Two new endemic gastropods are named from the Brazilian Molluscan Province; a new cypraeid subspecies, Erosaria acicularis marcuscoltroi and a new moruminine harpid, Morum berschaueri. The new Brazilian cypraeid can be differentiated from the southeastern United States and Caribbean Erosaria acicularis acicularis in being a smaller, narrower, proportionally flatter, and more darkly-colored shell with a pale orange base and pale orange extremities. The new Morum is most similar to the widespread southeastern United States and Caribbean Morum oniscus but differs in being a much larger, thinner, and proportionally more inflated shell with larger and more prominent knobs on the body whorl, and in having a wider and more flaring aperture. The new cypraeid subspecies ranges from Para and Rio Grande do Norte states in the north to São Paulo State in the south, and is found in the Cearaian, Bahian, and northern Paulinian Subprovinces of the Brazilian Province. The new Morum is confined to the Bahian Subprovince and ranges from the Abrolhos Platform south to Guarapari, Espiritu Santo State.


To the Editor: —We are wont to popularize the usage of wrong terms until they reach a vogue and become common. As an example is the use of the word "extract" when applied to a desiccated gland product, when nothing like an extract is meant. Gould's dictionary says that an extract is "the condensed active principle of a drug." To be sure, a certain amount of moisture is removed by desiccation, but this does not make such a product an extract.


Pregabalin is an alpha2-gamma ligand indicated for the treatment of peripheral and central neuropathic pain. In this article, we will review the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, randomized clinical trials supporting its efficacy for a wide array of neuropathic painful conditions, and the tolerability of this medication. We will comment the main differences with gabapentin, its parent compound, both from the pharmacological and clinical perspective. Our experience in the clinical practice setting with pregabalin, its use in patients with refractory neuropathic pain and its rational use in combination regimens will also be reviewed. With all this information in mind, the place of pregabalin in the pharmacotherapy of neuropathic pain is explored, mainly through the review of recent clinical guidelines which, in fact, place pregabalin among the first-line treatments for the management of most neuropathic painful conditions.


A new species, Zora acuminata spec. nov. is described in both sexes from Mt. Baihua, Beijing City, China. The genital organs suggest its close relationship with Z. lyriformis Song, Zhu & Gao, 1993.


Direct optical observations of solid hydrogen to pressures in the 250-gigapascal range at 77 K are reported. Hydrogen samples appear nearly opaque at the maximum pressures. Measurements of absorption and Raman spectra provide evidence that electronic excitations in the visible region begin at about 200 gigapascals. The optical data are consistent with a band-overlap mechanism of metallization.


This study aimed at clarifying the relationship between religious and paranormal beliefs, on which previous studies have yielded varying results. It was examined whether the relationship varies by the level of religiousness, and individual differences between religious and paranormal believers and sceptics were compared. Finnish participants (N = 3261) filled in an Internet-based questionnaire. The results showed that the relationship between religious and paranormal beliefs was positive among paranormal believers and sceptics but negative among religious people. High intuitive thinking, low analytical thinking, mystical experiences, and close others' positive attitude toward the supernatural distinguished both kinds of believers from the sceptics, while conservation and self-transcendence values distinguished religious people from paranormal believers.


Human chromosome analysis is an essential task in cytogenetics, especially in prenatal screening, genetic syndrome diagnosis, cancer pathology research and mutagen dosimetry. Chromosomal analysis begins with the creation of a karyotype, which is a layout of chromosome images organized by decreasing size in pairs. Both manual and automatic classification of chromosomes are limited by the resolution of the microscope and imaging system used. One way to improve the results of classification and even detect subtleties now remaining undetected, is to enhance the resolution of the images. It is possible to achieve lateral resolution beyond the classical limit, by using spatially modulated illumination (SMI) in a wide-field, non-confocal microscope. In this case, the sample is illuminated with spatially modulated light, which makes normally inaccessible high-resolution information visible in the observed image by shifting higher frequencies within the OTF limits of the microscope. Although, SMI microscopes have been reported in the past, this manuscript reports the development of a transillumination microscope for opaque, non-fluorescent samples. The illumination path consisted of a light source illuminating a ruled grating which was subsequently imaged on the sample. The grating was mounted on a rotating and translating stage so that the magnification and rotation of the pattern could be adjusted. The imaging lens was a 1.25 NA oil immersion objective. Test samples showed resolution improvement, as judged from a comparison of the experimentally obtained FWHM. Further studies using smaller fringe distance or laser interference pattern illumination will be evaluated to further optimize the SMI results.


In June 2004, the Austrian government endorsed the recommendations of an all party defence reform commission that called for the armed forces to be cut in half, following evidence from public opinion polls showing strong support for continuing Austrian neutrality and maintaining national service while rejecting major increases in defence spending. Before implementation the plan needs to be approved by parliament. There was fierce debate over the government's decision to purchase 18 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft due to be delivered from 2007. In the meantime, Austria will lease 12 single-seat F-5E aircraft at an annual cost of €14m from Switzerland to provide air defence and enable Austria to retire its fleet of 23 Drakens by mid-2005. Finland announced a 5.6% increase in its defence budget to €2.13bn for 2004 and indicated that the transformation process would be speeded up. Force numbers are being reduced with the aim of altering the military structure away from territorial defence towards highly mobile well-equipped forces that can be rapidly deployed to meet specific crises. A key decision not to procure any attack helicopters was revealed in March 2004 after a defence committee concluded that purchasing the aircraft would have accounted for around half of the procurement budget over the next 30 years. Instead, the money will be directed towards long-range weapons for the army and precision guided air-to-ground missiles for the fleet of 63 F-18 C/D aircraft currently only equipped for air combat. The decision not to proceed with an attack helicopter programme however, raises the question of how to effectively defend the 20 new NH 90 transport helicopters that will soon start to be delivered. Continuing military reform in Romania's armed forces will see troop levels fall from 104,000 to 75,000 by 2007 and a civilian force of 15,000 down from 29,000 in 2002. In line with their commitment in the run up to joining NATO, the Romanian government has pledged to keep defence spending close to 2.4% of GDP through to 2007. The multiannual planning process has been implemented in two phases: the first phase 2000–03 focused on directing resources towards the restructuring of operational forces, the second phase through to 2008 will concentrate on modernising combat equipment. In this regard, upgrading equipment will get priority over the procurement of new systems. The continuing strength of industrial production, from both domestic and external sources, boosted GDP growth in the Ukraine to 9.3%. The improving economic environment enabled the government to balance its budget in 2003 and led to an increase in the official defence budget of 32% from h4.5bn in 2003 to h5.9bn in 2004. In June 2004, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a new law that will reduce armed forces personnel by 70,000 to 285,000 by the end of 2004. The move is part of a programme to move to a professional force over coming years. Under a separate budget, parliament also voted h243m in 2004 to the continued funding of the An-70 transport aircraft project. The Ukraine expects it will spend h1bn on the project between 2004 and 2006 to cover the completion of tests and the acquisition of an initial two aircraft for the MoD. Under agreements concluded in 1993 and 1997, the An-70 programme was intended to be a joint project between Russia and the Ukraine, however, Russia is currently in debt to the leading contractor and there was no provision of funds to either the debt or the project in the Russian State 2004 budget.


Chinese Survey and Culture is an essential part in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language(TCFL).However,due to the lack of unitary textbook,different schools choose different teaching content and methods,and thus achieve different teaching results.This paper,based on relevant documents issued by Hanban,takes the course of Chinese Survey and Culture as an instance to explore the cultural knowledge teaching.


The present invention provides a cationized cellulose glycerin, when it is blended in a hair cosmetic, it is possible to impart excellent in smoothness during rinsing and after drying lasting feeling and moist feeling to the hair and softness, and when the total when mixed in skin cleansing, it is possible to impart excellent moisturizing feeling after drying. The present invention provides further comprising the cationized cellulose glycerol surfactant composition; and each containing hair cosmetic compositions and skin cleansing composition of the surfactant composition. The present invention discloses a [1] glycerol cationized cellulose having a specific structure, having a main chain derived from an anhydroglucose, wherein the cationic alkylene group unit anhydroglucose unit degree of substitution from 0.01 to 0.18 and the unit anhydroglucose unit glyceryl degree of substitution of 0.5 to 5.0; [2] a surfactant composition, the surfactant composition containing the glycerol cationized cellulose, a surfactant and water; [ 3] above surfactant composition of the cosmetic use of the composition as a hair and skin cleanser composition; and [4] the hair cosmetic compositions and skin cleanser composition, each containing the cationized cellulose glycerol, surfactants and water.


These days as there are growing the number of vessel sailing, diverse aquaculture industries, fishing works, and leisure activities in coastal area, the diverse communication services have been required for secure voyage information. This paper addresses the scheme for costal area service using mobile IP router with multiple interfaces. For this, this system has the wireless interfaces, such as WiBro, HSDPA, and WLAN that can provides vessels with divers communication services, and can provide the vessels with the diverse information communication services in real-time through wireless communication network installed in costal area. So this can provide the infrastructure that supplies the authorized seamless information communication services.


The invention discloses an anticorrosion steel pipe connecting pipe fitting and an anticorrosion steel pipe welding-free connecting method. The anticorrosion steel pipe connecting pipe fitting comprises a connector and at least one sealing element fixed into the connector, the inner surface of the connector is provided with an anticorrosion lining, one end of the connector is provided with at least one fastening rod or clasp connected with a corresponding clasp or fastening rod on a first pipe, and the other end of the connector is provided with at least one fastening rod or clasp connected with a corresponding clasp or fastening rod on a second pipe. The connecting method includes the steps: performing anticorrosion treatment by the process method of extruding a polyethylene anticorrosion layer compound steel pipe; inserting one end of the first pipe into one end of the connector, inserting one end of the second pipe into the other end of the connector, abutting one end of the first pipe to one side of the sealing element and abutting one end of the second pipe to the other side of the sealing element; and connecting the clasps on the connector with the fastening rods of the first pipe and the second pipe. By the connecting pipe fitting and the connecting method, connection is facilitated, the anticorrosion steel pipe lining cannot be damaged, and connecting cost is low.


Bbb Bbb Results In the southern fen, FRP under warming in wet conditions, W, showed an increasing trend, which was not significantly different from FRP under ambient conditions, however. In contrast, W resulted in lowering FRP trend compared to ambient in the northern fen (Fig.1) Neither drying, WTD, nor warming under drier conditions, WWTD, affected FRP significantly in the southern fen. However, in the northern fen, both WTD and WWTD showed an increasing trend in FRP as compared to ambient. In addition, FRP was significantly different between W and WWTD in the northern fen (Fig 1). Your text would go here. Responses of fine root production to warming under different water-table level scenarios in sedge fens


Introduction: Impaired vascular function in blacks contributes to a higher risk of heart failure (HF) compared to other race/ethnicities. Hypothesis: Black patients with HF with reduced ejection fr...


Abstract : The accumulative north and abrasional south coast of Rumania is analyzed. The types and forms of beaches, sandbars and their variations and modifications resulting from winds, currents, river discharges and other factors are described by individual sectors. Hydrotechnical structures that exist and are being planned are briefly described, pointing out their influence on sediment flow, diversion of water movement and the modification of beaches.


This paper focuses on the study of the curvatures of deflector installed on the below receiving device to effect the dust amount from the free falling particle stream. The deflector curvature was artificially controlled to limit the fugitive dust direction which was generated by the collision between the free falling bulk materials and the receiving device. This method was used to improve efficiency of the dust control system to exhaust fugitive dust, and to achieve the targets of energy conservation and emissions reduction. The experimental method was adopted to explore the relationship between the deflector curvature and the producing dust quantity. The experimental results indicated that, the dust suppression effect containing deflector contained a certain radian was more remarkable, when the height of the free falling of bulk materials was constant. The producing dust quantity decreased slightly with the deflector curvature increasing, and then increased rapidly. When the deflector curvature was 0.045 cm-1 or 0.060cm-1, the minimum of producing dust quantity could be obtained, and the dust removal effect might be significant.


The crankshaft is very important in a pump,ANSYS finite element analysis software was used to implement the calculation of static strength of the crankshaft and a crankshaft modal analysis,thus obtaining characteristic frequency and the corresponding vibration mode.The results showed that,at given load,the static strength of the crankshaft was surplus;preceding modal frequency was beyond its original frequency,no resonance happened.The simulation model calculation of the difficulties crankshaft entities was solved.


some patients. It is important to do so, because in many patients in this group the disease may be controlled for long periods, and sometimes completely cured, by energetic radiotherapy. Overall survival rates: Between 1930 and 1954, 300 patients with Hodgkin's disease were seen at the Middlesex Hospital. Patients from whom histological proof of the diagnosis is no longer available have been excluded from the series, but otherwise all patients have been included, how-


Interest is something personal and relate to attitudes, people who are interested in an object will have the strength or the urge to do a series of behavior to approach or get the object. While customer satisfaction as feeling happy or disappointed someone experienced after comparing the perception of performance or the result of a product with expectations.The population in this study is a self-service customer Aneka Jaya Sambiroto. The sample in this study using 97 respondents. In this study, the sampling technique uses accidental sampling, data collection with questionnaires and methods of analysis using multiple linear regression. Results of analysis using SPSS version 20 which states that: in testing the validity of all the variables declared invalid, the result of interest to visit back and customer satisfaction in supermarkets Aneka Jaya has t> t table (1.661) and f count> F table (2.70) , hypothesis testing significantly with significant value <0.05, (f calculate interest to come back 170.149, 149.018 customer satisfaction count f) with a coefficient of determination variables experiential marketing, experiential and atmospheric provider with interests been returned 84.1% and the remaining 15, 9% are influenced by other factors, while the determination on customer satisfaction 82.2% and 17.8% influenced by other factors. Keywords: atmosphere, customer satisfaction, Experiential Marketing, Experiential Provider


In recent years, computer simulation has come to play an important role in the design of communication systems. Such systems frequently cannot be classified as either purely continuous or as purely discrete but are, instead, a combination of both continuous and discrete subsystems. The simulation of such hybrid systems cannot readily be carried out either in a discrete simulation language such as GPSS or in a continuous simulation language such as CSMP. As a consequence, most simulation models of communication systems are written in some general purpose higher level language, e.g., FORTRAN, ALGOL or PL-1. A notable exception to this general rule is BLODI and BLODIB described in Reference 4. The simulation of even moderately complicated communication systems in a general purpose language poses several major problems. First of all, the simulation model tends to be time consuming to write and debug, difficult to modify once written, and, unless considerable care is taken, requires an inordinate amount of time to execute. However, the most important weakness of a communication system simulation model written in a higher level language is that the model usually is written by someone with a limited knowledge of the actual system being simulated. As a consequence, there frequently exists the possibility that the simulation model differs in some significant, but unnoticed, respect from the actual system. Primarily to avoid this problem, a new simulation language, COMSL, is described which facilitates the simulation of a wide variety of communication systems.


A theoretical study has been made of superconductor-insulator-normal metal contacts under conditions such that the normal metal is in the fluctuation state, which is close to the state of surface superconductivity. The current and its derivatives have been calculated as functions of temperature and of the magnetic field parallel to the surface of the insulator.


An algorithm is presented for wheeled mobile robot trajectory generation that achieves a high degree of generality and efficiency. The generality derives from numerical linearization and inversion of forward models of propulsion, suspension, and motion for any type of vehicle. Efficiency is achieved by using fast numerical optimization techniques and effective initial guesses for the vehicle controls parameters. This approach can accommodate such effects as rough terrain, vehicle dynamics, models of wheel-terrain interaction, and other effects of interest. It can accommodate boundary and internal constraints while optimizing an objective function that might, for example, involve such criteria as obstacle avoidance, cost, risk, time, or energy consumption in any combination. The algorithm is efficient enough to use in real time due to its use of nonlinear programming techniques that involve searching the space of parameterized vehicle controls. Applications of the presented methods are demonstrated for planetary rovers.

http://www-personal.acfr.usyd.edu.au/spns/motion/Optimal Rough Terrain Trajectory Generation for Wheeled Mobile Robots.pdf


The travel and tourism industry is one of the main sources of income in Thailand. People choose to travel around the world, as a way to relax and enjoy their time. Users search information from many resources before and during their travel. We grouped the mobile tourism applications into two main groups in order to analyse the nature of information in the tourism applications. Social network provides rich collaborative user-generated information. We found that most tourism applications require personal information and pre-existing association in order to get information. We argue that, in tourism, a user requires instant and easy access to information. So the social network might not be an appropriate option. Therefore we propose a simple collaborative user-generated content application, which has a location awareness chat system. We aim to provide an application with self-sufficient information that allows the user to instantly share, search, and comment on information at anytime and anywhere. Moreover, the location awareness chat system is introduced to provide instant firsthand information to the users as well.


USING A NEW HRS MODULE TO EXAMINE THE RISK FACTORS AND CONSEQUENCES OF FRAUD M. DeLiema1, M. Deevy2, A. Lusardi3, O. Mitchell4, 1. Stanford University, 2. Stanford Center on Longevity, 3. George Washington University School of Business, 4. Wharton School of Business There has been little research identifying older adults at risk of fraud despite increasing media attention to this societal problem. Previous research has suggested that there is no 'typical' profile of older fraud victims, partly because scams can be tailored to specific types of people. Using data from a module we developed and fielded in the 2016 Health and Retirement Study (N=1,260), we evaluate the incidence and risk factors for different types of fraud and the consequences of victimization for older persons' (age 50+) financial wellbeing. We find that relatively few HRS respondents experienced any single form of investment fraud over the previous five years, but 8% did report at least one type. A very high percentage of respondents (30%) indicated that others had used or attempted to use one of their accounts without permission. Financial literacy was negatively associated with the probability of investing with a cold caller, but positively associated with investing based on a "free-meal" investment seminar. Counterintuitively, fraud victimization was linked to a reported increase in net housing wealth in 2016 but was unrelated to non-housing wealth. Overall, there was no systematic association between fraud sub-types and covariates such as education, wealth, health, depression, age, sex, and marital status, suggesting that psychological and situational factors may be more important drivers of victimization and should be included in future studies. Additional research should explore how victimization predicts future changes in wealth when later waves of the HRS become available.


This paper explains how advanced programming language concepts can be used to increase the readability and maintainability of control process software. The programming language concepts presented in this paper are: function pointers, variable argument functions and three concepts related to object-oriented programming: polymorphism, relationship of composition between classes and class methods. The advantage of every one of these concepts is demonstrated by using control applications. The paper also demonstrates that intelligent control algorithms can be improved by using these concepts. C and C++ programming languages are used to implement the code of the control systems.


Recovery from a natural infection with hepatitis B virus or vaccination with purified envelope protein leads to production of antibodies against the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Such physiologic response in man is generally directed against the a determinant of HBsAg common to all serotypes of the virus. To define the immunochemical specificity of this determinant, the secondary structure of HBsAg was derived from its sequence of 226 amino acids. Hydrophilic stretches expected to contain the antigenic determinants were located between residues 32 and 76 and between residues 110 and 156. Loss of the antigenic activity after chemical modification of lysine residues of HBsAg indicated their critical importance in antigenicity. Because all lysines are located between residues 121 and 160, we selected this region for localization of HBsAg determinants. Solid-phase synthesis was used to prepare seven peptide analogues of HBsAg (PsAs): 122-137, 128-134, 139-147, 139-158, 140-158, 145-158, and 150-158. For experimental immunization of rabbits the synthetic peptides were coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. We studied the antigenicity ofeach peptide analogue by serologic neutralization of human antibodies specific for the a determinant of HBsAg. Analogues 139-147, 139-158, and 140-158 showed antigenicity as well as induction of anti-HBsAg. The rabbit antibodies were inhibited with each of the three peptide analogues and all serotypes ofnatural HBsAg, having only thea determinant in common. These results indicate that the nonapeptide sequence 139-147 represents the total or an essential part of the a determinant of HBsAg. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg, originally termed Australia antigen) is localized in the envelope of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). In the plasma ofpatients with hepatitis B, it is commonly found in three morphologically distinct forms: spherical particles 22 nm in diameter, tubular forms 22 nm in diameter and up to several hundred nanometers long, and more complex structures 42 nm in diameter, which are considered as the complete HBV (1-3). Serologically, HBsAg has one group-specific deterninant a and two sets of mutually exclusive determinants d or y and w or r, giving four major serotypes: adw, ayw, adr, and ayr (4). The antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs) produced in response to natural infection are protective against reinfection with HBV and the purified envelope protein has been used successfully in vaccination against HBV infection (5). The physiologic anti-HBs response in man is generally directed against the common determinant a encountered in all serotypes of HBV. Therefore, immunization with one serotype of HBsAg is protective against all serotypes of HBV (5). The envelope protein is made up ofmajor structural proteins of 25,000 and 32,000 daltons (6). Both proteins have identical amino-terminal and The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. carboxy-terminal sequences and both proteins produce immune responses to the group-specific determinant a as well as to their respective subtype-specific determinant d or y (7). Therefore, it was concluded that HBV coded for a single structural coat protein that exists in a nonglycosylated form (25,000 daltons) and a glycosylated form (32,000 daltons). Cloning ofHBV DNA and determination of the nucleotide sequence confirmed this conclusion and provided the complete sequence of 226 amino acids constituting the HBsAg gene product (8). Characterization of the antigenic structure of several proteins-namely, myoglobin, lysozyme, cytochrome c, and tobacco mosaic virus protein-has shown that sequence-dependent antigenic determinants are always localized in hydrophilic regions of the proteins (9). In an attempt to develop an immunogenic synthetic peptide, potentially useful as a vaccine against HBV, we applied this principle in a structural analysis of the amino acid sequence ofHBsAg and used the observation ofa loss ofHBsAg activity on modification ofthe lysine residues (10). Thus, we expected the major a determinant of HBsAg to lie in the amino acid sequence between residues 121 and 160. A synthetic peptide analogue of residues 134-146 with serologic activity specific for the a determinant of HBsAg has been reported by us (10, ¶). More recently, antigenicity or immunogenicity (or both) ofa number of synthetic peptide analogues of HBsAg (PsAs) have been reported by other investigators (11-14). We report here definitive analyses of the predicted secondary structure of the HBsAg protein, serologic activity of seven PsAs covering the sequence 122-158, immunogenicity of the peptides after coupling to a carrier protein, and serologic specificity of the rabbit antisera. Our results indicate that the sequence 139-147 represents the a determinant of HBsAg or an essential part of it. MATERIALS AND METHODS Purification of HBsAg. Plasma from a single HBsAg carrier of serotype adw was obtained by plasmapheresis. The HBsAg was isolated by a combination of isopycnic banding and differential rate sedimentation through cesium chloride gradients (6). Structural polypeptides of HBsAg were isolated by preparative acrylamide gel electrophoresis (15). Serological Assays. Using standard solid-phase sandwich radioimmunoassay kits (Abbott Laboratories), we detected seroAbbreviations: HBV, hepatitis B virus; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; anti-HBs, antibody to HBsAg; anti-HBc, antibody to hepatitis B core antigen; anti-HBe, antibody to hepatitis B 'e' antigen (3); PsA, peptide analogue of HBsAg; KLH, keyhole limpet hemocyanin. § To whom reprint requests should be addressed. ¶Vyas, G. N., Milich, D. R., Gottfried, T., Nitecki, D. & Karels, M. (1980) Fourth International Congress of Immunology, Paris, July 21, 1980 (Abstract No. 9.6.16).


Today, possession is the basic category of agricultural law. The purpose of this article is to attempt to characterize the object (reference point) of agricultural ownership, and indirectly to show the specific features of the institution of ownership in agricultural relations. The subject of agricultural ownership seems special, in agricultural and legal regulation sit is defined in a different way from the traditional, civilist approach. Civilian constructions, although they may be helpful in determining the subject of agricultural ownership, are not always sufficient, as they are not very flexible. Owing to its dynamics, possession is expressed in the development of a traditional object of possession.


This paper deals with the analysis and correction of artifacts on differential synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry applied for monitoring urban and suburban areas. Particularly, those artifacts arising from the use in interferometric processing of low accuracy acquisition geometry data are considered. To remove these artifacts, we propose a new algorithm able to estimate the acquisition geometry parameters relevant to the interferometric processing with high accuracy directly from the SAR data. In order to validate the proposed algorithm, the results obtained by applying the new technique to the study of the subsidence phenomena in Bologna (Italy) and the surrounding area are presented and compared to the results obtained by using in the interferometric processing the precise orbit data provided by the Delft Institute for Earth Oriented Space Research (DEOS).


Abstract Oximino pyridoyl phosphonates were synthesised as well as the methiodide of oximino-2-pyridoyl phosphonate. All these compounds along with their intermediates have been characterized by spectro-scopic methods and by elemental analysis.


An apparatus for supporting a reel ( 23 ) for rotation, comprising a horizontal member ( 24 ) about which the reel ( 23 ) can be mounted for rotation, a frame assembly ( 11 - 13 ) to support the horizontal member ( 24 ), the frame assembly ( 11 - 13 ) being movable between a raised position where the reel ( 23 ) can rotate without striking the ground and a lowered position where the horizontal member ( 24 ) can pass through the reel ( 23 ) that is on the ground to enable the reel ( 23 ) to be attached to the horizontal member ( 24 ) without lifting the reel ( 23 ) off the ground. The frame assembly ( 11 - 13 ) comprising a pair of leg members ( 19, 20 ), a cross member ( 13 ) and a ground wheel ( 19, 20 ) attached to the lower part of each leg member ( 19, 20 ).


Objective To investigate the relationship of serum matrix metallproteinase-9(MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) with the early peripheral vascular disease(PVD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods The levels of MMP-9 and VEGF of 20 normal controls(NC group),30 T2DM cases without PVD(T2DM group),and 40 cases with PVD(T2DM+PVD group) were determined by ELISA.Results The level of MMP-9(201.34±77.09),(281.46±112.99),(349.12±123.76)μg/L of the NC group,T2DM group,and T2DM+PVD group was gradually increased with a statistical significance(P0.05).The level of VEGF(268.90±131.37),(354.32±130.47),(458.95±139.96)pg/ml of the three groups was increased with a statistical significance too(P0.05).Conclusion The levels of MMP-9 and VEGF are significantly increased in the T2DM PVD patients,and are positively correlated with T2DM PVD,suggesting that they are correlated with the occurrence and development of PVD.


A need for intelligent robotic machines is identified. Research and experiments have focussed on stable, or relatively stable, dynamic simulated systems to demonstrate the feasibility of embedding advanced AI into dynamic physical systems. This thesis presents an attempt to scale the techniques to a dynamically highly unstable system the coordination of movements in a humanoid model. Environmental simulation, articulated systems and artificial intelligence methods are identified as three essential layers for a complete and unified approach to embedding AI into robotic machinery. The history of the physics subsystem for this project is discussed, leading to the adoption of the Open Dynamics Engine as the physics simulator of choice. An approach to articulated systems is presented along with the EBNF of a hierarchical articulated system that was used to describe the model. A revised form of evolution is presented and justified. An AI model that makes use of this new evolutionary paradigm is introduced. A variety of AI variants are defined and simulated. The results of these simulations are presented and analysed. Based on these results recommendations for future work are made. III Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za


Cross‐cultural training is fast becoming a recognizably important component in the world of international business. This paper discusses the effectiveness of cross‐cultural training in facilitating the process of acculturation, and in developing the culture‐specific and culture‐general skills needed to increase the sociocultural and psychological adjustments of sojourners and expatriates when they encounter a foreign culture. A new cross‐cultural training model is created by integrating acculturation and training effectiveness models. This new model suggests that providing two different types of training program prior to cultural contact will help recipients to effectively modify existing culture‐general and culture‐specific skills. As a consequence, they will achieve a higher degree of sociocultural and psychological adjustment. Experiential training should trigger affective and behavioral responses, which are the basis of intercultural effectiveness skills, and thus enhance psychological adjustment. By contrast, cognitive training should trigger cognitive responses, especially cultural awareness and interpersonal skills, and enhance sociocultural adjustment.


Cosmological simulations predict that during the evolution of galaxies, the specific star formation rate continuously decreases. In a previous study we showed that generally this is not caused by the galaxies running out of cold gas but rather a decrease in the fraction of gas capable of forming stars. To investigate the origin of this behavior, we use disk galaxies selected from the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation Magneticum Pathfinder and follow their evolution in time. We find that the mean density of the cold gas regions decreases with time. This is caused by the fact that during the evolution of the galaxies the star-forming regions move to larger galactic radii, where the gas density is lower. This supports the idea of inside-out growth of disk galaxies.


The purpose of this paper is to analyze in time the dimensioning of the electric supply, in relation to a growth of the energy demand supported by a regional economic growth. In France, Corsicapsilas island constitutes a specific case of study, from its statute of area not inter-connected with the electrical network of the metropolis. First of all, we will distinguish the principal technological innovations from production and consumption equipments, which are planned by the Corsicapsilas territorial collectivity. Then, will be studied alternative scenarios, in order to consider other energy futures of the island. Finally, these various options will insert into the methodological framework of multicriteria evaluation, and aid to decision of public policies.


Provided is an additive for an optical resin comprising a (meth)acrylate compound represented by general formula (1). [In general formula (1), X is each independently a fluorine atom or a methyl group that has at least one hydrogen atom substituted with a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 0 to 5, R 1 is an alkylene group or an oxyalkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and R 2 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group.]


This study evaluates the performance of image to patient registration algorithm by using stereo vision and CT image for facial region surgical navigation. For the process of image to patient registration, feature extraction and 3D coordinate calculation are conducted, and then 3D CT image to 3D coordinate registration is conducted. Of the five combinations that can be generated by using three facial feature extraction methods and three registration methods on stereo vision image, this study evaluates the one with the highest registration accuracy. In addition, image to patient registration accuracy was compared by changing the facial rotation angle. As a result of the experiment, it turned out that when the facial rotation angle is within 20 degrees, registration using Active Appearance Model and Pseudo Inverse Matching has the highest accuracy, and when the facial rotation angle is over 20 degrees, registration using Speeded Up Robust Features and Iterative Closest Point has the highest accuracy. These results indicate that, Active Appearance Model and Pseudo Inverse Matching methods should be used in order to reduce registration error when the facial rotation angle is within 20 degrees, and Speeded Up Robust Features and Iterative Closest Point methods should be used when the facial rotation angle is over 20 degrees.


The invention provides black-base mottled composite Tang jun glaze and a process for preparing jun porcelain through the black-base mottled composite Tang jun glaze. Firstly, base raw materials are smashed and molded, a plain base is fired, the plain base is immersed in slurry of black-base glaze for glazing, after the slurry of the black-base glaze is attached to the surface of the plain base and the plaint base is aired, slurry of mottled glaze is arranged on part of the surface of the plain base in a spot application mode, the plain base is placed in a kiln to be fired after being aired, and then the black-base mottled composite Tang jun glaze jun porcelain is obtained. According to the black-base mottled composite Tang jun glaze and the process for preparing the jun porcelain through the black-base mottled composite Tang jun glaze, an iron element at a specific ratio is added to the black-base glaze, black glaze which is stable in color generation, uniform in color and luster and rich in jade texture feeling is obtained through high-temperature firing, the mottled glaze is fixed in a secondary glazing mode, an overglaze color or underglaze color coloring process adopted by ordinary mottled porcelain is broken through, the economic value of the jun porcelain is increased through innovation in glaze colors and coatings, the jun porcelain stands for the feature of China and also represents the advanced level of the craftsmanship in China, and the social value of the jun porcelain is increased.


The disorder of the website rubbish upload files may cause many problems such as the waste of website resource,malicious exploitation,and even handicaps the website maintenance.But the phenomenon is inapparent and chronic.When the problem occurrs,the website administrator will tend to delete files by manual.This method is troublesome and tends to bring errors.To solve this problem,it brings out a module to manage these files,which can clean up the rubbish upload files automatically and provide more file management options for the administrator,and realize it by ASP.


A European project on 3DTV has been functional since September 2004. Holographic displays for 3DTV and signal processing issues associated with diffraction and holography are among research interests. The research has already generated interesting results.


This article depicts the features of formation of communication tolerance among the students in the educational environment of appropriate background. Approaching to this issue through the broader social prism we can say that its solution serves as constructive factor and necessary condition not only for improving the efficiency of the system of higher education, providing training of the officers with corresponding profile, but also for successful implementation of all planned modernization of the Russian Interior Ministry troops.


The In vitro culture and propagation of the dwarf genotype of Actinidia chinensis cv.— Ganmi No.5 by culturing the stem segment explants were studied.The axillary buds were inoculated on MS medium containing 1 mg/L 6-BA and 0.1 mg/L NAA.The shoots multiplied by 4.6 times on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/L 6-BA together with 1 mg/L ZT,0.2 mg/L NAA,and 0.1 mg/L IBA.Approximately 94% of the microcuttings rooted on white medium containing 0.5 mg/L IBA.About 95% of the microplants survived in the field after acclimatization and transplantation.


Propofol was administered intravenously using a first‐order, three‐compartment, computer‐controlled infusion pump (CCIP) based on the Ohmeda 9000 syringe pump. The CCIP system produced a target‐controlled infusion (TCI) based on the estimated blood concentration (EBC). Twenty‐five patients undergoing ambulatory surgery completed the study. The induction EBC was 4.72 ± 0.28 μg/ml, and was achieved rapidly with minimal hemodynamic changes. The emergence EBC was 1.55 ± 0.21 μg/ml, and the discharge EBC was 1.06 ± 0.22 μg/ml. The EBC, together with clinical signs, allowed for predictable inductance and emergence from anesthesia using propofol.


As assigned by Al-Emara Engineering Consultants Office concerning herewith to prepare a physical planning study for Alrajmah area as one of the outskirts of Benghazi City prior to commencement of the required design work for the execution of 15000 residential units project. Such an execution can be comprehended in the framework of remedying the physical and urban problems, which the City has suffered for sometime.


Based on the literature review,this paper explores the relationships between internalization,supply chain management(SCM) practice and firm performance.The research was based on second-hand data,so we then collected listed companies belonging to the manufacturing industry.After selecting by conditions we have 60companies' 240 copies of annual reports covering years from 2005-2008.Using methods of panel data analysis,we got the results.It shows of empirical that the degree of internalization has a positive effect on the level of SCM practice and enterprises' financial performance.And the level of SCM practice also has a positive effect on enterprises' financial performance.Meanwhile it has been proved that the level of SCM has a mediating effect between the degree of internalization and enterprises' financial performance.


ABSTRACT. Bulk maceration of Early Devonian (Lochkovian) deposits from the Welsh Borderland has yielded eight specimens of a new type of sporangium characterized by its elongate shape and distinctive spores. The specimens have been examined using scanning electron, transmission electron and light microscopy. The elongate sporangia occur isolated and are fragmented to varying degrees. They contain trilete spores that possess a proximal surface with shallow murornate ornament and a distal surface that is laevigate. The spores belong to the dispersed spore genus Scylaspora, and this is the first report of such spores in situ. Ultrastructural studies demonstrate that the spore walls are bilayered with a lamellate inner layer overlain by an essentially homogeneous outer layer. There is little or no associated extra‐exosporal material. To date this is the earliest reported example of lamellate wall ultrastructure in trilete spores. Models of spore wall development are suggested in the light of evidence provided by spore wall ultrastructure. Detailed comparisons of the characters preserved in the fossils (morphological, anatomical and ultrastructural), with those in other fossil and extant plants, currently shed little light on the phylogenetic relationships of these specimens, primarily due to the paucity of comparable data. It is proposed that the plant is probably of vascular status, but in the absence of evidence for vascular tissue, it must be classified as rhyniophytoid.


Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CalB) is a versatile biocatalyst for various bioconversions. In this study, the thermostability of CalB was improved through the introduction of a new disulfide bridge. Analysis of the B‐factors of residue pairs in CalB wild type (CalB‐WT) followed by simple flexibility analysis of residues in CalB‐WT and its designated mutants using FIRST server were newly proposed to enhance the selective power of two computational tools (MODIP and DbD v1.20) to predict the possible disulfide bonds in proteins for the enhancement of thermostability. Five residue pairs (A162‐K308, N169‐F304, Q156‐L163, S50‐A273, and S239C‐D252C) were chosen and the respective amino acid residues were mutated to cysteine. In the results, CalB A162C‐K308C showed greatly improved thermostability while maintaining its catalytic efficiency compared to that of CalB‐WT. Remarkably, the temperature at which 50% of its activity remained after 60‐min incubation (T  5060 ) of CalB A162C_K308C was increased by 8.5°C compared to that of CalB‐WT (55 and 46.5°C, respectively). Additionally, the half‐life at 50°C of CalB A162C‐K308C was 4.5‐fold higher than that of CalB‐WT (220 and 49 min, respectively). The improvement of thermostability of CalB A162C‐K308C was elucidated at the molecular level by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:867–876. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Most of the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods are usually defined by means of the so called numerical fluxes between neighboring mesh cells, see [1]. Nevertheless, for the interior penalty (IP) schemes for second order problems it is possible to correlate the expression of the numerical fluxes with a corresponding set of local interface conditions that are weakly enforced on each inter-element boundary. Such conditions are suitable to couple elliptic PDEs with smooth coefficients and it seems that a little attention is paid to the case of problems with discontinuous data or to the limit case of locally singularly perturbed problems, where the diffusivity vanishes in some parts of the computational domain. Following [2], we look at the derivation of a DG scheme with a bias to domain decomposition techniques and we introduce an interior penalty DG method arising from a set of generalized interface conditions, proposed in [3] to couple both elliptic and hyperbolic problems and giving rise to the so called heterogeneous domain decomposition methods. Our purpose is to obtain a DG scheme that is robustfor the approximation of problems that vary in character from one part of the domain to another, because of large variations of the coefficients. In order to obtain such method, it is necessary to modify the numerical fluxes of a standard IP scheme, replacing the arithmetic mean with suitably weighted averages where the weights depend on the coefficients of the problem. This technique provides an advantage with respect to standard IP schemes because it enhances the capability of the method to regulate the degree of smoothness of the approximate solution with respect to the local variation of the coefficients of the problem. Furthermore, the weighted interior penalty scheme may find a practical application in the framework of homogenization theory, see [4]. Indeed, it can be exploited for the determination of the transport properties of porous media whose structure can not be described as a periodic distribution of obstacles. In the present work, we focus our attention on the derivation of a posteriori local error indicators that are robust with respect to singularly perturbed problems. Following the framework proposed in [5] for the classical interior penalty scheme, we present suitable duality based error estimates for output functionals and for theL2-norm. Then, we demonstrate how the introduction of weighted interior penalties allows to incorporate into the scheme some a priori knowledge of the solution that improves the efficacy of the local error estimator and of the corresponding adapted mesh, leading to a more selective refinement than in the standard case. Finally, we consider a residual based a posteriori error estimate in the energy norm, derived in the framework proposed in [6] for the Laplace equation. We compare this result with the ones obtained by duality, with particular attention to their behavior in the case of singularly perturbed problems. All the theoretical results are illustrated and discussed by means of numerical experiments.


Precomputed Radiance Transfer (PRT) is widely used for real-time photorealistic effects. PRT disentangles the rendering equation into transfer and lighting, enabling their precomputation. Transfer accounts for the cosine-weighted visibility of points in the scene while lighting for emitted radiance from the environment. Prior art stored precomputed transfer in a tabulated manner, either in vertex or texture space. These values are fetched with interpolation at each point for shading. Vertex space methods require densely tessellated mesh vertices for high quality images. Texture space methods require non-overlapping and area-preserving UV mapping to be available. They also require a high-resolution texture to avoid rendering artifacts. In this paper, we propose a compact transfer representation that is learnt directly on scene geometry points. Specifically, we train a small multi-layer perceptron (MLP) to predict the transfer at sampled surface points. Our approach is most beneficial where inherent mesh storage structure and natural UV mapping are not available, such as Implicit Surfaces as it learns the transfer values directly on the surface. We demonstrate real-time, photorealistic renderings of diffuse and glossy materials on SDF geometries with PRT using our approach.


In this paper we extend the definition of the continuous Jacobi transform to a class of generalized functions and obtain a generalized inversion formula for it. As a by-product of our technique we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for an analytic function F(X) in Re o to be the continuous Jacobi transform of a generalized function.


The code, QUADS, which determines the step size in making configuration changes and calculates the field strengths of the 11 main ring quadrupole magnet families at each configuration has been completed. This code has been designed to have minimum computation time while keeping the necessary features for making future modifications of the beam lattice. It is being incorporated into SCORE, the program for the strength computation of the ring elements. The purpose of this note is to describe the method used in this calculation. 4 figs.


A man in his 60s presented with a 1-year history of dystrophic nails, doughy palms, and redundant skin on each side of the gluteal cleft. He also reported easy bruising with minor trauma. Physical examination showed trachyonychia (rough accentuated linear ridges) on 8 fingernails (Figure, A), thin and brittle toenails, diffuse nonscarring alopecia, and multiple purpuric patches on the forehead, scalp, chest, and arms. He had substantial laxity of the skin on finger pads (Figure, A), and both sides of the gluteal cleft revealed soft, nontender, rugated, skin-colored linear kissing plaques with no vesicles, bullae, ulcers, or erosions present. Quiz at jamadermatology.com A


We conjecture that if a system S \subseteq {x_i=1, x_i+x_j=x_k, x_i*x_j=x_k: i,j,k \in {1,...,n}} has only finitely many solutions in integers x_1,...,x_n, then each such solution (x_1,...,x_n) satisfies |x_1|,...,|x_n|= =2. If the conjecture is false, then the code sequentially displays the integers 2,...,n-1, where n>=4, the value of n is unknown beforehand, and the conjecture is false for all integers m with m>=n.


I argue that one of the most important reasons why international trade has been unfair is that weaker parties in trading negotiations have been illegitimately forced to accept terms of trade that they would not otherwise accept under normal circumstances, and these terms of trade have been harmful for them. Odious debts are at the center of this kind of injustice. Odious debts are debts that are not binding for the citizens of a country, as they were incurred by illegitimate rulers in the name of all the citizens, but used for private purposes, such as personal benefit, or to oppress the population. Despite the fact that these debts are not binding—that is, that they should not be repaid—creditor countries have coerced debtor countries to repay them and, more importantly for the purposes of this article, they have taken advantage of the fact that countries are burdened with these debts by tailoring trade agreements in their favor. They have done so by telling debtor countries that, unless they trade under terms that creditor countries want; non-binding (i.e. odious) debts will be enforced. The resulting state of affairs is not simply a convenient one for creditor countries and an inconvenient one for debtor countries. It is also an immoral one.


The observed devastating effects of cholera disease, usually instil fear in the population whenever a cholera outbreak is reported in a particular region. Cholera outbreaks have become key indicators of social development and this is a course for concern, considering the stigmatization that accompanies it. The pathogenic V. cholerae O1/O139 (the watery diarrheal causing agent), is shed in feces, survive as free-living bacteria in water and enters a new host system through the fecoral route. There is therefor, every reason to conclude that, water and food (especially raw or undercooked shellfish), that is contaminated with feces, is the most implicated cause of outbreaks and epidemics in the endemic areas of the world. Cholera mortality rate can rise to about 50% if severe cases are left untreated, but rapid fluid replacement therapy and supportive treatment can reduce the mortality to around 1%. Prompt intervention strategies are therefore necessary if cholera deaths must be prevented and controlled. These strategies may include; getting access to good potable and clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, good surveillance/community education systems, Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV), Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORS), and prompt Antibiotic treatment. However, it has been noted that most of the regions that are prone to this flesh eating diarrheal disease, are usually, low resource communities with little or no available road networks and infrastructural facilities. These major challenges render most of these cholera prone areas of the world in accessible. To assist these areas (for example the Nigerian population), in the cholera prevention and preparedness, free-of-cost cholera Review Article Ebob; JAMMR, 32(12): 27-53, 2020; Article no.JAMMR.59219 28 Vaccines have been sent from the stockpile to the affected areas. Thanks to the concerted efforts made by Gavi, WHO, and partners, who with the NCDC and Borno State Ministry of Health, have made the vaccine available (to Nigeria) and other hot spots. Moreover, the basic requirements for effective surveillance systems, (effective targeted prevention and control) and early warning units, (detection of the index cases, initiation of outbreak control measures through an integrated approach, identification of high risk areas/vulnerable populations and immediate dissemination of information with stakeholders for timely action), have now put been established in most vulnerable location/cholera hot spots in the world. Better still, the Solidarités International (SIs) which was established in Nigeria since 2016, has intervened in cholera outbreaks especially that which occurred in the Borno state in 2017. They make available to susceptible areas, multi-sectorial, lifesaving humanitarian aid, especially to the internally displaced and host communities, who suffer from disease outbreaks. Combining the efforts to improve on water quality, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and OCVs (targeting the highest risk groups first), would help overcome resource/logistical limitations and enable higher coverage. In this review, we seek to look at the prevention and control strategies put in place by the Government and other bodies, to reduce cholera burden in Nigeria and other cholera hotspots, and the level of effectiveness towards achieving their goals.


Plasma sheath poses a serious challenge to inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging of hypersonic targets. This paper investigated the distribution characteristics of the electron density and velocity field in the plasma sheath surrounding the hypersonic target in various flight scenes. The incident depth and reflective surface of electromagnetic (EM) waves with X-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band can be determined based on the plasma frequency. We established the echo model coupled with the velocity field of the plasma sheath on the reflective surface and obtained one-dimensional range profiles and ISAR images of the hypersonic target in various flight scenes. The simulation results indicated that the non-uniform velocity field on the reflective surface induced displacement and diffusion in the one-dimensional range profile, resulting in ISAR image distortion. A changing flight scene and radar frequency can have an impact on imaging results. Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Structural Similarity (SSIM) were utilized to assess the impact of plasma sheath on ISAR images. This study revealed the defocus mechanism of the ISAR image caused by the velocity field of the plasma sheath and provided a theoretical reference for the selection of radar frequency for hypersonic targets in various flight scenes.


A time series of high-resolution spectra was observed in the optical wavelength region for the bright proto-planetary nebula IRAS 22272+5435 (HD 235858), along with a simultaneous monitoring of its radial velocity and BV RC magnitudes. The object is known to vary in light, color, and velocity owing to pulsation with a period of 132 days. The light and color variations are accompanied by significant changes in spectral features, most of which are identified as lines of carbon-bearing molecules. According to the observations, the C2 Swan system and CN Red system lines are stronger near the light minimum. A photospheric spectrum of the central star was calculated using new self-consistent atmospheric models. The observed intensity variations in the C2 Swan system and CN Red system lines were found to be much larger than expected if due solely to the temperature variation in the atmosphere of the pulsating star. In addition, the molecular lines are blueshifted relative to the photospheric velocity. The site of formation of the strong molecular features appears to be a cool outflow triggered by the pulsation. The variability in atomic lines seems to be mostly due variations of the effective temperature during the pulsation cycle. The profiles of strong atomic lines are split, and some of them are variable in a timescale of a week or so, probably because of shock waves in the outer atmosphere.


We have previously reported on PFDx, a microcomputer program designed to help diagnose the cause of pleural effusions. It is written in the BASIC language, for the IBM Personal Computer. On the basis of entered laboratory and clinical data, PFDx ranks a group of 22 diagnoses as 'high', 'low' or 'indeterminate' probability for causing the effusion (Figure 1). The algorithms used to make up the probability list are based on a review of the medical literature. Various pleural fluid (PF) laboratory tests may strongly rule in, or out, certain causes of the efusion. For example, a PF with pH more than 7.41 and percent mesothelial cells more than 5% is highly unlikely to be of tuberculous origin. Conversely, a PF with very low pH and a high percentage of polymorphonuclear white blood cells likely represents an infectious, bacterial etiology. Although a number of such laboratory correlations have been made over the years, PFDx is, to our knowledge, the first published attempt to incorporate them into algorithms for diagnosis. What lab tests to include in the algorithms, and what 'cutoff' values to use, are based on our review of the relevant pleural fluid literature.


A method of calculating the self‐diffusion coefficients of small ions in polyelectrolyte solutions is derived on the basis of the cell model with cylindrical symmetry. The method is applied to a salt‐free polyelectrolyte solution and a limiting law for the self‐diffusion coefficient of the counterion is formulated in a rigorous manner. The calculation leading to this result shows that at infinite dilution there is a condensation of counterions about the polyion chain. The limiting law is compared with Manning's theory and with experimental data in the literature.


Humanitarian intervention (hi) became a prominent feature of International Relations (ir ) in the aftermath of the Cold War, and it set up the basis of what later developed as the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). From an International Relations perspective, the underlying debate developed around the question of was what provided the humanitarian character of an intervention. In that regard, little attention was paid to the role of self-interest in the decision-making processes leading to such interventions. This paper asks what are the crucial factors that explain when humanitarian emergencies actually lead to humanitarian interventions. It builds upon the frameworks developed


In today"s world, information and data are increasing at a faster rate than ever before. Some of the data and
information are shared through social media by the general public. General public can now express their views,
opinions, expressions etc. that can be read through by many people. With the above said, it is of importance to
readers to know that what is being read is very much authentic, truthful and formal or is just a joke/statement in
general/expression. In this paper I make a recommendation to prevent the spread of misinformation by means of
differentiating between formal and informal information irrespective of the platform being used.


This study aims to determine the quality of service and price on customer satisfaction at PT.Putri Midai in bangkinang. The population in this study are all consumers who have received services by consumers at PT.Putri Midai in Bangkinang using the solvin formula so that 94 consumers can be determined to be samples. Data collection techniques used are questionnaires and interviews. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression with a significant level ( 0.05. The results of this study conclude that service quality and price affect customer satisfaction at PT. Putri Midai in bangkinang, with a significance value of less than 0.05. The results of this analysis indicate that service quality and price simultaneously have a significant effect on customer satisfaction at PT. Putri Midai in Bangkinang.


OBJECTIVES To describe the design, execution, outcomes, and advantages of a combined flap and split‐thickness skin graft reconstructive technique for the repair of wounds of the scalp with exposed bone after Mohs micrographic surgery. MATERIALS and METHODS An analysis of the combined flap and graft technique of 20 scalp defects ranging in size from 6.25 to 37.6 cm2 is provided. Surgical defects and patient characteristics are described. Follow‐up information is reviewed, and complications and final aesthetic results are reported. RESULTS Twenty patients with 20 tumors on the scalp (16 squamous cell carcinoma, 2 basal cell carcinoma, 1 Merkel cell carcinoma, and 1 malignant fibrous histiocytoma) were treated using Mohs micrographic surgery. A combined flap and graft technique was successfully employed with good aesthetic outcomes in all 20 patients with broad scalp defects. One postoperative complication of approximately 20% skin graft necrosis was noted. One methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus postoperative wound infection occurred but resolved without sequelae with appropriate antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSION The described flap and graft reconstructive technique is a reproducible, one‐stage procedure for the reconstruction of medium to large scalp defects with exposed bone, obviating the need for more‐complicated, costly, time‐consuming procedures. LIMITATIONS Small sample size, descriptive study.


This paper analyses the present condition and the problems existing in municipal refuse disposal in China .The route of anaerobic digestion of our municipal refuse disposal is discussed,and the promotion proposal for solving the problem of municipal refuse is present.


The article analyzes the situation of autonomous township of ethnic minorities of establishing villages in Xinjiang by reviewing historical development of autonomous township of ethnic minorities based on the basic situation of autonomous township of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang with emphasizing discussion on the development of Tajik's condition.The author holds that there are many problems to be solved urgently,such as tardy industrial adjustment,imperfection of legal system in cancelling villages and establishing towns,and so on.


The assumption that representatives hold knowledge about their parties' programmes underlies models of representative democracy. However, representatives' party knowledge is rarely discussed in theoretical detail, nor is it often systematically empirically investigated. This article takes the first steps and discusses what type of knowledge of their parties representatives need and what knowledge they actually have. Specific focus is given to parties' election pledge-making. By comparing the number of parties' pledges in Swedish election manifestos to Swedish party representatives' perceptions of the extent to which parties make pledges, the article presents empirical evidence indicating low levels of knowledge. Knowledge is higher among top-level politicians and politicians who trust parties to generally keep their pledges, but the main conclusion is that research should not assume detailed knowledge of pledge-making in manifestos among elected representatives, which has not previously been shown in systematic studies.


Scattered data is, by definition, irregularly spaced. Uniform surface schemes are not well adapted to the locally varying nature of such data. Conversely, Triangular B‐Spline surfaces 2 are more flexible in that they can be built over arbitrary triangulations and thus can be adapted to the scattered data.


Abstract Multiple detection of gel permeation chromatography effluent is going to become a routine way of polymer characterization in most laboratories. It is then necessary to give attention to the dead volume connecting the cells of concurrent detectors. If neglected, considerable errors may occur in data handling. We report, in this paper, a method of dead volume measurement. It firstly concerns the coupling of a high pressure gel permeation chromatograph and the "Ouano"-type continuous viscometer, but its general utility is demonstrated. The main conclusion is that the geometric estimate of the dead volume is not suitable, even when an accurate calculation is possible. The method we describe here leads to an experimental dead volume. It is greater than the geometric one (as theoretically proved recently) but it gives the best results.


Background We consider planning tasks Π = 〈V ,O, s0, G,Cost〉 captured by the standard SAS formalism (Bäckström and Klein 1991; Bäckström and Nebel 1995) with operator costs, extended by conditional effects. In such a task, V is a set of finite-domain state variables, each with domain D(v). Each complete assignment to V is called a state, and S = ∏ v∈V D(v) is the state space of Π. The state s0 is the initial state of Π. We sometime refer to a single variable assignment as to fact. Furthermore, the goal G is a partial assignment to V , where a state s is a goal state, iff G ⊆ s1. The set O is a finite set of operators. Each operator o is given by a pair 〈pre, effs〉. The precondition pre(o) is a partial assignment to V that defines when the operator is applicable. The set effs(o) is a set of conditional effects e, each given by a pair 〈cond, eff〉 of partial assignments to V called conditions and effects. The condition cond(e) defines when the conditional effect triggers. For a shorter presentation, we assume that eff assigns a value to exactly one variable. An effect that assigns a value to more variables can be split into multiple effects. Effects that do not assign a value at all can be safely removed. Finally, Cost : O → N0 is a real-valued,


The ongoing worldwide pandemic has forced educational establishments to accelerate full-scale adoption of online learning at an accelerated pace, while the development of tools appropriate for remote instruction assessment is yet to catch up. Most of the time traditional assessment methods are still employed, but they are not always optimal for use in online environments; better tools are needed to help gain deeper insights into how students think and learn. graphed is a web application developed to support the assessment of learners' understanding and knowledge acquisition and, simultaneously, provide researchers with data that can help in the development of dedicated processes for the automatic evaluation and comparison of concept maps. Our goal is to take a more practical approach by studying the capabilities offered by existing software, libraries, and computational avenues to advance the use of concept maps as assessment tools. Preliminary findings suggest that the concept mapping activity has achieved its purpose of promoting deep thinking, that the application is relatively usable, and clarified the path for future development and enhancement. Examples on the use of graphed in the classroom are provided.


The author describes the practical significance of urban renewal,based on the analysis of the urban culture current situation in the process of urban renewal,studies the ways of urban cultural regeneration in the process of urban renewal from five points,finally points out that exploring and implementing urban cultural regeneration has practical significance to the formation of characteristic city which meets modern city life requirements and market mechanism requirements.


This paper explores an optimal investment and reinsurance problem involving both ordinary and catastrophe insurance businesses. The catastrophic events are modeled as following a compound Poisson process, impacting the ordinary insurance business. The claim intensity for the ordinary insurance business is described using a Cox process with a shot-noise intensity, the jump of which is proportional to the size of the catastrophe event. This intensity increases when a catastrophe occurs and then decays over time. The insurer's objective is to maximize their terminal wealth under the Monotone Mean-Variance (MMV) criterion. In contrast to the classical Mean-Variance (MV) criterion, the MMV criterion is monotonic across its entire domain, aligning better with fundamental economic principles. We first formulate the original MMV optimization problem as an auxiliary zero-sum game. Through solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman-Isaacs (HJBI) equation, explicit forms of the value function and optimal strategies are obtained. Additionally, we provides the efficient frontier within the MMV criterion. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the practical implications of the results.


A brief review of the local deformation activities and current CDDS is presented. It has been found that the existing periodical deformation displacement monitoring in Malaysia is insufficient to monitor the local deformation activities effectively. In this paper, a CDDS is being developed as a research platform by using a local GPS CORS network, ISKANDARnet, located in southern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Threshold of ISKANDARnet was stated in this paper as the initial study.


This paper examines the model of curricula used by graphic design institutions in Tanzania and proposes more effective means that graphic design institutions could adopt for offering the most appropriate and relevant training in graphic design at certificate, diploma and bachelor's degree levels of education. Most big cities in Tanzania are populated with graphic design work with common errors that reflect the designers' lack of graphic design skills.  Most of those designers have received some training in the many computer training centres in these areas due to the huge demand for graphic designers, but they have mostly been trained in some basic computer essentials and information communication technology rather than graphic design per se. Various curricula of different institutions and scholars from different countries are scrutinized in this study. Keywords: Art education, Graphic Design Curriculum, Graphic Design in Tanzania, Model of Curriculum.


Ammonia nitrogen is a common toxic substance in the aquatic system, which seriously threatens the survival and growth of clams. However, less is known about the ammonia metabolism and detoxification strategy in razor clam. In this study, the polymorphism of the Glutamine synthetase gene from Sinonovacula constricta (Sc-GS) was found to be related to ammonia tolerance. By comparing the coding sequence (CDS) region of Sc-GS from two geographical populations, a total of 14 and 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, respectively, of which 10 loci were shared between the two populations. Among them, the locus c.1133T > G exhibited an extremely significant and strong association with ammonia tolerance in both populations (P < 0.01), and it was missense mutation, which led to the amino acid change from leucine (Leu) to arginine (Arg). Furthermore, the results about H&E staining and immunohistochemistry of Sc-GS protein in gills and hepatopancreas revealed that it was specifically localized in the lateral cilia of gill filaments and the endothelial cells of hepatocytes. After inhibiting the Sc-GS expression by RNA interference (RNAi) technology, the transcript levels of Sc-GS were extremely significantly downregulated at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h (P < 0.01) in the hepatopancreas. Taken together, these results indicated that the Sc-GS gene may participate in ammonia metabolism. In addition, these results will help to demonstrate the role of Sc-GS in ammonia nitrogen metabolism and provide markers related to ammonia nitrogen tolerance for molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) of the razor clam.


The purpose of this study is to determine the type and concentration of stabilizers used in the functional drinks of salak juice and determine the type and concentration of stabilizers to produce the best characteristic salak juice. The main research aims to determine the type and concentration of stabilizers that product of salak juice. Primary research carried out by using a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of two factors The stabilizers used in this reseach that CMC, arabic gum, and gelatin. Concentration of the stabilizers used was 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20% and 0.25%. The results showed that the type of stabilizers, concentration of stabilizers and interaction affected on the characteristics of functional fruit salak juice. The type and stabilizer concentration had an effect on total dissolved solids, viscosity, total sugar, stability, color scoring test, taste scoring test, aroma scoring test, and overall acceptance, but did not affect pH and total acid. The CMC stabilizer with a concentration of 0.25% is the best treatment for producing salak juice with characteristics of pH 4.12, total dissolved solids 13.60oBrix, total acid 0.58%, viscosity 32.0cP, total sugar 2.45%, stability with absorbance 0.580A, the color scoring rate was 3.85 (transparan yellow-pale yellow), the scoring rate was 3.80 (normal-specific), the level of aroma was 3.70 (normal-specific) and the level of overall accepted was 3.70 (normal – like).
Keywords : Salak  juice, Stabilizers, Concentration , CMC, gelatin, gum arab


REFERENCE: MORENO(J,) & JIMENEZ(R.), 1993.Morphology of the female reproductive system of Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) ocularis Kohl (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Research and Reviews in Parasitology, 53 (1-2): 53-56. ABSTRAcr:The female internal reproductive system of the hymenopteran species Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) ocularis Kohl consists of 2 pairs of elongated ovarioles. The distal portion of the ovariole or germanium is enlarged and contains a number of reproductive cells. The medial portion contains the ovocytes and «nurse» cells. The proximal portion of the egg tube is enlarged and contains 20-30 mature ova. The calyx is also enlarged and filled with a fluid. The venom apparatus is Type IImodified; the reservoir is located at the distal end of the only gland filament. KEy WORDS:Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) ocularis, female reproductive system, ovarioles, calyx, reproductive cells, nurse cells, venom apparatus.


Focusing on improvement is different than focusing on quality, quantity, customer satisfaction, and productivity. This paper discusses Open System Theory, and suggests ways to change large systems. Changing a system (meaning the way all the parts are connected) requires a considerable amount of data gathering and analysis. Choosing the proper starting point can be critical to the success of the total change process. Change can begin with: the top management team; a pilot project that works within the current system; ready subsystems and hurting subsystems; the reward system; training and education; or creating a critical mass in the employment population to be receptive to change. All events, processes, problems, and successes are integrally linked to each other. Parts of organizations cannot be taken out like parts of machines, repaired or replaced, and then put back in. In theory, the dynamic effect of relationships and events will eventually reach every aspect of an organization. (SWC) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** 199 7 ASCUE Proceedings U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 0 Abstract Achieving Continuous Improvement: Theories that Support a System Change Donald Armel, Ph.D. Department of Instructional Technology Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia 30460-8046 phone: 912-681-5167 e-mail: email@example.com "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY C.P. Singer TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Focusing on improvement is different than focusing on quality, quantity, customer satisfaction, productivity, etc. If an organization desires to choose a new focus, achieving the goals of that focus requires an understanding of some basic organizational theories. The theories of socio-technical organizational design are common to Deming's 14 points to quality, total quality management, re-engineering, and continuous improvement. This presentation will highlight basic organizational theories that are key to successful changes in work structures and goals. Targets for change will also be listed as beginning points. An axiom: The only thing constant is change. There seems to be agreement that in order to improve change must occur, but what to change? Traditionally, whenever a problem arose it would go through the process of being identified, and then treated in isolation from all other departments or functions of an organization. Experience has taught us that this method of effecting change not only does not work but may only serve to aggravate the problem further. Open System Theory Ludwig Von Bertalanffy encourages us to take the broadest view of how to change by suggesting that organizations are like living systems. The Open System Theory suggests that the relationship of living systems to their environment is similar to the relationship of organizational systems to their environment (social, business and technical) (Scheim, 1985). Approaching organizations from a systems point of view means that they will be seen as arrangements of interrelated parts open to influence from the outside world. The term interrelated means that there are many and complex connections among the parts of the system. Arrangements means that the connections are not haphazard, but planned and intentional. The idea that organizations are open to influence from the external environment is not necessarily new, but the idea of using it as a source for problem solving is. What happens to an organization does not end at the building walls or the property fence. Much like viruses attack living systems, organizations become sick due to external forces too. '6 k ST COPY AVAILABLE 2 31 1997 ASCUE Proceedings Change the System "All organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they get. To get better results, you need to improve the design on the organization," Arthur Jones (Hanna, 1988, p. 38). Organizations are typically performing at their maximum level, no matter how high or low that may be. Solving problems within the existing structure only results in minor improvements. If significant improvements are desired, then the system's arrangements (organizational design) must be altered to allow the system to perform at a higher level. Using the Open System Theory, improvement and changing the arrangements should not be limited to the internal structure, but should also be made in the way the organization relates to its external environment. Problems in an organization, even small ones, are affected by the system and in return affect the system. So to make effective change, all the persons who have an interest in seeing the problem solved, internal and external persons, should be .represented in the change process. The system, meaning the way all the parts are connected, is the target for change. Deming's second point of his 14 management method points is to adopt a new philosophy, and after all, the approach taken to design organizations is based on management philosophies. So changing the system is really changing our view of how organizations should be arranged. In stating this second point, Deming is fairly strong with his words, Structures have been in place in management that will have to be dismantled. They have not been suitable for two decades. They never were right, but in an expanding market you couldn't lose. The weaknesses showed up when competition came in. We will have to undergo total demolition of American style of management. Management offered all kinds of excuses. There was every kind of thing in this world, except the awful truth that Americans were beaten. Where they have been beaten is in the management (Walton, 1986, p. 59). Large System Change Beginning Points There is no one best place to begin to change a system. Finding the starting point is difficult and requires a considerable amount of data gathering and analysis. This analysis is done in an effort to assure that there is a match between how to change and what the organization is ready to do. Choosing the proper point can be critical to the success of the total change process. Change can begin with: the top management team, a pilot project that works within the current system, ready subsystems, intact groups that are more receptive to change, -hurting subsystems, groups whose problems are so painful that almost any change is better than the current situation, the reward system, training and education, or creating a critical mass in the employment population to be receptive to change (Beckhard, 1978).


The legislation of social security in the world, which began with"the Poor Law Act" of U.K and experienced the modern legislative reform represented by Germany and America, has made substantial changes in the legislative ideas and evolved a new scope of law focuses on the study of "the law on protection of the weak group's living".The legislation of social security in the future of China should regard the weak group as the protective object, the protection of right of existence as the core idea, the social joint liability as the practical mechanism and the coordination and consistent development of the economy and society as the value orientation.


Model-Driven Development and Aspect Oriented Software Development offer excellent support to modular reasoning, which can be used to develop component-based systems favouring a better software evolution. A development process based on Model Driven Architecture (MDA) to integrate components and aspects is presented in this paper. In order to do this, a UML profile to model systems based on components and aspects is suggested. Then a set of model-to-model transformations at design level including the weaving among components and aspects, allow us to obtain the final system based on UML Profile for the Corba Component Model. The CCM code for the final systems is obtained by a model-to-code transformation. A specific tool (Eclipse plugin) has been developed to support the software development based on Aspect Component Based Software Development (ACBSE).


In the last sixty years, human rights have become the international moral currency and 'umbrella' under which all kinds of justice claims are articulated. Since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (the Stockholm Conference) human rights have also been used as both a legal tool and moral discursive strategy for protecting human health and well-being. The extension of human rights to the environment has taken two dominant forms. First, it is held that human beings have a right to a healthy environment, ie a right to clean water and air, among others. Second, that there are ecological limitations to human rights. While not yet implemented in 'hard law' the latter argument refers to the idea that individual freedom is not only determined by a social context - but also by an ecological context as determined by principles such as ecological integrity or planetary boundaries.


In Wittgenstein's Poker , David Edmonds and John Eidinow recount the famous, or infamous, events of the Friday, October 25, 1946 meeting of the Cambridge Moral Science Club. In brief, the story is about the exchange between Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper after Popper's invited presentation on the topic, "Are There Philosophical Problems?" In Popper's published account, there was a heated exchange between him and Wittgenstein about the paper, during which Wittgenstein used a fireplace poker "like a conductor's baton to emphasize his assertions." When Wittgenstein asked Popper for an example of a moral rule, Popper writes, "I replied: Not to threaten visiting lecturers with pokers," after which Wittgenstein stormed out of the room in rage. Edmonds and Eidinow devote almost three hundred pages to a reconstruction of this event through a narrative which ranges over the intellectual and social biographies of these two philosophers and others in attendance, the political and social climate of the time, the nature of philosophical argument in analytic philosophy in the first half of the twentieth century, and most importantly, descriptions of what happened from others at the meeting in which the sequence and interpretation of events is substantively different from Popper's. They frame their purpose in moral terms: Did Popper later publish an untrue version of what happened? Did he lie? Thus, the narrative draws us into a case study of ethics from either direction. Did Wittgenstein threaten Popper with a fireplace poker? Did Popper lie in writing that Wittgenstein did so? How are we to make and ethical judgment in this case? Would Wittgenstein's or Popper's ethical philosophy help us?


The observation of J-band splittings in the Fano–DeVoe type calculations of pseudoisocyanine aggregates is reported. Based upon the monoclinic structure of pseudoisocyanine iodide crystal, we build four models which respectively assume the lattice constants of the crystal structure. The one-dimensional (1D-) single polymer model is selected along a particular direction from the crystal structure. As we diminish the lattice constants uniformly, the 1D-single-polymer model comes to reproduce single J-bands, while two kinds of 2D-two-inter-polymer interaction models resolve the single J-bands into doublet through multiplet structures for the corresponding parameters. The 3D-four-inter-polymer interaction model brings about doubly split J-bands, but the shortening of the parameters resolves the doublet J-bands into quartet through multiplet structures. However, a single J-band is obtained by the assumption of an orthorhombic 3D-four-inter-polymer model which has the same parameters as those of the monoclinic ...


I have many questions regarding the completed suicide and the case of leukopenia/neutropenia in the February 2006 article byThase and colleagues, "Modafinil Augmentation of SSRI Therapy in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder and Excessive Sleepiness and Fatigue: A 12-Week Open-Label, Extension Study." Can we get more details on these two serious adverse events? Did either or both of these patients receive placebo before getting modafinil? How far into the study did the events occur? What drugs and dosages were they taking at the time? Why did the authors conclude the suicide and the leukopenia/neutropenia were unrelated to the drug trial? In my experience, a completed suicide and a case of leukopenia/neutropenia among 250 patients over an 8-week drug trial seems unusual. Since I supplement with modafinil, I find the partial report unsettling. I think in some fashion the article should be amended with this information.


The geminal P–P coupling constant increases by more than 90 Hz. as the temperature is decreased from 0 to –120° in PF2SPF2; equally large percentage variations in 2JPP have been observed in bis(phosphino)silanes and germanes.


In a humid environment, the stray current generated by subway operation will corrode the underground pipe network and the internal steel structure of the track plate, which will seriously affect the service life of the subway track plate and increase the maintenance cost later. Groundwater in subway projects mainly enters the concrete interior through capillary action and affects the concrete resistivity, and there is a lack of research on the mechanism of groundwater effect on concrete resistance. In this study, the variation of cement mortar resistivity with capillary water absorption time for cement mortar with different amounts of mineral admixtures (fly ash, ground-granulated blast furnace slag, and silica fume) was measured by the four-electrode method, and the mechanism of the influence of the electrical properties of cementitious materials under the effect of capillary water absorption was analyzed based on the mercury-pressure method (MIP) and thermogravimetric method (TG-DTG). The results show that with the increase in capillary water absorption time, the change curve of cement mortar resistivity can be divided into two stages; in the first stage, capillary water absorption leads to gel pores and transition pores quickly connecting to capillary pores and other large pores to form a water-saturated conductive pathway, resulting in a rapid decrease in resistivity, when the gel pores and excessive pores have a greater impact on resistivity. The second stage is that of capillary water absorption, to a certain extent, after the specimen's internal water upward development rate slows down; at this time, the formation speed of the conductive pathway decreases, resulting in the rate of change in resistivity decreasing and gradually stabilizing. The incorporation of silica fume can effectively improve the resistivity of cementitious materials under the action of capillary water absorption, in which the resistivity of specimens incorporated with 15% silica fume after 36 days of capillary water absorption is 10.39 times that of the reference group, which is mainly due to its lower porosity and a higher percentage of gel pores.


The article considers the characteristics of international terrorism as a phenomenon that requires joint efforts at the regional and supranational levels in political, social, economic, legal, ideological and other aspects, its causes and consequences, approaches to classification. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of existing problems of international regional security caused by terrorism, as well as the features of combating it on the example of the EU and the SCO. Scientific, official, historical sources of information were used in the research. The subject is the components of the strategy to combat international terrorism on the example of two regional international organizations, the EU and the SCO. The goal of the article is to determine the features and priorities of the fight against international terrorism at the regional level, their effectiveness and shortcomings on the basis of a comprehensive study of the features of the phenomenon. The objective is to analyze official sources on methods of combating international terrorism on the example of the EU and the SCO, to determine the causes, consequences and priorities for fighting against it. Research methods are comparative analysis, systematization and generalization. The following results were obtained: the main problem of combating international terrorism and its consequences at the regional level was identified, which is primarily related to the uniform content of agreements, statements, decisions, etc., without taking into account the region specifics. In addition, the priority areas of activity of international organizations that need attention have been identified, among them: prevention and cessation of terrorist financing, counteraction to the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, promotion of cooperation in the fight against terrorism, etc. The conclusions of this work indicate the low efficiency of the organizations and the need to improve the tools of combating international terrorism on the basis of the general problems and priorities mentioned in the article.


Measurements of enolization rates in D2O-D2SO4 mixtures and H2O-H2SO4 mixtures at high acidities yield data which support low (c. -7) values for the pKa values of the protonated forms of acetaldehyde, acetone, and ethyl methyl ketone.


Abstract A normal phase chromatographic procedure has been discussed to separate tris(2-ethyl hexyl) tri-mellitate from other three common additives of PVC. The rapid and sensitive method could be employed as a routine procedure for the analysis of commercial materials containing tris(2-ethyl hexyl) tri-mellitate.


In Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) a wide range of symptoms are seen, along with different responses to treatment, this has pointed to the direction that OCD is more heterogeneous than thought before and clinically different subtypes of OCD exist. This article presents a wide variety of symptoms dimension seen in OCD with many pioneering and important work done in this area. The different clinical presentations of patients with OCD have also been seen. The heterogeneity and the vastness of the symptoms of this disorder could lead to new breakthroughs and pathways in our current understanding of OCD.