ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigates the trade-off between product types and the choice between standardization and customization in initial purchases. Attribution theory is used to understand how customers attribute characteristics to products/services and how it affects decision-making. Industrial purchases require service contracts, making it challenging for manufacturers to determine the appropriate service type. The study provides insights for designing service contracts that meet customer preferences and aids decision-making by analyzing the interplay of product type, service type, and approach. Practical recommendations are offered for manufacturers integrating services to gain a competitive edge. This research enhances service offerings and customer satisfaction. Methodology This study included a combination of qualitative in-depth interviews and a quantitative experimental approach. The qualitative phase involved in-depth interviews with 10 managers working for different equipment manufacturers and purchasing products from those companies. The interview protocol was designed in response to the current study's research topic and literature review. The interviews lasted about 40 minutes and were all recorded after informing the participants. The authors used the open coding approach to code transcribed interviews. The quantitative phase employed a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design, with manipulations of product type (production versus auxiliary equipment), service type (service supporting product versus service supporting customer action), and service approach (standardized versus customized). Questionnaires were sent to 957 managers working in purchasing, machinery-energy, maintenance, or upper management at top 500 firms, and the final sample included 157 usable responses. Findings The authors identified three themes through coding: 1) product type: customers consider the type of production when making a service contract and prioritize maintenance if it is crucial to the production system, 2) service type: customers value manufacturers who offer consultation, training and take responsibility for smooth equipment operation, and 3) service approach: customers want flexibility to add or remove components in the equipment and service offer. However, not all customers hold these preferences all the time. The quantitative part of the study aimed to determine customers' preferred combinations in different scenarios. The main effect results indicated that ATC (attitude toward the company) and WTP (willingness to pay more) were higher for auxiliary products, services supporting customer actions and customized services. Two-way interaction results showed that ATC and WTP increased more from SSP (service supporting product) to SSC (service supporting customers' action) when the equipment was production equipment. There was no significant difference in ATC and WTP for the interaction between product type and service approach. Nonetheless, it was found that WTP increased more in the case of customized services specifically designed for SSC. Furthermore, when the service was customized for SSC and production equipment, the three-way interaction analysis revealed a significant increase in both ATC and WTP. Research implications The study adopted a mixed-method approach to examine the optimal structure of service contracts for initial product purchases. The results revealed that customers exhibit a greater attraction toward and willingness to pay a premium for service contracts when manufacturers offer a blend of services that facilitate customer actions and provide customized product offerings. This finding is consistent with previous research, which indicates that consumers place a premium on the smooth operation of critical equipment in their manufacturing processes. The study also revealed the importance of adapting service offerings to support customer actions and respond to particular needs and expectations. Additionally, the study applied attribution theory to industrial purchasing, highlighting the importance of customizing service offerings to support customer actions and address specific attributions. Moreover, the study unveiled that a customized approach to services, which supports customer actions through offerings such as services supporting product (SSP) or services supporting customer actions (SSC), can optimize the value derived from production equipment by enhancing efficiency and profitability, fostering trust, and fortifying the customer-supplier relationship. Practical implications In designing service contracts to effectively cater to industrial purchases, managers must prioritize reducing uncertainty for customers and cultivating a favorable attitude toward the service offering. Achieving this goal involves orchestrating service contracts to deliver customized solutions, providing consultancy and training when necessary, especially for equipment crucial to the production line. The provision of individualized assistance holds the potential to increase customers' willingness to pay higher prices, bestowing the company with a competitive advantage in the market. Consequently, customers gain the assurance of seamless production, while manufacturers reap the benefits of price premiums. However, it is essential to recognize that not all customers may desire individualized solutions with consultancy services, particularly when the equipment's role in the production line is less critical. For some, cost-cutting is a priority, and they may prefer the freedom to find solutions themselves without disrupting the production line. To accommodate such preferences, standardized service contracts can be employed, ensuring the smooth operation of only the equipment sold. By striking a balance between these parameters, manufacturers can maximize their customer base and profit from each customer, fostering strong and sustainable position in the market they operate. Originality/value/contribution The present study constitutes a significant contribution to the existing body of literature concerning service and servitization within a business-to-business (B2B) environment. Through an investigation into the intricate dynamics involving product type, service type, and service approach, novel insights emerge regarding their influence on purchasing decisions within the realm of industrial purchases. Attribution theory serves as a useful framework employed in this study, allowing for an exploration of how customers attribute specific characteristics or attributes to products and services and how these attributions impact their decision-making process. By encompassing both the objective features of products and services and the subjective attributions formed by customers, this study presents a different perspective on servitization strategies within the B2B context.


Background Multiple therapeutic strategies have been adopted to reduce pain, odynophagia, and oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients. Among them, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) represents a unique analgesic modality. However, the details of tDCS mechanisms in pain treatment are still unclear. Aims (1) to study the analgesic effects of a protocol that encompassed supervised-remote and in-clinic tDCS sessions applied in head and neck patients undergoing chemoradiation therapy; (2) to explore the underlining brain mechanisms of such modulation process, using a novel protocol that combined functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and electroencephalograph (EEG), two distinct neuroimaging methods that bring information regarding changes in the hemodynamic as well as in the electrical activity of the brain, respectively. Methods This proof-of-concept study was performed on two subjects. The study protocol included a 7-week-long tDCS stimulation procedure, a pre-tDCS baseline session, and two post-tDCS follow-up sessions. Two types of tDCS devices were used. One was used in the clinical setting and the other remotely. Brain imaging was obtained in weeks 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, and after 1 month. Results The protocol implemented was safe and reliable. Preliminary results of the fNIRS analysis in weeks 2 and 7 showed a decrease in functional connections between the bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the primary sensory cortex (S1) (p < 0.05, FDR corrected). Changes in EEG power spectra were found in the PFC when comparing the seventh with the first week of tDCS. Conclusion The protocol combining remote and in-clinic administered tDCS and integrated fNIRS and EEG to evaluate the brain activity is feasible. The preliminary results suggest that the mechanisms of tDCS in reducing the pain of head and neck cancer patients may be related to its effects on the connections between the S1 and the PFC.


The search for uranium hos been going on in South America for the last 30 years and has led to discoveries of deposits in the following countries: Brazil, Argentine, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. - In addition to the already known deposits in Brazil at Pocas de Caldas (Minas Gerais), Figueira (Parana) and Quadrilatere Ferrifere (Minas Gerais), other deposits have been discovered at Itatiaia where the uranium is associated with phosphates, in the Lagoa Real region where the uranium is in microclinal gneiss, and in the Rio Preto region. Nearly 100 ore shows have been found in Lower Precarnbrian shales covered by Middle Precambrion quartzose sandstore. The industrial complexes of Pocas de Caldas and Fiqueira will start production respectively in 1980 and 1983. - In Argentina the mains deposits are in the Serra Pintada (Mendoza Province), at Los Adobes and Cerro Condor (Chubut Province) and at Don Otto in the northern part of the country. Reserves now known and those being developed are very promising for the future.


Triethylammonium halochromates are easily synthesized by addition of triethylamine to aqueous solutions of CrO3 and HX (X= F, Cl), and show ability in the oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes and ketones under microwave irradiation.


In accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the invention there is at least a method and apparatus to perform operations including triggering, with an entity of a device, an attestation with a trusted platform module/mobile platform module of the device; and in response to the triggering, sending information comprising a platform configuration register value towards the entity, where the platform configuration register depends on measurements of the entity triggering the attestation.


The "Swift Boat Drama" of August 2004 was a political counter-narrative contesting an action on the Bay Hap River for which Senator John Kerry was awarded the Bronze Star and his third Purple Heart. The message and timing of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth combined with uncritical media coverage to dominate the election in early August. When this coverage shifted, the group's counter-narrative lost much of its force. This essay suggests the importance of timing and message arrangement in the strategic use of and response to counter-narrative in political communication.


The purpose of this project was to provide a one-year opportunity for university students, school-based special educators and general educators to work together on behalf of 20 elementary education students with special needs. Twenty general education and ten special education university students provided services to students identified with special needs or at risk, supervised by on-site general and special education teachers. Weekly seminars provided opportunities for all participants to work collaboratively, sharing teaching methods and strategies. Evidence accumulated from student portfolios, dialogue journals, informal discussions, and surveys documented the benefits and challenges of collaboration for the participants. The current study served as a pilot for future integration of coursework and field experience in the context of University-School Partnerships. ********** Over ten years ago, Allington and McGill-Franzen (1989) wrote of the need to transform the current method of educational service delivery. They suggested proceeding toward a more integrated educational system eliminating the need for separate special education classrooms. Arguing against two separate educational systems, general and special education, the authors joined others in their call for integrated classrooms (Biklin, 1985; Gartner & Lipsky, 1987; Stainback & Stainback, 1984) in the belief that students with exceptionalities differ in degree, not kind, from typically developing students. In the wake of P.L. 94-142 in 1975, and later in the 1997 reauthorization of IDEA, federal legislation requires that students with exceptionalities receive their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE) requiring that students with disabilities be educated with their typically developing peers to the greatest extent possible, and that removal to more specialized or restrictive settings should occur only when it is not possible, even with the provision of supplementary aids and supports, to serve a student with a disability in the general education setting (Raymond, 2000). Allington and McGill-Franzen's (1989) proposed merger of all instructional efforts for "low-achieving" students requires general education and support teachers to work collaboratively on the design and delivery of instruction, ultimately developing the "shared knowledge" necessary to create coherent instructional opportunities across school settings. They envisioned teachers working as intact teams addressing the instructional needs of an intact set of children. In order for collaboration in the field and the "sharing of responsibility" for instruction and achievement to occur, the field of education has been forced to make some very fundamental changes. Such changes assume that teachers are prepared to play a part in the change process or take on the role of change agent in addition to other critical roles and responsibilities. It has been incumbent on higher education to abandon traditional approaches to teacher preparation and move to one that includes and reinforces the concept of educational partnerships (Welch & Hardman, 1991). Leaders in teacher education began calling for unitary systems of personnel preparation so that all teachers are able to provide education based on the unique needs of individual students. Collaborative preparation for both special and general education preservice teachers allows for the development of collaborative partnerships and an opportunity to resolve role ambiguity so that once in the field, teachers' effectiveness will not be hindered by role confusion. As the vision of an integrated educational system became more and more of a reality, schools and teacher preparation programs have been forced/challenged to adapt to the changing needs of integrated classrooms. As one might deduce, the impact on teacher training programs has been colossal. A special education teacher must be prepared to assume a variety of roles, be it intervention specialist, itinerant teacher, or resource room teacher. …


In this study, we discussed Maritz LLC's incentives, motivation, and incentive programs so that the reader can easily understand the core concept of incentives. We have discussed the various incentives that most organizations are currently using to motivate their employees, customers, and dealers or distributors to perform better. We also included some of the most widely used incentive theories adopted by Maritz LLC, which have changed the modern world's view of incentives and their implications. These theories give us a better understanding of the various needs that people have and the importance of those needs. The theories also told us what kinds of incentives are significant and how important they are. Finally, we compare what the theory implies to what an organization like Maritz LLC is doing to improve its overall performance. We also attempted to identify the parallels and differences between theory and application.


The corrosive wear of ion plated TiN thin film formed on mild steel by hollow cathode deposition was investigated in NaCl solution. The results show that the conditions of surface damage are classified into three groups depending upon the magnitude of loads: 1) low load…control of corrosion, 2) medium load…control of corrosion and wear, 3) high load…control of wear.Under the control of corrosion with low load, galvanic corrosion of mild steel occurred at the defects of TiN film causing cave-in and finally breakdown of the thin film. Under the control of wear with high load, low mechanical strength and low hardness of mild steel resulted in plastic deformation of substrate and stepwise breakdown of the film. Adhesive wear was also observed partly.Compared with dry environment, wet environment of aqueous solution gave favourable condition for removal of wear powder, cooling and lubrication on wearing surfaces.


This paper reexamines the case for subsidizing employment. One superficially promising approach, based on the idea that government cofinancing of unemployment benefits could induce firms to lay off too many workers in bad times, turns out to be an unsatisfactory argument for employment subsidies when worker-firm contracts are optimal. But efficiency wage explanations for unemployment offer considerable scope for a revenue-neutral combination of a specific labour subsidy and ad valorem wage tax. When pitched low enough, unemployment must fall under a wide set of conditions.


For the most part, physics is an objective science. Physicists investigate natural phenomena and develop models that are labeled either &dquo;good&dquo; or &dquo;bad&dquo;, &dquo;right&dquo; or &dquo;wrong&dquo;, depending on how well they predict observed behavior. But sometimes physics is one of many factors in a complex technological problem faced by society. Then physics acquires subjective aspects. The basic physical laws may not be disputed, but the manner in which they are applied becomes controversial. For example, given all the data, physicists might agree on whether a certain space-based weapon might destroy a target under specific circumstances, but they are likely to disagree on whether it is a practical component of a particular weapons system, or on whether it can be built within a fixed


ABSTRACT Single-chain variable-fragment (scFv) anti-idiotypic antibodies of an HM-1 killer toxin (HM-1) from the yeast Williopsis saturnus var. mrakii IFO 0895 have been produced by recombinant DNA technology from the splenic lymphocytes of mice immunized by idiotypic vaccination with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (nMAb-KT). The fungicidal activity of scFv anti-idiotypic antibodies against the isolates of four Candida species was assessed by MIC analysis. scFv antibodies were fungicidal at concentrations of 1.56 to 12.5 μg/ml in vitro against four Candida species. The scFv antibodies exerted a strong candidacidal activity in vitro, with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 7.3 × 10−8 to 16.0 × 10−8 M, and were neutralized by adsorption with nMAb-KT. Furthermore, all scFv antibodies effectively inhibited fungal β-1,3-glucan synthase activity in vitro, with IC50 values ranging from 2.0 × 10−8 to 22.7 × 10−8 M, values which almost coincide with the values that are inhibitory to the growth of fungal cells. Binding assays showed that the scFv antibodies specifically bind to nMAb-KT, and this binding pattern was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance analysis. The binding ability was further demonstrated by the competition observed between scFv antibodies and HM-1 to bind nMAb-KT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that an antifungal anti-idiotypic antibody, in the form of recombinant scFv, potentially inhibits β-1,3-glucan synthase activity.


Communication blackout generally occurs during the re-entry at high velocities through the atmosphere. Air ahead of the re-entry vehicle dissociates and then ionises, leading to the production of electrons. These electrons may reflect or attenuate the communication signals. Electron densities with plasma frequency exceeding the communication frequency lead to blackout. Electron density is a function of the body shape, velocity and altitude. The viscous shock layer method is used to predict the electron density, and thereby the plasma frequency for various configurations. This method is successfully implemented for analytic and non-analytic geometry configurations available in the literature. The electron densities computed for the RAM-C configuration agree well with the flight results. The onset of blackout during the re-entry phase is also predicted reasonably well by this method. The method performs well at high altitudes, where nonequilibrium conditions prevail. Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(4), pp.364-369 , DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.1089


Under fire conditions, bonded anchors often exhibit pull-out failure due to the thermal sensitivity of polymer-based adhesives. However, progress in manufacturing has allowed the development of more thermoresistant mortars, enhancing the probability of observing concrete-related failure modes at high temperature. For concrete cone failure, Annex D (Informative) to the European Standard EN 1992-4 provides a method to determine the characteristic fire resistance. This method is based on ISO 834-1 fire ratings and on limited experimental data without inclusion of bonded anchors. To remedy these shortcomings, the present contribution aims to provide the first experimental analyses on the concrete cone failure of bonded anchors loaded in tension and exposed to ISO 834-1 fire conditions, as well as heating with a relatively slower rate. The recorded ultimate loads show that the loss of capacity depends on the embedment depth, failure mode and heating scenario. Regarding exposure to ISO 834-1 fire, the 125 mm anchors lost 50% to 60% of their capacity at ambient temperature after 30 min to 75 min of fire exposure. The results highlight that the existing method gives a conservative prediction of the concrete cone capacity at high temperature. However, its accuracy can be improved. Moreover, the obtained crack patterns by the concrete cone breakout failure mode show that the rise in temperature did not significantly affect the geometry of the failure with slow-rate heating. In contrast, the ISO 834-1 fire conditions increased the radius of the failure cone at the exposed surface to up to 5.5 times the embedment depth. However, in any case, the initial slope of the failure surface was not significantly different from its value at ambient temperature.


The interaction of cultural and weed plants and pests in agrophytocenosis is studied. The thresholds of harmfulness are determined to justify the rational use of plant protection products. Economic thresholds of pests' harmfulness are established. This serves as the scientific basis for developingeffective pets' management.


In radar circuits, if, under fault conditions, the modulator cable is not discharged, overvoltages may arise which are dangerous to components. The paper describes a spark-gap employed as a protective device. Such a gap should break down without time-lag at a little above the circuit-operating voltage. De-ionization should be rapid, as voltage pulses may recur at up to 5 000 per second. Breakdown voltage should be unaffected by previous breakdowns, and should be independent of atmospheric pressure and temperature.The sealed-off, hydrogen-tilled spark-gap described substantially satisfies these conditions. Breakdown voltages of 5 and 16 kV were standardized, but samples for experimental work were supplied up to 22 kV. Pressures up to 2 atmospheres of hydrogen were employed.A robust design enclosed in a ceramic envelope also is described.


The dibenzo[b,f]azepinate (DBAP) complexes (DBAP)Li·(THF)3, (DBAP)2Mg·(THF)2, and (DBAP)2Ca·(THF)3 could be isolated as highly air-sensitive compounds in yields of 93%, 72%, and 48%, respectively. Crystal structures of these THF adducts reveal monomeric complexes in which the degree of ring puckering depends on the nature of the metal. The most extreme deviation from planarity is found for the most covalent bound metal, Mg, but in all cases no interaction between the metal and the azepine C═C bond is observed. The THF-free complex [(DBAP)2Mg]2, which could be obtained in 77% yield, crystallizes as an unusual dimer with three bridging and one terminal DBAP ligand. The bridging DBAP ligands are highly bent and span a cavity in which a Mg2+ ion is bound through three alkene–Mg interactions with an average Mg···C distance of 2.794(3) A. Theoretical calculations support these contacts. A combination of AIM and NPA analyses shows polarization of the alkene π-electron density toward the metal (vertical polarizat...


Objective To explore the clinical features of palindromic rheumatism(PR).Methods Sixty patients with PR were analyzed.Results Sixty patients with typical clinical manifestations were found the episodes of acute arthritis.Each episode of arthritis usually lasted from a few hours to several days before disappearing complately without no residual articular effect.The affected joints included wrists,PIP,knees,soles,ankles and shoulders with redness and swelling.All patients were cured with NSAIDs or low doses cortisone(predinison 5~10mg/d) during the attack of arthritis.Conclusion The prognosis of the syndrome is quite good.It's diagnosis depends on the typical clinical features and exclusion of some connective tissue diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis disease,SLE,gout etc by the regular follow up.


The N-terminally truncated pyroglutamate Aβ3−42 (AβpE3−42) and Aβ4−42 peptides are known to be highly abundant in the brain of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Both peptides show enhanced aggregation and neurotoxicity in comparison to full-length Aβ, suggesting that these amyloid peptides may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. The aim of the present work was to study the direct effect of the combination of AβpE3−42 and Aβ4−42 on ongoing AD-related neuron loss, pathology, and neurological deficits in transgenic mice. Bigenic mice were generated by crossing the established TBA42 and Tg4-42 mouse models expressing the N-truncated Aβ peptides AβpE3−42 and Aβ4−42, respectively. After generation of the bigenic mice, detailed phenotypical characterization was performed using either immunostainings to evaluate amyloid pathology or quantification of neuron numbers using design-based stereology. The elevated plus maze was used to study anxiety levels. In order to evaluate sensori-motor deficits, the inverted grid, the balance beam and the string suspension tasks were applied. We could demonstrate that co-expression of AβpE3−42 and Aβ4−42 accelerates neuron loss in the CA1 pyramidal layer of young bigenic mice as seen by reduced neuron numbers in comparison to single transgenic homozygous mice expressing either AβpE3−42 or Aβ4−42. This observation coincides with the robust intraneuronal Aβ accumulation observed in the bigenic mice. In addition, loss of anxiety and motor deficits were enhanced in an age-dependent manner. The sensori-motor deficits correlate with the abundant spinal cord pathology, as demonstrated by robust intracellular Aβ accumulation within motor neurons and extracellular Aβ deposition. Our observations demonstrate that a combination of AβpE3−42 and Aβ4−42 has a stronger effect on ongoing AD pathology than the peptides alone. Therefore, AβpE3−42 and Aβ4−42 might represent excellent potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic markers for AD.


Saptorenggo Village is declared as a Covid-19 red zone. However, the villagers, especially the residents of Perum Amerta Residence continue to engage in outdoor activities  even some of them still work out of town. This behavior is a source of major problem in the distribution of Covid-19 at the Amerta Residence housing estate. A mutual agreement between the service team and the head of RT 08 and residents of the Amerta Residence housing estate to overcome the problem is needed so that the socialization and assistance in preventing the spread of Covid-19 can be performed. This type of activity is community service at the Amerta Residence RT 08 housing estate from March to June 2020. The procedure for community service activities consists of four stages including socialization through deliberations, the formation of the Perum Tanggap Covid (PTC) team, periodic disinfectant spraying assistance, and evaluation of community service activities. The results of this community service show that the community service team has succeeded in carrying out community service activities  base on the planned targets. In addition, residents of Amerta Residence housing estate can follow all the service activities that have been designed by the service team


In A. D. 627 the monk Paulinus visited King Edwin in northern England to persuade him to accept Christianity. He hesitated and decided to summon his advisers. At the meeting one of them stood up and said: "Your majesty, when you sit at table with your lords and vassals, in the winter when the fire burns warm and bright on the hearth and the storm is howling out side, bringing the snow and the rain, it happens allof a sudden that a little bird flies into the hall. It comes in at one door and flies out through the other. For the few moments that it is inside the hall, it does not feel the cold, but as soon as it leaves your sight, it returns to the dark of winter. It seems to me that the life of human being is much the same. We do not know what went before and we do not know what follows. If the new doctrine can speak to us surely of these things, it is well for us to follow it." They found the answer they sought in the message of Jesus.


Objectives: Word definition skill is a complex language ability in which meta-linguistic awareness and literacy skills play a critical role. The present study examined the development of word definition skills in Persian-speaking children aged 4.5 to 7.5 years, concerning content and form aspects. Methods: This was a cross-sectional and analytic-descriptive study. The study subjects were 107 children of three age groups, as follows: 54-65-month-olds, 66-77-month-olds, and 78-90-month-olds. The study participants were selected from kindergartens and schools in districts 1, 7, and 17 of Tehran City, Iran, by multi-stage sampling method. In the word definition task, children were requested to define the words. To analyze the obtained data, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used. Results: The obtained results indicated that the mean score of content (P=0.001) and form (P=0.002) aspects of word definition significantly increased with age in the study participants. Discussion: A shift from functional and objective responses towards meta-linguistic definitions, i.e. further developed in terms of content and form, was observed with aging. At the age of 7 years, definitions reflect the hierarchical nature of nouns, and applying the class name begins at this age. The age of reaching a specific class seems to be affected by the lexical category.


A material substituted with a group of formula (I): wherein: Ar1 is an aryl or heteroaryl group; Sp1 represents a first spacer group; nl is 0 or 1; m1 is 1 if nl is 0 and m1 is at least 1 if nl is 1; R1 independently in each occurrence is H or a substituent, with the proviso that at least one R1 is a group R11 selected from: alkyl comprising a tertiary carbon atom directly bound to a carbon atom of the cyclobutene ring of formula (I); branched alkyl wherein a secondary or tertiary carbon atom of the branched alkyl is spaced from a carbon atom of the cyclobutene ring of formula (I) by at least one -CH2- group; and alkyl comprising a cyclic alkyl group; or with the proviso that at least two R1 groups are linked to form a ring.


The invention provides a guava hypoglycemic active component, and a preparation method and use thereof. The method comprises the following steps: crushing a raw material of guava leaves; carrying out reflux extraction by 8-10fold by volume of 50% ethanol; carrying out vacuum concentration below 60 DEG C; dispersing the obtained ethanol extract into water; fully extracting by adopting ethyl acetate after petroleum ether is extracted; carrying out vacuum concentration below 60 DEG C; filtering the obtained ethyl acetate extract by a 60-200mesh polyamide chromatographic column; eluting ethanol water from low to high in a gradient manner; collecting a component which is eluted by ethanol of which the concentration is 30-50%, continuing to filter by the 60-200mesh polyamide chromatographic column after vacuum concentration below 60 DEG C; carrying out isocratic elution by 30% ethanol after eluting by 10% ethanol; carrying out vacuum concentration on eluent below 60 DEG C, and recrystallizing by a 70% ethanol solvent, so as to obtain the hypoglycemic active component. The method disclosed by the invention is simple and convenient; chemical components of an effective part are clear in composition, and good in chemical stability. By adopting the guava hypoglycemic active component disclosed by the invention, alloxan-induced hyperglycemia can be significantly reduced, and the guava hypoglycemic active component can be applied to preparation of hypoglycemic medicaments or health-care products.


Abstract : A Modified Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (MGLRT) for the adaptive detection of a target or targets that are distributed in range is derived. The unknown parameters associated with the hypothesis test are the complex amplitudes in range of the desired target and the unknown covariance matrix of the additive interference, which is assumed to be characterized as complex zero-mean correlated Gaussian random variables. The target's or targets' complex amplitudes are assumed to be distributed across the entire input data block (sensor x range). Results on probabilities of false alarm and detection are derived and a Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) detector is developed. Simulation results are presented. It is shown that the derived MGLRT of range- distributed targets is much more effective in detecting targets distributed in range than an M out of K detector that is cascaded with a single-point target Kelly detector. In addition, the MGLRT associated with detecting a single point target with signal-contaminated secondary data is also derived. It is shown, surprisingly, that this detector is totally ineffective in solving this problem.


Abstract The current study investigated the impact of performance feedback on female students' motivation following a summative classroom assessment in STEM. Seventh through ninth grade students (N = 161) were randomly assigned by their math or science class to one of the following conditions: grades, written comments, grades and comments, and no feedback. Results revealed complex interactions between feedback stage (anticipation vs. receipt) and form. Students in the grades-and-comments condition experienced the most optimal effects (i.e., increased mastery goal orientation and intrinsic motivation) despite a decline in self-efficacy. Students in the comments condition experienced a similar increase in intrinsic motivation. Finally, students in the no feedback condition reported a heightened performance-approach goal orientation when they received assessments with no feedback. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed.


Proposes and designs an intelligent embedded monitor-control network to implement the real-time monitoring for different large buildings and building groups.Aiming at the specific property of the system,multiple protocols and field bus are used to form a distributed monitor-control network based on embedded system so as to play fully the role of different protocols and field bus.Taking a high-performance micro-processor as the core,the system architecture and communication center are implemented with the multi-layer logic process.The bus protocol stack is introduced to attain the high transfer speed among protocols.An improved data communication protocol is therefore used for resolving the data loss problem of multi-host communication.The system acquires high intelligence,low cost and excellent flexibility,thus verifying that multiple protocols are useful for this system.


This paper proposes a low power commutator architecture for the implementation of radix-4 based pipelined fast Fourier transform processor. The architecture is based on dual port RAM blocks and exploits the interconnection topology among these blocks for low power implementation. The paper presents the commutator architecture, describes the design methodology and evaluation environment, and provides implementation results showing that the new commutator achieves up to 58% power saving for 256-point and 128-point FFTs as compared to previous commutator architectures.


Successfully achieve business objectives through the use of teams. Why work in teams? Simply put, PERFORMANCE! Teams vastly outperform the combined output of individuals in traditional work settings. But high performance teams require planning, accountability, and commitment. This book gives you the tools you need to build a case for teaming in your organization, set performance goals, and continually measure team effectiveness. You'll learn how to identify and foster the characteristics of successful teams, define responsibilities for team members, and overcome common obstacles to high performance. What's more, you will put your newfound skills to the test using real-world business case scenarios provided throughout the book. And you'll gauge the effectiveness of your own team with in-depth self-assessment exercises. The skills you will master here can be applied to any team situation—from a single work unit team to wider multi-unit teams spanning the organization. Readers will learn how to: • Identify the best type of team for your organization • Perform the essential "getting off to a good start" steps • Define key responsibilities for team members and team leader • Set the best goals against which to measure performance • Anticipate and address team transitions. This is an ebook version of the AMA Self-Study course. If you want to take the course for credit you need to either purchase a hard copy of the course through amaselfstudy.org or purchase an online version of the course through www.flexstudy.com.


The replacement of calcite by sphalerite under near-neutral pH's was investigated experimentally and by numerical modeling. The results showed maximum solubility of Zn at 375/sup 0/C, because at higher temperatures Na-Cl and Ca-Cl ion-pairing becomes nearly as strong as the Zn-Cl complexing, effectively scavenging the available chloride. Solubility decreases below 375/sup 0/C because Zn-Cl complexes become less stable. These calculations were confirmed experimentally: ZnS-saturated chloride solutions were pumped through various pure marble sands and gravels down a temperature gradient. CO/sub 2/-CaCO/sub 4/ reactions were used to buffer the input solution at temperatures 15/sup 0/ above those used for the temperature gradients during replacement. In runs cooler than 375/sup 0/C, sphalerite was deposited when the solution cooled to cause ZnS super-saturation. In runs above 375/sup 0/C, no sphalerite precipitated until the temperature fell well below 375/sup 0/C. Such delayed replacement characteristically has sphalerite disseminated as isolated grains, and the marble showed evidence of dissolution. This process opened void space in solid marbles, permitting increased flow of sulfide-depositing solutions. Thus temperature changes may cause replacement of calcite by sphalerite even where there is no change in the reactivity of the host rock, or its accessibility to ore-forming solutions.


Magnetorheological (MR) fluids as intelligently magneto-responsive materials are composed of magnetic particles dispersed in nonmagnetic liquid carriers, whose state can be rapidly changed from a liquid-like to solid-like under an external magnetic field [1-3]. When no magnetic field is applied, magnetic particles are randomly dispersed in liquid carriers and behave as like a Newtonian fluid. On the other hand, with an applied magnetic field, they can form a fibrillar structure within milliseconds aligning along the magnetic field direction due to a magnetic-polarization interaction between particles, exhibiting significantly enhanced rheological properties of shear viscosity, dynamic modulus, and yield stress. The field-induced transformation of MR fluids is similar to that of electrorheological (ER) fluids when exposed to an eclectic field. Due to the field-controllable properties, MR fluids have been widely developed in a range of engineering devices, such as shock absorbers, brakes, active dampers, etc. However, a mismatch could occur in MR fluids because the densities of magnetic particles (iron, iron oxide and iron alloys etc.) are much higher than that of nonmagnetic fluids (mineral oil, silicone oil, hydrocarbon, paraffin etc.). Therefore, a major concern in MR fluids today is to continue to improve dispersion stability. In order to solve the problem, many efforts have been made such as addition of surfactants, magnetic nanoparticles, thickening agents and coating the magnetizable particles by organic or inorganic materials [1, 4–7]. Recently, owing to the good dispersion stability, hollow structured magnetic materials have been employed for preparation of MR fluids [7, 8]. However, no any information about CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticle-based MR fluids has been reported. In this study, the hollow structured CoFe 2 O 4 nanospheres were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method and its MR effect was investigated.


Puerto Rico has emerged from anonymity in the last decade. After a long history of colonialism and poverty, its people are engaged in an enthusiastic effort to meet their formidable problem of economic scarcity in the face of a very dense and prolific population. And they go about this task with intense democratic fervor, making full use of the representative processes and protecting the individual and group rights that are indispensable in a system based on the control of government by the people. These are not mere generalizations but concrete realities, easily confirmed by careful observation. Since 1938 the proofs of democratic development have grown more and more in their convincing impact. The eradication of vote selling, the intensive participation of the masses in political activity, the orderly and clean procedures of elections, and the protection of minority rights are all symptoms of the gradual improvement in the cultural constitution, in the collective climate that decisively determines the quality of politics. These democratic forces have produced a general consensus that strongly favors government activity for the orientation of the economic processes, in order to increase production and make its distribution more equitable. The &dquo;popular will&dquo; has been manifested in the overwhelming majorities of the Popular Democratic party, which has been in power since 1940.. In 1948 it elected all but three insular legislators and lost only one municipal administration. Last November it won in every municipality and representative district, electing all its candidates. The ideology has also affected the opposition parties, so that now their economic and social tenets are very similar to those of the Popular Democratic party. The program has been in operation for twelve years, and the people are reassured in their political trust when they see that, unlike formerly, the objectives are not mere dreams or plans


It is important to understand the multi -spectrum characteristics response for monitoring land cover by remote sensing. As a study in an area of northwest of Yunnan provi nce, which is based on field survey by GPS using ETM+ data from Landsat7 on Oct., 1999, the response multi-s pectrum values of the land cover objects in remote sensing image is measured and analyze d. lt is found out that thirteen differente types of land covers express differe nt characteristics in the multi-spectrum curve, and that the multi-spectrum curve of land covered with t hose without vegetation cover.When NDVI value is larger than zero,it repvesents the lands covered with vegetation,while NDVI is less than zero,it represents lands without vegetation. In addition the time feature of land cover response multi-spectrum is need to be considered in the analysis.


January 1992. I am in Havana and I Start to think about what is going to happen in the world and in this country. At the moment, I'm naturally more concerned about Cuba, but how can one separate Cuba from the future of the world? The U.S. government has reaffirmed a decision taken 30 years ago: to reconquer Cuba. Its decision has hardened along with its power. Now that the Soviet Union and the group of countries it led have disappeared, the United States wants the world to carry out its own policies. The U.S. blockade against Cuba is insane. Is it even conceivable that Belgium could be blockaded for 30 years? No one could imagine such a horror. Just thinking about it makes one see the injustice of U.S. policy toward Cuba. Despite this, the country has achieved notable development. It is not an exaggeration to say that Cuba has developed more than any other Third World country. Indisputable indicators of Cuba's development include its level of industrialization, its new technologies in certain sectors, the population's standard of living, and, above all, the complete elimination of poverty and extreme poverty. To these achievements one can add Cuba's policies of full employment, universal health care, and a level of education that averages 12 years or more. Cuba has not been able to overcome one aspect of underdevelopment: it still lacks the level of self-sufficiency achieved by the most advanced countries in the areas of science, fuel, and industry. Since the 1989 crisis, the government and the people have taken measures to increase food self-sufficiency and to survive even extreme deprivation. Yet what other country, similarly encircled, could have survived so long and under such difficult conditions? Now the U.S. is increasing every kind of demand and pressure on Europe and Japan to join the blockade. Walking through the streets of Havana or down the roads of Cuba gives one a completely different picture than that painted by much of the media, of a country coming apart at the seams. Normal life continues more or less as it always has, but with more want and certainly some novelties, such as bicycles that multiply monthly, and also a certain preoccupation about how the island will confront and overcome the new offensive. The Cuban Revolution has undergone several stages due to changes in the country and in the world. The first began in 1959 with a national, popular, and democratic movement that appropriated the ideas of Jose Marti, together with those of liberation and socialism; the axis of its power was the majority of the working people. This first stage was followed by a second, roughly from the mid--1970s to the late 1980s. It was marked by substantial support from the Soviet bloc; during this period, the Cuban Revolution, like so many others, tied its development ever more closely to that of the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe. The current stage began with the unravelling of the USSR and the collapse of the Leninist project. It is as difficult, or more so, than the previous stages, and it is very similar to the first, because it has forced Cuba to radically rethink the project that will bring about liberation, social justice, and democracy. This problem confronts not only Cuba, China, or Vietnam, but also all underdeveloped and even developed or semideveloped peoples who are trying to contain the enormous inequalities generated by the world market and to limit the exploitation of human beings and nature that is endangering the survival of humanity. Under these conditions, one asks, what does Cuba mean for the world and what is Cuba doing to defend its right to survive? What is Cuba doing to ensure its sovereignty and to maintain or renew its project of social justice and democracy? I wish to answer these questions first in a very conjunctural, immediate way, and with the idea that events will confirm my hypotheses. It seems to me that given the world's current conditions, the island has designed several policies that assure and augur well for its survival and expanded growth, its self-sustained and peaceful development. …


Enormous amounts of data are generated and analyzed in the latest semiconductor industry. Established yield prediction studies have dealt with one type of data or a dataset from one procedure. However, semiconductor device fabrication comprises hundreds of processes, and various factors affect device yields. This challenge is addressed in this study by using an expandable input data-based framework to include divergent factors in the prediction and by adapting explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), which utilizes model interpretation to modify fabrication conditions. After preprocessing the data, the procedure of optimizing and comparing several machine learning models is followed to select the best performing model for the dataset, which is a random forest (RF) regression with a root mean square error (RMSE) value of 0.648. The prediction results enhance production management, and the explanations of the model deepen the understanding of yield-related factors with Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) values. This work provides evidence with an empirical case study of device production data. The framework improves prediction accuracy, and the relationships between yield and features are illustrated with the SHAP value. The proposed approach can potentially analyze expandable fields of fabrication conditions to interpret multifaceted semiconductor manufacturing.


Who owns the commanding heights in the Islamic Republic of Iran? Examining the top 300 firms on the Tehran Stock Exchange, this chapter finds a diverse set of ownership categories existing across economic sectors, associated with public, parastatal, pension, and provincial institutional investors. The main similarity between investors is the form through which ownership took place: the diversified business group. The persistence of the diversified business group is not unique to Iran. Instead, diversified business groups profitably thrive in Turkey and the Gulf emirates, as they do in liberalized economies such as South Korea, Israel, Mexico, and South Africa. As foreign capital comes to Iran, new cleavages will likely appear in the economic commanding heights. Many existing business groups will shrink or change ownership. But the organizational form of the diversified conglomerate will likely persist and remain dominant in Iran's political economy through the next wave of business restructuring and beyond.


Using geodetic and astrometric VLBI acquired between 1984-1994, we have determined coecients in the nutation series with uncertainties of 10 microarcseconds. This level of accuracy is quite sucient to dierentiate between alternate theories of nutation. We show that small terms predicted using the Kinoshita & Souchay (1990) rigid Earth theory of nutation revised by Souchay & Kinoshita (1995), agree well with the VLBI results at periods where the non rigid Earth corrections are reliable. These terms are dierent or absent from the Kinoshita (1977) theory that is the basis for the standard IAU 1980 model. We propose a nutation series based on the Kinoshita & Souchay theory using the Wahr (1979) transformation for a non rigid Earth that can be useful where the physical interpretation of the smaller terms is important. This series, called VKSNRE95.1, includes corrections to the nine largest terms derived from VLBI observations.


Risk assessment frameworks such as HAZUS-MH (FEMA, 2010) have been used globally to estimate potential losses like physical damage to structural establishments, economic loss, shelter requirements, displaced households, etc. due to multi-hazards like earthquake, flood and hurricane hazards. However, HAZUS-MH fails to consider interdependencies between physical and social capacities of affected communities. The present study aims to develop a conceptual risk assessment framework for storm hazards in coastal communities that addresses these limitations through an integrated physical and social vulnerability assessment applied to Hampton Roads, Virginia. By including interdependencies, interactions between the physical and social vulnerability will be studied. We hypothesize that changes in housing occupancy status affect the physical damage and changes in population density affect the social vulnerability. Therefore, the integrated physical and social vulnerability will change in response to a current event and therefore make the same region more or less impacted in a subsequent future event.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/JzCsvurKrxU


We study the EVP of the PDE: Lu=λφ(x, u(x)), where L is a second order elliptic differential operator, and φ(x, t) is a function in x and t, which may be discontinuous in t. Under certain conditions of φ, the structure of the positive spectrum and the existence of at least three distinct solutions of this equation are treated. These results are applied to a class of free boundary problems of the equilibrium equations in nuclear fusion. We obtain at least two distinct non-trivial free boundaries. In addition, the Lagrangian multiplier theorem in a Hilbert space covers the case where the constrained functional is continuously convex and nondifferentiable.


The resonance frequency of 1.55 μm VCSEL is enhanced from the free-running 7 GHz to ~23 GHz with the optical injection technique.This is the highest value reported for VCSELs.


The objectives of this study are to analyze the implementation of the Simantri program in Mendoyo Dangin Tukad Village and to analyze the profit level of the Simantri farmers and non-Simantri farmers. The analyses used are descriptive statistics and profits analysis. This study began in the first planting season, which is Januari-April 2016. The sample total is 40 farmers, which consist of 20 farmers joining Simantri program and 20 farmers are not. The non-Simantri farmers are chosen purposively considering similarity among those who join in the Simantri program. The result shows that the implementation of the program in Mendoyo Dangin Tukad runs well. The waste processing of livestock in the village has benefit in reducing external input needs, such as inorganic fertilizer and pesticides. Waste of plants and animals are useful material for raising livestock, increasing land fertility and producing bio-energy. The farmers' profit earned Simantri program is greater than the farmers who do not participate in the program. The source of the increasing farming profit is coming from reducing external inputs of fertilizer and pesticides used.


Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration is an invasive intervention which is used for diagnosis of additional formations of the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as focal pathologies beyond it. Many reports indicate high diagnostic effectiveness and safety of this method but with increasing number of aspirations endoscopists start to encounter rare complications of this manipulation. The article presents a description of a rare complication which arose during transesophageal fine-needle aspiration, as well as a correct algorithm of patient management in the post-manipulation period.Determination of the correct strategy of patient management led to favorable outcome of the complication and determination of the final clinical diagnosis.


For many of us, the time may come that our doctor asks us to sit down because they have to tell us the bad news that: 'Yes, it is cancer'. We hope that, after the initial shock and grief, we will tackle the important questions with our doctor. What are the treatment options? Can we hope for a complete cure? Or will treatment be only palliative? And how much time will it give us? To this discussion we all will bring our personal attitudes, ranging from 'I will do anything to beat this cancer' to 'I have always said I'd rather spend my last 3 months with my family than my last year in and out of hospital'. Owners of a horse with a penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) go through much the same emotional process when having to decide on treatment. As veterinarians we want to give the best advice on treatment options and prognosis. Because penile tumours occur more often in aged horses, owners may be reluctant to choose a more invasive treatment that may entail more discomfort for their horse, such as an en bloc resection with removal of the inguinal lymph nodes. In contrast, less invasive treatments have a higher incidence of recurrence. In studies describing the results of partial phallectomy using Williams' technique, recurrence rates of 19–26% have been found [1,2]. As veterinarians we should try to provide objective information on the advantages and disadvantages of the different treatment options for the individual patient. When we want to accurately predict tumour behaviour, staging and grading of the tumour may prove useful. The TNM (tumour, node, metastasis) classification system is used widely in human oncology. This system will help veterinarians examining all items that are important for the prognosis and for the proper choice of treatment [3]. The T for tumour includes the size of the tumour and possible invasion of adjacent structures. Invasion is a very important factor in penile SCC because once the tumour cells have invaded the corpus cavernosum or corpus spongiosum, further spread is easy. Careful palpation of the penis to identify firm thickening is important in this context [1]. In man, ultrasonography of penile tumours has proved useful to identify invasion of the tumour into the corpus cavernosum. With practice, this may prove to be a valuable diagnostic tool for veterinarians too [3]. The N for (lymph) node is a challenging item in the examination of a horse with penile SCC. First, most older horses have fat deposits in the inguinal area, making it difficult to identify the lymph nodes on palpation. Second, balanoposthitis will often accompany SCC so the lymph node may be enlarged without the presence of metastases. In the study of van den Top et al. enlarged lymph nodes were found in a relatively high proportion of cases, while metastases were confirmed in only 32% of these animals [4]. Third, absence of palpable lymph node enlargement does not rule out metastasis: in the same study 36% of cases with unremarkable lymph nodes had 'occult' metastasis confirmed histologically after surgery or at post mortem histological examination [4]. When the lymph nodes can be identified by palpation or ultrasound examination, a fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the lymph node may confirm metastasis of SCC. Unfortunately, FNAB cannot exclude metastasis to the lymph node: in man up to 29% false negatives have been reported. After the lymph nodes in the inguinal area, the lymph nodes in the abdomen (medial iliac) are the next station for the SCC, so palpation per rectum of these lymph nodes is routine. The M in the TNM classification is for distant metastasis. Fortunately, it seems that penile SCC of the horse is not very quick to metastasise, so distant metastases are rarely present at presentation. Extrapolating from other species, metastasis to the lungs could be expected, but in horses this seems to be very rare. For this reason, radiography of the thorax is usually reserved for those horses with (a strong suspicion of) metastases in the lymph nodes [3]. While distant metastases are rare, they do occur and it is good to keep in mind that penile SCC can spread in two ways. The first is the 'normal' pathway for SCC: to lymph node and lung. The second is to the corpus cavernosum or c. spongiosum, followed by spreading through the circulation. Therefore, clinicians should beware of any sign of distant metastasis, especially after recurrence of SCC. Three out of six cases that suffered recurrence in the study of Mair et al. had metastasis to the abdomen [1]. In the material of van den Top et al. there was one horse with recurrence of SCC after en bloc resection, which had metastasis in the prescapular lymph node confirmed with FNAB [4]. Recent work included in this issue of Equine Veterinary Journal has shown that it is important to add G for grade to the TNM classification. In the study of van den Top et al. penile epithelial tumours are graded as penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) lesion, papilloma, SCC G1, SCC G2 and SCC G3 [5]. The PIN and papilloma are often considered 'premalignant'. The malignant tumours are divided into: G1 – well differentiated SCC; G2 – moderately differentiated SCC; and G3 – undifferentiated SCC. In the work of van den Top et al. a positive correlation between a higher grade and the incidence of metastasis is shown [2,5]. Horses with a G1 SCC have metastases in 0–3% of cases, for G2 this is 25% and for G3 it is as high as 45% and a striking influence of the grade on survival was shown [5]. All horses with PIN as the primary lesion survived. Eight per cent of horses with papilloma died of the disease, 26.1 and 26.3% of horses with G1 and G2 SCC respectively died, and 63% of horses with G3 SCC died. To grade the tumour, a representative biopsy of the tumour has to be examined. Taking an incisional biopsy may seem a big step to an owner, but the facts discussed above show that it is very important for decision making. For a G1 SCC the less invasive Willams' technique may be curative. With the higher grades, metastases may already be present so an en bloc resection (or partial phallectomy and sheath ablation) may be more suitable [6]. Even when metastases in the regional lymph nodes are present the success rate of these surgical techniques may be as high as 86–100% [2,6]. Another reason to choose one of these more invasive techniques may be the additional presence of PIN lesions or papillomas on parts of the penis and prepuce that cannot be removed with Williams' technique. In these cases, the aim is to remove all the epithelium that is prone to developing these tumours and so to exclude the need for follow-up treatments for new tumours [2]. When we have staged and graded a penile tumour in this way, we are well equipped to explain all the pros and cons of the different treatment options to the owner. Thus we may help the owner to decide which treatment is most suitable for their horse.


Recently, there has been scientific discussion on the utility of -omics techniques such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics within toxicological research and mechanism-based risk assessment. Toxicogenomics is a novel approach integrating the expression analysis of genes (genomic) or proteins (proteomic) with traditional toxicological methods. Since 1999, the toxicogenomic approach has been extensively applied for regulatory purposes in order to understand the potential toxic mechanisms that result from chemical compound exposures. Therefore, this article's purpose was to consider the utility of toxicogenomic profiles for improved risk assessment, explore the current limitations in applying toxicogenomics to regulation, and finally, to rationalize possible avenues to resolve some of the major challenges. Based on many recent works, the significant impact toxicogenomic techniques would have on human health risk assessment is better identification of toxicity pathways or mode-of-actions (MOAs). In addition, the application of toxicogenomics in risk assessment and regulation has proven to be cost effective in terms of screening unknown toxicants prior to more extensive and costly experimental evaluation. However, to maximize the utility of these techniques in regulation, researchers and regulators must resolve many parallel challenges with regard to data collection, integration, and interpretation. Furthermore, standard guidance has to be prepared for researchers and assessors on the scientifically appropriate use of toxicogenomic profiles in risk assessment. The National Institute of Toxicological Research (NITR) looks forward to an ongoing role as leader in addressing the challenges associated with the scientifically sound use of toxicogenomics data in risk assessment.


Human resource development is a systematic, organised and multidisciplinary activities of learning, educating, manpower training and development, capacity building, knowledge advancement and organisational development targeted at improving individual, team, organisational and societal performance. It is founded on the assumption that the development of the human resources of the organisation and society in general is key to unlocking the door of potentials for acceptable performance, advancement, civilisation and modernisation. The question as to whether human resource development activities should take a decentralised or centralised form is an on-going practical/empirical debate in the field. This paper interrogates the prevailing debate in the light of the two-fold positions advanced in it. One, each of the form has its advantages and disadvantages. Two, the choice as to what form of HRD programmes to adopt in an organisation is largely a function of leadership orientation and prevailing circumstances. Drawing from the Human Resource Development (HRD) processes and programmes in Nigeria and the 2018 Strategic Leadership Congress of the Deeper Life Bible Church, which took a decentralised form and held in zones and supported with strong leadership coordination, the paper presents decentralised human resources development as possessing organisational, team, individual and societal advantages. This should be explored for organisational growth and expansion.


BACKGROUND
Echinococcosis is a common health problem in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Many hydatid cysts remain asymptomatic, even in advanced age due to the slow growth of the parasite.

OBJECTIVE
The present study aimed to investigate the oxidative and inflammatory responses in rats' echinococcosis induced by three different viability statuses of the Echinococcus granulosus (G6) as diagnostic markers.

METHODS
Forty-eight male albino rats were injected intraperitoneally with three different viability statuses of the hydatid cyst fluid of the camel strain. The groups included: the negative control group (1), the low viable protoscoleces (2), the high viable protoscoleces fluid (3) not viable and not completely transformed to the calcareous status of protoscoleces fluid (4). Serum was harvested at the end of each week from the 9th to the 12th week post-infection for measuring the oxidative stress by total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and lipid peroxide (Malondialdehyde) (Malondialdehyde or MDA). . Splenic tissues from different groups werecollected for histopathological examination.

RESULTS
The results showed a histopathological change, a significantly decrease in TAC levels, and an increase in malondialdehyde, the TNF-α, and IL-10 levels of the infected groups compared with the uninfected group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
Our study conclude that the Echinococcosis induced severe oxidative stress and inflammatory responses including tissue necrosis and tissue degeneration the factors that can be used in the early stages of infection, avoiding hazards of contamination.


We present two designs that improve the gain and cross-polarization performance of the waveguide-fed short backfire (SBF) antenna by introducing a choke (SBF-2) and by loading the cavity with a metallic ring feature (SBF-2-Ring). A series of parametric simulation studies on antenna dimensions provide information on how to improve the antenna gain and cross-polarization performance, while simultaneously extending the impedance bandwidth. For SBF-2, the peak gain was 16.6 dBi, the minimum cross-polarization ratio was -23.8 dB, and the maximum impedance bandwidth was 27.3%, with gain bandwidth of 19.2%. For SBF-2-Ring, the peak gain was 15.8 dBi, the minimum cross-polarization ratio was -29.1 dB, and the maximum impedance bandwidth was 43.5%, with gain bandwidth of 31.8%. The concepts were verified by designing, fabricating, and testing two prototypes in the microwave C-band. Excellent agreement between simulation and measurement was achieved. Measured gain for SBF-2-Ring was >14 dBi for 4.7 GHz to 6.2 GHz and worst-case cross-polarization in the diagonal plane was <-22 dB for 5.3 GHz to 5.8 GHz. Cross-polarization in the principal planes has significantly greater bandwidth and the worst-case analysis is presented to give limitations on the performance.


General expressions for the discrepancy indices BR1(IN) and BR(IN), which are needed to test the correctness of any type of incomplete model of a complex structure containing any number and species of atoms in the unit cell, are derived for the related and unrelated cases. Explicit expressions for these indices for crystals containing all atoms in general positions are also tabulated for the seven categories of space group in the triclinic, monoclinic and orthorhombic systems. Expressions needed for handling crystals containing atoms in both general and special positions and those needed for taking into account random errors of observation in the intensities are also derived.


A new HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginines and L arginine in human plasma. After a SPE and evaporation of the eluate, the samples were derivatized with an o-phthaldialdehyde reagent containing 3 mercaptopropionic acid. The derivatives formed were analysed by an isocratic RP HPLC and electrochemical detection at +320 mV.


The information about earnings which is published by the company
through the annual report is the basis for the investors to make an investment
decision. The investors reaction to the earnings announcement can be seen from
the movement of stock prices around the publication date of the annual report.
This reaction is affected by several factors so this study aimed to test and analyse
the effect of firm size, profitability, and capital structure towards earnings
response coefficient. The subjects of this study consisted of property and real
estate companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in period 2014-2016 and
selected by purposive sampling. The method of data analyse used multiple linear
regression. The result of this study was firm size has positive significant effect on
earnings response coefficient, profitability didn't has significant effect on
earnings response coefficient, and capital structure didn't has significant effect on
earnings response coefficient.
Keywords : earnings response coefficient, firm size, profitability, capital
structure


In this paper, a Field Programmable Analog Array design for biomedical applications is presented. It is known that general purpose FPAA's have low performance in very low frequency applications because of analog design limitations. In this paper, FPAA design using AMS 0.35 µm technology for very low frequency and low power is presented.


The reaction of various hydrazononitriles with hydroxylamine hydrochloride yielded various products, namely, 3-aminoisoxazolone, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole and 4-amino-1,2,3-triazole derivatives depending on the nature of substituents.


This paper analyses professional orientation and activities of scientists that were awarded with a doctoral degree in information science at the University of Zagreb. We will give an overview of master theses and doctoral dissertations according to periods and disciplines of information science. The overview of scientific engagement of information science doctors in scientific and educational institutions and their promotions during scientific career is only a formal indicator of their contribution to information science and educational system. Bibliometric analyses and methods are used in order to: a) research their scientific activities according to scientific areas and scientific productions (analyses are done on the data obtained from CROSBI); b) indentify and show basic areas of their interest by co-word analysis (the results were visualized by key word clusters). The results obtained by this research produce quantitative indicators about the scientific productivity of information science doctors, their position and role in scientific and educational institutions, and give an overview of their scientific interests. These results are a presupposition for the evaluation of current development of scientific community in information science, but are also the basis for the prediction of their future development.


We consider possible tests of the Einstein equivalence principle for quantum-mechanical vacuum energies by evaluating the Lamb shift transition in a class of nonmetric theories of gravity described by the T H eµ formalism. We compute to lowest-order the associated redshift and time dilation parameters, and discuss how (high-precision) measurements of these quantities could provide new information on the validity of the equivalence principle.


Introduction: Brucellar epididymo-orchitis (BEO) is the most common variant of genitourinary brucellosis and is encountered in 2 to 20% of patients with brucellosis. This report details clinical and laboratory features, diagnostic evaluations, treatment modalities, and final outcomes for 14 patients with brucellar epididymo-orchitis. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, we describe the medical records of 14 adult patients diagnosed with brucellar epididymo-orchitis between 2009 and 2012. The diagnosis of brucellosis was based on the presence of a positive blood culture or Standard tube agglutination testing with a titer ≥ 1/160 accompanying positive clinical manifestations. Scrotal pain, enlargement, and swelling with gradual onset were considered as signs of epididymo-orchitis. Findings: The median age of patients was 41 year (range 22 to 61); most of the patients (64%) were under age of 45. All patients presented with acute or sub-acute symptoms of epididymo-orchitis. Brucella melitensis was isolated in the blood cultures of two patients. The patients were treated with a combined antibiotherapy comprising doxycycline, rifampicin, ciprofloxacin, and streptomycin. None of the patients required surgical intervention. All of the patients showed improvement; relapse occurred in only one patient, who was subsequently treated. Discussion: Brucella infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with epididymo-orchitis in endemic areas of brucellosis such as our country. Clinical and serological evaluation and imaging techniques such as Doppler ultrasound are sufficient for diagnosis. In most cases, a combination antibiotherapy is sufficient for management of BEO.


A passage in Macarius Magnes' Apocriticus (2,14 Volp) has recently been adduced to support the long-controverted hypothesis that a senatus consultum was issued against the Christians in the year 35. The note reviews the evidence and finds it wanting. Of the texts usually adduced, Tertullian, Apologeticum 5,1–3 does not describe a senatus consultum, Eusebius, Historia ecclesiastica 5,21,4 and the Greek and Armenian Acta Apollonii say nothing about Tiberius, and Jerome, Chronicon 35–36 post Christum appears to be an elaboration from Tertullian. The Macarian passage, in turn, refers to a "common judgment" and describes the condemnation of Christians by all respectable persons, especially the senatus populusque Romanus. It does not describe the promulgation of a formal senatus consultum.


This paper presents an analytical, transient analysis of electromagnetic field radiation from a phased and finite periodic array of antennas for the near-field focused applications. The elemental current moments of array are assumed with a transient impulse inputs for the excitations whose phases are impressed to radiate near-zone focused fields. The transient field phenomena for each of the Floquet mode expansion were analyzed. The solution reduces to the case of far-zone field radiation by moving the focus point to the far zone. The analysis shows that the radiation exhibits an impulse field at the focused point, and finite pulses at locations away from the focus point.


Some time ago a minister in the Japanese government made the following statement: "If ASEAN countries are not very much in favor of the idea [of a Pacific Community'], it will not materialize."' The response in the ASEAN countries to this statement was mixed. On the one hand, it was a flattering comment on ASEAN's importance to its Pacific neighbors, but on the other, it was regarded as exerting pressure on ASEAN. Cooperation among Pacific economies-in one form or another-without the ASEAN countries' involvement would indeed remove one of the Pacific community's more desirable features-namely, North-South interactions within the Pacific framework. But thus far ASEAN does not appear to be moved by this attractive feature. ASEAN governments are known to adopt a reserved attitude to the idea of Pacific Economic Cooperation (PEC).2 Perceptions or misperceptions on the part of governments as to what the idea entails need to be examined. Their views warrant systematic analysis in order to better understand the dimensions of the problem and the various aspects involved. A few examples serve to illustrate this point. According to a cabinet member in the Malaysian government, the PEC idea would not readily find support in Malaysia because it could not be easily reconciled with Malaysia's nonaligned posture. It was further argued that in economic terms, a broader regional cooperation in the Pacific region might offer some gains to Malaysia if it took into account clearly defined preferences. However, the key question raised was in regard to the politicosecurity underpinnings and the implications of such cooperation.3 This view clearly illustrates the relevance of addressing the so-called high politics/low politics dichotomy embedded in the discussions of the PEC concept. Form and structure, objectives and functions, as well as the degree of


In order to achieve real-time monitoring, a new smart monitoring system based on S3C2440 is presented. The core module communicate with the tags through the nRF24L01, it solve the problem of long distance radio frequency identification. When something is removed from the room, the OV9650 camera collect the real-time video of the room and this video can be displayed on the Innolux TFT LCD screen in time. Experimental results show that the system can run stable for a long time, and it is an effective solution for smart monitoring.


We study the impact of depth-based visual features in systems for visual and audio-visual speech recognition. Instead of reconstruction from multiple views, the depth maps are obtained by the Kinect sensor, which is better suited for real world applications. We extract several types of visual features from video and depth channels and evaluate their performance both individually and in cross-channel combination. In order to show the information complementarity between the video-based and the depth-based features, we examine the relative importance of each channel when combined via weighted multi-stream Hidden Markov Models. We also introduce novel parametrizations based on discrete cosine transform and histogram of oriented gradients. The contribution of all presented visual speech features is demonstrated in the task of audio-visual speech recognition under noisy conditions.


Our work focuses on the feasibility of utilizing organic fuels for virtual hydrogen flow cell battery systems, based on thermodynamic considerations of fuel hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reactions. An assessment of the energy density and open circuit potentials (OCPs) as determined by the structure of carbocyclic and heterocyclic saturated hydrocarbons and their dehydrogenation products has been pursued and we identified promising organic carriers that could yield theoretical OCPs higher than that for the hydrogen fuel cell.


Planning and intensive treatment of diabetes in pregnancy has resulted in dramatic improvements in outcomes in terms of congenital malformations or perinatal morbidity (1), but it is still not clear to what extent maternal diabetes affects cognitive development of newborns. In infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs), significant relations have been reported between poor maternal metabolic regulation during pregnancy and poor child intellectual performance, despite an achievement of overall healthy neuropsychological functioning …


Diamine oxidase (DAO) activity was determined in internodes and leaves of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) cultivars susceptible and resistant to Ascochyta blight. DAO activity was measured in stems and leaves of whole plants and on detached leaves, untreated or inoculated with a highly virulent Ascochyta fabae isolate. DAO activity was higher in leaves than in stems, and decreased acropetally along the plant. No increase in activity was detected as a response to inoculation. The time course of DAO activity was analysed during A. fabae infection of the third leaf of V. faba seedlings. In fact, DAO activity with different inoculum concentrations showed no significant differences between inoculated plants and controls. Moreover, no increase was detected either in the susceptible line 14-12 or in the resistant line 29H. The time courses of DAO activity was also analysed during wound healing of the third internodes and leaves of the faba bean cultivar 'Lunga delle Cascine' and line 29H. Enzyme activity was enhanced during the days following wounding, showing that this enzyme may have an important role in tissue repair.


Recently, all of the world are facing with a serious environmental crisis of global warming due to excessive energy consumptions. The Korean Government, taking over 97% of dependence on foreign energy, has made various efforts on reducing energy and greenhouse gas emission under the motto of "Low-Carbon Green Growth". Since the building sector takes 24% of domestic energy consumption, many design standards and regulations on saving energy in new buildings have been established. However, applications of energy saving designs and techniques on the remodeling process at deteriorated buildings including educational ones have been lack. Under a situation where the number of deteriorated schools accounts for up to 50%, this paper evaluated the performances of factors for reducing energy at deteriorated middle school buildings through an energy simulation tool on a standard school model. As a result, among factors of insulation, window's SHGC, southern louver, indoor setup temperature, and system efficiency, all other factors except window's SHGC and southern louver proved contribute to reduce energy at deteriorated middle school buildings, compared with the baseline energy consumption.


Scholars have applauded and critiqued the "equity" dimensions of the four-year mayoral administration of Harold Washington in Chicago (1983–1987). Much of the debate has centered on haw to assess the progress of equity planning and implementation in specific contexts, whether it has produced concrete outcomes for poor communities, become institutionalized, or changed civic decisionmaking structures. This article attempts to capture the contested and emergent quality of equity planning in the Washington administration by examining its focus on jobs in some detail. The jobs goal–derived from neighborhood experience of economic change–became a central element of Washington's 1983 mayoral campaign and one of the key development goals of the administration. The administration pursued an array of jobs policies and programs, attempting to link economic development with employment services, hold accountable those firms receiving public incentives, retain manufacturing, and provide equitable access to city resources. By the end of Washington's first term, many economic development accomplishments had been achieved but the administration also experienced dilemmas that challenged the jobs goal and its equity potential–for example, the connection between local investment and regional and national economic policies. Consideration of the early experiences of the Washington administration in Chicago in formulating and implementing job policies and programs clarifies the difficulties of a broad-based and sustainable equity program. These lessons are particularly useful today as many low-income advocates, municipalities, and states struggle to reform workforce and economic development systems.


As a kind of efficient welding method, triple-wire welding is taken seriously, and the arc shape and arcing characteristics are important factors in reflecting the stability of welding process and determining the weld quality and formation. Triple-wire metal inert-gas(MIG) welding system has been established in the test. In the welding process, the waveforms of welding current and arc voltage are acquired through the Mult Daq signal acquisition system while the arc behavior and metal transfer process are monitored by high-speed photography system synchronously. Then the whole welding process can be monitored in real time, the mechanism of alternate arcing in different metal transfer modes and the influence of arc voltage on alternate frequency are studied. The results of experiments show that when the welding power source can only supply less energy, the current distribution on three wires connected in parallel presents the rule of "shift", which results in alternate arcing among wires. Moreover, current distribution on three wires is decided by the location of wires in the arc space. As the increases of the arc voltage, the alternate frequency decreases. When the arc voltage is up to 34 V, the three wires start arcing simultaneously, no alternate arcing, and alternate frequency becomes 0 Hz.


AUSTIN, KELLY F. 'The Hamburger Connection' and Deforestation in Less Developed Countries: A Test of Ecologically Unequal Exchange Theory. (Under the direction of Dr. Andrew Jorgenson.) This study explores Norman Myers's concept of the 'hamburger connection' as a form of ecologically unequal exchange, where more-developed nations are able to misappropriate the environmental costs of beef consumption to less-developed nations. OLS (ordinary least squares) regression is used to test if deforestation in less-developed nations is associated with the vertical flow of beef to more-developed nations. An interaction term is also used to test if this relationship is more pronounced for Latin American nations, as posited by Myers. The sample includes all non-desert, less-developed nations for which there is available data across all indicators and for either measure of deforestation, total forest change or natural forest change. Overall, the results confirm the tested hypotheses. The findings also provide unique contextual support for ecologically unequal exchange theory by analyzing the environmental impacts of export flows for a specific commodity


ABSTRACT Different antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods to detect low-level vancomycin resistance in enterococci were evaluated in a Scandinavian multicenter study (n = 28). A phenotypically and genotypically well-characterized diverse collection of Enterococcus faecalis (n = 12) and Enterococcus faecium (n = 18) strains with and without nonsusceptibility to vancomycin was examined blindly in Danish (n = 5), Norwegian (n = 13), and Swedish (n = 10) laboratories using the EUCAST disk diffusion method (n = 28) and the CLSI agar screen (n = 18) or the Vitek 2 system (bioMérieux) (n = 5). The EUCAST disk diffusion method (very major error [VME] rate, 7.0%; sensitivity, 0.93; major error [ME] rate, 2.4%; specificity, 0.98) and CLSI agar screen (VME rate, 6.6%; sensitivity, 0.93; ME rate, 5.6%; specificity, 0.94) performed significantly better (P = 0.02) than the Vitek 2 system (VME rate, 13%; sensitivity, 0.87; ME rate, 0%; specificity, 1). The performance of the EUCAST disk diffusion method was challenged by differences in vancomycin inhibition zone sizes as well as the experience of the personnel in interpreting fuzzy zone edges as an indication of vancomycin resistance. Laboratories using Oxoid agar (P < 0.0001) or Merck Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar (P = 0.027) for the disk diffusion assay performed significantly better than did laboratories using BBL MH II medium. Laboratories using Difco brain heart infusion (BHI) agar for the CLSI agar screen performed significantly better (P = 0.017) than did those using Oxoid BHI agar. In conclusion, both the EUCAST disk diffusion and CLSI agar screening methods performed acceptably (sensitivity, 0.93; specificity, 0.94 to 0.98) in the detection of VanB-type vancomycin-resistant enterococci with low-level resistance. Importantly, use of the CLSI agar screen requires careful monitoring of the vancomycin concentration in the plates. Moreover, disk diffusion methodology requires that personnel be trained in interpreting zone edges.


Concerns about the shifting religious landscape for young people in the United States provides the impetus to expand research investigating children's experiences in Christian education. A significant number of children regularly attend Christian education in church and yet there is limited research investigating how those programs support children's faith. Guided by self-determination theory, this research investigates whether instructional practices can support children's religiosity and relationship with God. The present study specifically assessed whether children's perceived relatedness with adults and peers in church, and children's perceived autonomy in Sunday school, predicted children's religiosity and relationship with God. Two hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to identify if the church variables were significant predictors of an identified relationship to God. Neither perceived relatedness in church nor perceived autonomy in Sunday school were significant predictors of identified religiosity. However, perceived relatedness in church did significantly predict relationship with God.


Recent trends in hypertension research and treatment guidelines have emphasized stratification of the hypertensive population by risk level to provide greater specification in therapeutic strategies. This increased focus on special populations reflects a greater recognition of the heter-ogeneous nature of hypertension; the strong correlations of high blood pressure (BP) with increased risks for cardiovascular (CV) and renal morbidity and mortality; and the need for hypertension treatment to help reduce these associated disease risks by providing target-organ protection beyond BP reduction. The sixth report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI) established 3 risk categories, the highest of which is Risk Group C, including patients with target-organ damage, clinical CV disease, and/or diabetes. The JNC VI report sets a BP goal of (cid:1) 130/85 mm Hg for Risk Group C patients, a level lower than the (cid:1) 140/90 mm Hg goal for patients with uncomplicated hypertension. This goal, however, is very difficult to attain in high-risk patients, whose BP is difficult to control due to their advanced disease and associated conditions. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are widely recommended as preferred antihypertensive therapy for patients with diabetes, especially type 1 diabetes. Along with diuretics, ACE inhibitors are also recommended for use in patients with heart failure. These recommendations are based on substantial research data demonstrating that ACE inhibitors can significantly retard the progres-sion of renal disease and reduce the risk of CV events in high-risk patients. Major clinical outcome trials, including HOT (Hypertension Optimal Treatment), UKPDS (United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study), and ALLHAT (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to patients, including African Americans. recommended as first-line agents in patients with type 1 diabetes or renal disease, patients who have had an MI, and patients with heart failure. The use of combination therapy is a superior strategy for controlling blood pressure when compared to monotherapy. The possibility that specific combination therapies could improve cardiovascular outcomes has not been previously studied. combination of amlodipine/benazepril (Lotrel) provides added benefits in reducing morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular events in a high-risk hypertensive population when compared with an ACE-inhibitor (benazepril) diuretic combination. amlodipine monotherapy, found that switching patients to amlodipine/benazepril combination therapy produced an additional mean reduction in BP of 15.6/11.5 mm Hg (P (cid:1) 0.001 vs amlodipine monotherapy). Furthermore, the incidence of pedal edema, a common AE associated with CCB therapy, was improved in 85% of patients experiencing the problem. Along with diuretics, ACE inhibitors and CCBs are 2 of the most effective and widely used antihypertensive agents available. Emerging evidence suggests the optimal use of these agents may be in fixed, low-dose combination therapy rather than as monotherapies.


PurposeAs online learning is the embryonic form of education in the metaverse, it is extremely important to explore the behavioral preferences of users. The aim is to explore the impact of interactive features on continuous use in online learning and to further explore what kind of interaction mode should be constructed for different types of students to obtain the best educational experience.Design/methodology/approachThe study developed an empirical model and used a real-world dataset to test hypotheses. Specifically, the interaction in online learning is analyzed from different dimensions, including the interaction intensity of multiple subjects, the immersion of interactive technology, the timeliness of interactive feedback, and the fun in interaction.FindingsThe authors found that the intensity of interaction, immersion, timeliness of feedback and fun in the interaction all had significant positive effects on continuous use. Among them, the most important is the interaction between teachers and students. With the growth of user grades, the role of parents in the interaction is getting smaller and smaller, and the fun in the interaction is gradually becoming unnecessary. For high school students, gamified interactions can even have a negative impact. In addition, from the perspective of gender, males prefer immersive interaction, while females pay more attention to themselves and have negative feedback on fees.Originality/valueThe authors deepened the interaction and summarized the impact of different interactive features on continuous use in online learning platforms. The authors focused on the impact of the immersive experience brought by the application of interactive technology, which can confirm the user behavior preferences of online learning in the context of the metaverse. The research also provides a reference for online learning institutions to set up course interaction modes and targeted marketing programs.


After a few years of serious illness Dr. W. L. van Utrecht, born 13 December 1926 in Tiel, died still very unexpected at the age of 67 year on 10 August 1994. After a study of chemistry and biology he joined from 1952 till 1963 the working group for Cetacea of the Netherlands Organisation of Applied Sciences (TNO), and the University of Amsterdam in the periods 1953-1956 and 1963-1988. In the season 1953/54 his first large expedition took place with the catcher "Enern", a three month trip for whale marking, and two month visit to South Georgia. As an inspector he made a cruise to the Antarctic ocean with the Dutch whalefactory ship "Willem Barendsz" in the seasons 1959/1960 and as a scientist in the period 1962/1963. In 1966 he got his PhD at the same day as his wife C. N. Van Utrecht-Cock. In the period 1955-1963 important contributions were made to the Scientific Subcommittee of the International Whaling Commission. His last important field work was done during a scientific cruise in 1980 to the North Atlantic Ocean, studying bathypelagic fish and eel larvae. Van Utrecht was a broadly educated person, discussing politics, arts and economics with the same ease as biological problems, always having the literature and newest developments at hand to enlighten the discussions. His main interest foccussed on Whales and whaling, growth in all kind of animals, and marine biology as is clear from his literature list. A great number of manuscripts he left, however, in an unfinished state, not inclined to complete minor details in general theory or results. For this reason he did not publish on, for example, the history of whaling and sciences, development of universities, general principles of symmetry in biology. Many students still have great profit from his allround interest and knowledge.