an indicator for chronic hyperglycemia. Methods: We retrospectively examined data on all patients older than 20 years old who visited St. Luke's Hospital for annual health checkup from April 2004 to March 2017. T scores were measured by forearm Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Longitudinal analysis was used for statistical analyses, using multi-level mixed effect modeling treating T scores as a time-dependent variable to calculate beta coefficients, based on a T score range of HbA1c 5.5- 6.4. Data were adjusted for age, BMI, alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise. Results: 129,295 patients (mean age, 45.3 ±12.5 years; mean BMI, 22.3 ±3.39 kg/m2; male, 49.1%) were included over a median follow-up time of 744 days. Mean T score value was 99.1±12.3%. In longitudinal regression for men, T scores of HbA1c = 50 years, T scores in a HbA1c range of 4.5-5.4 were significantly high (βcoefficient 0.15, P =6.5 were significantly low (βcoefficient -1.80- -0.57, P Conclusion: Both men and women tend to have low bone mineral density at HbA1c values >= 6.5. Especially in women older than 50 years, bone mineral density significantly decreases as the value of HbA1c increases. Disclosure S. Hayashi: None. G. Deshpande: None. H. Noto: None.


1. In the present study, we examined the effects of Bay K 8644, a dihydropyridine (DHP)‐sensitive Ca2+ channel agonist, and bradykinin on norepinephrine release in the hypothalamus of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).


Representative replacement textures from the electrum-bearing, layer-like pervasive silicification of sedimentary breccias and breccio-conglomerates in the epithermal, low sulfidation, of adularia-sericite type Khan Krum gold deposit are presented.


The OCLC Annual Report is much more than a presentation of the previous fiscal year's product introductions, service levels, and member activities. It also includes snapshots of member libraries worldwide, the President's message to the cooperative, information about the Board of Trustees and various management groups, and other information that gives a broad perspective of the organization. The 2010/2011 Annual Report is now available at http://www.oclc.org/us/en/news/publications/annualreports/2011/214629usb_Annual_Report_2011.pdf.


Study Design An Internet-based evaluation of Web sites regarding lumbar fusion. Objective The Internet has become a major resource for patients; however, the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion is unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion and to determine whether these measures changed with Web site modality, complexity of the search term, or Health on the Net Code of Conduct certification. Methods Using five search engines and three different search terms of varying complexity ("low back fusion," "lumbar fusion," and "lumbar arthrodesis"), we identified and reviewed 153 unique Web site hits for information quality and readability. Web sites were specifically analyzed by search term and Web site modality. Information quality was evaluated on a 5-point scale. Information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. Results The average quality score was low. The average reading grade level was nearly six grade levels above that recommended by National Work Group on Literacy and Health. The quality and readability of Internet information was significantly dependent on Web site modality. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Conclusions Higher-quality information about lumbar fusion conveyed using language that is more readable by the general public is needed on the Internet. It is important for health care providers to be aware of the information accessible to patients, as it likely influences their decision making regarding care.


The study identified zooplankton biotypes of the increasingly in-stream sand-mined Imo River in Etche, a Delta area of Nigeria, as indicators of the health of the aquatic ecosystem. Plankton samples were collected with a 55µm mesh size plankton net that was hauled horizontally along the river course for 5 minutes at 7 sampling locations once monthly for 24 months (March 2007-February 2009). Samples were fixed/preserved in 4% formalin solution in labelled plastic containers. In the laboratory, a wide-mouthed pipette was used to withdraw 1ml of the plankton subsample and to place it on a Sedge-wick rafter-counting chamber. Standard keys were used for species identifications and counts made through direct microscopy. The ANOVA, post-hoc plots of group means, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and the Margalef's species diversity index were used to analyze data. Zooplankton had low diversity index (0.926 ± 0.100) and was made up of 7 taxa and a mean density of 433 organisms/ml; with order of dominance as Cladocera (25.87%)> Copepoda (20.55%)> Protozoans (19.17%)> Rotifera (18.71%)> fish eggs and larvae (9.24%)> Crab larvae (4.62%)> Beetle larvae (0.69%). Plankton abundance peaked in sampling location 1 (140 organisms/ml; 32.41%) and was least in location 3 (21 organisms/ml; 4.86%), even as there was marked spatial heterogeneity in the taxa composition(F(11.94)>Fcrit(3.94)) at P<0.05. The HCA revealed that crab larvae, fish eggs and larvae, beetle larvae, and copepods formed the first and richest cluster, while the rotifers, cladocerans and proto- zoans formed the sparse 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th clusters, respectively. The low biotic diversity recorded could be attributed to


Biofuel crops are promoted as a climate friendly alternative to fossil energy. Yet environmental risks such as potential biodiversity loss are not always adequately considered. This might occur directly as a consequence of land‐use change from natural systems to biofuel plantations, but also through invasive behavior of the biofuel species, as it might disperse and establish into adjacent natural systems. Therefore, there is a need to perform ex‐ante invasiveness risk assessments including field trials on new biofuel species before they get promoted and expanded on a large scale. This perspective uses Jatropha curcas L. as a model biofuel crop and reviews the biological traits and the circumstantial factors which may contribute to its invasive behavior. J. curcas has recently received much attention as a biodiesel 'wonder crop' and is being planted at large scale without scientific study on its invasiveness risk. We applied two risk assessment frameworks to provide an ex‐ante invasiveness risk assessment and obtained that J. curcas is a species with a high invasiveness risk, which is in contradiction with recent experimental evidence. We discuss the limitations of the available risk assessment frameworks, which may have led to unreliable prediction. We interpret the outcome of this theoretical exercise with some recommendations for the selection, introduction, cultivation, and processing stages of J. curcas and other biofuel crops to minimize invasiveness risk. Finally we point to the responsibilities of investors and governments and the need for integrated research of the whole biofuel production supply chain to avoid bio‐invasions. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd


In construction engineering, scenario simulations can be used for improving process chains of technical as well as logistical processes. While the utilization of simulation tools is widely accepted in academia, there is a considerable lack of acceptance in construction practice. The lack of acceptance is particularly obvious in small and medium-sized construction companies, due to the need for qualified personnel and the time (and cost) required for getting familiar with simulation tools. Focusing on scenario simulations for production planning, it is evident that using simulation tools would substantially contribute to improved planning results. This paper presents concepts and strategies for using of simulation tools in production planning in order to increase process efficiency, thus facilitating the level of acceptance of simulation tools in construction practice.


This paper presents an alternative approach to Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) based method of feature extraction for robust text independent speaker identification. This work is focused to increase the identification accuracy without increasing the size and complexity of filter bank. The drive for this new feature extraction technique comes from a transformation which is based on the Nyquist filter bank consuructed using Gaussian filters. This new feature extraction technique has been compared with MFCC feature for different lengths of utterances. Experimental evaluation is carried out on MEPCO telephone speech database with 50 speakers using Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). The proposed feature set performs significantly better than the MFCC feature set achieves 6% higher average accuracy compared to the MFCC feature set for utterance lengths of 20 seconds.


The paper presents the theoretical assumptions at the basis of the phenomenon of countertransference and then presents the specifics of countertransference in working with traumatized patients. Several clinical vignettes analyze some characteristics of countertransference reactions in working with psycho traumatized patients. The paper presents some results of countertransference research.


We give a method for constructing explicitly all parameter sequences for any chain sequence for which one parameter sequence is known. An application to orthogonal polynomials associated with birth and death processes is given.


Alicja Helman explores main subject of Kaja Silverman's diverse ouvre. The theoretician combines linguistics, psychoanalysis, feminism, philosophy, art history and film studies to focus on a concept of a subject, with special interest for a feminine subject. Silverman promotes a concept, that signification cannot be in any way separated from a subject and cultural system, which generates it.


To ensure privacy of individual information in remote healthcare service, health data should be protected through a secure technology such as encryption scheme. Only user who delegated decryption right can access to sensitive health data and delegator needs capability for revocating access privilege. Recently, in ubiquitous environment, CP-ABTD(Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Threshold Decryption with Flexible Delegation and Revocation of User Attributes) which extends CP-ABE(Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption) has been proposed for these requirements. In this paper, we construct remote healthcare monitoring system with delegation and revocation capability for attribute in CP-ABTD. Finally, we analyze collusion attack between users in our system.


The invention relates to an illumination device with at least one on a support (1) arranged light emitter (2) and an optical system (4) for imaging the light emitted by the at least one light emitter (2) light, wherein the lighting device fixed one on the support (1) holder part (3) with fastening means (31, 32) for the optical system (4), and wherein the support member (3) is formed such that the position and alignment of the optics (4) relative to the at least one light emitter (2) through the Location and orientation of the attachment means (31, 32) of the support member (3) relative to the at least one light emitter (2) is fixed.


TheMarvel environment supports rule based modeling of software processes Marvel invokes external tools to carry out steps in a software process One of the major objectives of this research is to invoke existing external tools without needing to modify them This is achieved by encapsulating tools in envelopes designed to abstract the details of a tool from the Marvel kernel thereby providing a black box interface Initially we used the Unix shell language to write envelopes Due to several limitations of the shell language however the black box abstraction could not be fully supported We describe these limitations and discuss how we extended the shell language to obtain a new envelope language that fully supports the black box abstraction c Mark A Gisi and Gail E Kaiser This version appears in the First International Conference on the Software Process October Gisi is supported in part by National Science Foundation grant CCR Kaiser is supported by National Science Foundation grants CCR CDA and CCR by grants from AT T BNR DEC IBM SRA and Xerox by the New York State Center for Advanced Technology on Computer and Information Systems and by the NSF Engineering Research Center for Telecommunications Research Introduction Marvel is a rule based environment that assists users with the software development process and stores software components their attributes and relations in an objectbase Unlike most other process modeling systems Marvel employs existing external tools to carry out the steps of a software process Since tools are expensive to develop in terms of both time and cost a major objective is to employ existing tools without modifying them We achieve this by encapsulation of external tool interactions within envelopes The envelope concept was introduced in the ISTAR environment Each step of a process is represented in the process model by an activity An activity may involve building an executable running a test suite or simply invoking an editor An activity s execution often involves the invocation of one or more commercial o the shelf COTS tools To support the integration of COTS tools without modi cation or even access to their source code the Marvel kernel views each activity as a black box it only knows the activity s input and output re quirements In addition an activity should know nothing about the Marvel kernel For example suppose we want to execute an activity that compiles a C le The activity needs the C source le a set of header include les and the object code le location The activity invokes cc the C compiler with these parameters When the activity completes it returns a status code to the Marvel kernel indicating the status of cc s execution e g success failure An envelope represents an activity s implementation It abstracts the details of the interface of a tool Envelopes were initially written in the Unix shell language which has several advantages it already exists many reusable Unix utilities are available and it provides a means of connecting existing tools together into di erent useful con gurations However the shell language has at least two limitations in supporting the black box abstraction It does not support the declaration of an activity s interface i e input output There is no way to declare the types of incoming and outgoing data in a clean controlled manner It does not support the return of an arbitrary number of data values a shell script can only return an integer status code via the exit command Sometimes it is desirable for an activity to return more information We discuss how we extended the shell language to eliminate these limitations Marvel Rules and Tools Each activity is encapsulated in a rule composed of three parts a condition the activity and one or more e ects Before an activity can execute its condition a logical expression must be satis ed After the activity executes it returns a status code that is used to select the proper e ect which asserts some changes in the state of the objectbase Figure provides an example of a rule that compiles a C le Variable f denotes a variable is assigned an object with attribute compile status The class hierarchy of the objectbase is de ned by a data model gure shows a small segment In lines of gure we search the


Canadian textile producers recognize that a well-educated and highly skilled workforce is essential to the industry's performance and competitive advantage. Award-winning skills development programs-created through collaborative industry efforts-are used extensively in plants and other facilities to ensure Canada's textile industry workforce remains up-to-date and at the leading edge of workforce learning.


Curriculum compacting is an instructional strategy that can be used by classroom teachers to modify and/or eliminate curriculum material that has already been mastered, or can be mastered in a fraction of the time, by students of above average ability. In this experimental research study, the effects of three increasing levels of treatment on the instructional practices of elementary school teachers as they implemented curriculum compacting are reported. Approximately 470 teachers from 27 school districts across the country participated in this study sponsored by The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT). This article will report: the content areas in which various percentages of curriculum could be compacted; the strategies used by teachers to identify subject matter previously mastered by students; the assessment strategies utilized by teachers to document proficiency of curriculum material; and the nature and type of replacement strategies teachers used after curriculum was compacted. Results suggest that elementary teachers are able to eliminate between 24–70% of the curriculum across content areas for more capable students. It was also clear from the results that classroom teachers need considerable assistance to design challenging and rigorous replacement activities.


Schwannoma is a tumor of soft tissue, originating from Schwann cells which rarely appears in the retroperitoneal region. Retroperitoneal ancient schwannomas are rare tumors, more usually found in the head, neck and flexor surfaces of the extremities. Ancient schwannomas are a subtype of classic schwannoma with a predominance of degenerative changes like calcifications, hemosiderin deposition, interstitial fibrosis, vascular hyaline degeneration. We report a case of 60 years old female with complaints of vague pain in upper abdomen with discomfort since 6 months. Following imaging studies, retroperitoneal mass was found. The patient underwent surgery and excision of mass was done. Histopathological examination showed degenerative changes which was consistent with ancient schwannoma. No evidence of recurrence appeared during follow up period.


The consuming system of family car is an open automatic organization system. Analysis is made on the economic development, road construction, power supply and social service in our country. It draws the conclusion that in the current situation it will not be advisable for great amount cars entering into the families. Government bodies should control the consuming speed of family car.


Objective:To observe the effects of stress responses of sevoflurane and isoflurane inhaled anesthesia in laparoscope cholecystectomy,and to provide a more ideal anesthesia method. Methods:Forty ASAⅠ-Ⅱ patients arranged for laparoscope cholecystectomy were randomly divided into two groups, sevoflurane group( Ⅰgroup,n=20) and isoflurane group(Ⅱgroup,n=20). Testing two groups were in Cortisone and blood glucose before anesthesia induction and after surgery.Results:Cortisone and blood glucose increased compared with before anesthesia induction in Ⅰ group, and were higher than that in Ⅱ group. Conclusions: Sevoflurane is better than isoflurane in depressing stress responses in LC and decreasing the fluctuation of hemodynamics,so it is better for anesthesia.


This study attempts to expose the common structural errors of second language acquisition in bahasa Indonesia for foreign speakers (BIPA) learning at the beginner level and also to expose the implications of the errors for learning. This research utilizes descriptive qualitative method by describing in depth the findings in data analysis. This qualitative research focuses on the analysis of sentence structure, clauses, phrases, and also morphological structures. By doing so, it is expected that typical errors can be identified. Furthermore, this research is expected to help teachers to become more aware of these errors since by identifying the most problematic errors, teachers are able to relate fundamental concepts of sentences as well as those related to their own understanding of linguistics concepts, language and BIPA teaching, and also learners' understanding as the part of learning.


Objective To investigate the short-term efficacy and toxicity of YH-16 combined with GP regimen for NSCLC.Methods The patients were divided into GP + YH-16(trial group) and GP(control group),and the efficacy and toxicity were evaluated after 2 cycles according to RECIST criteria.Results The trial group's effective rate was 45.5% while the control group was 34.3%,P0.05.For three other results:the disease control rate symptomatic relief rate and QOL improvement rate,they were 90.9%,81.8% and 63.6% in the trial group and 71.4%,60.0% and 40.0% in the control group respectively,P0.05.Side effects were almostly grade 1/2 and concened with chemotherapy.4 patients in the trial group suffered cardiopalmus and arrhythmias.Conclusion The combination of YH-16 with GP regimen could improve the disease control rate of advanced NSCLC obviously,relieving metastasis focus of tumor,reducing the serous pleural effusion,improving lung function.Besides,side effects was less than those of others.


Objective To explore the mechanism and characteristics of common local therapeutic drugs on chronic airway mucous hypersecretion in chronic bronchitis. Methods The rats with chronic bronchitis were pretreated with inhalation of neutrophil elastase by ultrasound atomization. Glucocorticoid budesonide and M-recepter antagonist ipratropium bromied (atrovent) single and the combination of them were inhaled by the rats. The levels of mucin (MUC) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and MUC5AC mRNA in lung tissues were detected with ELISA and dot blotting respectively. Results Neutrophil elastase increased apparently the content of mucin and the expression of MUC5AC mRNA (P0.01). Budesonide and atrovent could reduce the levels of mucin and MUC5AC mRNA(P0.05).Budesonide in company with atrovent could reinforce the effects on mucins and MUC5AC mRNA (P0.01). Conclusion Neutrophil elastase is an important factor in the development of airway mucous hypersecretion, budesonide and atrovent could inhibit the mucin release and MUC5AC mRNA expression, and reduce airway mucous hypersecretion. The combination of them could have synergistic effect.


This article examines the causal effect of debt decentralisation on the budget constraint of subnational governments. China's debt decentralisation reform of 2011 authorised four provincial-level units to issue debt on their own, but not the remaining ones. Using data on the budgetary
 expenditure and revenue of Chinese subnational governments from 2009 to 2014, we estimate the effect of the reform with a difference-in-differences approach, with those four provincial units as the treatment group and the others as the control group. Our findings suggest that debt decentralisation
 can help harden the budget constraint of subnational governments.


Syntheses and reactions of 4-carboxy-2-pyrrolidone, 6,6-dimethyl-4-carboxy-2-piperidone, and 5,5-dimethyl-4-carboxy-2-pyrrolidone are described. Whereas 4-carboxy-2-pyrrolidone polymerizes upon heating to form a polyimide, the two lactams containing geminal dimethyl groups undergo isomerization. The 6,6-dimethyl-4-carboxy-2-piperidone isomerizes to 5,5-dimethyl-3-carboxymethyl-2-pyrrolidone, and 5,5-dimethyl-4-carboxy-2-pyrrolidone affords isopropylidene succinimide. Possible mechanisms for these reactions are discussed.


Windbreaks or shelterbelts have been used for centuries for reducing wind speed and improving microclimate and environment, and increasing crop yields due to windbreak not only can affect the airflow around it but also affect the microclimates through the interaction of the airflow with the exchanges of heat and water vapor. However, systematic studies considered the aerodynamics and mechanisms of windbreak have introduced only within the last few decades. This paper discussed the mechanisms of windbreak effects on surface temperature at different surface conditions: wet surface and dry surface. A field experiment was conduced for clarifying windbreak effects on microclimate, especially on surface temperature by using polyethylene windbreak nets and a numerical simulation model was used for illustrating the observation results. An infrared thermo-graphic thermometer was used to measure the surface temperatures around the windbreak nets and the A2C atmospheric modeling solutions was used. It was clear that surface temperature at leeward side was higher than that at windward side whatever the surface was wet or dry. However, windbreak will mainly increase surface temperature at leeward side by reducing latent heat exchange when surface is wet and will mainly reduce surface temperature at windward side by increasing sensible heat exchange at windward side when the surface is dry.


Laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the effectiveness of natural clay deposits as a potential low cost adsorbent for the removal of nickel (Ni) from wastewater. Two types of natural local clays deposits collected from Al-Mhawes Mountain, Al-Kharg prefecture and Khulais, Jeddah prefecture were examined for their abilities to remove Ni from wastewater. The effects of Ni concentrations, amount of clay added and pH of the solution on Ni adsorption were studied. The mobility of Ni and its specification were examined in a column experiment under graduate levels of clay deposits (0, 3, 6 and 9 %) and increasing Ni concentration (0, 5, and 10 mg L -1 ) was examined. The Ni adsorption was found to be higher in the Khulais clay due to its relatively higher cation exchange capacity and specific surface area compared to Al-Mahwes clay sample. The maximum Ni adsorption capacity was observed ranges from 0.036 to 0.090 mg g -1 . The highest binding energy constant was obtained in case of Khulais clay deposit (1428 L g -1 ). The adsorption data followed Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and correlation coefficients (R 2 ) ranged from 0.90 to 0.99. Column studies results showed that 92-99% of the added Ni was retained in the top soil layer (0-5 cm).The results indicated that local natural clay deposits were capable of removing Ni from wastewater at cost-effective and efficient adsorbent materials in Saudi Arabia.


The present study was carried out to determine the antimicrobial activity of aqueous and methanol extracts of Moringa oleifera leaves on H. pylori. Disc diffusion method as described by Kirby-Bauer was used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the extracts which were compared with that of the standard antibiotics. The susceptibility profiles of H. pylori isolates were determined using standard antibiotics, aqueous and methanol extracts of Moringa oleifera leaves. Out of 487 positive isolates (75.73%), 350 (71.87%) were sensitive to Clarithromycin with 30mm mean zone of inhibition, 304 (62.42%) were sensitive to Tetracycline (27mm), 266 (54.62%) to Amoxicillin (28mm), 173 (35.52%) to Metronidazole (25mm), while all isolates were resistant to Ciprofloxacin. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of aqueous Moringa oleifera leave extracts ranged from 0.035µg/ml to 0.05µg/ml with MBC of 0.0425µg/ml while the MIC of methanol extract ranged from 0.0425µg/ml to 0.05µg/ml with MBC of 0.0425. These results clearly suggest that Moringa oleifera leaves act as potent growth inhibitor of H. pylori.


The structure of baroclinic vortices generated by horizontal flow separation past a sloping headland in deep, stably stratified waters is investigated. The most distinctive feature of these eddies is that their cores are strongly tilted with respect to the stratification, yet their velocity field remains quasi-horizontal. Field observations and numerical simulations are used to explore the consequences of the strong tilt on the eddy baroclinic structure. It is found that the background density field is altered in such a way as to maintain a pressure minimum in the tilted vortex cores. This adjustment results in a fundamental asymmetry of the density field. Isopycnals are deflected upward on the shoreward side and downward on the opposite side of the eddy center. The resulting pattern closely resembles the asymmetries of azimuthal wavenumber one that develop when tropical cyclones become tilted by an environmental shear.The authors provide a simple analytical model that suggests this structure is obtained via a balance between the centrifugal force and the horizontal pressure gradient. As the eddies release from the boundary, adjust, and decay, their tilt as well as the associated density perturbation decrease and lose coherence. It is suggested that this may lead to a conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy.


This paper investigates the influence of cultural tradition on democracy in South Korea, with a particular focus on Confucian values. Confucian values comprise a positive attitude towards worldly affairs, a life-style of sustained discipline and self-cultivation, respect for authority, and familial collectivism. The data relies on a national survey conducted in 2000. Survey analyses served to provide empirical evidence that previous speculative debates lacked. The evidence shows that Confucian tradition exerts no effect on popular support for political democracy but has a negative impact on support for democracy in social relations. However, the authoritarian effect of Confucian values weakens in the presence of other social forces such as urbanization and Christianity. Protestant belief and growing up in an urban area diminish the negative effects of Confucianism. This suggests that Confucianism is adapted to new social trends and that the relationship between tradition and modernity is not one of antithesis, but of mutual accommodation.


This paper uses one-min returns on the TOPIX and S&P500 to examine the efficiency of the Tokyo and New York Stock Exchanges. Our major finding is that Tokyo completes reactions to New York within six min, but New York reacts within fourteen min. Dividing the sample period into three subperiods, we found that the response time has shortened and the magnitude of reaction has become larger over the period in both markets. The magnitude of response in New York to a fall in Tokyo is roughly double that of a rise.