The complex of Poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) network with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (P(AA-co-Am)-C16 TAB) was synthesized. It has shape memory behavior due to the formation of thermodynamically homogeneous structure. A specific feature of this type of shape memory complex is that the transition temperature at which the complex abruptly becomes soft and deforms can be controlled by changing the degree of cross-linkage, which enables one to adjust the shape memory effect at desired temperature. Mechanism and process of the shape memory behavior were discussed.


Spain is among the countries that have developed important actions aimed at improving energy efficiency. The success of these actions should favor the decoupling between energy consumption and economic growth. This research analyzes the determining factors that explain the changes in sectoral consumption as well as the degree of decoupling between energy consumption and economic growth achieved in Spain. The period analyzed extends between 2000-2015. The beginning of the series coincides with the entry into force of the first actions aimed at energy saving and the end is established by the availability of data. To answer the first research question, the LMDI-I decomposition technique is used in its additive variant. A second level decomposition allows answering the second question. This analysis is complemented by the Tapio index. The results show that the intensity effect played a notable role in compensating for sectoral energy consumption, and together with the structural effect, they contributed the most to the decoupling process. The sector of Industrial and Transport are those that showed greater efforts for decoupling. However, the efforts are still not enough.


Density profiles for a light impurity, boron, are reported for internal transport barrier (ITB) discharges in Alcator C-Mod. During the ITB, the light impurity gradient steepens because the impurity pinch increases relative to diffusion. The ITB-induced impurity profile steepening is at approximately the same major radius as that for the main-ion profile. Neoclassical transport does not describe the light impurity profiles but transport is closer to neoclassical in the ITB region. In previous work on C-Mod, profiles of seeded heavy impurities (introduced by puffing) peaked during the ITB, but a marked difference between transport of heavy and light impurities has been reported for other tokamaks. With the addition of light impurity profiles described here, the ITB on C-Mod is shown to share additional profile traits with the ITB on other tokamaks. This confirms that the macroscopic features of the C-Mod ITB are similar to those on other devices although it leaves open the details of the onset of the ITB.


ABSTRACT: Clinical case studies have played an invaluable role in the history of music therapy and its literature. These single-participant studies focus on individual treatment and personalized objectives and have appeared frequently in the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy, and Music Therapy Perspectives. The purpose of this article was to identify and catalogue all the case studies published in the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy, and Music Therapy Perspectives from 1964-2003. The researcher identified and analyzed 123 studies. Results indicate that the published case studies within the literature base evince that music therapy interventions have been successful with a wide variety of populations using a diversity of clinical techniques to address client deficit areas. The majority of these studies contained only qualitative data. Additionally, 50% of the reviewed articles examined more than one participant. This catalogue of published clinical case studies may help music therapists who are dealing with a particular age, diagnosis/population, music therapy treatment method, or clinical objective by serving as a database or collection of studies. Case studies are a type of qualitative or quantitative research that recognize the unique qualities of a particular client, setting, and approach when dealing with a single participant. case studies have appeared frequently within the music therapy literature of the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy, and Music Therapy Perspectives. These are characteristically single-participant qualitative descriptions of successful music therapy interventions with a variety of client populations. Typically, these case studies impart a descriptive and rich characteristic (Aigen, 1995). This method is used extensively in music therapy literature due to its ability to isolate situations and behaviors (Madsen & Madsen, 1997). During the first half of the 20th century, the case study was largely clinical research's sole methodology (Barlow & Hersen, 1984). The development of currently practiced case study research can be traced to the work of B. F. Skinner. Behavioral analysis relied upon single case designs to evaluate the effects of individualized variables (Kazdin, 1982). In music education and music therapy settings, many of these behaviorally based approaches have been effective with an extensive range of maladaptive behaviors (Standley, 1996). Today, case studies are still important to modern applied research (Barlow & Hersen, 1984). Many prolific researchers have noted the value and importance of case studies. Hanser (1999) wrote "the results of these studies are enlightening because they offer objective evidence of client change or lack thereof" (pp. 179-180). Heiman (2002) noted that case studies appear frequently in clinical research due to their in-depth descriptions of patients' symptoms and reactions to therapy. Nickles (2001) suggests that case-based scientific techniques can be appealing because they are a problem-solving versus a directly truth-seeking enterprise, do not leave theory of validation to epistemic evaluation, are forward-looking rather than backward-looking, and thrive on single case-based consideration and practice, over rule-based examination. Barlow and Hersen (1984) proposed that case studies merge the roles of practitioner and researcher and can lead to further empirical inquiry. As a result, measures have been developed and further experimental analyses of treatment have been performed (Mills, Agras, Barlow, & Mills, 1973); Thus, resulting data can increase one's understanding of the problem while the client receives and benefits from treatment (Barlow & Hersen, 1984). Chambless and Hollon (1998) noted that efficacy can be best established in vigilantly controlled case studies and their group analogues and suggested case studies are only limited by the creativity of the researcher. Thus, because of the creativity and flexibility of these single-case designs, they can provide an ideal format for music therapy literature. …


Micromagnetic calculations are used to investigate coercivity and energy products of magnets consisting of an aligned hard‐magnetic skeleton phase and a soft‐magnetic phase with high saturation magnetization. Compared to the present‐day theoretical limit of 516 kJ/m3 for single‐phase Nd2Fe14B, the energy product in suitable nanostructured Sm2Fe17N3/Fe65Co35 composites is predicted to be as high as 1090 kJ/m3. The influence of the skeleton's texture and shape is discussed, and aligned nanocrystalline two‐phase magnets are compared with remanence‐enhanced isotropic magnets. In particular, it is shown how the nucleation‐based analytical approach breaks down in the isotropic limit. Finally, we outline conceivable processing methods and discuss potential applications of ''megajoule'' magnets.


Objective:To study the decocting technology of Qingdan Granules.Methods: Based on the orthogonal design, the technology was evaluated by the dried decoction rate, the content of baicalin and their comprehensive value. Results: The optimum technology was that with 8 folds of water, decocting 3 times and 1.5 hours each time. Conclusion: The decocting technology is reasonable and practicible, with good reproducibility.


Analysis of 2,700 questionnaire replies received from owners of vehicles equipped with seat belts revealed that although over 90% of the respondents believe seat belts are an effective safety device, only 34% say they use the belts all the time. The main reasons given for non-use were forgetfulness, inconvenience and belief that seat belts are not necessary in all situations. The majority of complaints voiced about seat belt operation and design could be solved through the installation of properly designed retractors. When asked if the law should require seat belt use, 35% of the respondents replied in the affirmative, while 34% disagreed.


This paper demonstrates a new method in manufacturing micropillars with a relative high depth-to-width ratio, compared with former works. As is known that micropillars enjoy a wide range of applications in the field of biology and chemistry, such as cancer drug screening, the auto-formation of artificial vessels, and so forth, the strict demand for high depth-to-width ratio haven't effectively settled in conventional MEMS technology. Also considering other means, for instance, through the stereolithographic printing process is of high cost, we propose a rapid way that combined the laser drilling as well as molding to realize the whole procedure. And we will discuss the diverseness of two materials, PMMA (Polymethylmethacrylate) and PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), in fabricating the micropillars. Some simulations contribute to our deeper comprehension of the pillar structure, which mainly lie in strain behavior.


The process of gendered practice in the pursuit of masculine identity is complex with many obstacles and hegemonic forms to negotiate on the journey. Add to this the multifaceted and diverse nature of intellectual disability (ID) and the opportunity for normalised gendered practice is further complicated. Focused on the talk of boys with ID, this paper offers an account of the development of ideas about masculinity to show how gaming may offer a space for gendered practice not available in other areas of the boys' lives. The paper tentatively argues that gaming may offer an opportunity for the boys and those working with them to explore gendered practice safely to facilitate the construction of their identities as men and to challenge problematic images of the hyper-masculine ideal found in these games.


An 18-year-old gelding Thoroughbred was referred to Vir-ginia–Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicinefor evaluation of anorexia, pyrexia, chronic weight loss, anda distended abdomen. Three years previously, this horse wasdiagnosed with acute septic hepatocholangitis based onphysical, bacteriologic, biochemical, and histopathologicfindings.Streptococcus viridans was isolated from the liverbiopsy samples. Treatment included intravenous fluids, B vi-tamins, and antibiotics. The horse recovered and had normalblood chemistry and complete blood counts within 5 monthsof this episode. After recovery, the horse developed inter-mittent dermal photosensitization involving the lightly pig-mented skin of the distal hind limbs.Current physical examination findings included mild de-pression, lethargy, patchy alopecia and scaling, abdominaldistention, generalized muscle atrophy, and poor body con-dition. There were bilaterally symmetrical 10 3 5 3 1-cmraised swellings in the subcutaneous tissue of the prepuce.Serum biochemical analysis revealed hyperproteinemia (8.8g/dl). The horse had a leukocytosis (20.1 3 10


The Ovejero Magallanico is a non-officially recognized dog breed located in southern Chile's Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region. The aim of this study was to conduct an initial coat colour and markings description in a 74 adult Ovejero Magallanico dogs sample. The results of this preliminary descriptive study indicated a eumelanin pigment predominance in hair samples collected from Chilean Austral area Ovejero Magallanico dogs. A total of 16 different color coat phenotypes were observed with predominance of dark colours such as grays, blue merle and black. In addition, 3 observed coat colour patterns (brown and tan; black tricolor, brown tricolor, and blue tricolor) are not described for the Collie dog breed. Twelve patterns of markings in the coat of Ovejero Magallanicos were determined. Two marking patterns (mask and ears) that are not present in Collies were observed in Ovejero Magallanico dogs. Ovejero Magallanico dogs have some similarities in coat colour and markings with Bearded Collies, Border Collies and Bobtails. However, the colour tones within and between the coat colour patterns seen in Ovejero Magallanico dogs showed distinct features from other traditional Collie dog breeds.


The cluster reduction method for the Yakubovsky equations in configuration space is used for calculations of zero-energy scattering in four-nucleon system. The main idea of the method consists in making use of expansions for the Yakubovsky amplitudes onto the basis of the Faddeev components for the two-cluster sub-Hamiltonian eigenfunctions. The expansions reduce the original equations to ones for the functions depending on the relative coordinates between the clusters. On the basis of the resulting equations the N-(NNN) zero-energy scattering problems are solved numerically with the MT I-III model for N-N forces and neglecting the Coulomb interaction between protons.


Cybernetic concepts provide a bridge between the theories of management which have evolved so far. Homeostasis, the law of necessary variety, the relativity of time, the nature of growth, heuristics, holism, synergy and autopoiesis are a few of the ideas which assist managers to understand the nature of management. Applying general systems theoretic to managerial activities reveals opportunities for the development of intelligent machines; the automation of decision making and the advent, after wise systems, of systems which simulate 'style', apply common sense and evince emotionality. Only the present high costs of such machines inhibits their application. Large managerial systems are seen as autopoietic, as living systems: Perhaps with minds of their own using humans, only as a resource, to achieve their equifinality.


The modernized management of talents in secondary institutes is very important,and the talent cultiˉvation is its goal.Therefore,the modernized"people_oriented"strategy of management of talents in secondary institutes must be implemented,and the key work of the institutes should not be forgotten.


The present invention discloses an inline network address translation within a router of a mobile network. Techniques for performing inline NAT function within the forwarding element gateway router or other mobile device, wherein the user mobile access network session may be distributed among multiple session management cards. Before any data traffic received at the session management card associated with the user, when the network connection is established in response to the connection request, pre-allocate public network address and port range for the user. NAT profile programmed into the mobile gateway router hardware forwarding elements, inline NAT for routing traffic for the user of the mobile access network.


A clay-polymer chelating resin was prepared through copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with N,N'–methylene bis-acrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linker in the presence of 5% kaolinite mineral. The resin obtained was chemically modified through the reaction with tetraethylenepentamine (TEP). A comparison study was held between the modified clay-containing resin and a clay-free one. The prepared resins were characterized by FT-IR, XRF, TGA, BET–surface area and SEM techniques. The adsorption behavior of both resins towards Cu (II) and Hg (II) at different conditions was studied. Kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamic parameters of the adsorption process were also investigated. The clay-containing resin exhibited a higher thermal stability, greater surface area and higher uptake values than the clay-free one. Uptake values up to 2.38 mmol/g (479.57 mg/g) for Hg (II) and 1.95 mmol/g (124.02 mg/g) for Cu (II) were reported on the clay-containing resin. The adsorption process of both metal ions followed Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and is dominated by enthalpic rather than entropic changes. The regeneration of the loaded resin was carried out using KI and HCl for elution of Hg (II) and Cu (II), respectively.


Traditional grid-density based spatial clustering algorithms divide input data space into partitions with same width and neglect the natural distributing character of initial data space. A new robust spatial clustering algorithm based on optimized-division (OpD-Clus) is proposed in this paper. Spatial data space is divided by hyper-planes which are encertained with axis-paralleled histogram in OpD-Clus algorithm. Division of data space relies on natural distributing character of input data space to improve the accuracy and efficiency of spatial clustering. Simultaneously, the outstanding difference between density-region and spare-region makes setting of density threshold parameter easily and reduces the parameter dependence of spatial clustering algorithm. The validity, efficiency and un-sensitivity of parameters of OpD-Clus algorithm is demonstrated by experiment results.


Abstract The authors explored the consequences of middle school mathematics course taking, a measure of opportunity to learn, disparity in students' high school mathematics achievement, and achievement growth. Using 4-year longitudinal data from an ethnically and linguistically diverse district, they applied a 3-level hierarchical linear growth model to address potential inequity in course taking and its consequences. The results indicate that course-taking patterns, even when controlling for prior achievement, play a prominent role in identifying performance differences. The distribution of mathematics course taking among various subgroups not only differed in Grade 8 but also became increasingly inequitable by Grade 11.


The utility model is applies to a charging device of a wind-driven AC generator. Through an induction coil is connected with the output end of the AC generator in series, the output current of the generator can be limited to a certain extent to prevent the generator to put out oversize current when running rapidly to prevent components of the whole device from being damaged by oversized current. The strength of the current-limiting action by electrical inductance is changed with the change of voltage frequency generated by the generator, and the voltage is in direct proportion with the frequency. That is to say, the inductive reactance of the electrical inductance is changed with the change of voltage generated by the generator. When the voltage generated by the generator is high, the current-limiting action of the electrical inductance is strong, while when the voltage generated by the generator is low, the current-limiting action of the electrical inductance is weak. Therefore, the utility model preferably solves the contradiction between charging and current limiting.


A sorting device of lithium ion power battery pole flakes comprises a conveyor belt for conveying lithium ion power battery pole flakes, wherein one end of the conveyor belt is connected with a sorting panel, the other end of the sorting panel is controlled by a hydro-pneumatic actuator to lift up and down, one end of the conveyor belt and the other end of the sorting panel are respectively connected with an upper and a lower pole flake recovery troughs, the hydro-pneumatic actuator is electrically connected to a computer, a weighing device is arranged on the conveyor belt, and the weighing device is electrically connected to the computer. According to requirements, the sorting device can set parameters such as quality of electric pole flakes, and automatically screen out pole flakes which conform to requirements.


A general review of papers and discussions at the Beijing International Symposium on Population and Development held December 10-14, 1984 is presented. Discussions on population and development included China's population change 1949-1982, impacts of economic change on Tianjin's population, the population factor in economic development policy-making, Japanese population and development, recent population development in Hungary, population and economy, comprehensive long-term population development in Russia, fertility rate change factors in China, Shanghai's population change, and population and economic development in Mian County, Shaanxi Province. Fertility rate changes were discussed, including multinational borderline value assumptions, recent trends in life span fertility rate in China, fertility rate in Jiangsu Province, fertility rate change in Zhejiang Province, and sterilization in Yangjiaping, Thailand. Population and employment discussions included the economic impact of world population change, the 1984 International Population Conference, changes in economically productive population and employment strategy, employed/unemployed populations in Guangdong Province, and the economic composition of China's population. Urbanization discussions covered population and development methodological problems, population growth and economic development in the Pacific region, surplus rural population transfer and economic development in China, urbanization analysis, trends and urban population distribution problems, and Laioning Province population development. Issues in migration, population distribution, and regional population included migration and development of the Great Northwest, internal migration to Beijing, Chinese population growth and economic development by major region, and current population changes of Chinese Tibetans. Under social problems of population, discussions included women's status, development and population change, Shanghai's aging trend, analysis of the aged population, analysis of educational quality in Anhui Province, and the retirement system in Chinese villages.


The purpose of this article is to prioritize Total Quality Management (TQM) practices and examine their relative importance in TQM implementation in medical device small and medium enterprises (SME) using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Mathematical modeling was the research method adopted in this article. The choice of AHP was based on the need to acquire knowledge from different companies and prioritize the most important TQM practices. Some implications are highlighted. Two strategic factors (Quality Management System and Quality Planning) and one tactical factor (Process Management) are strongly correlated and indicated by experts as having the major importance. Finally, The AHP method developed in the present study was shown to be useful for prioritizing practices relating to the implementation of TQM in medical device companies. The results can provide useful information to medical device managers to work upon the main practices in order to improve TQM performance.


Thymocyte differentiation antigen‐1 (Thy‐1) is a cell surface glycoprotein found on T cells and neurons and is involved in cell‐to‐cell interactions. In addition, Thy‐1 knockouts (KO) are a potential mouse model of restless legs syndrome (RLS) based on clinical observations and the role of dopamine in the disease. In this study, we analyzed the activity and quantity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; the rate‐limiting enzyme in dopamine production) and determined phosphorylation levels for the enzyme phosphoserine‐40 (pSer‐40). There was no significant difference in the total TH activity and pSer‐40 TH levels between Thy‐1 KO and control groups; however, TH specific activity was significantly lower (by 26%) in Thy‐1 KO mice. This difference is due in part to increased TH protein levels in this group (increased by 29%). When analyzed by gender, Thy‐1 KO female mouse striata contained less TH specific activity compared with control females (decreased by 41%) and male control or Thy‐1 KO animals (decreased by 30%). TH specific activity and pSer‐40 TH levels in male Thy‐1 KO and control displayed no differences. However, pSer‐40 TH was significantly higher in control females (38%) compared with control or Thy‐1 KO males. The Thy‐1 KO females exhibited significantly lower (28%) pSer‐40 TH (normalized to GAPDH or TH) than control females. Indeed, the Thy‐1 KO females had 50% of the pSer‐40 TH found in controls. Our results suggest a gender effect on TH specific activity, TH protein levels, and serine‐40 phosphorylation of TH in Thy‐1 KO female mice. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This study focused on determining the capability of a proposed two-step curing process for composite rebars production. A finite element analysis is carried out on rapid curing of fiber-reinforced polymer rebars during a continuous braid trusion manufacturing process. This process combines pultrusion and braiding techniques to produce fiber-reinforced polymer rebars. The system uses a novel two-step curing technique to obtain a uniform cure profile. This is achieved by embedding small diameter steel wires within the core of the rebar. In the first step, as the rebar passes through an induction coil, a curing radially in the outward direction is initiated due to the induction coil. In the second step, the induction-initiated curing rebar enters a series of ovens, initiating radially inward curing. The resulting fiber-reinforced polymer rebars can be used as alternative to steel reinforcement in applications where steel cannot be utilized due to its corrosive or metallic nature. The result of this study showcased the importance of induction unit in obtaining a uniform cure profile.


Female condoms are an important option for dual protection from unintended pregnancy and HIV and other sexually transmitted infections especially when male condoms cannot be used. Incorporating female condoms into other HIV prevention channels is a potential strategy to increase access for women and men in need of dual protection beyond male condoms. Policies recommend incorporating female condoms into two HIV prevention programs that have gained significant momentum and political support -- prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC). However there is a lack of clarity on how female condoms are being included at the programmatic level. PATH undertook a qualitative assessment in Kenya to explore the opportunities and challenges to integrate female condoms in PMTCT and VMMC programs and identify strategies to help improve integration and access in future programming. PATH selected Kenya because it offers a plausible environment for integration which includes established PMTCT and VMMC programs supportive national policies and guidelines some female condom distribution and significant health needs. PATH employed qualitative methods to collect and analyze data. Desk research was performed to understand the PMTCT and VMMC landscape in Kenya and to inform purposive sampling of stakeholders. Ethics approval was received from the Kenya National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation. PATH then conducted 17 face-to-face interviews with policymakers international aid officials service providers and advocates in Nairobi and Nyanza areas. PATH had obtained each stakeholder's verbal consent to be interviewed during the scheduling process. Interviews were conducted in English and lasted approximately 60 minutes. For data analysis PATH staff examined interview notes and performed manual coding for themes. The stakeholder interviews confirmed that female condoms are not typically available for distribution at PMTCT and VMMC sites in Kenya. All stakeholders were familiar with the product however and most thought that it offered numerous advantages as a woman-initiated dual protection method. Integrating female condoms into PMTCT and VMMC programs was believed to be feasible because policies training and distribution systems that can support product inclusion are already in place. Stakeholders reported that female condoms are included in counselor training curriculums and that the supply chain is the same as for male condoms. The barriers to integration that were cited were similar to those facing female condom programming generally. The foremost challenge is the absence of female condoms in public-sector health facilities or retail channels; integration cannot happen without the product itself. Many stakeholders pointed to the relatively high cost of female condom commodities to the national government -- particularly when compared with male condoms --as a main driver of low availability in the public-sector. Stakeholders identified additional barriers at the individual facility and government levels that contribute to the lack of product availability. These barriers largely involve negative attitudes and misperceptions that stymie demand creation and discourage government officials from recognizing female condoms as a critical commodity. Stakeholders offered many insights into how to address these barriers so that female condoms could be a valuable and viable offering in PMTCT and VMMC programs.


Modern processors employ a large number of architectural features such as speculative execution and reordering of memory operations to achieve higher performance. Such memory ordering operations are governed by Memory Consistency Models (MCM) which act as an agreement between the programmer and the hardware designer. However, due to a large number of valid execution results, simulation-based verification of an MCM implementation is a difficult task that necessitates its validation after manufacturing. In the first silicon, due to restricted observability, the order of execution of memory operations must be logged on-chip. These logged contents can then be dumped off-line for further constraint graph based analysis and checking for any MCM violation(s). In this paper, we propose a logging-based post-silicon validation of the Total Store Order (TSO) memory consistency model which is widely utilized in modern processors. The logged events capture the ordering of memory operations during the execution of a test program on the processor-under-validation. The main features of the proposed logging approach are zero network traffic overhead along with minimal area, power and performance overheads. Experimental results indicate that the proposed logging approach is effective in detecting the bugs through the constraint graph based checking methodology. The proposed logging approach is implemented both on an architectural simulator and at the register-transfer level in a multi-core out-of-order processor.


5,6-bis(4-methylphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1,2,3,4-tetrazine 2 was synthesized by the dimerization of ethyl p-methylbenzoateformylhydrazone 1 in hydrazinehydrate solution. 2,3-bis(4-methylphenyl)-6,7,14,15-tetrahydro[1,2,3,4]tetrazino [2,3d][1,8, 4,5]benzodithia-diazecine-10,11-dicarbonitrile 4 was sythesized by cyclization reaction of tetrazine monomer 2 onto 1,2-bis-(2-iodoethylmercapto)-4,5-dicyanobenzene 3. Co(II) and Cu(II) phthalocyanine complexes were prepared by reaction of the dinitrile compound (4) with the chlorides of Co(II), Cu(II), and DMAE at 175°C, 350 W in a microwave oven for 10 min. Zn(II)-phthalocyanine complex was prepared by reaction of the dinitrile compound 4 with the acetate of Zn(II) and DMAE at 175°C, 350 W in a microwave oven for 10 min. The new compounds were characterized by a combination of IR, 1H-NMR, 13CNMR, UV-vis, elemental analysis, and MS spectral data. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 21:456–461, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/hc.20623


INTRODUCTIONOn June 28, 2007, the United States and Panama signed a free trade agreement (FTA) after two and a half years and 10 rounds of negotiations (see Appendix A for a chronology of events). Negotiations formally concluded on December 16, 2006, with an understanding that changes to labor, environment, and intellectual property rights chapters would be made pursuant to future congressional input.These changes were agreed to and the FTA was signed on June 28, 2007, in time to be considered under Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, which expired on July 1, 2007. TPA allows Congress to consider certain trade implementing bills under expedited procedures.1 Panama's legislature ratified the FTA 58 to 4 on July 11, 2007. Implementing legislation was not introduced in either the 110th or the 111th Congress.The 112th Congress appears ready to consider implementing legislation for the proposed U.S.- Panama FTA. Both the House and the Senate have held hearings on the FTA, and -mock markups" on draft implementing bills. One issue delaying introduction of a final implementing bill is determining if and how to address some Members demands to take up reauthorization of trade adjustment assistance (TAA) programs as part of an accommodation to considering implementing legislation for the proposed FTAs with South Korea, Panama, and Colombia.One option is to include TAA language in the Korea FTA implementing bill, which some Members argue is unacceptable because they differ on their support for the two issues and would like to see them addressed as separate votes. There may also be procedural issues as well. Another option would be to consider separate legislation prior to or in tandem with FTA implementing bills.2BACKGROUND AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTSCongressional action on the proposed U.S.-Panama FTA has been delayed over numerous concerns since it was signed four years ago. The 112th Congress, however, has turned its attention to consideration of the U.S.-Panama FTA, with the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees holding a series of hearings.3 Many issues were addressed by changes to the FTA based on principles outlined in the bipartisan agreement of May 10, 2007, crafted jointly by leadership in the 110th Congress and the Bush Administration.These changes include adoption as fully enforceable commitments, the five basic labor rights defined in the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up (1998) Declaration, select multilateral environmental agreements, new pharmaceutical intellectual property rights provisions intended to facilitate Panama's access to generic drugs, and language on the investor-state issue clarifying that foreign investors will have no greater rights than U.S. domestic investors with respect to investment dispute resolution under the FTA.Other issues, however, cropped up that further hindered congressional action on the agreement, virtually all falling outside the scope of the FTA. Soon after the May 10 principles were agreed to, the election of Pedro Miguel Gonzalez Pinzon as president of Panama's National Assembly on September 3, 2007 caused another year of delay.4Although a deputy in the National Assembly since 1999, his election to the head of the National Assembly raised his profile and drew the attention of Congress to his alleged role in the June 1992 murder of a U.S. serviceman in Panama.A Panamanian court acquitted him of the charge in 1997, but the United States does not recognize the verdict and maintains an outstanding warrant for his arrest.5 This issue was effectively resolved with respect to the FTA on September 1, 2008, when Gonzalez Pinzon declined to run for a second term as president of the National Assembly.Labor Code AmendmentsDespite the FTA's adoption of new labor principles based on the agreement of May 10, 2007, concerns over four specific labor statutes were raised in the 112th Congress. …


[Objectives] To assess the efficacy of hybrid interventional bronchoscopic techniques in treating endobronchial tuberculosis.[Methods] In this retrospective study we analyzed the clinical effects of 148 endobronchial tuberculosis patients combined with pulmonary tuberculosis who were diagnosed by bronchoscope and treated with hybrid interventional bronchoscopy from May 2007 to October 2009 in Jiangxi Chest Hospital.[Result] Through hybrid interventional bronchoscopy 118 of 148 patients(80%) had definite effect and 24 of 148 patients(16%) with improvement of clinical pulmonary signs or symptoms.The effective rate is 96%.[Conclusion] Hybrid interventional bronchoscopy is an effective method of treating endobronchial tuberculosis patients combined with pulmonary tuberculosis.


In this paper we present a versatile hardware architecture for accelerating the Long Term Evolution (LTE) integrity protection and confidentiality algorithms based on SNOW3G and ZUC stream ciphers. The proposed design combines both ciphers in a unified configurable hardware accelerator unit and focuses on area and energy consumption reduction, by applying resource sharing and power optimization techniques. Hardware implementations base on Faraday's 90 nm standard cell library and are evaluated at various timing constraints that account for data rates typical of LTE-Advanced mobile terminals. The unified architecture is compared to the stand-alone implementations, providing results that show an overall area reduction of 35% and a power saving of 40% and 75% for the confidentiality and integrity protection algorithms, respectively.


Profiling changes in the concentration of functionally related peptide hormones is critical to understanding the etiology of many diseases and therapies. We present novel data utilizing nano LC-MS to simultaneously measure a select group of vasoactive peptides (angiotensin, bradykinin and related hormones) in 50 μ l plasma samples enabling repeated sampling in rodent models. By chromatographically resolving target peptides and using "multiple reaction monitoring" to enhance MS sensitivity, linear responses down to 10 − 17 mol were achieved. Purification of plasma peptides by either methanol precipitation or offline HPLC fractionation enabled the detection of endogenous peptides and revealed approaches for enhancing recovery. As proof of principle, seven vasoactive peptides were profiled before, during and after acute angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition in an anesthetized rat. Of note was an apparent 10 fold increase in vasodilatory bradykinin that reversed after drug infusion but relatively minor changes in angiotensin II levels. Targeted MS analysis used to profile functionally related peptides or other analytes will greatly enhance our ability to define the sequence of events regulating complex and dynamic physiological processes. order to eliminate high abundance components that can suppress ionization or generate excessive signal noise. We present findings obtained from work aimed at investigating the quantitative aspects of low abundance peptide detection and plasma purification. A primary objective of this undertaking was to develop a methodology utilizing small plasma samples in order to enable innocuous repeated sampling from rats and mice (28–30). We focused attention on a group of peptide hormones that play an important role in the control of vascular tone and electrolyte homeostasis; vasopressin (anti diuretic hormone: ADH), components of the kallilkrein-kinin system (kallidin, bradykinin, des arg 9 -bradykinin and des arg 1 -bradykinin; KD, BK, BK 1-8 and BK 2-9), and the renin-angiotensin system (angiotensin I, angiotensin II and angiotensin 1-7; Ang I, Ang II and Ang1-7). The plasma concentration of these small peptides (<1.5 k MW) is normally in the [10 − 10 -10 − 12 M] range, such that 10 μ l of plasma can be expected to contain roughly 10 − 15 -10 − 17 mol of each peptide, a value well within established limits of detection for state of the art instruments. Particular care was taken in assessing the impact of non-specific sample depletion inherent in the processing of small samples. Validation of the methods using known standards and stock plasma helped identify some of the pitfalls and key factors limiting quantitative analysis. Finally, we demonstrate the utility and power of this novel approach in vivo with a time-course experiment profiling the change in plasma composition of seven bioactive peptides before, during and after acute angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition (ACEi). To our knowledge, this report is the first to provide time-course data utilizing LC-MS to measure multiple vasoactive peptide hormones in plasma.


The purpose of this mini-study was to determine the level of parent knowledge of FAS and the risks of drinking during pregnancy. The parents involved in this mini-study were members of a small, primarily rural community and had one or more children enrolled in grades kindergarten through four in the Hart Public School District. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to a random sample of parents who were chosen from the school emrollment lists. Results of the survey indicated that the majority of parents had some basic knowledge of the term FAS; however they felt that they lacked enough knowledge to identify a child with FAS. The results of this mini-study were incorporated into a macro-research project by Dr. Faite Mack of Grand Valley State University. Problem Statement Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause serious physical and mental problems in the unborn child. Full blown fetal alcohol syndrome manifests itself in facial abnormalities, low birth weight, small size, mental and emotional problems, and a chronic inability to cope in school and on the job. Even those less fully affected, possibly the children of women who drank only intermittently, may end up with lifelong learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Importance & Rationale The problem of alcohol use during pregnancy and its effects on the developing fetus is worthy of further study when we consider the cost to society that FAS children represent. The aftermath of alcohol use in the United States last year cost the nation more than $85.8 billion dollars, or an average of $404 for every man, woman, and child, not including pain and suffering. Many of the children with FAS require surgeries to correct organ deformations. Also typical in FAS children are vision, hearing and speech problems. Other costs to society include those associated with mental retardation and low birth weight. The estimated cost for these FAS-related problems is about $12.4 million annually. About 53% of FAS patients are eligible to be placed in a residential facility each year. The estimated annual total cost for full-time residential patients is about $33.8 million. Conservatively, the annual cost for FAS in the United States is approximately $74.6 million and constitutes a high cost by any reasonable standard. The tragedy of FAS and its cost to society, is that it is entirely preventable. If no more women drank alcohol during pregnancy, or while trying to get pregnant, there would never be another child born with FAS. Background The set of physical and mental deficiencies that doctors call Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has been a recognized pitfall of pregnancy since Old Testament times, when Samson's mother was warned by an angel to avoid wine while carrying her unborn child. The syndrome was first described and labeled in the early 19 7 0 's and has become one of the most actively investigated congenital anomalies in the last 2 decades. Seventeen years of research, most of it supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that alcohol can and does damage fetal development. No one knows exactly how many individuals are afflicted with fetal alcohol damage, but the estimates are staggering. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that more than 8,000 alcohol-damaged babies are born each year, or 2.7 babies for every 1000 live births. Others feel that these figures are low. In addition, another 3 to 5 individuals per 1,000 may show less severe effects of exposure, which may have been termed alcohol-related birth defects or fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Finally, there appear to be more subtle effects on the central nervous system and other organ systems whose consequences for behavior and development are still under investigation. According to some U.S. studies. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome may be the third most common cause of mental retardation in the Western world (after Down's Syndrome and neural tube de f e c t s ). Scientists still do not know why FAS strikes the children of some alcoholic mothers but not others, and why susceptibility varies among different ethnic groups. Most identified cases of FAS in North America still come from sites where the majority of mothers are black or Indian, or where socioeconomic status is low. Native Americans, for example, are 33 times as likely as Caucasians to have a child with FAS. For blacks, the rate is 6.7 times as high as for Caucasians. Women who give birth to a child with FAS have a greater-than-average risk of bearing additional children with the affliction. Such evidence suggests there may be a genetic predisposition to FAS, but scientists have not been able to identify the offending genes. A diagnosis of FAS or FAE is often a welcome relief to parents and children because it offers an explanation for the academic and social difficulties that the youngsters experience in school. Students with FAS or FAE are likely to be found in all types of educational programs and may fall anywhere along the range from normally skilled to severely disabled. These students tend to be fairly concrete and may do well academically during the early years of school. When subject matter becomes more abstract, however, they may have increasing difficulty keeping up. By far their greatest area of deficit is in functional skills. Even FAS/FAE students with seemingly normal academic skills may have difficulty generalizing them to settings outside the classroom. The inability to predict consequences or to use appropriate judgement in daily life makes it difficult for these young people to achieve favorable outcomes in vocational settings. It is critical to realize the seriousness of students' functional skill deficits if we are to implement effective educational programs. There is no treatment for FAS and so the only way health officials can fight the scourge is to step up educational efforts. All alcoholic beverages must now carry warning labels and in New Hampshire, couples must read a pamphlet on FAS before they can obtain a marriage license. But for women who are addicted to alcohol, the need to drink often overcomes caution and reason. Until better ways are found to identify and treat alcoholics, they will continue to inflict a devastating toll on their children. Statement of Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop and distribute a parent survey which will assess the level of knowledge about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. More specifically, this survey will assess whether or not parents are aware that FAS exists, what FAS is, and if they realize the effect that alcohol consumption has on a developing fetus during pregnancy. This survey is not attempting to determine the rate of occurrence of FAS in this particular community. The final product will be a table, showing by percentage how parents responded to each question. The findings of this mini-study/survey will be incorporated into a macro-research project by Dr. Faite Mack . Chapter Two: Literature Review Because the terms "fetal alcohol syndrome" and "fetal alcohol effects" were only introduced some 20 years ago, many people believe the disease is a recent phenomenon. Actually, for centuries writers have commented on the connection between alcohol and poor pregnancy outcome. The direct connection between maternal alcohol intake and poor pregnancy outcome remained undocumented until rather recently. From the research of Ernest Abel and Robert Sokol (1991) one learns that in the Middle Ages Francis Bacon recognized the negative impact of alcohol on pregnancy. Bacon was astute in warning against consumption of alcohol by pregnant women on the grounds that it could affect the fetus via the nutritional status of the woman. An interesting epidemiological study by Bezzola (as cited in Seitz de Martinez, 1995) noted a higher rate of retardation and malformation among babies born after periods of seasonal drinking than during the months of heavy labor (e.g. planting and harvesting times). In the United States, the name "fetal alcohol syndrome" was coined by Jones et al. (1973). They identified the source of the insult to the fetus as prenatal exposure to alcohol (Seitz de Martinez, 1995).


Biogenic amines are present in large quantities in fermented foods and are a key marker for assessing food safety. This paper proposes a novel method for high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of biogenic amines using deep eutectic solvent as mobile phase additive. After screening eight synthetic deep eutectic solvents and comparing with several common additives, deep eutectic solvents based on choline chloride and ethylene glycol showed significant effects for improving the separation of biogenic amines. A Box-Behnken design of 17 runs was used to screen and optimize the key chromatographic parameters, resulting in an expected composition of the mobile phase of 0.73% deep eutectic solvent, 65% acetonitrile, and a column temperature of 28°C. The proposed method exhibited excellent linearity (0.1-50 μg/mL, R2 ≥ 0.9987), limit of detection (0.007-0.031 μg/mL), precision (1.28-5.34%) and accuracy (87.2-110.6%). The method can be applied successfully to the separation and analysis of biogenic amines in cooking wine samples. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


This article investigates the impact of working while in school on learning outcomes through the use of a unique micropanel data set of the standardized test scores of Brazilian students. The potential endogeneity of school performance and child work is addressed through the use of fixed-effects estimators. A negative effect of working on learning outcomes in both math and Portuguese is found. The effects of child work range from 5% to 13% of a standard deviation decline in test score, which represents a loss of about one-quarter to three-fifths of an average year of learning. Robustness checks confirm the main conclusions.


Based on the synthetic circuit test for vacuum switch, the factors that influence the success of the synthetic test are analyzed. The microcomputer system of time controlling for trigging a gap switch and experimental date processing is developed. The current injection time can be controlled more precisely. Triggingtime for a gap switch is more reliable and the synthetic test can be made more efficiently. The computer control system is very helpful for studying and developing applications of vacuum switch.


Coatings in different alkaline solutions containing as well compounds of calcium and phosphorus were developed on the Mg–Mn–Ce (MA8) magnesium alloy by hydrothermal synthesis. The obtained coatings consist mainly of magnesium oxide and hydroxide. The phase and elemental composition, morphology and corrosive properties of the coatings were investigated. The data obtained indicate an improvement in the anticorrosion properties of the coatings under formation. It was shown that hydrothermal treatment of a magnesium alloy reduces the corrosion current and increases the impedance modulus and polarization resistance by more than ten times as compared with the bare MA8 alloy


Including Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning experiences in afterschool programs positively impacts the participating youth's excitement and engagement in these fields. Offered at the University of New Hampshire's STEM Discovery Lab, Design Make Code is an afterschool program for middle school learners in the Manchester School District who belong to groups underrepresented in STEM degree programs and careers, including English Language learners (ELL), racial and ethnic minorities, and children from low‐income families. Design Make Code participants engage weekly in problem solving, engineering design, science practices, and computational thinking to develop their STEM skills. To improve students' self‐perception as potential contributors to the STEM enterprise, faculty members from three STEM disciplines, Biological Sciences, Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Computer Science, collaborated to design and facilitate learning experiences that integrate professional aspects of these disciplines through relevant lab experiments. The exercise physiology experiment teaches students the connection between the pulmonary and cardiovascular system. Students perform an experiment testing the effects of exercise on heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure. The connection between healthy eating, active living and disease prevention is discussed. The aeronautical engineering experiment teaches students to make and fly a glider which despite being of simple design, has the potential for good flight performance when carefully made and adjusted. The students learn through hands‐on experience about the roles that proper balance and adjustment of aerodynamic control surfaces play in achieving stable and controlled flight. The computing activity empowers learners to create an augmented reality controller around a game they code. Students use the Scratch programming language, Makey Makey boards, alligator clips, recycled materials and arts supplies to design and make ingenious controllers that students use to play their games. Students engage with basic electrical engineering and programming concepts and techniques as they build, test, and demonstrate their projects. Undergraduate biology, computing, and engineering students participate as teaching assistants. The opportunity to interact directly with STEM professionals and undergraduate students pursuing career paths in STEM increases students' understanding of value of STEM in society and awareness of STEM professions.


Rapid growth of construction activities leads to active shortage of conventional construction materials due to various reasons. Concrete is mostly used construction material. Cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate are the constituents of the concrete. Researches were searching for cheaper & eco-friendly materials as a replacement of cement in concrete. Because the manufacture of cement leads to the pollution in large amounts (CO2 emissions are 0.8-1.3 ton/ton2 & SO2 emission is also very high). It was found that industrial waste such as micro silica and fly ash can be used as partial substitute for cement.


Electronic insurance is one of the important phenomena result from the adoption of ICT and information management .That causes profound changes in the way compensation is insurance sales. So that the relationship with the insurer increases and the range of virtualized dealing with some types of insurance policies that are broader. In this study, the review and identify barriers to the implementation of electronic insurance paid on the insurance industry of Iran using AHP and hierarchical analysis, we prioritize these barriers. The results showed that environmental indicators in order of importance, and nature of organizational behavior and options in order of importance Cultural factors, The complexity of the insurance field, necessary initial visit and assessing the damage to the person, Lack of support from senior managers, Resistance against changing personnel, legal, macro-development costs, technology, weak administrative structure, lack of funds, shortage of manpower, technology and weaknesses within the organization are the most important obstacles to the development of electronic insurance.


Diaphragm or horizontal bracing system is a horizontal system transmitting lateral forces to the vertical lateral load resisting elements. Under lateral loading floor slabs in reinforced concrete building perform as diaphragms to transfer lateral forces to load resisting frames. The objective of present study is to evaluate how a structure behaves when the reinforced concrete slabs are included in the structural analysis. In current study, two regular building model having 6 bays in each principle direction, each bay of 15ft length. In this way the plan dimensions become 90ft x 90ft.Total stories are 10, each having a height of 11ft except the plinth level which is 10ft in height .In this way the total height of the structure becomes 109ft. Diaphragms are modeled as rigid elements, thus the effect of their in plane movement relative to the vertical lateral load resisting system is neglected. It was found that the considering the effect of slabs in the structural analysis of case study buildings will give smaller values of storey displacements & storey shears, larger values of support reactions, column reinforcement & torsional forces transferred to beams, a mixed behavior for modal time period etc.


Background Occupational contact dermatitis is one of the most common occupational diseases, but there is a lack of reliable information on incidence. Despite acknowledged limitations, workers' compensation statistics may provide insights into contact dermatitis patterns. Objective The objective of the study was to characterise historical patterns of workers' compensation claims for occupational contact dermatitis. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of workers' compensation claims for occupational contact dermatitis from 1996–2015 (n=3,348) accepted by WorkSafe Victoria in Victoria, Australia. Accepted claims per 1 00 000 person-years stratified by sex, age and industry were calculated. Denominators for the population at risk were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics using Victorian Labour Force Survey data. Results The compensation claims rate of occupational contact dermatitis was 6.72 per 1 00 000 person-years for the overall twenty-year period. There was a significant reduction in claims from 11.84 in 1996 to 1.78 in 2015. Males had a higher overall claims rate of 7.97 compared to the rate for females of 5.18. Over the twenty-year period the rate for males decreased from 14.46 to 1.7 compared to a reduction from 8.4 to 1.8 for females. This decrease was still observed when the data were standardised for underlying changes in the age structure of the population. There was an overall decline across all high-risk occupational groups Conclusions There was a fivefold decrease in accepted claims for occupational contact dermatitis for the twenty-year period from January 1996 to December 2015 for the state of Victoria in Australia. These results need to be regarded with caution as the declining rate of accepted occupational contact dermatitis claims may indicate changes in workplace dermal exposures or improvements in workplace skin protection practices over time, or they may be driven by underlying changes to the workers' compensation system or changes to claims behaviour amongst workers.


In the article the biochemical and morphological blood indicators of lactating cows in the dynamics of the development of subclinical mastitis are discussed. The features of the manifestation of immune reactions of the body of cows during the development of the inflammatory process in the mammary gland were studied. It has been proven that significant changes occur in the homeostasis of sick animals, characterized by the occurrence of a strong inflammatory reaction, against the background of activation of lipid peroxidation processes and an increase in endogenous intoxication.


For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objectives: Humans for thousands of years have used the alcoholic drinks. Jabir ibn Hayyan, has done purification of ethanol, for the first time. Studies show that 20% of men and 10% of women in many Western societies are involved with alcohol-related diseases. Ethanol consumption leads to various physical and mental damages in nervous system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, digestive system, endocrine system, respiratory system, immune system and blood, embryos and many. Quran in Verse 219 of Baqare, verse 90 and 91 of Al Maydh, verse 43 of Nisa and traditions of the Imams warn the Muslims from drinking the wines, frankly. Traditional medicine has similar approach to alcohol consumption. Review of the updated medical studies on compliance with this order based on Islamic-Iranian culture in terms of physical and mental health are the objectives of this study.Materials & Methods: The study is descriptive-library research that alcohol consumption and its impact on physical and mental health have been investigated from the perspective of verses, hadith and traditional medicine and also its compliance with the results of medical studies have been considered. In this study, all relevant ethical issues were considered.Results: The study shows that alcohol has negative effects on the human body and spirit, and the results of medical studies are along with the instructions of Islam.Conclusion: They have been proved that Islam not only belongs to its time, but also it has comprehensive program of spiritual and worldly happiness for all time.Keywords:Alcohol,Health, Medical research, Quran, Traditional medicineFor downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Please cite this article as: Malakzadeh Z, Ahmadi N, Nasr V. Investigate the effect of alcohol on the human body from the perspective of verses of the Holy Quran, Hadith and Traditional medicine. J Res Relig Health.2017;3(1): 102- 120.


Introduction Part I: Dramatic Scenes Part II. Dramatic Ballads Part III. Mixed-genre Lieder Conclusion Appendix: English translations of song texts Notes Bibliography Index.


By examining Martin Heidegger's critique of Soren Kierkegaard, this essay reconsiders the limits that an ontotheology of the subject may or may not impose on investigations of the relations between being and time. I begin by summarizing briefly both Heidegger's rejection of subject-centered thought and his critique of Kierkegaard as an example of such thought. I then delineate the sense in which, and gauge the extent to which, in The Concept of Anxiety Kierkegaard unsettles both the modal-ontological categories on which such subject-centered thought is based and the "vulgar" notion of time that, according to Heidegger, traditionally attends the invocation of these categories. Finally, I indicate briefly some ways in which Heidegger's thought remains partially beholden to an ontotheology of the subject. The more general implication is certainly not, however, that Kierkegaard outdoes Heidegger in some sort of competition in the deconstruction of metaphysics. Rather, this approach to the question of the metaphysics of the subject by way of the anxiety-analyses of Heidegger and Kierkegaard suggests that the exact character of such a metaphysics and the specific meaning of "subject" and "subjectivity" remain open and pressing questions, especially given that Heidegger's fundamental ontology (and his Seinsdenken), as well as Kierkegaard's critique of Hegelian systematicity, remain marked by traditional notions of sovereign self-determination, and its ontology


Under the background of international traveling island,Hainan's tropical agriculture confronts severe stress of industrial upgrading.As the traditional international division of work and trade led to no help to the great-leap-forward development of Hainan,it has therefore to depend on intra-industry trade based on increasing return.This article gave a feasibility analysis of intra-industry trade of Hainan's tropical agriculture,and studied its promoting effect.Countermeasures and suggestions are also present in the view of intra-industry trade.


DevOps has reached the mainstream, in part, because it proposed a way to solve the last mile of the software delivery process. It brought to the industry concrete solutions to some concerns that software engineering and academia have traditionally ignored. The popularity and success of DevOps got the attention of the academia and some universities have started to include DevOps related content in their programs. After doing our own experience, we found out that introducing DevOps is not as simple as adding a new course. In fact, it requires a major redesign of the Software Engineering curriculum. In this article we share some key ideas and recommendations to include DevOps in Software Engineering programs.


Logopedics is special pedagogical subject that deals with the prevention and correction of speech defects. Logopedics as a science was formed out of practical and theoretical reasons, extending its area from the language and communication research in relation to the evolution of personality to that of the formulation of laws and methods of language correction, the presentation of verbal difficulties, and verbal behavior stimulation. Speech disorders are determined by a range of causes that act isolated or associated, this is why the causes must be thoroughly known, as to establish the diagnosis and find the best therapeutic intervention methods. There is an increasing number of children with speech disorders in kindergarten environment. An experiment was conducted to observe the difficulties teachers face. A group of 20 children (8 girls and 12 boys) was used for a period of 4 months on whom questionnaires to correct language disorders were applied.
Keywords: Logopedics, speech-language pathology, speech disorder, autism, stutter.


This paper describes the idea of Coco, a therapeutic robot designed for elderly people in nursing homes or other care facilities. It includes a description of the conducted research, followed by the concept of the prototype which was implemented and successfully tested by a focus group.


The purpose with the study was to investigate some of the factors thatmight contribute to the development of exercise dependence. This byinvestigating if self-esteem works as a mediator in the rela ...


The objective of the research was to propose a plan of care strategies to increase the satisfaction of clients of the dermatological pharmacy San Pedro, Chiclayo 2020. The methodology was descriptive with a quantitative approach and a non-experimental cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 118 clients to whom a survey was applied, and the administrator to whom an interview was applied. The results showed that customers consider that shopping at the pharmacy has not been a more satisfactory experience in relation to others, it does not provide a better service than its competition, the information provided is correct but the consultation and waiting time is not adequate, the products are always available and the workers have sufficient knowledge to offer the products. On the other hand, the pharmacy does not have organizational objectives and the mission focus is very vague, and it is also not clear what it is that the organization wants to achieve in the next 5 years. The tastes and preferences and level of customer satisfaction are not evaluated. There are no skills development programs, communication and the level of trust among workers is low. Lastly, staff are not trained and there is no reward and recognition plan. It is concluded that if the company applies the research proposal it will be able to improve the level of customer satisfaction.


Instructions involving a relatively significant data transfer or a particular type of data transfer via a cache result in the application of a restricted access policy to control access to one or more partitions of the cache so as to reduce or prevent the overwriting of data that is expected to be subsequently used by the cache or by a processor. A processor or other system component may assert a signal which is utilized to select between one or more access policies and the selected access policy then may be applied to control access to one or more ways of the cache during the data transfer operation associated with the instruction. The access policy typically represents an access restriction to particular cache partitions, such as a restriction to one or more particular cache ways or one or more particular cache lines.


Doctor of Pharmacy professional associations such as the American Association of Pharmacy made a call to increase early leadership development of future generations of pharmacists to better prepare them for future leadership positions. This request for change was based on information related to a shift in demographics, an aging baby boom population, retirement of current leaders, changes in pharmacy practice, and an increase of specialty areas in pharmacy. The Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) recognized this need for improving student leadership development (SLD) by incorporating it into their guidance documentation, CAPE 2013 and ACPE Standards for Doctor of Pharmacy Programs 2016. A specific ACPE accreditation standard, Standard 4, now required Doctor of Pharmacy programs to include SLD within their programs to allow all students to develop their leadership potential. The situation presented a challenge to academic pharmacy leadership, that is, how to integrate programming into an already full curriculum to achieve outcomes associated with SLD. To meet these SLD outcomes, schools and colleges of pharmacy can start by identifying desired leadership characteristics to incorporate into course content for each professional year. This process provides a baseline for ensuring SLD is integrated vertically and horizontally throughout the curriculum. Mapping the SLD course content to the ACPE standard provides a picture of how the curriculum is addressing each area of


Active galaxies contain a supermassive black hole at their center that grows by accreting matter from the surrounding galaxy. The accretion process in about the central 10 parsecs has not been directly resolved in previous observations because of the small apparent angular sizes involved. We observed the active nucleus of the Circinus Galaxy using submillimeter interferometry. A dense inflow of molecular gas was evident on subparsec scales. We calculated that less than 3% of this inflow is accreted by the black hole, with the rest being ejected by multiphase outflows, providing feedback to the host galaxy. Our observations also reveal a dense gas disk surrounding the inflow that is gravitationally unstable, which drives the accretion into about the central 1 parsec. Description Editor's summary Most galaxies contain a supermassive black hole at their center. When gas falls toward the black hole, it heats up and emits radiation and can be observed as an active galactic nucleus. However, it is not known how gas is delivered from the wider galaxy to the inner region around the black hole. Izumi et al. combined submillimeter observations of several gas tracers in the center of the Circinus Galaxy, a nearby active galactic nucleus. By comparing the kinematics of molecular, atomic, and ionized gas, they were able to identify an inflow of dense molecular gas in the central parsec, feeding the black hole. —Keith T. Smith Observations of an active galaxy show an inflow of dense molecular gas into the inner parsec around the supermassive black hole.


The objective of this paper is to show through a real-world application why qualitative methods based on interval (or fuzzy) arithmetic with strong properties concerning soundness and completeness are adequate for modeling complex continuous processes. Firstly, we discuss modeling characteristics of such an important class of physical systems that includes chemical, nuclear, siderurgical and other industrial processes. On one hand, although it is almost always impossible to define numerical models for complex processes, it is usually possible to define boundaries (intervals) for the system parameters. On the other hand, some precision for the simulations is always required. We show that only interval (or fuzzy) based methods (and not pure numerical or qualitative methods) are adequate. Besides, for the effective use of such methods, soundness and completeness properties are of great importance. Secondly, in order to justify our claims, we present the successful application of QFSIM, a particular fuzzy-based qualitative method, to model a complex siderurgical process at CST "Companhia Siderurgica de Tubarao", a Brazilian-Japanese company located in Vitoria-Brazil. Transactions on Information and Communications Technologies vol 1, © 1993 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3517 280 Artificial Intelligence in Engineering


A new method utilising an in situ sampling probe coupled with mass spectrometry for rapid identification and age estimation of biofluids.


NiAg thin films were deposited by galvanostatic electrodeposition in an electrolyte containing NiSO4, AgNO3 and C6H5Na3O7. The variation of composition and crystallography of electrodeposited NiAg thin films with current density and electrolyte concentration was investigated. At a low current density, electrodeposition of silver was dominant, which could be induced by a comparably low reduction potential. However, nickel electrodeposition became the dominant component at a higher current density because of the mass transfer limitation of Ag ions. When 50 mA/cm 2 was applied, the FCC (200) phase was observed, which implies significant enhancement of the nucleation rate by increasing the reduction potential at a high current density condition. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2010126]


Background: Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) is considered as a target organ response to chronic arterial hypertension and is used to stratify cardiovascular (CV) risk. LV mass (LVM) is also increased in subjects developing subsequent hypertension. Whether initial LVM also influences effective therapeutic control of blood pressure (BP) is unknown. Methods: We estimated risk of suboptimal BP control in relation to baseline LVM index (LVMi) in 4693 hypertensive outpatients from the Campaniasalute Network, with at least 1 yr follow-up (mean 4 ± 3yrs) and without prevalent CV disease (age 53 ± 11 yrs, 43% women, 5% diabetic). BP was defined uncontrolled when systolic BP> = 140mmHg or/and diastolic BP>=90mmHg (or BP>=130 or/and 80 mmHg in diabetic patients) at the last available outpatient visit. Results: Poor BP control was detected in 2240 patients (48%), despite treatment with 2 or more antihypertensive drugs. Patients with uncontrolled BP were older, more often obese (28% versus 21%) and diabetic (9% versus 1.6%), with a longer duration of hypertension and higher baseline BP, heart rate, LVMi, and prevalence of LVH (36% versus 26%, all p < 0.0001), with no difference in sex distribution. Of 1440 patients with baseline LVH, 803 (or 56%) had uncontrolled BP at follow-up, compared to 44% of those without LVH (p < 0.0001). In multivariate analyses, odds of uncontrolled BP increased significantly with higher baseline systolic BP, heart rate, BMI, duration of hypertension, diabetes (all p < 0.0001) and greater baseline LVMi (OR = 1.10/10 g/m2.7, 1.04–1.20, p = 0.002) independent of age, gender and number of medications. When specific classes of medications were added to the previous model, only use of anti-Renin-Angiotensin System reduced the risk of uncontrolled BP (OR = 0.83, 0.71–0.95, p = 0.01), with no impact for other classes of drugs (diuretics, β-blockers, Ca++-channel blockers and α-blockers). Conclusions: We conclude that in a large population of treated hypertensive patients, higher baseline left ventricular mass is significantly associated with risk of uncontrolled BP independently of age, gender, body max index, diabetes and antihypertensive therapy.


first heard of John Tyler Bonner when I was in college in the 1960s. We were doing an experiment with slime mold, and his name came up because by that time he was considered the master of the field. I can't say that I was too thrilled with slime mold, but Bonner's name stuck in my mind, perhaps simply because there were three parts to it as opposed to the usual two. Over the years, I would encounter his name from time to time, usually in book reviews, because Bonner is a prolific writer. In the 1980s I read his The Evolution of Complexity (1988) and found it interesting—maybe there was something more to him than slime mold after all. In the 1990s, I read Life Cycles: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist (1993) and that sold me on Bonner. It was a review of major biological ideas, sprinkled with personal anecdotes. My favorite story, and the one that won me over to Bonner, involved an early class he taught in which he regaled students with Goethe's ideas on plant form and the influence of "Naturphilosophie" on biological thought. He was elated when a student came up after class to ask a question: "... filling me with hope that I had reached MAURA C. FLANNERY is Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at St. John's University, Jamaica, NY 11439; e-mail: email@example.com. She earned a B.S. in biology from Marymount Manhattan College; an M.S., also in biology, from Boston College; and a Ph.D. in science education from New York University. Her major interests are in communicating science to the nonscientist and in the relationship between biology and art. I B IO L O G Y T O D A Y


Time-integrated X-ray spectroscopic measurements of the radiation produced by X pinches have been made using a focusing spectrograph based on a spherically bent mica crystal (R=100 mm). Spectra of Al, Ti, NiCr, Ni, Mo, and Pd X pinches have been recorded using Bragg reflection angles near 45/spl deg/. The large angle enabled us to place the spectrograph a large distance from the X pinch, thereby preventing damage to the crystal and allowing a larger spectral range (/spl delta//spl lambda///spl lambda//spl sim/10/sup -1/) than is normally possible for this method. In these experiments the film was not placed exactly on the Rowland circle, but this did not significantly decrease the spectral resolution because of the small size of the X-ray source. The minimum determinable width was still much smaller than the spectral width of the lines studied. In most experiments, the radiation from two X pinches was recorded simultaneously, allowing the possibility of wavelength calibration. Using ratios of resonance lines to the satellite lines of H- and He-like spectra in the 0.6-1.5 keV range, we obtained the average electron temperature for different elements.


Information is integral to our experience of the world and to personal, social and organisational functioning. This article provides a review of the different perspectives on the nature of information that can be drawn respectively, from the literatures of communication theory, library and information science, information systems, computer science, other professional disciplines, cognitive science, organisation science, and policy making. Five definitions of information are identifiedc information as subjective knowledge, information as useful data or as a thing, information as a resource, information as a commodity, and information as a constitutive force in society. Attempts to integrate these perspective on information must take into account the context of information processing. Individuals, organisations and societies are concerned with the role that information can play in processes such as decision making, learning or innovation, whereas information professionals and information systems designers, the professionals concerned with information, need to be able to impose structure on information in order to gather it into their systems, and therefore need to treat information as an object and to create a systems view of information.


Natal, which has been considered of recent years to be a malaria-free country, has been visited in the past six months by an extensive epidemic of this disease.


public provision of services; Heginbotham discusses the future of community care; Phillipson suggests new approaches to health care for older people; Donovan considers the treatment of ethnic minorities within the NHS; and Collier proposes a new 'policy for medicines'. Most of the chapters assume little prior knowledge. As examples of supportive, but not uncritical perspectives on the NHS, some could usefully be added, for example, to student reading lists. However, taken as a whole, the book struggles for coherence. Carrier and Kendall attempt to draw out a number of ' recurring themes' (see pp. xi-xii) and make the valid point that a linking element is the authors' commitment to the basic assumptions and principles underpinning the NHS. However, the papers are very varied in their style and level. In particular, Collier's chapter, based on the unpublished report of a Labour Party working party which considered ways of improving government control over the pharmaceutical industry, sits rather oddly alongside the other papers. Despite the book's title, only Allsop and Phillipson explicitly ask what kind of health services stem from socialist principles, both challenging the Fabian stereotype in different ways. Allsop suggests that socialism is compatible with a mixed economy of health provision (compared with Heginbotham's argument that the Labour Party has to accept such a mixed economy because it is impossible to abolish it). Phillipson stresses the empowerment of older people in relation to their health and health services, in contrast to the paternalism of state 'experts'. How far are these books rendered historical documents by the current reforms ? Strong and Robinson argue that many of these reforms originate in the implementation of Griffiths and the ensuing problems and contradictions. They have, of course, radical implications for the management level on which they concentrate. If the government realises its vision, in future Chief Executives of District Health Authorities will be negotiating contracts and monitoring the needs of the population and the performance of providers. It is at the tier below that the problems of managing staff (including the clinical trades) and capital stock will be most immediately felt. Similarly, Carrier and Kendall draw attention to the relevance of their contributors' arguments to the debates over the implementation of the White Paper. However, ironically, this relevance most clearly lies in exposing the areas that were not of central concern to the government: the overall level of funding for the NHS and services for groups outside the acute sector, for example. Those seeking to influence a potential or actual Labour government will also have to address the Thatcherite-deflned agenda.


Since the early nineteenth century, lands in the American west have been used as a source of raw materials for economic activity. Mining and livestock ranching were encouraged because the supply of land and natural resources appeared limitless. As a result of this economic development, much of the land in the western United States is degraded. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the largest owner and manager of these lands (BLM 1997a). A 1982 inventory reported 60 percent of the BLM's 168 million acres are in fair to poor condition and nine percent are extremely degraded (Atwood 1990). To return some to these degraded ecosystems to a stable, functional state, the BLM is now participating in over 1200 restoration projects (Van Haveren et al. 1997).


acceptably, and recouped its investment. Its support of CD-ROM followed a similar pattern—hanging in from its first CD-ROM conference [11], through lean years, to today's booming market for drives and flood of titles. With 16MB memory machines increasingly affordable, NT is catching on as you see in the accompanying table. Of course, NT must compete with Unix, Mac OS, and Netware as Internet servers, each of which may enjoy some advantage—highend scalability, excellent multimedia development tools, fast file serving, and so forth. The situation is reminiscent of IBM in the 1950s and 1960s. When it freely admitted to not giving the most "bang per buck" on hardware performance, but as it said, the hardware was just the tip of the iceberg, and the marketplace agreed. But Microsoft will not admit to less bang per buck. While slower than Netware for uniprocessor serving, performance has improved with new versions [3]. For larger application servers, Windows NT as a Personal or Intranet Server


The cucumber (Cucumis sativa L.) is often subjected to several fungal diseases. Rhizoctonia solani-induced cucumber damping-off and root rot are the most common diseases reported from the commercial greenhouses of the eastern area of Saudi Arabia. The objective of the current study is to explore the antagonistic activity of four Trichoderma species against R. solani in vitro and in vivo. Ten R. solani isolates (eight belonging to AG-4 and two belonging to AG-A and AG2-1) were studied. AG4 isolates were pathogenic to cucumber plants, while AG-A and AG2-1 isolates were non-pathogenic. Seven isolates of Trichoderma spp., named T. hamatum KSATR8, T. harzianum (KSATR9 and KSATR10), T. asperellum (KSATR11, KSATC, and KSAT1E), and T. longibrachiatum KSATS were isolated, and the identities of both R. solani and Trichoderma isolates were confirmed based on the phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequence of the ITS region. The dual culture findings indicated that T. asperellum KSATC and KSAT1E exhibited the most significant inhibitory activities against R. solani, with values of 79.33 and 70.89%, respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed a considerable degradation in the cell wall and collapsing of R. solani hyphae by all Trichoderma species. Under greenhouse conditions, the application of T. asperellum KSATC and KSAT1E at concentrations of 2 × 108 conidia/mL revealed a reduction in root rot and damping-off incidence percentages with values that did not reveal a significant (p < 0.05) difference from those of Rizolex-T fungicide. Nevertheless, the efficacy of the fungicide attained 86.67%, being higher than that of T. asperellum KSATC, which reached 80%. Trichoderma asperellum KSATC and KSAT1E were the greatest in increasing peroxidase, catalase, and chitinase enzymes activities in cucumber plants. Conversely, a significant (p < 0.05) elevation in polyphenol oxidase enzyme (0.762 and 0.97 U/g FW) and total phenol content (0.55 and 0.62 mg/g FW) was recorded in cucumber plants treated with T. harzianum KSATR9 and KSATR10, respectively. The statistical analysis results displayed no considerable variations among cucumber plants regarding total chlorophyll content as a response to treatments with Trichoderma species and fungicides. Therefore, we endorse using T. asperellum KSATC and KSAT1E as an alternative to fungicides to manage root rot and damping-off in cucumbers.


Predictive Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) stand as burgeoning technologies that have traversed numerous sectors, including the intricate realm of criminal justice. Predictive Analytics, rooted in the analysis of historical data, empowers us to make prescient forecasts concerning future events or behaviours. In contrast, AI harnesses intelligent machines, mirroring human cognitive processes, thereby executing tasks that traditionally hinge upon direct human intervention. Within the milieu of criminal justice, these transformative technologies assume pivotal roles. They are instrumental in forecasting criminal behaviour, discerning potential offenders, and shaping informed decision-making processes. Their pervasive influence envelops various precincts of the criminal justice landscape, encompassing law enforcement, judicial proceedings, and corrections. Importantly, this utilisation is by no means a nascent endeavour. In the Indian context, the deployment of these technologies traces its roots back to the early 2000s. During this era, law enforcement agencies commenced utilising data mining and analytical tools to unveil potential offenders and predict locales prone to criminal activities. In recent years, this momentum has surged, with numerous states and law enforcement entities embracing these tools to elevate their operational efficacy. The imperative of delving into the future nexus of criminal law and technology in India looms large. It is imperative to grasp how these nascent technologies could potentially impact the criminal justice system, recognising the manifold advantages and pitfalls they harbour as they continue to evolve. Paramount among these considerations is the unwavering commitment to safeguarding individual rights, encompassing the hallowed domains of privacy, due process, and equal protection under the law. Furthermore, the assimilation of Predictive Analytics and AI into the fabric of criminal justice must be conceived as a supplementary tool rather than a panacea for the multifaceted challenges besetting the system [1] . While these


1. The attractions of lace-making 2. Historical summary 3. Tools 4. Patterns 5. Thread 6. The varieties of pillow lace 7. Russian lace 8. Torchon lace 9. Maltese and Cluny lace 10. Plaited lace 11. Saxony guipure


The worker participation in management in symphony orchestras.

 The author of the article analyzes the problem of worker participation in management in symphony orchestras. Jerzy Łysinski characterizes the role of the conductor in orchestras and the relationship be


Magnetic resonance imaging of spin systems combines scientific applications in medicine, chemistry and physics. Here, we investigate the pixel-wise coherent quantum dynamics of spins consisting of a 40 by 40 micron sized region of interest implanted with nitrogen vacancy centers (NV) coupled to a nano-magnetic flake of CrTe 2 . CrTe 2 is an in-plane van der Waals ferromagnet, which we can probe quantitatively by the NV electron's spin signal even at room temperature. First, we combine the nano-scale sample shapes measured by atomic force microscope with the magnetic resonance imaging data. We then map out the coherent dynamics of the colour centers coupled to the van der Waals ferromagnet using pixel-wise coherent Rabi and Ramsey imaging of the NV sensor layer. Next, we fit the pixel-wise solution of the Hamiltonian to the quantum sensor data. Combining data and model, we can explore the detuning range of the spin oscillation with a quantum dynamic range of over | ∆ max | = 60 MHz in the Ramsey interferometry mode. Finally, we show the effect of the CrTe 2 sample on the coherence of the NV sensor layer and measure a 70 times increase in the maximum frequency of the quantum oscillation going from the Rabi to the Ramsey imaging mode.


Since the first balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in 2002 by Cribier and colleagues1 and the first self-expanding TAVR by Grube and associates in 2004,2 TAVR has grown rapidly to more than 50,000 implantations worldwide. This rapid expansion has occurred despite relatively small feasibility studies, case series, and registries. Few of these early trials had independent clinical-event committees or core labs. The data, however, were encouraging and TAVR for nonoperative and high-risk patients spread rapidly. Approval in the United States, though, required more rigorous data. Currently, there are only 4 prospective randomized trials of TAVR. These are the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve (PARTNER) trial, the Medtronic CoreValve® U.S. Pivotal Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) trial (Medtronic Inc.; Minneapolis, Minn), the PARTNER II trial, and the Safety and Efficacy Study of the Medtronic CoreValve® System in the Treatment of Severe, Symptomatic Aortic Stenosis in Intermediate Risk Subjects Who Need Aortic Valve Replacement (SurTAVI) trial. The PARTNER trial has been completed and the results published.3,4 The PARTNER trial data have led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the SAPIEN balloon-expandable valve (Edwards Lifesciences Corporation; Irvine, Calif) for nonoperative and high-risk patients. This is the only currently approved TAVR valve in the U.S. The CoreValve U.S. IDE Pivotal Trial was completed in 2012, and initial publication is likely in late 2013, after presentation at the Transcatheter Therapy meeting. The PARTNER II and SurTAVI trials are still actively recruiting at this point.


The developing of computer tools accelerate the designs phase for designers but the aesthetics of product appearance cannot be neglected. Shape grammar is a general computational language that manipulates shapes to generate designs. By defining the spatial relationships between those forms and how the forms are related to each other, shape rules can be written. Shape grammar was used as a tool for observing spatial relationships of design elements and principles of a space frame chassis and using biomimicry theory to give inspiration and ideas to create the new concept of supercars chassis design.


The operator tested and inspected casing used in drilling South Texas wells and found no damage that prevented casing reuse, with minor repairs.


Studying on the history of diseases has become a popular topic in the past years. In the general study on the Chinese medical history across the Strait, the history of diseases is no longer a subject out of favor or one that intimidates historians. Instead, scholars turn to scrutinize the Chinese history of diseases from various viewpoints and try to define how each of the diseases represents a diverse role in certain historical situations. Modern China represent a special era in that Chinese culture converges with the western cultures and that many traditional diseases and medical knowledge pedigrees are redefined with new meanings. This arouses interests of some scholars who have published magnificent research results. This essay purposes to examine the overall researches on the history of diseases across the Strait, including books and essays, expose the specialty of China culture in the modern China, and discuss the issues to be concerned during this period. By reviewing the existing researches, this essay is to find out what subject is worth exploration or unresolved in the field of History of Diseases in Modern China. Personal comments are also put forth in the hope of making contributions to this field.


Roland Barthes' The Empire of Signs is a book about the Japan's society,culture and life from the perspective of semiology in his period of deconstruction.In the investigation of the signs in Japan's society and culture,Barthes cast off the viewpoint of structuralist semiology with the characteristics of"scientification"and"systematization"under Saussure's influences and comprehended the characteristics of "emptiness"and"nothingness"in Japan's symbolic phenomenon.There is a schism between the signifier and the signified,and the signifier does not correspond with the single or ultimate signified any more.At the same time,the meaning of signs has been postponed and secluded limitlessly.With this new reflection and comprehension about signs,Barthes finally completed his transformation into deconstruction.


This research studies the companies' effectiveness and performance relationship with stock market liquidity in Tehran Stock Exchange during 2010-2015. Simultaneously, in the study, the three indicators: return on assets, return on investment and Tobin's Q ratio were applied as a measure of the performance and bid-ask spread as a measure of liquidity, bid-ask spread to the stock market. This research has a practical purpose and descriptive correlation in research nature and also post-event research. The under study population comprises all companies accepted in Tehran Stock Exchange during the intended period, 198 companies selected with systematic elimination sampling to be studied and analyzed. The results show a positive and significant association between companies' performance and Stock market liquidity.


1 In mammals, unilateral labyrinthectomy induces an immediate depression of the resting discharges in the neurones of the ipsilateral vestibular nuclei. Later on, a spontaneous restoration of this activity occurs. The aim of the present study was to test the possibility that protein synthesis could be involved in the start of this process in the guinea‐pig. 2 Cycloheximide (CHX), a protein synthesis inhibitor, was injected intramuscularly 1 h before (30 mg kg−1) and 5 h after (15 mg kg−1) labyrinthectomy. 3 In a first group of animals, CHX was found to induce an inhibition of protein synthesis at levels ranging from 71 to 93 % for 9 h after labyrinthectomy. 4 In a second group of alert animals, we studied single unit activity of second‐order vestibular neurones. It was found that, in the 12–16 h post‐labyrinthectomy period, at a time when restoration began in guinea‐pigs not treated with CHX, the discharges in the labyrinthectomized group treated with CHX were not different from those observed in a previous study in labyrinthectomized animals not treated with CHX. 5 We conclude that protein synthesis is not required for the start of restoration of activity in the vestibular neurones deprived of their ipsilateral labyrinthine input.


The present invention relates to individual identification apparatus for identifying the power consuming device in electrical network (2) (1). Electrical signature providing unit (7) provides an electrical signature of the power consuming device (4,5,6), an electrical parameter measuring unit (8), the entire electrical parameters of the electrical network (2) to measure. Identification unit (9) identifies the power consuming device that depends on the correlation of the measured depending on the overall electric parameters of and electrically signature. Identification unit, so identifying the power consuming device that depends on the correlation of the measured total electrical parameters dependent on and electrically signature, identification of the power consuming device is not dependent only on the detection of the event. This will become possible to impart high robustness by identifying, hardly strained cause errors caused in particular by missed events, thereby, have the reliability is improved for identifying the power consuming device in electrical networks.


With the purpose of providing more references for treatment and further researches of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (KOA), this paper induces and analyzes related articles about acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for KOA, mainly illustrating recent advances in clinical and mechanism researches about needle warming moxibustion, fire needle, electro-acupuncture, needle-knife and combining therapy for KOA.