The article attempts to show how the role of the mass media is changing in the field of politics today: it is no longer the institution that informs society or provides us with values and norms of behaviour and understanding, but itself becomes a political and ideological agent that exists in parallel with the political parties, competes with them and attempts to replace them in the political field. In modern society, the ideological expansion is only possible as media expansion. For this reason political parties or their ideologies compete today not only among themselves, but are also forced to compete with the mass media as a political power with an ideology of its own. Although it is hard to define (which is characteristic of the political structure of postmodern times), it influence on the society, its preferences in politics, and its choices of values is intensive and effective. As the mass media perceives its power and its new political and ideological opportunities, in the near future we will be forced to put up with it not only as the structure organising the flow of information, but also as an independent political agent with its own political interest, organization structure and interests directed at the processes of political decision- making, and not at the elucidation of those processes via the channels of information. In this way the mass media is changing and turning from a structure that represents the views and positions of the public into a structure that represents public interest in relation to power. It is becoming the key instrument in the organisation of political life and rendering meaning to it. At the same time the activity of the mass media arrests and paralyses the activity of the individual. People could themselves find out what the mass media provides, but at a considerably higher cost in time, energy and money. Thus the mass media deprives us of the will to learn and act independently. Surrendering ourselves to the mass media, we also delegate to it our power of decision, and become just observers of political processes. A media-political system turns into a place where the main and politically determining performance is played to the spectators. During this performance the new hierarchy of political roles is shaped, which also determines society's ideological preferences.


Interference coordination methods for Evolved-Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (E-MBMS) in Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) are presented. In this paper, OFDM/OFDMA signals based on LTE parameters are combined with MIMO, Turbo codes and signal space diversity methods. Different interference coordination techniques, such as, MIMO coordination, Fixed Relay stations and adaptive frequency reuse and schedulers are considered to evaluate the E-MBMS spectral efficiency at the cell borders


Exact calculating formula of area moment of inertia of H-section steel beam is instead of its approximate calculating formula, So transfer matrix method of tapered H-section steel beam about its internal force analysis is established. This method is simple, practical, and its calculation efficiency is higher.


The article presents the results of empirical research of an attitude to drug addiction as a disease of addicts, and also perception of illness and attitude to the addicted person from co-dependent family members and relatives.


Objective To discuss the surgery complications and short-term effectiveness of total hip arthroplasty (THA) for osteoarthritis secondary to hip sequelae of pyogenic infection. Methods From 2004 to 2010, THA was carried out on 20 cases with osteoarthritis secondary to hip sequelae of pyogenic infection in our division. Eight cases were male and 12 cases were female. The average age was 48.5 years. The average age of infection was 10.2 years. The interval between active infection and arthroplasty was 34.5 years. The average follow-up period was 3.8 years. The direct lateral approach (Hardinge's approach) was applied in 10 cases and posterolateral approach in the other 10 cases. According to X-ray the acetabular and femoral deformities were classified by Kim's classification system and the implant stability and peri-prosthetic osteolysis were evaluated. The clinical effect was measured with Harris hip scoring system pre-operatively and post-operatively. The heterotopic ossification was judged by Brooker method. Results According to Kim's classification, nine cases (45%) were type Ⅰ, four cases (20%) were type Ⅱ and seven cases (35%) were type Ⅲ. Femoral fracture occurred in three cases intra-operatively and sciatic nerve palsy occurred in one patient with 4cm leg lengthening post-operatively. No hip dislocation, deep vein thrombosis or infection occurred. From X-ray view, no acetabular implant displacement (2mm) or abduction angle change was tested. The cyst formation (2mm) in the acetabular side occurred in two cases, which indicated osteolysis. The stem subsidence beyond 2.5 mm occurred in two cases. The cyst formation (2mm) in Gruen 2 area of the femoral stem occurred in one case. All cases abone had no clinical appearance and were closely observed. The average Harris hip score pre-operatively and post-operatively were 46.8 and 88.5 respectively, which was statistically significantly different (t=12.32, P0.01). According to Brooker method for heterotopic ossification, two cases were typeⅠand one case was type Ⅱ. Conclusions THA for osteoarthritis secondary to hip sequelae of pyogenic infection is an effective treatment modality. The good effects base on strict pre-operative case-selection and evaluation, good surgical technique and proper prostheses selection.


By analyzing the teaching characteristics of "the Law of the Sea", this article focuses on the teaching design and implementation of this course based on the idea of "flipped classroom" and RBTI model.


In this paper, we define and study the pseudo upper and lower semi B-Fredholm of bounded operators in a Banach space. In particular, we prove equality up to $S(T)$ between the left generalized Drazin spectrum and the pseudo upper semi B-Fredholm spectrum, $S(T )$ is the set where $T$ fails to have the SVEP. Also, we prove that both of the left and the right generalized Drazin operators are invariant under additive commuting power finite rank perturbations and some perturbations for the pseudo upper and lower semi B-Fredholm operators are given. As applications, we investigate some classes of operators as the supercyclic and multiplier operators. Furthermore, we investigate the left and the right generalized Drazin invertibility of upper triangular operator matrices by giving sufficient conditions which assure that the left and the right generalized Drazin spectrum or the pseudo upper and lower semi B-Fredholm of an upper triangular operator matrices is the union of its diagonal entries spectra.


The utility model relates to a floating dock sea-cock underwater sealing watertight device which is used for sealing sea-cock during the repairing of floating dock on the water. The watertight devicecomprises a dock body (4), a bar screen (5), a watertight door cover (2) and hook-shaped screw components (1); the watertight door cover (2) is arranged at the outside of the sea-cock of the dock body(4), and the inner edge of the watertight door cover (2) is embedded with a rubber gasket (3), the outer margin of the rubber gasket (3) is convexly stretched to the inner edge of the watertight doorcover (2); the hook-shaped screw component (1) comprises a hook-shaped screw (1.1), a sealing ring (1.2), an inner cone pad (1.3) and a nut (1.4); the hook-shaped screw (1.1) enters through a hole atthe end surface of the watertight door cover (2) along the gap of the bar screen (5), and turns 90 degrees to hook a spoke of the bar screen (5); the tail end of the hook-shaped screw (1.1) is in turn mounted with the sealing ring (1.2), and is sleeved with the inner cone pad (1.3), and is screwed with the nut (1.4). The floating dock sea-cock underwater sealing watertight device can tightly sealthe sea-cock of the dock body.


The security protocols used in ZigBee and Wi-Fi networks rely on stream cipher algorithms, like RC4 (Used in WEP and WPA) or AES-CTR (in WPA2), to encrypt data before transmission. RC4 is a fast algorithm, but represents some major flaws. AES is a very robust algorithm, but it is time consuming. For some industrial and medical applications, these algorithms don't respect the real-time and robustness requirements at the same time. Therefore, new fast stream ciphers where proposed in the eStream project, but also these ciphers has shown some weaknesses. On the other hand, chaotic functions properties have encouraged their use in crypto-systems for data security. In this paper, a new chaotic encryption algorithm is presented, to be used for data encryption in some industrial and medical applications where robustness and real time are both essential. It is composed from two perturbed PWLCM chaotic maps. Then, to quantify the security level and rapidity of our proposed algorithm, we compare it to the eStream finalist candidates and to the AES-CTR algorithm.


Temperature is an important measurement parameter in industrial process control system. This paper introduces a temperature measurement system by using thermal resistor based on ARM. This module adds RC circuit to obtain the thermal resistor's resistance, and processes the data that is based on the sectional linear and designs low pass filter to improve precision. This circuit has good performance and accuracy by observing experiment data.


Abstract The Bridport Sands is a widespread marine sandstone of Lower Jurassic age found in much of southern England. It is a very fine grained, moderately sorted quartz-arenite and is characterized by the alternation of friable and hard calcareous-cemented layers. The sands form the upper reservoir in the Wytch Farm Field, Dorset, which is currently producing at the rate of around 4000 barrels per day. Investigation of core material to assess the suitability of water injection for gas/oil recovery has shown that significant reductions of liquid permeability compared to air permeability occur. These reductions vary from 30% or less in the best quality reservoir to more than 70% in low-permeability sandstones. Clay minerals in the Bridport Sands comprise mainly kaolinite and mixed-layer clays of both the illite-chlorite and illite-smectite types. Small amounts of vermiculite and chlorite also occur. The kaolinite is found as loosely-attached, discrete particles, whilst the mixed-layer clays form patchy pore linings. The permeability reductions may be explained by: (i) the adsorption of water and expansion of poorly-crystalline mixed-layer illite-smectites causing blockage of pore space (this reduction is largely reversible) and (ii) the physical movement of authigenic kaolinite crystal aggregates blocking pore-throats (this reduction is largely non-reversible). The pore-size distribution, clay particle sizes, the distribution of the clays within the pore space, and the composition of the clays are all important factors in controlling porosity/permeability relationships and permeability reductions in the friable reservoir intervals in the Bridport Sands.


The purpose of this note is to sketch a construction of the K-theory Ω-spectrum of a ring. Virtually all the results of all but the last paragraph are stated with this construction in view. We assume the reader has some familiarity with homotopy theory but we don't assume any familiarity with K-theory. Throughout this note, R will denote a ring (associative and unital). All CW -complexes are taken to be pointed; a space means a (pointed) CW -complex, and a map of spaces means a continuous based map between spaces. §


Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is an innovative solid state welding process, relatively new in industry, which allow welding of two or more materials which have very different properties, particularly thermal properties as fusion temperature, thermal expansion coefficient, specific heat and thermal conduction and have a predisposition to form intermetallic brittle phases, neither one of the components to be weld reach to the melting point. Being a solid state welding process temperature field is very important for the quality of the welded joint, and a lot of researches focused on this topic. This paper presents some results in modeling and estimation of thermal field developed during FSW of dissimilar joints, using Finite Element Analysis. Numerical modeling of thermal field allows engineers to predict, in advance, the evolution of temperature and to estimate the behavior of the welded materials during the welding process. This will reduce significantly the time and number of experiments that have to be carried out, in the process of establishing a good FSW technology, as well as reducing significantly the cost of the tests.


Selecting the medium of instruction to teach the target language in EFL classrooms has been controversial for several years. This study explores the impact of code-switching versus target-language-only teaching strategies on beginner students' learning and affective sustenance of EFL reading comprehension based on their perceptions. It also explores whether there are significant differences between the participants' perceptions of these two teaching strategies' possible impact on their learning and affective sustenance. Moreover, it examines whether they prefer their teachers to use code-switching or target-language-only instruction in the classroom and the reasons for their preferences. A questionnaire and follow-up interviews were used to collect the data from 52 female Saudi college participants. The results indicate that the participants had positive perceptions about the impact of CS on their learning and affective sustenance in the EFL reading classes as opposed to negative perceptions about TL-only instruction. The results also show significant differences between their perceptions of TL-only instruction and code-switching, indicating that they prefer code-switching to TL-only instruction in their EFL reading classes. The study recommends that code-switching is used as a facilitating instructional strategy for EFL beginners to give them affective support and make the input more comprehensible.


Report makes it relatively easy for hybrid-circuit manufacturers to convert integrated circuit chips with aluminum bead leads. Report covers: techniques for handling tiny chips; proper geometries for ultrasonic bonding tips; best combinations of pressure, pulse time, and ultrasonic energy for bonding; and best thickness for metal films to which beam leads are bonded.


Hexylferrocene phosphonic acid was adsorbed on indium−tin oxide (ITO) and amino-primed ITO electrodes from ethanol. The obtained monolayers are stable in acetonitrile where cyclic voltammetry shows the formation of domains of self-interacting and free ferrocene molecules. Distinct phases are observed on bare ITO, whereas a single Frumkin isotherm is obtained on amino-primed ITO. Dilution experiments with alkylphosphonic acids CnH2n+1PO(OH)2 (n = 3, 6, and 12) have shown that only the dodecyl chain may compete with the hexylferrocene chain, which remains 50 times more strongly bound to the surface. The free energy of self-interaction of the ferrocene moieties in the layers is ca. 40 kJ mol-1; that is, it is equivalent to that of a 15 carbon atom alkyl chain. Lateral interactions among hexylferrocene and dodecyl chains form isolated domains of the components, ruling out a real dilution of ferrocenes to single isolated molecules.


We present a unified approach to describe spasing in plasmonic systems modeled by quantum emitters interacting with resonant plasmon mode. We show that spaser threshold implies detailed energy transfer balance between the gain and plasmon mode and derive explicit spaser condition valid for arbitrary plasmonic systems. By defining carefully the plasmon mode volume relative to the gain region, we show that the spaser condition represents, in fact, the standard laser threshold condition extended to plasmonic systems with dispersive dielectric function. For extended gain region, the saturated mode volume depends solely on the system parameters that determine the lower bound of threshold population inversion.


This paper proposed a knowledge-based methodology for determining the resolvability of N occluded vehicles seen in a monocular image sequence. The resolvability of each vehicle is determined by: firstly, deriving the relationship between the camera position and the number of vertices of a projected cuboid on the image; secondly, finding the direction of the edges of the projected cuboid in the image; and thirdly, modeling the maximum number of occluded cuboid edges of which the occluded cuboid is irresolvable. The proposed methodology has been tested rigorously on a number of real world monocular traffic image sequences that involves multiple vehicle occlusions, and is found to be able to successfully determine the number of occluded vehicles as well as the resolvability of each vehicle. We believe the proposed methodology will form the foundation for a more accurate traffic flow estimation and recognition system.


We investigated the relationship between tracheobronchial involvement in esophageal cancer and bronchoscopic findings in 27 patients. The bronchoscopic findings were classified into five types. Tracheobronchial involvement was confirmed in cases with endobronchial tumor, with protrusion and abnormal mucosa. In cases without protrusion, the absence of involvement was confirmed. Since a judgment of tracheobronchial involvement is difficult in cases with protrusion but an otherwise normal mucosa, use of CT and MRI, where an assessment of the thickness of the esophageal cancer may be made, is important for detecting involvement.


Image Processing is an art to get an enriched image or it can be used to retrieve information. This image processing methods are used in medical field also. Numerous modalities like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and Computed Tomography (CT) etc. are used to analyze and diagnose diseases.Pixel-level image fusion is a combination of several images collected from various inputs and gives more information than any other input messages. Pixel-level image fusion shows a vital role in medical imaging. In this paper, pixel-level image fusionsmethods are survived and review the fusion quality measures are being used. Finally this surveycomplete with different kinds of image fusion methods proposed and still there are so many imminent ways in image fusion applications. Hence image fusions fields are pointedly develop in the forthcoming years.


In this paper,a new bath for trivalent chromium plating is introduced.The bath applies three kinds of organic additives as the complexes.Some performance tests about the solution and deposit are done.The results shows that the bath is economical and stable;the pH value of it is easy to be controlled.The deposit can be gained in a wide range of current density(from 2.5 A/dm2 to above 25 A/dm2).The covering power of the bath is excellent.The throwing power of it is better than the hexavalent chromium plating bath.The plating is very bright and nearly to the plating from the hexavalent chromium bath.The crystal of deposit is very fine.The thickness of the chromium plating can beyond 4 μm,and it is fit for the decorative plating.The adhesion between the trivalent chromium deposit and nickel deposit is great.The corrosion resistance of the trivalent chromium plating is comparative to the hexavalent chromium plating.So it can replace the hexavalent chromium plating for decoration.


Background: The study was performed to evaluate the effect of the thoracic epidural analgesia on the postoperative pain and pulmonary function after thoracoscopic surgery. Methods: Postoperative pain control consisted of continuous thoracic epidural infusion of normal saline in group 1 (Control group) and 0.125% bupivacaine mixed with fentanyl 5g/ml in group 2 (TEA group) added in single intercostal nerve block patient in sixty patients who had undergone elective thoracoscopic surgery. The visual analogue scale (VAS), Prince-Henry score (PHS) and pulmonary function (FVC and FEV1) were measured preoperatively and postoperatively at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 hours. Results: There were significant improvement of the degree of pain in both groups but TEA group was lower than control group during 48 hours except at postoperative 4 hours. Pulmonary function was decreased less and recovered faster in TEA group than control group during 48 hours (P 0.05). Conclusions: Thoracic epidural analgesia added in single intercostal nerve block has a benefit on the recovery of the postoperative pulmonary function and also provide superior analgesia after thoracoscopic surgery when compared to single intercostal nerve block alone. The authors recommend thoracic epidural analgesia for patient undergoing thoracoscopic surgery who receive single intercostal nerve block.


A statistic is proposed for testing the hypothesis of equality of the means of a bivariate normal distribution with unknown common variance and correlation coefficient when observations are missing on one of the variates. The distribution of the statistic is approximated by a normal distribution under the null hypothesis. The empirical powers of the statistic are computed and compared with those of the conventional paired t and the other known statistics. The power comparisons support the use of the proposed test.


S: 1. Kroeger CM, Klempel MC, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Annual Meeting. Boston, MA, USA, 2013. (Submitted) 2. Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Kroeger C, Varady KA. Alternate day fasting when combined with endurance exercise reduces leptin but not adiponectin and resistin. Fifth International Congress on Prediabetes and Metabolic Syndrome. Vienna, Austria 2013. [Poster presentation]. 3. Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Kroeger C, Varady KA. Alternate day fasting when combined with endurance exercise reduces leptin but not adiponectin and resistin. Midwest AFMR and Central Society for Clinical Research Meeting. Chicago, IL, USA, 2013. [Poster presentation].


As communities are being developed in Dubai there is an urgent need to consider aspects of sustainability since the country has one of the highest per-capita levels of resource consumption and carbon footprint. The aim of this study is to use an existing project – Dubai's first sustainable city – to analyse it and then rebuild its concepts of sustainability by improving social and environmental dimensions with respect to international standards. The analysis and findings prove that it is essential to adapt sustainability from initial development of the project and enable inhabitants to adapt it as a lifestyle rather than construing it an 'add-on' criterion at a superficial level. Simulation of energy consumption and carbon footprints were carried out to support the research through journal articles.


"I am a conviction politician" declared Margaret Thatcher in 1979, and her stand against consensus politics won immediate endorsement from Ronald Reagan. Both promised to provide strong leadership, establish new priorities and restore fundamental principles to national politics. To many they appeared to form a transatlantic partnership, but they were not the first. Looking back over 200 years of political history, Patricia Lee Sykes examines presidents and prime ministers to show how idealistic leaders have challenged liberal ideas and institutions within the Anglo-American tradition, and in the process have altered the political landscape. She reveals how conviction-style politicians have appeared in the US and UK at the same time: individuals who articulated similar ideas that adapted liberal ideology to shifting circumstances and who achieved fundamental change at critical moments in their nation's history. The comparative study of chief executives examines not only Reagan and Thatcher, but also three other pairs of leaders who used moral rhetoric to challenge the status quo: Woodrow Wilson and David Lloyd George; Grover Cleveland and William Gladstone; and Andrew Jackson and Robert Peel. Sykes discusses each pair, describing their leadership styles and their roles in the liberal tradition. She then analyzes the mercurial context of conviction politics over time to show when party politics, the media, the state, or global affairs can prevent even the most visionary of leaders from enacting their programmes. Sykes also charts an increasing convergence of political practice and philosophy in the two countries - particularly with the "presidentialization" of the prime minister - and tracks the tensions created between executive authority, individual freedom and the public good when leaders purposefully avoid consensus to pursue their own lofty visions.


The word "globalization" refers to a multiplicity of political, economic, cultural and media processes having a clear impact on present day history. We live in a world characterized by fear and mutual alienation, a world where many are forced into situations that immerse them in processes of cultural homogenization, happening even within religious organizations and Christian communities. This article aims to analyze the challenges posed to the Church by a pluricultural and interconnected world, so as to offer to humanity a culture of mutual love and hope rooted in the gospel. The importance of fostering and safeguarding real and visible intercultural relationships in Christian communities is explored. The today of history Christians believe that God became flesh in Christ. This means that they believe that history has become a meeting place where human beings encounter not only other human beings but also God. It also means that the quality of relationships is crucial, for it is through these relationships – with other human beings and withGod – that one defines and discovers one's identity, and reaches his or her fullness.1 It also means that it is important to take into account the historical nature of our relationships when sharing one's experience of encounter with God.2 Pope Benedict XVI expressed it with these words: "Talking about God means first of all expressing clearly what God we must bring to the men and women of our time: not an abstract God, a hypothesis, but a real God, a God who exists, who has entered history and is present in history; the God of Jesus Christ as an answer to the fundamental 1. "Our peoples do not want to walk in the shadows of death; they hunger and thirst for life and happiness in Christ. They seek him as source of life. They yearn for this new life in God to which the disciple of the Lord is born by Baptism and is reborn by the sacrament of Reconciliation. They seek this life which is strengthened when it is confirmed by the Spirit of Jesus and when the disciples renew their covenant of love in Christ, with the Father and with their brothers and sisters at each eucharistic celebration. Accepting the Word of eternal life and nourished by the Bread that has come down from heaven, they want to live the fullness of love, and lead all to the encounter with Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America, Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Christ, so That Our People May Have Life in Him (Bogotá: CELAM, 2007), n. 350, https://w ww.celam.org/aparecida/Ingles.pdf. 2. "The Christ-event is therefore the beginning of this new subject emerging in history that we call 'disciple." "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction (Deus Caritas Est n.1)." This is precisely what all the gospels have preserved, while presenting it differently, as the beginning of Christianity: a faith encounter with the person of Jesus ( Jn 1, 35–39)." Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America, n. 243. Claritas: Journal of Dialogue and Culture, Vol. 9, No. 1 (2020) 28–35 © 2020 C LA R I T A S | Journal of Dialogue & Culture | Vol. 9, No. 1 (2020) 28 question of the meaning of life and of how we should live."3 How, then, can we describe and fulfill this historical reality in which one is called joyfully proclaim Christ? Our contemporary historical context has particular features, one of which is globalization, a term by which many social, economic, political, but also media and cultural phenomena can be expressed. The analysis proposed here will focus on the last two realms of media and culture. From a cultural perspective, contemporary society struggles to find its own self-representation. In the desire to overcome structures and past norms, a principle of continuous innovation is embraced. To use the words of Zymunt Bauman, one could say that this is a period in which "sociality, so to speak, is free-floating, seeking in vain solid ground in which to anchor, a visible-to-all target on which to converge, companions with which to close ranks,"4 and with this also the very concept of culture has become fluid. I believe the concept of culture has become fluid because it is no longer easy to find clear coordinates or borders in ethnic, geographical, linguistic or religious components that neatly define and distinguish one culture from another. Too many phenomena – not least the world's migratory currents – challenge simplistic notions of cultural definition. The number of territories or cities inhabited by pluri-ethnic, multicultural and pluri-religious societies is growing daily. On the other hand, some communities attempt to tie a sense of identity to a territory of origin, struggling to preserve linguistic or religious purity, only to find that other cultural influences 3. Pope Benedict XVI, "General Audience" (Paul VI Hall, 28 November 2012), http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2012/documents/hf _ben-xvi_aud_20121128.pdf. 4. Zygmunt Bauman, In Search of Politics (Malden: Polity Press, 1999), 3. – values, customs and objects beyond the narrow definition they wish to protect – cannot be thwarted indefinitely. These influences are viewed most often as a kind of contamination or invasion. The process of metissage, a part of humanity's natural growth over the centuries, is accelerated in today's world, not least by the commercialized dissemination of precise customs, traditions, celebrations, beliefs and values, and the globalization of markets. An expansive and invasive "cultural industry" is taking hold, one strengthened by information technology: it creeps into cultures and takes hold of the collective imagination, homogenizing and oversimplifying it. In this perspective, cultural realities and concepts that seemed sufficient in the past now show themselves in need of resemantization. But there is a deeper question here, and it is not only a question of concepts or semantics. For the religious believer, at least, culture is a context in which human persons participate in God's creative dimension, expressed in their relationship with the nature in which they live, one that manifests and communicates experiences of beauty, joy, hope, encounter, and triumph over suffering through art, ritual and celebration. Every culture, notes theologian Piero Coda, has both a particular, distinctive dimension and a universal dimension, because every culture potentially expresses the whole human person. Pope Francis, in his encyclical Evangelii Gaudium, writes: "It has to do with the lifestyle of a given society, the specific way in which its members relate to one another, to other creatures and to God. Understood in this way, culture embraces the totality of a C LA R I T A S | Journal of Dialogue & Culture | Vol. 9, No. 1 (2020) 29 people's life."5 Such an understanding can be helpful in framing a reflection on the process of globalization and its impact on the cultural dimensions of the Church's mission. According to Italian sociologist Pierpaolo Donati, this is true even where profession of a religious faith is not a given. Every human society is structured and organized around the fundamental question of God, even societies tending towards the position that God does not exist, or those that speak of God remaining within the private sphere of individuals' lives, with direct repercussions on established social relationships within that given society. In Western societies, for example, we might point to a series of important changes in those societies, such as the increased emphasis on the value of the individual as a benchmark, and the primacy of scientific rationality. In the 20th century, this led to the emergence of individuals driven by personal needs and ambitions, by the search for limitless freedom. In this context, society is perceived as burdensome and societal relations feared, because they cannot be controlled according to one's own wants. One of the most dramatic consequences of this change, according to philosopher Giuseppe Zanghì, is that "to heal the human being, to finally give him or her full use of reason, the god of reason must disappear. ... The human person must eliminate God from the horizon in order to be fully him or herself (or if lacking this courage, at the very least bracket the God question)."6 In order to eliminate any constraints that could annul or reduce such freedom 5. Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (Vatican City: Vatican Press, 2013), n. 115. 6. Giuseppe Maria Zanghí,Notte Della Cultura Europea, 3rd ed. (Roma: Città Nuova, 2007), 31–32. and originality, modern society has gone so far as seeing social bonds "as a negativity, even as an evil in itself."7 New technologies and globalization of individualism In this context, technological growth plays an important role, especially in the field of communication. Humankind today, in an attempt to free itself from constraints, has unwittingly canceled itself in a kind of technological vortex,8 despite the fact that, in principle, such developments can be understood as favoring interaction and therefore sociality. New technologies have given the world a new face, one of a geographically scattered people continually engaged in countless, simultaneous connections, as they dwell in a "digiplace."9 This new reality offers its inhabitants any number of possible interactions, yet rarely demands or requires social commitment. This change is clearly evident in recent decades, even with regard to use of the word, "communication." Although "communication" continues to mean diffusion, expression, performance, or symbolic exchange, the word itself no longer uniformly signifies a necessary obligation to establish and consolidate social bonds. Communication, therefore, is no longer linked via its etymological root munus, to other wo


Historical mining in the Old Lead Belt resulted in lead (Pb) contamination of floodplain soils for over 170 km along the Big River in southeastern Missouri. The overall patterns of contamination are understood. However, Pb distribution across floodplain surfaces has not been investigated at the scale needed for site-level remediation planning. The goal of this project is to examine spatial distribution of Pb with more detail and identify the role of geomorphic processes. Predictive models are needed to evaluate factors affecting Pb distribution such as elevation, distance from the channel, and geochemistry. This study evaluates Pb distribution at three ~1km sites on the Big River with varying floodplain conditions: (1) human-altered topography, (2) narrow valley and, (3) wide valley. Surface soil samples were collected to quantify Pb, geomorphic maps were created using LiDAR, and spatial patterns were analyzed using regression models. Results show that Pb levels at the three sites pose an ecological problem. The most effective predictive model was created at the narrow floodplain site using distance from the channel, elevation, and Fe as independent variables. Less sensitive models were created at the two other sites which had more complicated geomorphological characteristics and less variability in Pb. Using landform/soil series associations and examining the influence of watershed-scale factors such as valley width and proximity to source are likely more effective approaches for understanding Pb distribution on Big River floodplains.


This paper explores the impact of regulations on the perceptions and management of risk. The study focuses on Zimbabwean banks. We evaluated the influence of banking regulatory policy using data gathered from a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) questionnaire and data measuring annual overall output from Zimbabwean banks. Overall, we found that risk management policies in Zimbabwean banks appear less than robust. The main reason for this appears to be the near chaotic nature of banking regulation provided by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.


The decision in Garner v Murray is regarded as the source of law in relation to the dissolution of a partnership where one partner is insolvent. There is evidence of some confusion regarding the treatment of any shortfall in the contributions required from the partners. The conventional treatment of that shortfall, as described in accounting textbooks, appears to be not in accord with the decision and to be at odds with a clearly stated point of law.


This paper studies the visual feature extraction of image retrieval. According to HSV color space, we quantify the color space in non-equal intervals, construct one-dimensional feature vector and represent the color feature by cumulative histogram. In describing the image texture features, we use the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) and Gabor wavelets respectively. Finally, the HSV color features are combined with GLCM and Gabor wavelets respectively for image retrieval. Experiment results show the effectiveness of the algorithm.


In recent years, the process of Rural Revitalization has been gradually promoted, and rural domestic sewage treatment has become the only way to promote rural revitalization. Anhui Province, as a major agricultural and rural province in China, its current situation of water resources and water pollution in rural areas is still severe. This paper selects the rural areas of 16 cities in Anhui Province as the research object, explores the existing problems at this stage, and puts forward suggestions from the government, enterprises and individuals, so as to play a role in the treatment and improvement of rural domestic sewage throughout the country and promote the experience of Anhui.


Deregulated and aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been linked to a variety of disorders such as cancers, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammation. Many miRNAs are important regulators of cellular processes involving development, differentiation, and signaling. We investigated whether miR155, a multifunctional miRNA induced by inflammatory cytokines and involved in hematopoiesis, inflammatory disorders, and macrophage activation, has any promise in reducing tumor burden in a transgenic breast cancer model. To study the effects of miR155 in breast cancer, our lab developed the first MMTV‐PyMT mice deficient for miR155 on a C57BL/6 background. Four‐week‐old female PyMT (n=12) and PyMT/miR155‐/‐ (n=11) mice were euthanized at 19 weeks of age. miR155 deficient mice exhibited reduced tumor number and volume palpations (p<0.05) at approximately 16 weeks of age. Reduced tumor burden displayed in miR155 deficient mice was also confirmed by histopathological analysis. The majority (60%) of miR155 deficient mice exhibited a lower degree of dysplasia characterized as adenoma/mammary intraepithelial neoplasia (MIN), whereas all PyMT mice progressed into the early and late invasive carcinoma grade. Upon euthanizing, mammary glands were excised from tumors for RT‐PCR, and tumors were counted, measured, and weighed. PyMT mice deficient in miR155 exhibited reduced tumor volume (p<0.05), number (p<0.05), and weight (p<0.05). To investigate the anti‐tumoral effects associated with miR155 deficiency, mammary glands excised from tumors were analyzed to examine inflammatory mediators and macrophage markers within the mammary tumor environment. We demonstrate that miR155 deficiency upregulates suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) resulting in reduced overall cytokines, and reduced macrophages as indicated by CD68 and Integrin Subunit Alpha X (IGTAX). Mammary glands of miR155‐/‐ mice had reduced pro‐inflammatory M1 macrophage cytokines as indicated by reduced interleukin‐1‐beta (IL‐1b), IL‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐a). Mammary glands excised from tumors of mice deficient in miR155 exhibited even greater inhibition of M2 macrophages, important in reducing inflammation and contributing to tumor growth and immunosuppressive function, as indicated by reduced IL‐4, IL‐10, IL‐13, mannose receptor 1 (Mrc1), and TNF‐beta. Given that macrophages are known to promote tumorigenesis, we suggest that the anti‐tumor effects of miR155 inhibition are due to its upregulation of SOCS1 and resulting decrease in pro‐tumor M2 macrophages.


Atom Probe Tomography (APT) data reconstruction using geometrical models of field evaporation has many limitations due to the number of free empirical values. Correlating information from Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and APT on the same specimen has shown the ability to determine the specimen volume using pre- and post-APT imaging, thus limiting the free variables. Additionally, a recent method using TEM and electron diffraction data has made it possible to incorporate atomic positions within the APT data reconstruction volumes [1], a method dubbed STEM-centric atom placement [2]. In this work, we expand upon the idea of STEM-centric atom placement by utilizing 4-D STEM data, where convergent beam electron diffraction data is collected at sub-nm spacings across the cylindrical atom probe specimen before APT analysis is conducted. In this work, a SiGe metamorphic buffer layer on a Si (100) substrate was grown using molecular beam epitaxy and prepared for STEM and APT using standard focused ion beam (FIB) methods. The sample was prepared on Au TEM grids and followed by 5 kV cleaning steps. 4-D STEM analyses were conducted using a Thermo Fisher Scientific Talos F200X STEM at 200 keV and a Ceta camera at 512 x 512 pixel density. Bright field, dark field, and differential phase contrast micrographs were produced from the data using LiberTEM [3]. Strain analyses were conducted using Exit Wave Phase Cepstrum (EWPC) methods [4]. APT data was collected on a Cameca LEAP 4000 XSi using 25 pJ of laser energy per pulse and a base temperature of 40 K. Figure 1 illustrates the ability of 4-D STEM to identify the atomic structure within the cylindrical specimens. Crystallographic phase and orientations can be determined


The aim of this study is to develop a methodology for evaluating public anxiety arising from disaster events and to clarify the nature of crisis communication between the government and citizens. Preparing for catastrophes that may happen in the future is an important issue in risk management. In the Great East Japan Earthquake, Twitter was used widely as a means of sharing information about the disaster. This paper proposes a methodology for measuring anxiety by determining semantic orientations of risk assessments and clarifying the contents and structures of crisis communication systems by referencing the corpus of government announcements and Twitter during the week after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Objectivity of this paper has been ensured by applying natural language processing and text mining techniques based on corpus linguistics.


The main goal of this study is to develop a multi-metric fishway assessment model (M m-FA) and evaluate the efficiency of fishway. The M m-FA model has three major fishway components with nine metrics: structural characteristics, hydraulic/ hydrologic features, and biological attributes. The model was developed for diagnosing and assessing fishway efficiency and tested to Juksan Weir at the Yeongsan River Watershed. Structural characteristics of fishway included slope of the fishway (M 1), ratios of fishway width to stream width (M 2), and the proportion of orifice clogging and orifice size (M 3). Hydraulic/hydrologic characteristics included depth of fishway entrance head (M 4), depth of exit tail (M5), and current velocity of inner fishway (M 6). Biological characteristics included fish species ratio of inner fishway to upper-lower weir (M7), fish length distribution (M 8), and the proportion of migratory fish species to the total number of species (M 9). Overall, the assessment of fishway efficiency showed the total score of the M m-FA model was 25 in the Juksan Weir, indicating "good condition" by the criteria of the five-level classification system. The M m-FA model may be used as a key tool for the assessment of fishway efficiency, especially on the 16 weirs constructed for the "Four Rivers Restoration Project" after a partial calibration of Mm-FA model.


PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effect of stretch goals on unethical behavior and explore the mediating role of ambivalent identification and moderating role of competitive psychological climate.Design/methodology/approachA total of 350 MBA students from Northwestern China completed the two-phase survey. The bootstrapping analysis outlined by Hayes was used to assess a moderated mediation model.FindingsThis study found that stretch goals could trigger employees' unethical behavior via ambivalent identification. Competitive psychological climate intensified the relationship between stretch goals and ambivalent identification. Moreover, such a climate aggravated the indirect effect of stretch goals on unethical behavior via ambivalent identification.Practical implicationsOrganizations and managers should use stretch goals prudently and implement measures to reduce the ethical cost.Originality/valueThis study provides unique contributions by identifying ambivalent identification as an important mediator and competitive psychological climate as a boundary condition of stretch goals' disruptive effect on unethical behavior.


THE miners have not, after all, accepted the offered terms. There seems to be no reason for expecting the dispute ever to end, except the sheer impossibility of its going on for ever. While we cannot withhold our admiration for the miners' pluck and determination, we can only say of their present stand that it is magnificent, but it is not war. Along the lines on which they are fighting, they cannot hope to gain anything worth speaking of, while they have lost the Government's The longer they stay out, the worse is likely to be their plight, when they do go back. In any case, there is bound to be a large reduction of the men employed in the industry, and the longer the stoppage, the greater will be the number of those fired out. Oil will continue all the while to displace coal; and we have not yet had the sense to arrange for an industry to support its own ex-Service men.


Based on the traditional research of bridge maintenance management system, B/S WEBGIS technology is used to analyze the aims and requirements of present-day bridge maintenance management systems and the technique of present-day bridge maintenance management system design is put forward and the bridge maintenance management system is devised.


The complex-oxides interfaces hold rich physics that have resulted in the emergence of various novel functional properties. While strain engineering has been widely used to induce many properties over the past decade, more recently the role of oxygen vacancies has increasingly drawn wider attention. In particular, research has revealed that there exists a strong coupling between strain and oxygen vacancy formation energy. This coupling can be used to alter oxygen vacancy concentration at interfaces, thereby opening another degree of freedom to control interfacial properties. In this review, we highlight recent works that have interrogated the connection between coupling and the emerging interfacial properties. The coupling has not only been used to selectively create oxygen vacancies at specific crystallographic oxygen sites but has also been used to manipulate ordering of oxygen vacancies near interfaces. In addition, recent studies have extended the existing connection between strain and octahedra distortion to oxygen vacancies, where the role of vacancies in the properties emerging due to octahedra distortion is now being unveiled. Finally, we discuss recent data-science efforts in the design and discovery of complex oxides and property prediction.


We report high-performance 980-nm ridge waveguide quantum-well lasers with extremely low vertical beam divergence of 13/spl deg/. A very small aspect ratio of 1.6 is obtained at high operating power of 900 mW. In addition to the more circular beam, low threshold, high efficiency, high characteristic temperature, and high output power of over 1.18 W are achieved. The fiber coupled output power can be as high as 680 mW with fiber Bragg grating stabilization. Excellent wavelength and power stability are also demonstrated.


Upward sonar data from a 3400-km track in the Greenland Sea and the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean, obtained by a British submarine in May 1987, have been statistically analyzed. Mean ice thicknesses in the Greenland Sea show significant melting with downstream distance, at an average rate of 0.38 m per degree of latitude, equivalent to about 2140 km3 yr−1 of freshwater input between 80°N and 75°N. In the region north of Fram Strait, between 82°N and 80°N, there is remarkable consistency between mean ice drafts in 1987 and in three previous cruises (1976, 1979, 1985), while between Greenland and the North Pole there was a significant thinning in 1987 relative to 1976. In Fram Strait the mean ice draft shows evidence of thinning within the region of influence of a semipermanent eddy. Ice draft distributions show that the probability density function of deformed ice follows a negative exponential distribution and that the change of shape of the distribution with downstream distance in the Greenland Sea is due to preferential melting of thicker ice. Pressure ridge draft distributions also fit a negative exponential, while their spacings fit a lognormal distribution. Lead width distribution follows a power law with an exponent of −1.45 for narrow leads and −2.50 for wider leads, if leads are defined as having a 1-m maximum draft ( −1.67 and −2.76 for a 0.5-m maximum draft). Lead spacings follow a negative exponential distribution for moderate spacings (400–1500 m) but with an excess of lead pairs at small and very large spacings.


In the paper dynamic multi-item models for production planning and invertory control with deterrninistic demand are considered. in which fixed charge and caring costs are minimized. Different variants thereof are s olved by dynamic programming. a lexicographical branch and bound method and a certain suboptimal method.


Many papers have been published on the topic of decoupling in various EMC forums; however, it seems as if many of those papers' primary focus is on the EMC effects through a signal integrity analysis. That is, those papers seem to focus on ensuring that the path taken by transient currents generated from switching devices is such that either the low frequency impedance seen by those currents, or the area enclosed by the current path, is min- imized. This paper proposes that these targets may not always be the best way to measure the utility of decoupling for EMC. This paper will show that, for a real-world prod- uct, lowering (or attempting to lower) the impedance of the power distribution system by adding discrete decoupling capacitors can actually increase the radiated emissions by more than 15 dB. The reason for such a drastic increase in emissions is that the return currents can be redirected into a "sensitive" area (where those currents had a much lower magnitude in that area before lowering the impedance of the power distribution system) of the system from which the currents can radiate more efficiently. In summary, this paper proposes that the location of decoupling capacitors can be critical on a multi-layerd, moderately thin dielec- tric, printed circuit board, not because of their ability or inability to provide charge to an active switching device, but rather because of how return currents can be redirected into areas in proximity to "sensitive" areas.


Background and Aims: Some epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results on the effect of traffic-related pollutants on markers of inflammation. An alternative approach is proposed to co...


In this article we discuss stability, stabilizability and detectability problems for Markov-jump discrete-time linear systems (MJDLSs) with multiplicative noise (MN) and countably infinite state space of the Markov chain. On the basis of a new solution representation formula, we give new deterministic characterizations of the stability and the detectability properties of MJDLSs with MN. These results are obtained using an operatorial approach and the properties of certain positive evolution operators defined on ordered Banach spaces of sequences of nuclear operators. Assuming detectability conditions and avoiding stochastic proofs, we prove that any global, nonnegative and bounded solution of the Riccati equation of control is stabilizing for the MJDLSs with MN and control. Finally, we apply our results to solve a linear quadratic optimal control problem. The theory is illustrated by an example.


The recent demand for low-power electronics has driven narrow-width MOSFETs into applications. Meanwhile, SOI devices offer significant power reduction as compared with bulk devices due to the reduced parasitic capacitances. Therefore, it is very attractive to apply narrow-width MOSFETs fabricated on SOI substrate in low-power digital and analog design. However, the behavior of narrow-width SOI MOSFETs has never been reported. In this paper, the threshold voltage behavior of narrow-width FD/NFD SOI MOSFETs with ROSIE (Re-Oxidized Silicon Island Edges) isolation is reported for the first time.


This study is to predict energy needs and determine the future level of energy consumption of the universities at Shanghai by using BP artificial neural networks. In this model, Shanghai's GDP, disposable income of urban residents, the number of college students, the floor area of college, the air conditioned area of college, scientific research funding, the energy consumption of Shanghai's universities are used in the input layer of the network. Data from 1999 to 2008 are used for the training. Three years(2009, 2010 and 2011) are used only as test data to confirm this method. According to the results, the net energy consumption using the ANN technique has been predicted with acceptable accuracy. It is expected that BP artificial neural networks model is effective for predicting the energy consumption level of Shanghai's universities.


In a market economical system, the free market and the government's intervention serve as two basic factors to adjust the economy. Their relationships have long been heatedly argued in economics circles and the economic law world. Market defects lead to market failures and thus the government's intervention is rationalized. But the government's intervention has its limitations and is not perfect. Given that the government's intervention in China's socialist market economic system fails to adapt to the development of the market economy, a statutory framework must be set up to afford protection for the market economy against the abuse of the government's intervention. So, it is necessary to regulate the government's intervention and effectively correct its mistakes. Since economic law is called a "law that interferes in the government," there is no doubt that the government's intervention should be regulated by it.


Sera from patients with growing neoplasms have been previously shown capable of specifically blocking the cytotoxic effect of lymphocytes immune to tumor‐associated antigens (TAA) of the respective patients' neoplasms. The present investigation demonstrates that a similar blocking activity can be eluted at pH 3.1 from human tumor tissues, obtained at surgery (seminomas and osteogenic sarcomas) and from tumor cells growing in ascites and pleural effusions (carcinomas of endometrium, breast and ovary). A high (MW above 100,000) and a low (MW below 100,000) molecular weight fraction can be separated from the eluates by ultrafiltration. Neither of these fractions could block lymphocyte‐mediated cytotoxicity in vitro when tested by itself, while a 1:1 mixture of them could. Blocking was also obtained when the tumor cells were first exposed to the high and then to the low molecular weight fractions, but not when the sequence was reversed. The observations obtained are analogous to previous findings in animal tumor systems and provide evidence that tumors growing in human patients are coated by "blocking factors".


INTRODUCTION: When top-class martial artists such as champion kickboxers threw a rear hand straight punch with maximum effort into a target fixed on a wall, the contribution of the momentum of the throwing limb to an impact force or an impulse to the target was about 60% (Yoshihuku,1987). Yoshihuku (1995) suggested that the contribution of the momenta of the other body segments reduced when the punch was thrown into an unfixed target. The purpose of this paper was to clarify the contribution of the momentum of the throwing limb to the impulse when the punch was thrown into an unfixed target similar to the human head.


The U.S. Geological Survey through its Toxic-Waste— Ground-Water Contamination Program began studies during 1984 to evaluate the degradation of regional ground-water quality as a result of human activities. The studies are designed to quantitatively relate human activities, expressed as land use, to the quality of ground water at a regional scale.

Preliminary results from six of the studies in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Nebraska, and Colorado summarized in this paper indicate that regional ground-water quality has been affected by human activities. The frequencies of detection of volatile organic compounds and some trace elements were larger in ground water underlying urban or industrial areas in comparison to undeveloped areas. Ground water in agricultural areas generally had larger concentrations of nitrate and had an increased frequency of detection of pesticides in comparison to undeveloped areas. Effects of human activities on water quality increased as the intensity of urbanization or irrigation increased. Ground-water pumpage, waste-water discharges into a stream that is hydraulically connected to an alluvial aquifer, and consumptive use of ground water affected the ground-water quality in one study area to a greater extent than land-use practices.

These preliminary results indicate that in specific areas, surficial nonpoint sources, expressed as land use, have altered regional ground-water quality. Additional studies are being made to determine if these results are consistent and widespread.


The present invention discloses an embodiment of OFDM Signal compression method based sensing, comprising obtaining the receiver side demodulation parameters, wherein said parameters comprise Tnyq demodulating square wave signal sampling period of the receiver used, Tnyq the periodic square wave signal to maintain high and low minimum slot length; performs OFDM modulation to generate OFDM baseband signal input information symbols, and controls the OFDM baseband signal sampling interval TsampleOFDM = Ts / k is an integer multiple Tnyq, wherein, for the duration Ts of OFDM baseband signal valid data, k is the number of a baseband OFDM signal subcarriers; transmitted to the receiver after the OFDM baseband signal conversion process on. Embodiments of the present invention also discloses a corresponding demodulation method, apparatus and system. According to the present invention, reduce the complexity of the receiver.


Nanophotonics promises to solve the scalability problems of current electrical interconnects thanks to its low sensitivity to distance in terms of latency and energy consumption. Before this technology reaches maturity, hybrid photonic‐electronic networks will be a viable alternative. Ideally, ordinary electrical meshes and ring‐based photonic networks should cooperate to minimize overall latency and energy consumption, but currently, we lack mechanisms to do this efficiently. In this paper, we present novel fine‐grain policies to manage the photonic resources in a tiled chip multiprocessor (CMP) scenario. Our policies are dynamic and base their decisions on parameters such as message size, ring availability, and distance between endpoints, at the message level. The resulting network behavior is also fairer to all cores, reducing processor idle time thanks to faster thread synchronization. All these policies improve performance when compared to the same CMP without the photonic ring, and the most elaborate ones reduce the overall network latency by 50%, execution time by 36%, and network energy consumption by 52% on average, in a 16‐core CMP for the PARSEC benchmark suite. Larger hybrid networks with 64 endpoints for 256‐core CMPs, based on Corona and Firefly designs, also show far superior throughput and lower latency if managed by one of the proposed policies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A numerical step-by-step procedure is presented for the analysis of transversely loaded multilayer plates supported on regularly spaced elastic pillars. The layers are permitted to slide over each other at locations where the interface shear strength or friction is less than the horizontal shear stress, and individual layers are permitted to fracture at locations where the flexural stresses exceed flexural strength. The various strengths, as well as the other material properties, may be different for each layer and interface, and may also vary from point to point in each layer and interface. A detailed algorithm is given for the solution of the problem, and calculated strengths are compared with laboratory test results for three models.


Approximate counterdiabatic (CD) protocols are a powerful tool to enhance quantum adiabatic processes that allow to reliably manipulate quantum systems on short time scales. However, implementing CD protocols entails the introduction of additional control fields in the Hamiltonian, often associated with highly non-local multi-body interactions. Here, we introduce a novel variational rotated ansatz (RA) to systematically generate experimentally accessible approximate CD protocols. We numerically benchmark our approach on state preparation and adiabatic quantum computing algorithms, and find that using RA protocols significantly enhances their performances.


The merger of Chartered Accountants (CAs), Certified General Accountants (CGAs) and Certified Management Accountants (CMAs) in Canada to create the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation is analyzed, using social network theory. The analysis examines the conversion of market power into political power through the legislative apportionment of council seats among the three legacy bodies. It then documents how political power affects the hiring of former senior association staff from each of the three predecessor bodies to run the merged association. Social network theory suggests that these appointments could be used to fill "structural holes" to ensure effective integration of the profession postmerger or could be used by those gaining political power within the network to reinforce their control over the merged association. The analysis shows that (i) the legislation consolidating the profession converted the market dominance of the former CAs into political dominance, (ii) former CA institute executives were disproportionately appointed to run CPA associations, and (iii) in some provinces, no connection to the knowledge base of other legacy bodies through staff appointments at an executive level was maintained. The results raise concern about the loss of social capital through the hiring process and the effects of the continued use of political power to structure the merged association on the profession's stability and resilience given the diversity of its members.


Blending of polymeric materials is an effective way to obtain materials with specific properties, since the properties of these multiphase polymeric materials are not only affected by the properties of the component polymers but also by the morphology formed. The research described here was focused on investigation of the morphology of polymer blends of poly lactic acid (PLA) and poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and the PLA/PMMA blends containing various amounts of graphene nano plates, (GNP). In this work, the blends were prepared by solution casting and the morphologies of these nano filled polymer blends were studied. By adding graphene nano plates into the PLA/PMMA blends, the morphology changed for all compositions. It was very interesting to note that the GNP were found to be preferentially located in one of the polymer phases, different for the different loadings, and its location determined the final morphology of the PLA/PMMA blends. The morphology of the blends was observed by SEM and the composition-morphology dependence responses were investigated using a Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy technique.


This chapter offers a general overview of the most important material available and to indicate, however briefly and provisionally, the place of medieval Armenian and Georgian law in the context of European legal history. Among West-European scholars, Joseph Karst has made the most important contribution to the literature on the subject of Transcaucasian legal history. The Armenians, speaking a language which is counted among the Indo- European languages, arrived in early historical times in the area which has been considered their homeland ever since. The general parameters of Georgian history are similar to those of Armenia in that the country's fate through the ages was determined predominantly by developments in the states of its more powerful neighbours. The learned priest (vardapet) Mkhitar Gosh (d. 1213) was active in Greater Armenia during the second half of the 12th century.Keywords: Armenia; European legal history; Georgia; Mkhitar Gosh; Transcaucasia


To establish the cleanliness of nickel surfaces in an investigation of the interaction with oxygen we used Auger electron spec-troscopy'. It is shown from the literature that AES spectra of a clean surface of several metals show a number of peaks in the secondary electron energy spectra in the range 10@-400 eV, which cannot be associated with transitions in atoms at the solid surface. Becker and Hagstrum' measured these peaks on the Ni(lO0) and 388 eV. McDonnell et aI3 previously reported analogous peaks on copper and cobalt. The position of the peaks appeared to be independent of the crystallographic orientation of the metal studied, but showed a regular shift over the whole range for different metals. McDonnell et al denoted these peaks as Temperature Dependent Peaks (TDP's) because they noted a strong dependence of the peak-heights on the sample temperature. From the temperature dependence they deduced that the phenomenon must be due to diffractions of secondary electrons leaving the sample. The surface ordering is hence directly correlated to the peak-height. Other authors have also reported on the appearance of such peaks4-'. The AES spectra, recorded during the different stages of the cleaning procedure of a Ni(ll0) surface are represented in Figure 1. The different stages are described in the caption. Spectrum (e) shows the TDP's as reported by Becker et al'. The reason for a higher number of peaks is probably due to a higher sensitivity of our apparatus. In this letter we report the change in the heights of the TDP's measured during the initial oxidation process of a Ni(ll0) surface. After cleaning the sample to a level below the Auger detection limit (at 740 K), the oxygen coverage of the sample was raised in small exposure steps (~lO_' torr oxygen pressure during lo-15 s) till a saturation coverage was reached. In Figure 2 the normalized peak-heights of the three most distinct TDP's hX/hNi,853ev where X is 141, 175 or 197 eV, are plotted versus the normalized oxygen peak-height, h 0,515cv/hNi,853ev. The latter is a measure for the amount of oxygen adsorbed at the surface, where hNi:853cV is the height of the major nickel peak, which hardly vanes on initial oxygen exposure. In contrast with a contaminated surface where the TDP's are absent, the diffraction peaks, measured during the initial oxidation ofa nickel surface, show a total different behaviour. The recorded peak-heights initially reduce in size after which they …


Digitalization is the method of changing information into a digital form. Currently, India ranks 36th at international levels, in internet inclusion (COAI, 2018). In August 2017, India's broadband penetration was 23 percent. Since 9th November 2016 people in urban areas started to prefer net banking, credit/debit card, e-wallet/mobile app, cheque (NPCI, 2017). In 2016-17, India's digital payments increased to 55 percent; against 28 percent in 2016 (NITI Aayog, 2018). The first section of the paper concentrates on studying the concepts of Digitalization. The second section identifies the digital payments in India, followed by the digital initiatives undertaken by the Government of India and concludes.


The aim of this essay is to contrast alternative, yet related, theories of historical development: historical materialism, Parsonian modernization theory, Habermasian social evolution. These theoretical alternatives are discussed in connection with the criteria they provide for evaluating social conflict and in relation to contemporary social movements. In this connection, an alternative `action' perspective is discussed. In addition, the role of intellectuals in formulating and periodizing historical development, and the claims they put forward regarding social movements, are related to the alternative theoretical positions outlined.


The paper mainly introduces a new apparatus (CHES-FY) to measure fabric surface friction. Compacted with the KES-FB system, the CHES-FY system has its own superiority. Through designing orthogonal tests, corresponding properties of 16 groups fabrics were measured by CHES-FY system. Based on the correlation analysis between KES-FB system with CHES-FY system, it indicates that the two systems have high correlations. Thereafter, regression equation that includes four parameters through multiple linear regression were achieved. It reports that CHES-FY system is feasible and accurate in measuring fabric surface friction performance.


Theriogenology 55 (1):379. 7. ALEXANDER, S.L.; IRVINE, C.H. 1991.Control of onset of breeding season in the mare and its artificial regulation by progesterone treatment. J Reprod Fertil Suppl.; 44:307-318. 8. ALEXANDER, S.L. AND IRVINE, C.H.. FSH and LH. En McKinnon AO, Voss JL. (Ed.) Equine Reproduction. Lea & Febiger; 1993. pag. 121-132. 9. BEHRENDT, C.Y.; ADAMS, M.H.; DANIEL, K.S.; MCDOWELL, K.J. 1997. Oxytocin expression by equine endometrium. Biol Reprod; 56 Suppl, 134


This research project aims to understand the factors that influence susceptibility to HIV for female and male students in LAMS (Lycee Agricole Meidji o Sekou in Benin), in order to contribute to the reduction of the phenomenon. The results of questionnaires, group discussions and interviews show the perceptions, knowledge, behaviour and risk factors that influence susceptibility to HIV for female and male students in LAMS.


The effects of adding Angelica plant (Bakluncho) and Angelica gigas (Senggumcho) powders on the quality characteristics of bread were investigated. The moisture, crude protein, ash, reducing sugar and vitamin C contents of Angelica plant (Bakluncho) powder were 7.78%, 6.07%, 7.37%, 6.13% and 50.10mg%, respectively, and of Angelica gigas (Senggumcho) powder were 8.69%, 12.28%, 5.15%, 2.21% and 108.00mg%, respectively. The lightness value decreased but the redness and yellowness values increased with the addition of Angelica plant (Bakluncho) and Angelica gigas (Senggumcho) powders. The mechanical hardness of bread decreased with the addition of 3% of Angelica plant (Bakluncho) powder, but increased with the addition of 1% and 5% of Angelica plant (Bakluncho) powder. The mechanical hardness of bread decreased with the addition of 1%, 3% and 5% of Angelica gigas (Senggumcho) powder. In sensory characteristics, the crust color, crumb color, moistness and springiness decreased, but aroma and hardness increased with the addition of Angelica plant (Bakluncho) and Angelica gigas (Senggumcho) powders. The savory taste and overall quality of breads with 1% Angelica plant (Bakluncho) and 1% Angelica gigas (Senggumcho) powders were higher than without either powder. A negative correlation was observed between mechanical hardness and overall bread quality with the addition of Angelica plant (Bakluncho) powder, while a positive correlation (p<0.01) was observed with the addition of Angelica gigas (Senggumcho) powder.


Mustering extensive evidence, literary, epigraphic and archaeological, to support its wide-ranging and compelling exploration of certain 'associations' of Athens, this book is learned, provocative, and a worthwhile achievement. It comprises an introduction, five chapters, and a conclusion, with six appendices largely laying out epigraphic evidence, but also supplying relevant maps. Altogether, it covers an enormous amount of ground, summarizing, synthesizing, challenging and elaborating on mu...


This paper proposes that the theory of enterprises' duality in Marxist Economics and the methods to analyze it be used as the theoretical and methodological basis for the study of enterprises' social responsibility.This paper analyzes the different views in theoretical circle home and abroad in the study and discussion of the theory of enterprises' social responsibility using the theory of enterprises' duality,based on which it concludes that we should further study the connotation and extension of the concept of enterprises' social responsibility in the present social and economic condition and the asymmetry in enterprises' duality as well as the duality of modern capital,which has great significance on the enterprise construction and social development in our country.


In this work we experimentally demonstrate the All Optical Wavelength Conversion in an EPON included in a GMPLS test bed based on Virtual Private LAN Service technique for QoS control.


In recent years, with the developing of service-oriented economy and the emerging of the new services, the reaserch on service supply chain accepts extensive attention. In this paper, we analyzed the background of the rise and development of the service supply chain research and explained the characteristics of the service supply chain; then we reviewed the development of theory and practice of service supply chain and revealed the difficulties and challenges service supply chain operation management faces. At last we outlined the research status of service supply chain and put forward the future study direction. Through the literature review and carding the research situation, we hope to promote the further service supply chain research and development.


The past two decades witnessed the explosive growth of research on strategic orientations(SO) in product innovation.However,existing empirical evidences result in few consensuses on whether and how strategic orientations benefit product innovation performance.It traces the origin of strategic orientation research,arguing that strategic orientation research comes out of the marketing research and is the specification of the marketing concept.SO itself lacks an underlying theory.Only when converged with later development resource-base view(RBV) of the enterprise,SO research started to combine with resourse-based theory.Previous researches have controversy over the definition of SO in the view of resourse-based theory.Based on detail navigation of RBV in product innovation,it argues that SO reflects the external behavior of the organization internal capability.Different enterprises have different SO characteristics and thus form different capability combinations.Also,it sums up some important SO in the product innovation according to the characteristics of product innovation and presents a new framework of SO to be applied to the following research and enterprises' practice.


Explosion-proof crane use places are often flammable and explosive hazardous area and the whole machine explosion-proof performance is the key to ensure safe operation.In the course of service its explosion performance is dynamic and it will be affected by installation and construction,repair and maintenance,use environment,use time and other factors.Based on the explosion-proof security hazards in the course of service and the problem that the explosion-proof security inspection requirements are not detailed in existing crane inspection regulations,the explosion-proof crane safety inspection items and requirements are put forward and analyzed in aspects of equipment selection,mechanical and electrical parts explosion-proof performance,explosion-proof electrical equipment installation and wiring etc.


Stereo or surgical microscope illuminating unit (12) for generating an illumination beam path, wherein the illumination unit (12) comprises a light source (1) and a deflecting mirror (7) for redirecting the illumination beam path to the object field (6) of the microscope (11), and wherein at least a micro-display (3 ') is inserted into the illumination beam path, characterized in that the deflection mirror (7) as a micromirror array (7') is designed with individually controllable and adjustable micromirrors (40), so that the micro mirror array ( 7 ') comprises a spherical component, wherein the at least one micro-display (3') (1) and the deflection mirror (7) is arranged between the light source.


This paper introduces a natural implementation for broadcasting data on Ethernet based clusters used for parallel computing. Initially, it will be shown that libraries for Message Passing between processes such as PVM and implementations of MPI do not implement efficiently this operation or there is no reliability in terms of its performance. An implementation for broadcast messages is presented, taking into account the Ethernet based hardware layer found in most of the clusters used for parallel computing. The proposed implementation for broadcasting data is compared with the broadcast message available in PVM and LAM/MPI. Also, some comments are made about the proposed broadcast messages when the hardware layer is not Ethernet based. Finally, it will be shown by experimentation how the proposed broadcast message is used in the context of parallel linear algebra operations, specifically for parallel matrix multiplication.


The report describes how coaxial and fiber optic cable is currently being used. It is intended for both developers of new traffic systems and users who wish to integrate or expand their existing systems. Current technology, procedures on working with cable television (CATV), application guidelines, specifications, standards, costs, maintenance and personnel requirements are discussed or rcfcrcnced. This article briefly summarizes the complete report, which inclucfe~ a glossary with mm-e than 330 terms and identifies more than 80 manufacturers/installers. No recommendations or endorsements are made, but identification of these organizations should prove useful. Another appendix to the full report gives specific case histories of recent projects that have been developed and implemented. The format of each dis-


The growth of textual content on internet forums over the last decade have been immense which have resulted in users struggling to find relevant information in a convenient and quick way.The activi ...


Interactions between secreted immune proteins called chemokines and their cognate G protein– coupled receptors regulate the trafficking of leukocytes in inflammatory responses. The two-site, two-step model describes these interactions. It involves initial binding of the chemokine N-loop/  3 region to the receptor's N-terminal region and subsequent insertion of the chemokine N-terminal region into the transmembrane helical bundle of the receptor concurrent with receptor activation. Here we test aspects of this model with CC motif chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) and several chemokine ligands.


Abstract A modified hollow-fiber-supported dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (HF-DLLME) method was developed for the determination of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in food samples. The various parameters affecting the efficiency of extraction, such as pH, salt addition, extraction time, stirring rate, desorption time, type and volume of extractant and disperser solvents were carefully studied and optimized using two step strategies. The linearity of the evaluated results was 0.1 to 30 μg L−1 for aflatoxins and 0.1 to 20 μg L−1 for ochratoxin A, with regression coefficients (R2) exceeding 0.9990. The precision was satisfactory with relative standard deviation values less than 11%. The method accuracy was within the recommended range from 70% to 120% and analyte accuracy between 83% and 101%. The limits of detection and quantification were in the range from 0.04 to 0.06 μg L−1 and 0.08 to 0.13 μg L−1, respectively, for multi-aflatoxins, and 0.02 to 0.04 µg L−1 and 0.08 to 0.10 µg L−1, respectively, for ochratoxin A. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of mycotoxins in food samples.


Despite Paleolithic research dating back to the 1860s, little evidence for parietal art has been documented in the caves of Central Europe. However, on August 3, 1998, Patrick Russel, a member of the excavation team at Hohle Fels cave, located near Schelklingen, Germany (fig. 1), recovered a painted rock fragment from an archaeological horizon containing abundant Magdalenian artifacts. The find was photographed in situ and belongs to geological stratum 1k. This fragment of limestone preserves a double row of seven and a truncated double row of four dark-red, subcircular dots and provides new evidence for rock paiting in Central Europe. While an earlier age cannot be ruled out, stylistic and contextual arguments suggest that the depiction dates to the Magdalenian (Conard and Floss 1999). The rich Magdalenian layers of Hohle Fels are well documented and date to ca. 13,000 b.p. (Blumentritt and Hahn 1991, Housley et al. 1997, Conard and Uerpmann 1999).


This study was carried out to determine the effects of MAP and Aloe vera (AV) treatments on quality characteristics of cornelian cherry ( Cornus mas L. ) during cold storage. In the study, control, MAP-1, MAP-2 and AV were determined as treatments. Fruit was stored at 0±0.5° C and 90±5% relative humidity. The measurements and analyses were performed on 7, 14 and 21 st day. During the cold storage, weight losses were significantly retarded with AV and MAP treatments. Higher firmness was measured from MAP and AV-treated fruits as compared to the control. Lower L* and hue angle values in MAP and AV treatments were measured than the control, whereas a higher chroma value was determined. At the end of cold storage, the lowest and the highest respiration rate respectively was obtained from MAP-1 and AV treatments. Also, higher soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (except for MAP-2) and vitamin C were obtained from AV and MAP treatments than the control. As a result, it revealed that AV and MAP treatments could be used as a tool to maintain quality of cornelian cherry fruits during cold storage.


The relations between the students' reasoning-ability and their geometry achievements, and the awareness of the related isomorphic problems on geometry problem-solving transfer have been (examined) by the experimental research. Results suggest that during the process of geometry problem solving, the level of the awareness of the related isomorphic problems is one of the major factors that influence the effect of problem-solving transfer. The relation between the students' reasoning-ability and their geometry achievement is in notable positive correlation. There is interaction between the problem-difficulty and the level of the awareness of the related isomorphic problems. There is no (interaction) between the students' reasoning-ability and the level of the awareness of the related (isomorphic) problems.


As popular tourist areas in Indonesia, Yogyakarta offers many types of tours. Cultural tourism, culinary tourism, nature tourism, to national scale events which are able to attract tourist from all over the country. One of the biggest national and large scale event in Yogyakarta is Yogyakarta Chinese Culture Week (PBTY) organized by the Yogyakarta Chinese Art and Culture Centre (JCACC). Cultural event on the title in the Malioboro area is capable of attracting he attention of thousands of visitors each year. Research methods used in this research is descriptive and qualitative analysis. The source of the data in these studies obtained through interviews with informants, as well as relevant documents related to the executionof the event PBTY 2017. The research results showed that Yogyakarta Chinese Art and Cultural Centre (JCACC) as the organisers managed to attract tourist visit the archipelago due in 2017 PBTY event implemented a good promotion strategy. Promotion strategies undertaken to attract JCACC local tourists visit is to create a message promoting diversity Indonesia namely "Pelangi Budaya Nusantara", featuring local culture from various regions in Yogyakarta, presenting cuisine the archipelago, staged marches and Chinese culture along the Malioboro street.


In this paper we present a collaborative Bluetooth localization method, which aggregates the location information about Bluetooth devices that is provided by multiple mobile devices. The method aims to take advantage of an enhanced version of the KNN algorithm in which the location of a mobile device can be determined based on a Bluetooth distance measure. The experimental results showed that there are a sufficient number of Bluetooth devices that are discoverable, which can be used collaboratively to assist with localization requests from mobile devices. In addition, it is shown that the Bluetooth localization method was able to successfully localize the mobile device using the Bluetooth radio. Furthermore, the response time of Bluetooth localization is shown to be less than GPS, and greater than Wi-Fi and Cellular localization methods.


Effective computerized training of reading comprehension strategies requires an ability to automatically provide accurate feedback to students as they answer open-ended comprehension questions. This study explored different approaches to machine scoring as part of a larger research and development project. Two units involving 4 open-ended questions were used for initial testing. A comparison of pattern matching and deep learning techniques suggest that the latter have more potential to provide accurate scoring of the more complex questions.


This report on primary information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the last in the series published by Ofsted over several years, based on evidence from whole school inspections and surveys by HMI. It draws on data from Ofsted inspections from September 2003 to July 2005. The report also reflects upon changes since Ofsted inspections began, referring to subject issues identified in Primary education: a review of primary schools, 1994–98, and inspection judgements from 1998/991. From September 2005, subject evidence will be gained from qualitative inspections of a small sample of schools, and future methods of reporting will reflect this change.


Pakistan is an agricultural country and its economy is mainly dependent on agriculture. Agriculture provides large economic opportunities along with the yield of food and other raw materials in our life. To increase the yield of products there is a need for the deployment of modern technology. To tackle this problem, a private blockchain-based secure access control for agriculture can be employed to monitor the different climatic parameters such as (light, humidity, temperature, and, soil moisture, etc) in the fields. The environmental and climatic parameters are very important for the quantity, quality, efficient growth of the crops. Also, any kind of unwanted modification, interception, and expunction on these parameters can leave a bad impact on fields and crops. Therefore, privacy and security are key challenges while deploying the monitoring systems in the fields. In this regard, we have designed a novel remote user authentication scheme by using private blockchain-based secure access control for agriculture monitoring. The proposed scheme is authorized through private blockchain access control (PBAC) algorithms and is applied using hyper ledger cello tools. We customarily analyze the privacy and security of the scheme by using a random oracle model. Furthermore, the proposed protocol is secure and resist different sorts of malicious attacks. The proposed scheme is also suitable in a real-life application to avoid all kinds of security attacks.


Objective To establish the model of mixed thymus transplantation by grafting with fetal F344 rat thymus and BALB/c mouse thymus in nude mice and to observe the functions of the reconstituted T cells in the recipients. Methods Transplantation model was established by implantation of the mixed fetal thymic tissue under the kidney capsule in nude mice. The reconstitution of T cell subsets in peripheral blood of the recipients was detected by flow cytometry. The in vitro functional status of the reconstituted T cells in the nude mice and mouse splenocytes was stimulated with Con A mitogens, allogeneic and xenogeneic splenocytes. Results At 3 months after mixed thymus transplantation, efficient reconstitution of mouse CD4 +T cells and CD8 +T cells in the peripheral blood was observed. The levels of mouse CD4 +T cells and CD8+T cells in peripheral white blood cells were similar to those of the normal euthymic mice. Con A stimulation and mixed lymphocyte reaction assay revealed that mouse lymphocytes showed a strong response to either the stimulation of allogeneic (C57BL/6 mouse) cells or Con A mitogens, and were tolerant for donor F344 rat antigens. Conclusion Mixed thymus transplantation can support the reconstitution of CD4 +T cells and CD8 +T cells in nude mice. Furthermore, the function of reconstituted T cells is normal in vitro .


An inverse design numerical method was introduced to investigate the design technique of new bipyramid bump compression surface.The axisymmetric Euler equations with the discontinuities boundary condition were solved on dynamic mesh using computational domain partition method which calculated the second shock wave in order to avoid solving the shock location error by shock capture method.On this basis,a bipyramid Bump example combined with the flat plane was designed by the streamline tracking method introduced to generate Bump compression surface,and it was simulated by computational fluid dynamics in viscosity.The results show that:(1) the model maintains a strong boundary layer swept capacity in the flow field structure;(2) at Mach number 2.0 condition,the method adopted here can make the total pressure recovery coefficient of the Bump compression system increases 0.04 compared to the traditional Bump compression surface based on cone waverider design,also lays the foundation for improving the Bump inlet performance.


The requirement to observe a total fast (all forms of nourishment including liquids) during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan poses a great challenge in the management of people who have undergone bariatric surgery.1 Bariatric surgery is increasingly performed for the correction of morbid obesity, particularly in people with comorbid conditions …


Abstract:This article reviews a dozen new editions of Victorian texts published by Broadview Press (Peterborough, Canada) and another by Oxford University Press in its World's Classics series. Consideration of the various editions leads to reflections on appropriate ways of editing texts intended for university students.


The aim of this study was to investigate the shaping ability and cyclic fatigue resistance of Genius (GN) and WaveOne (WO) nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments. Forty mesial root canals of mandibular molars were randomly divided into two groups, according to the instrument system used for root canal preparation (n = 20): GN and WO. Root canals were prepared to the full working length using the crown-down technique, with up to 40.04 instruments for GN group and 40.08 instruments for WO group. Specimens were scanned with a µCT before and after instrumentation. The changes in 3D parameters and degree of canal transportation were evaluated in the apical, middle and coronal thirds of root canals. Size 25, taper 0.04 (GN) and 0.08 (WO) instruments (n = 20) were used in simulated root canals until fracturing, and the number of cycles to failure (NCF) was recorded. The fractured files were investigated under a scanning electron microscope to characterize fractured surfaces. Data were analyzed using ANOVA post hoc Tuckey's tests with the significance level set at 5%. The GN system was able to prepare the higher percentage of the canal surface with less canal transportation in all root canal thirds and displayed the higher resistance to cyclic fatigue in comparison to WO instruments (p < 0.05). However, the length of the fractured segments was not significantly different among the groups; meanwhile, SEM investigations revealed the typical topographic characteristics of fractured surfaces. Hybrid GN instruments demonstrated superior shaping ability and resistance to cyclic fatigue. However, both NiTi instrument systems prepared the root canals with no significant shaping errors, considerable changes in 3D parameters and no significant differences in the topographic appearances of the instrument surfaces after fractures.


A 32-year-old African American woman pregnant with her second child presents for prenatal care in the first trimester. She is introduced to and enrolled in a Centering Pregnancy group, which gathers women with similar due dates and members of their support system together for group prenatal care. Not only do they have their health care assessment done at that time, they establish ownership of their own health and there is discussion of questions and concerns that honors the wisdom of the group members. Medical staff are present but act as facilitators instead of teachers. At first the woman is hesitant to join a group with people she does not know and is unsure about sharing with others during such an intimate part of her life. However, over the course of her pregnancy, she builds relationships with the women in her group and shares that her first delivery, preterm at 32 weeks, was traumatic. She discloses that she did not feel heard and certainly did not feel that she was allowed to participate in the decision-making process. She continues that she is fearful of what her experience may be like this time. Her disclosure leads to a loving but realistic conversation about making this birth what she envisions it to be. Several months later when she comes back for the Centering Reunion, she shares that her labor and term birth were almost exactly what she'd hoped for. But then she goes on to say something else. She reveals that prior to…


The Mw6.3 Ölfus earthquake occurred on 29 May 2008 in the westernmost part of the South Iceland Seismic Zone. The event took place on two separate and parallel faults that ruptured nearly simultaneously. The earthquake strong-motion was recorded on 11 stations of the ICEARRAY, the first small-aperture strongmotion array in Iceland. The array has an aperture of ~1.9 km, minimum interstation distance of ~50 m and consists of CUSP-3Clp three-component accelerographs of Canterbury Seismic Instruments. The ICEARRAY recordings, being in the extreme near-fault region of one of the causative faults (rJB~1-2 km), exhibit high-intensity ground motion of short duration (4-5 s), large horizontal peak ground accelerations (38-88%g) and large amplitude, long-period velocity components, characteristics of near-fault motions, both on the strike-normal and strike-parallel components. The linear response spectra indicate that the longperiod energy of the velocity pulse seen along the strike-normal direction is not present in the strike-parallel direction. Additionally, along the strike-normal direction, the Eurocode 8 "Type 2" design spectrum combined with a recently published design spectrum for near-fault pulses appears to capture well the overall spectral composition of the ICEARRAY response spectra. The acceleration time histories have been corrected based on a novel wavelet transformation approach and integrated to velocity and displacement. The correction reveals that both the strike-normal and strike-parallel components are associated with significant permanent tectonic displacement. The displacement estimates are in accordance with GPS measurements in the region.


The aim of this study is to investigate if households or organizations are faster in their adoption of an innovation. There does not appear to be existing research on this area of diffusion of innovations research. In this comparative study, the study object is digital terrestrial television (DTT), specifically the implementation of DTT in Denmark. By taking a service theory approach, DTT can be categorized as a service innovation. The rate of adoption is a concept in diffusion of innovations theory, which is used as the study's theoretical framework. For both units of analysis, three surveys were carried out. Based on the data, the rate of adoption for households and for organizations was established. It is clear that organizations adopt an innovation faster than households during the entire adoption process. Based on this research, a predictive model is constructed conceptually.


Emergency situations of natural character present a great danger for the population and the territory RNO (Republic of Northern Ossetia) Alania. It is stipulated by a great variety of climatic, geologicgeomorphological and landscape conditions.