Polarization sensitive arrays can suppress the interferences by taking advantage of differences in polarization domain while the interferences and desired signals are from the same direction. In this paper, a 4-element dual-linear-polarized array is used to realize the anti-jamming function in joint spatial-time-polarization domain. A Right-Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP) constraint is added to the Linear Constraints Minimum Variance (LCMV) criterion to ensure the satellite signals gain. The influence of interferences impinging elevation angles and polarizations on desired signals is also analyzed.


Aim: Promote and enhance the path created to establish an organizational model of the Research Unit of the Healthcare Professions that is effective for increasing scientific production.
Methods: The benchmarking techniques used make it possible to create a standard of excellence by comparing the performance achieved at the various decision-making levels of the system, evaluating the correct use of resources and, if necessary, undertaking changes in health policies.
Results: Benchmarking activities were carried out in the organizational, training and research areas between the Research Units of the Health Professions present in Italy and adapted to the business context. Training and insertion paths for URPS personnel, activation phases of the company network, insertion of the students of the nursing degree course in clinical studies, collaborations with other bodies, dissemination of engagement and fundraising techniques have been defined.
Conclusions: The defined paths have allowed the establishment of an organizational model of the Research Unit of the Healthcare Professions with the vision of becoming an attractive reference center for nursing research and all Healthcare Professions.


This article explores the rapid proliferation of Christian self-help books, the advantages and potential problems relative to their use, and the literature regarding self-help utilization patterns among practicing mental health professionals. The authors then recommend consideration of several general guidelines for authors, reviewers, and professionals who might write, evaluate, or recommend self-help books to clients. These are offered as "quality control" standards which may serve to improve both the value of Christian self-help materials and the manner in which they are utilized.


B3LYP density functional with 6-31G * basis set has been used to estimate ESR proton hyperfine coupling constants for a series of rigid semidione radical ions. The calculated estimates are in excellent agreement with experimental results. Single- point UB3LYP calculations have also been made using tJHF/3-21G and UAM2 optimized geometries. Interestingly, the results of these computationally cheaper calculations are also in good agreement with the experimental results.


Corruption is about unduly influencing the decision making processes in society for one´s own or somebody else´s gain. This paper deals with bribery from a private law perspective. Behind each completed bribe transaction between a transmitter and a receiver there is an agreement. This bribe itself may have influenced the emergence of another contract, the main contract, which had not been established unless the bribe had been exchanged.

At present there is no private regulative law which prohibits or automatically make void or null a bribe agreement or agreements entered into under the influence of bribes. When Sweden in 2004 adopted the Council of Europe´s Civil law convention on corruption, the Swedish private law legislation was deemed to meet the requirements without any legislative amendment being implemented.

If a party raises a claim for a bribe agreement, it shall be deemed to be invalid by the court, in accordance to the principle of pactum turpe. The parties who have entered into such an agreement should be able to get it annulled by the court. A main contract that has been entered into under the influence of bribes is not always invalid, but the parties are entitled to bring an action for invalidity trial.

No outside third party can bring an action for invalidity, which means that a contract can remain valid in private law, despite the fact that either party has been convicted of criminal proceedings. However, if a person has been convicted of a criminal offense, a legal person can still benefit from the agreements that have arisen as a result of the bribe being exchanged. This is an insight that is very interesting, not least from an anti-corruption perspective.


This chapter contains sections titled: Bilingual Dictionaries, The ACQUILEX Project, Catizone, Russel, and Warwick, White, Klavans and Tzoukermann, Neff and McCord, The NMSU Computing Research Laboratory, NORM: The CRL Translator's Assistant


This chapter provides examples of the EU's involvement in tourism and discusses potential areas of involvement as these have been suggested in the tourism literature and were identified by institutional stakeholders at the supranational level. It is indicated that an implicit policy created by the impact of other policy areas rather than an explicitly stated EU policy or strategy for tourism is in place. The European Constitution has presented tourism interests with the opportunity to have tourism included on the EU agenda on equal terms as other policies and it constitutes a long anticipated expression of greater commitment to tourism.


The 20 years outstanding achievement and development of petrochemical simulation technology in China have been in two aspects. The first aspect is research,development and large scale industry application of quantitative dynamic simulation technology,including the chemical process dynamic simulation system,the simulation training software platform,the simulator used for practice education in university and technique school,the multifunctional simulation experiment system and the training plant. The second aspect is research,development and application of qualitative simulation technology,including the qualitative modeling of signed directed graph (SDG) and computerized qualitative inference engine technology,the SDG technology based hazard and operability study (HAZOP) software platform,the SDG qualitative simulation based CAD of process system hazard identification and diagnosis technology,the petrochemical safety technology simulation test platform,the SDG technology based self-explanation simulator et cetera. The predictions of petrochemical simulation technology in future were discussed.


Titanium sapphire laser induced fluorescence spectra of the A 1Σ+u→X 1Σ+g electronic system have been recorded at high resolution by Fourier transform spectroscopy. Ground state vibrational levels are observed up to v=81 corresponding to an internuclear distance of 15.4 A and to 99.96% of the potential well depth. A long range study of the potential energy curves (RKR and IPA) allowed the determination of the coefficients of the dispersion energy (multipolar expansion representation) and of the exchange energy (exponential representation). The dissociation energy is found to be 4450.75±0.15 cm−1.


Objective: To investigate the clincal value of serum TRAb in Graves' disease before and after 131I therapy. Methods: A total of 186 patients of Graves' disease and 70 normal controls were included in the study. Serum concentration of TRAb were measured by ECLA before and at 3,6,12 and 18 months after131I radiotherapy. Results: The TRAb level of 70 normal controls was(1.09±0.45) IU/L. Abnormally higher TRAb level(9.95±7.18 IU/L) was noted in patients before131I treatment(t=-10.31,P0.001). The TRAb level increased to(14.81±10.37 IU/L) at 3 months after 131I therapy(t=-5.26, P0.001),before it dropped to(12.33±8.73 IU/L) and(3.14±0.87 IU/L) at 6 and 12 months respectively(t=-2.89 and t=12.85, P0.05).At 18 months after 131I radiotherapy,the level of TRAb(1.19±0.45 IU/L) was back to normal with no difference to that of nomal controls(t=-1.59, P0.05). Before131I treatment of Graves' disease TRAb positive rate was 93.5% and at 3,6, 12,18 months after treatment TRAb positive rates were 93.5%, 79.6%, 27.4% and 8.6%. Conclusion: It is of great significance to measure serum concentrations of TRAb after131I radiotherapy for Graves' disease, which is of important clinical value for therapy guidance, efficacy assessment and recurrence prediction.


BACKGROUND
Ampicillin to treat Listeria monocytogenes (LM) infection is empirically added to the treatment of infants (<3 months) with suspected sepsis or meningitis.

OBJECTIVES
In view of limited LM cases, the paucity of South African (SA) data and an ampicillin shortage, our objective was to describe the occurrence of LM infections at Tygerberg Hospital (TBH), Cape Town, with the aim of rationalising the paediatric antibiotic policy.

METHODS
An 11-year (2006 - 2016) retrospective descriptive study of children (<13 years) from TBH and referral hospitals with a positive blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture for LM was conducted.

RESULTS
Of 26 children with positive cultures for LM, 23 (88.5%) were <3 months of age; all were <10 days old. Approximately half (56.5%, 13/23) were born at or referred to TBH. Presentation was on the day of delivery in 46.2% (6/13), 92.3% were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and 61.5% (8/13) died. Neonates treated at peripheral hospitals were statistically more likely than those treated at TBH to have a CSF culture obtained (90.0% v. 30.8%; p=0.005), and had higher platelet counts (239 × 109/L v. 107 × 109/L; p=0.004), lower C-reactive protein levels (64 mg/L v. 137 mg/L; p=0.013) and a lower mortality rate (0% v. 61.5%; p=0.002). The incidence of LM at TBH was 0.04/1 000 live births and 2.3/1 000 NICU admissions.

CONCLUSIONS
As in other countries, the local neonatal LM incidence is low. Neonates present in the first week of life with severe disease and a high mortality rate. These data support a change in antibiotic policy, in keeping with international guidelines, limiting empirical ampicillin prescription to infants <1 month of age.


In November 2016, just a few days after the presidential election, Carl Higbie, a spokesman for a super PAC that supported Donald Trump, told Fox News host Megyn Kelly that the new Trump administration was considering a national registry for Muslims in the United States. Higbie argued that the proposal was legal and would "hold constitutional muster," and went on to point out that there was precedent for singling out groups based on their race and religion: "We did it during World War II with the Japanese ..." Kelly interrupted him, exclaiming, "You're not proposing we go back to the days of internment camps, I hope!" Though Higbie said he was not proposing internment camps, he continued to insist that that episode from American history was an important precedent for the President-elect's proposal. Kelly was having none of it. "You can't be citing Japanese internment camps for anything the president-elect is going to do," she balked. Legally, however, Kelly was only partially correct. In February of 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, under which approximately 100,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps in the U.S. interior. Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American, defied the evacuation orders on the premise that he was a U.S. citizen. He was arrested and convicted for denying the orders and his case, Korematsu v. United States, went to the Supreme Court—which ruled that internment was constitutional and justified in a national security crisis. Since then, many have decried this decision. As early as 1961, Time magazine described internment as "an ugly footnote in American history." Subsequent Supreme Court justices have described the decision as "wrong" (Justice Antonin Scalia); "thoroughly discredited" (Justice Stephen Breyer); and one that "will never again survive scrutiny" (Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg). But here's the rub: the ruling still stands. It has never been overturned. One can muster all the moral indignation one likes, but in the end, the ruling is still available for people to use as a precedent. The fact that Japanese internment still serves as a precedent for a national Muslim registry highlights what's at stake in thinking about race as a relational concept. Justice Robert H. Jackson, who wrote a dissent in Korematsu and would later serve as the lead prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials, wrote that the decision was a "loaded weapon, ready for the hand of any authority that can bring forward a plausible claim of an urgent need." This statement is at its heart relational, recognizing the ways in which Japanese internment and later the Korematsu case widened the possibilities for mistreatment of other racialized groups. Here, by relational, I do not mean comparative. A comparative treatment of race compares and contrasts groups, treating them as independent of one another. It also can leave the construction of the categories themselves unexamined, thus reifying them, even if unintentionally. A relational treatment of race, however, recognizes it as a mutually constitutive and socially constructed


Objectives: We designed a prospective, randomized, single blind study to compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy and common adverse effects of fentanyl and sufentanil along with hyperbaric bupivacaine by intrathecal route. Methodology: Sixty patients undergoing lower abdominal, gynecological, plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery were randomly divided in two groups. Group I (n=30) received 2.5 ml bupivacaine heavy (0.5%) and 0.5 ml (25 micrograms) fentanyl where as group II (n=30) received 2.5 ml bupivacaine heavy (0.5%) and 0.2 ml (6 micrograms) sufentanil with 0.3 ml normal saline intrathecally. Intraoperative and postoperative vitals, onset of spinal anesthesia and duration of sensory and motor blockade and occurrence of any side effects were assessed at specific time intervals. Analgesic efficacy in terms of duration of analgesia postoperatively was assessed by using the Pain Intensity Score (PIS) for 24 hours. Results: Mean duration of pain free period in group I was 145+/-84.08 minutes (mean+/-SD) as compared to 266.5+/-114.5 minutes (mean+/-SD) in group II which was highly significant. Cardiovascular and respiratory stability was maintained with no significant incidence of side effects in either group. Conclusion: We conclude that intrathecal fentanyl(25 microgram) and sufentanil (6 microgram) with bupivacaine heavy prolong postoperative analgesia without respiratory depression or other serious adverse effects .This prolonged analgesia is more marked with sufentanil than fentanyl.


In order for cruise missile to attack effectively the target of enemy many times,the key of selecting attack path is to seek a group of potimized path but not one optimum path(if it exists),which can meet both the performance index and operational requirements.On condition that the track between any two matching regions in the operational area is known,this paper inquired into the optimization and evaluation of attack path of cruise missile,analyzed the model of optimization and performance requirements of missile,established the model of optimization and evaluation of attack path group.The computative result shows that the model is feasible,can meet the actual operational requirements of cruise missile.


Working as English teacher Most of my work as a teacher involves inspiring interest in the subject for my students. I find it really helpful to tell stories to them. The motivational effect is a key factor for any teacher's work, therefore at the beginning of my class, I try to describe the settings and later make use of characters they feel identified with. The contents I must teach are included in this storytelling approach. I try to develop ideas and ask my students for more details, depending on the story plot. After I tell the ending, I give instructions for next day's homework so my students are supposed to collect similar information based on their own research. When they learn the most is when they have the chance to choose one of some given topics and work on a presentation that can be discussed in front of the class. It is important to make use of their creativity and let them have some fun. An example of a motivational class I've recently worked on, is this one:


This paper presents an investigation on forming limits of tailor-welded blanks (TWBs) made of 5754-O aluminum sheets using both experimental and numerical approaches. A TWB is composed of two or more welded flat metal sheet of different thicknesses, shapes or mechanical properties. Due to the existence of weldment and the individual configurations of parent blanks, a TWB should be considered as heterogeneous in its structure. The mechanical properties of those parent metals and weld metal required for the simulation were measured individually. With the aid of the acquired data, finite element simulations for analyzing the forming process of TWBs were carried out using a general purpose finite element package, LS-DYNA. A localized necking criterion based on the vertex theory is employed to predict forming limit strains and failure locations of the aluminum TWBs. The theoretical predictions were satisfactorily validated with those obtained from the experiments.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


The present study was designed to investigate the advantage of a new headlamp system. This so-called smart headlamp system involves headlamps with variable beam patterns. Visibility for the driver and glare to other road users was investigated under several conditions including curves and straight roads. It is considered that the smart headlamp system provides overall benefits. For the covering abstract see ITRD E123380.


There is a potential 'documentation gap' when it comes to torture and ill-treatment amongst the poorest populations. The documentation of human rights abuses acts as the eyes and ears of the human rights movement. Yet, documentation is far from straight forward, and the documentation of torture and ill-treatment is particularly difficult. These problems become acute when it comes to populations living in poverty in Low-Income Countries. The poor are often the most vulnerable to torture and other forms of ill-treatment. They are also the least able to access forms of accountability, thereby perpetuating the structural inequalities that lie at the heart of poverty. Additionally, the instruments and methods used by human rights organisations for the documentation of torture and ill-treatment, assume a resource levels that are often not available. This research therefore examined the challenges and potential of documenting torture and ill-treatment amongst the poor. + The documentation of torture and ill-treatment raises particular challenges, especially amongst the poor, who are highly vulnerable to state violence.


ABSTRACT: Despite a constant concern for the environment, where there is daily talk about sustainability, there is a contradiction, where the incorrect discarding of vegetable or animal oil from fried foods, both in the residential and commercial fields, is seen directly in the sewage, soil and even garbage. The consequences of these acts are several problems, such as the clogging of pipes, waterproofing of the soil, increasing treatment in the sewage network, among others. The main objective of this work was to develop an educational material focused on the environmental theme, focusing on the tourism professionals, elaborating, also discussed the importance and applicability of Reverse Logistics to the problem of incorrect disposal of used cooking oil, as well as its impact on the environment, through the application of a questionnaire, which aimed to establish a perception of the participants of the research in relation to the consequences, offering a real view on the disposal of this solid waste. However, there is so much discussion on the subject in schools, universities and the media, during the application of the questionnaire, it was verified that not all the interviewees knew the correct way of discarding and also their harm to the environment. The questionnaire was applied in two hotels, both in the municipality of Maceio, were 19 participants of the research, being 10 employees of a Resort and nine employees of a Hotel. For the proper evaluation of the results, the employees of the hotels were divided into two groups, appointed as employees of the general services and administrative employees, the first consisting of general service employees, kitchen staff and reception staff and the second group composed of chefs in charge of kitchen and hotel management. In the first group, most of the answers were "yes", revealing that they had knowledge about the questions related to the use and disposal of cooking oil, where they showed interest in the development of a primer on teaching of the proper disposal of the oil, as well as what can be done with this residue already used.
KEYWORDS: kitchen oil, reverse logistic, national solid waste policy.


Switched-Capacitor Multi-Level Inverters (SCMLI) have become popular now a days due to their unique advantage of voltage gain capability. In SCMLI, the capacitors are linked in parallel to the input DC source to charge in a short period. However, the capacitor draws impulse charging current from the DC source. This impulse charging current damage the devices. In this paper, a novel 5-Level SCMLI with a voltage gain of 2 is proposed with the soft charging capability. It requires 6 switches, 2 diodes, 2 capacitors, 2 inductors, and a single DC source. The two capacitors are self-balanced without any requirement of voltage sensors. Four out of six switches are switched at fundamental frequency to ensure low switching losses. Further, it requires only three conducting switches to carry the load current for each level of voltage. The suggested topology maintains the minimum number of switches and Total Standing Voltage (TSV) in comparison to the existing five-level self-balanced SCMLI topologies with a voltage boost of 2. To explain the superiority of the suggested topology, a detailed comparison with the current topologies is provided. The proposed 5-Level SCMLI is simulated using the fundamental switching frequency modulation technique with help of the MATLAB/SIMULINK tool and it is verified experimentally with the help prototype model developed in the laboratory using dSPACE 1104.


In 1866 the citizens of Bremen started to plan a great communal enterprise, the Burgerpark, which thanks to public spirit has survived in private custody almost unscathed by the trials and confusions of the times. Responsibility for this most significant example of the German city garden in the middle of the second half of the nineteenth century lay with Wilhelm Benque, whose main gardening achievement it is. "From his very first creative thoughts on the subject", Wilhelm Benque tells us, he regarded the Burgerpark as his very own work, which he defended against the "interference of unauthorized hands" and would rather have abandoned than have acted against his "better conviction". This highly gifted, self-confident and stubborn man, who followed critically the progress of the park to the end of his life, is the first of a number of private landscape gardeners in Germany.


With recent heat island phenomenon, it is an important issue to reduce the energy consumption of housing. As a countermeasure, there is a method to incorporate ventilation by installing a plate called a wind catcher. It is to improve the comfort of the room not only reduce energy consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the performance of the ventilation accurately when you set up a wind catcher. For the evaluation of ventilation performance, it is generally used the ventilation flow rates. To do this, discharge coefficient is an important indicator. However, previous studies have not sufficiently consider discharge coefficient of openings installed wind catcher. So, this study considered discharge coefficient of openings installed wind catcher and the adaptability of local similarity model. As a result, the discharge coefficient of openings installed wind catcher is usually small than 0.67 that it of simple openings. Furthermore, it is possible to improve greatly prediction accuracy of ventilation flow rates of openings installed wind catcher by using the local similarity model.


The hot deformation behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V alloy hydrogenated were studied and the artificial neural network (ANN) models were established to predict the flow stress of hot deformation of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with hydrogen in this paper. The inputs of the neural network (NN) are compression temperature, strain rate, strain and hydrogen content, and the output of NN model is flow stress at high temperature. The model is based on back propagation (BP) network, in which L-M algorithm and two hidden layers were used. A good performance of the neural network is achieved. The model can be used for the prediction of flow stress of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with different hydrogen content as function of hot deformation parameters.


that 'it is . . . misleading to look at the menopause and climacteric phase as purely biological phenomena'. But this book pays only lip-service to doing anything different. The importance of considering the menopause in its social and psychological context is stated as if it were simply a matter of how women in different cultures adapt to biological and role changes, but no scrutiny is made of the sociology or psychology of the (predominantly male) supervising physicians. The widespread use of oestrogens by post-menopausal women in the US may have arisen partly because of the financial benefits that accrue to the doctor (not to mention the drug companies) but also perhaps because, for many doctors, action and intervention are more satisfying than inaction. The picture of menopausal women painted in the advertisements for oestrogen replacement therapy which abound in medical journals is a distinctly sexist one. A final quote from one of the clinical Workshop Reports by Lauritzen will perhaps emphasize this point. In a discussion of the merits of cyclic as opposed to continuous oestrogen administration, 'it w a s . . . suggested that reappearance of hot flushes during the medication free week could serve as a useful reinforcement for the patient, reminding her how good the therapy really is for her and how badly she needs estrogens'. This is not a method that I have seen proposed to induce compliance with any other drug prescribed!


This paper discusses the physicochemical properties of powders obtained by spray drying of cloudy beetroot juice, using dehumidified air in variants with or without carriers. The inlet air temperature was 130 °C or 90 °C, and the addition of the carriers was at a ratio of juice to carrier solids of 3:2. In the obtained powders, the following physicochemical properties were determined: water content and water activity, apparent density, loose and tapped density, porosity, flowability, particle size and morphology, and the content and retention of betalains. It was possible to dry cloudy beetroot juice without the use of carriers at low temperatures (90 or 130 °C). The 100% beetroot powders were characterized by satisfactory physicochemical properties, often better than those with carriers (including lower hygroscopicity and higher color saturation and yield). A lower loss of betalains was found for the powders with the addition of carriers. The best process yields were obtained for the powder without carriers at 130 °C and 90 °C.


Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has a half-century history. It is currently an indispensable treatment for not only incurable blood diseases such as aplastic anemia and severe hemolytic anemia, but also malignant hematological diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. Although allergenic HSCT is also used to treat hereditary diseases, its indica‐ tions are restricted because of critical complications including regimen-related toxicities in‐ volving conditioning, infection, and graft-versus-host disease.


Modelling of unilateral contact behaviour along the sides of cracks by means of boundary element techniques is considered in this contribution. The elastostatic analysis problem is written with the help of appropriate boundary integral equations in connection with contact mechanics tools. After the discretisation of the boundary integral equations with use of the dual boundary element method, one has a linear complementarity problem. The theoretical formulation of this techniques and comparisons with a more traditional approach, which is based on the two-region (classical) boundary element method, are presented in the paper.


Several samples of the dried purple laver grown and processed at the major laver producing districts, i.e Mokpo, Wando, Hadong and Jangrim, along the southern coast of Korea were quantitatively investigated to determine composing patterns of the fatty acids by gas-liquid chromatography. The total lipid contents in dried purple laver of Hadong were 1.8% being the highest value. Upon analyzing fatty acid composition, some differences were observed in their quantitative distribution at different growing places. Dried purple laver of Wando contained mainly C_16:0, C_18:1, C_16:1 and C_17:0 fatty acids while that of Mokpo contained C_16:0, C_20:5, C_18:1 and C_16:1 fatty acids, that Hadong C_16:0, C_20:5, C_18:0 and C_20:1 fatty acids, and that of Jangrim C_20:5, C_16:0, C_18:1 and C_18:0 fatty acids, each in order of acid quantity. In regard to the composing pattern of carbon number of fatty acids, the dried purple laver o Mokpo, Hadong, and Jangrim contained C_16, C_18 and C_20 fatty acids with the identical distributional pattern, while that of Jangrim contained C_16, C_18 and C_17 fatty acids as mayor components. Dried purple laver of Jangrim contained especially high amount or C_20:5 fatty acids.


'In the learning paradigm, it is not clear what happens to the agency of the educator; the choices that are made, the causes espoused and the sides taken' (Martin, 2006a, pp.15). In this paper I wish to explore how the agency of practitioners engaged in adult community education is affected by the well documented target-driven, economistic landscape which has seen drastic budget cuts in provision. Nevertheless, I will seek to demonstrate how the struggle to provide social purpose adult education does continue, as practitioners find ways to respond to community needs, deliver negotiated curriculum contextualising people's lived experiences. The evidence for this paper is situated in England but given the neo-liberal policies at a global level, I suggest that it should have resonance elsewhere.


____________________________________________________________________________________ Aim: To characterize the evolution of Chronic Renal Failure compatible with Chronic Kidney Disease of nontraditional causes from 1990 to 2013 in Costa Rica, according to primary diagnosis of death and diagnosis at hospital discharge found in open source data bases. Methods: A descriptive longitudinal study based on information from national data bases of deaths and hospital discharges with a primary diagnosis of chronic renal failure, unspecified renal failure, hypertensive renal disease, hypertensive cardio-renal disease from 1990 to 2013. Results: There were 8382 deaths in Costa Rica between 1990 and 2013 in the studied categories. Crude death and standardized mortality rates did not show a significant increase: 8.93/100 000 inhabitants to 11.48/100 000 inhabitants. The specific rates by age and sex showed an increase after 50 years old. Guanacaste, showed high cumulative mortality rates compared with national and the rates of other provinces; as well as significant crude and standardized mortality rates in certain periods (20.3/100 000 inhabitants to 38.23/100 000 inhabitants between 1990 and 2011). Specific rates for age and sex increased after 30 years of age. Hospital discharges showed similar trends for national and Guanacaste. Conclusions: Primary diagnoses of deaths and hospital discharges in the categories of the study could be compatible with Chronic Kidney Disease of non-traditional causes. Descriptive epidemiology has allowed for identification of risk geographical areas and some sociodemographic characteristics. It is urgent to develop a specific surveillance system.


The Seyfert galaxy NGC 6814 is unique in showing evidence of a periodicity in its X-ray light curve, first seen in EXOSAT data and then confirmed by a Ginga observation. A further Ginga light curve of this source taken 18 months later shows that the periodic signal is still present. The longevity and stability of the phenomenon suggest that the hypothesized central supermassive black hole might have a low-mass satellite. If this is a star that does not fill its Roche lobe, angular momentum losses should lead to a period decrease on a time-scale <10 3 yr, incompatible with the limits on P˙ derived from the X-ray data. We show instead that Roche-lobe overflow of an orbiting star naturally produces both the accretion flow required to power the nucleus and the observed period behaviour


The article justifies the formation process of the entrepreneurial component of professional competence of pedagogical university students. The problem's state in the scientific literature has been analyzed. The discipline "Entrepreneurial Pedagogy" has been created and evaluated in practice, its specifics and effectiveness in the formation of the pedagogical component have been determined. Research results are recommended for practical use in higher education institutions. The methods of forming the entrepreneurial component are recommended for the development of curricula, academic programs, catalogues of elective disciplines, teaching practicum programs.


Providing more confidentiality by extending a capability-based OS trough a hardware enforced isolation between the memory of the kernel and other memory. By employing memory tagging and hardware based Inter Process Communication (IPC) this defense gives an overhead of 26 percent.


Wittig-Horner reaction of dimethyl phthalide-3-phosphonates with 1-indanones in the presence of bases was investigated. The 3-(1'-indanylidene)phthalides obtained above were transformed into dibenzo-1,4-diketospiro[4,4]nonanes, the BCDE ring system of fredericamycin A, by consecutive treatments with diisobutylaluminum hydride and pyridinium dichromate


This paper proposes a new approach for modelling Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) based on stochastic geometry and point processes, where road systems are modelled as random lines process and vehicle's locations on a road are linear Poisson point processes. We derive some functions, which show the connectivity properties of VANETs under the impact of fading and path loss, that can be used for large vehicular networks analysis.


A new tool has been developed for processing SCIAMACHY Level 1b data to Level 1c. It supports various calibration options, and extraction of a subset of Level 1b data. This SciaL1c tool is a standalone program, which replaces the earlier program delivered with EnviView. The tool is synchronised with the latest IPF version (6), and is downward compatible to earlier IPF versions.


Broadband dielectric beam steering mirrors are key components for nonlinear microscopes comprising tunable Ti:sapphire lasers. We characterize dispersion of a few mirror samples by spectral interferometry and show how it affects imaging quality.


As anybody who has ever addressed a lay audience will be aware, it is sometimes the obvious questions that are the most difficult to answer. They often deal with issues that professionals take for granted. Peter Brophy spends the first part of his book discussing that most obvious of questions, 'what is a library?' In so doing he revisits Orr's (1973) seminal paper which, over a quarter a century ago, posed two fundamental questions. 'How good is this library?' and 'how much good does this library do?' Some of Brophy's own questions form chapter headings while others are posited, almost as asides, in his closely documented text. For example, in considering 'what is a good library?' he reminds us that some forms of analysis may require us to determine where the boundaries of the library's responsibilities stop. This is an enormous question, and one that has ramifications for the consideration of issues such as professional ethics and intellectual freedom, as well as the more pragmatic area of performance evaluation. The second part of the book is concerned with 'Future libraries'. A largely technologically determined discussion is concluded with a frankly inadequate final chapter on the roles that libraries may fill in the 21st century. It is argued that the most powerful will be that of a 'community information intermediary'. This section is disappointing in that the four-page discussion does not do anything like justice to the material that Brophy has provided in the main body of his text. The book draws on a broad range of literature, although there are some surprising omissions, such as Crawford and Gorman's (1995) Future libraries, and the more recent work on the qualitative evaluation of value and impact (see for example the summary provided in Matarasso (1998)). Nevertheless library students will find useful thumb-nail sketches of material ranging from Ranganathan's Laws of library science, and the QAA Benchmarks for librarianship and information management, to web sites on metadata and digital libraries. The text also reflects the tension between the idea of the generic library and the increasing demand, in many areas, for specialization. Brophy argues that, 'each library is fundamentally affected by the environment within which it operates' but that there is 'a commonality of processes and functions'. This, however, is not to be confused with a 'commonality of mission, emphasis, content or style'. By coincidence, I was reading Brophy's work at the same time as David Lodge's new novel Thinks... The novel involves a debate between a computer scientist and a writer on the understanding of human consciousness. This fictional debate reflects Brophy's fascinating discussion on the ways librarians and information scientists perceive the role of libraries. On the basis of an analysis of statements from professional bodies, he argues that information science organizations emphasize techniques while library associations are much more concerned with 'viewing the profession in its broader social environment'. He suggests that the differences are in fact two sides of the same coin. However, like the computer scientist in Lodge's novel, he does not give enough credit, or consideration, to works of imagination. In his preface Brophy identifies himself as a believer in the importance of libraries, but promises a text without polemic or special pleading. This results in a certain lack of passion in the writing and a conclusion that is conditional. He is, however, critical of libraries and suggests that they might be unprepared BOOK REVIEWS


With the deepening of global economy integration trend,the competion between enterprises becomes more cruel.In order to carry out the strategy of enterprises,more and more enterprises use the methods of mergers and acquisitions to obtain the chance of development.A important factor related to success for mergers and acquisitions is the assessment of interprise value.In this paper we discuss several methods of enterprise value assessment.


Symmetric peripheral gangrene (SPG) is a rare clinical condition manifesting with acral ischemic damage in two or more extremities, without evidence of obstruction or vasculitis of the relevant artery. Conditions reported to cause SPG include disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), low cardiac output states (myocardial infarction, congestive cardiac failure, shock), malignancies (Hodgkin's disease), auto-immune conditions (systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyalgia rheumatica, cryoglobulinemia), use of vasopressors (dopamine, epinephrine, vasopressin), reaction to drugs (sulfamethazine, penicillin, thiopentone), and miscellaneous causes (Raynaud phenomenon, ergotism, acquired hemolytic anemia, diabetes mellitus, hereditary coagulopathies). Among the infections, meningococcal and streptococcal infections, E. coli, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Proteus, viral gastroenteritis, varicella and disseminated tuberculosis are reported to cause SPG. Infection with P. falciparum is rarely complicated by SPG.


This working document offers an inventory of the obstacles, challenges, weaknesses of the innovation system, the recent trends and the evaluation culture in relation with the R&D and innovation policies in 13 selected European countries. Section 2 and 4 analyses the general needs or obstacles of the national innovation systems (section 2) as well as the main objectives and trends of the R&D and innovation policies (section 4). Moreover section 5 offers a short assessment of the evaluation culture in relation to the technology and innovation policies.


This paper presents safety design and implementation of a kickboard for personal transportation. A safe and intelligent kickboard(SiKick) has three wheels for self-standing and sensors to detect neighboring environment to create safety zone. The conceptual design is introduced and safety mechanisms are presented. Pothole detection is presented as one of the safety mechanisms. Practical limitation of using a low cost LiDAR sensor to detect potholes is observed.


Industrial peace is indispensable for the smooth functioning of an organization. Active presence of harmonious and good Industrial Relations (IR) generating amity and goodwill between the partners in an industry can only bring in industrial peace. Managers are becoming more and more disappointed with the conventional IR policies, which are usually stagnant and are based on safety of law, caution, and fear for unions. It has also been realized that fire fighting to douse the conflict is a temporary solution. There has to be some permanent solution with long-term perspective. For this permanent solution with a longterm perspective, industries should comprehend Organization Culture (OC) and must take adequate measures to fine-tune it to optimize IR. In the present study, an attempt has been made to probe how during the period of 2008-2011, organization culture could be the predictor of industrial relations. An attempt has been made to undergo an empirical research to argue on two issues. First, OC is a Predictor of IR. And second, in spite of the notional and the distinctive existing OC, IR can be optimized by controlling a few critical dimensions of OC.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of secondary physical education teachers private specific character on factors of job stressors, cohesion, organizational efficiency The statistical methods used for testing hypotheses were t-test Results obtained through this procedure were as following : The first, it shows that the individual characteristic affects the factor of the job stress. It indicates that the job characteristic factor, the human relation factor and the thought-understanding factor as the foundation are affected more in the public school and in the private school. In a sex, the man has an effect of the job characteristic factor more than the woman. In a job stress as having or not having a career of player, the teacher having a career of player is more affected than not having teacher.


Energy recovery linacs provide high-energy beams, but decelerate those beams before dumping them, so that their energy is available for the acceleration of new particles. During this deceleration, any relative energy spread that is created at high energy is amplified by the ratio between high energy and dump energy. Therefore, energy recovery linacs are sensitive to energy spread acquired at high energy, e.g., from wakefields. One can compensate the time-correlated energy spread due to wakes via energy-dependent time-of-flight terms in appropriate sections of an energy recovery linac, and via high-frequency cavities. We show that nonlinear time-of-flight terms can only eliminate odd orders in the correlation between time and energy, if these terms are created by a beam transport within the linac that is common for accelerating and decelerating beams. If these two beams are separated, so that different beam transport sections can be used to produce time-of-flight terms suitable for each, also even-order terms in the energy spread can be eliminated. As an example, we investigate the potential of using this method for the Cornell x-ray energy recovery linac. Via quadratic time-of-flight terms, the energy spread can be reduced by 66%. Alternatively, since the energy spread from the dominantly resistive wakefields of the analyzed accelerator is approximately harmonic in time, a high-frequency cavity could diminish the energy spread by 81%. Because both methods of reducing energy spread require separate sections for the two beams within the linac, such sections have been included in Cornell's x-ray energy recovery linac design.


One of the most striking many-body phenomena in nature is the sudden change of macroscopic properties as the temperature or energy reaches a critical value. Such equilibrium transitions have been predicted and observed in two and three spatial dimensions, but have long been thought not to exist in one-dimensional (1D) systems. Fifty years ago, Dyson and Thouless pointed out that a phase transition in 1D can occur in the presence of long-range interactions, but an experimental realization has so far not been achieved due to the requirement to both prepare equilibrium states and realize sufficiently long-range interactions. Here we report on the first experimental demonstration of a finite-energy phase transition in 1D. We use the simple observation that finite-energy states can be prepared by time-evolving product initial states and letting them thermalize under the dynamics of a many-body Hamiltonian. By preparing initial states with different energies in a 1D trapped-ion quantum simulator, we study the finite-energy phase diagram of a long-range interacting quantum system. We observe a ferromagnetic equilibrium phase transition as well as a crossover from a low-energy polarized paramagnet to a high-energy unpolarized paramagnet in a system of up to $23$ spins, in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. Our work demonstrates the ability of quantum simulators to realize and study previously inaccessible phases at finite energy density.


Abstract Eighty patients with a variety of intracranial afflictions were studied with the combined procedure of radiocontrast and radionuclide angiography. The radionuclide angiogram was obtained following an intracarotid or intravertebral artery injection of 10 millicuries radiopertechnetate in a 10-ml volume for each of the lateral and frontal or occipital projections. Serial 0.5-to 1.0-second exposure scans were obtained. The radionuclide method is more sensitive to abnormal vasculature and perfusion than radiography but lacks the resolution of the latter. Evidence supports the continued use of the radionuclide method as a supplement to cerebral radiography.


Background: Bimiralisib is a balanced dual panPI3K/mTOR inhibitor, which demonstrated anti-cancer activity in a number of preclinical models. Pharmacokinetic (PK) data suggested that intermittent targeting of the PI3K/mTOR pathway could be preferable to continuous daily dosing. Preclinical models in squamous cell head and neck cancer (SCCHN) demonstrated that NOTCH1 Loss of Function (LoF) mutations were associated with efficacy of bimiralisib and other PI3K inhibitors. Methods: We conducted a first-in-human dose-escalation study (3+3 design) to identify the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) and overall safety (CTCAE v4) of bimiralisib administered either as a continuous (80 mg – 120 mg daily) or one of two intermittent schedules (schedule A: twice weekly 80 mg – 200 mg on Day 1 and 2, or schedule B: twice weekly 80mg – 200 mg on Day 1 and 4) until disease progression or unacceptable adverse events (AEs). Eligible patients had histologically confirmed solid cancers refractory to standard therapies, ECOG 12 weeks, adequate bone marrow, liver, and renal functions, HgbA1c 6 months was observed in five pts (23.8%) in continuous schedule, 12 (48%) in intermittent schedule A, and 13 (54.2%) in intermittent schedule B. Results on patients, who consented to the serial circulating tumor DNA collection will be presented. Conclusions: Bimiralisib was well tolerated and RP2D of 140 mg given orally twice weekly on Days 1 and 2 was selected for further studies. In agreement with our preclinical models, there was an encouraging activity in a SCCHN patient with NOTCH1 LoF mutation and this observation is now being validated in a proof-of-concept phase 2 study (NCT03740100). Citation Format: Filip Janku, Faye M. Johnson, Mateusz Opyrchal, Afshin Dowlati, Cinta Hierro, Martin Forester, Sarah P. Blagden, Andreas Wicki, Debora Schmitz, Alex A. Adjei. Oral dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor bimiralisib demonstrates tolerability and a signal of activity in head and neck squamous cell cancer with NOTCH1 loss-of-function mutation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B109. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-B109


In a recent doctoral thesis, the spanish author Óscar Sánchez Muñoz build what he aims to be the dogmatic empowerment of the principle of equal opportunities in contemporary democracies. And he does it without avoiding the intricate barriers required by the practical context to its prevalence as a normative principle. After identifying the Spanish Law notion of the principle of equal opportunities (strict sense) in the reference writing, this work aims to approach the principle above to the Brazilian electoral law, particularly regarding the recent regulations on the use of Internet in campaigns.


The purpose of the meeting was to continue discussions initiated at the July 2001 Climate and Water Policy Meeting at Skamania Lodge, but in a small group setting with the region's senior water and natural resource managers. The meeting began with two presentations on regional climate variability, climate change, and projected impacts of climate variability and change on Pacific Northwest (PNW) water resources. The presentation also included a brief overview of projected impacts on salmon, forests, and coastal systems. Discussions began immediately after the presentations. Major discussion points and conclusions include the following: • One-Year Versus Multi-Year Droughts. An early and important distinction made by participants was the significance of one-year versus multi-year droughts. Research conducted by the Climate Impacts Group (CIG) on the hydrologic impacts of natural climate variability and human-induced climate change in the PNW shows an increased potential for multi-year droughts over the next 20 to 50 years. Participants agreed that while the region has managed to make it through difficult one-year droughts, multi-year droughts are an entirely different scenario. The region can generally weather a one-year drought using carry-over storage (where available) and groundwater. The reliability of those options is questionable after the first year of drought however. • Capacity For Autonomous Response To Drought. The PNW's capacity for autonomous response to single year and multi-year droughts was a major focal point of the meeting. Autonomous responses are actions that could be expected to occur without any significant change in the region's approach to managing water. Participants identified the following possible autonomous responses to future single and multi-year droughts: ƒ continued increase in groundwater use; ƒ implementation of curtailment plants, drought year options, and temporary water transfers; ƒ increased application of conjunctive management systems; and ƒ market-driven responses (i.e., " water will follow the money "). ƒ Other possibilities include more storage and development of an integrated rule curve in the Columbia River. The role of the Prior Appropriation Doctrine as an autonomous response was also discussed. Prior Appropriation was viewed by some participants as an appropriate mechanism for managing drought given that the doctrine already recognizes that water shortages will occur. This presumption is built into the doctrine with recognition of junior and senior water rights and the curtailment of junior rights in low flow years. Prior Appropriation also facilitates the transfer of water between uses, allowing some flexibility in water use during critical periods. …


Engagement can be defined as a psychological state in which an individual focuses all her attention and enjoys the activity she is doing. The literature highlights the importance of improving this in citizen participation by governments and administrations. However, to the best of our knowledge, the literature does not offer clues about how engagement in citizen participation can be improved. This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework of citizen engagement for citizen participation in the context of smart cities. To this end, we first provide a definition of engagement, and describe some of its main characteristics. Next, we present a review of the literature on citizen participation tools in smart cities, analyzing if such tools do influence engagement attributes. The main outcomes of the study are the elaboration of a theoretical framework that integrates characteristic attributes of engagement in the field of citizen participation, and the identification of participation tools analyzing whether they can be designed to increase citizen engagement levels.


Introduction Intestinal roundworms cause chronic debilitating disease in animals, including humans. Traditional experimental models of these types of infection use a large single-dose infection. However, in natural settings, hosts are exposed to parasites on a regular basis and when mice are exposed to frequent, smaller doses of Heligmosomoides polygyrus, the parasites are cleared more quickly. Whether this more effective host response has any negative consequences for the host is not known. Results Using a trickle model of infection, we found that worm clearance was associated with known resistance-related host responses: increased granuloma and tuft cell numbers, increased levels of granuloma IgG and decreased intestinal transit time, as well as higher serum IgE levels. However, we found that the improved worm clearance was also associated with an inflammatory phenotype in and around the granuloma, increased smooth muscle hypertrophy/hyperplasia, and elevated levels of Adamts gene expression. Discussion To our knowledge, we are the first to identify the involvement of this protein family of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in host responses to helminth infections. Our results highlight the delicate balance between parasite clearance and host tissue damage, which both contribute to host pathology. When continually exposed to parasitic worms, improved clearance comes at a cost.


Considering of the environmental protection,the emission restriction of SO2i n China will become more and more strict accordingly.There are lots of desulfuri za tion technologies all over the world,but many of them are very expensive.For a d eveloping country such as China,it is very important to choose the optimized des ulfurization techniques according to the fact.Based on the basic theory of fuzz ymathematics and combined the fuzzy matrix and Delphi method,an optimization tech nique of desulfurization technology projects through fuzzycomprehensive evaluation is set up.Macroscopical calculation reveals that this m ethod is feasible in optimization of desulfurization techn iques. 


The Klein–Gordon equation is considered in the case of nondecreasing potentials. The energy inner product is nonpositive on a subspace of infinite dimension, not consisting entirely of eigenvectors of the associated operator. A scattering theory for this case is developed and asymptotic completeness for generalized Moller operators is proven.


The field experiments were carried at Nada sadacha waredas, Jimma Zone, for 2017-18 main consecutive cropping seasons. The treatments consisted of factorial combinations of four plant densities (75*20 (66666), 75*25 (53333), 75*30 (44444) and 80*40 (62500 plants h -1 ) and five Nitrogen and Phosphorous fertilizer rates (69, 92, 115, 138 and 161 N kg ha -1 ) laid down in an RCBD factorial design with three replications using BH546 variety. All spacings accommodates a single plant per hill except the 80*40 two plants per hill. All grain yield and yield related parameters were significantly affected by N fertilizer rates and plant densities and no interaction. The highest grain (8.66 and 8.73 t/ha) and above ground biomass yield (16.93 and 17.46 t/ha) respectively were obtained from 138 kg ha -1 N fertilizer rate and 75*25 cm (53333 plants h -1 ). The grain yield was significantly increased by 18.47 and 11.31% over the lowest 69 N kg and 92Nkg ha -1 (control) respectively also by 30.88% over lower density 80*40 (62500 plants h -1 ). In conclusion, a medium maturing variety with the application of 138 N kg ha -1 and 75*25(53333 plants h -1 ) gave the highest net benefit (29430.30 and 30110.40 EtB ha -1 ) with acceptable MMR (172.21 and 346.56%) respectively. Therefore, based on input availability and economic feasibility, a medium maturing variety with the application of 138 N kg ha -1 and spacing of 75*25 (53333 plants h -1 ) taken as optimal and recommended for maize (BH546) variety production under rainfed condition of the study area.


Objective:To investigate the effect of chinese herbal mixture Xihuangwan on the cell growth of liver neoplasm in vitro.Methods:The serologic pharmacological method and MTT assay were used.Results:The suppress rate of cells treated with Xihuangwan was nearly 39%,which were much more higher in 10%,15% and 20% groups than in control,2.5% and 5% groups.There existed a line relation between the concentrations of this herbal mixture and its suppress rate.Conclusion:The serologic pharmacologic method is effective in anti carcinogenic property of Chinese herbal mixture,it has some inhibitory effect on tumor cell proliferation in vitro.


Endonasal meningo-encephalocele is a congenital delorimity,it means that meningo and partial encephalic tissue inburst into nasal cavity through hypoplastic and hypocalcific skull base bone.Because the clinical representation of meningo-encephalocele is dormant,it is difficult to diagnosis,and causes cerebrospinal fluid leakage and cephalomeningitis easily.With CT,MRI and other imaging and nasal endoscopic technology improved,the diagnosis of nasal meningo-encephalocele level has been significantly improved.Surgical operation is only effective treatment.Endoscopic sinus surgery has basically replaced the traditional surgical craniototomy with a safe,simple,minimally invasive,and les complications and so on.


Synthesis — The objective of this research is to de-velop fluorescent metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as scintillation materials for more efficient light output and detection of ionizing radiation, such as neutrons, alpha particles or gamma rays, generated by fissile materials. MOFs are multidi-mensional porous structures, which are synthesized from the covalent bonding of metal ions or metal oxide clusters with organic ligand linkers, such as benzene di-carboxylates. The ligands will be chosen to have fluorescent characteristics, when excited by radiation or energetic sub-atomic particles. We will explore the synthesis of new MOFs, containing carboxylate ligands with unique conjugated chromophores, such as, benzene-1,3,5-triyltris(ethene-2,1-diyl)) tribenzoic acid and 9-hydroxy-9-vinyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-dicarboxylic acid), and doped with heavy metal as triplet-state harvesters, that we are proposing will result in stronger and possibly, unique lumi-nescence spectral features that will allow for the discrimination between different ionizing radiations from subatomic particles. Photo-, catho- and radio-luminescence studies will be conducted on the materials, and radiation mechanism(s) will be in-vestigated.


Abstract In chevron samples of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLC) the twisted molecular organization is confined either to the upper part of chevron with lower part untwisted or vice versa. Therefore two different director configurations with respect to the chevron interface can coexist and they can be mediated by so called inversion line. The structure of the inversion line is proposed using the simpliest approximation of FLC elasticity and its basic properties like their creation and ineraction with unwinding lines is discussed.


The relative densities and overlap zones of Parus cinctus (northern) and P. cristatus (southern), and of Fringilla montifringilla (northern) and F. coelebs (southern) were studied in censuses made in Finland in 1910-29, 1936-49, 1952-63 and 1973-77. The population changes of the species are described. P. cinctus greatly decreased, first in the southern and later in the middle parts of its range. P. cristatus first expanded both northwards and to the Aland Islands, but then decreased, particularly in the north. In their overlap zone, both species decreased drastically (by 90-95%). F. montifringilla was stable, except for a temporary decrease in the 1940's. F. coelebs increased, but the 1:1 zone of the Fringilla species has fluctuated mainly owing to fluctuations in the numbers and range of F. montifringilla. Two major theories purport to account for the dynamics of North European biota: either the climatic amelioration of the past 100 yr is of major importance, or recent habitat changes (often due to man or his livestock) are more effective. Recent changes in climate and habitats are compared with bird population changes in order to test the two biogeographic theories. Climatic amelioration may account for some, but certainly not all population changes. Habitat changes (including the abandonment of forest grazing, the increase of spruce, increased edge effect, and extensive clear-cuttings particularly in N Finland) may explain all long-term trends. A few short-term population changes were probably due to exceptional winter or spring weather. The presumed interspecific competition between the congeners studied is examined critically. Standard competition equations do not adequately model the dynamics of the species pairs, but at least three additional points must be taken into account: environmental changes, population changes in relation to ecological saturation, and the evolutionary time scale.


Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer of melanocytic origin. The
 tumor has a high malignant potential and early metastasis. Prognosis is
 directly linked to the stage of the disease. Diagnosing thin melanoma at an
 early stage offers patients their best chance for survival. The crucial
 innovation in the early recognition of melanoma was the development of in
 vivo examination of the skin in high-resolution, by confocal microscopy.
 Confocal microscopy and its modifications provides a "virtual biopsy", owing
 to melanosomes and melanin, which are a source of endogenous contrast.
 Confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) provides visualization of
 microanatomical structures and cellular detail in real time (pigmented
 keratinocytes, melanocytes, melanosomes and melanophages) in the epidermis,
 dermoepidermal junction and superficial dermis at a resolution equivalent to
 the resolution of conventional microscopes. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke
 Republike Srbije, br. 41002]


This paper presents a reciprocal power-fed AC drive test rig for electric traction applications. Two inverter-fed induction motors on a common shaft are used in this test rig. One is as the drive motor, and the other is as the load motor. The DC links of both inverters are connected to each other to circulate the energy, and supplied from the AC mains through a four-quadrant converter. In this paper, the dynamic model of both motors is derived firstly. Then the dynamic emulation of mechanical loads is discussed, and a control strategy for both motors is presented. Lastly, simulation results are given to verify the validity of the proposed AC drive test rig


On behalf of the Editorial Board and the Steering Committee, welcome to the first issue of the JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE AND SYSTEMS. The journal is published by the Croatian Communications and Information Society (CCIS) in cooperation with FESB, University of Split. The JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE AND SYSTEMS is endorsed by the IEEE Technical Committee on Communications Software of the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc).


An investigation of the response of a graphite-epoxy material to foreign object impact was made by impacting spherical projectiles of gelatin, ice, and steel normally on Modmor II/PR-286 flat panels. The observed damage was classified as transverse (stress wave delamination and cracking), penetrative, or structural (gross failure): the minimum, or threshold, velocity to cause each class of damage was established as a function of projectile characteristics. Steel projectiles had the lowest transverse damage threshold (30 m/s), followed by gelatin (170 m/s) and ice (215 m/s). Making use of the threshold velocities and assuming that the normal component of velocity produces the damage in non-normal impacts, a set of impact angles and velocities was established for each projectile material which would result in damage to composite fan blades. Analysis of the operating parameters of a typical turbine fan blade shows that small steel projectiles are most likely to cause delamination and penetration damage to unprotected graphite-epoxy composite fan blades.


The purpose of this study was to prove the effectiveness of Korean medical combined treatment for lumbar herniated intervertebral disc(L-HIVD) patients who were admitted to Korean medical hospital. We used acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxa, cupping and chuna treatment. These patients evaluated with visual analog scale(VAS), european quality of life 5 dimension(EQ5D), oswestry disability index(ODI) and pain free walking distance(PFWD). All of these 3 cases of patients showed the improvement of VAS, EQ5D, ODI, PFDW. The results of this study suggest the effectiveness of Korean medical combined treatment for the patients with L-spine disc herniation.


The objective of this study is to discuss problems associated with dental retention through three clinical cases of mandible fractures related to the presence of retained lower third molars, emphasizing the possibility of mandible fractures resulting from this or from the extraction procedure. The three evaluated patients had a fracture in the mandible angle. The third molars were present in all the cases, as was the relationship of the fracture with the teeth. After evaluating the three cases and reviewing literature, it is believed that the presence of the retained lower third molars and the surgical procedures for their extraction increase the risk of mandible angle fractures.


The statistical theory of metals was elaborated mostly by GOMBs [1], [2], who in a number of pal~e~s dealt with the calculation of the fundamental constants of most of the univalent and bivalent metals. This theory, which in its substance does not take into account the structure of the BZ (Brillouin zones) and the energy distribution of the valency electrons in reciprocal space, achieved its greatest successes for alkali metals, Cu and others (i. e. for metals having one valency electron) for which the effect of the BZ on the physical properties is mostly very small. The matter stands quite differently with bivalent metals, where this effect on the energetic spectrum of the valency electrons is considerable. Although for this case all assumptions of this theory are not fulfilled to the same degre3 as for univalent metals, where the average contributions of all valency electrons are concerned (e. g. for the total energy) good agreement with experiment can, however, still be expected; calculations confirmed this without exception. Quite analogous behaviour can, thereiore, be expected for multivalent metals. In the following we shall first briefly outline the main ideas of the Gombs theory of metals and propose an extension of his equation for the total energy oi the crystal to metals with several valency electrons. This equation we shall then use for the calculation of some physical constants of metallic aluminium. I t is a well-known fact that the grouping together of the atoms of a metal into a crystal lattice leaves the closed electron shells of the ion practically unchanged, while the wave functions and the energies oI valency electrons are changed considerably. In the following we shall therefore assume that the state of the valency electrons in a metal is described by a wave function of the Bloch type, i. e. a wave function which is non-zero practically throughout the whole of the crystal and the state of the core electrons by a wave function which is localised in the immediate vicinity of the atomic nucleus. This latter wave function is to a first approximation identical to the wave function of the free ion. We shall further limit ourselves in our assumptions to the atomic sphere the radius of which is denoted by R, thus considerably simplifying the whole problem. In his theory of metals GOMB.~S assumes that to a first approximation, which without doubt corresponds to reality better in the case of a univalent than a bivalent metal, the wave functions of valency electrons are plane waves, i. e. the density of the valency electrons is uniform. I t is, of course, obvious that the wave function of valency electrons of the type


Traditional immunoassays for the detection of specific antibody-antigen reactions are expensive, time-consuming and non-trivial. In this work, immunosensors based on surface acoustic wave and electrochemical techniques are presented, which provide high specificity like conventional immunoassays and the real-time monitoring of immunoreactions can be achieved. Surface acoustic wave devices have been widely used in the telecommunication. Besides their extremely high sensitivity to mass loading they can be utilized for microbalances. The mass change during an antibody-antigen binding can be therefore observed by SAW sensors. In this work, ultrasonic waves were generated on the surface of lithium tantalate by inductively coupled interdigital transducers to detect antibody-antigen reactions. The electrical properties at the surface of a sensor are also changed when an antibody-antigen reaction occurs. This can be detected by electrochemical sensors. Capacitively coupled two- and four-electrode sensors were developed to measure the impedance change at the sensor surface. Effects of the interaction between electric fields and the electrical double layer near the liquid-solid interface will also be discussed. Finally, the antibody affinities can be also measured with both SAW and electrochemical sensors, indicating a high potential in clinical application.


In the present contribution, the nonlinear dynamics of beams under axial time-dependent excitation is studied. The beams, which rest on a linear viscoelastic foundation, are assumed as axially graded both in terms of geometrical and material properties. The transversal motion equation is derived under two main hypotheses, namely the beams satisfy the requirements of Euler–Bernoulli theory and undergo moderately large deflections (MLDs).


The history of computers was driven by maximizing computing power. In just about thirty years, CPU performance has skyrocketed by 5, 000 times [1], taking computers from the level of an almost mechanical calculator to a gadget to run 3D games. This boost was mainly due to the exponential development of process technology under Moore's Law [2]. While this progress also applies to the mobile world, current CPUs in mobile phones are merely comparable to the nervous systems of a jellyfish, not even capable of replicating connectomes [3] of a honeybee. Besides, Moore's Law and Dennard Scaling are already facing their limitations, if not declared is over, widening the gap between endless human imagination and physical computing levels. Despite a number of technical suggestions to tackle this barrier, few papers have managed to capture the essence of its causes and consequences, or to understand that increase in computing power comes from the combined interaction of design and economic factors as well as process technology improvements. This paper takes a general approach to analyze how each area has come to its limitations and review possible suggestions for innovation, to find if there are certain common and general principles under these innovations. Focusing on the law of change hidden in general evolution, we demonstrate how these laws influence the process, design, and economic factors facing limitation, and try to derive the general principles of integration, distribution, and connection.


In a single-chip digital color imaging sensor, a color filter array (CFA) is used to obtain sampled spectral components (red, green and blue) in an interleaved fashion. Color demosaicing is the process of interpolating these regularly spaced sampled values into the dense pixel maps for each spectral component. In this paper we present several new algorithms for the demosaicing of CFA sequences. We have considered block processing and temporal prediction for increasing the speed of interpolation. Significant reduction in computation has been achieved, while preserving the quality of video at an acceptable level.


The synthesis of new biomass-derived ethers is of great interest for the development of biofuels and biofuel additives. In this study, we report the facile synthesis of a novel bioether ethyl-4-ethoxy pentanoate (EEP) from γ-valerolactone (GVL), a well-known biomass platform compound. The formation of EEP involves the etherification of ethyl-4-hydroxyl pentanoate (EHP) formed by GVL ring opening catalyzed by H-β-zeolite in ethanol. When operated at 140 °C for 2 h under autogenous pressure, the highest EEP yield of 55% was achieved at 62% GVL conversion and 89% EEP selectivity. The EEP yield was significantly improved to 86% by increasing the reaction temperature to 160 °C, where the EEP selectivity reached ∼97%. The extraordinarily high selectivity to EEP over H-β is likely correlated to its unique structure, which has strong Lewis acid sites as well as an optimal pore size.


Objective To evaluate the effects of volume therapy with different doses of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (6% HES 130/0.4) on lung injury in a rat model of hemonhagic shock.Methods Twenty-four male SD rats weighing 220-300 g were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n = 6 each) : group I sham operation (group S); group II Ringer's solution (group RS); group HI and IV 2 HES groups (group H1, H2 ). The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 1% sodium pentobarbital 45 ing/kg. Right common carotid artery (CCA) and left femoral vein were cannulated for blood letting, MAP monitoring, fluid administration and blood sampling. Hemonhagic shock was induced by withdrawing blood from right CCA in group II , III and IV . MAP was reduced to 35-45 mmHg which was maintained for 90 min. In group RS, hemorrhagic shock was resuscitated with Ringer's solution 3 times of the volume of blood withdrawn, while group H1 and H2 received HES 33 and 50 ml/kg respectively and Ringer' s solution (the total volume was equal to 3 times of the volume of blood removed) . Arterial blood samples were taken before blood letting (T0 , baseline), and at 2, 3 h after volume therapy (T1,2) for blood gas analysis and PaO2/FiO2 was calculated. The animals were then sacrificed by exsanguination and the lungs were immediately removed for microscopic examination and determination of protein concentration in broncho-alveolar lavage fuid (BALF), W/D lung weight ratio and TNF-α, IL-1 β and IL-10 contents in the lung.Results TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10 content in the lung, protein concentration in BALF and W/D ratio were significantly higher in group RS, H1 and H2, while PaO2/FiO2 was significantly lower at T,2 in group RS and at T2 in group H2 than in group S (P < 0.05). TNF-α and IL-1β contents in the lung, protein concentration in BALF and W/D ratio were significantly lower in group H1 and H2 , while PaO2/FiO2 was significantly higher at T,i2 in group H1 and at T1 in group H2 than in group RS (P <0.05) . PaO2/FiO2 at T2 and IL-10 content in the lung were significantly lower in group H2 than in group H, ( P < 0.05) . The lung damage was significantly ameliorated in group H1 and H2 especially in group H, as compared with group RS. Conclusion Volume therapy with 6% HES 130/0.4 33 or 50 ml/kg can attenuate lung injury in a rat model of hemorrhagic shock and the efficacy of 33 ml/kg is better.

Key words:
Hetastarch; Shock,hemorrhagic; Respiratory distress syndrome,adult


Strasbourg Court in the past three years has undergone some important changes relating to its internal functioning. Precisely the aim of this article is to reflect these innovations to give a better understanding of the organization on the Strasbourg Court issues. We have to mention here as the first legal innovation of the court the judicial disputes according to the urgency of the application, and when the request is based on the articles 2,3,4,5 par. 1 of the ECHR. Also part of this paper will be the next innovation of the Strasbourg Court the pilot judgment and his positive consequences, on the functioning of the court.
Part of our analysis will be the final decision against Albania of Mr. Qama on January 8, 2013, which represents for us, but we think also for the readers, a special interest in terms of legal issues raised in the trial of the case. The question in this part of analysis is: To ehat extent are recognized foreign decisions in our country, by the Albanian state courts, at the time when there was a decision of another court outside Albania on the same issue, facts, subject? Also a very important aspect of this decision is the interpretation of the legal notion of a state's positive obligation to take steps to protect the privacy of its citizens. After analyzing our article it is stated that Strasbourg Court seeks to achieve a very high level of professional and legal justification of its decision, with a main disadvantage the large number of applications that it faces.
 DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n6p365


Objective:To observe the acupoint massage with Ningshen Decoction in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome.Methods:196 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment group(98 patients)and the control group(98 cases).The treatment group received acupoint massage with Ningshen Decoction.The control the group was given Deanxit.All patients were treated for two months,observing clinical symptoms and blood immunoglobulin before and after treatment.Results:The results showed that the total effective rate of treatment group was 91.8% and it was 63.3% in the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P0.01);the immunoglobulin difference before and after treatment was statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion:Acupoint massage with Ningshen Decoction is an effective treatment of CFS.


The performance of a series of near-UV (~385 nm) emitting LEDs, consisting of high efficiency InGaN/AlInGaN QWs in the active region, was investigated. Significantly reduced roll-over of efficiency at high current density was found compared to InGaN/GaN LEDs emitting at a similar wavelength. The importance of optical cavity effects in flip-chip geometry devices has also been investigated. The light output was enhanced by more than a factor of 2 when the light-emitting region was located at an anti-node position with respect to a high reflectivity current injection mirror. A power of 0.49 mW into a numerical aperture of 0.5 was obtained for a junction area of 50 micrometers in diameter and a current of 30 mA, corresponding to a radiance of 30 W/cm2/str.


Opto-mechatronic systems enable one to conduct long-term fatigue tests where the observation of the surface of the specimen and the monitoring of cracking process are required. The rapid advancement of opto-mechatronic technologies and the functional interaction between opto-electronic and mechatronic components indicate that design and implementation processes of opto-mechatronic systems require specific methodology. The presented methodology describes and considers the interactions between components, particularly inside the vision module. The design process can be supported by simulation models, databases, decision matrices, and the method of conducting the implementation maturity assessment of innovative technological solutions.


Use of a robust controller for handling the operational uncertainties has become imperative in real time. This paper presents a modified fitness function based automated robust controller with the aid of quantitative feedback theory (QFT) using Genetic algorithm (GA). A controller exhibiting the desired decreasing modular plot and descending phase response is devised. The addition of arctangent function as one of the fitness function term is the proposed modification that facilitates in capturing the ideal controller characteristics. The proposed controller is applied to extract maximum power from a permanent magnet synchronous generator based autonomous wind power system. The step by step design guidelines for the automated QFT robust controller is deliberated in detail. The performance evaluation is carried out for step change and stochastically varying wind speed. Finally, benchmarking of the proposed controller against those available in the literature is accomplished through extensive simulations and it will be shown that the maximum power extraction along with least electromagnetic torque oscillations are achieved with the proposed fitness function based automated QFT controller.


The Raman spectra in the frequency region corresponding to the internal vibrations of the ammonium ions are investigated in the temperature range 4.2–300 K for the mixed crystals K 1−x ( NH 4 ) x H 2 PO 4 with different ammonium concentrations (x=0.22, 0.32, 0.53, 0.74, and 0.82). Analysis of the temperature dependence of the frequencies and half-widths of the internal vibration lines of the ammonium ions confirms that in the paraelectric phase the position of the ammonium ions in the crystal lattice is not fixed: they execute hops with a change in the position of the center of mass. The activation energies of these reorientation processes are determined. It is found that at temperatures of the order of 110–120 K for the K 1−x ( NH 4 ) x H 2 PO 4 crystals of all concentrations a correlated fixing of the ammonium ion in the lattice occurs, leading to the formation of an antiferroelectric cluster structure. For the crystals with concentrations x=0.22, 0.32, and 0.53 this structure is preserved in the structuralglass phase down to liquid helium temperatures, while for the crystals with x=0.74 and 0.82 it is preserved to the temperatures of the antiferroelectric phase transition T N (68.5 and 80.5 K, respectively). Analogous processes are also observed in the isostructural crystal Rb 0.20 ( NH 4 ) 0.80 H 2 PO 4 .


Speckle imaging techniques are effective post-processing methods to eliminate atmospheric perturbations on the imaging of space objects, in which speckle interferometry and bispectrum methods are usually used to estimate the magnitude and phase spectrum of the objects separately. The spectral ratio technique used in this paper is convenient and efficient to evaluate r0, which is crucial for calibrating the speckle transfer function in the magnitude estimation. It is shown that power spectrum, the second moment of the magnitude spectrum, needs bias removal whereas bispectrum processing does not. Reconstructed images from the observed data of binary stars and Jupiter are presented.


The purpose of this project is to extend pre-service teachers understandings of the reality of children's lives in kindergarten. Questions guided the inquiry are as follows: What do children do in the world? What are children's beings in the world? How do children see the world? The fieldwork took place at 34 classrooms in 10 kindergartens in a suburban city in Taiwan. Data were collected from October 1999 to November 1999, in total 510 hours of fieldwork. Thirty-four senior students from an early childhood teacher education program were trained as participant observers. Instead of entering the class as an adult, students were asked to act like "a child". Participant-observations and ethnographical interviews with children were conducted during the course of inquiry. Field notes, reflective journals, and analytical final papers as data sources were analyzed for themes. Several significant themes emerged from the data. First, children's perspectives of the world were explored. Second, the social and affective aspects of school lives were discussed. Third, the children were aware of the hardship moments when teachers practiced their control over children's body and mind. Fourth, the action research project for pre-service teachers to play the role of the child had its pedagogical meanings. Finally, some ethnical and methodological concerns of conducting the kind of research with young children and suggestions for further studies were given.


One of the fundamental problems in wireless sensor networks is providing area coverage to fulfill a certain task. This problem in directional sensor networks is more challenging because of limited sensing angle of directional sensors. This paper addresses the problem of deployment and orientation of a specific number of directional sensor nodes in order to maximize the area coverage. First, we present an optimization model for this problem. Then, we propose a distributed payoff based learning algorithm in which each sensor tries to maximize its own coverage relative to the coverage of its neighbors by relocating toward uncovered positions and selecting an appropriate working direction. Simulation results demonstrate the performance of proposed algorithm.


In the past three years, we have experienced sixteen cases of fracture-dislocation of the ankle.1) We've generally chosen open reduction and internal fixation to the severe fracture-dislocation of the ankle.2) About fractures of the posterior malleolus of the tibia, we have recommended the internal fixation if the displacememt of the tibial articular surface is over the one third.3) Principally the diastases of the distal tibio-fibular ligament have been treated by the tibio-fibular fixation using the bolt and we think the removal of the bolt had better been done as soon as the tibio-fibular ligament is healed.4) The rupture of the deltoid ligament primary should be operated upon and sutured.


I examine the effects of the ethnic enclave size on labor market outcomes of immigrants. I account for ability sorting into enclaves by exploiting a Danish spatial dispersal policy under which refugees were randomly dispersed across locations. First, I find strong evidence that refugees with unfavorable unobserved characteristics self‐select into ethnic enclaves. Second, a relative standard deviation increase in the ethnic enclave size increases annual earnings by 18% on average, irrespective of skill level. Third, further findings are consistent with the explanation that ethnic networks disseminate job information, which increases the job‐worker match quality and thereby the hourly wage rate.


Comparing the order statistics of daily returns of the S&P 500 index from 03.01.1950 to 04.03.2013 with the corresponding rankits, a linear scale dilation is observed. This observation is used to derive a five-parameter density function for the parsimonious description of the unconditional distribution of stock returns. The typical graph of this density function looks like a wizard's hat. Its signature feature is the discontinuity at zero.


Resistance sensors are widely used for acquiring environmental parameters, such as temperature [1], [2], chemical [3], and pressure [4]. To suit the needs of high-end Internet of Things (loT) applications, such sensors should be both energy-and cost-efficient but not at the expense of their accuracy and stability over PVT. Traditionally, such sensors are referenced to high-accuracy low-drift off-chip resistors [3, 5], which are bulky and expensive. For those referenced to onchip resistors [1, 6], their accuracy is limited by process variations, while their temperature stability is limited to tens of $\mathrm{ppm} /{}^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$. Alternatively, resistance can be converted to frequency via a capacitive reference [2]. However, [2] is designed for sensing on-chip thermistors, and its overall performance, especially area and inaccuracy, is still limited by the readout electronics.


An inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) fusion is the scheme of injecting the ions and electrons toward the spherical center, trapping both species in the electrostatic self-field and giving rise to fusion reactions in the dense core. An IEC is expected to have wide application from a small neutron source to a D-{sup 3}He fusion reactor. Hirsch reported 10{sup 9} n/s deuterium-tritium (D-T) neutron production in the device equipped with ion guns. Recently, Gu et al. measured 10{sup 6} n/s using a D{sub 2} gas discharge between the spherical wire cathode and the anode vacuum vessel, where the applied voltage is 60 kV and the current is 15 mA. We have also obtained similar neutron production at a lower voltage, {approximately}45 kV in a single-grid IEC device. Fusion reaction rates obtained by IEC experiments so far cannot be explained by a model of a simple potential well structure because the electrical potential peaked at the center prevents making a dense core. Hirsch proposed a multiwell structure called {open_quotes}poissors{close_quotes} to explain the experiments. It is generally believed that there may be some correlation between the potential well structure and the neutron production rate. The scaling of neutron production on the injected ionmore » current is a most important aspect of the problem for the prospect of utilizing IEC for fusion energy. The potential structure and its behavior are keys to the physics in understanding the principle of an IEC.« less


Breast cancer was shown to affect the modulation of skin perfusion in subareas of cancerous breasts. This is probably due to the vasodilatory effect of nitric oxide (NO), generated by cancerous cells. By saturating NO endothelial receptors, extravascular NO interferes with neuronal control of perfusion. DAT can quantitatively assess this effect of cancer and be used to detect breast cancer. This noninvasive diagnostic test involves the acquisition of 1024 consecutive infrared images of a breast at a rate of 100 Hz. The DAT test yields several diagnostic parameters, including: (1) the average modulation amplitude of the breast; (2) the average modulation of a subset of spots with the lowest modulation amplitudes; and (3) the spatial distribution of that subset of spots. The frequency dependence of each of these three parameters constitutes three additional diagnostic parameters. Modulation of the spatial homogeneity of skin temperature offers another analogous set of diagnostic parameters. Our clinical study involved testing breasts found by X-ray mammography to show suspicious microcalcification warranting biopsy. We compared breasts with pathologically established malignant lesions, breasts containing benign lesions, and breasts with normal X-ray mammograms (the contralateral breast). The DAT findings of the two latter groups were indistinguishable. Preliminary tests have demonstrated that cancerous breasts can be identified with a sensitivity >90% at a specificity of 95%.


Increased plasma homocysteine is regarded as a risk factor for arterial and venous occlusive disease. Sample collection ideally requires use of cooled EDTA containers and immediate centrifugation of the blood (1). These conditions may be hard to maintain in a clinic and are not possible in the many medical practices that lack a centrifuge. We tested whether analyzing uncentrifuged EDTA or NaF/heparin plasma bears a greater risk of giving false-positive homocysteine results under these conditions.

Blood was drawn from 50 healthy volunteers (40 female and 10 male) into 1 EDTA and 4 NaF/heparin Vacutainers (Becton Dickinson), which were stored at room temperature. The Vacutainers were randomly assigned to groups—EDTA-15min, NaF/heparin-15min, NaF/heparin-24h, NaF/heparin-48h, and NaF/heparin-144h—and centrifuged at 2700 g for …


Among the predominantly purple- and red-flowered species of the genusCuphea, only seven yellow floral tube and/or yellow-petaled members in three sections were known. We add here two new species and one new variety.Cuphea congesta from Venezuela andC. splendida var.viridiflava from Bolivia are new to sect.Melvilla.Cuphea xanthopetala from Brazil is described in sect.Euandra and expands the presence of this feature to a fourth section of the genus. A key is provided to allCuphea with yellow floral tubes and/or yellow petals to expedite determinations when these exceptional character states are present.


Knowledge Sharing and Competitiveness of Professional Service Firms: A Case Study by Albert P. Cruz M.A., National University, 2005 M.B.A., University of Phoenix, 2002 B.S., University of Phoenix, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Applied Management and Decision Sciences


Cyclic voltammetry and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to examine apical substituent effects on the properties of Me2SO solutions of the radical anions from 9-substituted and 9,10-disubstituted 2- and 3-nitro-9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracenes (1)-(24). The reductions of the nitro group are, in general, reversible at 100 mV s-1 and at 20°, except where there are coupled intra-or inter-molecular electron or proton transfer reactions with aliphatic bridgehead substituents, such as a carboxylic acid or iodine. The substituent effects for the meta- and para-nitroethanoanthracene systems are both similar and additive. This similarity in the meta and para polar substituent effects is attributed to the orthogonality of the π*(ArNO2/ArNO2-) orbital with the σ* orbital of the carbon substituent (C-X) groups at the bridgehead positions. Overall, the meta substituent effect was slightly lower than that for corresponding simple meta-nitrobenzyl systems, but the para-nitro systems showed substituent effects that are a factor of 2 smaller than that for corresponding simple para-nitrobenzyl systems. These linear correlations between the substituent effects and redox potentials have been used to estimate the redox potentials of irreversible systems, which are required for digital simulations of reactions involving nitroaryl radical anions. Only small substituent effects are present in hyperfine coupling with the aliphatic and aromatic protons of the nitroaromatic radical anions of ethanoanthracenes (1)-(13), but a clear trend to lower nitrogen hyperfine values was observed with increasing electron-withdrawing ability of the apical substituent. In addition, no spin density was transferred to the benzylic bridgehead substituent in any of the nitro radical anions studied, clearly demonstrating that the bond between the bridgehead substituent and the carbon at a benzylic position is orthogonal to the π-system of the nitroaromatic ring bearing the odd electron.


Abstract Hos 11,8-9 is characterized by its strong anthropomorphic language and by its (illusory?) disassociation from it. A reference to Israel's God as "not human" motivates the unexpected change of mind and compassion for God's Israel. This article is based on a tradition-historical oriented typological reading of the expression "I am God and not human." It suggests a new interpretation of this expression which throws a new light on the notoriously difficult conclusion of the passage: "I will not enter the city." The exegetical discussion normally focuses on what is going on in YHWH's mind and heart, but also on the alleged struggle between anger and love. The author's interpretation points to the risk of transforming the pain of God into an internal transaction, with which it is hard to sympathize and to feel involved.


grand and he put on that record. I had been appointed the task of working out the chords for 'the song'. We were to play it at the school's inter-House music competition the following month which was also to be our band's first live performance. It was the summer of '79, a summer of so many firsts. I was 15 years old. Almost apologetically, the first few bars seeped out from the speakers. How tiresome, how predictable: C followed by Cmaj7 and then, wait for it ... F! 'The song' limped along without so much as a single imaginative chord progression to pique my interest and as the singer droned on and on in that signature nasal delivery of his, I slipped deeper and deeper into a mirthless torpor. It took just two or three listenings to transcribe 'the song's' entire chord sequence and a little under an hour to learn to play it proficiently. John Lennon's Imagine has to be one of the most over-rated compositions of the latter part of the 20 century. Yet, while in my teens it was the pedestrian nature of the music that ruffled my feathers, as I have grown older, I have been struck, indeed am continually struck each time I hear 'that song' by the words and the simplistic, shallow and frankly naive sentiments they convey. Far from being a modern-day canticle, a clarion call for a better, more perfect world, subject the lyrics to just a modicum of critical analysis and the whole piece starts to come apart in your hands. So, first things first: here then, are the words to Imagine. Do you agree with me? Perhaps not yet but I hope that by the time you have finished reading this paper, you may have come round to my way of thinking.