The study was aimed at evaluating the influence of winter mortality and predator larvae abundance on breeding performance of bivoltine populations of Ips. typographus colonizing felled spruce trees in Croatia. A low colonization density of I. typographus expressed as a number of maternal galleries per square meter of bark, usually reflects high reproductive success, defined as a number of daughters per mother beetle (♀/♀). Regarding this study, the mean gallery density on felled trees varied between 27 and 146 per m2 of bark, while the lowest reproduction rate was only 0.5 ♀/♀. Althought differently suggested by previous findings, the cause of such a low reproduction rate can be explained by high abundance of predator larvae and high winter mortality of larvae, pupae and callow beetles. The results suggest that predators, primarily long-legged flies-of the genus Medetera (Fischer von Waldheim) (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), have huge ecological impact on bark beetle populations at endemic levels. At low attack densities, the majority of males (74%) copulate with two females, following the evolutionary trait of avoiding intraspecific larval competition.


In the article the analysis of reforming of the bank system of Russia during the period of 1990-1999 is carried out, two stages are marked out, their characteristics with exposure of negative and positive features is given.


Objective: This study aims to evaluate ADHD-like symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on single-item analysis, as well as the comparison of two ASD subsamples of children with ADHD (ASD+) and without ADHD (ASD-). Methods: Participants are 83 children with ASD. Dimensional and categorical aspects of ADHD are evaluated using a diagnostic symptom checklist according to DSM-IV. Results: Of the sample, 53% fulfill DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. The comparison of the ASD+ and the ASD- samples reveals differences in age and IQ. Correlations of ADHD and PDD show significant results for symptoms of hyperactivity with impairment in communication and for inattention with stereotyped behavior. Item profiles of ADHD symptoms in the ASD+ sample are similar to those in a pure ADHD sample. Conclusion: The results of our study reveal a high phenotypical overlap between ASD and ADHD. The two identified subtypes, inattentive-stereotyped and hyperactive-communication impaired, reflect the DSM classification and may theoretically be a sign of two different neurochemical pathways, a dopaminergic and a serotonergic. (J. of Att. Dis. 2009; 13(2) 117-126)


"We are the people of the Apokalis. Tomorrow there will be more of us" (Sinha 366). With this gloomy prophecy, Animal, the protagonist of Indra Sinha's 2007 novel Animal's People, concludes a series of tapes recorded for a Western journalist who seeks an authentic report of one of the poor inhabitants of the slums of the city of Khaufpur, India. Animal's prophecy raises a number of questions. Is Animal actually referring to Christian eschatology or does the reappropriation of 'Apokalis' hint at quite another concept instead? What would be the aesthetic and ethical implications of such a reference to religious imagery? And who, after all, is 'we'? In this essay, I will point to ways of destabilising the rhetorical power of the apocalyptic trope, and thus, of negotiating the meaning of discourses of catastrophe as avenues of thinking about a posthumanist perspective on disaster. Posthumanism, Neil Badmington writes, "marks a careful, ongoing, overdue rethinking of the dominant humanist (or anthropocentric) account of who 'we' are as human beings" (374). In the first part of this essay, I will argue that Animal's People offers fictional means of such forms of rethinking which require the unsettling of dichotomies of 'us' and 'them', and about human and animal. I will maintain that the theoretical perspective of postcolonial ecocriticism instigates to appreciate the tensions that come with such negotiations. In this context, the 'Apokalis' can be read as an event of unthinkability (Wolfe 123), and it is within the imaginative experience of fiction that this notion can be grasped and, as will be shown, even celebrated. In the second half of this essay, I will discuss this fictional experience of unthinkability by focussing on the novel's aesthetic power. Animal's People juxtaposes apocalyptic tropes and picaresque, postcolonial laughter. By staging the disaster of the 'Apokalis' in picaresque terms, the novel cleverly and effectively deconstructs the very apocalyptic trope it is concerned with. It does so mainly by virtue of three elements, which I will discuss in more detail below. First, it endorses the narrative with a sense of alterity that benefits the reading experience. Second, it creates an aesthetic tension between the writing of catastrophe and the genre of the picaresque. And thirdly, it finally deconstructs the dichotomy underlying this tension. Ultimately, Animal's People thus allows for an 'Animal' perspective on the narrative of disaster in a world that consists of numerous voices, several truths and one imperative to ethical behaviour. By narrating the stories of the inhabitants of the fictional city of Khaufpur, Sinha's novel features a moving and insightful account of the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India and


One of the most neglected areas of criminological and social science research is the police communications or dispatch center. While research projects dealing with stress and job satisfaction are found in abundance for other occupations, studies specific to the police dispatcher are uncommon. The role of the dispatcher has changed significantly in the last few decades. Improvements in technology and changes in public expectations of emergency services have forever altered the communications professional. Dispatchers work in an environment reliant on information. There is tremendous pressure to process the information coming into a communications center quickly and correctly. A mistake could prove fatal. Work pressures, burnout, high employee turnover, low pay, and a lack of respect from police coworkers can easily result in negative emotional and psychological consequences for the dispatcher. An effective manager could reduce the feelings of stress and low job satisfaction this environment can facilitate. The current study utilizes survey data from a sample of police dispatchers and their managers in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. The purpose of the survey is to identify the level of stress and job satisfaction reported by the dispatchers and their managers. The effects of differing types of stress will be investigated. Other relationships such as length of service, education, gender, ethnicity, and agency size will also be addressed.


Taking the Guangou agricultural science and technology park in Xinzheng as an example,with the analysis of the necessity and the feasibility of the planning and construction of the modern agricultural science and technology park,it took the Guangou agricultural science and technology park as the example to do the research on planning theory and planning practice of the modern agricultural science and technology park,which further more can summary,analysis and discuss the methods of planning of the modern agricultural science and technology park.It is expected that it will provide the certainly valuable reference for planning and the constructing of the agriculture park.


Since Lister (1678) revealed specific differences existing among some molluscan faecal pellets, several works on the same line have been published during last three decades by various authors, i.e. MooRE (1930, '31, '31a, '31b, '32, '33, '33a, '39), MANNING & KuMPF ('59), etc. in which observations are made almost ex clusively upon European and American species. But yet our knowledge about this subject seems to be far from complete. Thus the present work is planned to enrich the knowledge in this field and based mainly on Japanese species as many as possible. In my previous paper (ARAKAWA '62), I have already given a general account on the molluscan faeces at the present level of our knowledge in this field to gether with my unpublished data, and so in the first part of this serial work, I am going to describe and illustrate in detail the morphological characters of faecal pellets of molluscs collected in the Inland Sea of Seto and its neighbour ing areas. Before going further, I must express here my hearty thanks first to the late Dr. IsAo TAKI who educated me to carry out works in Malacology as one of his pupils, and then to Drs. TAKASI ToKIOKA and IwAo TAKI for reading the original typescript. Thanks are also extended to Dr. ToKUBEI KuRODA, Dr. Huzro UTINOMI, Prof. JrRo S:ENo, Dr. AKIHIKO INABA, Messrs. AKro TAKI and IsAo ONAMI for their kind helps given to the present work.


The article is devoted to the reconstruction of existing old drainage systems in order to radically improve the reclamation ecological and sanitary conditions of the lands of the Jizzakh region to improve the social conditions of the population and obtain high stable yields of cotton and other agricultural crops. As a result of many years of theoretical and irrigation to experimental research, operational monitoring in farms in the Pakhtakor district of Jizzakh region. The parameters of the primary horizontal drain are determined based on the analysis of reclamation climatic, soil, geological, hydrogeological, hydrological, economic, and other conditions. The calculation of the reconstruction of horizontal closed drainage is based on the method of A.N. Kostyakov in intensity from working the groundwater level after flushing. The depth of the drainage was determined, taking into account global climate change in recent years; based on these changes, an adjustment was made in the calculations to determine the value of the critical depths of groundwater during the operation of drainage systems. The incoming and outgoing parts of the water balance of the experimental plots were determined. In the presence of pressure groundwater, the size of the supply of groundwater with pressure water is determined. More proposed by the V.N. Shestakov's formula.


In the present work, we inquire the use of game theoretic techniques for the
 development of recommender systems. Initially, the interaction of the two
 aspects of the systems, query reformulation and relevance estimation, is
 modelled as a cooperative game where the two players have a common utility,
 to supply optimal recommendations, which they try to maximize. Based on this
 modelling, three basic recommendation methods are developed, namely
 collaborative filtering, content based filtering and demographic filtering.
 The different methods are then combined to create hybrid systems. In the
 weighted combination, the use of game theoretic techniques is extended, as
 it is modelled as a cooperative game. Finally, the methods are combined with
 the use of a genetic algorithm where game theory is used for the parent
 selection process. Our work offers a baseline for the efficient combination
 of recommendation methods through game theory and in addition the novelty
 method, Choice by Game, for the parent selection process in genetic
 algorithms which offers consistent performance improvements.


trauma or surgery negatively affects the healing process, resulting in a prolonged rehabilitative period. Pain, and specifically, joint effusion (swelling within a joint), have been shown to have deleterious effects such as decreased range of motion, muscle spasm, muscle inhibition, and muscle atrophy. These effects lead to decreased function of the involved body part and an extended rehabilitative time frame. Minimizing the effects of pain and joint effusion can enhance the healing process and speed the patient's return to safe and pain-free activity. The use of cold following acute musculoskeletal trauma has been the standard of treatment for years. The immediate use of cold to reduce pain and swelling is universally accepted in the sports medicine world. However, the physiologic benefits of cold following trauma or orthopaedic surgery has not been harnessed due to either the inability of cold packs to penetrate bulky postoperative bandages or from lack of use due to fear of wound infection if the sterile dressings were removed and cold moist packs applied. The introduction of cold therapy systems that deliver cold through sterile circulation pads, such has Polar Care, has made it possible to apply continuous cold directly to the operative site, without the fear of infection. To adequately understand the physiologic response of an acute injury/surgery to immediate application of cold, one must understand the tissue's response to injury. The Physiologic Effects of Immediate Cold Therapy


Sufficient conditions for the robustness and convergence of P-type learning control algorithms for a class of time-varying, nonlinear systems are presented. The authors prove the uniform boundedness of the system state and the input control with respect to the existence of errors of initialization, measurement noises, and fluctuations of system dynamics. Furthermore, the system output converges uniformly to the desired one in absence of all disturbances. Finally, specialization of the results to linear systems are presented. >


Abstract Gas pulsations in suction and discharge chambers are a significant source of noise in screw compressors. This paper shows how such effects in the discharge chamber are influenced both by the compressor operating conditions and its geometric characteristics. An area function is identified for the discharge port as an important parameter influencing the gas pulsations and it is shown how their amplitude can be reduced by optimization of the port shape.


Abstract An examination is made of some methods for determining lower confidence limits for the reliability of series systems using binomial subsystem test data. Key test results form the basis of a theoretical and numerical study which shows that several approximate methods compare favorably with exact methods.


Fossil oil prices are soaring steeply due to the depleting petroleum raw materials. Extensive research has been carried out around the globe to develop efficient processes that can replace oil-derived polymers (conventional plastic) with bio-based polymers that originate from renewable resources. Fossil-oil based plastic products take decades to degrade, leading to the unwanted accumulation of plastic waste that can be seen all around. Further, greenhouse gases emission occurs during the production and destruction of synthetic plastic. Therefore, plastic waste has become a massive threat to the biosphere and needs to be addressed immediately. To overcome this issue, a new type of plastic can be produced from bio-resources that can fulfill even the energy demand in today's world. This new form of plastic must be accommodated fast in daily life, considering the range of applications of plastics. Biodegradable plastics made from renewable raw materials can retain all the benefits of petroleum-based plastic without having any negative impacts on the environment. Bioplastics are not toxic in nature and can easily decay back into carbon dioxide via degradation. The products made from bioplastics may be commercialized, considering their superior properties over conventional plastic. The discovery and implementation of plastic made from renewable raw material resources could be a giant leap into the sustainable future.


Background and Aims: Epidemiological studies suggest that levels of green space in a neighbourhood are negatively associated with residents' mortality and morbidity rates. One mechanism proposed fo...


Significance Mathematical and computational modeling approaches can be essential in providing quantitative scenarios of disease spreading, as well as projecting the impact in the population. Here we analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of the Zika virus epidemic in the Americas with a microsimulation approach informed by high-definition demographic, mobility, and epidemic data. The model provides probability distributions for the time and place of introduction of Zika in Brazil, the estimate of the attack rate, timing of the epidemic in the affected countries, and the projected number of newborns from women infected by Zika. These results are potentially relevant in the preparation and analysis of contingency plans aimed at Zika virus control. We use a data-driven global stochastic epidemic model to analyze the spread of the Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas. The model has high spatial and temporal resolution and integrates real-world demographic, human mobility, socioeconomic, temperature, and vector density data. We estimate that the first introduction of ZIKV to Brazil likely occurred between August 2013 and April 2014 (90% credible interval). We provide simulated epidemic profiles of incident ZIKV infections for several countries in the Americas through February 2017. The ZIKV epidemic is characterized by slow growth and high spatial and seasonal heterogeneity, attributable to the dynamics of the mosquito vector and to the characteristics and mobility of the human populations. We project the expected timing and number of pregnancies infected with ZIKV during the first trimester and provide estimates of microcephaly cases assuming different levels of risk as reported in empirical retrospective studies. Our approach represents a modeling effort aimed at understanding the potential magnitude and timing of the ZIKV epidemic and it can be potentially used as a template for the analysis of future mosquito-borne epidemics.


Latex gloves are widely used for non-invasive procedures since increased public awareness of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). A number of allergic reactions have been reported to the latex protein and some of the other components in the gloves. The clinical symptoms include: contact dermatitis, localised urticaria, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, angioedema, generalised urticaria, asthma and even anaphylaxis.


Hyperparameters are among the most crucial factors that effect the performance of machine learning algorithms. Since there is not a common ground on which hyperparameter combinations give the highest performance in terms of prediction accuracy, hyperparameter search needs to be conducted each time a model is to be trained. In this work, we analyzed how similar hyperparemeters perform on various datasets from sketch recognition domain. Results have shown that hyperparameter search space can be reduced to a subspace despite differences in dataset characteristics.


Therefore, this product appears well-suited for use in swine diets but needs further evaluation to determine its effects on pig growth performance.


Abstract. Objectives. The aim of this study was to carry out a cost‐effectiveness analysis of a multifactorial intervention programme in treated hypertensive patients.


Successfully completed in 1982, the Tuna field in Australia's Gippsland basin was the most complex of the fields developed by Esso in that area. The commercial oil and gas reserves are contained in four sets of reservoirs in the Upper Cretaceous to Eocene Latrobe group sediments in a faulted and partly eroded anticlinal closure. Some of these reservoirs were not discovered until the development phase of drilling, causing significant changes to the initial development plan, notably the installation of multiple completions in 13 wells. The types of completions used were single, tandem, dual, and dual/tandem.


Fluorescence quenching was adopted to probe the effects of root excision on fluorescent properties as well as on the yield of winter wheat under different moisture circumstances.The results indicated that at different growth stages,maximum quantum yield(F_v/F_o) and potential PSⅡ activity(F_v/F_m) of wheat in the treatment with root excision did not significantly differ from those in the treatment without root excision.The fluorescence properties at different growth stages showed that root excision initially made the ETR and Φ_(PSⅡ) of wheat decline but the photosynthetic electron transport of wheat PSⅡ increase in its activity.In the booting stage,because more energy was transported to the aboveground parts,root compensation made the ETR,Φ_(PSⅡ) and qP increase,and that root excision did not significantly reduced the photochemical efficiency of PSⅡ.The Φ_(PSⅡ) and ETR under the mixed planting mode were higher than those under the single planting mode and this was thought of resulting from that root excision reduced the competitive edge of wheat but increased the whole photosynthetic capacity thereby helping transport energy to the aboveground parts and consisting with the yield increase under the mixed planting mode.In normal moisture treatment under the single planting mode,root excision reduced the spike weight and aboveground biomass of wheat as well as the kernel yield by 19.20%.In drought treatment,root excision lowered the root/shoot ratio of wheat and raised the spike weight and kernel yield of wheat.


Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) area array packaging technologies in high reliability versions are now being considered for applications, including use in a number of NASA electronic systems being utilized for both the Space Shuttle and Mars Rover missions. Indeed, recently a ceramic package version specifically tailored for high reliability applications was used to provide the processing power required for the Spirit and Opportunity Mars Rovers built by NASA-JPL. Both Rovers successfully completed their 3-months mission requirements and continued exploring the Martian surface for many more moths, providing amazing new information on previous environmental conditions of Mars and strong evidence that water exists on Mars. Understanding process, reliability, and quality assurance (QA) indicators for reliability are important for low risk insertion of these newly available packages in high reliability applications. In a previous investigation, thermal cycle test results for a non-functional daisychained peripheral ceramic column grid array (CCGA) and its plastic ball grid array (PBGA) version, both having 560 I/Os, were gathered and are presented here. Test results included environmental data for three different thermal cycle regimes (� 55/125 � C, � 55/100 � C, and � 50/75 � C). Detailed information on these—especially failure type for assemblies with high and low solder volumes—are presented. The thermal cycle test procedure followed those recommended by IPC-9701 for tin–lead solder joint assemblies. Its revision A covers guideline thermal cycle requirements for Pb-free solder joints. Key points on this specification are also discussed. In a recent investigation a fully populated CCGA with 717 I/Os was considered for assembly reliability evaluation. The functional package is a field-programmable gate array that has much higher processing power than its previous version. This new package is smaller in dimension, has no interposer, and has a thinner column wrapped with copper for reliability improvement. This paper will also present thermal cycle test results for assemblies of this and its plastic package version with 728 I/Os, both of which were exposed to four different cycle regimes. Two of these cycle profiles are specified by IPC-9701A for tin–lead, namely, � 55 to 100 � C and � 55 to 125 � C. One is a cycle profile specified by Mil-Std-883, namely, � 65/150 � C, generally used for ceramic hybrid packages screening and qualification. The last cycle is in the range of � 120 to 85 � C, a representative of electronic systems directly exposed to the Martian environment without use in a thermal control enclosure. Per IPC-9701A, test vehicles were built using daisy chain packages and were continuously monitored and/ or manually checked for opens at intervals. The effects of many process and assembly variables—including corner staking commonly used for improving resistance to mechanical loading such as drop and vibration loads—were also considered as part of the test matrix. Optical photomicrographs were taken at various thermal cycle intervals to document damage progress and behavior. Representative samples of these are presented along with cross-sectional photomicrographs at higher magnification taken by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine crack propagation and failure analyses for packages.


The study subject of the experience was 'Florina' apple cultivar grafted on 'M9' rootstock. The distance of plantation is 3.5 x 0.8 m. The research was conducted during the period of 2020 year. The tested agent was Prohexadion - calcium (product Regalis Plus), which was sprayed in different period. The first application of Regalis Plus at 2.5 and 1.25 kg/ha was apply at the end of flowering, when terminal shoots are 2 to 5 cm in length. Apply a second application of 1.25 and 0.75 kg/ha after the first an interval of 3-4 weeks. The third treatment was executed 3 weeks after the previous one in dose of 0.5 kg/ha, depending on growth conditions. During the research, it was studied the degree of fruit setting, their number in the crown, mean fruit weight, yield, the number of fruits formation and theirs type. It was established that, Regalis Plus at 2.5 kg/ha, 1.25+1.25 kg/ha and 1.25+0.75+0.50 kg/ha influence on the degree of fruit setting, their number in the crown, the mean fruit weight, yield and number of fruits formation on the 'Florina' apple cultivar.


We report on an experimental study that focus on the cross phase modulation (XPM) and self-phase modulation (SPM) effects upon the transmission performance of 10 Gb/s-based long-haul return-to-zero differential phase-shift keying system, using the block-type dispersion map. Experimental results show that for the channel at the system zero dispersion wavelength SPM causes a larger degradation as compared to channels at other wavelengths. Whereas it was observed that the XPM impairment does not vary significantly for channels at or away from the system zero dispersion wavelength.


Social agencies in the central region of a midwestern state were surveyed to determine the present and future need for BSW and MSW graduates. The sample included administrators of 126 agencies who currently hire social workers or who plan to in the future. The study also addressed barriers for employees seeking social work degrees, and the projected effects of future "credentializing" such as social work licensure and Medicaid reimbursement. The projected need for future BSW workers is twice that of MSW workers. Agency administrators generally predicted that all future credentializing movements would increase the future need for MSW workers. For BSW workers agency accreditation, managed care and social work licensure should increase demand while the effects of Medicaid reimbursement and third-party payments are uncertain. Barriers to the education of current employees continue to exist, and demand for employees positively relates to the proximity to current and proposed social work education programs. Fea...


Optimal treatment strategy for acute cholecystitis based on predictive factors: Japan-Taiwan multicenter cohort study. Endo I, Takada T, Hwang TL, Akazawa K, Mori R, Miura F, Yokoe M, Itoi T, Gomi H, Chen MF, Jan YY, Ker CG, Wang HP, Kiriyama S, Wada K, Yamaue H, Miyazaki M, Yamamoto M. J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci. 2017 Jun;24(6):346–361. Supplementation file of "Appendix S1" on page 361 https://www.readcube.com/articles/supplement?doi=10.1002%2Fjhbp.456&index=0&ssl=1&st=bd10e593c20b6a5892df 87bdf91ddd29&preview=1 In this study, Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI) scores were based on the Charlson Comorbidity Index, which was developed by Charlson et al. to measure baseline comorbid conditions. However, the ACCI scores adjust for age effects, with the comorbidity score of each patient aged >40 years increasing by 1 for each decade. The original version was missing several lines. I demonstrate the added lines using red letters.


Abstract The paper describes the modern diagnostic system destined for mine haulage and hoisting equipment, equipped with intelligent sensors and transducers, and controlled by means of an industrial computer. Expert System (ES) has been chosen to diagnose the above mentioned equipment. The paper presents the basic architecture of "Diagnoprzem" and "HELMOS" computer knowledge based expert system (KBES) implemented for the fault diagnostics and the detailed monitoring of generators and distribution substations in power systems. The operation of every circuit breaker and switch is recorded in the Digital Fault Recorder (DFR) of the mine. All electrical, mechanical and kinetics parameters are measured by the installed sensors and transformers respectively. These signals are acquired by the presented computational system and subsequently used to evaluate the condition of the generator and the substation. The estimated conditions are compared to the measured ones in order to detect any conflict that could induce an abnormal situation. An intelligent algorithm is executed during a program scan cycle incorporating the stored knowledge of the expert operator. Some results of computer simulations are given. This paper presents also the results of industrial testing.


The present invention relates to a structure for press parts or divided output tablets (35) of the tablet dispenser (1) a method for press parts outputting the tablet (35) of the tablet dispenser (1), the tablet dispenser has a housing (2) and can be inserted into the housing output member (3) (2), wherein said output member (3) has an output channel (22) and against the return spring (19 ) force with respect to said output channel (22) metering element (44) active. In order to achieve favorable stress load of the return spring, in this proposal, provided clamping member (13), said clamp (13) preferably pieces in said output member (3) is inserted into the housing (2) in the process activities within space unpressed return spring (19) occupied.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of increasing levels of concentrate on the production of carcass and non-carcass components of feedlot ewes. Twenty-four crossbred ewes were randomly distributed in four treatments: diet with 20%; 40%; 60%; and 80% concentrate. Animals were slaughtered when those receiving the diet with 80% concentrate reached adult live weight (50 kg LW). The data were analyzed by variance and regression analyses. The weights of the shoulder and leg rise linearly with the increase in the levels of concentrate, but shoulder yield was not affected, with an average of 16%, and the leg yield reduced linearly (28 g for each 1% concentrate added). The percentage value of the viscera reduced linearly, as well as those of head and paws. The non-carcass components represented values of 34.64; 38.60; 38.55; and 39.88% of the LW for the levels of 20, 40, 60 and 80% of concentrate, respectively. The weight of the cuts is affected positively by the increase in the levels of concentrate. The increase in the levels of concentrate promotes lower percentage of viscera and increase in the deposition of back fat of the commercial meat cuts.


Background: laparoscopic cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients with proper hepatic function, has demonstrated slower morbimortality than conventional surgery. objectives: to demonstrate the feasibility and security of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients and to analyze the morbimortality and hospital stay. Place: Hospital Italiano de COrdoba. Design: retrospective observational. Population: 15 patients with previous or intraoperative diagnosis of cirrhosis subjected to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Material and method: median age was 52.4 years; seven cases were male. Clinical presentation was: biliary colic in 11 cases, cholecystokinetics intolerance in 8, acute cholecistytis in 2 and jaundice in 2. Diagnosis of cirrhosis was confirmed prior to surgery with biopsy in 3 patients, it was suspected in 5 and it was a surgical discovery in Z Ethiology was: alcohol in seven, C virus in 4, autoinmune in two cases and in other two was criptogenetic. According to Child Pugh score, 14 were grade A. Abdominal ultrasound not only diagnosed cholelitiasis but also showed indirect findings of alterated hepatic structure and/or portal hypertension. Eleven patients were operated electively and four with acute presentations. Results: all patients were initially managed laparoscopically. The procedure was completed in thirteen patients, and in two conventional surgery was required, one case for impossibility to identify the anatomic elements of the Calot's triangle, and another for litiasis located in the junction of cystic and common bile duct Complications occurred in 4 cases: abdominal wall haematoma, postoperative hypotension, hemorrhage and a late acute renal failure; this last one was the only deceased, classified as Child grade B. Conclusions: 1) cholelitiasis is more frequent in cirrhotic patients; 2) Child grade A and even B with vesicular litiasis should be operated on as soon as diagnosis is made to avoid complications. Laparoscopic cholecistectomy is feasible and secure in these group of patients; 3) Surgical laparoscopic principles such as: correct identification of the anatomy, dissection and meticulous haemostasis should be observed rigorously; 4) patients present a more comfortable recovery and a shorter hospital stay; 5) cirrhotic patients with acute colecistitis require more frequently open surgery, for which they should be initially treated medically.


Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with significant mortality and prognosis depends on spectrum of etiologies and management. There are regional differences in etiology and outcomes of AKI. This study was undertaken to determine clinical characteristics, etiologies of AKI, modality of treatment and prognosis of AKI in our cohort of population. Methodology: This is a retrospective observational study conducted over a period of 6 months from a tertiary care hospital. All patients above 15 years admitted with AKI are included in the study. Clinical parameters, risk factors, cause of AKI (as per KDIGO criteria) and treatment received were studied. Patients with underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD), obstructive causes, drugs and toxin mediated AKI were excluded from the study. Results: A total of 50 patients with AKI were studied in this period. The mean age of patient was 41 years with slightly predominant male patients. The common etiologies of AKI included: infections (48%), snake bite (18%), hepatorenal syndrome (18%), cardiorenal causes (10%), and rhabdomyolysis in 6%. Oliguria was most common symptom at presentation (46%) followed by fever and breathlessness. Dialysis was required in 22 patients. Dialysis was equally effective in infective and non-infective causes of AKI. Mean duration of hospital stay was 7.8±2.5 days. Two patients died during study period due to multiorgan failure. Conclusion: Infections are common cause for AKI in this study. Renal replacement therapy is equally effective in both infective and non-infective causes of AKI with favourable prognosis.


Using a linear dipole moment function, the analytical vibrational-rotational transition moment matrix elements of Herman and Rubin, and their simplified formulation, the so-called F-factor approximation, of Herman, Rothery and Rubin are compared for the HF molecule in its 1∑ electronic ground state. The comparison reveals that, both for the v′ = 1, J′ →v″ = 0, J″ and the v′ = 2, J′ →v″ = 1, J″ transitions, the F-factor approximation gives a better than 5 per cent agreement with the HR theory for J″ up to 25, but becomes rapidly worse thereafter.


We model competition between two unregulated mobile phone companies with price–elastic demand and less than full market coverage. We also assume that there is a regulated full–coverage fixed network. In order to induce stronger competition, mobile companies could have an incentive to raise their reciprocal mobile–to–mobile access charges above the marginal costs of termination. Stronger competition leads to an increase of the mobiles' market shares, with the advantage that (genuine) network effects are strengthened. Therefore, 'collusion' may well be in line with social welfare. JEL–classification numbers: L41, L96.


Based on MOCL algorithm, jet formation by wide angle shaped charge and penetration into multi layer targets are numerically simulated with a two dimensional multi material Eulerian code. The computation results agree with the experimental very well. The ability to coherently simulate the full process can avoid lots of artificial hypotheses in the numerical computation, and is of practical usage to the shaped charge optimization design. Numerical and experimental results show that the jet mass formed by wide angle shaped charge amounts to 32 percent of the liner, and it has the characteristics both of shaped charge jet and explosively formed projectiles, which is helpful for penetrating into multi layer targets.


This paper aims to illustrate the effects of a change in policy from one of attempting to match farebox revenue to costs to one of attempting to maximise use of public transport within a context of constant fares. First it examines the economists concept of elasticity of demand and its uses and then looks at evidence from passenger transport operations of real elasticity values. The paper then compares the results of a case study with values expected from previous results and attempts to explain any differences which arise. The case study looks at the city of Kingston upon Hull where there was a change of fares policy in 1980. The study is made within the context of trying to define elasticity values. It looks first at an individual fare change and then examines the time series of data between 1976 and 1982 which illustrates quite clearly the differing effects on passengers and revenue of the two fares policies. It finds a long-term price elasticity value, looks at the effects of real price increases and decreases and illustrates the effects of this on the revenue showing that the constant fares policy is now producing a consistent increase in revenue. Finally the paper looks at the policy implications of such results, bringing costs into the picture to show some of the costs and benefits of the two-types of fares policy examined. It finishes by pointing to areas where further research is needed to assist policymakers in their decisions. (Author/TRRL)


There was an error published in J. Exp. Biol . 211(19) , [iv][1].

In this Outside JEB article, the first author of the following reference was incorrectly referred to as Yoshi Watanabe:

Watanabe, Y., Wei, Q., Yang, D., Chen, X., Du, H., Yang, J., Sato, K., Naito, Y. and Miyazaki, N. (2008).


of has ely as hot e ge re ow Colonel Jeffrey V Rosenfeld joined the Army Reserve in 1984 and has served in many ADF Units and organisations. He has served on six operational deployments to Rwanda, East Timor, Bougainville and the Solomon Islands. He attended the Reserve Command and Staff College in 1992, and has helped to develop the Military Module of the Definitive Surgery Trauma Course and to promote the DSTC as a training vehicle for military surgeons. He was awarded the Geoffrey Harkness Medal in 2001. He has a strong research interest in traumatic brain injury, and he has over 130 publications.


Dental anaesthesia is often underestimated and considered ideal for the less experienced practitioner. This perception has proved to be devoid of truth and is a dangerous notion. The 'simple' general dental anaesthetic has proven time and time again to be fraught with caveats that may, if ignored, ultimately lead to serious patient harm or even death. The patient who receives dental treatment under general anaesthesia is usually a child, one with special needs, or one who requires an extensive dental procedure. The term 'simple' general dental anaesthetic is therefore a misnomer. The concept of procedural sedation for dentistry is beyond the scope of this article. It deals with general dental anaesthesia.


Nuclear family is a major type of the current Chinese families,whose life cycle can be subdivided into six stages.On the basis of defining the connotation of family sports at the empty-nest stage of a nuclear family,analysis is made about the implementation status for the six different stages with focus placed on the analysis of the value of family sports at the empty-nest stage during occupational tenure.Finally counter measures about how to conduct family sports in Empty-nest stage nuclear families of incumbency are put forth.


The intent of this study was to examme the relationship between personal epistemology, complexity of thought given three different levels of accountability instruction, and critical thinking dispositions. Each of these areas has been examined in the literature separately, but the relationship between them has never been investigated. The participants consisted of 128 undergraduates, 81 female and 47 male, all of whom had earned sbcty or more semester credits and were all enrolled in a required interdisciplinary seminar at a small private liberal arts college in the midwest. Personal epistemology was measured by the Learning Environment Preference (Moore, 1987), which is based on William Perry's stages of intellectual development. The integrative complexity of thought was measured by the Integrative Complexity Code developed by Schroder, Driver, & Streufert (1967). Critical thinking dispositions were measured by the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (Facione, & Facione, 1992). The study was a 2 x 3 factorial design. The data were analyzed using an analysis of variance to compare personal epistemology, complexity of thought, and critical thinking dispositions. Correlations were also computed to examine relationships between demographic variables and the other variables. Significant results showed participants who hold the personal epistemological belief that knowledge is constructed or relativistic have stronger dispositions toward critical


The definition of train scheduling is going to shift its current static approach, as generally resulting in a timetable, towards a dynamic approach where the timetable can be modified in order to enhance the satisfaction of passengers' demand. In this paper, demand-oriented scheduling and rescheduling models are formalized in order to propose a dynamic timetable that can be modified to satisfy groups of passengers. More specifically, the assessment is based on a min max method. The proposed approach allows the definition of the train timetables for scheduling rail services along a multiline rail network according to operational constraints related to train capacity, train speed limits, passenger's train transfers, possible conflict in the track section use, with the main objective to minimize the travel time of a set of passengers' groups. The timetable resulted by the scheduling problem have been used as the input to a rescheduling model where predefined disturbances have been assumed to some nodes of the network. The proposed models are applied to the real case study of the rail network for high-speed trains in the Northern Italy.


Abstract : The objective of this grant is to purchase a coupled diagnostic system that will enable high resolution measurements of heat flow and phase change allowing chemical kinetic modeling of surface chemistry using an advanced DSC TGA via simultaneous thermal analysis (STA). This diagnostic couples with existing Quadrapol Mass Spectrometer (QMS) that enables gas species identification in-situ equilibrium reaction. This system is also coupled with state-of-the-art IR imaging technology that enables nanosecond integration time and micron scale resolution to resolve the early stages of localized energy build up leading to ignition.


Abstract We prove that rank-(n – 1) convexity does not imply quasiconvexity with respect to divergence free fields (so-called S-quasiconvexity) in for m > n, by adapting the well-known Šverák's counterexample to the solenoidal setting. On the other hand, we also remark that rank-(n – 1) convexity and S-quasiconvexity turn out to be equivalent in the space of n × n diagonal matrices.


The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) of 14 phenoxybenzoic acid derivatives was studied by ab initio method at the HF/6-31G level using Guassian03 software. The optimized structures together with some characteristic and electric parameters of the title compounds were obtained; some stereo-parameters were calculated by HyperChem software. Stepwise multiple regression and principal component regression methods are adopted to establish multi-parametric models between biological activity and parameters. The results indicated that the lager Ehomo, M, V and LogP, the smaller Elumo and S, and the higher biological activity. A theoretical direction was provided to synthesize some compounds with high activity.


Abstract : Chlorine (Cl2; CASRN 7782-50-5) was the first gas to be used as a chemical warfare agent during the First World War and is widely utilized today in industry (e.g. oxidizing agent in water treatment; pulp mills). The immediate effects from acute exposure are well documented but the long term sequelae from an acute exposure are not well understood. Several studies were reviewed that discuss the long term outcome of an acute exposure to chlorine gas and their conclusions appear contradictory. This may be due to different endpoints being assessed, to the existence of lung diseases prior to exposure, or even the effects of smoking. The concentration and duration of chlorine exposure would also play a role in the potential for long term sequelae and few of the studies reviewed provided this information. Animal inhalation toxicology experiments that studied the potential for long term effects after an acute exposure to chlorine noted that the observed effects may resolve over time. An intrinsic limitation of animal studies is the difficulty of extrapolating to humans. Thus, from peer-review human and animal literature, it is difficult to conclusively determine if there are long term effects after an acute exposure to chlorine gas.


It is shown that positive electrical polarization reduces the drag force on gold- and polyvinyl butyral (PVB)-coated spheres immersed in a stream of aqueous sodium fluoride solution. This effect is related to a decrease in the interfacial viscosity of the solution at the positively polarized gold and PVB surfaces, as obtained from quartz resonator measurements. The decrease in viscosity at a polymer-coated electrode is larger than that at a gold electrode, which is consistent with drag force measurements. The drag force reduction due to decreased interfacial viscosity at a polymer-coated metallic surface on application of an electrical potential widens the range of possible applications of this effect for active manipulation of wall-bounded liquid flows, given that the use of metal surfaces is limited by their risk of corrosion.


Introduction The posterior condylar axis of the distal femur is the common reference used to describe femoral anteversion. In the context of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), this reference can be used to define the native femoral anteversion, as well as the anteversion of the stem. However, these measurements are fixed to a femoral reference. The authors propose that the functional position of the proximal femur must be considered, as well as the functional relationship between stem and cup (combined anteversion) when considering the clinical implications of stem anteversion. This study investigates the post-operative differences between anatomically-referenced and functionally-referenced stem and combined anteversion in the supine and standing positions. Method 18 patients undergoing pre-operative analysis with the Trinity OPS® planning (Optimized Ortho, Sydney Australia, a division of Corin, UK) were recruited for post-operative assessment. Anatomic and functional stem anteversion in both the supine and standing positions were determined. The anatomic anteversion was measured from CT and referenced to the posterior condyles. The supine functional anteversion was measured from CT and referenced to the coronal plane. The standing functional anteversion was measured to the coronal plane when standing by performing a 3D/2D registration of the implants to a weight-bearing AP X-ray. Further, functional acetabular anteversion was captured to determine combined functional anteversion in the supine and standing positions. Results The average anatomical stem anteversion was 9.9° (6.7° to 13.0°). In all cases, the anatomical stem anteversion was different than the measured functional stem anteversion in both the supine and standing positions. The functional femoral anteversion decreased from supine to stand by an average of 7.1° (4.9°−9.2°), suggesting more internal rotation of the femurs when weight-bearing. In all patients, the pelvis rotated posteriorly in the sagittal plane from supine to standing, increasing the functional acetabular anteversion by a mean of 5.1°. Conclusions Anatomic stem anteversion differs significantly from functional stem anteversion in both the supine and standing positions, as a consequence of the patient specific differences in internal/external rotation of the femur in the functional postures. In the same way that the Anterior Pelvic Plane is now widely recognized as an inappropriate reference for cup orientation due to variation in sagittal pelvic tilt, referencing the femoral stem anteversion to the native anatomy (distal femur) maybe also be misleading and not provide a suitable description of the functional anteversion of the stem. This has implications for determining optimal combined alignment in THA.


Novel multifunctional nanocomposites were synthesised for the removal of organic dye pollutants from contaminated water samples.
Nanocomposites were functionalised to remove dyes via adsorption, photocatalytic breakdown and separation of the nanocomposites from water by simple magnetism.
Two types of nanocomposites were produced, carbon based photocatalytic magnetic nanocomposites (synthesised by embedding superparamagnetic iron oxide and titanium dioxide into a carbon source i.e. Multi walled carbon nanotubes and activated charcoal)
The second type are Novel hybrid Magnetic Ionic-liquid-nanocomposites were synthesised with silica coated magnetic nanoparticles and ionic-liquid. The ionic liquid functionalisation potentially provides multiple interactions that can adhere organic dyes to its surface due to the imidazole group.


A geographically wide-area distribution is a technique to improve fault tolerance of an information communication technology (ICI) application. Geographically wide-area distributed applications can be affected by network failure due to natural disasters and disasters by human error. Failure Injection Testing (FIT) is a method to verify and evaluate a fault tolerance of a geographically wide-area distributed application. In this paper, the authors propose a system that produces whole FIT scenarios for a wide-area distributed application. Exhaustive evaluations of fault tolerance can show how the scenarios can degrade the application. The authors also propose a probabilistically quantitative evaluation method from the aspect of topological constraint conditions.


Engaging in a chronological retrospection of my professional and personal transdisciplinary practice of walking-based research over the past decade, and embedding some elements of arts-based writing into the article itself, I articulate the influence of walking art, transect walks by urban researchers, and especially of Sarah Pink's sensory ethnography on his own use of walking-based method-elements for sustainability research. I discuss how these approaches bear relevance to urban sustainability research and suggest a queer-ecological direction for walking-based transdisciplinary research.


Technologies of computer-aided diagnosis(CAD)have been applied to the detection or differential diagnosis of lesions so far. However, there are few cases where CAD technology is applied to therapy. The purpose of this study is to propose a method for the prognostic prediction of glioblastomas by using genes and image features. Our database consists of messenger RNAs(mRNAs), MR images and survival times obtained from 62 patients(41 males, 21 females). First, we selected 20 genes from 12042 mRNA, which were having small Deviance residuals in the univariate Cox regression. After the tumor regions in MR images were manually segmented, we calculated 94 image features such as size, shape, pixel value, and texture in the segmented tumor regions. Twenty image features were selected by the same manner used in the selection of genes. We estimated the survivor functions for 62 patients by using Cox regression with selected genes and image features. The outputs of Cox regression were evaluated by using the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC)analysis. The experimental result showed that the time-specific area under the curve AUC(t)exceeded 0.82 when the survival time less than 296 days. Because our method can provide objective information about the patient's prognosis, it would be useful for assisting in the determination of suitable treatment of brain tumor patients.


Australian farmers want to market products as 'clean and green'. Environmental Management Systems (EMS) can help farmers improve their performance and justify 'green claims'. We worked with 12 farm families in southern New South Wales to develop and implement EMS using group learning and report progress towards developing more environmentally acceptable farming systems through increased perenniality and active management of remnant vegetation. Early on in the 3-year project, farmers assessed their environmental performance through development of a self-assessment questionnaire. Some had strong skills in management of remnant vegetation, whereas others were stronger in agronomy. Environmental monitoring tools were developed and tested, enabling farmers to assess on-farm perenniality, leakage (excess water lost) from paddocks and quality of remnant vegetation. Farmers became ready for the formal parts of EMS (environmental review, policy and action plans) half way through the project. The group-learning approach resulted in practice change. Improving farmers' understanding of environmental principles was found to be more important than the EMS process in achieving practice change, but EMS was a useful tool that enabled integration of production and environmental management.


Background: Although fat grafting has become an attractive method of correction of soft tissue deficiencies, variability in results exists. As the understanding of mechanism of survival of graft improves, the concepts regarding fat grafting change. There are many ways to process the aspirated fat with no clear method superior. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of processing during autologous fat transfer. Materials and Methods: The patients were serially divided into two groups, namely, A and B. Harvesting of lipoaspirate and injection of fat were same in both the groups. In group A, no processing was done. In group B, the fat was processed by sedimentation and injected. Patient satisfaction was assessed following the procedure and statistical analysis was done using the Mann–Whitney U-test. Results: Young females between 21 and 30 years formed the majority of patients who opted for fat grafting procedure. Most of the procedures were performed for defects in the face (93.3%). The most common indication of fat grafting was contour deformities, with abdomen being the most preferred donor site. The mean patients' satisfaction following fat grafting without processing is 2.2 ± 0.68. The mean patients' satisfaction following fat grafting with processing is 2.53 ± 0.99. Conclusion: There was not a statistically significant difference in patient outcomes following fat grafting, with or without processing, in terms of patient satisfaction. Autologous fat grafting was found to be a safe procedure with no significant complications.


This paper presents a fast face recognition algorithm that combines the discrete cosine transform based local appearance face recognition technique with the local binary pattern (LBP) representation of the face images. The underlying idea is to benefit from both the robust image representation capability of local binary patterns, and the compact representation capability of local appearance-based face recognition. In the proposed method, prior to local appearance modeling, the input face image is transformed into the local binary pattern domain. The obtained LBP-representation is then decomposed into non-overlapping blocks and on each local block the discrete cosine transform is applied to extract the local features. The extracted local features are then concatenated to construct the overall feature vector. The proposed algorithm is tested extensively on the face images from the CMU PIE and the FRGC version 2 face databases. The experimental results show that the combined approach improves the performance significantly.


This Working Paper contributes to the overall objective of formulating a European Theory of Justice and Fairness by concentrating on the conceptions of justice put forward, codified and side-lined in the early years of European formation. It takes a social constructivist perspective, focuses on the key actors involved in negotiating justice, the moments that mattered most and their geo-political background during and after the Second World War. The analysis is thus based on archival materials as well as secondary sources. This Report was written within the framework of Work Package 3 "Law as or against justice for all''


Thanasis Karakasis, ∗ Eleftherios Papantonopoulos, † Zi-Yu Tang, 3, ‡ and Bin Wang 5, § Physics Division, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece. School of Fundamental Physics and Mathematical Sciences, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China Center for Gravitation and Cosmology, College of Physical Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China


The urgency of the topic is due to the fact that today the importance of socially responsible state as a factor in overcoming instability and crisis in COVID-19, which requires reformatting the principles of public administration, survival of organizations and their adaptation to changes in uncertainty in the environment and needs constant modernization. To form the concept of a socially responsible state in COVID-19, it is necessary to overcome the conditions of crisis and instability, to create conditions for sustainable development, reset the management of public administration, to form new survival values of organizations at risk. The purpose of the study: theoretical and practical aspects of the concept the formation of socially responsible state as a factor in overcoming instability and crisis in COVID-19. Objectives of the study: 1. To study the formation of the concept of socially responsible state as a factor in overcoming instability and crisis in COVID-19. 2. To analyze the methodology of research of the socially responsible state as a factor of overcoming instability and crisis in the conditions of COVID-19.  3. To identify complexity as a sign of unstable and unbalanced public administration. 4. To identify the increasing complexity of organizations in modern conditions and the need for self-adaptation and self-regulation of systems. Research methodology. AGILE methodology acts as a system of new values, which extends to many areas of activity, including public administration and administration. Methods of synergetic analysis, including the theory of self-organizing open systems, which find themselves in points of imbalance, uncertainty, bifurcation (bifurcation), stochastic information (lack of information), system drift, resulting in a change of priorities. The result of the study. It is concluded that the state should realize and be responsible for its influence on society, promote socially responsible attitude to all processes taking place in society, for which to rebuild consciousness, principles and methods of activity that would be focused on obtaining social, economic and environmental effects that do not harm society and the environment.


An apparatus for separating fluids, characterized in that it mainly consists of two characterized in that it mainly consists of two pressing elements (3,4), between which a flexible container (6) can be applied with various fluids and then can be emptied, and means ( 5), which allow that the pressing elements (3,4) during the pressing together at least two movements (R1, R2; R1, R3, T1, R4, T1, R5; T2, R6) can carry out relative to each other.


[...]side effects may be related to the adverse impact on climate change, carbon footprint, biodiversity, etc. The difficulty of transforming food chains also comes from the need to reconcile social objectives (food quality, their availability for the whole population, demographic evolution, etc.) with economic ones (selling price, company profit, competition, etc.). Concerns about healthy nutrition and the reduction of food waste, on which the Green Deal is based, can also be highlighted through the analysis of scientific output that has addressed these issues. [...]the paper "Bibliometric analysis of the Green Deal policies in the food chain " conducted research of this type of papers published between 2000 and 2021.


Syntheses of the CD and E ring systems of calicheamicin γ1I as compounds (2) and (3)(for CD) and (4) and (5)(for E) in their naturally occurring forms are reported.


The success of the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process for the treatment of high-strength wastewaters relies on the production of granular biomass with high bio-activity and settle-ability, both of which are critically dependent on the startup conditions. In this study, an 8.5 L UASB reactor was seeded with flocculent sludge from an anaerobic digester, and the startup strictly followed a pre-determined strategy. Using a synthetic wastewater, which was composed of milk powder, sucrose and balanced nutrients, the UASB reactor in 70 days was able to remove over 95% of soluble COD at 37 C and a loading rate of 20 g-COD/L/day. In 200 days, it removed over 95% of soluble COD at the loading rate of 160 g-COD/L/day, which corresponded to a hydraulic retention time of 1.8 hours and wastewater COD of 12,000 mg/L. The efficiency of COD removal deteriorated at rates higher than 160 g-COD/L/day. The granular biomass in the reactor had a maximum activity of degrading 1.7 g-COD/g-VSS/day.


We present a theory which describes the effects of viscosity on those electronic relaxation processes in solution in which the intramolecular potential surface does not present a barrier to the motion leading to the decay of the initially formed excited state. We model the reactive motion as the motion of a solute particle on the excited state potential surface with a position dependent sink which gives rise to the decay of the excited state population. Three different types of sinks are considered: (A) a pinhole sink at the minimum of the potential surface; this models the situation when the molecule decays to ground state as soon as it reaches the potential minimum; (B) a Gaussian sink with probability of decay maximum at the potential minimum; (C) a Lorentzian sink with maximum decay at the potential minimum. For case (A) an explicit analytic solution is obtained for the decay rate, but for cases (B) and (C) we obtained the decay rate numerically. Model (A) predicts nonexponential decay at all viscosit...


INSPIRED by the findings of the ESCRS endophthalmitis study, a symposium at the XXIV Congress of the ESCRS in London addressed the topic of endophthalmitis following cataract surgery.The Symposium was chaired by Ulf Stenevi and Jose Güell. Presenters provided updates on the current knowledge in the aetiology, diagnosis and treatment of endophthalmitis, and also provided suggestions on how the complication might be avoided.The session concluded with the Ridley Medal Lecture, delivered by Peter Barry FRCS, who provided an analysis of the ESCRS endophthalmitis study results. The coordinator of the ESCRS endophthalmitis study, David Seal MD, Applied Vision Research Centre, City University, London UK, commenced the symposium with an overview of the sources and types of bacteria and fungi that are known to cause endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. Dr Seal noted that the greatest source of bacterial contamination leading to endophthalmitis is the patient's own microbial flora. He pointed out that 85-90 per cent of patients' lids and conjunctiva are colonised with staphylococci.Around 10 per cent of patients' lids are colonised with S aureus; however, in patients with asthma or atopy the rate of colonisation with the pathogen in eyelids and noses is up to 70 per cent. Methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) is a less common cause of endophthalmitis following cataract surgery in Europe than in the US, he noted.The reasons for this are unclear, although it may be due to a selection bias at the tertiary referral centres in the US where the reports have come from. "In our experience in Europe and Scandinavia, MRSA is present in the hospitals but not in the community to a sufficient degree that patients coming from the community for day case surgery are colonised with MRSA and infection would occur.At the moment it is a very rare organism to cause postoperative endophthalmitis in Europe." Streptococci appear to be making resurgence as a cause for endophthalmitis. In the UK this is especially true of the alpha-haemolytic streptococci, which may reflect the prevalence there of chronic bronchitis with streptococcal colonisation, Dr Seal suggested. Surgical theatre hygiene important


The six subscales of the Survey of Work Values, the Protestant Ethic Scale, and the pro- and nonProtestant Ethic Scales were intercorrelated for a sample of 152 college students. Compared to those scores obtained 15 years earlier, the current data yielded comparable internal-consistency estimates of reliability and a similar pattern of relationships among the scales. However, mean scores on the scales were significantly higher for the current sample (p < .01). The nonProtestant Ethic Scale was significantly related to three of the Survey of Work Values subscales (p < .01): (a) positively with Social Status and Attitude Toward Earnings (both extrinsic scales) and (b) negatively with the Activity Preference intrinsic scale.


thin films were deposited on GaN(0001) by using a Remote Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition(RPALD) technique with a trimethylaluminum(TMA) precursor and oxygen radicals in the temperature range of . The growth rate per cycle was varied with the substrate temperature from /cycle at to /cycle at . The chemical structure of the thin films was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The electrical properties of /GaN Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) capacitor grown at a process temperature were excellent, a low electrical leakage current density( at 1 MV) at room temperature and a high dielectric constant of about 7.2 with a thinner oxide thickness of 12 nm. The interface trap density() was estimated using a high-frequency C-V method measured at . These results show that the RPALD technique is an excellent choice for depositing high-quality as a Sate dielectric in GaN-based devices.


Water is the most critical resource for agriculture, gaining primacy even over soil. It is essential for sustaining all forms of life, food production, economic development, and for general wellbeing. Water availability within the country varies widely from region to region as a result of rainfall, groundwater reserve and proximity to river basins, which will have its own effect on water use efficiency and water allocation. The average annual rainfall in the country is about 1170 mm with extremely irregular with respect to time and area.


Automatic verification techniques, which analyze all processes at once, typically do not scale well for large, complex concurrent software systems because of the theoretic barrier - PSPACE complexity in worst case. In this paper, we present our tool named ARCATS (Architecture Refactoring and Compositional Analysis Tool Suite). ARCATS consists a set of tools to combat state explosion in a divide-and-conquer, hierarchical manner, which is also known as compositional analysis. We build these tools to seek out best combinations to scale the verification to larger software systems.


Objective To verify expressions of Wnt signaling pathway-related factors and their target genes in hilar cholangiocarcinoma cell-line FRH0201 in vitro.Methods The expressions of Wnt signaling pathway-related factors and their target genes in hilar cholangiocarcinoma cell-line in vitro were detected and analysis from mRNA level and protein level,by using RT-PCR technology, Western-blot technology,immunofluorescence staining technology.Results The activation of Wnt signaling pathway and the expressions of its target genes were detected with a high level in FRH0201 cellline, including Wnt2,Wnt3,TCF4,β-catenin and the target genes C-myc and cyclin D1.Conclusion There is an activation of Wnt signaling pathway in hilar cholangiocarcinoma cell-line FRH0201 in vitro.


Fashion is a part of the lifestyle. Without denying each person will pay attention to appearance as one part of the lifestyle. Hedonist lifestyle tends to rub off on adolescents in general they are very sensitive to the existence of new things in particular fashion. Appearance is everything, teenagers like to shop in for clothing to adjust to the conditions that are in fashion today. In addition, adolescents who are at a transition age they tend to quickly affected by the outside world. Because in this period more teenagers spend their leisure time together with their peers as a group. At this age, the consumption choices of adolescents are also influenced by the activities practiced, his friends, and the appearance of that generation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between lifestyle hedonist with the intention of buying clothes in teen fashion. This study is a non-experimental. The population in this study are male and female students in Malang Frateran Catholic numbering 450 people, while the sample is numbered 112 people, drawn by cluster random sampling technique. The instrument used to retrieve data is by using a scale of hedonic scale lifestyle and fashion apparel purchase intention scale. While the data analysis method used is the product moment correlation technique of Karl Pearson. Results of analysis of data obtained r = 0.478 and (p) = 0.000, which means there is a very significant positive relationship between hedonic lifestyle with the intention of buying clothes on teen fashion, which means that if a hedonist lifestyle is high then the intention of buying clothes high fashion will also , and if low hedonist lifestyle it will lower the intention to buy clothes fashiom in adolescents. The effective contribution hedonist lifestyle of intention to purchase fashion clothing at 22.8% which means there are 77.2% of other factors affecting intentions to purchase clothing in teen fashion.


Detailed characterization of the crystallization behavior is important for obtaining better structure property correlations of the isotactic polypropylene (iPP), however, attributed to the complexity in ZN-iPP polymerization, the relationship between crystallization behavior and the stereo-defect distribution of iPP is still under debate. In this study, the crystallization kinetics of the primary nucleation, crystal growth and overall crystallization of two iPP samples (PP-A and PP-B) with nearly same average isotacticity but different stereo-defect distribution (the stereo-defect distribution of PP-B is more uniform than PP-A) were investigated. The results of isothermal crystallization kinetics showed that the overall crystallization rate of PP-A was much higher than that of PP-B; but the analysis of self-nucleation isothermal crystallization kinetics and the polarized optical microscopy (POM) observation indicated that the high overall crystallization rate of PP-A was attributed to the high primary nucleation rate of the resin. The stereo-defect distribution plays an important role in determining both the nucleation kinetics and crystal grow kinetics, and thus influence the overall crystallization kinetics. A more uniform distribution of stereo-defects restrains the crystallization rate of iPP, moreover, it has more influence on nucleation kinetics, comparing with the crystal growth. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013


We propose a possible generalization of the BGK collisional term in the relativistic kinetic theory and we compare our model with previous ones. The present model has the advantage in that it satisfies the conservation of particle number, energy-momentum and the H-theorem in the Eckart frame without constraints on particular local equilibrium state. In the last part of the paper we extend the model to include also the polyatomic gas.


We present an optical tunable chromatic dispersion compensator based on a virtually imaged phased-array and spatial light modulator providing both positive and negative dispersion. We demonstrate tunable dispersion compensation of 10-Gb/s positively chirped nonreturn-to-zero data signal over a range of -4080~+850ps/nm (240-km single-mode fiber to 9.5-km dispersion-compensating fiber), which operates independent of the input state of polarization and has potential capability for wavelength-division multiplexing


Abstract The gender history of the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90) has so far focused on the study of female figures. In an attempt to widen the scope of analysis, this article reconsiders the role of the Lebanese army in war-torn Lebanon through the lens of gender. Based on interviews with retired officers and noncommissioned officers, I argue that the military—the combat personnel in particular—never relinquished its claim to an exclusive militarized masculinity, despite the rise of contending actors. By maintaining this claim, these men strove to confront both the new standards of masculinity imposed by the militias and the anxiety caused by the disruption of gender roles throughout the conflict. To make sense of this confrontation, the article investigates how the veterans have engaged in a social performance, during both past and present, to (re)enact their manliness in front of an audience. This diachronic approach allows me to further untangle the combat officers' trajectories during the war, using gender to bring them into conversation with their milieu.


Cryptosporidium species cause significant morbidity in malnourished children. Nitazoxanide (NTZ) is the only approved treatment for cryptosporidiosis, but NTZ has diminished effectiveness during malnutrition. ABSTRACT Cryptosporidium species cause significant morbidity in malnourished children. Nitazoxanide (NTZ) is the only approved treatment for cryptosporidiosis, but NTZ has diminished effectiveness during malnutrition. Here, we show that amixicile, a highly selective water-soluble derivative of NTZ diminishes Cryptosporidium infection severity in a malnourished mouse model despite a lack of direct anticryptosporidial activity. We suggest that amixicile, by tamping down anaerobes associated with intestinal inflammation, reverses weight loss and indirectly mitigates infection-associated pathology.


Intraprediction has been significantly improved in high efficiency video coding over H.264/AVC with quad-tree-based coding unit (CU) structure from size 64×64 to 8×8 and more prediction modes. However, these techniques cause a dramatic increase in computational complexity. An intracoding algorithm is proposed that consists of perceptual fast CU size decision algorithm and fast intraprediction mode decision algorithm. First, based on the visual saliency detection, an adaptive and fast CU size decision method is proposed to alleviate intraencoding complexity. Furthermore, a fast intraprediction mode decision algorithm with step halving rough mode decision method and early modes pruning algorithm is presented to selectively check the potential modes and effectively reduce the complexity of computation. Experimental results show that our proposed fast method reduces the computational complexity of the current HM to about 57% in encoding time with only 0.37% increases in BD rate. Meanwhile, the proposed fast algorithm has reasonable peak signal-to-noise ratio losses and nearly the same subjective perceptual quality.


Deaths involving Clostridium difficile and meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have fallen for the fifth year running in England and Wales, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, with MRSA deaths now at their lowest for nearly two decades.

The number of death certificates mentioning C difficile fell by 20% between 2011 and 2012, from 2053 to 1646.1 Death certificates mentioning MRSA fell by a similar proportion, from 364 in 2011 to 292 in 2012.2

The number of death certificates giving C difficile as the underlying cause of death was 674 in 2012 compared with 858 the previous year. …


Big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the cosmic baryon density from cosmic microwave background anisotropies together predict a primordial 7Li abundance a factor of 2-3 higher than that observed in galactic halo dwarf stars. A recent analysis of 7Li observations in halo stars, using significantly higher surface temperature for these stars, found a higher Li plateau abundance. These results go a long way toward resolving the discrepancy with BBN. Here we examine the implications of the higher surface temperatures on the abundances of Be and B that are thought to have been produced in galactic cosmic-ray nucleosynthesis by spallation of CNO together with Li (produced in α + α collisions). While the Be abundance is not overly sensitive to the surface temperature, the derived B abundances and more importantly the derived oxygen abundances are very temperature-dependent. If the new temperature scale is correct, the implied increased abundances of these elements pose a serious challenge to models of galactic cosmic-ray nucleosynthesis and galactic chemical evolution.


In the recent years, there is increasing trend of utilizing bare die (without packaging) in many applications. For semiconductors provider, this type of business requires totally new quality expectations, because there is nothing covering the die. The die sawing process becomes very critical, as not only rejects are not allowed, but the die physical quality and appearance are also easily visible to the customers. The die saw chipping become one of the most critical issue, as its appearance can create all kind of customer concerns and complaints. One of the effective containment actions is rejecting all defective die and even those cosmetic rejects. However, this action consumes a lot of yield loss without providing real benefits to both providers and customers. In order to go for real improvements, conventional methods were verified again, follows by utilization of more comprehensive methods. One interesting finding was slower table speed did not provide better saw cutting quality, but instead much worse chipping was observed. Therefore, a new comprehensive method was required and expected analysis need to be performed with a lot of fundamental verifications. These verifications required to be performed on the material properties, blade behaviours, cutting characteristics and process parameters. From initial verification, current process window had repeatedly showing high yield loss of around 10%. With screening tests of various process parameters did not provide any significant statistical model, indicating there were more significant factors. Therefore, a new process need to be established from fundamental level, started from material properties. Due to chipping occurrence happens at the backmetal layer, the understanding of its metallization scheme was important. From previous process experience, blade cutting requirements are unique per respective metal scheme. There were several blade properties selected for evaluations, together with pre-conditioning performance (dressing & pre-cut). Surprisingly, the blade pre-conditioning played much critical role. The pre-conditioning is required to remove the blade bonding material and exposing uniform diamond grit. Only when the blade achieved ready condition, new blade features could be effective. The optimum blade features utilized balancing of grit size and concentration base on considerations of blade entry and exit from wafer. With optimum blade, several rounds of process window optimization proved that some conventional perceptions might not work well in actual process. When the optimized window was ready, robustness tests managed to confirm its performance. The last step of process development was executing effective and optimum process control to make sure successful noise prevention. When optimum process implemented in production, saw chipping was eliminated, saving yield loss of 10%. More importantly, customer quality risk was improved to zero, resulted in multi folding effect of their confidence level to the maximum level.


Boyle Engineering Corporation has developed a comprehensive database technique using its Intergraph Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) system to assist in the computer modeling of the City of Naples water distribution system. The use of CADD in the development of their data base significantly improved the accuracy and efficiency of Boyle's work plus provided for greater flexibility in implementation. The paper discusses the procedure Boyle used in developing the data base. It compares and evaluates this computer-based approach relative to more traditional, manual systems, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of both methods.


• What did the research find? This study describes a simplified, easy to learn and broadly applicable scoring system aimed to assess aggregate fracture severity of individual hens. The tagged visual analogue scale (tVAS) together with the example score catalogue was found to be suitable for observers with different backgrounds and experience after the completion of an online tutorial. Excellent reliability between and within observers indicated potential for improved comparability when using radiographs and the tVAS for fracture assessment.


This article is based on a paper read to the Commission on National Atlases at the 20th International Geographical Congress at London in July 1964. The author, who has been editor of the Atlas of Australian Resources since 1956, represents Australia on the Commission on National Atlases, noiv a permanent commission of the International Geographical Union.


"The junction flow between an hydrofoil and a plate is manifested by
the generation of vortex structures as a result of the interaction between the boundary layer on the plate and the boundary layer on the profile. Two benchmark tests have been identified in the literature: one for the flat plate, and the other for the NACA 0012 profile. The Verification and Validation study for both hydrofoil and flat plate was performed by testing all turbulence model implemented in Ansys Fluent and results are compared with the experimental ones."


Although instruction related to learning management systems and other educational applications in teacher education programs has increased, the potential of geospatial technologies has yet to be widely explored and considered in the teacher education literature, despite its ability to function as an engaging pedagogical tool with teacher candidates. This practitioner article discusses uses of geospatial technologies in a social studies teacher education program as a way of demonstrating how other teacher educators might use geospatial technologies to prompt teacher candidates to new ways of thinking about pedagogy and the world at large. An overview is provided of the value and relevance of integrating geospatial technologies within teacher education, followed by three examples of how geospatial technologies have been included in existing teacher education courses. In each example the activity and its connection to geospatial technologies are described, as well as the assessment and experience of teacher candidates. Teacher educators, especially those with limited experience in geospatial technology use, are provided with exemplar ways they might integrate geospatial technologies into the courses they teach—whether it be a course on methods, curriculum, a content area, or beyond. Geospatial technologies are a set of tools that include dynamic and interactive maps and globes, remotely sensed imagery, geolocation devices, and the information systems that power these technologies. They are inherently interdisciplinary because they merge data and knowledge available from a multitude of subject areas about the processes and events in the world. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 16(3) 329 Using geospatial technologies in educational contexts opens up possibilities for teaching and learning because students must interact, analyze, and represent their understandings and experiences with and in the world in a new digital form. With some basic knowledge of their function, teacher educators can easily incorporate a number of these sensemaking tools into their practice with teacher candidates. Learning management systems and other educational applications are increasingly presented in teacher education programs, but the potential of geospatial technologies has yet to be widely explored and considered in the teacher education research. Heeding various calls for multidisciplinary approaches to research and practice in geospatial technologies education (Baker et al., 2015; Kerr et al., 2013), I situate this practitioner paper between the fields of teacher education, geography/geospatial technologies, and geography education. I discuss my own use of geospatial technologies with teacher candidates in a social studies teacher education program as a method to prompt new ways of thinking about the world and the pedagogy they may eventually use in practice. Ultimately, this paper shows how teacher educators, even those with limited or no experience in geospatial technologies, might incorporate them into practice to accomplish their various pedagogical goals. First is an overview of the value and relevance of integrating geospatial technologies within teacher education, followed by three examples of including geospatial technologies in existing teacher education courses. Each example includes a description of the activity and its use of geospatial technologies, as well as the assessment and experience of teacher candidates. These three detailed examples show teacher educators how they might integrate geospatial technologies into the courses they teach—whether it be a course on methods, curriculum, a content area, or beyond. The examples illustrate a rich use of geospatial technologies that do not require any previous experience with the technology and are pertinent across disciplines. Also, all of the examples are free and require access only to a device with an Internet connection (computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone). Geospatial Technology in Teacher Education in Theory In education, cautions abound against using "technology for technology's sake" (e.g., Hicks, Lee, Berson, Bolick, & Diem, 2014, p. 437). For example, asking students to read a textbook chapter on the computer that they could read from a printout or the textbook itself is not an effective use of a device or its embedded technology. Teachers and teacher educators are, instead, urged to "consider whether the technology is allowing them to learn in a way they could not without the technology, or if they are at least learning in a more meaningful ways" (p. 437). Engaged and informed use of geospatial technologies follows this recommendation, because these technologies can enable new types of interactions with data and representations of space that a paper map—while still valuable in its own right—will never be able to offer. Although the "claims that technology would transform or even reform...teaching and learning seem, from today's vantage point, misguided or, at the very least, premature" (Crocco & Leo, 2015, p. 56), the proper harnessing of geospatial technologies could lead to a major change in how students, teacher candidates, and teachers relay, understand, and interact with information in the classroom. Geospatial technologies, at their core, are sense-making tools that develop critical thinking, as well as the abilities to assess data, design representations, and form new understandings of the processes at work in the world (Fargher, 2013; Kerski, Demirci, & Milson, 2013). Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 16(3) 330 Further, geospatial technologies are interdisciplinary in that they use data and maps rooted in a variety of disciplines and are embedded with the knowledge that stems from decades of statistical and analytical data created in a variety of fields (Baker et al., 2015; Biddulph, Lambert, & Balderstone, 2015; Fargher, 2013). Although using geospatial technologies might seem most natural for geography teachers, the potential exists for the creation of relevant assignments across all disciplines. Therefore, giving all teacher candidates, regardless of certification concentration, the space to experiment with geospatial technologies in meaningful and context-rich ways is important. Through these investigations, teacher candidates can further develop the intertwined skills and knowledge related to technology use, content knowledge, and pedagogy. In this way, experimenting with geospatial technologies during teacher education addresses the development of teacher candidates' pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1987) by contributing to their "understanding of how particular topics, problems, or issues are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners, and presented for instruction" (p. 8). Importantly, addressing geospatial technology in teacher education also engages teacher candidates' development of technological pedagogical content knowledge, also known as technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK). As Hammond and Manfra (2009) described in their discussion of TPACK in social studies education, TPACK is a conceptual framework in teacher education that "provides a common language to discuss the integration of technology into instruction and builds upon the concepts of pedagogical content knowledge, [as well as] teacher as curricular gatekeeper" (p. 160). They presented a three-scale model for effective classroom technology integration based around teacher and student expectations in relation to the sequence of "giving, prompting, and making" (Hammond & Manfra, 2009, p. 163). The model suggests a sequence in which the teacher (a) provides information to students (giving), (b) facilitates student interaction with materials, and (c) supervises and challenges students as they create some type of product. Hammond and Manfra (2009) noted that the use of technology, even following an integrative and informed model, does not automatically enhance the quality of teaching and learning associated with it. In fact they stressed that "the pedagogy should lead the technology, not technology lead the pedagogy" (p. 163). The kinds of activities described in this article heed this call, as they emerge from previous pedagogical tasks that I believed could be augmented through the integration of geospatial technologies. The activities are clearly aligned with both the prompting and making levels of the model, in which students are challenged first to "observe detect patterns, create associations or make inferences" (Hammond & Manfra, 2009, p. 164) and then transfer their understanding and skill through the development of a tangible product. These types of activities move teacher candidates beyond tasks requiring rote memorization and teacher-directed instruction. In addition to offering an active form of student/teacher (educator) engagement and a chance to develop skills and knowledge related to technology, content, and pedagogy, geospatial technologies can offer unprecedented access to looking at and understanding the world. Unlike any other tool, they can be used to swiftly input, model, and modify various data points in ways that illuminate spatial disconnections and connections. For example, a number of research studies espouse the educational benefits of various geospatial technologies in classroom contexts relevant to teacher education, such as the technologies' ability to function as a tool for engaging in inquiry (Fargher, 2006; Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 16(3) 331 Scheepers, 2009), bridging content across disciplines (Sinton & Lund, 2007), augmenting place-based activities and community engagement (Mitchell & Elwood, 2012), prompting critical (spatial) thinking (Kim & Bednarz, 2013; Milson & Curtis, 2009), connecting personal experiences to school curricula (Shin, 2007), and even developing empathy (Thomas-Brown, 2010). The commona


People experience emotions when playing videogames. It can be argued that these emotions are their main reason for playing. In this paper, we investigate whether colors can be used in videogames to elicit specific emotions. We ran an experiment with a videogame in which four different colors, associated with four specific emotions, were used in four different conditions (in this case, four different rooms in the game). After each condition we measured the players' emotional responses by means of a Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) questionnaire. Our analysis revealed that the color red evoked a highly-aroused, negative emotional response, while the color yellow evoked a positive emotional response. These results were significantly different from the emotional responses measured for other colors. Furthermore, we found that inexperienced players showed much more explicit reactions to colors than experienced players. We conclude that the use of colors is a suitable method for game designers to elicit specific emotional responses from the players, in particular from novice players.


Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of serum containing eupolyphaga on the proliferation of human hepatoma cell line HepG-2 and its influence on cell apoptosis and cell cycle in vitro.Methods The rats were administrated by gavage and then the blood was collected to prepare serum containing eupolyphaga.The MTT assay was used to examine the proliferation inhibitory activity and the flow cytometry was used to assay the apoptosis and cell cycle.Results The serum played obviously anti-proliferation activity on HepG-2 in vitro.The inhibition ratio depended on the serum concentration.The inhibition rate was up to 56.728 % after treatment with 20 % serum containing eupolyphaga for 72 hours.The results of the flow cytometry revealed that most of HepG-2 cell was necrotic and the cell cycle was blocked in G0-G1phase after pretreated with the serum.Conclusion The serum containing eupolyphaga has an obvious inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HepG-2 in vitro,and eupolyphaga emulsion as a new antineoplastic herb preparation is worth of further study.


Introduction Communication disorders is anything prevents smooth communication (noise). Communication disorders in children with autism occurs due to biochemical imbalances due to the size and activity of the brain on the right hemisphere larger than the left hemisphere of the brain that cause disrupted language function of children with autism. Active music therapy has a positive effect in improving the communication skills of children with autism. This study was aimed to analyze the effect of active music therapy to increase communication skills of children with autism. Method This research used quasy experimental design and population in this study were all children with autism who have communication disorders as many as 14 respondents. The sampling used cluster sampling technique, based on the inclusion criteria, used 14 respondents consist of 7 respondents as experiment group and 7 respondents as control group. Independent variables in this study are active music therapy, while the dependent variable is the communication skills of children with autism instruments used in this research is to use observation sheet Hidayat communication skills of children with autism. Data collected by observation sheet and analysed by wilcoxon  signed rank test and mann whitney test with significant value p ≤ 0,05. Result The result showed after the intervention had effect of active music therapy used mann whitney test with significant value p = 0,046. Conclusion and Sugestion The results concluded that active music therapy had effect to improvement communication disorders. Suggestion for next researcher is we need next experiment  about effect of active music theraphy to improvement communication disorders in children with autism with adding responden, time for  experiment, responden characters, and control moderate variable (environment, parent support, therapy obtained and duration of therapy).


Using data from 19 industrial countries for the period 1985-2002, this paper analyses whether the quality of industrial relations affects unemployment and employment rates. To measure the quality of industrial relations, we use the results of surveys in which senior business executives characterized the industrial relations of their countries. Controlling for the impact of major labour market institutions, the business cycle, the level of economic development, unobserved country effects, as well as endogeneity, we find that cooperative industrial relations are likely to lower unemployment and to increase employment. The effects appear to be large, particularly among young people.