Elevated levels of systemic IL-10 have been associated with several chronic viral infections, including HCV, EBV, HCMV and LCMV. In the chronic LCMV infection model, both elevated IL-10 and enhanced infection of dendritic cells (DCs) are important for viral persistence. This report highlights the relationship between enhanced viral tropism for DCs and the induction of IL-10 in CD4 T cells, which we identify as the most frequent IL-10-expressing cell type in chronic LCMV infection. Here we report that infected CD8αneg DCs express elevated IL-10, induce IL-10 expression in LCMV specific CD4 T cells, and suppress LCMV-specific T cell proliferation. DCs exposed in vivo to persistent LCMV retain the capacity to stimulate CD4 T cell proliferation but induce IL-10 production by both polyclonal and LCMV-specific CD4 T cells. Our study delineates the unique effects of direct infection versus viral exposure on DCs. Collectively these data point to enhanced infection of DCs as a key trigger of the IL-10 induction cascade resulting in maintenance of elevated IL-10 expression in CD4 T cells and inhibition of LCMV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell proliferation.


In Nigeria the existence of single parents is formerly unknown and where they existed, they are ignored as exceptional cases. However, nowadays, they are fast growing family pattern both inside and outside Nigeria. The paper explored the issue of single parenthood and its implication to child rearing and health education. Different types of single parent families have been named, factors that differentiate them advanced. The paper also mentioned various causes of single parenthood as well as problems associated with the situation. It examined various opinions on the outcome of single parenthood on the children and such families generally. Recommendation offered and directed toward the children in such families as well as their parents. It was also recommended that health education should be tailored towards the different type and causes of single parenthood.


The pig production holds a large segment of the Russian food market. Pork is the main raw material for the meat industry and it shares up to 70% of the sausage products production. In addition, along with poultry pork is the most affordable type of meat. During last six years due to investment attractiveness created by Government of the Russian Federation (customs and tariff regulation, tax benefit, subsidized investment loans, etc.) pig industrial sector provides expanded reproduction. The sector profitability in addition to loans repayment provided the opportunity for fodder production developing, pork slaughtering and processing facilities, logistics, distribution, alternative energy recycling. Despite recent years' progress, Russian pig industry is still backward world leading pork producers. Organizational and technological factors are the main factors preventing domestic pig industry efficiency and development. Among them are disadvantages in labor organization, logistical and production base, inappropriate feeding level. Under current economic conditions it's particularly important to reduce technological import dependence of Russian pork production and to conduct technical and technological modernization. It would allow to full domestic pork market with own production.


Many of the issues that confront designers of interactive computer systems also appear in natural language evolution. Natural languages and human-computer interfaces share as their primary mission the s upport of extended "dialogues" between responsive entities. Because in each case one participant is a human being, some of the pressures operating on natural languages, causing them to evolve in order to better support such dialogue, also operate on human-computer "languages" or interfaces. This does not necessarily push interfaces in the direction of natural language—since one entity in this dialogue is not a human, this is not to be expected. Nonetheless, by discerning where the pressures that guide natural language evolution also appear in humancomputer interaction, we can contribute to the design of computer systems and obtain a new perspective on natural languages. 1


A number of non-natural folding oligomers—or foldaA been shown to adopt well-defined helical or extended conformations resembling the secondary structures of biopolymers. [1] Interest in foldamers stems from the prospect that if the forms of biopolymers can be mimicked,their functions may be mimicked as well and even be further expanded,thereby opening the perspective of countless applications. Thus,one major line of development in foldamer chemistry is the investigation of function; for example,biological activity [2,3] and molecular-recognition properties. [4,5] However,even in nature,isolated secondary structures achieve little function relative to tertiary or quaternary structures. Another line of foldamer development and a major challenge in synthetic chemistry is thus to elaborate strategies to design,produce,and characterize artificial,folded objects composed of several non-natural secondary elements. Key steps recently taken in this direction have allowed the first characterizations of artificial "tertiary" or "quaternary" folded motifs in the solid state. [6] In this en


Now that many of us carry around devices that are equipped with sensors (e.g., smartphones with accelerometers) we can use these sensors to measure behavior. The data thus captured can be used to give someone feedback about this behavior. These feedback mechanisms are often used in so called smart coaches, a growing group of product-service systems within the domain of persuasive technology. Despite decades of research on persuasive systems, challenges remain for designers of feedback systems. Little is known about how to design feedback in such a way that it is most effective in motivating people to change their behavior. In this paper, we give a categorization of feedback systems based on the modality that the feedback is offered in and on the specificity of the feedback. We discuss under what circumstances the different types of feedback may be most effective considering the context a feedback system is used in and the goals that users of the system have. Finally, we discuss future research on feedback systems aimed at find more specific design guidelines for feedback systems that apply to persuasive technology in different situations.


The problem that must be solved at first in international commercial contract dispute settlement is the determination of applicable law. This problem is not easy to be solved in the absence of a choice of law clause. Generally, judges or arbitrators attempt to use conventional methods of determination that ultimately designate national law from either party. This conventional method certainly creates a sense of injustice for one of the parties whose national law is not embarrassed. From the condition above, the existence of an international law regime (the New Lex Mercatoria made by International Organizations operating in the field of International Commercial Law) as well as an approach that enforces the law regime is urgently needed in international trade traffic. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of using an opting-out approach to enforce the New Lex Mercatoria in the resolution of commercial disputes encountered. The research method used is normative legal research method with the statute and conceptual approach. The results show that the "opting-out" approach further expands the potential of the New Lex Mercatoria in the settlement of international commercial contract disputes that ultimately leads to the harmonization of international commercial law.


The performance of listed insurance companies in Kenya has over time been unstable, despite its contribution to Kenya's GDP. Whereas the firms have diversified investment asset portfolios, the financial performance of these companies has generally remained low; as evidenced by inconsistent revenues. The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between portfolio management and the financial performance of the listed insurance firms in Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), Kenya. The study has been guided by Modern Portfolio Theory, allowing for the integration of mixed securities. correlational research design has been employed on a target population of six (6) listed insurance companies at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. census technique of data collection to obtain secondary data through the document review method was used. Analyzing data through descriptive and inferential statistics, the following results were obtained; showing a positive significant effect of both portfolio size (β = 0.4859, p = 0.002) and portfolio asset allocation (β = 0.4031, p = 0.000) on the financial performance of listed insurance firms at NSE. However, the results yielded a negative but significant effect of portfolio risk (β = - 0.02546, p = 0.002) on financial performance; implying that a unit increase in portfolio size and portfolio asset allocation leads to 48.59% and 40.31% increase in financial performance of listed insurance firms, respectively. However, Portfolio risk has a negative effect, implying that a unit increase in portfolio risk leads to a 2.55% reduction in financial performance. It can therefore be concluded that portfolio management influences the financial performance of insurance firms listed at the NSE, thereby recommending that listed insurance firms in the NSE should increase the level of portfolio management by giving attention to such elements as portfolio size, portfolio asset allocation, and portfolio risk; which are important predictors of the firms' financial performance, alongside determining the specific mix of investments generating the highest return for a given level of risk, which will lead to increased profitability. JEL: G10; G20; G22  Article visualizations:


The late 1980s saw a trend toward reengining and retrofitting of shipboard machinery as an alternative to buying new equipment. Several examples of variations of these reconditioning methods are given, including the refurbishing of a cable ship, a suction dredger, and a heavy load ship. An industrial engine that was successfully converted and retrofitted to an LPG carrier is also discussed. It is explained that refurbishing and upgrading, aside from being cost-effective and reliable, can extend a vessel's life well into the next century.


This research paper empirically examines the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of Goa tourism from the perspective of the local community. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted among the local community across Goa, the model tourist destination of India. This research has used descriptive statistics for examining the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of tourist destinations of Goa. The factor analysis has been used for identifying the factors that determine the sustainability of Goa tourism from the perspective of the local community. The research findings prove that tourism development is ensuring the environmental and economic sustainability of tourist destinations of Goa. However, the findings on social sustainability indicators prove that tourism is exerting huge pressure on Goa's society. The factor analysis discloses that the factors such as resource exploitation, resource management, socioeconomic empowerment, economic and governance systems, destination empowerment, poverty eradication, and tourism governance, influence the sustainability of tourism in Goa.


Roberto Bolano's posthumous book 2666 is often considered his masterpiece. As it was a raceagainst his own death, Bolano won it while leaving a dominant statement behind, a supremelandmark of our n ...


Objective To investigate the inhibitory effects of tannic acid(TA) on the expressions of renal inflammatory factors in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats and explore their mechanisms.Methods Seventy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group,diabetic model group(DM),aminoguanidine(AG) group,low dose TA group(TA20) and high dose TA group(TA30).After the rats were treated for 10 weeks,24 h urinary protein excretion and the renal function parameters including serum creatinine(Cre) and blood urea nitrogen(BUN) were measured.The morphological changes of kidney tissues were observed using PAS staining.The expressions of ICAM-1 and TNF-α proteins in the kidney tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry.The ICAM-1 mRNA expression in the kidney tissues was detected by RT-PCR.Results Compared with DM group,the serum Cre,BUN and the 24 h urinary protein excretion in TA groups were reduced(P0.05 or P0.01);the PAS-positive substance in mesangial area was reduced;the expressions of ICAM-1 and TNF-α proteins and ICAM-1 mRNA in kidney tissues were significantly decreased(P0.05).Conclusion TA plays a protective role in diabetic kidney and inhibits the expressions of inflammatory factor ICAM-1 and TNF-α in kidney tissues.


This paper suggests an approach to eating disorders, based on systemic ideas about problem-dissolving systems and on the concept of feminist relationist work which derives from Social Constructionism and Feminist Theory. The focus of this paper is on the connection and love between mother and daughter. The hypothesis is that the girl's passion for mother and their connection is the healing force in the treatment of eating disorders. The work is concentrated on connecting, sometimes reconnecting, mother and daughter, which requires an intimate therapeutic context and means that most of the sessions involve exclusively the mother-daughter dyad-rather than conjoint family therapy.


This article focuses on the justifying of the necessity, on the revealing of the essence and content of the special anti-traumatic training of raising officers of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. It is aimed at the development in the process of applying of hand-to-hand fighting techniques of the ability of maximum allowed realization of protective function towards oneself and towards citizens that commit unlawful acts of violence but capable to become law-abiding citizens after suppression of their actions and corrections made.


AbstractA high shear vertical mixer/granulator was instrumented to monitor power consumption, direct torque and reactive torque. All three methods were used to determine their ability in describing the granulation operation. Of the three methods used, direct torque generated the most descriptive profile of the granulation process.Two formulations were manufactured making use of direct torque in detailing the massing process. End-points were determined and the granulations produced were shown to yield tablets with acceptable hardnesses. One formulation was intentionally overwetted and the change in direct torque monitored to demonstrate the ability of the transducer to detail the massing process. Large fluctuations in torque, during the terminal phase of granulating, were seen and related to the doughy consistency of the final product.It was concluded that torque measurements, preferably direct, are needed to more precisely define granulation end-points. These types of measurements are needed to optimize t...


This study sets out to examine the way in which young female title characters are portrayed in teen sitcoms, primarily on the channel Nickelodeon, and in what ways they could or could not contribute to the empowerment of their young female audience. The study is a qualitative content analysis based on the premiss that the characters, through their "visibility" contribute to Girl Power as a discourse. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate if there could be any negative aspects of their characterization which could contribute to an ideal image of "perfection" that a lot of women feel a need to live up to. The study shows that the characters are portrayed as strong, independent, driven, intelligent, responsible and good girls, and that this could be seen as positive in the context. However, the lack of flaws together with a resistance to reference the patriarchal society they live in could potentially result in a characterization that places responsibility for individual success on the viewer. This, in turn, is a phenomenon that could potentially serve as both empowering and suppressing depending on the preconditions of the recipient.


AbstractDesign: Interviews were conducted with six carers of people with dementia about their experience of receiving counselling/psychotherapy. Interviews were conducted in the carer's own home, and data were analysed thematically using a narrative approach. Findings: Three themes were identified from the data: 'Still doing the best I can' (identified as losses and processes of personal growth); 'Feeling connected and being understood' (identified as attributes believed to be important within the therapeutic relationship); and 'Wanting to share information' (identified as sharing information with someone 'neutral'). Carers placed emphasis on the age of the therapist and the amount of therapist self-disclosure. Attending counselling and/or psychotherapy also helped the carer to find a 'safe space' to disclose and share concerns. Discussion: Carer loss and personal growth are explored, together with the importance of building therapeutic relationships and, for the therapist, seeking supervision when managi...


This study aimed to describe the vertical profile of CO2 concentration during least rainy period and rainy periods of 2006 , into an area of tropical forest in the Central Amazon, Brazil . It were used data of CO2, collected at various heights by a system of measures including an infrared gas analyzer (Licor 7000), in a tower with 40 meters of height. From the data collected it was observed that the concentration of CO2 decreases as one moves from the ground to the top of the canopy. This suggests that the largest source of CO2 is from the soil, due to processes such as respiration and decomposition of plant biomass. When is compared the least rainy and the most rainy periods, it is noted significant differences in the amounts of CO2 concentration in these periods. The highest concentrations were observed during least rainy period, with monthly mean values above 440 ppm near the surface.


Natural gas is extensively utilized by the people as the cleanest energy source. With the increase in global population, natural gas has become one of the mainlysignificant energy resources. It has been proposed as one of the solutions to amplify the protection of energy production and reduction environmental pollution about the world. It isn't as it were the most fuel for civilian utilize but too a fundamental input for numerous mechanical applications and power generation. Hence investigate and forecasting natural gas prices have become necessary as it is playing an extended part within the future of worldwide vitality due to its critical natural benefits. Being able to estimate characteristic gas costs benefits different partners and hence it has ended up a really profitable instrument for all showcase members in competitive normal gas markets. Machine learning calculations have ended up well known apparatuses for common gas cost determining. The point of this venture is to examine data-driven prescient models for common gas cost determining based on common machine learning tools such as Artificial neural networks (ANN)


The effectiveness of the use of microbial enzymes as a wastewater treatment method depends on factors such as temperature, pressure, and oxygenation level, among others. However, very few scientific studies have provided real data regarding the evaluation of the applicability of this type of treatment. This research was therefore carried out to evaluate the effect of temperature and aerobic treatment time on the level of treatment of wastewater pollutants, with a mixture composed of enzymes and aerobic microorganisms under environmental conditions in the city of Huancayo, Peru. For this purpose, synthetic wastewater samples were prepared, considering a value of CODinitial= 800 mg L-1. One group of experiments was conducted at a 20°C controlled temperature and another group without control. The following average kinetic constants were obtained as results (Ko= 1.662 d-1, Kc=2.53 mg COD mg-1 VSS) when the T°= 20°C. For the experiments where the T° was not controlled, the average constants were: Ko= 1.217 d-1, Kc=1.24 mg COD mg-1 SSV. We observed from the measurements that the pollutant removal was adjusted to the kinetic model proposed by Orozco, and the biomass production was adjusted to the stoichiometric equation of biomass production with endogenous respiration. Therefore, we concluded that the effect of temperature control and treatment time on the level of purification caused by the microbial enzymatic product is significant at a 95% confidence level.
Keywords: aerobic purification, biomass, digesting bacteria, kinetics, microorganisms.


The isoflavone aglycones daidzein and genistein are phytoestrogens that ameliorate the symptoms of menopause and assist in the prevention of chronic diseases. These compounds have been studied mainly in soya but have also been detected in faba beans ( Vicia faba L.). Since little information is available concerning the content of isoflavone aglycones in faba beans from Mexico, the present study aimed to establish the presence and concentrations of daidzein and genistein in stems of faba bean cultivars from the Mexican central plateau. Cultivars C-281, C-146, C-160, C-89, C-288, C-181, C-93 and C-Zac22 were grown under greenhouse conditions and 6 to 7 week-old stems were harvested. The presence of daidzein and genistein in these tissues was confirmed by thin layer chromatography using a solvent system containing toluene-ethyl acetate-acetone-formic acid (74:14.8:7.4:3.8). High-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis revealed significant differences ( p ≤0.01) in the concentrations of aglycones with levels of genistein in the range 0.30 to 0.85 mg kg -1 dry weight (DW) and of daidzein, which was more abundant in all cultivars, present in the concentration range 34.92 to 59.98 mg kg DW. Stems of cultivars C-89, C-181, C-281 and C-146 were exceptional for their concen trations of isoflavones and may represent good alternative sources of phytoestrogens.


T he posterior fossa is the commonest site of primary intracranial tumours in children. The commonest neoplasms are pilocytic astrocy-toma, medulloblastoma, ependymoma and brain stem glioma. In children over one year old, over two thirds of intracranial tumours arise from the cere-bellum or brainstem, compared with 15% in adults. Survival rates of some of these lesions has improved markedly over the last twenty years, due to advances in surgical techniques, chemotherapy, delivery of radiotherapy and, more recently, an improved understanding of tumour biology. These tumours remain the focus of intense research aimed not just at prolonging survival, but also at minimising the impact of treatment on growth, cognitive development and long-term quality of life. Clinical presentation Posterior fossa tumours often present with clinical manifestations of hydrocephalus and raised intracranial pressure. More aggressive tumours present with a shorter history. The most prevalent symptoms include headache, nausea and vomiting. In young children headache is reflected in irritability and a desire not to be handled. Vomiting, usually an early morning phenomenon, may also be related to irritation of the lower fourth ventricular floor, at the area postrema, by the tumour. The hyperventilation associated with vomiting often transiently improves the headache. Raised intracranial pressure may also cause drowsiness, neck stiffness, sixth nerve palsy and visual disturbances. Papilloedema is common in patients presenting with long-standing progressive symptoms. Aggressive brain stem tumours often present with pyramidal tract signs together with disorders of ocular motility and diplopia. A head tilt may be a reflection of tonsillar herniation or a fourth nerve palsy related to a diffuse brainstem tumour. Young children with progressive hydro-cephalus demonstrate macrocephaly, with fullness of the fontanelles and increased separation of calvarial sutures. Ataxia arises from vermal and cerebellar hemisphere involvement, brainstem dysfunction and chronic hydrocephalus. Headache is an uncommon complaint in early childhood; early referral and imaging is warranted. Similarly, early investigation of other symptoms allows rapid diagnosis and prompt initiation of treatment. Pilocytic astrocytoma Cerebellar astrocytomas are the most frequent posterior fossa tumours in children, accounting for up to 35% of these lesions. 1 Peak age is 5 to 13 years; approximately half arise in the midline and half from the cerebellar hemispheres. They are circum-scribed, discrete, slow-growing lesions, often associated with cysts within and around the tumour. 2 On computed tomography (CT), pilocytic astro-cytomas are large cystic lesions arising from the cerebellar vermis or hemisphere. The solid components are hypodense and …


Four extracts (AEA, AEB, AEC and AED), whose yields were 2.05%, 6.35%, 1.38% and 3.55%, respectively, were isolated and purified from the roots of Actinidia kolomikta in order to detect their antioxidant and immunomodulatory characteristics. In this study, AEC possessed the highest SOD-like activity (840.2 U/mg) and also showed stronger radical-scavenging activity (EC50, 152.2 ug/ml). In addition, for anti-proliferation, DLD-1 cells survival decreased to 30.8% at 50 ug/ml for 48 h by AEC. In this condition, the percentages of apoptosis cells were significantly increased from 0.85% to 17.30%. Moreover, AEB improved nitric oxide production and was shown to be more effective for immunomodulatory activity on macrophage survivals. The results indicate that all extracts from the roots of A. kolomikta exhibited strong antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities. These could provide a theoretical basis for A. kolomikta to be considered a nutritious functional material.


PURPOSE: A rehabilitation exercise device for fixing spine is provided to facilitate use of rehabilitation exercise device by a user without another person's help, and to expect an effect of spinal traction treatment by a traction force which is applied between the fixed head and pelvis. CONSTITUTION: A rehabilitation exercise device for fixing spine comprises: a bed unit providing a space where users can lie down, by being supported on a frame; a binding unit which fixes the head part and the pelvis part of a user; and an exercise unit by which users can exercise with their arms and feet. A sheet(20) is equipped on one side of the frame to provide a space where users can sit on. A see-saw bed(31) is arranged being connected to the rear side of the sheet, and the see-saw bed is supported to be folded backward in a state of being stood up. The frame comprises: a supporting frame(11) arranged vertically by connecting several pipes, which are in contact with the ground; a first vertical frame(12) installed with a feet-exercise device on the upper side, and equipped vertically in front of the supporting frame; a second vertical frame(13) equipped with a sheet on the upper side, and equipped vertically in the back side of the second vertical frame; and a third vertical frame(14) installed in a state that the bed can be rotated.


The following contributions deal with the diatoms present in samples obtained from a series of small rivers along the coast in the neighbourhood of East London, Cape Province, namely the Nahoon, Igodo, Gulu, Umkantzi, Umlele and Ncera rivers and streams . These rivers are known locally as `Blind' rivers, in that, for part of the year, their estuaries are closed by sand bars along the beaches which cut them off from the tidal influence for varying periods of time . These estuaries show a gradient of salinity from the inflow of the rivers to the mouth of the estuary. During drought periods, when the inflow of fresh water is low and the sandbars close the mouth for several months at a time, evaporation may raise the salinity above that of the sea, for example, in 1945 the highest salinity recorded was 42 % in the Umkantzi Lagoon. During the rainy season the reverse of course is true and the lagoons become brackish, salinity dropping to 15% or less . Samples have been collected from streams above the inflow (fresh water) and at various stations along the lagoons . The samples have been titrated with silver nitrate to give a figure for the salinity in terms of milligrams of Sodium chloride per litre . This is an accepted convention, although sea water contains about 0 .45 % more salts than its salinity value (HARVEY, H. W. 1945, Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Biology of Sea Water, Cambridge) .


Many cyberneticists would agree that, had it not been for reinforcement learning, the development of IPv7 might never have occurred. In fact, few security experts would disagree with the natural unification of RPCs and courseware, which embodies the significant principles of steganography. Our focus in our research is not on whether the famous random algorithm for the investigation of vacuum tubes by C. Martinez et al. [114, 188, 62, 70, 114, 179, 68, 95, 54, 152, 191, 59, 168, 148, 99, 58, 129, 128, 106, 154] runs inΘ(n) time, but rather on constructing an analysis of scatter/gather I/O (ObyAvoset).


Methods: Sixty-seven final year medical students from the International Medical University, Malaysia, were exposed to interactive online learning through a Facebook Group for a period of six months in this study. The purpose was to determine if supervised interactive online learning could be used to augment the deep learning that comes from learning medicine at the bedside of patients. The interactive online discussions were entirely triggered by clinical problems encountered in the medical wards of the general hospital to which these students were attached.


The subject of this research is the determination of leading ideas of drastic reorganization of secondary education and its impact upon students, which allows analyzing the peculiarities of adolescent age as a cultural-historical phenomenon. The reorganization was conducted in two directions: all existing educational institutions were transformed into the Uniform Labor School; an alternative to middle school for in-service education was created – school for working youth or factory-apprenticeship school. The Uniform Labor School replaced the old one and carried "bourgeois vestige", which were intensively fought against, violating the traditional cirrucul and implementing "working processes". School for working youth or factory-apprenticeship school, on the contrary, were considered a new type of class school and developed general educational character. The author examines the measures taken with regards to the two types of schools. Special attention is given to studying the peculiarities of adolescents from the Uniform Labor School and working youth from factory-apprenticeship school. The novelty consists on examination of peculiarities of adolescent age in the conditions of drastic reorganization of secondary education in the early period of Soviet Russia. It is claimed that the conducted reform led to "proletarization" of adolescence among second-levelers of the Uniform Labor School, while a working teenager from the School for working youth or factory-apprenticeship school was an underage adults deprived of childhood.


14 mixed steal bar PPC beams were tested under static loading and fatigue loading.The behavior of crack was studied.The formula of crack width is set up by the formula of crack width under static loading and magnified coeffient.The calculated values are matched with test results well.


Supporting adaptation of metamodels is essential for realising Model-Driven Engineering. However, adapting and changing metamodels impact other artefacts of the metamodelling ecosystem. In particular, conformant models will no longer be valid instances of their changed metamodel. This gives rise to co-evolution issues where metamodels and models are no longer synchronised. This is critical as systems become inconsistent. A typical approach for re-establishing conformance is to manually craft transformations which update existing models for the new metamodel variant. In this paper we present an analysis-based approach that addresses this concern. The approach enables an arbitrary number of metamodels to evolve based on an adaptation strategy. During analysis we accumulate information required to automatically transform existing models to ensure conformance. We formalise the approach and prove model conformance.


Structure solution of Ag(pyz)2S2O8 in the presence of impurity phases using robust refinement Kevin H Stone, Saul Lapidus, Peter W Stephens, Jamie Manson Stony Brook University, Physics and Astronomy, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-3800, USA, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, 99004-2440, USA, E-mail:firstname.lastname@example.com


This report deals with how people get to and from public transportation by bicycling or walking, a subject which has not been extensively studied in North America. Pedestrian and bicycle access to transit has been taken for granted in many communities, and frequently neglected in planning, design, and operations. New flexibility in funding under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act (ISTEA) of 1991 and the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments offers new opportunitiess and strong encouragement for transportation agencies to work together in improving pedestrian and bicycle access to transit. Action in this area offers the potential of highly cost-effective reductions in air pollution emissions, increased transit ridership, alleviation of chronic capacity shortages at many park-and-ride lots, and reduced traffic congestion near transit stations. A number of transit agencies and local and state governments have initiated efforts to improve non-motorized transit access, but many major problems and opportunities have not yet been addressed. This report highlights some of these efforts and opportunities.


Globalisation has led to increased international travel for work, leisure, and to visit friends and relatives in a country of origin; this has led to greater exposure to tropical infectious agents. Many serious tropical infections encountered in primary care in the UK present as fever in a returning traveller. GPs must recognise potentially serious causes of fever in this population to ensure patients receive timely treatment. This article aims to provide a suitable framework for safe assessment, investigation and management of a patient with fever following international travel.


A computational and experimental method for estimating the residual life of gears in the inter-repair period is proposed. The method is based on the main provisions of the theory of vibration-pulse diagnostics of spur gears, developed at the OIM of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The main performance criteria are the contact and bending endurance of the teeth. Accounting for changes in the value of the coefficient of internal dynamic load in the gearing during the operation of gears is carried out on the basis of vibration analysis during their vibration monitoring. The proposed method makes it possible to estimate the residual life of the gear mechanism at any stage of operation, providing the opportunity to organize the transition from planned preventive maintenance of machines to maintenance according to the actual condition. An example of estimating the residual life of a gear pair that limits the reliability of a two-row planetary gear motor-wheel of a heavy-duty dump truck is given.
Keywords: gear transmission; vibration monitoring; residual life; inter-repair period; internal dynamic load in engagement


ABSTRACT
 Difficulties experienced in obtaining energy services have been represented as unjust because of how they can prevent people from realising primary human capabilities. Capabilities are relational, being embedded within complex interdependencies between people and socio-material systems. These complexities can cause problems for approaches to energy justice that are based on concepts of welfare rights. We argue that the ethics of care, with its emphasis on relationality as the ground of obligation, and particularly on how social relationships are bound up with power and responsibility, can provide firmer foundations for thinking about energy injustice. Care ethicists distinguish between different forms of dependency, some necessary, others oppressive. Using qualitative longitudinal methods to explore people's experiences of energy challenges and energy vulnerability can show how power and responsibility within dependency relationships can change over time. With data from a longitudinal study in South Wales, we explore how everyday energy-using practices can become entangled with harmful forms of dependency. We show how the everyday ethical evaluation of these relationship undertaken by participants harmonises with the ethics of care. Our data show the utility of understanding relationships of dependence within the energy system in terms of responsibility and irresponsibility, in order to better understand energy injustice.


Linguistics in Information Systems Design.- Word Net++: A Lexicon Supporting the Color-X Method.- Temporal Databases.- Generating Narratives from Plots Using Schema Information.- Temporal Granularity Enlightened by Knowledge.- Word-Sense Disambiguation.- Coping with Different Types of Ambiguity Using a Uniform Context Handling Mechanism.- WSD Algorithm Applied to a NLP System.- "Beijing Frowns and Washington Pays Close Attention" Computer Processing of Relations between Geographical Proper Names in Foreign Affairs.- Semantic Relationships in Databases.- Understanding and Representing Relationship Semantics in Database Design.- An Ontology for Classifying the Semantics of Relationships in Database Design.- A Very Large Database of Collocations and Semantic Links.- Semantic and Contextual Document Retrieval, Traceability.- Using Terminology Extraction to Improve Traceability from Formal Models to Textual Requirements.- Natural Language Analysis for Semantic Document Modeling.- Domain Analysis and Queries in Context.- Natural Language Generat on for Answering E-Mail and OLAP.- Using Information Extraction and Natural Language Generation to Answer E-Mail.- Using OLAP and Data Mining for Content Planning in Natural Language Generation.- NLP Techniques for Informat on Retrieval.- Toward an Enhancement of Textual Database Retrieval Using NLP Techniques.- Document Identification by Shallow Semantic Analysis.- Automated Information Extraction out of Classified Advertisements.- WEB Information Retrieval.- A Smart Web Query Engine for Semantic Retrieval of Web Data and Its Application to E-Trading.- GETESS: Constructing a Linguistic Search Index for an Internet Search Engine.- Using Semantics for Efficient Information Retrieval.- Guidelines for NL-Based Requirements Specifications in NIBA.- Developing Document Analysis and Data Extraction Tools for Entity Modelling.- On the Automatization of Database Conceptual Modelling through Linguistic Engineering.- Technical Databases.- The REVERE Project: Experiments with the Application of Probabilistic NLP to Systems Engineering.- Presenting Mathematical Concepts as an Example for Inference-Rich Domains.- Users and Interactions in WEB Querying.- Modeling Interaction and Media Objects.- Conceptual Patterns.- Validating Conceptual Models - Utilising Analysis Patterns as an Instrument for Explanation Generation.- Conceptual Patterns - A Consolidation of Coad's and Wohed's Approaches.- Patterns Retrieval System: A First Attempt.- Posters and Demonstrations.- Ontology Learning from Text.- ISIS: Interaction through Speech with Information Systems.- Effects of Hypertext Navigational Structure on Knowledge Acquisition.- MEDIEVAL : A Navigation Tool Through Medieval Documents.- MESIA: A Web Site Assistant for Document Filtering.- LExIS A Query Language to Scan Information Flow.- A Financial Data Mining Trading System.


The fluorescence intensity fluctuation and polarization modulation of spin-cast single fluorescent conjugated polymers of 2,5-dioctyloxy p-phenylene vinylene (DOO-PPV) with length of the order of the persistence length have been studied. The results indicate that this type of polymer behaves like a collection of semi-independent excitons, with dipoles aligned predominately in the same direction. This suggests that this type of polymer can be considered as a linearly extended rigid structure (i.e., a straight rod). The fluorescent transient exhibits a multiple-step-like behavior with the count rate at each step being a multiple of a common step-size. The fluorescence variation follows the excitation polarization with a DC background observable in some molecules. This DC background indicates that the chromophores in some polymers are not aligned in the same direction. Variations in the Huang–Rhys factor at a single polymer level are also observed.


Complex archeozoological, environmental historical and geoarchaeological results are presented from archeological sites of Rákóczifalva–Bagi-föld and Rákóczifalva–Rokkant-föld in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County. In this area several hectares of archeological excavations uncovered masses of Gepida settlement features around two oxbow lakes. According to geoarcheological and environmental historical analyses a model for local settling and lifestyle strategies of the Gepid communities can be reconstructed. Based on the results of the digital relief model, maps, historical maps and analysis of geoarchaeological drillings, the Bagi-földek are located on a deeper and younger alluvial surface with good water supply and are connected to the development of the Tisza River, while the Rokkant-földek are located on an older residual surface and are rising above the alluvium of the Tisza River. The Gepid communities settled on a point bar system located on the high-floodplain and low floodplain in a semi-circular, semi-peninsula-like protected area. These surfaces provided different farming possibilities for the Gepid communities of the Migration Period: the utilization of the gallery forest, gatherings in the area of the forests and floodplain, fishing and hunting, extensive animal husbandry on the higher, drier areas and plant cultivation around the settlements and houses. According to our data, the inhabitants of the excavated Gepid settlement fully utilized the Tisza valley environment for food production on an organic (nonindustrial) level (Sólymos, 1995), or in the Anthropocene I. horizon (e.g. Crutzen & Stoermer 2000; Steffen et al. 2011) during the Migration Period in the 6 century. The environment occupied by the Gepid community, the floodplain islands and residual surfaces in the Tisza Valley was inhabited from the early Neolithic. The exploitation of their environment, from settlement strategy to gathering, has a similar system as in the case of the Gepid settlement we have described. Our publication is a precursor to a comprehensive work with archaeologists, so we did not aim to analyze the individual cultures in detail from the perspective of environmental history and archaeology. We plan to do that together with the archaeologists who carry out the archaeological excavations. As a result, our article deals specifically with the settlement, geoarchaeological, bioarchaeological, and above all, archaeozoological analysis of the Gepid communities.


The persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) is a persistent, primitive, embryonic anastomosis that provides the blood flow between the vertebro-basilar system and the carotid system. The presence of PTA anastomosis may create an advantage by providing collateral circulation during a stroke as in cases of leptomeningeal collaterals, external-internal carotid artery anastomoses, and the polygon of Willis. However, patients with this variation are more susceptible to the development of non-occlusive posterior arterial system infarction when they experience hypotension attacks. In the literature, there are only few case reports on non-occlusive posterior system infarction associated with PTA variation. In this case report, we present to an 81-year-old patient with posterior system infarct findings and persistent trigeminal artery variation.


This overview is intended to help colleagues achieve successful and satisfying
observations using a ripple tank. There are many observations to consider that can effectively illustrate reflection, refraction, interference and diffraction, but the most important consideration is to make every effort to enable students to see the effects we want them to see. Some of the content is based on articles written many years ago. This update is offered especially to help younger teachers develop confidence in the use of this equipment


Clustering is one of the most useful techniques in machine learning and data mining.In cluster analysis,model selection concerning how to determine the number of clusters is an important issue.Unlike supervised learning,there are no class labels and criteria to guide the search,so the model for clustering is always difficult to select.To tackle this problem,we present the concept of nonparametric clustering approach based on Dirichlet process mixture model(DPMM),and apply a collapsed Gibbs sampling technique to sample the posterior distribution.The proposed clustering algorithm follows the Bayesian nonparametric framework and can optimize the number of components and the parameters of the model.The experimental result of clustering shows that this Bayes model has promising properties and robust performance.


Book Title: Telecommunication Laws in Europe 6th Edition Editor : Joachim Scherer Publisher: The Bloomsbury Group  Year of Publication: February, 2013 Price: £195.00 ISBN: 978 1 84766 885 1 Format: Hardback


The purpose of this paper was to study parameters affecting to mechanical property of dissimilar welding between stainless steel (AISI 304) and low carbon steel using gas metal arc welding technique. Factors using in this study were filler metal, speed, and current and each factor was set at three levels in the experiment. The experiment was run using factorial design to find out the relationship of factors that might be affected to mechanical property on tensile strength and elongation. After running the experiment, data was collected using the tensile testing machine. The results showed that interaction affects of filler metal, speed, and current factors were showed significantly different on the ultimate tensile strength and elongation at the level of .01. This could be concluded that changing of level of factors would be affected to the mechanical property of dissimilar welding between stainless steel (AISI 304) and low carbon steel.


Atomic layer deposited amorphous 70 nm thick Al2O3-Ta2O5 double- and triple-layered films were investigated with the nanoindentation method. The sequence of the oxides from surface to substrate along with the layer thickness had an influence on the hardness causing rises and declines in hardness along the depth yet did not affect the elastic modulus. Hardness varied from 8 to 11 GPa for the laminates having higher dependence on the structure near the surface than at higher depths. Triple-layered Al2O3/Ta2O5/Al2O3 laminate possessed the most even rise of hardness along the depth and possessed the highest hardness out of the laminates (11 GPa at 40 nm). Elastic modulus had steady values along the depth of the films between 145 and 155 GPa.


Introduction Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant drug used to treat fatigue in patients with advanced cancer, for which there is no gold standard of treatment. Objective To explore the efficacy of methylphenidate in the relief of fatigue in patients with advanced cancer. Materials and methods A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled multicentre clinical trial, stratified according to the intensity of fatigue. The treatment was considered effective if the improvement in mean fatigue intensity between baseline values and day 6 was significantly higher in the methylphenidate group than in the placebo group. The responses were measured using the Edmonton Symptoms Assessment System (ESAS) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue (FACT-F) scales. Results 35 patients received placebo and 42 patients received methylphenidate. The populations of both groups were homogeneous. Patients receiving methylphenidate did not exhibit statistically significant improvement of fatigue in comparison to patients receiving placebo (p=0.52). The mean improvement of fatigue (ESAS) on day 6 was −1.9 (±2.5) in the placebo group, and −2.3 (±2.6) in the methylphenidate group (p=0.52). The results obtained with the FACT-F were congruent with those obtained by the ESAS. The responses in patients with severe fatigue were −2.4 (±2.9) in the placebo group and −3.4 (±2.5) in the methylphenidate group; the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.3). Conclusion Methylphenidate was not more efficient than placebo to treat cancer-related fatigue. Fatigue improved significantly after 3 days of treatment and was stabilised on day 6, both with placebo and methylphenidate. The side effects of methylphenidate were mild and infrequent. Trial registration number EudraCT Registry (2008-002171-27).


The objective of this paper is to estimate a bivariate density nonparametrically from a dataset from the joint distribution and datasets from one or both marginal distributions. We develop a copula-based solution, which has potential benefits even when the marginal datasets are empty. For example, if the copula density is sufficiently smooth in the region where we wish to estimate it, the joint density can be estimated with a high degree of accuracy. Similar improvements in performance are available if the marginals are close to being independent. We use wavelet estimators to approximate the copula density, which in cases of statistical interest can be unbounded along boundaries. Our techniques are also useful for solving recently-considered related problems, for example where the marginal distributions are determined by parametric models. The methodology is also readily extended to more general multivariate settings. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.


Subacute combined degeneration (SCD) of the spinal cord is a neurological complication arising from vitamin B12 deficiency. Typical findings are demyelination and axonal loss of the posterior and lateral columns of the thoracic and cervical spinal cord, leading to sensory ataxia and paresthesia. Clinical and neurological features and MRI findings all contribute to the diagnosis of this entity. In the Korean medical literature, only one case of SCD involving pre-treatment MRI has been reported. We describe one case of SCD in a post-gastrectomy patient who initially presented with progressive sensory abnormality in both upper and lower extremities and showed T2 hyperintensity in the posterior and lateral columns of the spinal cord; this diminished, with clinical improvement, after vitamin B12 therapy. Our report includes the MR images obtained during follow up.


Abstract The only constant in the new World Change is a major challenge in large-sized organizations where the sheer size as well as the comfort of past successes causes inertia and resistance to change. Change management is the single most important leadership accountability and driving change initiatives successfully is a key HR deliverable. In scores of big and small Change initiatives that we have driven across in HUL, it has been our experience that Change can be successful and Resistance to Change can be overcome if a whole systems approach is followed and where the complete organization along with its Structures, Systems and People, processes, are viewed in totality studying the impact of one on the other in view of the Change that is being driven in the organization.


This article is a theoretical study of the implementation of formative evaluation in grade IV students at SDN Petukangan Utara 08. This study aims to find out and describe empirically about: Aspects, techniques and procedures for class assessment carried out by teachers in grade IV students at SDN Petukangan Utara 08 South Jakarta. Evaluation is an important activity carried out by educators in the learning process. By evaluating educators, they can improve their competence in class management both in choosing learning methods, media, teaching materials, and so on which can motivate students to learn. besides that withEvaluation of educators can determine the level of success of their students. Therefore educators must carry out the implementation of evaluation activities correctly. This type of research is a qualitative research using a formative evaluation model developed by Scriven which includes aspects of assessment, assessment techniques, and assessment procedures. The instruments used were observation sheets and interviews. The results showed that: (1) The aspects of the assessment that had been carried out by the teacher included cognitive, psychomotor, and affective aspects, (2) The assessment techniques carried out by the teacher that had been developed were written tests and oral tests. The application of formative evaluation in grade IV is carried out at the beginning or throughout the learning process.


Static computation in vibroseis acquisition in desert areas commonly use up hole surveys to support effective statics computations. Such surveys are very expensive if the sampling requirements of one up hole per cable length are met to provide the low


Launching radio frequency (RF) waves from the high field side (HFS) of a tokamak offers significant advantages over low field side (LFS) launch with respect to both wave physics and plasma material interactions (PMI). For lower hybrid (LH) waves, the higher magnetic field opens the window between wave accessibility (n∥≡ck∥/ω>1−ωpi2/ω2+ωpe2/ωce2+ωpe/|ωce|) and the condition for strong electron Landau damping (n∥∼30/Te with Te in keV), allowing LH waves from the HFS to penetrate into the core of a burning plasma, while waves launched from the LFS are restricted to the periphery of the plasma. The lower n∥ of waves absorbed at higher Te yields a higher current drive efficiency as well. In the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF), HFS launch allows for direct access to the mode conversion layer where mode converted waves absorb strongly on thermal electrons and ions, thus avoiding the generation of energetic minority ion tails. The absence of turbulent heat and particle fluxes on the HFS, particularly in...


In this research the effect of Al2O3 nanoparticles on corrosion behavior of aluminum base alloy (Al-4.5 wt% Cu-1.5 wt% Mg) has been investigated. Nanocomopsites reinforced with variable contents of 1, 3 and 5 wt% of Al2O3 nanoparticles were fabricated using powder metallurgy. All samples were prepared from the base alloy powders under the best powder metallurgy processing conditions of 6 hr of mixing time, 450 MPa of compaction pressure and 560 °C of sintering temperature. Density and micro hardness measurements, and electrochemical corrosion tests are performed for all prepared samples in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution at room temperature using potentiostate instrument. It has been found that density and micro hardness of the nanocomposite increase with increasing of wt% Al2O3 nanoparticles to Al matrix. It was found from Tafel extrapolation method that corrosion rates of the nanocomposites reinforced with alumina nanoparticles were lower than that of base alloy. From results of corrosion test by potentiodynamic cyclic polarization method, it was found the pitting corrosion resistance improves with adding of Al2O3 nanoparticles. It was noticed that the pits disappear and the hysteresis loop disappears also from anodic polarization curve.


Two Zn MOFs, MOF-645 and MOF-646, comprised of polarized 1,3-azulenedicarboxylate were synthesized. The guest free MOF-646 showed strong MOF-H(2) interactions (7.8-6.8 kJ mol(-1)), which revealed the significant impact of internally polarized azulene backbone to stabilized H(2) molecules in the framework.


Bearing in mind the particular position of Portugal with regards to the possibility of production, characteristics, and cost of hydro-electric power, the eventual use of nuclear production is envisaged. The best time to put it to use is studied taking into account future technical developments in the operation of nuclear plants. Some aspects are discussed concerning the installed capacity to be considered in future hydroelectric plants, reckoning with the possible use of nuclear power and with the versatility of its operation. Advantages are mentioned for using hydro-electric pumped storage together with nuclear power plants, which being connected to the grid could, perhaps, reduce the very high load factor of nuclear power plants. (auth)


Providing products that beyond a high nutritional value brings health benefits to consumers is a major challenge to food industry. Functional foods, including prebiotics and probiotic as components, are the protagonists to promote these advantages. Aloe vera is a medicinal plant well characterized in terms of its chemical composition and therapeutic properties. Taking into account these characteristics Aloe vera represents an excellent natural source of prebiotics, as well as a substrate for lactic acid bacteria fermentation. Thus a symbiotic drink using Aloe vera as the main ingredient and lactic acid bacteria as probiotics with significant benefits to human health might represent a promising product to develop. Mini-review Article


What is the importance of humor in public administration? Dean Yarwood examines the sources, types, and consequences of humor in administration. He suggests that much administrative humor comes from incongruity-from contrasting the naturalness and ease of traditional institutions with the forced, formal character of bureaucracy. Social scientists from a variety of disciplines have carried out empirical studies of humor in organizations. They conclude that humor has important consequences for hierarchy andfor the social dynamics of organizations. Another source for understanding humor in organizations is creative literature. Here, forms of humor abound that are not emphasized in the social science literature. The author concludes that the study of organizational humor ought to be of interest to both public managers and scholars because it is part of the serious business of organizations. This article has as its focus a discussion of administrative humor. Although the topic suggests rib ticklers and knee slappers, in fact humor can be serious communication. Managers are taught about several aspects of their work such as personnel administration, budgeting, strategic planning, TQM, and so on. They may even have insights regarding informal groups that inhabit formal organizations. A type of activity that takes place at the informal level of most any organization, however, is likely to elude the typical manager but is nonetheless important to the functioning of the organization. I am referring to the humor of employees and managers of the organization. This type of communication can be supportive of the organization and its purposes or it can be detrimental. It can run the gamut from the cute, to the ridiculous, to communication which is downright offensive. It is not uncommon for humor to run afoul of emerging norms of multiculturalism. Sometimes humor is widely shared and at other times it is closely guarded. Indeed, the path taken by a humorous story or insight may even define the parameters of social interaction within an organization.


Noncircular face gear drive is a new type of variable transmission ratio mechanism with advantages of light weight, high interchangeability, and convenient installation. Based on its transmission principle, the excitation pattern of the time-varying instantaneous center of the noncircular face gear drive system is investigated. A torsional–lateral–axial coupled dynamic model of the noncircular face gear system is presented under the compound parametric excitations of the time-varying instantaneous center and the mesh stiffness. By using Runge–Kutta numerical integration method, the dynamic responses of the system are derived to analyze the vibration features of the noncircular face gear under compound parametric excitations and the effect of the design parameters on the coupled vibration. The analytical results indicate that there exist multifrequency components in the dynamic responses of the system, including the instantaneous center frequency f1, the meshing one f2, nf1, mf2, and mf2 ± nf1. In addition, the dynamic performance of the noncircular face gear drive can be improved by decreasing the amplitude coefficient of the instantaneous center and the mesh stiffness or increasing their mean values.


The common cork stopper takes advantage of the peculiar properties of the bark of the cork oak. This has very low permeability to both gases and liquids due to suberin and waxes; the cellular structure makes possible the deformation that gives a secure fit in the bottle neck.


Fall army worm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith) is a highly destructive invasive insect pest. Its incidence was observed during post kharif season 2019 at Old Goa, and it ranged from 43 to 83% @ 0.67 larvae/ plant with a maximum of 1.16 larvae/plant during vegetative stage, and it was more than the reproductive stage. The mtCO1 analysis of the populations from Goa revealed the presence of both Rice (R) strain and Corn (C) strain which feed on fodder maize and sweet corn, and this confirms the prevalence of both the strains in Goa on fodder maize.


The study of the robustness of a system's parametric uncertainties is based on state representations which separate the nominal part of the system from the uncertain part. The most used form is the standard interconnection model. Recent works have been formulated so as to find this representation graphically by the bond graph approach. A new procedure is proposed in this paper to determine an uncertain model adapted to the study of robustness and for robust control. The advantage of this procedure is in simplifying the resulting graphical model.


Over decades, free-hanging steel catenary riser (SCR) has been regarded as a cost-effective and straightforward system for riser solutions in deepwater and ultra-deepwater by National oil companies NOCs, international oil companies IOCs, and independent players. However, the free-hanging SCR comes with its own challenges, which, if not correctly evaluated during design stages, can result in system failures. The two main challenges facing the free-hanging SCR usage are increased self-weight and high fatigue damage, especially at the touchdown and hang-off points. Fatigue damage is the failure resulting from cyclic stress accumulation over a specific duration. The involvement of technologies has improved the design method for these systems over the years. Two of such innovative contributions include the optimisation algorithm and artificial neural network ANN methods. The aim of this research is to develop an effective optimisation algorithm to search for the global optimal weight of the riser configuration while maintaining its structural integrity. The method involves the combined use of ANN and optimisation genetic algorithms (GA) to determine the optimum solution of the SCR. The GA is used because of its capability in handling a variety of complex nonlinear optimisation problems to ascertain the global optimum solution and its capacity to self-moderate the number of iterations. At the same time, the ANN method is deployed for its accurate prediction of non-linear responses. The deployed techniques have shown to be promising due to the time-saving and less computational cost compared to integrating GA and time-domain FE models. This method was illustrated using a prospective 10-inch internal diameter SCR installed in a 2000m deepwater offshore field off the oil-rich Niger Delta region, Nigeria. The obtained results have shown a 19.10 per cent reduction in the riser weight and a time reduction of 90.83 per cent.


Soil organic carbon (SOC) loss is one of the main causes of soil degradation in croplands. Thus, spatial and temporal monitoring of SOC is extremely important, both from the environmental and economic perspective. In this regard, the high temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution of the Sentinel-2 data can be exploited for monitoring SOC contents in the topsoil of croplands. In this study, we aim to test the effect of the threshold for a spectral index linked to soil moisture and crop residues on the performance of SOC prediction models using the Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) Sentinel-2 and the European Land Use/cover Area frame Statistical survey (LUCAS) topsoil database. The LUCAS spectral data resampled according to MSI/Sentinel-2 bands, which were used to build SOC prediction models combining pairs of the bands. The SOC models were applied to a Sentinel-2 image acquired in North-Eastern Germany after removing the pixels characterized by clouds and green vegetation. Then, we tested different thresholds of the Normalized Burn Ratio 2 (NBR2) index in order to mask moist soil pixels and those with dry vegetation and crop residues. The model accuracy was tested on an independent validation database and the best ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) was obtained using the average between bands B6 and B5 (Red-Edge Carbon Index: RE-CI) (RPD: 4.4) and between B4 and B5 (Red-Red-Edge Carbon Index: RRE-CI) (RPD: 2.9) for a very low NBR2 threshold (0.05). Employing a higher NBR2 tolerance (higher NBR2 values), the mapped area increases to the detriment of the validation accuracy. The proposed approach allowed us to accurately map SOC over a large area exploiting the LUCAS spectral library and, thus, avoid a new ad hoc field campaign. Moreover, the threshold for selecting the bare soil pixels can be tuned, according to the goal of the survey. The quality of the SOC map for each tolerance level can be judged based on the figures of merit of the model.


The risk of fractures arising in connection with shock treatment for mental disease is not inconsiderable. Spasms of both the tonic and the clonic type, resembling those seen in connection with epileptic attacks, occur during the treatments. In all probability, the trauma that causes the fractures consists to a large extent in the body's own muscular contractions. This is particularly the case with the compression fractures in the upper and middle segments of the thoracic part of the vertebral column, the type of fracture which is by far the most commonly observed. Statements in the literature regarding the incidence of fractures of the vertebrae show much variation, ranging from 0.5 to 43 per cent. FLoRDH has reported from the South Stockholm Hospital (Sodersjukhuset) that he found these fractures in 9 per cent of all patients submitted to electroshock treatment. Fractures of the humerus, on the other hand, are rare occurrences in connection with shock treatment, according to what can be ascertained from the literature. COOK, after studying several different groups of patients treated by various forms of shock, stated the frequency of fractures of the humerus to be 0.24 per cent. For the rest, these fractures have been reported in only a few isolated cases; in most of these cases the damage was severe, with considerable dislocation. During 1948, we encountered at the South Stockholm Hospital five cases of compression fracture in the caput humeri after electroshock of a type not previously described in this connection. In all of these patients the injury took the form of an impression in the medial part of the head, close to the tuberculum minus (see illustrations). In one patient (fig. 2 c) there was also a fissure through the base of this tubercle.


Postoperative complications of Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) such as joint instability or component loosening can lead to premature wear or failure of the prosthetic joint. One recognized factor that influences these problems is the ligament imbalance. A misdistribution of the tibiofemoral contact forces can generate an overload of one compartment, which accelerates the wear process. Usually, the ligament balance is qualitatively assessed with manual trial movements and observation of tibiofemoral gaps or with invasive mechanical tools. Both approaches require a patellar eversion that may significantly modify the mediolateral force distribution and thereby alter the assessment of imbalance. The goal of the present study was therefore to estimate in terms of forces how patellar eversion affects ligament balancing in TKA.


The first five years of a child's life i.e early childhood period ,often called the 'formative years', are absolutely critical for the development, performance and success of the child throughout his life. It is the period in which the foundations for future life take place. The appropriateness and quality of care and childhood opportunities and experiences that a child receives during this period may ultimately determine adult hood and his/her ability to contribute to society. Recent neuroscience shows that development of the brain over the first five years is more rapid and intensive and more vulnerable to external influence or the environment. Opportunities taken or missed during this period will have profound influence in the future life of a child. DOI: 10.3329/bmj.v39i1.6230 Bangladesh Medical Journal 2010; 39(1): 28-30


This paper presents a modified exponential degeneration model and an exponential-exponential combination degeneration model for the thermal control coatings of spacecrafts.The method to calculate the parameters of the model based on LM(Levenberg-Marquardt) algorithm is presented as well.The simulated experimental data of American Teflon coating materials were employed to solve the parameters of the model.The long term performance of the degeneration model for the thermal control coatings of spacecrafts was forecasted by extrapolation.The forecasting results were compared with the practical experimental data obtained in America in 9 years.The comparison results indicate that the models and the algorithms presented in this paper are feasible and effective.


Shear walls in post-frame buildings are commonly constructed with timber posts and horizontally framed wall girts. The bottom wall girt, called the skirtboard or splashboard, is typically pressure preservative-treated (PPT) due its location near the ground. Wood plastic composite (WPC) lumber is an environmentally benign alternative to PPT lumber, and WPCs avoid the copper-rich chemical formulations found in PPT lumber that potentially accelerate the corrosion of the steel panels and fasteners. WPC products have mechanical properties different from those of lumber, so testing is required when substituting WPC products for PPT lumber in post-frame shear wall assemblies. In this study, a commercially available WPC product and PPT lumber were used as skirtboards in two common framing configurations of post-frame endwalls to evaluate possible effects on shear strength and stiffness. The study found that two 38 × 140 mm WPC boards can be substituted for a single 38 × 235 mm PPT board without significantly affecting the strength or stiffness of the shear walls. A high-density polyethylene WPC formulation was chosen for this study due to its relatively low modulus of elasticity as compared to other commercially available WPC formulations (e.g., using polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride). No significant buckling of the WPC members was observed during the tests. The dominant failure mode of the shear walls was buckling of the ribbed steel sheathing. It should be noted that this study only included a relatively limited sample of two wall constructions. Additional testing is recommended for wall constructions and materials not studied herein.


Based on a large number of texts produced by railway traction power supply equipment during service, which is difficult to analyze and apply directly, a text information mining system framework for railway traction power supply equipment operation and maintenance is proposed. This paper covers the process of Data pre-processing, information extraction, analysis and application, and studies the key technologies of Chinese text segmentation, information extraction, status evaluation, etc. Finally, the system architecture and related key technologies are verified by actual traction power supply equipment operation and maintenance text data.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract An automobile engine is specially designed to liberate a particular amount of power at a required speed that in turn drives the automobile. Unlike the jet engines, whose main purpose is to provide thrust, the main purpose of the automotive engine is to produce torque which is required to run the automobile on ground. Higher is the torque lesser becomes the speed. Fighter jets equipped with turbojet engines can go fast enough to cross the sound barrier and can travel beyond mach one speed. But in case of automobiles it is quite impossible. Since a high torque is required to run the vehicle on ground the speed decreases. But keeping the required amount of torque constant if the power delivered by the engine can be increased beyond maximum the speed of the vehicle will increase. So, a special type of engine can be designed using suitable materials and calculated values that can drive a vehicle beyond mach one speed with the required amount of torque on ground called the Mach One Speed Automotive Engine (M1SAE).


Many concepts and techniques developed for general Internet measurement have counterparts in the domain of detecting and analyzing network attacks. The task is greatly complicated, however, by the fact that the object of study is adversarial: attackers do not wish to be "measured" and will take steps to thwart observation. We look at the far-ranging consequences of this different measurement environment: the analysis difficulties-some fundamental-that arise due to subtle ambiguities in the true semantics of observed traffic; new notions of "active measurement"; the highly challenging task of rapidly characterizing Internet-scale pheonmena such as global worm pandemics; the need for detailed application-level analysis and related policy and legal difficulties; attacks that target passive analysis tools; and the inherent "arms race" nature of the undertaking.


Carbon pricing is a key component of an effective climate policy mix. With five years of experience of the European Emission Trading scheme, it is time to assess how it influences investment and strategic choices, how it feeds through to finance decisions, and how hedging and banking of carbon allowances influence the price over time. This was the topic of a round table with industry and finance representatives, academics, and participants in the policy process. We discussed three sets of questions:


Background: Repeated, long-term access of the vascular system is a prerequisite for successful extended care of the patients with end stage renal disease (=ESRD) treated with hemodialysis. Despite recent technical advances in percutaneous venous cannulation, vascular access remains a major problem in patients requiring acute Hemodialysis. Although the subclavian cannula has gained a large clinical acceptance in recent years, it carries specific risks such as hemothorax, pneumothorax, venus stenosis, thrombus formation and infection. Recently, a double-lumen, central venous catheter made of Silicone Rubber (=Perm cath) has developed for use as a vascular access device, This device is particularly useful in patients who have exhausted other vascular access sites or who have severe cardiovascular disease. Methods: A total of 23 dual-lumen silicone rubber catheters were placed through the internal jugular vein in 23 patients as a vascular access at our institution during the period of April, 1992 through November, 1992. The perm-cath (Hemocath, Quinton, Seattle) is 36 Cm long and each lumen has an internal diameter of 2 mm. Implantation of the catheters occurred in the operating room and under strict aseptic conditions through the right internal jugular vein. A 10 cm subcutaneous tunnel was then created, which extended from the in-cison to a point 2 cm above the ipsilateral clavicle. The catheter was passed out through the upper portion of the subcutaneous tunnel with the Dacron cuff placed 2 cm from the lower end of the tunnel, acting as both an anchor and a barrier to infection. The tip of the catheter was inserted through an internal jngular vein terminating in the right atrium under EKG monitoring. Each lumen of the catheter was filled with 1000 units of heparin sodium (1.5 ml in venous line, 1.5 ml in arterial line) and capped. Results : The mean duration of catheter use was 24±16 days (8 to 119 days), and the complication of perm-cath occurred in 3 cases such as venous thrombosis in 1 case, catheter exit site infection in 1 case, and exit site hematoma in 1 case. During hemodialysis, blood flow rate ranged from 190 to 313ml/min (mean:235±26ml/ min), and venous retrun pressure ranged from 20 to 150 mmHg(mean:65±16mmHg). Total 14 catheters were removed during treatment and the causes of catheter removal were patient death in 8 cases, venous thrombosis 1, recovery from acute rena1 failure 2, fistula maturation 2, infection 1. Conclusion: Internal jugular vein cannulation with silastic catheter which offers a new percutaneous method was provided safe and reliable as the temporary central vein access. The catheters are well tolerated by the patients and have the advantages of immediate use after placement, high blood flow rates, no repetitive venipuncture, and no cardiac dysfunction. Permcath is particulary useful in patients who have exhausted other vascular access site, severe cardiovascular disease, and terrified by repetitive venipuncture. Though our initial experience has been favorable, there will be needed to evaluate the outcome of permcath over longer period of time.


Ubiquitous computing introduces inimitable requirements for the discovery technique prototype, which lets services and devices become aware of each other without explicit human administration. The vision of ubiquitous computing has been described in terms of the disappearing computer. In this vision, we are free to focus on the interactions of daily life in various domain, rather than attending to the technology assisting us in those interactions, for example in UC discovery service technologies used in location detection and self therapeutic services in healthcare systems. The machine (while perhaps not literally invisible) becomes a tool much like a hammer or pen, easily appropriated and used as second nature. Discovery lets services and devices spontaneously become aware of the availability and capability of peers on the network without explicit administration. In practice, this means that a client can discover and potentially use a device without prior knowledge of it. Although discovery is a necessary component of ubiquitous computing, the wide range of discovery systems in use today reflects the varied needs of the communities from which they


The effect of rolltrusion, a solid state deformation process, on the three dimensional mechanical properties of several polymers has been measured. Polymers studied included isotactic polypropylene (iPP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and propylene/ethylene block copolymers. It was found that mechanical strength is enhanced triaxially for all these specimens upon rolltrusion. Material stiffness also exhibits 3-D improvement, depending on the polymer type and processing conditions. These new results are discussed in regard to some structural models in the literature.


ABSTRACT In the context of the global migrant and refugee crisis there is considerable enthusiasm for the notion that participation by migrants of refugee background in community sport can play a role in fostering a sense of community belonging. Sport potentially is an opportunity for refugees to integrate (with each other and host communities). Community sports organisations in the UK - and specifically sports clubs - continually face challenges to devote resources to social policy outcomes beyond increasing sport participation. This article argues that the active approach of coaches, volunteers and managers to consciously manage inclusive sport activities is central for the integration of refugees. Utilising a mixed methods approach, this study analysed the impact of one sports club that used table tennis to promote the active integration of refugees. The study found three significant areas of impact: first, an active approach from coaches can facilitate integration; second, such an approach should be conducted in a safe, enjoyable and welcoming environment; and that sport is a positive social activity for youths with a refugee background if the focus of the activity centres on fun and social interaction, rather than just sporting skills.


The aim of the present study was to analyze cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of total tau (T‐tau), phosphorylated tau (P‐tau) and the 42‐amino‐acid form of β‐amyloid (Aβ42) in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), and their possible correlations with cognitive and behavioral manifestations in these patients.


The structure of the surface layers of the Sun is changed by magnetic activity which, in turn, changes the eigenfrequencies of the acoustic modes. These frequency shifts have been observed both in low- and high-degree data, and are found to be correlated with the solar cycle. Time-distance helioseismology has shown that waves travelling through sunspots suffer time delays. Also it is known that sunspots induce phase shifts between in- wardly and outwardly propagating waves. In the present work we show how these phase shifts are related to the observed time delays by treating the scattering of acoustic waves off sunspots as a diffraction prob- lem. These time delays are then related to the frequency shifts of the modes. From this relation we obtain a lower limit for the contribution of sunspots to the observed frequency variations with the solar cycle. Moreover, we predict the frequency dependence of the time delays suffered by rays travelling through a sunspot.


We present our new results on three‐nucleon force effects for different observables at selected electron configurations below the pion production threshold. The results are compared to the experimental data and to very recent results by other groups based either on different techniques or on different three‐nucleon dynamics.


Bangkok and 17 neighboring provinces within a 100 kilometer radius have experienced various traffic problems such as congestion, pollution, and accidents. Due to rapidly increased travel demand in the past decades, concerned transport agencies began to deploy ITS as a supplementary tool in providing services. However, most systems being implemented so far are stand-alone with little or no coordination. Those deployments have resulted in inefficient use of resources and inadequate services. The first ITS Master Plan for greater Bangkok region, or to be precise, for Thailand has been developed with an aim of providing a unified intelligent operation and management of transport services as well as traveler information to general public. The vision of the plan is to have ITS system that conforms to international standard and supports Ministry of Transport strategies in providing efficient operation and management of transportation and traffic system for the country. The Plan also sets an investment framework for the next ten years to reduce duplication and integrate and provide interoperable systems among relevant agencies. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214938.


A comparative study on effect of internal mixer on high density Polyethylene (HDPE)/clay nanocomposites preparation was done. Effect of temperature, rotor rotation (rpm), and mixing time, as well as rotor type (Roller and Banbury) on mechanical properties and morphology of HDPE/clay nanocomposites were studied using Box-Behnken experimental design. The model was developed according to secant modulus and confirmed to morphology analysis using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The finding suggests that there is different mechanisms occurred in each rotor to improve the mechanical properties. The mechanism in Roller is medium shear and medium diffusion, while Banbury is high shear and low diffusion. The difference in mechanism to disperse the clay particles attribute to the different optimum processing conditions in each rotor. The settings for roller samples are predicted around mid temperature, mid speed, and mid mixing time. There is no optimum setting for Banbury within the processing boundaries. The best settings for Banbury are at low, high, low settings. The morphology results showed a hybrid composite structure, with some exfoliations and some intercalations. There was a correlation between better mechanical properties and morphology with more exfoliation and thinner intercalated particles.


In this paper, the treatment of oral tumors with free flap transplantation based on ultrasound contrast is studied, and the repair effect is analyzed and evaluated in-depth, the postoperative quality of life of patients with oral malignant tumors is evaluated, and the factors affecting
 their quality of life are analyzed. 120 patients with oral malignant tumors were selected. The continuity of the jaws, neck clearance method, clinical stage, tumor recurrence, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy all have varying degrees of impact on the postoperative quality of life. Multivariate
 analysis suggests that tumor recurrence has the greatest impact on the quality of life of patients followed by jaw continuity, tumor stage, with or without neck clearance. First, the early detection rate of tumors should be improved, and the tumors should be removed as completely as possible
 during the operation to avoid residues. If necessary, cervical lymph node dissection can be performed. Patients with discontinuous jaws should be reconstructed and repaired in time to restore the maxillofacial shape and function of the patients, to greatly reduce the impact on the quality
 of life of patients after surgery.


This research is focused on the development of pH indicators based on the quinoxaline signaling group for acidic aqueous solutions (pH 1–5). A push–pull quinoxaline QC1 in which two electron-donating (3-aminopropyl)amino substituents are attached to positions 6 and 7 of the electron-deficient quinoxaline moiety was prepared using the palladium-catalyzed C–N cross-coupling reaction. The 3-aminopropyl residues are mostly protonated in aqueous solutions below pH 8, thus serving as hydrophilizing substituents that render quinoxaline derivative QC1 water-soluble in this range of acidities and useful for measurements in the pH range of 1–5. This chromophore is a dual optical chemosensor that exhibits shifts of both absorption and emission bands in response to external stimuli. The presence of naturally relevant metal cations (13 ions) does not interfere with spectrophotometric and fluorescence measurements of the optical response of aminoquinoxaline in the visible region. Moreover, these spectral changes are easily observed by the naked eye, allowing for rapid semi-quantitative analyses under "in-field" conditions.


The invention relates to a method for integrally utilizing high-iron-content bauxite, which comprises the following steps that: (1) the high-iron-content bauxite is crushed and finely ground and is then roasted with sulfuric acid; (2) roasted clinker is dissolved and filtered for obtaining coarse aluminum sulfate solution and extracted aluminum slag; (3) the coarse aluminum sulfate solution is subjected to iron settling by a metavoltaite method, then, the deep iron settling is carried out by phosphoric acid or ammonium phosphate, the obtained solution is subjected to aluminum settling, and aluminum hydroxide is obtained; (4) the aluminum hydroxide is calcined for preparing aluminum oxide; (5) ammoniojarosite is calcined for preparing ferric oxide; (6) iron phosphate is hydrolyzed for obtaining ferric hydroxide and ammonium phosphate; and (7) the extracted aluminum slag is directly used as silica fume.


The main problems existing in cultivating engineering postgraduate during the process of constructing innovating country are described. According to the subject characteristics and modern industry development, the mode "each according to his ability, each according to his needs" of talent training has been explored. Based on its successful practice, institute of advanced plastic forming technology and equipment of Chongqing university summarized the excellent characteristics of talent and the properties of innovative capability responding to industry development. Furthermore, the training mode and training schedule have been reformed and practiced. On the basis of a lot of integrations of production, teaching and research, the main training base has been built in factories, and talent training lines involving several mechanisms such as internship mode, project mode, cooperative center mode, working station mode, part-time post mode has been developed, such training mode has been practiced successfully.


The aim of the study is to determine the effects of aerobic exercise on the short-term memory & sustained attention among Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) children. The study is designed as single group experimental study. The study setting was done in school at Chennai according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sampling technique used was Random sampling. The sample size was 20 subjects. The materials required were pulse oximeter, Bicycle ergometer, Weight machine, Stopwatch, Measuring tape, Stoop Test and Digit span Test. The result of the study from post-test value of Stroop test is 6.70 and pre-test is 11.30 there is slight decrease in the mean value this shows that stroop test due to aerobic exercise of high intensity interval training intervention slightly improved. P value is less than <0.001. The post-test value of digit span test is 0.460 and the pre-test is 0.537 from this there is slight difference in the statistical mean. P value is equal to 0.001. It has been concluded that the present study evaluated the impact of an aerobic exercise of high intensity interval training intervention on cognitive performance of short-term memory and sustained attention in school students. The result demonstrates the high intensity interval training improved the subjects short term memory and sustained attention by following the pre and post-test values of stroop test and digit span test.


For important reasons, African contextual hermeneutics raises the main question: "What does the Scripture mean to us and our community?". This article asserts that the reader-centred approach tends to allow the voice of the community to ring louder than the voice of Scripture. Repercussions can include a limited role of Jesus Christ and a heightened role of material prosperity in some African expressions of Christian faith. The article argues that contextual hermeneutics needs to make room for the inductive analysis of biblical texts, especially their literary contexts. The heart of a combined inductive and contextual approach is inviting readers to a dialogue between text and context, asking questions that help them use literary context to observe the main aims, themes, and lines of thought of passages of Scripture, and that foster a deep identification between biblical texts and the readers' context.


In this paper, the forward error decoding scheme of terrestrial multimedia broadcasting are compared between Japan and China standard. To provide a reliable comparison, the decoding performance of three similar data rate codes are compared, which are included in Japan and China standard. In addition, the decoding performance of LDPC codes in China standard are evaluated with quantized data.


The global management of complex urban environments require flexible Information Systems able of adapting to different needs of private and institutional agents related to preservation and sustainability of Cultural Heritage. Heterogeneity of formats and sources makes difficult the transfer of digital information, which is increased by nontextual support. 3D models provide a support enabling referencing, exploring and extracting information from different sources. The generation of range–based digital 3d models is developed by combining digital photogrammetry and 3d terrestrial laser scans. The development of the software platform UVACAD enables the information management and fusion arising from different imageand range-based sources. The resulting fusion is integrated in an urban GIS model, which is modelled on ArcGIS V.9.0. This model has been applied to four villages of Palencia (Spain) with Renaissance style buildings.


Many algorithmic developments in quantum complexity theory, including Shor's celebrated algorithms for factoring and discrete logs, have made use of Fourier transforms over abelian groups. That is, at some point in the computation, the macline is in a superposition of states corresponding to elements of a finite abelian group G, and in quantum polynomial time (i.e., polynomial in log IGI), the machine is transformed according to the Fourier transform to a superposition of states corresponding to the irreducible representations of G. We give a quantum polynomial time algorithm for the Fourier transform for the symmetric groups Sn, adapting results obtained by Clausen and Diaconis–Rockmore to the quantum setting.


Highlight the use of fluorescent angiography in free flap reconstruction of the head and neck. Qualify how fluorescent angiography can be selectively added to management paradigms for head and neck free flap reconstruction.


Saw-belly (Hemiculter leucisculus) is a non-native species, which unfortunately spreads in many aquatic ecosystems of Iran. This species has probably introduced to Zarrineh River with commercially cyprinid species from the Caspian Sea basin. The adverse effects of this species on native species can lead to ecological hazards. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of environmental factors on the shape variations of Saw-belly (H. leucisculus) in the Urmia Lake. Hence, a total of 120 Saw-belly specimens were caught from the Zarrineh River. Specimens were photographed using a digital camera and the landmarks put on two-dimensional images using TpsDig2 software. General Procrustes Analysis (GPA) was used to remove the effects related to the figure (including size, position and rotation). The significant relationships were found between environmental factors and shape data using Procrustes regression. The results showed that environmental factors including temperature, altitude and velocity had a significant effect on the body shape of Saw-belly. The results can be considered by conservationists and environmentalists to monitoring of this newly introduced fish.


The stability of spherical accelerating shock waves is discussed via the examination of the stability of the new Waxman-Shvarts self-similar solutions to the strong explosion problem with a density profile ρ ∝ r-ω with ω > 3. We show that accelerating shock waves that diverge in finite time (obtained for ω larger than a critical value ωc: ω > ωc) are unstable for small and intermediate wavenumbers, in accordance with the conclusions of Chevalier, who studied the stability of planar shock wave propagating in an exponentially decaying density profile. However, accelerating shock waves that diverge in infinite time (obtained for ω < ωc) are stable for most wavenumbers. We find that perturbation of small wavenumber grow or decay monotonically in time, while perturbations of intermediate and high wavenumber oscillate in time.


Measures of personality and organizational climate were subjected to three different analytical methods that extract patterns from data: Discriminant, Classification and Regression Trees, and neural network classification analysis. Risk, openness, rewards, and neuroticism (rather than conscientiousness) emerged as key variables in differentiating among three similar work groups. Results of the analyses support the central hypothesis of ASA theory of greater variance in personality across compared to within organizations and an interactionist paradigm between person and environment. Implications for ASA theory and for personnel selection are discussed.


The gonads of Lepidogalaxias salamandroides are structurally distinctive. A duct, the surface of which is ciliated, is located on the ventral surface of each ovary and may be a modification of the ovarian tunica. The testes are small and the majority of the testicular structure functions as a sperm storage area. Secondary requisite sex characters are present in the male and the function of a modified scale sheath in copulation is unique among teleosts. Fertilization is internal and a viscous mucus mass secreted during copulation may serve as a copulatory plug. It is postulated that internal fertilization within this species has arisen as a response to sperm competition.