Widespread alteration of flow regimes requires guidelines for the protection of river ecosystems based on sound science. Preservation of the biodiversity within river ecosystems and sustaining natural ecological functions are key aspects of their management. However, the relationship between the biota and flow‐related phenomena is poorly understood and, as a consequence, over‐simplistic hydrology‐based guidelines for river management have been adopted without establishing clear indicators of success. In the present paper, we aim to support the improvement of guidelines for flow (current velocity) management by developing a flow sensitivity index based on macroinvertebrates for Canadian rivers. Using benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) samples collected by the Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN), current velocity preferences for the 55 most common invertebrate taxa across a range of reference and potential reference sites were derived. A Canadian Ecological Flow Index (CEFI) was developed based on these preferences. By testing the index against independent data, CEFI was found to respond mainly to changes in hydraulic conditions, and was minimally influenced by confounding factors (e.g. stream type, organic enrichment). The index was further validated using two independent data sets from the west and east of Canada, suggesting countrywide applicability of the method. In conclusion, we have developed a practical approach to evaluate relationships between hydrological regime and an important component of the river biota, permitting the development of an index which has good potential as an indicator for the effects of flow alteration. Moreover, we outline how the CEFI could be used as a tool for the development of holistic guidelines for the estimation of riverine flow needs. Copyright © 2010 Crown in the right of Canada and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Objective: the study was purported to research on the total polyphenol content and in vitro activity of testa extract of wild apricot.Method: testa extract of wild apricot was obtained by ultrasonic-assisted extraction with 80%(V/V) ethanol and its total polyphenol content and total anti-oxidative capacity were assayed with Folin's reagent and FRAP,respectively.The capacities of test extract of wild apricot eliminating superoxide anion radical(O2′),hydroxyl radical(·OH) and 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical 2,2-Diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl(DPPH·) and the capacities of the testa extract inhibiting the β-carotene/linoleic acid system and reducing were assayed with 2,6-Ditert-butyl-4-methylphenol(BHT) and proply gallate(PG) as its controls.Results: the testa extract had a total polyphenol content of(186.7±15.6) mg/g and a FRADP value of(3.715±0.012) mmol/g,and capable of eliminating superoxide anion radical(O2′、),hydroxyl radical(·OH) and diphenyl bitter acyl radical(DPPH·) at the percentages of 80%,97% and 98%,respectively and evidently inhibiting the β-carotene/linoleic acid system.Conclusion: testa extract of wild apricot had relatively strong anti-oxidative capacity.


Abstract In this third part of a series about 30 different structures of AB2O6 compounds are reviewed in an extensive study. We compare the near range co-ordination of all ions and try to derive general rules which hold in such complex arrangements. We examine the validity of known rules of crystal chemistry in a large field of structures and derive new ones which should help in developing criteria for a prediction of structures.


This paper is concerned with the bifurcations of limit cycles from a heterocllnic cycle ofplanar Hamiltonian systems under perturbations. The author obtains a simple condition which guarantees the existence of at most two limit cycles near the heteroclinic cycle.


Objective To investigate the coronary flow and coronary flow reserve (CFR) before and after aortic valve replacement (AVR) using coronary flow imaging combined with dipyridamole stress test.Methods Tirty one patients with pure aortic stenosis,left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and normal coronary arteriograms were investigated.Patients underwent coronary flow imaging combined with dipyridamole stress test on two occasions immediately before AVR and six months postoperatively.Interventricular septal thickness (IVST),posterior wall thickness (PWT) and left ventricular internal diameter (LVID),distal left anterior descending coronary arteries diameter (LADD),flow and CFR were assessed on each occasion.CFR was defined as the ratio of coronary peak velocity (CPV) or velocity time integral (VTI) during maximum pharmacological vasodilation to CPV or VTI at rest.Results Paired data were subsequently available in 24 patients.Pre to post AVR a significant decrease was seen in IVST and PWT.LADD fell from ( 2.272 ± 0.015 ) to ( 2.231 ± 0.047 )mm.Pre to post AVR there was no significant change in resting parameters of LADD,LVID,CPV,VTI, CPV/IVST and VTI/IVST ,but there was significant increase in hyperemic CPV,VTI, CPV/IVST and VTI/IVST .CFR,therefore,increased significantly.Conclusions CFR was great increase after AVR for aortic stenosis.This increase occurs in trandem with regression of LV hypertrophy.


Refrigerating cycle apparatus according to the present invention consists of a compressor (1), a radiator (2), a decompression unit (3), a heat absorber (4), the internal heat exchanger (5), and the internal heat exchanger (5) the refrigerant outlet side of the radiator outlet side of the refrigerant heat exchange with a heat sink; wherein: detecting the refrigerant having a temperature between the inlet from the outlet of the compressor (1) to the radiator (2) a first the refrigerant temperature between the high pressure side inlet temperature detecting means (30), and detection of the outlet of the radiator (2) to the internal heat exchanger (5) a second temperature detecting means (31), so that the first temperature detecting means (30) for detecting temperature and the second temperature detecting means (31) for detecting the temperature of a temperature difference ([Delta] T) becomes a target value controlled decompression unit (3) the degree of opening.


Objective To explore the roles of macrophage inflammatory protein- 1α(MIP- 1α) and regulated upon activation normal I" cell expressed and secreted(RANTES)in pathogenesis of respiratory syncytiai virus(RSV) infection,and explore the roles of these chemokines asthma caused by RSV mfectron. Methods Serum samples were obtained from 45 infants with RSV infection, including 10 hroivhial asthma, 15 bronchitis or pneumonia ,20 upper respiratory tract infection ;20 healthy infants with non - RSV infection as the normal group. ELISA method was used to determine the concentrations of MIP- 1α and RANTES in serum. Results MIP - 1α and RANTES levels in infants with RSV infection were much higher than those of non - RSV infected healthy subjects (P 0.05 or P0 01) The level of bronchial asthma and severe RSV infection subjects were much higher than upper respiratory tract infection subjects. But no significant difference between bronchial asthma and severe RSV infection was found. It was also found that serum concentrations of MIP- 1α and RANTES were positively correlated with the number of eosinophilis. Conclusions MIP- 1α and RANTES are involved in the RSV infection process passibly by recruiting and activating eosinophilis, T lymphocytes and monocytes in the lung inflammatory infiltrate induced by RSV infection And it may be responsible for the bronchial asthma after RSV infection.


Playful robotics engages children in learning through play experiences while simultaneously developing critical thinking, and social, cognitive, and motor skills through play. Such playful experiences are particularly valuable in inclusive education to promote social and inclusive behaviors. We present TACTOPI, an inclusive and playful multisensory environment that leverages tangible interaction and a robot as the main character. We investigate how TACTOPI supports play in 10 dyads of children with mixed visual abilities. Results show that multisensory elements supported children to experience activities as joyful. Storytelling and guided-play added a layer of meaningfulness to the activities, and the robot engaged children in minds-on thinking. TACTOPI afforded children to engage in collaborative social play and facilitated supportive and inclusive behaviours. We contribute with a playful multisensory environment, an analysis of the effect of its components on social, cognitive, and inclusive play, and design considerations for inclusive multisensory environments that prioritize play.


The paper introduces the forming conditions for ice dam on the lower reaches of Songhua River and the related disaster, and makes the classification of the natural geographical and river conditions in ice dam formation,and also analyzes the relations between ice dam and hydraulic condition and air temperature.


Estimation of hazard in regions of low seismic activity such as many parts of Western and Eastern Europe, the Urals, Western and Central Siberia is an important issue. The limited seismological coverage typical of low activity areas constrains detailed scientific studies and this reduces the quality of seismic zoning maps of many territories throughout Europe, Northern Eurasia and elsewhere. The lack of optimal techniques for estimating hazard in regions of low seismic activity such as the Western Ural region has led to re-examination of existing methods. This paper examines ways in which a wide range of geological, geophysical and seismological data, beyond those traditionally used, can be related to seismic hazard and to the estimation of the key parameter "maximum magnitude" in an integrated fashion. The focus of this technique is the identification of common characteristics of "geodynamically unstable zones". Characteristic features of geodynamically unstable zones previously identified for the West Ural region and tested by application to the Western Siberian plateau are here applied to the UK region and the model is developed through the identification of additional diagnostic characteristics. A regional model of these zones has been built within the "GEO" Geographic Information System and used to construct predictive maps of maximum magnitude for possible earthquakes in the United Kingdom. These initial results suggest that the method shows promise and is deserving of further, structured, development.


Paraffin deposition is a common problem in the flow of paraffinic and heavy oils. Solids deposition in the pipe wall results in rising process costs due to an increase in energy cost of pumping, a decrease in production, an increase in pressure on the line and risk pipeline blockage. In this work, a simulator was developed to allow the analysis of paraffin deposition under different operating conditions, to understand the influence of the variables (inlet and external temperatures, wax appearance temperature, composition, and time) on paraffin deposition under turbulent flow. A mathematical model for quantitative prediction of wax deposition for paraffin-solvent mixtures was proposed. The methods used in the estimation of physical, thermal, and transport properties of mixtures were suitable when compared with literature data. The simulator calculated the profiles of temperature and thickness of the deposit, with consistent results. The results showed the important role of operating temperatures in paraffin deposition.


Preventing child sexual abuse from happening in the first place is the ultimate goal of all children's professionals but this is not straightforward. Charlotte Goddard explores the challenges and what really works when it comes to keeping children safe


An outline is given of the procedure and computer programmes used by the electron diffraction groups of the universities of Leiden and Antwerp for the determination of the structure of molecules in the gaseous phase.


Several authors have established a large group of variables to characterise linguistic mitigation using a multidimensional database as a framework (Briz/Albelda; Albelda/others). In this study, 982 mitigation sequences have been selected from 18 spoken Spanish interviews; all of them have been identified as instances of mitigation by at least four different informants. Finally, these data have been analysed by means of three statistical methods: multiple correspondence analysis, decision trees and Random Forest. The results suggest that the variables that better characterise the three functions of mitigation (self-protection, prevention and repair) are (a) image of the speaker(s), (b) the previous speech act, (c) age, (d) syntactic position and (e) the prosodic-paralinguistic component.


As part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, health research has proliferated Clinical trials and other studies with human participants are being conducted to find efficacious treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 In this context, research ethics committees (RECs) must be prepared and organized to conduct a thorough ethics review of research, and have rapid and flexible procedures in place to do so efficiently, considering the tight timelines and needs posed by this health emergency This document aims at providing guidance for RECs to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the rapid review of human subjects research related to COVID-19 It supplements the prior Guidance and strategies to streamline the ethics review and oversight of COVID-19-related research


ABSTRACT In the early 1980s, the Argentine filmmaker Miguel Pereira was a student at the London Film School. He was moved by Argentina's social reality and the fact that young conscripts from Jujuy, and other local settings, were sent to fight in the Malvinas War. In 1988, he paid what I call a decolonial tribute to the Qulla people of Jujuy with his first feature film Verónico Cruz. La Deuda Interna. I argue that Pereira's cinematic commemoration reinterprets sites of memory, such as the Argentine flag and the monument to General Belgrano, revealing their ambiguity. Adding another layer to the process of memorialization, it represents the warship ARA General Belgrano as a site of international conscience. it reflects on the deschooling of society undertaken by the dictatorship. Ultimately, it denounces the marginalization of the Qulla culture, despite the community's significant contribution to their country.


This paper reports an exploratory study on Singapore secondary and primary school students' perceptions and behaviors on using a variety of Chinese input methods for Chinese composition writing. Significant behavioral patterns were uncovered and mapped into a cognitive process, which are potentially critical to the training of students in inputting Chinese via computers. Due to the cognitive complexity of Chinese computer input, there seemed to be a misalignment between the perceived effectiveness of these input methods and their actual benefits. They will only be effective if the composition writers possess appropriate language abilities and technical skills. In addition, as secondary school composition writers had higher level linguistic and technical skills, for example, the ability to guess the correct pinyin (a Romanized phonetic scheme that is required for Chinese text input) based on experience, they were more likely to view the input system favorably than primary school students. This has implications in how to prepare primary school students for information and technology mediated composition writing in Singapore. Pinyin and technical skills should be introduced as early as possible for them to appreciate the benefits of computer-mediated Chinese text input and subsequently, composition writing.


The Connecticut Business and Industry Association and Three Rivers Community College have partnered with Connecticut's photonics industry to provide innovative training programs in optics, lasers and fiber optics. A Certificate in Fiber Optics is being delivered by distance learning with assistance by company mentors. This approach was developed to meet training objectives and company goals.


Users and installers of fiber optic local area networks (LANs) and the telephone subscriber loop, markets that are starting to have a large impact on the sales of fiber optic connectors, are looking for connectors that are quick and easy to install and give the performance required for high data rate transmission. Conventional epoxy and polish connectors have the performance required, but they need a lengthy heat cure and a skillful polish to reach their potential. This paper describes a connector which overcomes these installation drawbacks. Developed specifically for field installation, this connector has a factory prepolished ferrule tip which allows a <2-min cleave and crimp installation with minimum skill, no epoxy, and no polish. Typical losses on multimode fiber are 0.3 dB with a 34-dB return loss.


This document is submitted as input to the NuPECC Long Range Plan 2024 by three European members of the EIC Users Group Steering Committee (Vice Chair, one at-large member, and the EU Representative). We submit the document on behalf of the international EIC Users Group (EICUG) community, but we specifically represent 335 European members of the EICUG (25%) based in 80 institutions (30% of the total) located in Armenia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. This European involvement is an important driver of the EIC, but can also be beneficial for a number of related ongoing and planned nuclear physics experiments in Europe. In this document, the shared interest regarding scientific questions and detector R&D between the EIC and European nuclear physics communities is outlined. The aim is to highlight how these synergies offer ample opportunities to foster progress at the forefront of nuclear physics.


Based the study of the matrix theory in detail, this paper gives some conditions for the commutation of matrix and obtains some properties of the commutative matrix.


Now,the information society forces regarding student's comprehensive quality's request as the raise so-ciety a person of great ability and tremendous potential university to make the corresponding echo. This article proposes some improvement in the educational model,the teaching method on university plane design specialized graduate em-ployment when appears the question.


OBJECTIVE: To review the place in therapy of currently available antithrombotic agents in the non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes, that is, unstable angina and non–Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI). Recommendations are made based on currently available data. DATA SOURCE: English-language clinical studies, position statements, and review articles pertaining to the management of unstable angina and non–Q-wave MI with currently available products. STUDY SELECTION: Selection of prospective clinical studies was limited to those focusing on the management of the non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes, unstable angina, and non–Q-wave MI. DATA SYNTHESIS: It has yet to be determined which combination of agents (dalteparin, enoxaparin, lepirudin, clopidogrel, ticlopidine, abciximab, eptifibatide, tirofiban) and procedural strategies most significantly reduces mortality and serious events in these patients. The relevant pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, and risk-stratifying procedures are reviewed in context with information from clinical studies regarding currently available agents for the management of non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes. CONCLUSIONS: A large number of new therapeutic classes and agents are available for the treatment of unstable angina and non–Q-wave MI. Although the diagnoses of unstable angina or non–Q-wave MI identify risk, treatment decisions are often based on the presence or absence of ST-segment elevations. Limited prospective evidence delineates the proper utilization of resources to best manage these patients. Efforts should be aimed at identifying particular patients who will best benefit from recently available therapies.


This research article explores the effect of service quality and salesperson characteristics on consumer trust and relationship commitment among life insurance buyers in India. Earlier research on service quality has revealed five key dimensions that influence levels of consumer satisfaction. This article explores how 'service quality' as an independent variable influences consumer's trust and relationship commitment. Earlier studies have explored organizational shared values on consumer trust and relationship commitment but no study in Indian context reveals how salesperson characteristics affect consumer trust and commitment. In this article the author has conceptualized two models (a) linking service quality with consumer trust and relationship commitment and (b) service quality with salesperson characteristics, consumer trust and commitment to study mediating and direct effects of independent variables on the dependent variables in the context of term life insurance policies in Indian market by applying structural equation modelling. The study identifies the strength and direction of these relationships and has a significant bearing in developing future relationship marketing programmes for insurance marketing companies in India.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the implication of using technology especially computer or learning software in the chemistry class and its effect on students' academic achievement. There are many findings from the previous study show that learning using technology can give a positive impact on students learning behavior in the class. It is because the nature of technology especially some learning softwares will give advantage to students in order to understand chemistry knowledge from three different level which is macroscopic level, microscopic level and also symbolic level in the simple way. However, the implication of using technology in class to student achievement is still unclear. By using descriptive survey study design, six schools in Pontian district were selected. One hundred and sixty students in form four who take chemistry were selected as the sample in the study. The findings of this study suggest, instructional strategies using computers in the classroom, learning software design and the student's perception when learning chemistry using technology show very week relationship on their academic achievement in chemistry subject. However, the study show there is a strong significant relationship between these three variables. Although the findings of this study was only comes from the statistical analysis, the results that was obtain from study are expected to give effect on teachers, software designers and other stakeholders in order to consider an appropriate method or strategy when using or designing a learning software for the teaching purpose. It also hope that teacher can be more careful in choosing an appropriate software learning that are more suitable to their learning objective which will help in improving student's academic achievement.


The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity tests hybrid electric, pure electric, and other advanced technology vehicles. As part of this testing, 28 hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) are being tested in fleet, dynamometer, and closed track environments. This paper discusses some of the HEV test results, with an emphasis on the battery performance of the HEVs. It also discusses the testing results for a small electric vehicle with a lithium polymer traction battery.


A method is proposed for checking the reliability of a quantitative estimate of longitudinal displacements in metallic beam samples when they are investigated by electronic speckle interferometry and phase-shifting speckle interferometry. Theoretical and experimental results are presented for the investigation of longitudinal surface displacements of samples by electronic difference speckle interferometry and phase-shifting speckle interferometry. © 2004 Optical Society of America


Lead free multiferroic Bi4−xSmxTi3−xNixO12±δ (x = 0.02, 0.05, and 0.07) samples have been synthesized by conventional solid state route. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals single phase up to x = 0.07, and a secondary phase appears at x > 0.07. Raman spectroscopy confirms the local distortions in the crystal. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows plate like grains. Substitution has increased the orthorhombic distortion, grain size, and hence the ferroelectric transition temperature (Tc). A significant reduction in the values of dielectric constant (e′) and loss tangent (tan δ) has been observed with the increase of Sm and Ni ions. The increase in dc resistivity at room temperature has been found with substitution. Enhancement in the values of remnant polarization (2Pr) and magnetization (2Mr) is observed. Magnetoelectric coupling coefficient (α) values of 0.60 mV/cm/Oe are achieved in Bi4−xSmxTi3−xNixO12±δ ceramic samples. Hence, we have successfully converted the ferroelectric Bi4Ti3O12 into a...


The invention discloses an adjustable type universal stair formwork. The adjustable type universal stair formwork comprises step surface formworks (3), step kickplate formworks (4) and a side edge formwork (1). A length adjusting structure is arranged on each step surface formwork (3). A height adjusting structure is arranged on each step kickplate formwork (4). A telescopic adjusting structure is arranged on the side edge formwork (1). A stair angle adjusting structure (7) is arranged at the bottom of the connection portion between the stair and a lower platform (6). A kickplate angle adjusting device (8) is arranged at the bottom of each step kickplate formwork (4). Each kickplate angle adjusting device (8) enables the corresponding step kickplate formwork (4) to be connected with the adjacent step surface formwork (3). By the adoption of the adjustable type universal stair formwork, the length, the height and the angle of the stair formwork can be adjusted, the universality is high, recycling can be achieved, the problems that steel and wood of an existing stair formwork are used disorderly, and efficiency is low can be solved, the progress of industrialization and standardization of constructional engineering is accelerated, and energy consumption and construction cost are reduced.


Simulated graft copolymer of poly(acrylic acid-co-stearyl acylate) [P(AA-co-SA)] and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was synthesized, where acrylic acid, stearyl acylate and PEG was employed as the pH-sensitive, hydrophobic and hydrophilic segment, respectively. Polymeric nanoparticles prepared by the dialysis of simulated graft copolymer solution in dimethylformamide against citrate buffer solution with different pH values were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fluorescence technique and laser light scattering (LLS). TEM image revealed the spherical shape of the self-aggregates, which was further confirmed by LLS measurements. The critical aggregation concentration increased markedly (10 to 150 mg/L) with increasing pH (4.6 to 7.0), consistent with the de-protonation of carboxylic groups at higher pH. The hydrodynamic radius of polymeric nanoparticles decreased from 118 nm at pH 3.4 to 90 nm at pH 7.0. The controlled release of indomethacin from those nanoparticles was investigated, and the self-assembled nanoparticles exhibited improved performance in controlled drug release.


A s WAS remarked in the foreword to the preceding number, the topic of psychological tests has been divided. Tests of personality were treated in the June number, and tests of intelligence and aptitude are dealt with in the present number. This separation was necessitated by the extensive literature which has accumulated during the past few years dealing with tests of personality. The expansion in this field is comparable to the expansion in the field of intelligence testing ten to fifteen years ago. If we may judge from previous experience, the period of rapid multiplication of personality tests is now nearing its close and the period of critical evaluation is opening. If this inference is correct, the evaluation of personality tests will be a prominent feature of the report on tests in the next cycle, three years hence.


andrologist and continence specialist before RP or be seen in preoperative 'survivorship' seminars, based on discussing possible consequences and optimising functional recovery after treatment. Such seminars should be run by the teams involved in managing sexual function and continence postoperatively. Patients should be given a simple, one page sheet outlining the possible consequences of their intended treatment, be that radiotherapy or surgery, on sexual function and continence. In the same way that patients are given a key contact for their cancer care, they should have access to a key contact for their functional recovery. In addition to follow-up visits with the operating surgeon, focusing on the oncological outcome, a separate follow-up based on functional outcome with an andrologist and continence specialist would focus on functional recovery.


In pursuing technological advances and economic prosperity, mankind continues to exploit the earth's resources, resulting in overwhelming burden on the earth's ecology. Balancing the conflict between economic development and environmental protection is an important issue. In recent years, consumers are gradually becoming aware of environmental protection, and likewise green consumption is an issue that has gained world attention. However the market price of green products is higher than that of regular products. Consequently how environmental attitude of consumers impact their decisionmaking, and how to motivate consumers into purchasing higher priced green products are the primary goals of this research. Subjects for this study were consumers purchasing energy-saving light bulbs. The "environmental attitude" construct was introduced into Monroe and Krishnan's (1985) "perceived evaluation model" to establish a complete pattern of green consumption decision-making. Structural equation was then applied to verify the path relationships in the patterns of green consumption decision-making. Results revealed that "perceived value" and "perceived quality" increased with environmental attitude of consumers, leading to positive influence. On the other hand, the income of consumers has moderates effect on "perceived value" and "purchase intention," indicating that the income level of consumers influenced their "perceived value" toward green products and subsequently affect their "purchase intention."


( a ) Diffusion, like other ions. ( b ) Transfer between adjacent molecules, principally via water. The last process contributes mainly to the high mobility of protons. The details of transfer mechanisms are not entirely clear, but considerable progress has been made by performing experiments in ice where diffusion effects a r e extremely small. One of the sources of information on proton transfer migration has been electrical conductivity measurements in ice. Since in biological structures water molecules may be oriented, then in such a system proton transfer may have characteristics of ice rather than liquid. Most conductivity studies involving ice a re carried o u t with pure crystals or impurities a re introduced only at concentrations where there a re no significant distortions on structure. This subject has been reviewed by Gross in this publication.' In order to similate "biological media," a structu re has to be highly complex and essentially noncrystalline. For this purpose, conductivity measurements have been carried out in highly doped ice and the effect of various biological molecules on conductivity and activation energies was investigated. Here only A.C. measurements were made, since in highly doped ice, D.C. and low frequency A.C. yield the same ohmic conductance values. We also made a limited number of D.C. experiments (mostly for control purposes ) , but bridge-type A.C. conductivity measurements a re f a r simpler and these represent the main work on doped ice. distinct proton transport mechanisms involved in such processes :


The article presents the results of the of the HC emissions composition for the compression ignition diesel engine fuelled with rapeseed fuel (a mixture of methyl esters of fatty acids RSME). The investigations were conducted on a turbocharged, four-cylinder compression-ignition engine type T370 (of 80 kW power at 2400 rpm engine speed and maximum torque of 400 Nm at 1440 rpm engine speed, with bore / stroke 110 mm /120 mm, displacement volume 4560 cm, compression ratio 17). For the exhaust toxicity investigations the equipment of Signal and AVL companies was used, and for composition of nonregulated hydrocarbons emissions investigations the Hewlett Packard Company chromatograph type HP-5890II was used. The investigations were conducted under engine full load at maximum torque speed and for engine rotational speed of the rated power. Chromatographic test for emissions were collected using special equipment and special procedures. The article presents the results of chromatographic investigations focused on: benzene, toluene and acetaldehyde. It was found that the percentage of emission of individual components in the total emissions of HC was independent of the fuel used. However, due to the fact that in the case of rape fuel, emission of unburned HC was smaller and smaller were the absolute amounts of emissions components. Thus, emissions from combustion of rape fuel are less harmful than emissions from the engine fuelled with diesel oil.


The 1980s witnessed the emergence of several models of language production. Among those, Levelt's (1989) was particularly comprehensive. Its revised version (Levelt, 1999) is composed of two modules, namely, the rhetorical/semantic/syntactic system and the phonological/phonetic system. This paper argues that the revised model needs to be further augmented to allow multiple processing of production to account for dynamic communication. It is suggested that a multiple layer could include decision procedure of meta-intention, choice of expression, immediate checking of audience reaction, and theme advancement strategies, all of which could be activated simultaneously during online production.


This paper applies two recent deep reinforcement learning (DRL) methods, namely DQN and A2C, to train an agent in a modern 3D video-game environment called Delivery Duel. The agent perceives the environment only by raw pixel data. The reward of the DRL algorithms is based on the game's score. The focus of this work is on the impact of environment modifications on the learning performance, namely the environment representation (complex 3D, simple 2D), the reward signal (sparse, continuous) and the agent's motion control (physics-based, linear). The introduced test framework will be made publicly available and thus can be used for future experiments.


Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a proactive procedure for risk management and quality improvement in laboratories. The FMEA was carried out on pre-analytical stage of ultra-high-temperature milk samples. It was applied at two different stages; in the first phase, the potential failure mode was chosen and the probable risks for failure mode were assessed and analyzed. Risk priority numbers (RPNs) were calculated to evaluate and organize reasons for potential failure and their impacts and identify the risk level. As for the second phase, it encompassed establishing and implementing the proposed action plans and measuring their effects. The uppermost RPN was human errors (504), followed by training (432), incorrect samples handling and transport (336), and insufficient sterilizing of tools (192). Employing the effective improvement action plan significantly decreased the RPN. The FMEA should be utilized as a regular tool to improve processes in laboratories.

Practical applications
The failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) method is used mainly to minimize errors, improve the quality of pre analytical stage of milk samples in the laboratory, identify potential failures, and develop and prioritize improvement strategies. Corrective actions significantly lower the risk priority numbers values. Besides, FMEA is a preventive tool and it is helpful in risk assessment of processes in dairy laboratories. The FMEA is a frequently-used technique for quality assurance in food industry and numerous manufacturing industries addressing purchasers, governmental requirements, quality control, and safety. Nowadays, the FMEA is being applied in healthcare laboratories, and to attain all-inclusive and fast improvement in safety in non-healthcare industries.


Measurements of the structural and thermophysical properties of bulk metallic glass forming alloys in the series (Ti100−xZrx)45(Ni14.5Cu85.5)55 (at. %) are presented for 25⩽x⩽75. The bulk glass forming ability was found to terminate abruptly for x>50 due to the nucleation of NiTiZr and Zr2Cu symmetry phases with increasing x. Calorimetric measurements reveal that crystallization is facilitated by a decomposition process in the under-cooled liquid.


In this paper, we present a review of the developments in the Large Language Model (LLM) known as ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), which has been the subject of many discussions, concerns, and even conspiracy theories as a result of today's significant advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the benefits or concerns they can cause. Today, technology giants like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and numerous other businesses and organizations are constantly implementing artificial intelligence for specific purposes. Various artificial intelligences are customized for specific purposes and serve to provide benefits in those areas after being continuously trained through several different trainings. The subject of this study, ChatGPT language model, which is being developed by OpenAI, has the potential to significantly change the way we interact with technology. The most important capability of ChatGPT language model is its ability to understand texts, images and generate new texts with high accuracy, almost human-like, using the massive amount of data it processes during training. As a result, it provides revolutionary opportunities in the fields of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU). Capabilities of ChatGPT, range from law to medicine, mathematics to finance, academic article writing to language translation, and security vulnerability detection.


Phase equilibria and the crystal structure of variable-composition phases formed in Nd 1 - x Sr x MnO 3 , Nd 1 - x Sm x MnO 3 , Nd 1 - x Gd x MnO 3 , and Nd 1 - x Ce x MnO 3 systems (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) in air at 1100°C were studied. In the composition range 0.0 ≤ x < 0.4, Nd 1 - x Sr x MnO 3 solid solutions with an orthorhombic structure were formed. A continuous series of Nd 1 - x M x MnO 3 (M = Sm and Gd) solid solutions with orthorhombic structures were formed in the whole range of compositions, 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0. The replacement of neodymium by cerium in LnMnO 3 + Φ (Ln = Nd, Sm, and Gd), Nd 0 . 9 7 Mn 0 . 9 5 O 3 + Φ , Nd 0 . 9 5 Mn 0 . 9 7 O 3 + Φ , and NdMn 1 - y Cu y O 3 was complicated.


Gibbard-Satterthwaite (G-S) theorem rules out the existence of any truthful, non-dictatorial and unanimous social choice function whose range comprises three or more alternatives. To circumvent the G-S impossibility, researchers have introduced restricted domains with additional assumptions to admit truthful mechanisms. We follow this line of research and look at a setting in which a set of items has to be assigned to a set of agents and transfer of money is not allowed. Agents have private cardinal valuations over packages of items. Agents are selfish and may report wrong valuations in order to maximize their utility which is to achieve a package of higher valuation. Our goal is to find a non-dictatorial and truthful mechanism optimizing social welfare. We eliminate the possibility of upward bidding. The assumption of no upward bidding may seem strong, nevertheless we argue that finding a truthful mechanism for this setting falls under the G-S impossibility. Consequently, we analyze the problem with additional assumptions such as small markets with identical items, single-parameter valuations and variations of the generalized assignment problem and show truthful and non-dictatorial mechanisms for these settings.


The paper focuses on the recent progress that has been achieved by the authors through conducting experiments with locally heated shear‐driven and falling liquid films. Rupture of the liquid film was investigated and it was found that scenario of film rupture differs widely for different flow regimes. The critical heat flux is about 10 times higher for a shear driven film than that for a falling liquid film, and reaches 250 W/cm2 in experiments with water at atmospheric pressure. Rupture of a subcooled falling liquid film heated from the substrate is preceded by the formation of steady state film surface deformations. The film spontaneously ruptures at the moment when the film thickness in the thinned region reaches a certain critical minimum independent of both the Reynolds number and the plate inclination angle (gravity force). By means of high speed imaging it is found that the process of rupture involves two stages: 1) abrupt film thinning down to a thin residual film; 2) rupture and dryout of the res...


Change in living status of hazard-induced migration was analyzed by the established calculation system of living capital based on the theoretical framework of sustainable living of relocated hazard-induced migration after Wenchuan earthquake disaster to provide a reference for sustainable living of hazard-induced migration.The results show that labor capital,natural capital and social capital of hazard-induced migration decreases,financial capital and physical capital increase greatly,which result in promotion of living capital'integral level compared with hazard-induced migration before Wenchuan earthquake disaster.The sustainable living of hazard-induced migration can be further improved from four aspects of settlement policy,industrial development planning,skill training and employment environment.


Single crystalline Ge has been grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Direct growth of Ge on sapphire results in three-dimensional (3D) Ge islands, two growth directions, more...


Applied experimental study "EL ESTUCO"; used material and methods, selected the general results for this study and new method applied in the control of biodeterioration.


Drug-food interaction with isoniazid resembling anaphylaxis TO THE EDITOR: Kevorkian et aI.1 described an anaphylactic reaction to antitubercular therapy in a patient infected with HIV. Clinicians who monitor patients receiving antitubercular drugs should also be aware of a drug-food interaction that has a similar presentation to anaphylaxis. Scombroid fish poisoning typically presents with erythematous and urticarial rash, facial flushing, diarrhea, palpitations, headache, nausea, paresthesias, abdominal cramps, and dizziness.i" Less commonly, it can progress to include bronchospasm, hypotension, angioedema, and airway compromise.s-' Although many of the features are similar to anaphylactic reactions, the cause of the reaction is not immune-mediated. Scombroid fish poisoning occurs in association with the ingestion of fish from the scombroid family, including tuna, mackerel, salmon, and other varieties of dark-meat fish. These fish contain high contents of histidine, which can be converted to histamine by bacteria if the fish are not refrigerated properly. Upon ingestion of fish with high histamine content, physical manifestations of scombroid fish poisoning may occur, and persons taking isoniazid are particularly sensitive since the drug is a histaminase inhibitor. Treatment of scombroid fish poisoning depends on the severity of symptoms and can include observation or treatment with histarninejand histaminej-antihistamines, epinephrine, gut decontamination, and bronchodilators. Scombroid fish poisoning is often mistaken for seafood allergy, and could potentially be misdiagnosed as drug allergy as well. A history of events surrounding the reaction differentiates it from drug allergy. In scombroid fish poisoning, the onset of symptoms typically occurs during or in the minutes following a meal containing scombroid fish. In some cases, a peppery taste to the fish may be noted, but the means of preparation of the fish is not relevant since histamine is heat stable. Symptoms of scombroid fish poisoning are usually milder than those of true anaphylaxis, and resolve within hours with or without treatment. After scornbroid fish poisoning has occurred, isoniazid therapy can be continued safely without pretreatment with antiallergy drugs. However, since persons taking isoniazid are at increased risk of experiencing symptoms of scombroid fish poisoning, it is prudent to instruct patients to avoid darkmeat fish while taking isoniazid, especially after the first occurrence of scombroid fish poisoning. With increased use of antitubercular therapy for mycobacterial disease, clinicians must be aware of the potential for these drugs to cause anaphylactoid reactions. Scombroid fish poisoning is a drug-food interaction that presents similarly to an anaphylactic reaction. Differentiation of the reaction from true drug or food allergy is imperative to allow proper treatment of the acute event, continuation of therapy with isoniazid, and prevention of recurrence of the reaction.


This paper analyzed the venture capital status and constraints of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone from eight aspects: investment entities,investment objects,sources of investment objects,intermediary agencies,incubators,venture capital talents,exits,and policy environment.


Background: In this study, we evaluated the role of motivation and other parameters on job assignment in young Israeli soldiers who changed their occupation after the diagnosis of contact dermatitis (CD). Objective: To evaluate the influence of motivation and other parameters on job assignment in young Israeli soldiers with CD. Methods: The files of 336 soldiers who were diagnosed as having CD after their conscription to military service during the years 1986–1989 in the Israel Force were investigated. We compared the rate of occupational changes in the different commands and evaluated different discipline parameters between soldiers who did or did not change their job due to CD. Results: The percentage of job assignment (42.3%) in the study population was higher than the expected rate. A difference was detected in the rate of occupational changes following the diagnosis of CD among different military commands. The frequency of discipline parameters was higher among soldiers who changed job assignment following the diagnosis of CD (n = 142) and soldiers who did not (n = 194). Conclusion: The occupational changes in the various military commands and the differences in the discipline parameters imply that motivation is an important determinant affecting changes in job assignment following the diagnosis of CD.


s of articles, books, and conference papers from nearly 1,500 journals published in 35 countries; citations of relevant dissertations as well as books and other media. Available in print or electronically through the Internet Database Service from Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (www.csa.com). Contact email@example.com for trial Internet access or a sample issue. Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts


This study examined the stability of comparative referent choice and feelings of inequity, and the effects of changes in feelings of inequity on employee reactions. At two points in time, 24 months apart, employees' choices of comparative referents and feelings of inequity with regard to four job facets (compensation, security, job complexity, and supervisory behavior) were assessed. Results indicated that many employees used the same comparative referents at both times, especially for the compensation facet. For three of the facets (security, job complexity, and supervisory behavior), employees tended to either change from a disadvantaged status at T1 to an advantaged or equitable status at T2 or to maintain at T2 the advantaged/equitable status they experienced at T1. However, for the compensation facet a different picture emerged: employees who felt disadvantaged at T1 also felt disadvantaged at T2. Finally, employees who changed to or maintained an equitable or an advantaged status with regard to the job complexity and supervisory behavior facets generally reacted more positively (i.e. were more satisfied and productive and attended more frequently) than employees who changed to or maintained a disadvantaged status. Implications of these results for future research on equity theory were discussed.


C32H29CI2O3P, monoclinic, Clcl (No. 9), a = 15.955(1) Ä, b= 12.710(1) Ä ,c = 14.838(1) Ä, β = 101.83°, V= 2945.1 Ä, Ζ = 4, Rst(F) = 0.065, wR(F) = 0.065, Τ = 293 Κ. Source of material The racemic title compound, a precursor to a novel type of axially chiral phosphine ligand, was prepared in 27% yield by phosphinylation of the corresponding diol l-(2'-hydroxy4',6'-dimethylphenyl)-2-hydroxymethylnaphthalene [1, 2] with ClPPh2 in THF. Table 1. Data collection and handling. Crystal: colourless prism, size 0.3 x 0.55 x 0.4 mm Wavelength: Mo Ka radiation (0.71073 Ä) μ: 3.10 cm" 1 Diffractometer, scan mode: Bruker AXS P4, ω 20max: 55° N(hkl)measured, N(hkl)Umqae'· 3655, 3496 Criterion for F0bs, N(hkl)gt: fobs > 3 ö(Fobs), 3131 N(param) refined: 341 Program: SHELXTL-plus [3] Table 2. Atomic coordinates and displacement parameters (in Ä).


A 25-year-old female who had orthotopic cardiac transplantation for peripartum cardiomyopathy, became pregnant and had a successful pregnancy and delivery, and remains asymptomatic after 2 years of follow-up.


Review(s) of: Daniel Mannix: His legacy, by Val Noone and Rachel Naughton, Publisher: Melbourne Diocesan Historical Commission (Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne), 2014, ISBN: 9780646596983, Paperback, 178 pages; $20.


Field of uses of system knowledge about natural environment in strategies of sedate development of regions Planning of sedate development of region should base on base on detailed analysis of existing system of environment. It natural environment should be perceived as multidimensional dynamic system, about definite building, connections and the functioning which is transformed in time. It is necessary to make it more gently, and if it is possible, eliminate the existing conflicts between natural hitherto social-economic development, not to cross the barriers of resistance of environment and his degradation. The content - related utilization of knowledge about environment system in efficient degree requires the cooperation of geographers, experts with range of natural environment in creating the strategy of sustainable development.


In our previous study, internal stress was suggested as the mechanism causing the deterioration of paint adhesion through atmospheric-pressure plasma irradiation. In this paper, this mechanism is examined in detail. According to the Japanese Industrial Standards (K-5600-5-7), we evaluate the experimental results by varying some parameters. An applied voltage of 10 kV, plasma irradiation distance of 10 mm, and plasma irradiation duration of 60 s are the parameters that resulted in the peeling of the paint at a lower peeling-off load. In addition, from the simulation results, the generation and thermal input of a plasma streamer are confirmed and considered as one of the factors causing the paint to peel more readily.


[Objective] The aim was to study the seed germination traits of Allium macrostemon Bunge,to provide a theoretical basis for its artificial cultivation.[Method] Ten storage period treatments(0,30,60,120,180,240,300,360,420,480 d) were designed to study the dormant period and lifetime of Allium macrostemon Bunge.Five temperature treatments(15,20,25,30,35 ℃) were designed to study the suitable germination temperature of Allium macrostemon Bunge seeds of storage for 60 days.The treatments of soaking in 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 mg / L- GA3solution for 12 hours and put in 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 days under low temperature were designed to study their effects on Allium macrostemon Bunge seeds germination.[Result] There were 60 days-dormant period and one year-lifetime for Allium macrostemon Bunge seeds,and its suitable germination temperature was 30 ℃,and that using 4- 5 mg / L GA3solution to treat seeds for 12 hours and using low temperature to deal with seeds for 5- 6 days broke the dormancy.[Conclusion]The suitable planting time of Allium macrostemon Bunge of artificial cultivation is when the average temperature is 20- 25 ℃.And in Shandong,the suitable sowing time was the first ten days and the middle ten days of September.The current year seeds should be used in artificial cultivation,while the seeds of storage for over one year should not be used.


The role of emulsions should be an important factor in additional oil recovery during low-salinity water flooding (LSWF); however, it has been rarely discussed in previous studies. In this study, t...


The northem margin of the Sudbury Basin is dominated by the Cartier granite / Levack Gneiss Complex. Both units are cross cut by Matachewan dykes. Feldspar clouding and alteration intensity were measured on Matachewan dykes, as a positive conelation was previously found between increasing feldspar clouding intensity and the depth of dyke emplacement where the Matachewan s w m crosses the Kapuskasing Zone. Feldspar clouding and alteration intensity variations were obtained by image analysis of feldspar and amphibole in thin section. The results were normalised by thin section thickness, and correlated against a modal andysis of alteration. The data indicate that feldspar clouding and alteration intensity increase uway fkom the Sudbury Basin, oppsite to the direction of increasing regionai metamorphism, suggesting the uplifi of the Levack Gneiss Complex was established pnor to intrusion of the Matachewan swam. The feldspar clouding / aiteration pattern is the result of uplift and southward tilting of crust dong a north-verging fault, possibly coincident with the Benny Deformation Zone.


The purpose of this paper is to show the usefulness and value of gastroscopy to the surgeon.1The following questions will be discussed: 1. Is a lesion of the stomach, which has been diagnosed by other methods, a benign ulcer or a carcinoma? 2. Is cancer of the stomach operable or not? 3. Of what value is gastroscopy in the early diagnosis of carcinoma, and may it improve the operative results? 4. What are the reasons for the abdominal distress which so frequently follows operations for gastric lesions? We shall not include the results of the numerous gastroscopies carried out by one of us (R. S.) in Germany, because the records cannot be controlled. Thus we shall restrict ourselves to the gastroscopic examinations carried out at the Billings Hospital of the University of Chicago Clinics.2The majority of the patients were referred for gastroscopy by Dr. W. L.


This review is focused on the hypothesis that hypnosis can differentially modulate T-cell subsets and that this effect is mediated by changes in hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) mediators, such as cortisol. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems, taking an interdisciplinary approach including psychology, neuroscience, immunology, physiology, genetics, pharmacology, molecular biology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology and rheumatology. The main interests of this discipline are the interactions between the nervous and immune systems studying mental processes leading to pathologies due to auto-immunity or immune deficiency. Here we make an overview about history of PNI focusing on hypnosis as a modulator of immune response and a therapeutic tool to heal stress related diseases. Here we also share our ideas about studying clinical use of cortisol as a reliable monitor for hypnosis therapy on the homeostasis of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis).


Die IVP-Discussion Papers sind wissenschaftliche Arbeitspapiere mit einem vorläufigen Charakter und sollen den wissenschaftlichen Diskurs befördern. Stellungnahmen und Diskussionsbeiträge sind von den Autoren ausdrücklich erwünscht. IVP-Discussion Papers are scientific working papers of a preliminary character aimed at promoting scientific discourse. Comments and contributions to the discussion are expressly desired by the authors. Abstract Since the 1930s the topic of road safety education with the goal to ensure the safety of children and adolescents in traffic has been relevant in Germany. Since the emergence of the term, the content has changed several times. Although traffic education has been supplemented or replaced by the concept of mobility education in recent years, the question arises if this really is an adaptation to current mobility requirements. In addition, it is an open question in literature and discussion whether it is,


In view of the bearing vibration signal fault of turbine supervisory instrument(TSI) MMS6000 for Unit 9 in Shaoguan Power Plant after overhaul,such items as system earthing and key phase signals were inspected,coming to the conclusion that the fault was caused by the wrong mounting angle of the key phase probe.After making some adjustments,the fault was successfully eliminated.


: Fasciolosis is one of the most serious food-borne parasitic diseases. These parasitic infections are caused by Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica among cattle and human populations. The carrier of fascioliasis is a fresh water host snail, Lymnaea acuminata . The control of vector snails is a major tool in reducing the incidences of fasciolosis. Synthetic molluscicide causes adverse effects in the environment as well as on non target organisms. The present studies were designed for evaluation of molluscicidal efficacy of medicinal plant Solanum surattense against L. acuminata . The efficacy of S. surattense was concentration and time dependent. Toxicity experiment of dried leaf powder of S. surattense and their different organic extracts and column purified was continuously observed for 96h at different concentrations. Mortality was observed for 24, 48, 72 and 96h. Six aquariums were set up for each concentration. The control group animals were kept in the equal volume of water under similar conditions without treatment. Mortality of snails was recorded at intervals of 24h each up to 96h and lethal values were calculated. The 24h LC of dried leaf powder 50 of S. surattense was 157.33mg/l and at 96h 150.26 mg/l. Among all the organic extracts, the ethanol extract of dried leaf powder of S. surattense was found more toxic. The present study revealed that the product of S. surattense has potent molluscicidal phytochemicals, which may be used as potent molluscicides for control of harmful snails. of different of the molluscicides. determined after every LCL- lower confidence limits upper confidence


Thermal decomposition of petroleum vacuum residue (XVR), polypropylene (PP), Bakelite (BL), Samla coal (SC), bagasse (BG), Calotropis procera (CL, a petrocrop), and their mixtures with petroleum residue was studied in a batch reactor under isothermal conditions at atmospheric conditions. The product distribution patterns have been determined. Kinetics of their thermal decomposition were also studied in order to compare the kinetics of cracking of individual materials with that of the mixture. Activation energy as well as rate constants have been calculated for the materials as well as their mixtures. Cocracking of a mixture of XVR, PP, and CL was found to show synergism of activation energy. The detailed results obtained are reported.


This paper studies the method of the rapid isolation and purification of thermophilic streptococcus lactic from fermented milk.Coating partition method is used to separate thermophilic streptococcus lactic on the bromcresol purple indicator of cow's milk nutrient agar plate and the effect is quite well.The result showed that this method can attain its well separation.The bacterial strain isolated is identified as pure thermophilic streptococcus lactic through microscopic examination and fermentation test,so this method can be used for the detection of antibiotics in milk.


Soybean lipoxygenase-1 activity was determined in the presence of the flavonoid compounds quercetin, rutin and kaempferol, and with caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, which are cinnamic acids. All flavonoids and related compounds resulted in at least 10% inhibition of lipoxygenase activity on an equal weight basis. Inhibition of lipoxygenase-1 activity by flavonoids and cinnamic acids was compared to inhibition by butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrox-ytoluene (BHT). Kaempferol, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid showed inhibition comparable to that of BHT. On an equimolar basis, rutin was the most effective inhibitor of lipoxygenase activity.


— The implementation of the abstentions countermeasure model conducted by KPUD Deli Serdang can be an effective means of political education for the success of the general election in Deli Serdang. The objectives of this research are: 1) to investigate the effectiveness of the implementation of the new model carried out by KPUD Deli Serdang ; 2) to formulate the lack of application of model of abstentions countermeasure in Deli Serdang; 3) to prove that the new model of abstentions countermeasure can increase voter participation in general elections this year in Deli Serdang. This research is a descriptive study with a case study approach to prove the effectiveness of using abstentions countermeasure model. The results showed that the application of abstentions countermeasure model conducted by KPUD Deli Serdang was proven to be able to reduce the number of abstentions in the region. In addition, it was found that the implementation of the model was carried out in conjunction with the election smart home program. Political education is done naturally by involving community leaders and religious leaders. The application of this new model shows good results where public participation in elections is increasing and the number of abstentions is decreasing in Deli Serdang Distric However, the role of political parties has not been seen in the implementation of this abstentions countermeasure model


We study a newsvendor problem with one risk-neutral supplier with random yield,and one riskaverse retailer.The objective function of the risk-averse retailer is described using Value-at-Risk(VaR).We analyze the impact of risk pair including risk-averse coefficient and retained profit on retailer's order policy.We then analyze the behavior of the retailer's order policy on supply chain agents' revenue and risk.The results show that:(1)the risk-averse retailer's optimal quantity is always no less than the riskneutral case,and the higher the degree of risk-averse,the greater the quantity.The retailer's aversion is jointly determined by the coefficient of risk aversion and retained profit;(2)compared with the riskneutral case,the risk-averse retailer's expected profit is reduced,but retailer's risk is reduced as well.In the case without supply chain coordination,the behavior of the retailer's order policy make the supplier's expected profit increase,and make supply chain's expected profit uncertain,but the supply chain risk is reduced.


The invention provides a six-cylinder driven tri-axial rotary platform, which is characterized by comprising a lower platform (1), an upper platform (5), six driving branches distributed on the periphery and multi-bar supporting middle constraint branches, wherein the upper platform (5) is provided with three connecting blocks, and each connecting block is connected with the lower platform (1) through two driving branches; and the lower platform (1) is connected with a supporting table (6) through a support bar, and the supporting table (6) is connected with the upper platform (5) through a first spherical hinge (S1). The driving branches consist of an upper motion pair connected with the connecting blocks, a lower motion pair connected with the lower platform (1), and a moving pair (P) consisting of a cylinder (2) and a connecting rod (3). The six-cylinder driven tri-axial rotary platform has the characteristics of simple and symmetrical structure, capacity of bearing heavy loads, stable performance in a working space and the like.


Objective To detect human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT)in urine exfoliative cells from the transitional cell carcinoma of bladder (TCC) and to analyze its clinical significance. Methods Bladder cancer and control tissues as well as the urine samples were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR).Results hTERT was found in 27 of 27(100%)TCC tissues while none in 15 normal bladder tissues.The positive rate of hTERT was 87 5%(28/32) in urine samples while 13 3%(2/15)in controls.There was no correlation between the positive rate and TCC pathologic grade or clinical stage. Conclusions hTERT can be detected in urine sample of TCC patients and therefore is a good diagnostic marker for TCC.


In this work, we improve the Hegselmann-Krause model (HK model) by combining the agent's stubbornness and the quantitative impact of stubborn agents on the evolution of other agents' opinions. We divide stubborn agents into expert stubborn agents, environmentally stubborn agents and intrinsically stubborn agents based on the impact weight and agent's characteristics. We simulate the evolution of opinions of the improved HK model, and find that it is closer to reality. We also study the impact of the influence coefficient and the proportion of intrinsically stubborn agents on the stabilization time, and find that the presence of non-expert stubborn agents reduces the rate of convergence of opinions. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of the improved HK model by two real social events.


The government through the Minister of Health has issued the Decree of the Minister of Health Number Hk.01.07/Menkes/4829/2021 concerning Guidelines for Health Services through Telemedicine during the 2019 Corona Virus Disease Pandemic. The design of this study was a systematic review by systematically viewing journals and articles on Google Scholar, garuda portal, and science direct and compared with the laws in force in Indonesia regarding telemedicine. The inclusion criteria in this study were journal publications spanning the years 2011-2021. The application of telemedicine services in Indonesia has not maximized the legal aspects that protect the confidentiality of patient data and patient problems. The Indonesian telemedicine service application does not guarantee the confidentiality of patient data. Telemedicine services have not been fully implemented in Indonesia because internet access services have not been evenly distributed in all regions. Telemedical application developers must pay attention to matters that have legal implications in order to protect the interests of patients and the interests of service providers.


This paper presents a novel method for synchronizing an islanded system to the main grid without feedback control. The idea is based on the understanding that the main concern in synchronization is the switching transients. Therefore, we propose to use preinsertion impedance to reduce the transients. In addition, the impedance is selected such that the transients are acceptable as long as both parties operate in pre-established operating conditions. As a result, feedback control to adjust generator voltage and frequency and the associated communication link are avoided. The proposed approach could result in significant cost savings for islanded systems located in remote areas. In addition, the extra effort required for generator adjustments, especially for multiple units, can be eliminated. Technical considerations and design method for the selection of the impedance size are presented. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of the method. The results prove that the transients can be effectively reduced and open-loop synchronization is indeed achievable.


Recently, the attention about the mobility handicapped has been increased. It was actualized through making the law, "Transportation Services Improvement Act for the Mobility Handicapped People." In this paper, we surveyed the satisfaction level of the mobility handicapped for the transportation modes and facilities. In addition, we compared the satisfaction level with the installation rate of convenient facilities for the mobility handicapped. As a result, we find that the satisfaction level is lower than the installation rate of convenient facilities for the mobility handicapped, the satisfaction level is different according to types of handicap, and the problems of bus are very severe. According to results, we suggest that we should improve the accessibility to the convenient facilities for the mobility handicapped, provide the appropriate information according to types of handicap, and improve the bus operation system for the mobility handicapped.


In today's computing edge, security and data privacy is considered as one of the most critical aspects that hinders the wide spread adoption of large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Therefore, being able to understand the device-level vulnerabilities and determine the security level of a certain device is crucial for their acceptance. Motivated with this, we compute the security score for each common vulnerability of IoT devices within three primary IoT domains (i.e., healthcare, commerce, and home-automation) using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) method. Specifically, IoT devices within these primary domains are isolated and analyzed for common vulnerabilities to generate quantitative and qualitative scores using the CVSS exploitability, impact, and scope metrics. The finding of this research work will empower different stakeholders (e.g., risk analysts, IT departments, or any individual user) with the ability to understand the security risks associated with the IoT devices.


Smoking is disproportionably more common in psychiatric cohorts. There are two key components to this issue. The first is whether this relationship is because of cause or effect (1), and the second is if this relationship impacts on clinical course. It has long been assumed that smoking may be an attempt at self-medication of distressing emotions and cognitions. Increasing evidence now exists to indicate that cigarette smoking may increase the risk of later developing psychopathology. The onset of smoking behaviour in earlyto mid-adolescence typically predates the mean age of onset of most psychiatric illnesses, which are in late adolescence or early adulthood. In psychotic disorders, smoking predates the onset of illness by 5 years (2). For depression, smoking in adolescence has recently been shown to significantly increase the risk of the later development of clinically significant depression (3). Choi et al. (4) in a longitudinal study of 6963 adolescents found that while females were more at risk of developing depression, smoking status was the most significant predictor of developing notable depressive symptoms for both genders. Other risk factors for the later development of depression included the extent of involvement in organized athletics, availability of social support and personality. A prospective study by Breslau et al. (5) showed that the relationship may involve bidirectional risk; a history of major depression at baseline increased the risk for progression to daily smoking, and smoking at baseline increased the risk for later major depression. Smoking has broader implications, particularly in young people. Smoking involvement impacts on a range of psychological and physical health problems in young adulthood. In particular, smoking behaviourwas strongly linked to problems with alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drug use (6), which are recognized risk factors for psychopathology. Smoking has also been shown to be an independent risk factor for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while the outcome of established psychiatric disorders are adversely affected by smoking. Data are available that show an independent effect of smoking on worse clinical outcome of depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, as well as poorer treatment response. For example, smokingwas found to be associated with an earlier onset, greater symptom burden and comorbidity, greater suicidal risk and a higher risk for other substance-use disorders in bipolar disorder (7). In schizophrenia, smoking is associated with longer duration of illness, greater antipsychotic dose requirements, lower education and a higher need for institutional care (8). Taken together, these data suggest that public health campaigns need to add smoking as a risk factor for major psychiatric conditions, in addition to the legion of documented health risks. The impact on outcome further suggests that we need to aggressively target smoking cessation as a part of routine care. Simple counselling, although not likely to influence the majority of people, may have an impact on a minority, making it still a highly cost-effective intervention. More formal smoking cessation programmes may be of additional value to individuals who struggle with self-motivated cessation.


This paper is based on the study of traditional Chinese culture and applies the perspective of economics and philosophy.Through the comparative study of western cultures and Chinese culture as well as comparative analysis on global economic development history,this paper is to elaborate the relationship between cultural ideology and economic development so as to find out the ideological foundation of the theoretical study on generalized virtual economy.It is found out that traditional Chinese culture can provide not only philosophical basis for the generalized virtual economy theory but also basic resources with great development value to develop generalized virtual economy and to explore new wealth for human development.


Abstract Atmosphere-ocean experiments are experiments are used to investigate the formation of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the North Pacific Ocean during fall and winter of the El Nino year. Experiments in which the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM) surface fields am used to force a mixed-layer ocean model in the North Pacific (no air-sea feedback) are compared to simulations in which the CCM and North Pacific Ocean model are coupled. Anomalies in the atmosphere and the North Pacific Ocean during El Nino are obtained from the difference between simulations with and without prescribed warm SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific. In both the forced and coupled experiments, the anomaly pattern resembles a composite of the actual SST anomaly field during El Nino: warm SSTs develop along the cost of North America and cold SSTs form in the central Pacific. In the coupled simulations, air-sea interaction results in a 25% to 50% reduction in the magnitude of the SST and mixed-layer depth anomalies ...


Low calorie diets don't just reduce blood glucose sufficiently to, in many cases, place type 2 diabetes into remission, they also offer the opportunity to withdraw or reduce the dose of drugs for diabetes and some comorbidities. Mark Greener here examines the potential for deprescribing in people with type 2 diabetes, the issues facing health care professionals and the outstanding questions.


This is an article aimed at showing the mentoring role in a fast-changing society, particularly during and after the pandemic by COVID-19. The intense flow of information, feelings and new knowledge changes every day, making it necessary for medical education to be updated to keep up with social and professional dynamics, according to health requirements and new demands on subjects still not widely known. The mentoring program is a development process in which the mentor promotes the professional and personal evolution of mentoring, from the exchange of visions and experiences that allow to expand the repertoire of solutions, especially in the instability that a pandemic imposes. The mentor and mentee are challenged to exchange the traditional environment for the virtual, in order to respect the distance required and the development on digital medicine and distance learning.


In the process of service-oriented software development, one of the main tasks is to design services, since errors at this stage can propagate throughout the project. This paper proposes a service specification model in the public sector based on service patterns. The service pattern is an abstract service that represents a generic and reusable description. In this context, a lifecycle of service patterns is proposed, as well as the steps for specifying the service patterns. A case study shows an example of a service pattern in the e-government scenario.


817 A requirement for almost all engineering structural materials is that they are both strong and tough (damage tolerant) yet invariably, in most materials, the properties of strength and toughness are mutually exclusive. This is not always widely appreciated , as in the common vernacular these terms are often taken to mean the same thing. Whereas strength (or hardness) is invariably a stress representing a material's resistance to non-recoverable (for example, plastic) deformation (at least in ductile materials), toughness is a material's resistance to fracture and, as such, is measured as the energy needed to cause fracture. Toughness can also be measured using fracture-mechanics methods, which evaluate the critical value of a crack-driving force, for example, the stress intensity K, strain-energy release rate G, or nonlinear elastic J-integral, required to initiate and/or propagate a pre-existing crack. The ability of a material to undergo limited deformation is a critical aspect of conferring toughness, as this feature enables the local dissipation of high stresses that would otherwise cause the material to fracture; this is the reason that hard materials tend to be brittle and lower strength materials, which can deform more readily, tend to be tougher (Fig. 1a). These deformation mechanisms can be widely diverse; although plasticity associated with dislocation motion in crystalline materials is documented in any materials textbook , inelastic deformation can also occur through such processes as in situ phase transformations in certain metals and ceramics 1 , the sliding of mineralized collagen fibrils in tooth dentine and bone 2 , the frictional motion between mineral platelets in seashells 3 , and even by mechanisms that can also lead to fracture such as micro-cracking in geological materials and bone 4 , and shear band propagation in metallic glasses 5. The operative word here is often 'limited' , as with too much deformability the material can lose its toughness. The property of toughness is thus a compromise (indeed, it is a series of compromises); traditionally it is considered to represent the combination of strength and deformability (ductility) — two mechanical properties that also tend to be mutually exclusive. With the trend today of seeking ever stronger materials, does this mean that such materials can never be tough? Well, not exactly — the development of toughness, or lack thereof, is not that simple; indeed, toughness can even be generated without ductility. The attainment of both strength and toughness is a vital …


Objective: To evaluate the influence of HBV genotypes on response to recombinant-interferon-alpha(r-IFN-α)therapy in chronic HBV DNA positive patients.Methods: Of the 126 patients, 38 were genotype B, 69 were genotype C, 19 were mixed genotype B+C, all the patients were treated with 3 million units of IFN-α, 3 times a week for 6 months.Results:Initial response(IR) was significantly better in patients with genotype B(81.6%)infections than in patients with genotype C(37.7%) and genotype B+C (42.1%)( P 0.005). Sustained response(SR) was observed in 42.1% for genotype B, 14.5% for genotype C and 15.8% for genotype B+C; significant differences were found between genotype B and genotype C ( P 0.001),and between genotype B and genotype B+C( P 0.001).Conclusion:Genotype B was associated with sustained response to IFN-α therapy. These data indicate that HBV genotyping may have prognostic relevance in the response to IFN-α therapy in patients with chronic HBV infection.


Previous studies of Ejector-Enhanced Resonant Pulse Combustors considered configurations that were relatively long, making them difficult to incorporate in practical gas turbine engines. In the present study, more compact configurations are analyzed, focusing on the system pressure gain. The study shows that it is possible to reduce the length of both the pulse combustor and ejector components without compromising the device's performance. In fact, it is found that in several of the compact configurations analyzed, the system pressure gain actually increased, reaching pressure gain levels above 5%, significantly higher than those obtained in previous studies. The Rayleigh efficiency, which has been used in the past to characterize the performance of pulse combustors, is computed for several of the Ejector-Enhanced Resonant Pulse Combustor configurations. The Rayleigh efficiency is seen to correlate with both average combustor pressure and system pressure gain for a given configuration, however, it could not be used to compare different configurations.


on MRI [4]. Furthermore, zoledronic acid produced significant changes in the BML area at 6 months [4]. Of note, participants in the above-mentioned studies of risedronate and alendronate did not undergo an MRI scan of the knee. It may therefore be assumed that these trials included patients with and without BMLs at baseline. In summary, current evidence suggests that bisphosphonates might be effective in the treatment of symptomatic OA associated with MRI-proven BMLs. Thus, an MRI should be performed for identifying patients who are more likely to respond to these medications. Whether this may be feasible in common clinical practice settings is debatable.


1. Breathing apparatus comprising: an air delivery assembly, at least one air tube operatively connected to the air delivery unit, wherein the air tube comprises at least one outer portion being substantially flat outer portions relative to the other air supply tubes ; inazalny interface comprising a resilient cushion operatively connected to the air delivery assembly having first and second air channels formed therein and including a surface configured to sealingly engage with a respective first and second air kanalov.2. Breathing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of nasal cannulas that are in fluid communication with a respective one of the air kanalov.3. Breathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one air supply tube has, in general, D-shaped formu.4. Breathing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein at least one air supply tube comprises a plurality polostey.5. Breathing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the nasal prongs adapted to cooperate with an inner portion polzovatelya.6 nose. Breathing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the nasal cannula is adapted to be installed in the respective air kanaly.7. Breathing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one air supply tube comprises a hose predetermined shape, adapted to facilitate the retention of the first and second air channels in conjunction with sealed polzovatelya.8 nose. Breathing apparatus according to claim 7, comprising two air supply tubes operatively with


The response characteristics of a ZnO photoconductive detector has been investigated using different pulses. Its response to Xe lamp and UV laser was fast and linear as expected, anomalous behaviors were observed under X-ray excitation.


This simulation research aimed to investigate the robustness of correlation coefficients with detected outliers. Four estimators of correlation coefficient were considered in the study. These included Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (rxy), Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rs), Kendall rank correlation coefficient ( τ ) and Biweight Midcorrelation (rb). Robustness of statistical test and estimation were determined. The simulation was performed under all combination of following conditions. A first condition was 3 levels of sample size; n equal 20, 50, and 100 respectively. A second condition was 5 levels of strength of association; ρ equal 0.0, 0.20, 0.50, 0.80, and 1.00 respectively. A third condition was 5 levels, 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20 and 0.30 of proportion of positive outliers in sample on both variable X and Y. The data were generated through simulation using Monte Carlo technique and the experiment was repeated 1,000 times for each situation. The program for the simulation was developed by C# language. Indicators for assessing the robustness of statistical test were ability in controlling for type I error and power of test. Indicator for assessing the robustness of estimator was mean square error. Findings shown that in case of no outlier with small sample size (n=20), the robust correlation coefficient was rs, but with large sample size, the robust correlation coefficient was rxy. In case of outliers occurred less than 10% of sample size, the rb and rs had the same robustness properties but when outliers occurred more than 10% of sample size rs was the robust correlation coefficient. In conclusion, when there were outliers in sample both rs and rb were robust correlation coefficients.


A thin film silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer synthesized by separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) is regarded as one of the most promising substrates for the next-generation low-power, high-speed, and highly integrated devices. Low-dose SIMOX in particular has the advantages of low defect density and low production cost. The method requires high-temperature annealing not only to eliminate implantation-induced defects but also to form a continuous buried oxide (BOX) layer by coalescence of oxygen precipitates (Nakashima and Izumi, 1993). Dislocations are generated from the precipitates during annealing, which are harmful for device performance. The behavior of dislocations and the other defects should, therefore, be accurately characterized to determine the appropriate dose and annealing conditions. In this study, we analyzed defects in low-dose SIMOX wafers by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy with ultraviolet (UV) laser light as an excitation source. This technique enabled us to measure the PL only from the superficial Si layer (Tajima and Ibuka, 1998; Tajima et al, 1998).


Spondyloarthritis (SpA), the group of conditions that includes ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, among others, can lead to symptoms of pain, stiffness, and swelling. The burden of disease can affect patients' quality of life.Patient research was undertaken to explore the impact of spondyloarthritis on quality of life, patients' ability to manage the disease, as well as experiences with healthcare providers. Better understanding is crucial to improving HCP-patient interactions, helping patients get on the right treatment path, and improving health outcomes.In July 2022 an email invitation to an online survey was sent to members of MySpondylitisTeam, a social network of over 88,000 people. In total, 361 members completed the 25-question survey.92% of members report that spondyloarthritis interrupts their quality of life (62% strongly agree and 30% somewhat agree) (Figure 1). SpA takes both a physical and emotional toll. 88% report it makes it hard to do everyday activities (54% strongly agree and 34% somewhat agree). Symptoms extend well beyond lower back, joint and hip pain (92%, 84%, and 81% experienced in the past year respectively). Virtually all experience fatigue (91%). Additionally, 61% have experienced symptoms of depression (63%) or anxiety (61%) in the past year. At the same time, just 52% believe they can ask doctors and have meaningful discussions about SpA and how best to manage it (27% strongly agree and 25% somewhat agree) (Figure 2). Only 35% are satisfied with the care they receive from the doctor who primarily treats their SpA. 38% indicate that the doctor recommends treatment based on their personal needs, and 36% indicate that the doctor addresses their SpA symptoms.Figure 1.Impact on Quality of LifeHow much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?(Sample=361)Figure 2.Patient Discussions With Doctors Which of the following reflect the discussions you have with the doctor who primarily treats your spondylitis? Please select all that apply.(Sample=304)Understanding the needs of SpA patients provides significant opportunities for rheumatologists and primary care physicians to better support and educate their patients. This includes discussing potential treatment options, listening to patient concerns, and acknowledging the mental health challenges.None to report.NIL.None Declared.


LEUTX is a homeodomain transcription factor expressed in the very early embryo with a function around embryonic genome activation. The LEUTX gene is found only in eutherian mammals, including humans, but unlike the majority of homeobox genes, the encoded amino acid sequence is very different between divergent mammalian species. However, whether dynamic evolution has also occurred between closely related mammalian species remains unclear. In this work, we perform a comparative genomics study of LEUTX within the primates, revealing dramatic evolutionary sequence change between closely related species. Positive selection has acted on sites in the LEUTX protein, including six sites within the homeodomain; this suggests that selection may have driven changes in the set of downstream targets. Transfection into cell culture followed by transcriptomic analysis reveals small functional differences between human and marmoset LEUTX, suggesting rapid sequence evolution has fine-tuned the role of this homeodomain protein within the primates. Significance Homeobox genes are key regulators of animal development and are therefore often highly conserved between divergent species. However, recent work has uncovered several apparently fast-evolving homeobox genes expressed during mammalian development, one of which is LEUTX. Here we show that the LEUTX genes of primates are highly variable, and that these sequence changes have resulted in small modifications to its protein function. This continued rapid divergence of an embryonic gene between closely related species is significant to the areas of evolutionary, developmental and genome biology.


Objective This study aimed to investigate cohort effects in selected opioids use and determine whether cohort differences were associated with changes in risk factors for use over time. Design This study presents secondary analyses of a longitudinal survey panel of the general population that collected data biannually. Setting Data from the Canadian Longitudinal National Population Health Survey 1994–2011. Population This study included 12 542 participants from the following birth cohorts: post-World War I (born 1915–1924), pre-World War II (born 1925–1934), World War II (born 1935–1944), Older Baby Boom (born 1945–1954), Younger Baby Boom (born 1955–1964), Older Generation X (born 1965–1974) and Younger Generation X (born 1975–1984). Main outcome Responses to a single question asking about the use of codeine, morphine or meperidine in the past month (yes/no) were examined. Results Over and above age and period effects, there were significant cohort differences in selected opioids use: each succeeding recent cohort had greater use than their predecessors (eg, Gen Xers had greater use than younger baby boomers). Selected opioids use increased significantly from 1994 to 2002, plateauing between 2002 and 2006 and then declining until 2011. After accounting for cohort and period effects, there was a decline in use of these opioids with increasing age. Although pain was significantly associated with greater selected opioids use (OR=3.63, 95% CI 3.39 to 3.94), pain did not explain cohort differences. Cohort and period effects were no longer significant after adjusting for the number of chronic conditions. Cohort differences in selected opioids use mirrored cohort differences in multimorbidity. Use of these opioids was significantly associated with taking antidepressants or tranquillisers (OR=2.52, 95% CI 2.27 to 2.81 and OR=1.60, 95% CI 1.46 to 1.75, respectively). Conclusions The findings underscore the need to consider multimorbidity including possible psychological disorders and associated medications when prescribing opioids (codeine, morphine, meperidine), particularly for recent birth cohorts. Continued efforts to monitor prescription patterns and develop specific opioid use guidelines for multimorbidity appear warranted.


Purpose: The purpose of the study was associated with the assessment of the effect of the different risk factors along with outsourcing on the logistics performance of the FMCG sector of Pakistan.

Design/Methodology: The research design of this study was quantitative; therefore, the researcher used a survey questionnaire for the accumulation of the data from 256 respondents related to the FMCG industry of Pakistan. Therefore, the data collection method in this research was primary through close ended questionnaire. Data was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The variables that were taken as independent were cost reduction, product quality, product variety, supply chain integration, and outsourcing. The dependent variable of the study was logistics performance.

Findings: As per the findings, the constructs of product quality and cost reduction were found to be a significant while, other variables that were product variety, supply chain integration, and outsourcing were found to have an insignificant impact on the logistics performance of FMCG sector of Pakistan.

Research Implications: The management of FMCG sector needs to work on automated systems which can reduce the cost improving the profitability. In addition, product quality can also be improved with the help of automated systems as it will reduce the likelihood of human error. Originality: This research addresses the research gap in the context of Pakistan's FMCG sector along with the inclusion of the variables that have been discussed in a limited scope.


C. David Condie, MSW, is Social Worker, Granite School District; Janet A. Hanson, MSW, is Resource Coordinator, District 2B, Utah State Division of Family Service; and Nanci E. Lang, MSW, is Pediatric-Psychia tric Liaison, University of Utah Medi cal Center, Salt Lake City. Deanna K. Moss, MSW, is School Social Worker, Westminster, Colorado. Rosalie A. Kane, DSW, currently re search consultant, Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, California, was, at the time of writing, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Work, Uni versity of Utah, Salt Lake City. Social work is a young profession tions; such work was tied with "elec struggling to develop an image that trician" and "trained machinist" in job will have meaning not only for its own status and placed just below "under practitioners, but for members of taker's assistant."4 In a follow-up other professions and society as a study done two years later, social whole. Defining prestige as the relaworkers were placed in the same cate tive value attached to a status or posigory as elementary school teachers, tion, independent of the individual optometrists, and undertaker's assist who occupies it, Kadushin has argued ants.5 In Barlow's 1963 review of the that the prestige of social work is imliterature, it was reported that the pub portant to the individual social lie was reluctant to elevate social work worker, the profession as a whole, and to the status of a profession; in one the social work client.1 study 19 percent of the sample indi


We used the Xenopus oocyte expression system to examine the regulation of rat κ opioid receptor (rKOR) function by G protein receptor kinases (GRKs). κ agonists increased the conductance of G protein-activated inwardly rectifying potassium channels in oocytes co-expressing KOR with Kir3.1 and Kir3.4. In the absence of added GRK and β-arrestin 2, desensitization of the κ agonist-induced potassium current was modest. Co-expression of either GRK3 or GRK5 along with β-arrestin 2 significantly increased the rate of desensitization, whereas addition of either β-arrestin 2, GRK3, or GRK5 alone had no effect on the KOR desensitization rate. The desensitization was homologous as co-expressed δ opioid receptor-evoked responses were not affected by KOR desensitization. The rate of GRK3/β-arrestin 2-dependent desensitization was reduced by truncation of the C-terminal 26 amino acids, KOR(Q355Δ). In contrast, substitution of Ala for Ser within the third intracellular loop [KOR(S255A,S260A,S262A)] did not reduce the desensitization rate. Within the C-terminal region, KOR(S369A) substitution significantly attenuated desensitization, whereas the KOR(T363A) and KOR(S356A,T357A) point mutations did not. These results suggest that co-expression of GRK3 or GRK5 and β-arrestin 2 produced homologous, agonist-induced desensitization of the κ opioid receptor by a mechanism requiring the phosphorylation of the serine 369 of rKOR.