The old concept of the cane makes no sense in the current technological advancement, as the revolution of smart devices urges us to create a more reliable and more adaptive way to help disabled people. In this paper; we developed intelligent cane that aims to make a more comfortable trip for the visually challenged people. Besides its ultra-sonic sensors, which help to detect obstacles from far away, we decided to make use of the new revolutionary IoT definition. The cane gets connected to the Wi-Fi hotspot of the android phone. It sends a periodic mail with the location of the cane holder using the equipped GPS module on the cane to inform the relatives of the person of his site in case of any emergency. Also, the vibrators beside the buzzer help more with sensing and adequately warn the holder of any obstacles. There is also a LED strip to light up the way and warn the people of the holder's instructions. The proposed solution prove the Superior and cheapest solution for blinds.


Banyumas Regency already has a supportive system in terms of maternal health and child health surveillance but has not been utilized optimally because it has not gone through a competent feasibility study, so the system cannot be applied according due needs. The purpose of this study is noticing at the feasibility study of the child maternal health surveillance system and nutrition in its application at Banyumas regency by using Task Technology Fit (TTF). Research is a quantitative study with a cross sectional approach. Respondents of this study were all coordinate midwives in the puskesmas in Banyumas regency which amounts totaling 39 people, according to the predetermined total sampling criteria. Data collection using a questionnaire method. Data analysis was performed using logistic regression. The results of the feasibility study of the maternal and child health health surveillance system in Banyumas District showed variables related to utilization including data suitability, system reliability, ease of use. The recommendation for the improvement of the feasibility study of maternal and child health health surveillance systems in Banyumas district is the improvement of infrastructure, as well as training and socialization.


Cost and management accounting practices (CMAP) are highly researched area in practical accounting with multi-dimensional considerations. Such considerations come from the intuition of the researchers affected by the internal and external factors generated from contingency framework. CMAP have no structured version like GAAP or IAS. In Bangladesh, the research on CMAP is very rare that made the researchers interested to initiate a research in this area. It will enlarge the scope of further researches benefiting the practitioners to come up with feasible solutions to the problems identified in the research. A semi-structured questionnaire is designed to conduct the field survey. And different descriptive statistical tools are used to present the survey findings. As the research is a preliminary one, the discussions are kept simple and the analysis is kept limited to the extent of highlighting the practices in some selective areas. The research perspective is simply an informative one in nature.


This study aimed to evaluate the Van Hiele levels of geometric conceptual understanding of the third year high school students in selected secondary public high schools in Lanao del Sur. There were 409 respondents in this study. Two instruments such as geometry test and an interview containing three activities were used to gather the data. The results revealed that there were 312 respondents belonged to level 0 (pre-cognition), 93 of the respondents reached level 1 (visualization), and 4 of the respondents met level 2 (analysis). Not one of the respondents reached level 3 (informal deduction) which is the expected level of geometric understanding of a student before entering third year high school. These results proved true the findings of many researchers (Dindyal, 2007; Genz, 2009; Tan and Yebron, 2009; Usiskin, 1982) that many third year high school students have levels of geometric thought lower than level 3 (informal deduction).


Abstract Funding for home and community-based services (HCBS), including assisted living (AL), using Medicaid is limited to either Medicaid program waivers or state plan amendments. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created a new option for the state plan, the Community First Choice 1915(K), that mandates all care is self-directed and inclusive of families in decision making while disallowing waiting lists. This presentation will provide an overview of the various combinations of Medicaid waivers and amendments used by states to cover services in AL. We will then share the results of a study that used coincidence analysis, a configurational comparative method, to compare states' approaches to HCBS Medicaid coverage and a measure of AL geographic access. We found that both Medicaid waivers and 1915(K) amendments are associated with increased geographic access to AL.


Parameters selection of support vector machine is the key issue that impacts its accurate performance. A method for support vector regression machine with basic particle swarm optimization (BPSO) algorithm is proposed in this paper. Furthermore, in order to improve the efficiency of the PSO algorithm, a linear decreasing strategy is used to dynamically change the weight. So, an improve PSO (IPSO) algorithm was also proposed in this paper. Then, two different models using BPSO and IPSO respectively were used to forecast the density of the acid-lead battery electrolyte. The experimental results indicate that both BPSO and IPSO have high prediction accuracy and efficiency. the time of the parametric searching by IPSO is obviously decreased to that of BPSO. The mean squared error (MSE) of the prediction model using BPSO is about 2.46684*10^(-4), Meanwhile, the MSE of the model using IPSO is only about 2.01948*10^(-4). So, the IPSO algorithm has more superior performance on convergence speed and global optimization.


IntroductionPatients hospitalised with COVID-19 are susceptible to chronic symptoms that can impact their health-related quality of life (HRQL). There is a limited understanding of the timeline of these symptoms or predictors of poorer HRQL outcomes in this patient cohort.We compared HRQL symptoms;specifically mobility, breathlessness, and anxiety and depression in patients pre- and post- hospitalisation with COVID-19, to identify any predictors of persistent symptoms.Method350 patients admitted with COVID-19 to Royal Berkshire Hospital between March 2020 and September 2021 were included. Symptom data was captured using the validated EQ-5D-5L questionnaire with pre-COVID scores (week 0), recorded retrospectively at time of discharge or at 6 weeks, compared with scores at 6- and 12-weeks post hospital discharge. Statistical analyses used a one-tailed dependent t-test to compare scores between the time points and logistic regression examined the influence of comorbidity burden, ICU admission and length of stay.ResultsComplete data was available for n=350 (61% male, mean age 57.8 years, SD 12.81). All patients required supplementary oxygen therapy with 79% requiring non-invasive ventilation and 16.62% mechanical ventilation. A statistically significant improvement was found in mobility, breathlessness and anxiety and depression scores at 12 weeks compared to 6 weeks. Overall HRQL scores were lower at week 0 than at week 12 (mean=5.6, SD 2.66 vs. mean=5.78, SD 5.46, p=0.0434), indicating a poorer HRQL outcome at 12 weeks compared to pre-COVID. Thus, the t-test result for the null hypothesis (HRQL at 0 weeks ≤HRQL at 12 weeks) was not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference on score outcomes of patients who required ICU compared to ward-based care. Pre-existing pulmonary disease was the only statistically significant risk factor identified to increase breathlessness scores at 12 weeks.ConclusionHospitalised patients who survived COVID-19 have impaired HRQL symptoms at 12 weeks compared to their pre-COVID baseline, though were on an improving trajectory. The data highlights that COVID-19 rehabilitation services may need to consider longer programme durations with appropriate psychological and physical support and targeting individuals with pre-existing pulmonary disease may help to address the symptom chronicity. Further research is required to tailor rehabilitation services.


The paper analyzes the demerit of conventional reliability evaluation method of function substitute model ( FSM) . Based on fuzzy reliability theory,it evaluates fuzzy reliability of FSM and gets calculation formula of FSM's fuzzy reliability and fuzzy mean life- span.In the end,it gives an example.


As the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables increases, food poisoning caused by foodborne pathogen contamination is not decreasing. To prevent the contamination of produce, a quick and easy, low-cost, environmentally- safe disinfection method that does not affect produce freshness or quality is needed. This study demonstrates a new-concept, circulating-water disinfection system that purifies water by using newly developed 'LED-PS (photosensitizer)-induced ROS generation unit'. Using various types of LED-PS induced ROS generation units, we investigated the conditions for reducing the density of various pathogenic bacteria by more than 3 log CFU / mL in 1 hour. The major operational factors affecting the density reduction of the LED-PS-induced ROS generation unit were analyzed. Depending on bacteria species, the density reduction rate was varied. The effect of the units on reducing the density of Bacillus cereus and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum was high, but the effect on foodborne bacteria such as Escherichia coli was relatively low. In this circulating water disinfection system, the density reduction effect tended to increase as the flow rate increased and the initial bacterial density decreased. As the amount of PS absorbed beads increased, the density reduction effect increased exponentially in some bacteria. Model 3280, a double cylindrical unit connecting two single cylindrical units, could completely sterilize more than 3 log CFU/mL of B. cereus and P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum in 30 minutes of LED irradiation.


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the curative efficacy of Gushen Antai pill(kidney-reinforcing kidney and miscarriage-preventing pill) for threatened abortion.METHODS: A total of two hundred and sixty-eight patients with early threatened abortion who were seen in Guangzhou Medical College Harbor Hospital between June 2009 and Dec.2010 were randomized to receive Gushen Antai pill(n=94),Gushen Antai pill plus progestin(n=84),or progestin alone(n=90).The curative efficacy in the three groups was followed.RESULTS: The effective rates in Gushen Antai pill group,Gushen Antai pill plus progestin group and progestin alone group were 86.96%,92.59% and 85%,respectively(P0.05).The time to symptom relief in the Gushen Antai pill group and Gushen Antai pill plus progestin group was significantly less than in progestin alone group(P0.05).CONCLUSION: Gushen Antai pill is safe and effective for threatened abortion.


After discussing the rationale for an LHC upgrade and various performance limitations of the nominal LHC, several alternative upgrade scenarios and options are presented. 1 THE NEED FOR AN UPGRADE There are two reasons for considering an upgrade of the LHC after about 6 years of operation. They are illustrated in Fig. 1, which goes back to J. Strait [1]. The figure illustrates two possible evolutions of peak luminosity as a function of the year, as well as the corresponding integrated luminosity and the run-time needed to halve the statistical error of experimental measurements. Both scenarios assume an LHC start up in 2007, and that 10% of the design luminosity is reached in 2008, and 100% in 2011 [2, 3]. In one case, the luminosity is taken to be constant from then on, in the other it continues to increase linearly until the so-called ultimate luminosity (2.3 times the nominal) would be reached by 2016. The radiation damage limit of the LHC lowquadrupoles is estimated at an integrated luminosity of 600–700 fb [4]. As the figure shows, this value would be exceeded in 2014 or 2016 depending on the scenario. The additional run-time required to halve the statistical error rises more steeply. It would exceed 7 years by 2011 or 2013, respectively. Since the life expectancy of the interaction-region (IR) magnets is, therefore, estimated to be less than 10 years due to the high radiation doses and since the time needed to halve the statistical error will exceed 5 years by 2011– 2012, it is reasonable to plan a machine luminosity upgrade based on new lowIR magnets before about 2014. 2 CHRONOLOGY OF UPGRADE STUDIES In the summer of 2001 two CERN task forces investigated the physics potential [6] and accelerator aspects [5] of an LHC upgrade. Also in 2001 T. Sen, J. Strait, and A. Zlobin published a first paper on the LHC IR upgrade [7]. It was followed by several others from US and CERN teams [8, 9, 10, 2]. In March 2002 an LHC IR upgrade collaboration meeting was held at CERN [11], followed in October 2002 by an ICFA seminar on 'Future Perspectives in High Energy Physics'. Also the first LHC performance workshop, Chamonix 2003, addressed questions relevant for an upgrade [12]. Since 2004, as part of the 6th framework programme of the European Union the CARE-HHH European Network on High-Energy High-Intensity Hadron [years]


The present invention is diluted in step (ii), step (ii) to form the diluted material to dilute the concentrated raw material of step (i), step (i) to provide a concentrated raw material of cellulose comprising an organic polymeric microparticles step (iii) and drying the paper-based in step (iii) method of producing a paper or paper board is improved strength, comprising the step (iv) to form a paper or cardboard, which to drain the material on the wire to form a paper-based; And it provides paper that can be obtained by the above method. Cellulose, organic polymeric microparticles, paper, cardboard, strength, internal bond strength, paper-based intensity


From Figures 1 and 2, in all cases, patients who had NiTi rods implanted had a 2.5 times increase in the Ni level at Day 1 after surgery as compared with before surgery. However, all were within recommended safe limits. The Ni levels returned to baseline in all subjects between 7 days to 1 month post-surgery. No clinical signs and symptoms of Ni allergy or toxicity was observed. The patients who had Ti alloy rods implanted remained no change.


Mg-8Al-1Zn-0.2Nd-0.1V new-type light alloy for lightweight machine was welded by the method of friction stir spot welding,and the microstructure,phase composition,microhardness and mechanical properties were tested and analyzed. The results showed that compared with the base material,the NZ of friction stir weld composed of α-Mg matrix without Mg17Al12 phase,besides,the microhardness in the NZ was commensurate with the BM,and the lowest microhardness was in the heat-affected zone of advancing side. Furthermore,the weld efficiency could reach by 90%.


Images features extraction is very important for the grading process of flue-cured tobacco leaves. In this paper, a machine vision techniques base system is proposed for the automatic inspection of flue-cured tobacco leaves. Machine vision techniques are used in this system to solve problems of features extraction and analysis of tobacco leaves, which include features of color, size, shape andsurface texture. The experimental results show that this system is a viable way for the features extraction of tobacco leaves, and can be used for the automatic classification of tobacco leaves.


BACKGROUND
Neonatal seizures (NS) affect approximately 1% of neonates. Clonic, tonic, myoclonic and subtle seizures are the common types. Birth asphyxia, sepsis, metabolic derangements, intracranial bleed, kernicterus, tetanus and 5th day fits are the common aetiologies. This study was planned to evaluate the types and causes of neonatal seizures.

METHODS
It was a descriptive case series conducted at Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad from 12th December 2006 to 25th September 2007 on neonates having seizures. Serum chemistry, blood counts, cerebrospinal fluid examination and cranial ultrasound were done in all patients. Blood culture, renal and liver function tests, computerised tomography scan, metabolic and septic screening was done in selected patients. Descriptive statistics were applied for analysis.

RESULTS
Tonic clonic seizure was the commonest type (28%) followed by multi-focal clonic, and focal tonic seizures (25% each). Birth asphyxia was found to be the main aetiology (46%).

CONCLUSION
Tonic clonic seizure was the commonest type and birth asphyxia the main aetiology identified in the majority of neonatal seizures.


Methods: A document was prepared and
sent by a lawyer, Alan Whiteley, to Ontario government officials that
identified the main concerns with the Green Energy Act and its impact on the
rights of citizens. The Act had been introduced in 2009 in efforts to make
Ontario a world leader in "green" energy production. With the passing of the
Green Energy Act, a number of statutes were also amended in order to achieve
this goal; they reduced impediments to the approval of industrial wind turbine
projects. The letter in its entirety is included in this paper. Mr. Whiteley
had been involved in a legal case initiated by a not-for-profit organization
that argued that the regulatory changes impacted the rights of citizens.
Documents such as those submitted through that court filings, such as Factums
and Affidavits provided by Ontario residents, and other documents are
referenced. Objectives: The goal of the letter was to affect
modernization of the justice system to improve access to justice, citizen
rights and animal protection. Results: The letter identified and
described changes to Acts and policies, gave examples of impacts, and offered
possible reform proposals that
would allow citizens fair access to justice and protect their rights. These proposals were
solutions through changes to the legal system. No reply to the letter was
received from any of the government officials, increasing concern regarding the
value of the voice of the public.


The increasingly detailed and available information at parcel level from the Copernicus Sentinel satellites and governmental data at parcel level opens up novel possibilities for efficient near-real time and wall-to-wall agricultural monitoring. Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 multi-spectral sensors with short revisiting periods (6 and 5 days, respectively) are acquiring free, open, global, and high resolution imagery. Cloud-based computing capacities to process these Big Data sets are currently becoming more widely available (e.g. Google Earth Engine, Copernicus DIAS).


Rabbit lymph node cells incubated in vitro with antigenic material for transfer to recipient rabbits were subjected to roentgen irradiation, and the effects of such irradiation were studied by observation of the production of antibody in the recipient animals.
 Following transfer of cells irradiated at doses between 150 r and 400 r there was a reduction in the subsequent agglutinin titers of the recipients ranging from substantial reduction to complete suppression. Such effects were found whether the cells were irradiated in the tissues of the donor or recipient animal or in vitro. The transfer of irradiated cells to normal recipients did not yield higher titers than did transfer of these cells to irradiated animals.
 The possibility was examined that lymph node cells engaged in antibody formation might have greater resistance to irradiation injury than "resting" cells, as measured by their effectiveness in the formation of antibodies to another antigen. The data of some experiments suggested such an effect, but this was not consistently demonstrated throughout the study.


Focus on developing more effective therapeutic interventions to assuage the symptoms of mental health disorders has been a significant driving force in our search to understand the human brain. Current treatments for mental health disorders rely on modulating neurotransmitter systems such as norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and GABA to achieve therapeutic relief of symptoms. While there are many medications that individually target these specific systems, treatment often leads to unwanted side effects or incomplete relief. To counter this lack of treatment efficacy, we must investigate other avenues of achieving the same or better outcomes to potentially reach those patients resistant to common treatments. One of these systems is the Endogenous Cannabinoid System (ECS), which is composed of the metabotropic CB1 and CB2 receptors. These G protein coupled receptors are responsible for mediating the effects of acute cannabis ingestion as well as modulating a number of core functions including emotion, memory, and reward. Due to the ubiquitous nature of the expression of ECS proteins, there is broad overlap between the brain regions that show high levels of receptor expression and those that are involved in mental health disorders. Consequently, CB receptors could be used as a route for modulating the levels of other modulators, such as dopamine, that are known to play crucial roles in the progression of a number of mental health disorders. Here we will review the endogenous cannabinoid system and its natural ligands, along with how this system could potentially be involved in affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia.


The aim of this paper is to analyse the causes of contradiction between the horizontal conception of the cosmos sustained by some of the mbya-guarani of Misiones (Argentina) with most others versions of the guarani literature that postulate mixed vertical / horizontal configurations. Also, to analyse the reasons by which the ethnographers consider the aquatic obstacle to reach the landwithout- evil is a sea instead of a river. For these purposes, are presented a synthesis of the mbya conception of the cosmos and its representation in rituals, an analysis of some words and central concepts considered in different works, and some evidences of a certain degree of ethnocentric intromissions and acriticism which affect the analysis and interpretation about cosmological dimension, and even some translations.


the objective of these studies is to diagnose and quantify energy consumptions of a real residential building in Tlemcen site under Mediterranean climate conditions. The followed method is based on an integrating approach for assessing the heating and cooling energy performance, the production of domestic hot water, free and internal loads related to lighting, occupants and equipment are not considered. Statistics of weather are devoted to calculate the annual heating and cooling requirements, based on climate data from 2014. We are also interested in a technical and economic study to determine the corresponding energy cost.


Understanding the complementary role of interventional approaches in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain is essential to optimizing analgesic benefit. Only a minority of patients experience both a significant reduction in pain intensity with tolerable side effects from drug therapy and behavioral approaches alone. Targeting the localized site of altered nociceptive processing along the neuraxis is a longstanding strategy adapted from the acute pain context. The myriad techniques range from reversible ion channel blockade of a peripheral nerve with a local anesthetic to continuous modulation of spinal cord signaling with electrical stimulation. The three principal domains of interventional techniques are: (1) ablation, (2) augmentation, and (3) anatomic modification. The risks and benefits must be assessed in both a condition-specific and technology-specific fashion. This chapter will also consider the improvement in therapeutic index potentially offered by neuraxial delivery of drugs through the intrathecal, epidural, and perineural routes of administration.


Japan Abstract Proper consideration of anharmonicity is important for the calculation of the thermal conductivity. However, how the anharmonicity influences the thermal conduction in amorphous materials is still an open question. In this work, we uncover the role of anharmonicity on the thermal conductivity of amorphous silica (a-SiO 2 ) by comparing the thermal conductivity predicted from the harmonic theory and the anharmonic theory. Moreover, we explore the effect of anharmonicity-induced frequency shift on the prediction of the thermal conductivity. It is found that the thermal conductivity calculated by the recently developed anharmonic theory (quasi-harmonic Green-Kubo approximation, QHGK) is higher than that by the harmonic theory developed by Allen and Feldman. The use of anharmonic vibrational frequencies also leads to a higher thermal conductivity compared with that calculated using harmonic vibrational frequencies. The anharmonicity induced frequency shifts is a mechanism for the positive temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of a-SiO 2 at higher temperatures. Further investigation on mode diffusivity suggests that although anharmonicity has larger influence on locons than diffusons, the increase of the thermal conductivity due to the anharmonicity is mainly contributed by the anharmonicity induced increase of the diffusivity of diffusons. Finally, it is found that the cross-correlations between diffusons and diffusons contribute most to the thermal conductivity of a-SiO 2 , and the locons contribute to the thermal conductivity mainly through collaboration with diffusons. These results offer new insights into the nature of the thermal conduction in a-SiO 2


Although feminist scholars agree that there exists a systemic relationship between masculinity and militarism, the exact contours of that relationship are debatable. Most feminists argue that as a primary goal, the women's movement ought to seek approaches for the abolition of militarism, rather than using women's participation in the military as a means of enhancing gender equality. Despite admonitions about the dangers of pursuing gender equality through military service, feminists must also weigh these concerns against women's advances within the military and the use of the military in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, both of which are essential to the Women, Peace and Security agenda. This article therefore turns a critical feminist lens on theories of military re-gendering. I explore whether military organizations that have traditionally valorized militarized masculinity can be transformed—both at an individual and systemic level—to embrace an egalitarian iteration of masculinity and contribute to a more peaceable international system. To examine the possibility of regendering in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), I review 17 interviews that I conducted with members of the CAF from 2017-2018 using theories of military regendering. My analysis indicates that servicemembers are engaging in critical examination of the military's gender culture, and their position within that culture. By critically engaging with questions about the relationship between gender and militarism, military personnel may be participating in the incremental—and fragile—process of improving the gender culture of the CAF.


Abstract The effects on water quality and aquatic life of parathion and other insecticides used in peach culture were studied. Part I describes the magnitude, origin, and duration of insecticide pollution, and Part II describes the biological effects. The study pond was located in a 40-acre watershed where peaches are the principal crop. Parathion and minor amounts of chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides were used for pest control. In 1960 parathion was used in the watershed from April 11 to August 1. Parathion residue (1.7 p.p.m.) was present in a surface soil sample collected before insecticide use in 1960. This indicates parathion persisted in the soil for at least nine months. Surface soil samples taken during and after parathion use in 1960 contained from 0.23 to 1.39 p.p.m. parathion. In March, prior to insecticide use in 1960, 1.90 p.p.m. parathion were recovered from pond bottom mud. Lesser concentrations of parathion (0.02 p.p.b.) were obtained from two water samples at this time. Indications are...


ABSTRACT The realist novel depicts both consciousness and the world by privileging precise descriptions of objects. In fact, attention to Defoe's "formal realism" explains his twentieth-century critical reassessment. Alryyes concentrates on how Defoe's exquisite depiction of his characters' sensual observations underlies his realist art. The article postulates that Defoe often used "accidental details," visual aspects of objects that did not inhere in them but were the result of human and natural disasters, to imbue his scenes with motion and psychological depth. Defoe's attention to how accidents highlight the work of the senses echoes the manner in which several Enlightenment cognitive texts not only emphasized the epistemological role of the senses, but also studied their operations by examining, in both thought experiments and real-life cases, the effects of the senses' injuries on human consciousness.


Introduction. The study of the triple L-function began with Garrett [2]. From a representation-theoretic point of view, Piatetski-Shapiro and Rallis [9] and the author [6] defined the archimedean or nonarchimedean L-factor as the greatest common divisor (GCD) of local integrals. The purpose of this paper is to prove that the archimedean GCD L-factor agrees with the expected L-factor up to invertible functions if the local representation comes from a cuspidal automorphic representation. This theorem follows from the local functional equation by formal argument except when the representation is unramified. To treat the unramified case, we carry out the explicit calculation of the unramified local integral. Stimulated by Stade [12], we make use of a hypergeometric function 3F2 and its two-term relations and three-term relation. We also need a theorem on some infinite integral involving Bessel functions, proved by Bailey [1] in 1936. The key lemma is the following (see Lemma 2.4).


In 1981, Hamachi introduced an interesting class of type III shifts. Since these are not measure-preserving, one cannot use metric entropy to study them. As a possible substitute, we give estimates for the upper and lower critical dimensions of Hamachi shifts. These invariants have previously been used by the authors to study odometer actions.


Compared to non-athletes, college athletes consume more alcohol and report higher rates of alcohol-related consequences such as DUI, unsafe sexual practices, and criminal behavior. This poses major problems for the integrity of college athletics, athletic department personnel, and health educators who work to reduce destructive alcohol behaviors on campus. To understand why current alcohol education is ineffective, it is necessary to examine the ecology of this behavior. This article examines alcohol use among college athletes using the Social Ecology Model to determine what most injluences this behavior. A proposed ecological model specific to alcohol use among college athletes is discussed. bably 85 to 90 percent of the negative incidents on campus, whether dealing with players or other students, were in some way related to alcohol... We have justijiable anxiety over 1,500 (American) deaths in Iraq of a two-year period, but alcohol kills 1,400 college students annually"—Tom Osborne interview, as made to Joan Ryan, reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, March 17, 2005. Tom Osborne is a former University of Nebraska head football coach and now Republican Congressman representing Nebraska in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to Osborne, in his 36 years as a coach of the Cornhuskers, he dealt with only three students who abused steroids and thousands who abused alcohol (Ryan, 2005). Glance at recent collegiate athletic news and instead of scores and highlights, one notices headlines regarding arrests, team suspensions, and campus crimes committed by student athletes. While people may dismiss these incidents as youthful indiscretions, universities take very seriously the major responsibility to promote positive behaviors and safe environments among its student athletes, as well as non-athletes. The question becomes why are there so many negative occurrences on campuses, and why are so many committed by college athletes? With highly publicized Congressional hearings centered on steroid use as the primary substance abuse problem in sports, it is easy to forget that alcohol, not performance enhancers, contributes to more social and health problems among athletes than any other drug (Leichliter Meilman, Presley, & Cashin, 1998; Naughton, 1996). Although the use of performance enhancing substances does increase health risks and prevention programs are needed, health educators and higher education administrators cannot overlook the problem of alcohol misuse among university athletes. Alcohol consumption and misuse is a major part of athletic life at colleges across the United States. From 1970-2005, at least one college athlete has suffered an alcohol-related death every year (Nuwar, 2000). Alcohol is not new to college campuses or college athletics; however, recent media headlines have raised questions about the culture of college athletics and its relationship to alcohol. Among the many alcohol-related incidences: Duke University Men's Lacrosse—Season cancelled and coach resigns after alcohol-fueled party on March 13, 2006 results in sexual assault and kidnapping charges against three players ("Duke Lacrosse," 2006 ). • California State University at Chico cancels 2006 Softball season after a 17 year old recruit Ronald D. Williams, Jr., PhD, is affiliated with Southeast Missouri State University. Michael A. Perko, PhD, Don Belcher, PhD, Deidre D. Leaver-Dunn, PhD, Smart L. Usdan, PhD, ^d James D. Leeper, PhD, are affiliated with the University of Alabama. Please address all correspondence to Michael A. Perko, PhD, Department of Health Science, The University of Alabama, Box 870311, Tuscaloosa, hL, 35473; PHONE: (205) 348-2956; FAX: (205) 348-7568; EMAIL: email@example.com.


Maccera Manurung tradition ritual is a traditional culture that still exists today in the village of Pasang, as well as the ethnic identity of Massenrempulu. In the Maccera Manurung tradition, especially in the village of Pasang, there is the art of Tau Tau which makes the Maccera Manurung tradition in the village of Pasang different from the traditions of Maccera Manurung in other regions/regions that hold it. This research examines the art of Tau Tau in the Maccera Manurung tradition ritual in the village of Pasang as one of the traditional ritual arts, namely in terms of urgency and function. This research is a qualitative research using data techniques such as observation, interview, and documentation. The data validation technique used is triangulation, with an interactive model analysis technique. The results of this study indicate that: 1). Tau Tau art in the Maccera Manurung tradition ritual in the village of Pasang is very important and urgent because it is a complement to the ritual, namely as the personification of To Manurung; 2) The Tau Tau art in the Maccera Manurung tradition ritual in the village of Pasang has several functions, including: as a means or means of rituals, as a means of fulfilling the spiritual-religious needs of the village community, as a means of expression of spiritual-religious experiences of the residents of the village community, and as new in the activities or behavior patterns of the village people collectively. Jurnal Edumaspul, 4 (2), Year 2020 180 (Suherman, Muliyadi) Copyright © 2020 Edumaspul Jurnal Pendidikan (ISSN 2548-8201 (cetak); (ISSN 2580-0469 (online)


A multichannel electrospray ionization (ESI) emitter was fabricated as part of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic device using a three‐layer photoresist process which also produces a self‐alignment system to make a bonding between the top and bottom PDMS parts. The prototype device (2 cm high×5 cm wide×5 cm long) had 16‐channels (30 νm wide×50 νm deep) with emitters of 1 mm length and 60° point angle. The PDMS emitter tips enabled interfacing the device to ESI‐mass spectrometry; a stable electrospray from the tips was performed with limits of detection under 1 νM for reference peptides (adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment 1–17, angiotensin I and III).


This document reports the results of computing Berger-type point kernels for 0.05- to 30-keV monoenergetic electrons in a water medium. A detailed-histories Monte Carlo method was used in contrast to the condensed-histories methods used by others. Good agreement with other work was found, over the common energy region. The study was performed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory as an exploratory research project. 8 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.


Circulation. 2020;142:e158–e159. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.049327 e158 Farzin Khosrow-Khavar, PhD Kristian B. Filion, PhD Nathaniel Bouganim, MD Samy Suissa, PhD Laurent Azoulay, PhD In Response: We thank Ren et al and Kizawa et al for their interest in our study on the association between aromatase inhibitors and the risk of cardiovascular outcomes in postmenopausal women with breast cancer.1 Ren et al compared our findings with those of a study using the Kaiser Permanente Southern California claims database, which found no association between use of aromatase inhibitors and cardiovascular disease.2 These discrepancies are likely attributable to different methodological approaches. Our study used an as-treated exposure definition where patients were followed while continuously exposed to the drugs of interest. This definition is consistent with the biological hypothesis that changes in cholesterol levels are reversible and occur while patients are on treatment. In contrast, the Kaiser Permanente Southern California study implemented an intention-to-treat exposure definition, which followed patients until the end of follow-up regardless of treatment terminations or crossovers. Although the latter exposure definition resulted in a longer duration of follow-up, it could lead to significant nondifferential exposure misclassification and dilution of the effect estimate. Another difference was the inclusion of patients with cardiovascular disease in our study to increase the generalizability of the findings and our ability to control for potentially important cardiovascular risk factors, such as body mass index and smoking. Ren et al comment that our study was limited to patients at least 55 years of age. Because aromatase inhibitors are contraindicated in premenopausal women, restricting the study population to women at least 55 years of age captured the clinically relevant patient population while minimizing confounding by menopausal status. Ren et al also draw comparisons between our study and the EBCTCG (Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group) metaanalysis and the IBIS-II trial (International Breast Cancer Intervention Study II).3,4 In the EBCTCG study, the outcome definition included thromboembolic events and a composite of cardiac and cerebrovascular events.3 In contrast, our study focused on specific cardiovascular outcomes. As for the IBIS-II trial, it was a breast cancer prevention trial that randomly assigned high-risk patients without breast cancer to receive either anastrozole or placebo. Thus, the patient population and comparator in this trial were different than in our study. Last, Ren et al discuss confounding attributable to the hypercoagulable condition of patients, which we accounted for by including history of venous thromboembolism and the use of anticoagulants as covariates in the propensity score model. Kizawa et al discuss residual confounding attributable to the cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab and chemotherapeutic agents such as anthracyclines. However, the presence of both hormone receptor–positive and human epidermal growth © 2020 American Heart Association, Inc. RESPONSE TO LETTER TO THE EDITOR


4502 Background: Since efficacy of subcutaneous interleukin-2 (IL-2) is limited in RCC, novel treatments are needed. The protein B7–1 is normally not expressed by RCC cells, so forced expression could increase tumor cell immunogenicity by providing costimulation (second signal) for tumor-reactive T cells encountering vaccine. Additionally, IL-2 treatment could also expand vaccine-activated, tumor-reactive T cells, thus augmenting the immune response. Previously, our phase I study demonstrated safety and development of detectable immune responses using this combined approach. Methods: In this phase II trial, autologous vaccine was cultured from primary tumor or resected metastasis specimens and transduced (ALVAC vector) with B7–1 gene, resulting in B7–1 protein expression. Eligibility included: no limitations on number of prior treatments; measurable tumor required, ECOG PS 0 or 1; adequate organ function; no active CNS disease; and no steroid use. Vaccines were administered on days 1, 29, and 57. Beginnin...


High-quality ZnO thin films have been grown by plasma-enhanced molecular-beam epitaxy on sapphire substrates. Free-exciton absorption and exciton-LO phonon absorption peaks are observed in the films at room temperature, indicating that the exciton states are stable even at room temperature. Three excitonic transitions associated with valence bands A, B, and C are clearly revealed in the reflectance spectrum measured at low temperatures. This result indicates that the ZnO thin films have a perfect wurtzite crystal structure. Biexciton emission is observed in the photoluminescence spectra at low temperatures, from which the biexciton binding energy is estimated to be 14.5meV, in good agreement with previous results. Exciton-LO (Ex-LO) and exciton-2LO (Ex-2LO) photon emission peaks are observed at low temperature. The energy difference between the Ex-LO and Ex-2LO bands is about 72.5meV, which coincides with previously reported values of the LO phonon energy for ZnO thin films.


Summary of a lecture held at the "Statistische Dag 1962", The Hague. The complete text of this lecture has been published in Sigma 8 (1962), no. 2, p. 26.


This chapter contains sections titled: Storing Data Data Storage Requirements Early Computer Storage Systems The Memory Hierarchy The Digital Magnetic Recording Process Conclusion References ]]>


The utility model relates to a penis wound protector, which belongs to a conical device with a downward opening. The top part of the conical device is provided with a cover, one end of the cover is hinged and connected with the top part of the conical device, the other end of the cover is movably connected with one side of the conical device, the bottom of the conical device is provided with at least two notches with downwards openings, and both ends of the bottom of the conical device are provided with fixed belts. The utility model has the advantages of convention operation, safe use and good ventilation performance, capability of relieving the pain of patients and promoting the rehabilitation of the patients, convenient material obtaining and easy manufacture.


The cervix is very important in the process of reproduction. The spermatozoa must travel through its canal to fertilize the ovum in the fallopian tubes. Millions of sperm must be deposited in a receptive cervical canal to ensure that hundreds will get to the tubes. Cervix also functions as a biological vulve, this is in the sense, that in the proliferative phase, it permits the entry of sperm and in the secretory phase, hinders their penetration. So, dysfunction at this level should be carefully evaluated.


The method includes following steps: 1) with the evaluation result for down stream reception quality, user terminal creates TPC instruction that is sent to base station; 2) the base station demodulates the down stream TPC instruction, and gets the regulation for the down stream transmitting power. The user terminal creates up stream TPC instruction and up stream reception quality index according to evaluating result for up stream reception quality, and generates a down stream power regulation according to up stream reception quality index, and adjusts the down stream transmitting power of base station by using down stream transmitting power regulation and the down stream TPC instruction; 3) the base station transmits the TPC instruction to user terminal that adjusts up stream transmitting power according to the up stream TPC instruction.


Epileptic seizures correspond to episodes of increased rhythmicity of the normally chaotic neuronal activity. Using the Henon map as a validation model, the authors demonstrate the chaosmaker's ability to maintain chaotic activity through episodes of periodic activity. The chaosmaker employs a Radial Basis Function (RBF) model to learn chaotic dynamics from the time series. The strategy is to detect a change to a rhythmic mode, then employ nonlinear dynamics to return to a chaotic mode.


We aimed to measure the effect of a specialist nurse-led clinic and referral pathway on admission rate, patient length of stay (LOS), and total bed days. We hypothesised that this intervention would contribute to the optimisation of the patient pathway in a regional burn's unit.

 Retrospective analysis of inpatient records in a six-month period over three years at a regional burn's unit (June-November 2018,2019,2020). Analysis of demographics, TBSA, admissions, and length of stay before and after clinic introduction. Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA.

 A reduction in admissions was observed in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2018 (7.3% and 6.7%) for a patient group with equivalent median TBSA (2%) and comparable median age (41 vs. 43.5 and 42.5). Median LOS was significantly shortened compared to 2019 (42.9%, F=4.07, p=0.046) and 2018 (42.9%, F=6.59, p=0.011). Minor burns showed reduced admission rates compared to 2019 (8.5%), and reduced median LOS (42.9% and 33.3%), and reduced total bed days (29.4% and 27.1%) compared to 2019 and 2018 respectively. Referrals to the regional burn's unit as a percentage total of regional A&E burns presentations increased in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2018 (16% vs. 14.4% and 12.1%).

 The results suggest that the introduction of a specialist clinic has shortened in-patient stay with a significant effect on minor burns, against a backdrop of increased referrals. We suggest that continuity between clinic and inpatient care by a specialist nursing team has helped to optimise the regional burns unit.


The study was conducted to assess the extent of pollution in Sungai Pencala. A total of 14 monitoring stations were established along the river. The selected sampling stations represented the various activities in the surroundings of Sungai Pencala. Samplings were conducted 12 times over a period of 16 months from March 2006 – June 2007. Water quality parameters such as temperature, pH, DO, BOD, COD, NH3-N,
conductivity, tubidity, TSS, TDS, TBC, and E Coli were monitored to determine the pollution status of the river. The results were then compared to the current recommended Interim National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia (INWQS) and DOE Water Quality Criteria for Malaysia. Apart from water, fish and plant samples were also analyzed for selected heavy metals such as, cadmium, chromium, lead and
mercury to assess the bioaccumulation of those metals. Heavy metals were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma –Mass Spectrometry (ICP MS) and Flow Injection Mercury Analyser (FIMS). Analysis of certified reference material (CRM) from National Research Council Canada (DOLT 2) showed good agreement with the certified values for all selected metals, obtaining more than 84% recovery. Solid waste
characterization was also carried out at few selected locations. This study reveals that Sungai Pencala needs a better management and development in order to provide better ecosystem to support healthy aquatic life.


Energy relaxation after vibrational excitation with picosecond IR pulses is necessarily accompanied by an overall temperature change. Whereas translational, rotational, and vibrational motions equilibrate faster than 50 ps for many systems, the hydrogen bonds may respond more slowly. We report on picosecond temperature jump experiments of the system ethanol: CCl 4 :CH 2 Br 2 using infrared excitation (10-ps pump pulses) and subsequent relaxation of the antenna molecules CH 2 Br 2


Basically this title sees that women's empowerment is an effort of women's ability to access and have value for resources, economics, social politics and culture. from the concept, women are expected to be able to manage themselves in increasing self-confidence in order to take part and actively participate in every problem faced so that they are able to develop their potential or ability and self-concept. From this aspect, women's empowerment is both a process and a goal. as a process, empowerment is an activity to strength power and empowerment of weak groups in society. as a goal, empowerment refers to the situation or outcome that is wanted to be achieved by social change, society becomes culture.


Purpose
The productivity of knowledge workers is crucial not only for organizational innovation and competitiveness but also for sustainable development. In the context of knowledge-intensive firms, implementation of knowledge management is likely to increase knowledge worker productivity. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of knowledge management on knowledge worker productivity.

Design/methodology/approach
A research framework on the effects of knowledge management processes on knowledge worker productivity is established and empirically tested with data from 336 knowledge workers at five mobile network operator companies in Pakistan.

Findings
The results indicate that knowledge creation and knowledge utilization impact knowledge worker productivity positively and statistically significantly. However, knowledge sharing does not have statistically significant impact on knowledge worker productivity. Demographic factors (gender, managerial position and formal education level) do not moderate the relationship between knowledge management and knowledge worker productivity statistically significantly.

Research limitations/implications
The key limitations are the cross-sectional nature of the data and the geographic limitation to telecom companies in Pakistan.

Practical implications
Irrespective of gender, education and managerial position, implementation of knowledge management can increase knowledge worker productivity. Therefore, knowledge management practices should be implemented to enhance the knowledge worker productivity via fostering the knowledge worker's engagement in and propensity to knowledge management processes.

Originality/value
This study is among the first to examine the likely influence of knowledge management on the productivity of knowledge workers conclusively while controlling for three individual demographic factors. This study also addresses the effectiveness of knowledge management in the little-explored cultural context of Pakistan.


M aspects of the law relating to offences onlicensed premises have at one time or another-and in many cases a number of times-been the subject of careful oonsideration in the courts; but in spite of all the time and skill that have been expended upon them many points are still far from being beyond argument. One such is the subject to which our title relates. Being found drunk on licensed premises is at present an offence under section 12 of the Licensing Act, 1872. The relevant words of that section are as follows :-"Every person found drunk in any highway or other public place whether a building or not or on any licensed premises shall be liable to a penalty .... ". The meaning of 'public place' is defined by section 8 of the Licensing Act, 1902, which provides: "For the purposes of section twelve of the Licensing Act, 1872, and of sections one and two of this Act the expression 'public place' shall include any place to which the public have access whether on payment or otherwise" . A note to this section in Paterson's Licensing Acts sets out the position created by this definition and by the cases in which an interpretation of it has been sought. According to this note a public place for the purpose of the sections referred to will include every place to which the public can obtain admission as distinguished from places to which the right of admission is restricted to a particular individual or to a particular class. Examples given include a public omnibus, a public concert room, a theatre and an agricultural show. Why, one may wonder, should a public house not be added to these examples? Such speculation, however, is unnecessary since the sections themselves have specifically added the public house ("any licensed premises") as a separate class. To understand why this addition, which might at first sight appear unnecessary, was required one must examine the meaning of the words 'licensed premises'. The statutory definition of the words, now provided by


An equation of state of a system is a relationship that connects the thermodynamic variables of the system such as pressure and temperature. Such equations are well known for classical gases but less so for quantum systems. In this paper we develop a van der Waals equation of state for a dilute boson gas that may be used to explain the occurrence of a density maximum in liquid He4.


We measure the contact angle θ(ϕ) of polymer solutions (polymer volume fraction ϕ) on a solid surface. The polymer is repelled at both solid and air interfaces. The pure solvent wets the solid, but the polymer does not. Thus the spreading coefficient S(ϕ) is positive for ϕ = 0 and negative for ϕ = 1. Naively we could expect a wetting transition at the concentration ϕw such that S(ϕw) vanishes. We show here that θ(ϕ) has a plateau (θ = θL) for ϕ below a critical value ϕL larger than ϕw. For ϕ > ϕL, θ(ϕ) increases monotonously. In the plateau regime, the solution droplet is in equilibrium with a precursor film of pure solvent. At ϕL, we have a "leak-out transition", and the value of ϕL results from a balance between the osmotic pressure of the polymer solution and the disjoining pressure of the solvent film. These ideas can be extended to other liquid mixtures, again assuming that the solute does not adsorb at the interfaces and, more precisely, that the thickness of the depletion layers is larger than the natural thickness of the solvent film.


The Galilei invariant model of the nucleon as a system of three point particles, whose dynamics is governed by Schrodinger equation, after six Hamiltonian parameters fitting, predicts magnetic momenta, masses and charge radii of the proton and neutron with experimental precision. Now this model is applied in order to investigate nucleon charge, mass and magnetism distributions. The obtained electric and magnetic form factors at low values of momentum transfer are in satisfactory agreement with experimental information. The model predicts that neutron is a more compact system than proton.


3D processes are one of the most innovative and perspective technologies for the production of machine parts. Currently, this technology is developing very quickly and is becoming more and more competitive for traditional methods of making prototypes and models, as well as for the production of functional products - semi-finished products or finished machine parts. It is used in many areas of life - from medicine and biomechanics, through such industries as: automotive, aviation, film production, to art, jewellery, furniture production and fashion. The paper presents the characteristics of 3D techniques focused on the production of machine parts from metal materials. Selected Laser Sintering (SLS), DMLS - Direct Metal Laser Sintering, SLM - Selective Laser Melting, Laser Cusing, Laser Engineering Net Shaping (LENS), Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM) have been characterized. Metal materials used in the manufacture of products using additive techniques have been presented. The advantages and disadvantages of the presented technologies were highlighted and attention was paid to economic aspects.


Sixty-five accessions, including diploids, tetraploids and hexaploids, of the African grass Digitaria milanjiana, were grown in a grass garden in south-eastern Queensland, and sodium (Na) and potassium (K) concentrations of herbage were determined after regrowth periods of either 6 weeks or 6 months. The accessions were originally obtained from sites in Africa from lo S. to 25OS., and over 400-1700 mm mean annual rainfall. The Na concentration of herbage ranged from 0.01 to 2.30% (w/w) and was inversely correlated with K concentration. There was a clearly defined geographic distribution of accessions which had high or low Na concentrations. Accessions from coastal sites had high concentrations of Na in the dry matter (>0.25% DM), those from inland sites south of 20' S. had low concentrations of Na (usually <0.24% DM), and all those from inland sites north of latitude 20" S. were invariably very low in Na concentration (<0.09% DM). Accessions with high and low levels of Na occurred at all three ploidy levels. Genetic studies at the diploid level, using generation means analysis, showed differing patterns of inheritance of Na and K concentration for two crosses, even though they had one parent in common. Both additive and dominance effects were evident for Na and K; in addition, significant inter-allelic interactions occurred, especially involving dominance. The results are discussed in relation to the adaptive significance of Na accumulation, to its significance in animal production, and to the possibilities of breeding cultivars that have adequate Na concentration and are adapted to low rainfall regions.


Abstract : The Armstrong Laboratory Occupational Medicine Division (AL/OEM) assists Major Air Commands (MAJCOMs) and installations prepare for public health assessments (PHAs) conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) . The Headquarters, Air Combat Command (HQ ACC) bioenvironmental Engineering Office requested that the Environmental Sciences Branch (AL/OEMH) accomplish a site visit and prepare a data gap sampling and analysis plan (DGSAP). This plan identifies information needed for the PHA. ATSDR-developed public health assessment methodologies and future land use scenario considerations were used to arrive at DGSAP recommendations. The PHA methodologies focus on public health and sometimes require different information than needed for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) directed Installation Restoration Program (IRP) process. ATSDR, DGSAP, Public health assessment.


The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a simple, novel, rapid isocratic ultra-performance liquid chromatography for simultaneous estimation of Carvedilol and Hydrochlorothiazide in combined dosage form using Hypersil gold Column C18 (50 X 2.1mm) 1.9 micron with Mobile phase composition of Water, methanol, and Acetonitrile in the ratio of 30:20:50 (pH 5.5). The flow rate of 0.3 ml/ min and UV detection at 285 nm was maintained during entire study. The retention time of hydrochlorothiazide and Carvedilol were found to be 2.06 and 2.39 mins respectively. All validation parameters were evaluated as per ICH guideline, which remained well within the acceptable limit. This proposed method can be used for estimation of Carvedilol and Hydrochlorothiazide in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage forms


TITERARY HISTORY reveals that medicine has produced all sorts of l_ imaginative writers, including poets, playwrights, and novelists. The medico-literary writer stems from a long and broad tradition; when we catch a doctor attuned to the literary infinite, therefore, we must experience the opposite of the surprise expressed by Samuel Johnson about a woman's preaching;-"like a dog walking on his hind legs. It is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all." After all, Apollo was not only the god of medicine, but the president of Parnassus. "In most men," Sainte-Beuve tells us, "there is a poet who dies young while the rest of the man survives." In the physician, whose daily life, whether in practice or research, is assuredly one of unremitting toil, the poet has managed to survive. Pointed observation confirming this fact has been made by the British essayist, Sir Edmund Gosse. "Something very subtle links the practice of literature to the profession of medicine . . . what it is I cannot tell, only the fact subsists that if you see a medical man meditating alone, there are ten chances that he is busy composing a sonnet to one chance that an engineer or a bank manager or a brewer is doing the same." He might have added lawyers and advertising men. The reasons for the truth of Sir Edmund's declaration lead to interesting speculation. I should like first to submit the interpolation that I use the word "poetry" in the wide sense of any imaginative work, the sense in which it was used by Sir Philip Sidney in his famous Defense of Poesie, a masterpiece of musical prose. I speak of poetry as one of those fundamental


While to lawyers — trained to think in terms of neatly separated legal boundaries — governance phenomena and transnational relations may feel uncomfortable, international relations (IR) theory has addressed transnational, non-State, cooperation from the outset. This chapter argues that IR scholars have to some degree overlooked the changing character of network-based informal cooperation among public actors. It seeks to fill this gap by proposing a typology of bodies involved in informal international lawmaking. The chapter further reveals some lessons to be learned from IR theory, particularly the principal-agent model, for informal international lawmaking (IN-LAW).


Extracellular lipid based barriers, such as the cuticle, suberin, and sporopollenin, protect plants from the environment. Despite the importance of these barriers, many aspects of extracellular lipid biosynthesis remain uncharacterized. I have identified a four member family of thioesterases from Arabidopsis thaliana termed MODIFIERS OF EXTRACELLULAR LIPIDS (MEL 1-4). The gene expression patterns of three members of this family, MEL1, MEL2, and MEL4, were found to correlate with the deposition of cuticle, suberin, and sporopollenin, respectively. Artificial microRNA silenced and overexpression lines were created to determine if MEL 1 influences cuticle composition. The cuticular wax and cutin composition were analyzed, but no effect on the load or composition was apparent. This may be due to gene redundancy or insufficient silencing or over-expression of MEL 1. It is also possible that the effects on extracellular compounds are not detectable using common methods. MEL1 was shown in vitro to hydrolyze palmitoyl-CoA (16:0) into a free fatty acid and CoA. Members of the MEL family were also shown in E. coli to have acyl-ACP thioesterase activity toward 0ketoacyl-ACP and non-oxygenated acyl-ACP substrates. These results confirm that MEL proteins possess fatty acyl thioesterase activity and likely fulfill a role in extracellular lipid biosynthesis. I discuss several potential roles for thioesterases in extracellular lipid biosynthesis, such as in termination of fatty acid synthesis in the plastid, synthesis of |3ketoacids leading to the production of methylketones and/or alkanes, production of longchain or very-long-chain free fatty acids found in cutin and cuticular wax, respectively, and in regulation of extracellular lipid metabolism. The MEL enzymes are expected to fulfill one or more of these roles.


Nitric acid and nitrates react with organic compounds as an oxidizing agent, ranging from controlled syntheses to the sell-sustaining reactions of rocket fuels and gunpowder. Nitric acid and nitrates may react to form nitrate esters or nitro compounds. The reactions are usually exothermic, and the products are often thermodynamically unstable. Oxidation and nitration reactions usually occur simultaneously. Self-sustaining reactions were found in solutions, as well as in the dry state. (auth)


Short laser pulse can be amplified and compressed via strongly coupled stimulated Brillouin scattering (sc-SBS) in plasma. But the sc-SBS amplification is subject to various deleterious instabilities. Here, we present specific analyses on the forward Raman scattering (FRS) of the seed pulse. FRS grows from noises and depletes the seed energy. It causes strong seed modulations and decoherence, which terminate the amplification. The theoretical model of sc-SBS coupled with FRS is investigated. Then, we examine the suppression effects of the density gradient and density random inhomogeneities on FRS. These effects are described well by the numerical simulations and particle-in-cell simulations.


Comparative literature has expanded our body of cultural knowledge in terms of geography, demography, language, genre, and theory. But a troubling aspect of literary studies in general, which also applies to comparative literature, is that undergraduate and graduate students and professors alike generally inhabit and leave the university knowing how to analyze texts, but not knowing where they physically come from or end up. We have largely neglected the mission of the post office and ignored the work of waste disposal...


The purpose of the research was to analysis the effect of good corporate governance, firm size,and auditor switching toward earning management. The sample in this research were 75 datafrom 32 the manufacturing company of consumer goods industry listed on the Indonesia StockExchange (IDX) in the period 2017-2019. The sampling method used purposive sampling withfive criterias. Analysis of the data used in this study with multiple linear regression analyses. TheData is analyzed by using the Statistical Product and Service Solution 25 (SPSS 25). The resultsshowed that good corporate governance, firm size, dan auditor switching have no significanteffect on earning management. The implication of this study is the company need to evaluate allmanagement activities periodically and set the policy.


High‐sucrose diet causes hepatic steatosis and exacerbates obesity and metabolic complications. Previously, we have demonstrated that ellagic acid (EA), a polyphenol abundantly found in berries, grapes and nuts, inhibits hepatic lipid accumulation in human hepatoma huh7 cells and hyperplastic‐ and hypertrophic‐adipose expansion in human adipocytes. In this study, we hypothesized that EA supplementation inhibits sucrose‐mediated hepatic steatosis and its metabolic consequences. To test this hypothesis, obesity‐prone C57BL/6 male mice were randomly assigned into three isocaloric high‐fat (HF) diets (41% calories from fat) of 1) no‐sucrose (HF), 2) high‐sucrose (37% calories from sucrose, HFHS), or 3) high‐sucrose plus raspberry seed flour equivalent to 0.15% of EA (HFHS‐R). HFHS diet for 8 weeks resulted in a significantly increase in body weight, liver, and adipose tissue mass compared to HF alone, which was normalized by HFHS‐R without altering food intake. Consistently, increases in plasma cholesterol and TG levels in HFHS‐fed mice were markedly dampened by EA supplementation in HFHS‐R. HFHS‐induced hepatic TG accumulation, lipogenic gene expression, and VLDL secretion were also significantly decreased in HFHS‐R comparable to HF alone. Furthermore, systemic levels of glucose and insulin tolerance, and hepatic insulin sensitivity were improved in HFHS‐R group compared to HFHS. Our results implicate that EA supplementation compromises sucrose‐triggered metabolic insults by inhibiting hepatic lipid accumulation. Taken together, our work provides an insight into EA‐containing fruits and vegetables could be developed as promising dietary strategies to prevent sucrose‐triggered obesity and metabolic disorder.


Five independent families with a total of thirteen patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome are presented. In all affected infants, the course of the disease was inexorably progressive and ultimately fatal. The pattern of transmission in the reported families is consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. Consanguinity could be clearly demonstrated among the parents in three of the reported sibships.


The paper discusses postlaunch corrections made to the calibration lamp radiance values for band 3 of TM-5 (Thematic Mapper instrument on Landsat-5). It is hypothesized that the low in-orbit temperatures have caused the shutter arm to contract slightly, causing the detectors to view the lamps through different parts of the lens system. Owing to unevenness in the lenses this is introducing an odd-even channel discrepancy in the computed gains, resulting in striped imagery. The process used to compute the new values is presented along with supporting data and the old and new radiance numbers. The new values solve the relative radiometric correction problem of striping. However, the effect on the absolute radiometric correction performance is not quantitatively known.


In 1950, the US produced more than half the world's crude oil, but from 1951 to 1977, the US share of world production declined from 52 to 14%. As recently as 1972, Venezuela and Canada supplied half of US crude oil imports, but like the US, are experiencing declining production, and the main sources of US crude oil import have shifted to countries across the Atlantic to Nigeria, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf. From 1900 to 1950, the US dominated world petroleum production because its overall industry was more petroleum oriented than that of the rest of the world. Crude oil production was limited by demand. Now resource limitations on petroleum production outweigh the internal demand for petroleum. Therefore, any country having large oil fields can import the technology necessary to develop them and can sell the product on the world market at a high price. 11 references.


Studies on the identification and classification of species and varieties of wild grapes native to Japan by their leaf morphology were initiated. Samples were collected from all over Japan and compared with specimens kept in the herbaria of six Japanese universities. Their relationship were also compared with the several wild grape taxa native to Korea, Taiwan and China.Scions of wild grapes collected in their native habitats were rooted and planted in the Horticultural Experiment Field, University of Osaka Prefecture at Sakai City for morphological and ecological studies. The results obtained are as follows:1. In Japan, 6 species and 9 varieties of wild grapes were identified. The main ones are;Vitis coignetiae Pulliat which are found growing in Hokkaido, Tohoku, and the alpine regions of Chugoku, Kinki and Shikoku; V. flexuosa Thunb., native to Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Amami Islands; and V. ficifolia Bunge var. lobata Nakai syn. V. thunbergii Sieb. et Zucc. which is endemic to the low altitude areas all over Japan except for the northern part of Hokkaido and Okinawa. Two new species, tentatively named, Shiohitashibudo and Daisankakuzuru were discovered at Shiohitashi in Kagoshima Prefecture and at Koshu City in Korea, respectively.2. V. amurensis Rupr. which is distributed in Korea and the northern part of China, was not found in Hokkaido or in the six university herbaria.3. Leaf shape of wild grapes were coded using the Galet's Ruler by measuring the length and angles of the veins, the ratio of length to width and the depth of the lateral sinuses. The code numbers arranged on the basis of the formula ABC-r-S1S2 revealed that intermediate values existed between related species. Hence, the taxonomic key may be able to use for the identification and classification of wild grapes.


Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Juwana Pati, Central Java has been contributing greatly to the economy in Indonesia. One of SME products in the form of handicraft from aluminum castings. Product marketing covers major cities in Indonesia and ASEAN, such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore as tourist destinations, both domestic and foreign tourists. However, the quality of handicraft products is still low to cause the product is less preferred by consumers. The main problem faced in producing this aluminum casting craft is to have a low hardness level of 59 HRB, and less attractive colors. The purpose of this research is to improve the quality of aluminum casting crafts products through the improvement of metal coating process, especially increasing hardness so as to increase the amount of export. The applied method is to analyze the effect of nickel and copper coating current on hardness, and to analyze the effect of coating time on nickel and nickel + copper on hardness. The result can be that the hardness can be increased up to 20% by electroplating process using 5 ampere current for 10 minutes.


This paper assesses the performance of Latin America (LA) toward its goal of a green and sustainable economy in 2006-2009 and 2010-2013. In a descriptive and quantitative framework, the analysis involves an improvement over Kaldor's (1971) fundamental ideas towards environmental and sustainable development. We deal with a Green Economy Index where three variables are considered: the first representing the economics aspect; the second, the social aspect; the last, the environmental performance. Data has been collected from the World Bank database. Results reveal a tenuous advance of the Green Economy in LA from 2006-2009 taking into account the growth rate of GDP per capita for the majority of the countries, as well as a small positive variation in the Gini Index due to distributive socioeconomic policies in some nations during the mentioned period. However, in 20102013, an adverse movement (deterioration) took place due to the difficulties faced by most people in the region, with low investment in renewable energies and energy efficiency. There is a global consensus on the need to preserve the environment, improve the management of environmental resources and eliminate unreasonable or irresponsible exploitation of natural resources, as well as other anthropogenic activities that must be carried out to have a safe environment to preserve the quality of life. In the quest for sustainability, there was a meeting in 1992, in Rio de Janeiro (ECO-92) with the participation of 179 heads of States. Their task was the elaboration of a document called Agenda 21, in order to establish global policies towards sustainability (DA SILVA et al., 2005). A number of other meetings, worldwide, have been concerned with targets and mechanisms to improve measures on the environment, including the meeting in Washington D.C. in September 2016. It is our view that despite some progress, no doubt, obstructions and failures to alleviate the scenario still persist in startling fashion, which is such a worthy fight. We acknowledge that it may well be hard to accomplish much else without a historical analysis by including a quantitative approach (indices) to understand the obstacles to attain promising results. In terms of sustainability, till recently, each generation had the view that they should have a fair opportunity to achieve a better environmental and socioeconomic benefit than the previous generation. The word sustainable may mean different things, but, conventionally, it means to achieve different goals simultaneously, (democracy, justice, development and social inclusion) taking also into account environmental and economic concerns. For this


Proteins that bind ATP and GTP are important cellular components. We developed an immunological approach to selectively tag nucleotide-binding proteins based on the use of 5'-[4-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl]adenosine and 5'-[4-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl]guanosine affinity tags and an antibody against 4-(sulfonyl)benzoate. Detection follows affinity labeling, gel electrophoresis, and ester bond cleavage to expose the epitope. Trial analyses of labeled proteins from lymphoid cells identified multiple ATP-binding proteins, including chaperones, actin, kinases, an RNA splicing factor, a membrane ATPase, and ATP synthase.


We construct firm-level indexes for agency conflicts between controlling shareholders and outside investors by estimating a dynamic model of financing decisions. Our estimates for 12,652 firms from 14 countries show that agency conflicts are large and highly variable across firms and countries. Differences in agency conflicts are largely due to differences in firm-level governance, ownership concentration, and other firm characteristics. The origin of law is more relevant for curtailing governance excesses than for guarding the typical firm. Agency costs split about equally between wealth transfers and value losses from policy distortions. Recent governance reforms in Europe have significantly reduced agency costs.Received April 19, 2016; editorial decision November 18, 2017 by Received April 19, 2016; editorial decision November 18, 2017 by Editor Francesca Cornelli. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.


The purpose of this study is to assess aquifer salinization in the coastal area of an Offshore Industrial Park in Taiwan. Study area belongs to the new Delta Holocene alluvium, which is composed of clay, silt, sand, gravel and their mixture. Groundwater quality measurements including electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, chloride and sulfate were used as indicator to evaluate aquifer salinization. Regional groundwater flows from the middle of study area to the embracing beach, which is the typical island-type-like distribution of groundwater lens. Temporal variations of chloride concentrations in monitoring wells were simulated based on the calculation of solute transport. The simulation result matched with the observation that rainfall leaching could cause dilution of chloride concentration and lessen aquifer salinization. Solute exchange at the interface of fresh water and saline water strongly affected desalinization rate in groundwater, and thus desalinization rate was dependent on its distance from the seashore. According to the calculation of solute transport, it might take about 14 years for complete desalinization through continual rainfall leaching.


The depolymerization of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PETW) flakes from bottles was investigated using a nonaqueous NaOH in ethylene glycol solution and was carried out at patm from 150 to 185 °C, using a NaOH:PET molar ratio of 4:1. The increasing amount of water taken up by the flakes and after submitting them to thermopressing at 260 °C increased the reactivity of the rectangular specimens thermopressed during the depolymerization. At a stirring rate value of 1360 rpm, the product was removed from the unreacted PET surface and the chemical reaction was rate-determining. Using the kinetic model of shrinking core of heterogeneous chemical reaction control, considering the formation and growth of cracks and pores on the polymer surface, the Ea value was 172.7 kJ·mol-1, which was relatively high. However, in the thermodynamic analysis it was shown that the compensation effect of the ΔS⧧ over the ΔH⧧ is sufficiently high to compensate for the high Ea.


In this article a jurisprudential and legal analysis of the updated base in come for liquidation of the first monthly pension, coming from pensions established before being in force the Constitution of 1991, the 100th law of 1993 and pension regimes which are parallel for having had conventional origins. It is methodologically developed into three chapters: i) An introduction to the subject under study in which the following conceptual references are explained; the right to social security, old-age pension and indexing; ii) A study on indexing and constitutional jurisprudence effects on constitutional regulatory principles protecting the rights of the elderly, such as fairness, dignity and the theory of acquired rights, among other precepts of constitutional status ; iii) conclusions, which are not intended to be the final word, but rather to generate new insights about it.


Opisano warunki wystepowania oraz charakterystyke chemiczną i petrograficzną kredy jeziornej i gytii ze zloz Grabowo, Marcelin i Prostynia z rejonu środkowego Pomorza. Analizowane osady charakteryzują sie malą wytrzymalością i duzą ściśliwością. Zwrocono uwage na szczegolną role budowy wewnetrznej tych utworow w ksztaltowaniu ich cech wytrzymalościowych. GEOLOGIC-ENGINEERING CHARACTERISTlC OF LACUSTRINE CHALK AND GYTIJA IN THE MIDDLE POMERANIA DEPOSITS Significant occurrence of the Quaternary carbonate deposits is observed in the Middle Pomerania area. Investigations of limnic deposits occurring in the Koszalin district have been carried out in En-gineering Geology Department of Technicai University in Koszalin for several years. Detrital-calcareous gyttja from the Grabowo deposits and lacustrine chalk from the Marcelin and Prostynia deposits was chosen 10 investigation. The formations tested differ mainly in contents of organic parts and calcium carbonate, as well as internal structure, depending primarily on these two components. The mineral-organic aggregate is a basic structural element of the soil skeleton of the deposits (Tabl. IV, Fig. 9 and 10). Calcium carbonate and colloidal humus matter are the aggregate-forming substance. The presence of the mineral-organic aggregates in gyttja and lacustrine chalk determines the specific character of these deposits and caused difficulties in determination of some parameters by the use of standard methods. Mechanical testing of gyttja and lacustrine chalk have showed that there deposits are of low shear strength and of high compressible. The shear strength increases while humidity decreases (for example due to desiccation). In comparison to the compressibility of mineral soils, the compressibility of deposits is nonuniform, even step. Initial consolidation-testing carried out showed rather strong structural bonding in deposits while loading in the range 50 to 100 kPa. Exceeding of this range results in weakness the structural bonding. It may be assumed that the internal structure of the deposits tested is a significant factor determining their strength features.


Abstract D-Glucose was transformed into 2,3:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene dithioacetal 1; its oxidation to ketone 2 and subsequent Wittig reaction afforded 4-deoxy-4-C-methylene derivative 3. Hydrolytic removal of the protective groups, then O-acetylation, selective anomeric O-deacetylation, and base catalyzed trichloroacetonitrile addition furnished 4-deoxy-4-C-methylene substituted glycopyranosyl donor 7 as an anomeric mixture. Reaction of 7 with azidosphingosine derivative 8 under BF3-OEt2 catalysis gave β-glycopy-ranoside 9. Azido group reduction with triphenylphospnine in the presence of palmitic anhydride and water afforded directly O-acyl protected glycosphingolipid derivative 10 which yielded after Zemplen O-deacylation target molecule 11


Phonon-induced unavoidable decoherence of orbital degrees of freedom in quantum dots is studied and the relevant time scales are estimated. Dephasing of excitons due to acoustic phonons and, in a polar medium, to optical phonons, including anharmonic effects and enhancement of the effective Fr\"ohlich constant due to localization, is assessed for typical self-assembled quantum dots. Temporal inefficiency of Pauli blocking due to lattice inertia is predicted. For quantum dots placed in a diluted magnetic semiconductor medium a magnon-induced dephasing of a spin is also estimated in accordance with experimental results.


Newton's Laws of Motions are considered a basic corner stone of Physics. Thus, a claim that Newton's Second Law of Motion, F=ma, might not be applicable in certain cases, sounds as an out of line, and an incorrect claim. Nevertheless, this paper presents such a claim, based on argumentations resulting from the structural identities between Newton's Universal Gravitational Law and Coulomb's Law. Based on these structural identities , this paper presents the prediction, that similar to Newton's Gravitational Field, which is already recognized also as a form of Acceleration, also Electric Fields, might be also forms of Acceleration. The above also results in the conclusion, that for Electrically Charged Bodies, attracted or repelled under Coulomb's Law, Newton's Second Law of Motion, F=ma, might not be applicable, and should be replaced with a different Law, namely, F=qa. Also, based on the above-mentioned structural identities between Newton's Universal Gravitational Law and Coulomb's Law, a paper published by the author of this paper, expands Einstein's General Relativity Theory to include Electrically Charged Bodies in addition to Mass Bodies, which also provides an explanation for the source of the attraction or the repulsion between Electrically Charged Bodies, which is still a mystery today. The above presented predictions, presented in this paper, that Newton's Second Law of Motion, F=ma, might not be always applicable, and that Electric (or Magnetic) Fields are also forms of Acceleration, might sound extraordinary, not correct, and out of line predictions. However, this paper also proposes a relatively simple experiment, which if implemented, and its results will be successful, it might provide validity, (or disprove), the above presented predictions.


By using the honogeneous balance method,the author obtain a transformation of the couple KdV equations.Through this transformation,the couple KdV equations are simplied into the form of well known KdV equation therefors their single solition solution and multi solition solution is give out easily.


Multi body system contains finite number of rigid bodies that are placed on each axis, which do not intersect each other. Derivatives of the linear momentum and angular momentum with respect to time by use mass moment vectors and vector rotators for pole and axis, are determined. A number of theorems are defined. (© 2013 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Analyticity of the forward scattering amplitude is proven in nonlocal theory under the assumption that the field commutator decreases sufficiently rapidly in the space-like direction. Conditions under which complex singularities appear are indicated. (auth)


This paper presents a real-time hand gesture recognition approach for controlling a computer. We define hand gestures as continuous hand postures and their movements for easy expression of various gestures and propose a Two-layered Bayesian Network (TBN) to recognize those gestures. The proposed method can compensate an incorrectly recognized hand posture and its location via the preceding and following information. In order to vertify the usefulness of the proposed method, we implemented a Virtual Mouse interface, the gesture-based interface of a physical mouse device. In experiments, the proposed method showed a recognition rate of 94.8% and 88.1% for a simple and cluttered background, respectively. This outperforms the previous HMM-based method, which had results of 92.4% and 83.3%, respectively, under the same conditions.


Ancient rock quarries in the surroundings of the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka provide evidence of quarrying by splitting stone blocks. Bedrock outcrops with natural foliations or weathering fractures were preferred starting points for stone quarrying. Additionally, fractures were created artificially, removing bedrock material by channeling or heating the bedrock surface and imposing pressure on the rock through percussion. These quarrying techniques are mainly based on a series of chiselled holes set along the part of the block to be separated. These holes frequently appear as half holes in the separated rock fragments. This investigation explores the working procedure related to the chiselled holes and wedge quarrying technique, and aims to identify the tools used and to estimate the time necessary for the splitting. Investigations are based on observations of a stone craftsman still applying traditional techniques of quarrying.


Monitoring and dealing with particular conditions related to relative humidity (RH) and temperature within different cultural objects including post-byzantine churches are of primary importance for the current conservation and advancement. The objective of this paper is to explore and discuss how standards can be implemented and guide the decision processes in order to facilitate a sustainable management of cultural buildings. Following the particularities of the interface of Mediterranean and continental climate conditions, here is introduced a general climate risk assessment method, which determines how indoor climates fit into the selected post-byzantine cultural objects in Albania. A relative humidity over 75% and temperature frequently over 30°C within several churches is been assessed as a high risk of sudden or cumulative mechanical damage to most artefacts and paintings because of high humidity. Predicting preservation is an important aspect in preventing damage to objects. This paper also describes the historical and scientific background to the current discussions.


Ficto-feminism is offered here as a creative method for feminist historical inquiry in management and organizational studies (MOSs).,This paper introduces a new method called ficto-feminism. Using feminist polemics as a starting point, ficto-feminism fuses aspects of collective biography with the emic potential of autoethnography and rhizomatic capacity of fictocriticism to advance not only a new account of history in subject but also in style of writing.,The aim of ficto-feminism is to create a plausible, powerful and persuasive account of an overlooked female figure which not only challenges convention but also surfaces her lost lessons and accomplishments to benefit today's development of theory and practice.,The paper reviews the methodological components of ficto-feminism and speaks to the merit of writing differently and incorporating fictional techniques.,To illustrate the method in action, the paper features a non-fiction, fictitious conversation with Hallie Flanagan (1890–1969) and investigates her role as national director of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) (1935–1939). The FTP was part of the most elaborate relief programs ever conceived as part of the New Deal (a series of public works projects and financial reforms enacted in the 1930s in the USA).


Some good general points are raised in the CMAJ editorial by Drs. Patrick and Stanbrook.[1][1] However, their conclusion is much broader than what the linked research[2][2] (on the use of curcumin in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair) supports.

Garg and colleagues[2][2] examined a short


ABSTRACT Global nuclear dangers have jumped since President Barack Obama's 2009 Prague speech affirmed the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Today's nuclear dangers range from growing US–Russian political–military confrontation and the virtual collapse of bilateral nuclear arms control through the greatest divisions ever within the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to North Korea's coming capability to attack the United States with nuclear-armed missiles. The Donald J. Trump administration has maintained that nuclear weapons are essential to US security, though it has also affirmed the US commitment to the goal of nuclear abolition. Frustrated by lack of progress on nuclear disarmament and energized by concerns about the risk of use of nuclear weapons, nearly 125 countries have now negotiated a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It was signed by fifty countries when it opened for signature in September 2017. None of the nuclear-weapon states will adhere to the treaty and it will not reduce today's nuclear dangers. The interests of all of the key protagonists—the United States and its allies, the other NPT nuclear-weapon states, and the supporters of the new Prohibition Treaty—would best be served by rebuilding habits of cooperation among them to reduce global nuclear dangers and advance the NPT's nuclear disarmament goal. One possible rallying point would be a vision of the strategic elimination of nuclear weapons as instruments of strategy, power, and security—not their complete physical elimination—by 2045, one hundred years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Strategic elimination would have specific dimensions in terms of policy, operations, numbers, institutions and planning, and transparency verification. Priorities for action now stand out both to reduce today's global nuclear dangers and to put in place the building blocks for strategic elimination.


Purpose Data on risk factors for non-adherence to doctors' and pharmacists' instructions to discontinue medications prior to surgery are lacking. This study aimed to identify characteristics and risk factors for such non-adherent patients. Patients and Methods Data (including patient age, sex, prescription medications, comorbidities, presence of roommate at home, and number of days between receiving instruction and surgery) of 887 patients who used medications affecting surgery at a university hospital from April 2017 to March 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. The primary endpoint was to investigate the rate of non-adherence and to explore independent risk factors for non-adherence (with age categorized as ≥65 [versus <65] years). Secondary endpoints included analysis of limited number of departments subgroup and a sensitivity analysis (with age categorized as ≥75 [versus <75] years) to confirm the robustness of the primary endpoint results. Independent risk factors for non-adherence were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results The non-adherence rate was 11.4% (n=101/887), median age (interquartile range) at admission was 73 (70–79) years, and proportion of male patients was 81.2% (n=82). The main analysis adjusted for age ≥65 (versus <65) years showed age as a risk factor for increased non-adherence (adjusted odds ratio: 2.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.09–4.05; p=0.027). However, analyses adjusted for departments (other than urology, gynecology, and breast surgery, with a large sex bias in hospitalized patients) and for age ≥75 (versus <75) years showed no such risk. Conclusion Age ≥65 years was associated with a higher risk of non-adherence to medications that should be discontinued before surgery. It is important for doctors and pharmacists to ensure that patients at high risk for non-adherence are aware of the importance of adherence. Our findings may help identify patients at high risk for non-adherence to such medications.


For the past several years and for obvious reasons, there has been much research about discrimination in workplaces. These studies, which examine the relationship of factors such as gender, race, a...


Objective
To investigate the association of prepregnancy and prenatal depression and/or anxiety on preterm birth (PTB), while also exploring Hispanic/Latina ethnicity as a potential effect modifier.

Methods
Study population included respondents of UT-PRAMS (2016-2019). Associations between prepregnancy and prenatal depression and/or anxiety and PTB were evaluated using Poisson regression models accounting for stratified survey sampling.

Results
Women with prepregnancy and prenatal depression and anxiety, compared to those without, had a 67 percent (95% CI: 19%, 134%) higher probability of experiencing PTB, after controlling for relevant sociodemographic, lifestyle, and reproductive history factors. Impact of depression on PTB was slightly higher than impact of anxiety. Hispanic/Latina ethnicity was found to protect against PTB for those with prepregnancy and prenatal depression alone (aPR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.24, 1.21) or both depression and anxiety (aPR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.18, 1.40) compared to being non-Hispanic/Latina (aPR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.25, 2.55 for depression alone; aPR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.21 for depression and anxiety).

Conclusions
Overall, Utah women reporting prepregnancy and prenatal depression and anxiety were more likely to have a PTB. Being of Hispanic/Latina ethnicity was found to mitigate the risk of PTB among women with depression and anxiety.

Implications
Prepregnancy and prenatal mental health screenings and treatment are key to lessening the impacts of depression and anxiety on both mother and infant. Hispanic/Latina ethnicity may be protective against PTB among women experiencing mental distress. Whether this is through increased social support or through a different mechanism should be explored in future research.


Abstract : Trends in standardization of magnetic-tape storage units for computers are analysed on the basis of a study in Soviet and foreign literature including ISO recommendations and CMEA draft recommendations. Primary objects for complete standardization of storage units are selected, their inter-connection and order of priority established. (Author)