This paper provides an overview and economic evaluation of the major road safety programs in Australia from 1970 to 2000. The paper estimates that Australian governments currently spend about $600 million a year on road safety. There are also costs associated with restrictions on travel speeds and other behaviour. However, these safety programs are now saving about 1000 lives and 5000 hospital cases per annum. Depending on the discount rate employed, the paper estimates that road safety programs from 1970 to 2000 generated a net social benefit of between $3.0 billion and $5.0 billion. However, there was a net cost to government. The main beneficiary is the road user. This paper is based on a review of the benefits and costs of road safety programs carried out for the Department of Health and Aged Care. This was part of an overall economic evaluation of the public health programs for tobacco reduction, coronary health care, HIV/AIDS, immunisations and road trauma. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E205861.


The n.m.r. spectra of 2,6-di-1-adamantyl-4-alkylphenols (alkyl = Me, Et, Pri, But, or 1-adamantyl) have been recorded for dilute solutions in [2H]chloroform, carbon disulphide, carbon tetrachloride, hexane, and [2H6]benzene. The internally referenced chemical shifts of the ring and phenolic protons are presented. The resonance of the sterically hindered 3- and 5-protons is shifted, relative to solutions in carbon tetrachloride or hexane, downfield in [2H6]benzene and in [2H]chloroform, and upfield in carbon disulphide. These internally referenced solvent shifts become larger as steric hindrance of the protons increases, except in the case of solutions in [2H]chloroform, for which the shift, relative to hexane solution, becomes smaller as the steric hindrance of the protons increases. Comparison with data for the corresponding 2,6-di-t-butylphenols reveals that the adamantyl group causes shielding of neighbouring protons. The chemical shifts of the sterically hindered phenolic protons of 2,4,6-tri-t-butylphenol and 2,6-di-1-adamantyl-4-t-butylphenol have been obtained for solutions in carbon tetrachloride–benzene over the whole range of mixture concentrations. The factors causing solvent shifts for the sterically hindered protons in these substituted phenols are discussed.


Mould brachytherapy is short distance radiation delivery via custom fabricated carrier device known as mould. This report describes the fabrication of customized brachytherapy appliance for a 70yr old patient having carcinoma of the tongue.


During 2017 and 2018, the Precalculus course at the Technological University of Panama was offered via an intelligent tutoring system (ITS). Analysis of the results show that student interaction with the ITS learning modules contributes to the levelling of knowledge and to improved performance in mathematics. As a by-product of this implementation, a proposal called "Remedial Action Program" (Spanish acronym, PAR), is presented in this article, the purpose of which is to take advantage of STI's to level students' mathematical knowledge, thereby improving their chances to be admitted to, and retained in, the UTP. This proposal is structured around three programs for students with different mathematics profiles.


Analyses were performed during the conceptual design stage of a 20in. threaded connector for deep water J‐pipe lay, as part of a research project developed by Tecnomare and partly funded by the EEC. The joint consists of two parts, namely a pin and a box, provided with cylindrical threads. It was essential for the joint design to be fully leak‐proof for both internal and external pressure and this requirement had to be satisfied also under the maximum bending moment allowable for the sealine. Sealing was accomplished on a cone surface by screwing the pin into the box until yield was reached. The FEM analysis was carried out primarily to check that the pin and box remain pressed to one another over the sealing surface in every design condition with adequate pressure to prevent leakage. For this purpose, the analysis was a powerful design technique, as it gave an easy understanding of the structural behaviour and provided proper stiffness by making the joint either larger or thinner wherever required. The main characteristic of this work is that FEM analysis has been utilized as a design method rather than as a check. The analysis was performed by means of ADINA (Automatic Dynamic Incremental Non‐linear Analysis) program. Contact pressure between sealing surfaces, as achieved during the joint screwing phase, was modelled through thermal elongation. Pressure loads and external forces were superimposed through a step‐by‐step procedure, by accounting for the elastoplastic behaviour all around the sealing surface. In order to verify the behaviour of the mechanical joint, six prototypes have been fabricated and tested under the design loads of the lay phase and the operative life. The results of the tests confirmed the correct design and the results of non‐linear finite element analysis. The most important performances of the joint can be summarized as follows: (1) the make‐up phase is rapid and easy: no problems of frictional pick‐up took place; (2) no leakage happened during the internal pressure tests: the pressure of 300atm (1.5 times the design internal pressure) was maintained for 12h; (3) the load conditions of the second series of tests were: 200atm of internal pressure and the maximum allowable bending moment relevant to the pipe: after 2h no leakage happened. This paper describes the model used for the analysis, discusses its implications and the most important results achieved in comparison with the tests of the experimental phase.


Passages, Third Edition, is a two-level, multi-skills course that will quickly and effectively move adult and young-adult learners of English from high-intermediate to the advanced level. The Online Workbook B provides interactive skills practice, extra listening exercises, helpful progress monitoring tools, and instant feedback with anytime, anywhere access, and corresponds to Units 7-12 of the Student's Book. Access to the Online Workbook is provided through an access code printed on the inside front cover of the Student's Book.


The resident population of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Sado Estuary, Portugal, has been declining at least during the past three decades. A complete photographic census produced a current count of 24 animals—19 adults, three subadults and two calves. It appears to be phylopatric and essentially closed, but given the likely importance that exchanges with neighbouring coastal groups may play, even if rare, the most adequate term to define this dolphin should be community and not population. Large groups with all age-classes are common in the community, possibly as a calf and subadult protection strategy, and this may be related to the fact that these age-classes have had high mortality rates in the last decade. Maternity of two calves was determined, and we found that the two mothers adopted different parenting strategies. While one mother spent more time alone with her calf, the other mother spent more time with her calf in larger groups. The average coefficient of association for this community is 0.45, quite high for this species. Associations and typical group size are similar between all individuals, with no patterning according to age-class or sex, which constitutes an atypical trait for dolphin societies. There are also no clear divisions in this community according to cluster analysis. Associations are preferred and long term, lasting approximately 34 days and fitting a pattern of casual acquaintances, where individuals associate for a period of time, disassociate and may reassociate after that. This reflects the fission–fusion character of the community, but in a more stable manner. We think this is caused by a combination of demographic characteristics and a stable and productive environment, which led to a decrease in competition between individuals.


The arachnoid membrane is separated from the dura by the subdural and from the pia by the subarachnoid space. The latter, traversed by numerous trabeculae, is the container of the cerebrospinal fluid. Under pathologic conditions, such as observed among others by Mauss and Kruger 1 in twenty-three operative cases, membrane-like bands form between the arachnoid and the pia; or portions of the latter become adherent to the arachnoid membrane, occluding whole sectors of the subarachnoid space. The resulting conditions—cysts, thickenings of the pia-arachnoid and adhesions—interfere with the free circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid. Clinically they are known as adhesive circumscribed arachnoiditis, chronic spinal meningitis (Horsley), circumscribed edema of the arachnoid spaces, serous spinal meningitis and leptomeningeal cysts. Though mentioned by Schlesinger, 2 the foregoing pathologic conditions did not attract attention until the publication of a contribution by Spiller, Musser and Martin 3 and the subsequent surgical reports of Horsley 4


Extramedullary plasmacytoma is a rare soft-tissue malignancy ofplasma cells. Some 80% of these tumors occu r in the head and neck, 28% in the nasal cavity , and 22% in the paranasal sinuses.1.2 Approximately 20% of the head and neck tumo rs are initially associated with multiple myeloma.' We evaluated a 41-year-old woman who had a history of multiple cranial neuropathies on the right , particularly in the trigeminal nerve. Computed tomography (CT) detected a soft-tissue mass that involved the petrous portion of the right temporal bone and exte nded into the posterior right parasellar area (figure) . Biopsy identified the lesion as a plasmacytoma, and the patient underwent local radia tion therapy. Plasmacytom a has been reported to involve the temporal bone and produce a lytic lesion offairly hom ogeneous soft-tissue density (because of its cellularity), and it can be seen on both CT and magneti c reso nance imaging.i-' Alth ough plasmacytoma can occur as an isolat ed lesion , many patients eve ntually develop multiple myeloma.'


We discuss the relative gas-phase abundances found for the predominantly neutral interstellar clouds — located in the Galactic disk and halo, in the LMC or SMC, and (perhaps) in between — along the lines of sight to Sk 108 in the SMC and to SN 1987A in the LMC.


Diogenes of Sinope (ca. 403–323 bce) was a colorful fourth-century philosopher regarded as the original face of Cynicism.

Keywords:

Greek history;
history of philosophy;
intellectual history


An analysis of the historical truth,based on relevant records in Shi Ji and Han Shu,that Confucianism evolves from the margin to the political cultural centre of the Han Dynasty,reveals that Dong Zhongshu comes up with the proposal of so-called "rejection of various philosophical schools and exclusive reverence of Confucianism" only with the prerequisite that the Han-Dynasty Emperor Wu just previously confirms "rejection of various schools and honor of Liu Jing",which is motion-seconding rather than motion-initiating.The fact that Dong is held in esteem as a "Confucian master" is because he draws analogies and makes the past serve the present through deducing Chun Qiu catastrophes with yinyang,and sets a model for the Han Confucian scholars in accommodation and transformation of role-consciousness as the situation demands.Dong advocates "wang dao san gang"(benevolent way of ruling and three cardinal guides),even ungrudgingly violates the pre-Qin Confucian scholastic positions,revises Confucianism with huang lao xing ming(schools of Huangdi,Taoists,Legalists and Logicians),and makes clear the spiritual transformation of Confucian scholars under the Han-Dynasty autocratic unitarity.


Thank you for downloading mixing race mixing culture inter american literary dialogues. As you may know, people have search numerous times for their chosen readings like this mixing race mixing culture inter american literary dialogues, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some malicious virus inside their computer.


Anemia has been identified as a serious public health problem in both developed and developing countries, affecting around 2 billion people and accounting for threequarters of a million fatalities per year in Africa and Southeast Asia. Anemia in pregnancy is common, according to research from around the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of awareness, causes, and prevention of anemia in pregnancy among pregnant mothers attending Asogbon PHC Bariga in Lagos State, Nigeria. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The respondents were given a questionnaire. One hundred and nine (109) questionnaires were distributed, collected, and analyzed by respondents. The study's data was examined and processed with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) V21. To assess participant characteristics and offer responses to the study's research questions, descriptive analysis, frequency, average, and percentage were employed. The study discovered that knowledge about anemia signs, vulnerability, food, and prenatal visits was good, but information about causes and perceived effects of anemia was inadequate. According to the findings, the most common known cause of the condition is a poor diet, followed by malaria, worm infestations, and other factors. Despite widespread recognition that poor diet is the leading cause of anemia in pregnancy, there is little information about food sources that can assist in combating the disease. Also, less than half of those who profess knowledge of anemia-fighting foods eat them throughout pregnancy. The study found that the pregnant women were of reproductive age and had completed secondary and higher secondary school. The study revealed that while there was good awareness and prevention of anemia in pregnancy, To obtain a better feto-maternal outcome in pregnancy, there is a need to raise awareness about anemia in pregnancy and implement effective health education programs on anemia prevention.


Abstract The strict orthogonality of the magnetic orbitals favors the ferromagnetic interaction. The basic idea of this strategy are recalled and three examples are presented. The first one concerns a copper(II)-orthosemiquinone entity, the second one a copper(?)-vanadyl(?) complex and the third one a Cr(I?)Ni(?)3 tetranuclear species. In each case, the ground state has the highest spin mutiplicity. The status of the orthogonality concept is investigated through an ab-initio calculation dealing with the Cu(II)VO(II) compound.


A pregnant woman is a dyad of a unit of two individuals consisting of the mother and the foetus. The unity of the dyad which starts after conception continues through the antenatal and postnatal periods. The dyad shares the critical birth experience jointly. Maternal health refers to the state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period. 1,2 Maternal death according to WHO refers to "the death of woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective to the duration and site of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes. 3 Regarding the magnitude, every minute, one maternal death occurs somewhere in the developing countries. Maternal mortality is the tip of the iceberg. 4 According to the estimates, in 2016 maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was recorded as 130 per 10,0000 live births, down from 167 in 2011-2013 but did not achieved the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target for India of 109 maternal death per 100,000 live birth by the year 2015. 5,6


Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.), the dominant tree species in Eurasian boreal forests, is important for studies on global change and regional carbon balance. However, few studies have focused on changes in the seasonal dynamics of its leaf phenology and photosynthetic capacity in response to environmental changes. It is unclear whether these responses are driven by genetic adaptation or by phenotypic acclimation. We examined the seasonal dynamics of leaf phenology (April to October) and photosynthetic capacity (May to September) of 32鄄year鄄old Dahurian larch trees for three years (2009—2011). The larch trees were from six provenances and were growing at the Maoershan Forest Ecosystem Research Station (45毅24忆N, 127毅40忆E). The six provenances originated from areas spanning approximately 4毅 in latitude


Through a section of camera video,the moving human bodies are detected and tracked.In target detection,it obtains image sequence,gets the background using adaptive background extraction method.In accordance to the segmentation threshold of the partition separating the objects and images,it segments the images,extracts moving field,and detects the human bodies' moving targets.In the target tracking,it chooses the movement tracking system based on Kalman filtering.By estimating the next position of moving targets,it tracks moving targets with real-time.In this paper,it builds the model and algorithm on the experimental platform in the Linux open-source use of Intel's OpenCV library.Several rounds of simulation tests show that the use of Kalman filter can be a very good solution to the experiment.When two people shake hands with the issue of inter-shading,it solves the problem well,gets very good tracking of moving targets and fast processing speed.So,the system meets the real-time requirements under normal circumstances.


Rawnsley, G. (1996). Overt and Covert: The Voice of Britain and black broadcasting in the Suez crisis. Intelligence and National Security, 11(3), 497-522.


I was surprised to find the garden awash with light when I got home. It was most unusual and it alarmed me. These garden lights were unkind to my electric bill and were usually switched off unless something was up. The last time I turned them on was New Year's Eve. I had wanted the garden to look festive while I lay half-conscious in bed, watching millennium shows on TV. I drove into the driveway tonight and found something was indeed up: a tent, in the middle of the garden. Before I could make sense of it, Julian, my seven-year-old, flew out of the tent flap and announced, "We're sleeping here tonight!"


Objective
To approach the operative effect of dural bilaminar saturation in frontal-temporal skull defect repairs after standard decompressive craniectomy.

Methods
Fifty-two patients with titanium cranioplasty in frontal -temporal skull defect were retrospectively analyzed;27 of them adopted dural bilaminar saturation in the first standard decompressive craniectomy(test group);25 of them adopted dural monostratal saturation in the first operation(control group). The operation time,blood loss, postoperative complications in the two groups were compared.

Results
The mean operation time: the test group was(65.00±8.15)min and the control group was(83.00±10.25) min, there was statistically significant differences between the two groups(t=7.059,P 0.05).

Conclusion
Skull repairs in second standard decompressive craniectomy by dural bilaminar saturation, can be shortened the operation time and lessened amount of bleeding.

Key words:
Skull defects; Dural bilaminar saturation; Standard decompressive craniectomy


RCC skew bridges are more often encountered in the highways. Recent growth of transportation infrastructure has increased the number of skew bridges in India. In this paper the RCC skew bridge with skew angle 60 0 is taken into consideration and its analysis is done using the finite analysis software. The bridge is subjected to dead loads, IRC standard moving loads and also response spectrum analysis is done to take into account the earthquake effects. The behavior skew bridge is observed in terms of bending moments, shear force and torsional moments and then the design of pier is done. The RCC bridges undergo the deterioration over the period of time and there after it may not be able to withstand the given stress. Deterioration causes loss of strength and alternatively in moment of inertia of RCC members. This effect can be taken into account by effective moment of inertia concept specified in various codes. It is necessary to retrofit the piers. The paper implements Indian code IS 15988-2003 to retrofit the RCC bridge pier taken into account for this study. After jacketing the pier shows satisfactory results for the given loads. In this paper two span RCC T girder skew bridge is analysed for its forces. Pier are considered as a subject of study and its modelling as degraded structure and check for safety for current critical load combination is taken. Form the results it is found that pier needs retrofitting so it is done with the method of RCC jacketing and again it is checked for structural strength criteria and serviceability criteria. RCC jacket have improved its flexural capacity, shear capacity and also made bridge safe in strength and serviceability. IndexTerms skew bridge, response spectrum, effective moment of inertia, IRC, Jacketing, cracked section.


'See, for example, Randall B. Ripley, Power in the Senate (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1969); Ralph K. Huitt, "Democratic Party Leadership in the Senate," American Political Science Review, 61 (September 1967), 675693; Randall B. Ripley, Party Leadership in the House of Representatives (Washington: The Brookings Institution, 1967); Randall B. Ripley, Majority Party Leadership in Congress (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1969); Margaret R. Munk, "Origin and Development of the Party Floor Leadership in the United States Senate" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University, 1970).


Cr(VI) based systems are worldwide restricted. Thus, different Cr-free based coating systems have been developed and are already industrially in-line applied on metallic coated steel sheets. Following manufacturing processes, e.g., joining, must not be influenced negatively by this systems with enhanced functionality (compared to lubrication). However, a distinct influence of certain systems on resistance welding was experienced in the past, i.e., a drastic limitation of electrode life according to electrode degradation. Objective of this work was the fundamental characterization of this degradation process. Methods were derived to later-on characterize different coating systems. It is commonly known that surface lubrication improves the spot welding process of hot dip galvanized steel sheets. Therefore, the evolution of the dynamic conduction resistance of lubricated and non lubricated hot dip galvanized steel sheets was characterized in advance to the "multi-functional" systems. From this, a reduction of weldability could be referred to the nature of a hot dip galvanized zinc layer: the native barrier layer between the steel sheet and the zinc coating (mainly aluminum content) clearly hindered the spot welding process in case of absence of lubrication. Any additional coating system applied on the bare non lubricated zinc surface could either improve or reduce this fundamental property. A negative influence of distinct chemical elements incorporated in the different coating systems could be identified to decrease weldability, e.g., silicon and phosphorous. The methods derived within this thesis proposed an improvement of the intrinsic low weldability of hot dip galvanized steel sheets using specially modified coating system. On the one hand, incorporation of elements improving material transport out from the electrode steel-sheet interface would lead to limited electrode degradation. On the other hand, a limitation of oxidation would improve the welding process in general. Improvement of spot welding via oxidation limitation was verified by means of resistance spot welding in inert-gas atmosphere. In alternative thereto, a functional coating system could be said to deposit a semi-conducting layer on the welding electrode cap surface, barely reducing weldability. This was the case for a Cr(III) based coating systems.


A systematic approach to achieve a LRHH (low roughness and high hardness) electroforming process is developed in this study. Because electroformed molds with low roughness and high hardness are required for microlens array fabrication using the LIGA-like process, the invented Ni–Co alloy-pressurized electroforming process is used to fabricate a metallic micro-mold for microlens array molding. The electrolyte parameters such as Co content, current density, brightener content, pH value and temperature will be examined with respect to roughness and hardness. An artificial neural network (ANN) is used to construct a system model that accurately predicts the responses for arbitrary parameter settings. A genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to minimize the surface roughness and improve the micro-mold hardness. The results show that the micro-mold surface roughness and hardness could be significantly improved using the ANN/GA approach. A LRHH electroforming process is carried out using parameter design to improve the surface morphology and increase the service life of the micro-mold during the forming process.


47 Synchronization of neural oscillations is thought to integrate distributed neural 48 populations into functional cell assemblies. Epilepsy is widely regarded as disorder of 49 neural synchrony. Knowledge is scant, however, regarding whether ictal changes in 50 synchrony involving epileptogenic cortex are expressed similarly across various 51 frequency ranges. Cortical regions involved in epileptic networks also exhibit 52 pathological high frequency oscillations (pHFOs>80 Hz), which are increasingly utilized 53 as biomarkers of epileptogenic tissue. It is uncertain how pHFO amplitudes are related to 54 epileptic network connectivity. By calculating phase-locking values among intracranial 55 electrodes implanted in children with intractable epilepsy, we constructed ictal 56 connectivity networks and performed graph theoretical analysis to characterize their 57 network properties at distinct frequency bands. Ictal data from 17 children were analyzed 58 using a hierarchical mixed-effects model adjusting for patient-level covariates. 59 Epileptogenic cortex was defined in two ways: (1) a hypothesis driven method using the 60 visually-defined seizure-onset zone; and (2) a data-agnostic method using the high 61 frequency amplitude of each electrode. Epileptogenic cortex exhibits a logarithmic 62 decrease in inter-regional functional connectivity at high frequencies (>30 Hz) during 63 seizure initiation and propagation, but not at termination. At slower frequencies, 64 conversely, epileptogenic cortex expressed a relative increase in functional connectivity. 65 Our findings suggest that pHFOs reflect epileptogenic network interactions, yielding 66 theoretical support for their utility in the pre-surgical evaluation of intractable epilepsy. 67 The view that abnormal network synchronization plays a critical role in ictogenesis and 68


In order to accurately analyze trace-level, reduced sulfur compounds (RSC) in ambient air, one needs to rely on the thermal desorption technique (TD) to atone for the limited sensitivity of direct gas chromatography (GC) analysis. In this study, the relative performance of GC/PFPD system combined with TD unit was evaluated to help accurately determine RSC based on the comparative analysis of two types of calibration approaches. Hence, calibration results of RSCs were compared by controlling sample transfer system (air server (AS) and TD unit) between the two contrasting calibration approaches such as: incremental-loading of a given standard with the fixed standard concentration (FSC) vs. supply of standards made at multiple concentration points at the fixed standard volume (FSV). The results of our study indicate that RSC calibration is affected fairly sensitively by sample loading conditions of the AS/TD system. It is hence necessary to delicately control the TD operation conditions for the accurate quantification of RSCs, when GC/PFPD system with TD is employed for RSC analysis.


Introduction If listeners evaluate the overall loudness of a longer sound fluctuating in level, the initial and final portions of the stimulus receive greater weight than its temporal center [1]. If all temporal segments provide the same amount of information, an ideal listener would weight the level information provided by each segment uniformly [2]. Pedersen and Ellermeier [3] found that some listeners used an approximately optimal set of weights if trial-bytrial feedback was provided. In everyday life, we frequently encounter sounds gradually increasing in intensity, as for example a car approaching on the road. The present experiment studied the temporal weights used in evaluating overall loudness of a level fluctuating sound that contained a fade in. The stimulus consisted of ten 100-ms wideband-noise segments. The levels of the first few segments were attenuated relative to the level of the final segments. We expected weights for the softer segments constituting the fade in to be smaller than for the unattenuated segments, although all segments still provide the same information. A fast fade in condition (3segment fade in) and slow fade in condition (6-segment fade in) were studied in the experiment. The two conditions were presented randomly interleaved in order to find out whether listeners adapt their weights on a trial-by-trial basis. Additionally, intensity difference limens were measured for a 300ms wide band noise burst and a 'fade in' noise stimulus consisting of three 100-ms noise segments, with the level of the first and the second segment attenuated by 10 and 5 dB, respectively, relative to the level of the third segment. The ideal weights described above rely on the assumption that listeners' intensity resolution for the two types of stimuli is identical.


Sex determination is the developmental decision that occurs during the plant life cycle that leads to the differentiation of the two organs or cells that produce the two gametes. Darwin (1877) studied different forms of flowers on plants of same species. According to him minority of plant species are 'sexually polymorphic', including dioecious species, with separate males and females. He also showed that many dioecious species with hermaphrodite relatives have evident rudiments of opposite sex structures in flowers of plants of each sex, suggesting recent evolution of unisexual flowers. In many sexually reproducing plant species (and some animals) all individuals are essentially alike in their gender condition. Many such 'sexually monomorphic' species are hermaphroditic.


The book argues that the hostility between Somalia and Ethiopia, largely due to Somali Irredentish, allowed the superpowers to establish a presence and, in the cold war period, to vie for supremacy in the Horn.


The French royal genealogy compiled by Giles of Paris (1160? – before 1224) has received little scholarly attention, but it is an important source for the historical views of Capetian circles at the beginning of the thirteenth century. The work is an elaborate family tree which traces the royal succession from the legendary origins of the Franks to the contemporary heir to the throne, the future Louis VIII, who is identified on the chart as Ludouicus puer. Giles begins with a narrative of the history of Sicambria and of the entry of the Franks into Gaul which he illustrates with a table of the first Merovingians. The family tree then continues, indicating the length of each king's reign and giving historical notes on some rulers. The genealogy is traced in detail from Clovis through the sons of Louis the Pious, but afterward there appear only kings, and rarely their queens, except for the family of Louis VI, whose sons and eldest grandsons are shown. In addition, Giles traces the supposed Merovingian descent of the Carolingians, the descent of the Capetians from Robert the Brave, and the lines of many of the descendants of William the Conqueror. Giles's selection, presentation, and reworking of materials from his sources reveal a view which in some respects is original and in others, while derivative, is an unusually clear sketch of the dynastic schematization of the national history. The genealogy is an outline history of France which, although written at the beginning of a period of great historiographical activity and itself unlike other works of the time, has remained unedited and has never been seriously studied.


Preface Critical Perspectives on Democracy and Human Rights Introduction by Richard S. Hillman, John A. Peeler, and Elsa Cardozo Da Silva Preserving Memory: The Past and the Human Rights Movement in Chile by Louis N. Bickford Venezuela and Colombia: Governability as the Social Construction of Democracy by Elsa Cardozo Da Silva Citizenship and Human Rights Policy in Brazil by Isabel Ribeiro de Oliveira The United States and the International Promotion of Democracy Ploughing the Sea? International Defense on the Age of Illiberal Democracy by Christopher Sabatini U.S. Policy for the Promotion of Democracy: The Venezuelan Case by Maria Teresa Romero Democracy and International Military Intervention: The Case of Haiti by Irwin P. Stotzky Re-Thinking U.S. Policy Toward Fidel Castro: Can Implementation of "Best Business Proctices" Better Promote Political and Economic Liberalization in Cuba? by Edward Drachman Conclusion by Richard S. Hillman, John A. Peeler, and Elsa Cardozo Da Silva Index


This paper addresses the significant impact of temperature and humidity changes on human comfort and health within indoor environments. The objective of this research is to develop a prediction model for air condition outside Telkom University Landmark Tower (TULT) using the Internet of Things (IoT) approach and Regression Tree Ensembles (RTE). In this study, the RTE technique is employed as the prediction method that combines multiple regression trees to enhance the accuracy of predictions. Historical data collected from the TULT building serves as the training dataset for the model. To assess the model's performance, evaluation is conducted utilizing the R-squared ($R^{2}$) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) methods to quantify the error. The evaluation on temperature measurements show that the model achieves a low MAE of 0.28608 in the test data. In the training data, the MAE is even lower, at 0.00397. For humidity measurements, the model exhibits a higher MAE of 7.0043 in the test data, indicating higher error rates in humidity predictions. Similarly, the MAE in the training data is 0.1086, showing that the model performs better on the data it was trained on but still experiences higher errors in the test data. In terms of $R^{2}$ values, the model achieves an $R^{2}$ of 0.3159 in the test data for temperature measurement, indicating that it can explain approximately 31.59% of the variance in temperature data. In the training data, the $R^{2}$ value is much higher at 0.9949. Interested readers can use the data from this website https://socj.telkomuniversity.ac.id/data/.


Abstract : This report summarizes the results of a 5-year study of the reactive (or impedance) loading technique. Applications to various geometries are discussed, leading to an appreciation of both the strengths and weaknesses of this technique as a means of cross section modification and control. Small bandwidth is, perhaps, the greatest drawback to any widespread application, and of the many approaches that have been (and are still being) tried to enlarge the bandwidth, network synthesis appears to hold the most promise. (Author)


Three-dimensional Rotational Microscopy was used to take the photos of the fabrics.Three categories of yarn appearance diameters in the worsted fabrics were discussed.The fabrics were grouped into two to explore the relationships between yarn appearance diameters at the interlacing points,opening points,and the calculated yarn diameters.The correlations between the appearance diameters and fabric parameters were given,and the results showed that the calculated yarn diameter and warp cover factor had a very big influence on yarn appearance diameter.The equations expressing the relationship between yarn appearance diameters and fabric parameters are established using step-regression method.The validation of the equations for one type of fabrics shows a good accuracy with the average error below 9% except the weft filaments exceeding 22%.


During the operation of oil and gas production platforms (OGPP) on the shelf of the World Ocean structural and safety concerns caused by biodeterioration from fouling can occur. For the successful solution of these problems, basic research into this phenomenon, in particular ― study of qualitative and quantitative parameters, vertical distribution, and community development dynamics of fouling organisms is necessary. The fouling community is an ideal object for the study of quantitative interpretation of the critical moment of a succession. Engineering design of platforms requires forecasting of biological fouling specific to the area of installation. Based on our as well as published data, a hypothetical fouling communities of the supporting structure of oil-production platforms on the shelf of the eastern Sakhalin was predicted to consist of various balanids, bivalves, kelps, ascidians, and sponges with greater biomass in the shallower near-surface high energy zone.


The pK a of the nonovalent phenazonium cation in the first triplet state has been estimated from transient triplet-triplet absorption spectra obtained by flash photolysis. The value obtained, pK a =1.9, differs considerably from the previously reported pK a =4


Four new amides of cinnamic acid derivatives (cinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid) and 4aminoantipyrine were synthesized and their structure was confirmed ( 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR, FTIR and elemental analysis). Some of their biological properties were evaluated: antimicrobial and antioxidant (DPPH radical scavenging activity, Fe 3+ reducing power). The tested compounds were more effective against Staphylococcus aureus than the corresponding free acids, but presented no effect on Gram negative bacteria and Candida albicans. The amides of caffeic and ferulic acid were very efficient antioxidants (DPPH radical scavenging assay: EC 50 < 100 µM). The Fe 3+ reducing power for the synthesized substances was similar or superior to that of the positive control (ascorbic acid).


Dissipation anisotropy of a highly c-axis-oriented (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox silver-sheathed tape in the vicinity of Tc(T/Tc>0.9) has been investigated by measuring the dependence of the magnetoresistance on the applied field, the temperature and the angle (θ) between the magnetic field direction and the tape surface. The results show that the dissipation anisotropy increases with the increase of the field and the temperature. It is found that the dissipation is only related to the magnetic field component perpendicular to the tape surface (c-axis component), i.e., R(H,θ)=R(Hsinθ). The experimental results can be accounted for in terms of the easy motion of two-dimensional (2D) pancake vortices along the CuO2 planes.


Firstly, we consider the space of small image patches, say 7times7 pixels, and show that patches cropped from natural images are distributed in a wide variety of manifolds from low dimensional manifolds for regular textons and image primitives, to high dimensional manifolds for textures. Secondly, we introduce a learning and modeling method which pursues these manifolds by information projection, and derive statistical models, such as the active basis model for the low dimensional manifolds and the MRF models for the high dimensional manifolds. Thirdly we show how these two types of manifolds are integrated in large images to form the primal sketch model in early vision, and how they are mixed to form complex objects in the high level vision. Fourthly we show the transition of these manifolds through information scaling. The objective of this work is to study the structures of the image space, based on which we can understand the connections and transitions of a number of classic models used in computer vision and pattern recognition.


The bachelor thesis is of theoretical-empirical character. It deals with the use of digital technologies in kindergartens. The theoretical part presents findings from the field of digital literacy, digital technologies and their implementation into education in the context of kindergartens. The empirical part presents the results of qualitatively oriented research. The empirical part examines how teachers perceive the use of digital technologies in kindergar-ten. Data were acquired through interviews with kindergarten teachers using digital tech-nology with preschool children. Based on the data analysis, five categories dealing with digital technologies in the kindergarten emerged.


We investigate the behavior of a discrete-time multiserver buffer system with infinite buffer size. Packets arrive at the system according to a two-state correlated arrival process. The service times of the packets are assumed to be constant, equal to multiple slots. The behavior of the system is analyzed by means of an analytical technique based on probability generating functions (pgf's). Explicit expressions are obtained for the pgf's of the system contents and the packet delay. From these, the moments and the tail distributions of the system contents and the packet delay can be calculated. Numerical examples are given to show the influence of various model parameters on the system behavior.


This paper discusses the anomalous eddy current caused by magnetic domain wall movement. The anomalous eddy current due to the change of flux space harmonics distribution generated by domain wall movement is generally not affected by steel thickness, but by crystalline grain size. Then, if magnetic flux is concentrated at the steel sheet surface, such as the skin effect, the anomalous eddy current loss increases and weakens the skin effect although classical eddy current decreases. Therefore, it is necessary to use the magnetization curves, taking into consideration the anomalous eddy current loss to estimate the actual eddy current loss, because anomalous eddy current loss cannot be calculated with the usual method, where the DC hysteresis loop is used and microscopic flux distribution is not considered in Maxwell's equation.


The GW method is a many-body electronic structure technique capable of generating accurate quasiparticle properties for realistic systems spanning physics, chemistry, and materials science. Despite its power, GW is not routinely applied to large complex assemblies due to its large computational overhead and quartic scaling with particle number. Here, the GW equations are recast, exactly, as Fourier-Laplace time integrals over complex time propagators. The propagators are then "shredded" via energy partitioning and the time integrals approximated in a controlled manner using generalized Gaussian quadrature(s) while discrete variable methods are employed to represent the required propagators in real-space. The resulting cubic scaling GW method has a sufficiently small prefactor to outperform standard quartic scaling methods on small systems ($\gtrapprox$ 10 atoms) and also represents a substantial improvement over other cubic methods tested for all system sizes studied. The approach can be applied to any theoretical framework containing large sums of terms with energy differences in the denominator.


Abstract Objectives The present multicentre study assessed the prevalence and patterns of impacted and transmigrated maxillary and mandibular canines in a Turkish subpopulation. Methods The study identified 1625 patients who had impacted teeth from a group of 10,700 patients (referred to three university hospitals between January 2014 and December 2015) and examined the accompanying records, panoramic and periapical radiographs, and cone-beam computed tomographic images (if available). An impacted canine was considered to be transmigrated when at least part of the tooth had crossed the midline. Results Out of 1625 patients, 163 (10.0%) had impacted canines (comprising a total of 170 affected teeth). Impacted canines were found in the maxilla in 114 patients (69.9%) and 49 patients (30.1%) showed mandibular canine impaction. Thirty-eight patients (2.3%) had transmigrated canines, of which twenty (52.6%) were located in the mandible, while 18 (47.4%) were found in the maxilla. No significant difference was evident between the genders, the site (right/left) and the impacted/transmigrated canines (p > 0.05). However, it was determined that canine impaction was significantly more frequent in the maxilla than in the mandible (p < 0.05). In addition, of the 38 patients presenting with transmigrated canines, eight (21.6%) had a history of alpha thalassemia. Conclusions Canine transmigration occurs in both the mandible and maxilla. The prevalence of impacted/transmigrated canines in the studied population was 10.0% and 2.3%, respectively. The mechanism of transmigration of maxillary canines remains unclear and requires further investigation. However, a possible correlation with genetic disorders (like alpha thalassemia) should not be overlooked.


In this paper we propose efficient two-party protocols for obliviously applying a (possibly random) linear group action to a data set. Our protocols capture various applications such as oblivious shuffles, circular shifts, matrix multiplications, to name just a few. A notable feature enjoyed by our protocols, is that they admit a round-optimal (more precisely, one-round) online computation phase, once an input-independent off-line computation phase has been completed. Our oblivious shuffle is the first to achieve a round-optimal online phase. The most efficient instantiations of our protocols are obtained in the so-called client-aided client-server setting, where the offline phase is run by a semi-honest input party (client) who will then distribute the generated correlated randomness to the computing parties (servers). When comparing the total running time to the previous best two-party oblivious shuffle protocol by Chase et al. (Asiacrypt 2020), our shuffle protocol in this client-aided setting is up to 105 times and 152 times faster, in the LAN and WAN setting, respectively. We additionally show how the Chase et al. protocol (which is a standard two-party protocol) can be modified to leverage the advantages of the client-aided setting, but show that, even doing so, our scheme is still two times faster in the online phase and 1.34 times faster in total on average. An additional feature of our protocols is that they allow to re-invoke a previously generated group action, or its inverse, in subsequent runs. This allows us to utilize randomize-then-reveal techniques, which are crucial for constructing efficient protocols in complex applications. As an application, we construct a new oblivious sorting protocol implementing radix sort. Our protocol is based on a similar approach to the three-party protocol by Chida et al. (IACR ePrint 2019/965), but using our oblivious shuffle as a building block as well as various optimizations, we obtain a two-party protocol (in the client-aided setting) with improved online running time and a reduced number of rounds. As other applications, we also obtain efficient protocols for oblivious selection, oblivious unit-vectorization, oblivious multiplexer, oblivious polynomial evaluation, arithmetic-to-boolean share conversions, and more.


The aim of this study is to assess the pesticides residues in wheat and soil samples from Ghaziabad
city of India. Herein, wheat and soil samples were collected from fields in Ghaziabad city, India from
2017 to 2019 and analyzed on GC-MS/MS & LC-MS/MS using QuEChERS method of extraction.
One or multiple pesticide residues were detected in the wheat and soil samples. Cypermethrin,
cyahalofep butyl and chlorpyrifos were frequently detected in the soil samples. Concentrations of
carbendazim and chlorpyrifos in the paired soil and wheat samples exhibited significant positive
correlations. The monitoring results showed that the concentrations of some pesticides in the wheat
flour samples exceeded the FSSAI MRL standard, which implies possible intake risks via consumption.
Hence, dietary risk assessments were conducted. The resulting hazard quotient (HQ) values fell within
3.89-7.25 indicates that dietary risk of studied crop is low and their current residue concentrations in
wheat would be safe for human consumption.


To describe short time (picosecond) and small scale (nanometre) transport in fluids, a Green's function approach was recently developed. This approach relies on an expansion of the distribution of single particle displacements around a Gaussian function, yielding an infinite series of correction terms. Applying a recent theorem (van Zon and Cohen 2006 J. Stat. Phys. 123 1–37) shows that for sufficiently small times the terms in this series become successively smaller, so that truncating the series near or at the Gaussian level might provide a good approximation. In this paper, we derive a theoretical estimate for the time scale at which truncating the series at or near the Gaussian level could be supposed to be accurate for equilibrium nanoscale systems. In order to numerically estimate this time scale, the coefficients for the first few terms in the series are determined in computer simulations for a Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluid, an isotopic LJ mixture and a suspension of a LJ-based model of nanoparticles in a LJ fluid. The results suggest that for LJ fluids an expansion around a Gaussian is accurate at time scales up to a picosecond, while for nanoparticles in suspension (a nanofluid), the characteristic time scale up to which the Gaussian is accurate becomes of the order of 5–10 ps.


The organising of the international monetary system is one of the crucial problems with which societies have struggled through the ages. All countries are in need of a well-organised international economy and an effective international monetary system. The advantages of an effectively functioning international monetary system and of active participation of countries in the international economy and international trade are extensive. Access to foreign markets for exports and imports, acquisition of capital and investment possibilities.


Abstract A silica-based inorganic sorbent was synthesized by the thermal decomposition of ammonium heptamolybdate on silica and applied for the preconcentration and simultaneous determination of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb in river water samples using a column system with flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron dispersive spectroscopy were used for sorbent characterization. The effects of pH, sample volume, eluent type, eluent concentration, eluent volume, sample flow rate, and matrix ions (Al, Bi, Ca, Mg, and Zn) on the recovery of the metals in model solutions were investigated. The adsorption capacities (µmol g−1) of SiO2-MoO3 were 88.96 (Cd), 169.69 (Co), 153.85 (Cr), 188.88 (Cu), 179.05 (Fe), 163.81 (Mn), 136.31 (Ni), and 38.61 (Pb). The detection limits of the method were 9.09, 10.82, 10.77, 49.57, 31.64, 6.40, 8.86, 19.15 µg L−1 for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb, respectively, with a preconcentration factor of 25. The developed method was used for the determination of the target metals in real samples and the recoveries for spiked samples were found to be from 91.2% to 102.9%.


OpenACS is a high level community framework designed for developing collaborative Internet sites. It started from a university project at MIT, got momentum from the ArsDigita Foundation, and split up into a commercial and an open source version. OpenACS has proven its durability and utility by surviving the death of its parent company (ArsDigita) to grow into a vibrant grassroots collection of independent consultants and small companies implementing diverse and complex Web solutions around the globe for NPOs, philanthropy, and profit. A heritage from this history is a still dominant position of contributors with commercial interests, which in its intensity is above the norm found in open source projects. In this paper, OpenACS with its community is presented as a case study documenting the forces between commercial interests, securing investments, and technical development in a large open source project with a large proportion of commercial involvement.


Due to the unique optical and electrical properties of graphene and its potential application in microelectronics and spintronics, precise micropatterning graphene on substrates has found significant attention for optimal performance of many these applications. This study investigates the process of patterning single layer graphene on a SiO2/Si substrate using Ti:Sa laser irradiation. A variety of laser fluences are employed for the removal of graphene from the substrate surface as the film is scanned at different speeds and required laser fluences for the removal of graphene are determined at these speeds. This is performed because pulse overlapping is an effective parameter for successful removal of graphene from substrates, which results in different ablation thresholds for each laser scanning speed. Changes of produced channels widths are also investigated as a function of total laser fluences. Study of Raman spectra of patterned graphene film is performed by Raman microspectroscopy to evaluate the quality of laser produced micropatterns. It includes the investigations of intensity changes of defect D and D′ bands on graphene edge. Optical contrasts are also calculated for both graphene and graphene edge and the results are compared.


Abstract Is there a political theology of revolution in Carl Schmitt or is his political theology only and exclusively autocratic? Schmitt sees the key to revolutionary politics in the construction of the idea of the people as a constituent power. This idea, and the first event it produced, namely, the French Revolution, not only establishes a concrete state of exception but also makes exceptionality both at the same time a constituent and a de-constituent element of the political order of the Modern State. The exception goes from coming from "outside" the political order to being integrated into it as an element of stasis, that is to say, of destabilization. Hence, all modern politics, under the mask of legality, become permanently revolutionary. This article analyses the juridical genealogy and the theological–political transfers involved in the construction of the modern revolutionary political era that follows from Schmitt's insights.


In this paper we describe a model of the distribution of alike elements in dialogical communication. Our starting point is the interactive approach to alignment which views priming as a basic mechanism of verbal interaction. As this mechanism predicts short distances of the occurrences of primes on the one hand primed units on the other we concentrate on the distance effect induced by priming. The present paper focuses on prerequisites of measuring this effect. Thus, it can be seen as a starting point of operationalising the notion of alignment in terms of information theory.


A reflection on the challenges of African identity within the context of the persistence of European Modernity as the ideal of globalisation, offers an opportunity for a fresh perspective on the life and work of Leopold Sedar Senghor. We subject Senghor's life and intellectual output to a critical triangular prism of: (1) Paul James's critique of globalism as an ideology of globalisation; (2) Walter Mignolo's enunciation of the epistemico-cultural implications of Western-led globalisation on the postcolony; and (3) Paulin Houtondji's Afrocentric critical literary theory. The result is a claim we make that in the devotion of his literary talent and intellectual prowess to the nurturing of the 'French way', Senghor not only nurtured an imperialistic French globalism, but betrayed an opportunity to assert a political space for an enduring decolonial African epistemology during a critical period in the history of Africa's relationship with Europe. Senghor's life praxis is in this way presented as a typology of the psychopolitical pitfalls facing African thought leaders in their postcolonial engagement with Western modernity.


The utility model relates to a device for inspecting the quality of material surfaces. The device comprises a plurality of sets of inspecting units, which can be respectively used for inspecting different surfaces of material, and controllers of the inspecting units. A turnover mechanism is arranged between two adjacent inspecting units among a plurality of sets of inspecting units. Each inspecting unit comprises a conveying belt for conveying to-be-inspected material, and a driving motor, an inspecting mechanism, and an eliminating mechanism of a conveying belt; wherein, the inspecting mechanism is arranged at the place where the material on the conveying belt can be inspected, and the inspecting mechanism can be communicated with the eliminating mechanism. The inspecting device comprises an inspecting trigger electric eye and an intelligent camera with the function of image processing. The output end of the inspecting trigger electric eye is communicated with the input end of the intelligent camera; and the output end of the intelligent camera is communicated with the eliminating mechanism by the controller. A feeder which is vibrated straightly is arranged between the turnover mechanism and the conveying belt of the next inspecting unit. The utility model not only can improve the inspecting efficiency and reduce the labor intensity of inspectors, but also can guarantee the inspecting quality.


The invention relates to an allowed method for guarding a singlechip programmer, wherein a CPU generates authentication authentication codes according to received programming license files; data binding is carried out on the CPU and a data memory; license information in the received programming license files is encrypted and locked; the authentication codes and encrypted and locked license information form authorization messages which are stored in an information memory of the CPU and the data memory; every time when the programmer is electrified to execute programming, a central controller verifies authorization messages in the information memory and the data memory; when the authorization messages are right; the programmer enters the programming process and updates the authentication codes and the license information to generate new authorization messages which are stored in the information memory and the data memory; the authorization messages are removed when the messages are not correct. The method of the invention can guard a programming license and prevent a programmer software from being copied.


Based on dsPIC30F3010 as the main core components,through software programming the control IPM module FSBB20CH60 which drive AC induction motor variable frequency speed control,and display by LED digital,the keyboard settings,door lock control,design of a good speed performance.The circuit is simple and reliable,cost-effective centrifuges for variable frequency speed control system.


Through the Modem module and GSM AT instruction,realizes the programming of the short note group-sending in the monitoring and early warning communications system for the ships navigated in the inland river. The programming uses C++ Builder system,and the exterior connection uses the Victor serial port to control. Analyzed through the experiment, the procedure operation is reliable.


The effect of radiation upon human health and life span are discussed and compared with other environmental and socio-economic factors affecting human health and life span. (J.S.R.)


Data from cadasters and censuses indicate that farmstead abandonment in Pomor'ye was slight before the middle of the 16th century, with migrants going from the European Center and Novgorod Land to western Pomor'ye, from western to eastern Pomor'ye, and later from eastern Pomor'ye to Siberia, attracted by the absence of manorial serfdom, the presence of the landsharing village, and the availability of arable land. From the late 16th century this process was intensified by the development of the White Sea route to Europe, the annexation of Siberia, and improvements in agricultural methods and implements. At the same time, farmstead abandonment increased in response to the economic crisis of Ivan IV's reign, and it increased even more from the late 17th century. Many northern peasants were mobilized by the state as soldiers or workers; many others fled to Siberia or went roaming. (The translation was prepared by James R. Gibson of York University, Toronto.)


The moral panic about 'fake news' internationally has formed the backdrop for debates about the impact of the spread of similar fabrications on politics in South Africa. News – whether 'fake' or 'real' – should not be understood outside of its particular contexts of production and consumption, and therefore an investigation into the phenomenon of 'fake news' in South Africa needs to take account of local specificities. The phenomenon of 'fake news', the discourses that surround it and responses by audiences and the journalistic community have to be understood within the particular social, cultural and political context. This article seeks to locate the manifestation of 'fake news' within the South African media landscape, in order to illustrate how it produces particular responses that relate directly to specific social and political forces at a given historical juncture. In other words, the phenomenon of 'fake news' will be used to understand how journalistic discourses operate within particular environments. Of particular interest is the response of the journalistic community to the emergence of 'fake news', and how this phenomenon is used as leverage to assert a professional identity in the light of pressures on journalism in the context of a young democracy.


To investigate whether activity‐monitors and machine learning models could provide accurate information about physical activity performed by children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) who use mobility aids for ambulation.


A 62-year-old man with a history of hypertension and poorly controlled type II diabetes mellitus presented to his primary care physician with a 5-day history of chills, decreased urinary output and haematuria. Urinalysis was consistent with urinary tract infection and the patient was prescribed ciprofloxacin. He did not take the antibiotics as instructed and subsequently had to come to Emergency Room due to worsening of his condition as well as new complaints of increased thirst, dark urine and lower back pain. He also admitted that for the previous 3 days he had not been taken insulin due to his illness. On examination, he was an obese man in no distress, fully alert and oriented. The temperature was 97oF, the blood pressure 125/58 mm Hg, the …


The ultrastructure of the ovarian follicle and the levels of the ovarian 11-dehydrocorticosterone (11-DHC), estradiol-17β (E2), 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17α-OHP), and progesterone (P) were studied during cortical alveoli, vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation in Chalcalburnus tarichi. The microvilli began to form on the oocyte surface during cortical alveoli phase and during vitellogenesis, came into contact in the pore canals of the zona radiata with microvilli formed from granulosa cells. While the special thecal cells posses specific organelles, which are characteristic of steroid-producing cells, namely, mitochondria with tubular cristae, smooth endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplets, the granulosa cells contain organelles typical for protein-secreting cells. These findings suggest that during vitellogenesis the special thecal cells are the sites of steroid synthesis in the C. tarichi ovary. The levels of 11-DHC and progesterone were measured at lower concentration than other hormones. While there was a decline in 11-DHC level during cortical alveoli phase (from 52.60 - 6.54 to 20.33 - 6.74 ng/ml), during vitellogenesis it increased gradually and reached a peak at the end of vitellogenesis (68.90 - 9.99 ng/ml). At the beginning of maturation phase, it decreased to baseline level (22.90 - 1.87 ng/ml) and again increased at the end of the maturation (54 - 0.75 ng/ml). E2 levels started to increase at cortical alveoli phase and this increase continued during vitellogenesis too. In February, a small decline was noted. However, at the end of vitellogenesis the level of E2 reached its maximum value (756.10 - 26.5 ng/ml). At the maturation phase (in April) it decreased to 213.50 - 25.5 ng/ml and again a slight increase was perceived (in May). 17α-OHP level was 100.10 - 14.4 ng/ml at the beginning of the cortical alveoli phase and it decreased to 13.40 - 1.3 ng/ml at the end of the phase. It started to increase during vitellogenesis and reached its maximum value at the end of vitellogenesis (213.90 - 8.14 ng/ml). At the beginning of the maturation phase (in April) an evident decline was noted (68.00 - 8.58 ng/ml). It increased again to 142.20 - 4.45 ng/ml at the end of maturation (in May). P level was measured to 50.90 - 2.37 ng/ml at the beginning of the cortical alveoli phase (in August), and it decreased to 22.80 - 0.50 ng/ml at the end of the phase. This low value was kept at the beginning of vitellogenesis, but during vitellogenesis a small increase was noted and at the end of the phase it was measured as 50.80 - 4.03 ng/ml. This low level is kept during maturation phase too. These results suggest that in C. tarichi none of these hormones (11-DHC, E2, 17α- OHP and P) is effective during the cortical alveoli phase, E2, 11-DHC and 17α- OHP are effective during vitellogenesis while P has no effect and 11-DHC and 17α- OHP are effective at the end of maturation while E2 and P have no role.


It is described how epoxy-bonded glass fiber-reinforced plastic plates can provide a corrosion-free solution to increasing the load-carrying capacities of concrete bridges. The addition of epoxy-bonded steel plates to the tension face of concrete girders has been used effectively in Europe and elsewhere to repair and strengthen reinforced concrete elements with insufficient load carrying capacity due to mechanical damages, functional changes, or corrosion. The advantages of the method include ease of application and elimination of the special anchorages needed in the post-tensioning method; a shortcoming is the danger of corrosion at the epoxy-steel interface which adversely affects the bond strength. This problem may be eliminated by replacing steel plates with corrosion-resistant synthetic materials such as fiber composites. Studies in this field are described. Other applications of epoxy bonded steel plates to concrete girders are described. A program to test the static strength of concrete beams strengthened with epoxy bonded glass fiber reinforced plastic plates is also described.


Sentiment analysis of microblogging texts can facilitate both organisations' public opinion monitoring and governments' response strategies development. Nevertheless, most of the existing analysis methods are conducted on Twitter, lacking of sentiment analysis of Chinese microblogging (Weibo), and they generally rely on a large number of manually annotated training or machine learning to perform sentiment classification, yielding with difficulties in application. This paper addresses these problems and employs a sentiment ontology model to examine sentiment analysis of Chinese microblogging. We conduct a sentiment analysis of all public microblogging posts about '7.23 Wenzhou Train Collision' broadcasted by Sina microblogging users between 23 July and 1 August 2011. For every day in this time period, we first extract eight dimensions of sentiment (expect, joy, love, surprise, anxiety, sorrow, angry, and hate), and then build fuzzy sentiment ontology based on HowNet and semantic similarity for sentiment analysis; we also establish computing methods of influence and sentiment of microblogging texts; and we finally explore the change of public sentiment after '7.23 Wenzhou Train Collision'. The results show that the established sentiment analysis method has excellent application, and the change of different emotional values can reflect the success or failure of guiding the public opinion by the government.


The invention provides a bandwidth management system and method. When a client device has a calling request of a new Internet phone, the system conducts SIP negotiation of the new Internet phone in a control mode and monitors all Internet phones not subjected to SIP negotiation by calculating the bandwidth required by the new Internet phone and adding the bandwidth required by original Internet phones under the condition that the added bandwidth is larger than the maximum support bandwidth. If SIP negotiation of one Internet phone in the monitored Internet phones does not succeed, the updated bandwidth actual use quantity is calculated. Only when the bandwidth actual use quantity exceeds the maximum support bandwidth, the monitored Internet phones are stopped; otherwise, the Internet phones with successful SIP negotiation are controlled, and monitoring is conducted continuously till all the monitored phones are successful or stopped. Therefore, the client device can manage the bandwidth of all the Internet phones according to the current operation condition of the WiMAX network before the new Internet phone is built, and the plurality of Internet phones can be built by fully utilizing the network resources.


Complex technique of computer modeling for truss-tension reflectors, based on the interconnection of tasks of deformed firm body mechanics and electrodynamics, and also computer modeling of intensively-deformed condition of an expandable construction of a space reflector.


This thesis explores how manipulation of the fourth wall can affect players' Gameplay Experience in digital games, due to the lack of any significant research regarding the matter. In preparation o ...


Although many technical reports have been written about formation damage caused by brine/formation interactions, this article discusses the effects brines and chemical clay stabilizers have on pure samples of kaolinite, smectite, illite and chlorite clays. Analytical chemistry and geochemical models were not employed in this study; instead, capillary suction time tests were used to empirically compare clay migration and swelling characteristics when samples were exposed to certain brine/clay stabilizer combinations. Objective of the study was to determine which type of clay was most damaging in reservoir rocks, and whether one brine or chemical stabilizer could meet the needs of stabilizing all clay types. This information is provided with well completion operations in mind, especially when fluid cost/performance is a major concern. This article compares the unique brine/chemical stabilizer reaction characteristics of each clay type common to oil and gas reservoirs.


We evaluate an economic effect of potential flood risk which is defined by height difference between high water level and ground level with the two-regional residential location model. The model describes residential behavior of households which choose one of the two regions to maximize their utilities. First we get a parameter in a utility curve which shows a preference rate of the risk. Second we examine the risk-mitigation benefit under a variety of condition. Finally we discuss that a relationship of beneficiaries or a total benefit depends on an extent of influence which we set.


The article is devoted to the issues of interethnic relations in Central Asia, the need for integration and cooperation between states, external influences, information impacts on the peoples of the region, border issues, overpopulation, ethnic issues and their impact on the stability of the region.


The study of the mechanism of cardiovascular disease especially coronary artery disease has obtained great progress in recent years.Atherosclerosis is a process of chronic inflammation from pathology aspect.To study cardiovascular disease from inflammation aspect is the new hot point recently.The relationshipbetween adhesion molecules and cardiovascular disease has been paid attention.This review describes the advances of adhesion molecules in cardiovascular disease.


2,5-Bis(trimethylsilyl)selenophene-1,1-dioxide was easily synthesized in 80% yield by reaction of selenophene with the common oxidant m-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA). The oxidation proceeded as a typical consecutive reaction. The kinetic study revealed that the rate of the first oxidation is faster than that of the second oxidation. The structure of the dioxide was identified by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The structural parameters of the dioxide show lower aromaticity as compared with that of selenophene. The HOMO–LUMO transition of the dioxide is remarkably red-shifted as compared with that of selenophene, because of the interactions between the π-orbitals of the ring and the p-orbitals of the oxygen atoms. A dichloromethane solution of the dioxide showed weak fluorescence due to the heavy-atom effect.


The principle of the mass‐sensitive ion probe (MSIP) operation consists in a time‐of‐flight (TOF) analysis of the ions in the burst excited by a short (µ s‐range) voltage pulse applied to a small grid immersed into the plasma. The ions in the burst propagate along the magnetic field lines of the tokamak with velocities determined by the value of the applied voltage and by the ions mass/charge (mi /Zi) ratio. The ions of different species and charges separated along some distance (TOF path) from the grid are detected by a retarding field energy analyzer (RFEA). This paper presents description of the MSIP design and first operation on the tokamak ISTTOK. The preliminary results of the obtained mass‐spectra are presented and discussed (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


This paper presents a novel process for detecting landmines from Infrared (IR) images. The detection process uses Karhunen Loeve Transformation (KLT) to process a set of IR images collected at night. The detection process consist of number of stages. The first stage is the enhancement to improve the image quality. The next stage is the Marker-based Watershed Segmentation to specify the domain of possible objects. The final stage is the mine recognition. A comparison with Lee's method (Lee, 2001) is provided for three mine field with various soil types. Our method provided a higher detection rate and lower false alarms.


This study introduces a new methodology for acquiring vehicle tracking data with which to calibrate and validate microsimulation traffic models for safety analysis. Most common approaches are based on video image processing algorithms or the use of roadside Bluetooth detectors. In this paper a procedure is presented that makes use of on-board assisted-GPS equipped smartphone probes supplemented by other location services including Wi-Fi positioning system and cell-site multilateration. The calibration procedure was applied to the VISSIM® software using a genetic algorithm to systematically modify the parameters of car following behaviour model in order to fit vehicle tracking data obtained from simulations to the measured ones. Vehicle tracking data are analysed in terms of rear-end interactions among vehicles in traffic stream; these interactions are expressed by the deceleration rate to avoid a crash, a surrogate safety measure accounting for the speed differential between follower and leader vehicles and their closing time.


To investigate the intestinal microecological environment in budorcas taxicolors,three strains of bacilli were isolated from the fresh feces of a healthy takin using the bacterial isolation-identification methods.The results showed that the three kinds of bacilli were long Gram-positive long rods with spores,two of which were facultative anaerobic bacteria and the other was aerobic bacteria.They were greatly cultured in pH 5.7 or 7% NaCl medium,but they were special on the use of sugar and salt.According to the the observation of bacterial morphology and biochemical characteristics,the three strains of Bacilli were identificated as B.fastidiosus,B.magaterium and B.badius.


The aim of this paper is to study the Herglotz variational principle of the fractional Birkhoffian system and its Noether symmetry and conserved quantities. First, the fractional Pfaff-Herglotz action and the fractional Pfaff-Herglotz principle are presented. Second, based on different definitions of fractional derivatives, four kinds of fractional Birkhoff's equations in terms of the Herglotz variational principle are established. Further, the definition and criterion of Noether symmetry of the fractional Birkhoffian system in terms of the Herglotz variational problem are given. According to the relationship between the symmetry and the conserved quantities, the Noether's theorems within four different fractional derivatives are derived, which can reduce to the Noether's theorem of the Birkhoffian system in terms of the Herglotz variational principle under the classical conditions. As applications of the Noether's t heorems of the fractional Birkhoffian system in terms of the Herglotz variational principle, an example is given at the end of this paper.


The 'eaten' Dionysus: the invention of a vegetarian campaign? There are only two testimonies of the Orphic version of Dionysus' myth in which, after having killed him, the Titans ate him. The first one appears in Plutarch's treatise About the Eating of Flesh, in which the philosopher interprets these criminals' punishment by Zeus as an allusion to the fate reserved for our soul, which is to be castigated in its turn if we eat flesh. Such a version of the myth is particularly convenient for a defence of vegetarianism! We are therefore entitled to wonder if Plutarch has not, at least developed, if not invented, a mythical component which was not as well known as scholars tend to believe. The second testimony is offered by Olympiodorus, who mentions the story of the 'eaten' Dionysus in order to assert that our body itself, and not only our soul, is divine because of its coming from the ashes of the Titans who devoured the young god. The tenet supported by this exegesis is the ban on committing suicide and consequently, the resort to this particular version of the myth was essential for Olympiodorus, who might have borrowed it from Plutarch. Each time the philosophical context provides the only decisive clue to understanding how such a mythical component can have appeared.


This paper provides theory and evidence relating information asymmetries and agency costs to exit outcomes in venture capital-backed entrepreneurial firms. Where venture capitalists are able to better mitigate information asymmetries and agency costs faced by the new owners of the firm, they will be more likely to have a successful exit outcome. Information asymmetries and agency costs will vary depending on the characteristics of the venture capitalist and entrepreneurial firm, as well as the structure of the financing arrangement. This paper introduces a new dataset comprising all venture capital exits in Canada for the years 1991 to 2004. The data provide strong support for the conjecture that the ability to mitigate information asymmetries and agency costs is a central factor in influencing exit outcomes.


The chemical mass balance method which was originally developed for source resolution of chemical elements was extended in this study to chemically reactive compounds in atmospheric aerosols. The basic theoretical equation was reformulated to incorporate atmospheric decay factors for reactive species. The method was tested with selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) using source emission data and atmospheric concentrations reported in the literature. Absolute atmospheric concentrations of coronene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(e)pyrene, benzo(ghi)pyrene, and anthanthrene measured at 13 sites in the Los Angeles basin were apportioned between automobile and refinery emission sources. Refinery emission patterns of PAH in the Los Angeles basin were computed from an analysis of auto emissions data and ambient data from a refinery area. Rates of atmospheric degradation of the PAH were calculated from an analysis of auto emission and ambient air data. Literature reports on major emissions of PAH from combustion sources were reviewed and evaluated.


Objective To analyze the characteristics and risk factors of clopidogrel resistance in elderly hospitalized patients combined with type 2diabetes mellitus(T2DM)and coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods A total of 315cases were divided into control group(n=196),with the platelet aggregation inhibition rate(△A)detected 24hours after taking clopidogrel more than 10%,and observation group with △A not more than 10%(n=119). Retrospectively analysis of the differences of cardiovascular disease risk factors,blood sugar,lipid metabolism and inflammation index level between the two groups were performed.Results Compared with control group,there were no significant statistically difference in sex,ages,body mass index(BMI),smoking history,incidence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia,and levels of triacylglycerol,total cholesterol,low density lipoprotein cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin in observation group(P0.05).Levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein,fasting glucose and glycosylated serum protein were significantly higher in observation group,but level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower(P0.01),compared with control group.Conclusion Clopidogrel resistance might be obvious in elderly patients combined with T2DM and CHD,and the risk factors could include increased levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein,fasting glucose,glycosylated serum protein,and decreased level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.


Breast cancer is the worldwide leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the carcinogenesis and progression of breast cancer. miR-653-5p was previously reported to be involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis. However, the role of miR-653-5p in the progression of breast cancer has not been studied. In the present study, it was found that overexpression of miR-653-5p significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro. Moreover, overexpression of miR-653-5p promoted cell apoptosis in breast cancer by regulating the Bcl-2/Bax axis and caspase-9 activation. Additionally, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and activation of the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway were also inhibited by miR-653-5p. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that miR-653-5p directly targeted mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 (MAPK6) and negatively regulated its expression in breast cancer cells. Upregulation of MAPK6 could overcome the inhibitory effects of miR-653-5p on cell proliferation and migration in breast cancer. In conclusion, this study suggested that miR-653-5p functions as a tumor suppressor by targeting MAPK6 in the progression of breast cancer, and it may be a potential target for breast cancer therapy.


Objective To investigate the curative effect of bicyclol in treatment of chronic type B hepatitis.Methods 60 cases of chronic type B hepatitis were treated with bicyclol and the changes of hepatic function,HBV-DNA and antigen-antibody of HBV were investigated between pretherapy and post-treatment.Results The ALT and AST decreased obviously after treatment of bicyclol for 3 months,there was significant difference compared with pretherapy(49.30±28.30) vs (139.05±37.31),P0.01;(65.10±19.06) vs (106.50±31.43),P0.01.The ALT and AST decreased obviously compared with pretherapy after treatment of bicyclol for 6 monthsALT(42.45±25.78) vs (106.5±31.43),P0.01;AST(66.00±16.45) vs (106.50±31.43),P0.01.After discontinuation for 3 months,the ALT rebound(84.60±46.74) and the AST still maintained a low level(47.60±12.80),but there were significant difference still compared with pretherapy(P0.01).In all 60 patients,had the HBeAg transformed,from HBeAg(+) to HBeAg(-) in 8 cases;And the HBV-DNA dismissed in 7 cases.Conclusion The bicyclol has evid effect of decreasing the ALT and AST,and maybe have the some contribution to antivirus.


Sertoli Leydig cell tumor of the ovary, is a rare neoplasm from the group of sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary, accounting for less than 1% of all ovarian tumors. Among the Sertoli Leydig cell tumors, we distinguish a separate group of tumors secreting α-fetoprotein (AFP). The young 24-year-old woman presented to the Clinical Department of Gynaecological Endocrinology at the University Hospital in Krakow due to secondary amenorrhea, hirsutism and worsening abdominal pain for several months. During the admission draws attention was drawn to the abnormal level of testosterone, AFP and the revised structure of the ovary in the ultrasound. After a preliminary diagnosis, expanded pelvic MRI was performed, which found an isolated tumor derived from Sertoli Leydig cells. The patient was enrolled to unilaterally remove the right ovary by laparotomy. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining confirmed the diagnosis of Sertoli Leydig cells tumor, and in pathological examination we found glandular mucosa cells of the colon. Owing to scientific reports on the stromal tumors of the ovary, we decided to perform genetic testing and verify the patient's karyotype. In the follow-up 90 days after the surgery, levels of testosterone and AFP were correct. In case of Sertoli Leydig cell tumors, especially in young women of childbearing potential, special attention should be paid to Anti-Mullerian hormone testing before surgery, as well as genetic diagnostics to exclude disorders of sex development.


In order to solve the urgent issue of the energy consumption in the cloud storage system. An Energy-effective adaptive replication strategy (E 2 ARS) is proposed in this paper, in which data partition mechanism, minimal replicas determining model, replicas placement strategies and the adaptive gear-shifting mechanism are elaborately designed. We try to conserve the energy consumption while satisfying the users' desired response time by our E 2 ARS scheme. Mathematical analysis show that our E 2 ARS scheme will save energy consumption definitely when the system's workload is light or desir ed response time is loose. And the simulation experiment results demonstrate that through our E 2 ARS scheme energy consumption can be saved while with Qos satisfied and data availability


Good spoken language needs a lot of accumulation and use of language materials.The students in China study English every day,but they communicate with each other in Chinese normally.That is to say,they can not make a good application of English,so what they have learned is"dumb English".Middle school students seldom speak English,and the words and sentences they learned in English class will be read only in Morning Reading.


Abstract Analysis of the equations for the energy of insipid ferroics with hydrogen bonds showed the existence of localized states of charged particles in a high-temperature phase. Either impurity electrons or protons that got off the hydrogen bonds can be considered as charged particles. These localized states can be clusters 'precursors' for a low-temperature phase and can explain the effect of a critical temperature dependence on the sample history. The dependencies of the localized states parameters on the problem parameters have been elaborated.


The flow in a rotating annular cylinder, of finite depth, is examined when the Rossby number Ro is O(E½), where E is the Ekman number, and when there is a topography of height O(E½) on the base of the container. The flow, relative to the rigid axial rotation, is forced by differential rotation of the lid and as it moves over the topography the streamlines are deflected parallel to the bottom surface. This induces O(1) velocity variations near the axial walls of the annulus to which the boundary layers there, of thickness O(E¼), respond. For sufficiently large values of a parameter γ ∝Ro/E½ the skin friction can vanish within these layers, with some similaritits to boundary-layer separation in a non-rotating fluid. In this study the interior flow, with horizontal viscous diffusion neglected, is calculated and used to provide a boundary condition for the, E¼ layer flow. Once λ exceeds a finite critical value a singularity is encountered in the boundary layer corresponding to flow separation from the wall. This demonstrates that E¼ layers in a rotating fluid, which for Ro = 0 have little direct influence on the interior flow, can modify the gross properties of the flow for non-zero Rossby numbers, a conclusion also reached by Walker & Stewartson (1972) in a different context.


The method for realtime recognition of respiration types (patterns) of a patient to monitor his conditions and threats to his health, which is a special case of the problem of human activities recognition (HAR), was proposed. The method is based on application of deep machine learning using the convolution neural network (CNN) to classify the chest motion speed. It was shown that the decisions, taken in this case, are coordinated with mobile medicine technology (mHealth) of the use of body sensors and smartphones for signals processing, but CNN offer important additional opportunities at improving the quality of processing the accelerometersensor signals in the presence of interfering signals (noise) from other sources and instrumental errors of devices. We proposed the method of transformation of onedimensional (1D) accelerometer signals into twodimensional (2D) graphic images, processed using CNN with multiple processing layers, due to which the accuracy of determining the respiration pattern in various situations for different physical states of patients increases compared with the case when twodimensional accelerometer signal conversion is not used. In this case, an increase in accuracy (or quality) of determining different types of respiration occurs while maintaining a sufficient speed of performing procedures of the planned method, which allows classification of respiration types in real time. This technique was tested as a component of the Body Sensor Network (BSN) and high accuracy (88 %) of determining the patient's respiration state was established, which in combination with contextual data, obtained from other BSN nodes, makes it possible to determine the patient's state and a signal of the aggravation of their respiratory diseases.


The structure of the crystalline compound——an active antiarrhythmic ingredient, isolated from the aqueous extract of Curcuma aromatica Salisb, was established as dipotassium magnesium dioxalate dihydrate by spot test, chemical analysis, atomic emission and absorption spectrometry. A Procedure for the preparation of the above mentioned compound was proposed.The compound prepared by the proposed method was further-confirmed by infrared spectrophotometry and by all the above experiments to have the same structure as that of the crystalline compound isolated from Cufcuma aromatica Salisb.


After five years of negotiations the first step has been taken to integrate Dutch consultants into the hospital management structure and limit their freedom to act as self employed entrepreneurs.

With the exception of consultants in university hospitals, who are paid a salary, most of the 13000 hospital consultants, or medical specialists, in the Netherlands charge their patients fees for services that are based on national tariffs. The patient receives a separate bill from the hospital.

Under the new legislation, which health minister Professor Els Borst-Eilers laid before parliament …


Data Synthesis: In CVD primary prevention studies, very-lowdose aspirin use (≤100 mg daily or every other day) increased major gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding risk by 58% (odds ratio [OR], 1.58 [95% CI, 1.29 to 1.95]) and hemorrhagic stroke risk by 27% (OR, 1.27 [CI, 0.96 to 1.68]). Projected excess bleeding events with aspirin depend on baseline assumptions. Estimated excess major bleeding events were 1.39 (CI, 0.70 to 2.28) for GI bleeding and 0.32 (CI, 0.05 to 0.82) for hemorrhagic stroke per 1000 person-years of aspirin exposure using baseline bleeding rates from a community-based observational sample. Such events could be greater among older persons, men, and those with CVD risk factors that also increase bleeding risk.


PDF Version November 16, 2016 TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED: SUBJECT: Texas Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Incentive Program - Funded Components for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 School Years The Texas Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) Incentive Program was


Er-cheng who is neo-confucianism in the North Song Dynasty inherit and carry forward the Confucian ethical tradition, put forward Little for Starvation, Significant for losing Politeness", this Is considered derogatory status of women. Actually, Although this words is a negative view about the status of women, the expression of the Er-cheng in heart for women's expectations. It reflect the prevailing social code of ethics in North-Song.


The paper reviews the influence of various dimensions of job satisfaction and ethical behaviour on organisational commitment. Several distinctive factors stemming out from each of these two dimensions will also be identified and studied. The paper concludes with discussion on managerial implications and direction for future research.