The efficiency of the classic planning methods for solving realistic problems largely relies on an accurate prediction of the future. Nevertheless, the presence of strategic uncertainties in current electricity markets has made prediction and even forecasting essentially futile. The new paradigm of decision-making involves two major deviations from the conventional planning approach. On one hand, the acceptation the fact the future is almost unpredictable. On the other hand, the application of solid risk management techniques turns to be indispensable. In this chapter, a decision-making framework that properly handles strategic uncertainties is proposed and numerically illustrated for solving a realistic transmission expansion planning problem. The key concept proposed in this chapter lies in systematically incorporating flexible options such as large investments postponement and investing in Distributed Generation, in foresight of possible undesired events that strategic uncertainties might unfold. Until now, the consideration of such flexible options has remained largely unexplored. The understanding of the readers is enhanced by means of applying the proposed framework in a numerical mining firm expansion capacity planning problem. The obtained results show that the proposed framework is able to find solutions with noticeably lower involved risks than those resulting from traditional expansion plans. The remaining of this chapter is organized as follows. Section 2 is devoted to describe the main features of the transmission expansion problem and the opportunities for incorporating flexibility in transmission investments for managing long-term planning risks. The most salient characteristics of the several formulations proposed in the literature for solving the optimization problem are reviewed and discussed along Section 3. The several types of uncertain information that must be handled within the optimization problem are classified and analyzed in Section 4. The proposed framework for solving the stochastic optimization problem considering the value provided to expansion plans by flexible investment projects is presented in Section 5. In Section 6, an illustrative-numerical example based on an actual planning problem illustrates the applicability of the developed flexibilitybased planning approach. Concluding remarks of Section 7 close this chapter. 16


Summary In this paper we formulate solutions to the problem of reversing fault movements. Our model is based on elasticity theory, and we use finite element methods or boundary element methods for our solutions. The displacement along the fault faces causes strain, which is dispersed to other parts of the section or volume, in a manner consistent with an elastic, mechanical model. The algorithm is fast enough to allow interactive fault reversal, and permits experimentation with various unfaulting scenarios so that a final geologically acceptable solution can be determined.


How do changes in the heterogeneity of society affect one important facet of democratic political competition: the fragmentation of the party system? Another way of phrasing the question that we grapple with in this paper is whether or not new groups of citizens added to democratic societies by processes such as border changes, immigration and extensions of the franchise will successfully form their own sectarian political parties. These are newly formed political parties that seek to represent new social groups to the exclusion of existing groups. Drawing from the literature, this paper will argue that the electoral system has an important role to play in this process. But it will also make the case that our explanatory leverage is greatly increased if we take into account two additional variables. Focusing on the electoral system alone leaves us unable to explain whether or not increases in social heterogeneity will lead to party system fragmentation in most real world situations, i.e., whether or not sectarian parties will successfully emerge to represent new social groups. An example is Israel, where some groups of Jewish immigrants have successfully obtained sectarian representation in the legislature but others have not. At the same time, however, none of these new social groups formed sectarian party labels to contest elections for the prime ministership during the brief period in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Israel employed a president–parliamentary type of political regime. Moreover, both the existence and electoral success of sectarian parties seeking to represent these new social groups in Israel have varied over time. Yet Israel has had an extremely proportional electoral system throughout its history, which means that the electoral system cannot help us to explain the outcomes of the Israeli case. Accordingly, this paper attempts to contribute to the debate about the relationship be- tween social heterogeneity and party system fragmentation by theoretically drawing attention to two additional factors that condition this relationship: the type of political regime, or the size of the prize, and the prior or initial social heterogeneity of the polity. It also attempts to clarify the causal mechanism underlying the relationship in the context of what we believe is a superior unit of analysis, given the data limitations that we currently face: presidential — as opposed to legislative — elections. Empirically, its contribution is to test its hypotheses using a more encompassing, and hence preferable, measure of social heterogeneity that goes beyond the ethnic structure of a society. Using a quantitative analysis of post-World War II, minimally democratic presidential elections and this new measure, the paper finds support for the hypothesized relationship between social heterogeneity and party system fragmenta- tion, here operationalized as the number of presidential candidates, as conditioned by the size of the presidential prize and the prior heterogeneity of the polity.


BACKGROUND
This study assessed whether breast cancer (BC) patients express similar levels of needs for equivalent severity of symptoms, functioning difficulties, or degrees of satisfaction with care aspects. BC patients who did (or not) report needs in spite of similar difficulties were identified among their sociodemographic or clinical characteristics.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Three hundred and eighty-four (73% response rate) BC patients recruited in ambulatory or surgery hospital services completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ)-C30 quality of life [health-related quality of life (HRQOL)], the EORTC IN-PATSAT32 (in-patient) or OUT-PATSAT35 (out-patient) satisfaction with care, and the supportive care needs survey short form 34-item (SCNS-SF34) measures.

RESULTS
HRQOL or satisfaction with care scale scores explained 41%, 45%, 40% and 22% of variance in, respectively, psychological, physical/daily living needs, information/health system, and care/support needs (P < 0.001). BC patients' education level, having children, hospital service attendance, and anxiety/depression levels significantly predicted differences in psychological needs relative to corresponding difficulties (adjusted R² = 0.11). Medical history and anxiety/depression levels significantly predicted differences in information/health system needs relative to degrees of satisfaction with doctors, nurses, or radiotherapy technicians and general satisfaction (adjusted R² = 0.12). Unmet needs were most prevalent in the psychological domains across hospital services.

CONCLUSIONS
Assessment of needs, HRQOL, and satisfaction with care highlights the subgroups of BC patients requiring better supportive care targeting.


Targeted Alpha Therapy potentially offers a more specific action in killing tumor cells and less damage to neighbouring normal cells compared to $\beta$-emitters. $^{225}$Ac along with three other $\alpha$-emitting daughter nuclei $^{221}$Fr, $^{217}$At and $^{213}$Po have significant potency for clinical use. Monte carlo simulation has been carried out using MONC code for production routes of $^{225}$Ac for its possible generation using proton accelerators with Thorium-232 and Radium-226 targets. All the calculations has been carried out using global model parameters without adjusting for individual target. The study reveals that proton beam of 20-30MeV energy with 5$\mu$A current on radium-226 target can give rise to 1Ci of $^{225}$Ac activity in a week of irradiation. Thorium irradiation at low proton energy produces smaller $^{225}$Ac activity but one can benefit from high current, stable proton accelerators. Proton energy of 100MeV or above with hundreds of $\mu$A current can produce reasonable $^{225}$Ac activity for practical use. However, the contamination of other co-produced radio-isotopes is much less at low proton energy hence low energy high current proton accelerators are also viable alternative to generate Actinium-225 radio isotope.


The invention relates to a peak detection integrated circuit comprising a voltage-current converter. A current signal is generated by the voltage-current converter, the current signal comprises a direct current signal and an alternating current signal, and the direct current signal and the alternating current signal vary directly with the change of an alternating voltage signal. A current source absorbs the current signal to be a controllable maximum current level. A charge current can be generated and is transmitted to a capacitor when the current signal exceeds the maximum current level. The maximum current level of the current source of a feedback circuit varies directly with the change of a capacitor voltage. In this way, the peak of the alternating voltage is reflected by the capacitor voltage. A discharge current is acted on the capacitor so that the capacitor voltage can be reduced to respond to reduction of the peak of the alternating current signal.


Objective:To explore effective methods of preventing and treating AIDS patients with traditional Chinese medicine.Methods:97 HIV antibody positive patients were treated with the methods of supplementing qi and replenishing yin and clearing heat and toxic materials and the physical sign integral of their symptom and the changes of their CD4 cell index were observed in the course of the treatment.Results:Guided by the idea of traditional Chinese medicine,the treatment effectively improved the symptom of HIV antibody positive patients and retarded the descent of the CD4 cells.Conclusion:The methods of supplementing qi and replenishing yin and clearing heat and toxic materials have a certain effect on the treatment of AIDS patients.


The phase equilibrium and phase transformation of the Al–Si–Y ternary system were investigated in 80 annealed alloys using an electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The phase equilibrium at 773 K was determined, and the phase distribution and solid solubility of the Al–Si–Y isothermal section at 773 K were obtained. A total of 23 three-phase zones and 4 two-phase zones were obtained, and 2 new ternary compounds, AlSi4Y5 and Al2Si3Y5, were identified from the non-aluminum-rich corner. Additionally, the phase transition temperatures of representative alloys were determined by the DSC method, and then the phase transition temperatures were processed to obtain the experimental points of vertical sections. In the Al–Si–Y alloy system, the phase diagrams of the vertical sections with X(Al) = 90 at.%, 80 at.%, 70 at.% and 60 at.% at the aluminum-rich corner were calculated, and then the experimental points were inserted into the vertical section phase diagrams. The results of the vertical sectional experiments obtained from the validation experiments are in good agreement with the vertical sectional data obtained from the calculations, indicating that the validated thermodynamic description is useful for the microstructure design of the aluminum-rich corner of the Al–Si–Y ternary alloy.


Water lubrication has gradually replaced oil lubrication for a wide range of marine stern bearings. However, due to poor water carrying capacity, the tribological performances of water lubricated bearings can be improved by incorporating surface textures. In this work, rhombic textured
 thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) specimens, 3D-printed with different heights/depths, 1 mm bulge, 0.5 mm bulge, 0.5 mm dimple, and 1 mm dimple, were tested for their tribological performances when they were lubricated by water and were compared to nontextured specimens. The friction coefficient,
 wear mass, and microscopic surface topography of the specimens were collected at a common working load (0.4 MPa) and speed (from 50 to 350 rpm), and at low-speed and heavy load (50 rpm and 0.8 MPa) conditions. Experimental results reflect that the rhombic surface texture can effectively improve
 the friction and wear performances of TPU materials. The friction coefficients of most textured specimens are smaller than those of non-textured specimens under various working conditions. The surface wear conditions of all textured specimens are superior to non-textured specimens, since the
 rhombic surface texture produces additional hydrodynamic lubrication by creating converge and cavitation effects and prevents abrasive particles from accumulating on the friction surface. Through experimental demonstration, the 1 mm bulge rhombic texture is the best of all the tested textured
 specimens. This finding can provide a reference for practical industrial applications.


In the paper, the intelligent fish tank using STC89C52 as the control core embedded HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance measurement module and DS18B20 temperature sensor is introduced. This system can be used to remotely control and collect the data of the temperature and the level of water in the fish tank through WiFi module (ESP8266-01). When the water level is less than the default value, the system will be adjusted by adding water into the tank. At the same time, people could also get the data and control the tank whenever they want. The micro-controller is connected to the Internet through the WiFi module. With the help of MicroPython firmware, python programs are compiled within this WiFi module in order to connect to the WiFi at home, providing data transfer function. Android smart phones could connect to this system through WiFi and send commands. In this way, the fish tank could be controlled remotely to ensure the stability of the water temperature and level in the tank.


A phylogenetic analysis of morphological data from modern pterobranch hemichordates (Cephalodiscus, Rhabdopleura) and representatives of each of the major graptolite orders reveals that Rhabdopleura nests among the benthic, encrusting graptolite taxa as it shares all of the synapomorphies that unite the graptolites. Therefore, rhabdopleurids can be regarded as extant members of the Subclass Graptolithina (Class Pterobranchia). Combined with the results of previous molecular phylogenetic studies of extant deuterostomes, these results also suggest that the Graptolithina is a sister taxon to the Subclass Cephalodiscida. The Graptolithina, as an important component of Early–Middle Palaeozoic biotas, provide data critical to our understanding of early deuterostome phylogeny. This result allows one to infer the zooid morphology, mechanics of colony growth and palaeobiology of fossil graptolites in direct relation to the living members of the clade. The Subdivision Graptoloida (nom. transl.), which are all planktic graptolites, is well supported in this analysis. In addition, we recognize the clade Eugraptolithina (nov.). This clade comprises the Graptoloida and all of the other common and well-known graptolites of the distinctive Palaeozoic fauna. Most of the graptolites traditionally regarded as tuboids and dendroids appear to be paraphyletic groups within the Eugraptolithina; however, Epigraptus is probably not a member of this clade. The Eugraptolithina appear to be derived from an encrusting, Rhabdopleura-like species, but the available information is insufficient to resolve the phylogeny of basal graptolites. The phylogenetic position of Mastigograptus and the status of the Dithecoidea and Mastigograptida also remain unresolved. □ Biodiversity, Cambrian, Hemichordata, Deuterostomia, Ordovician.


Relevance. It is believed that the main cause of carious demineralization is microorganisms. However, the deterioration of the process is facilitated by the disruption of mineral metabolism in the oral cavity and, primarily, due to the insufficient supply of minerals naturally, from saliva. Aim: to study the effect of reduced functional activity of salivary glands on the intensity of the carious process and the sensitivity of teeth to stimuli in persons who have undergone COVID-19. Materials and methods. The studies involved 27 patients aged 18–42 years, 17 of them suffered from COVID-19. To compare the results, a group of individuals in the same age range who did not have COVID-19 was selected. All studied salivation rate, caries intensity, Green-Vermillon oral hygiene index (G-V), enamel solubility by TER test scale and the sensitivity of teeth to stimul. Results. In patients with COVID-19, immediately after recovery, pronounced hyposalivation (0.27±0.04 ml/min) was observed. After 1 year, this figure has not changed significantly; the intensity of caries increased by 35 %; the G-V index was at the middle level; the TER test had high rates and most of the patients with COVID-19 developed tooth hyperesthesia, which indicated that demineralization prevailed over remineralization. Conclusions. 1. In patients who have undergone COVID-19, enamel resistance decreases and the risk of developing a carious process increases and the appearance of hypersensitivity of teeth due to insufficient natural mineralization due to a decrease in the amount of saliva released – the main source of minerals entering the tooth enamel. 2. The microbial cantamination factor of demineralized enamel exacerbating the process is also not excluded. However, with good oral hygiene, the role of this factor is significantly reduced. 3. Persons who have undergone COVID-19 need dispensary supervision by a dentist, as well as medical and preventive measures that reduce the risk of developing a carious process. Key words: Patients who were sick with COVID-19; salivary gland function; enamel demineralization; caries intensity; tooth hypersensitivity.


In order to provide needed orientation of innovation management in the SME wine industry, a multi-case study was realized. The innovation activities of four German wineries for their entire value-creation coverage were analysed. The focus of the study was on an apparent challenge whether wineries should emphasise viticultural (back-end) or marketing and sales (front-end) innovations. The results of the four cases analysed suggest that innovation matters, strategic positioning influences each wineries' innovation portfolio, winery size and organization impact the innovation portfolio, resource dependency can be reduced through cooperative action at the industry level, and smaller producers must leverage their entrepreneurial orientation. All integrated wine producers need to address front-and back-end innovation, but with flexibility for innovation accentuation and individual innovation portfolios. Wineries also need to recognize the synergetic value of two different challenges: (1) convincing products require optimal planting and farming whereas (2) the product assortment and its treatment should consider customer profiles. Hence, front-and back-end innovations need to be synchronized and considered in parallel, without ignoring each winery's strategic accents and therefore individualization of the innovation portfolio. A synergetic innovation approach, exploiting technology and data mining, can foster the development of competencies and best practices when using existing wine industry resources and capabilities. Knowledge exchange at the industry-level helps producers reach consensus on innovation activities, goals, and strategies, and to improve the business ecosystem by identifying elements that are obsolete or ripe for change.


The stem and root bark of Anthostema aubryanum (Baill, family, Euphorbiaceae) are extensively used in African ethnomedicine for treating and managing a number of disease conditions which include inflammation, wounds, boil, dyspepsia and a variety of other disease conditions. Although the chemistry and pharmacology of many phytoconstituents isolated from the family are fairly established, the plant has not yet been investigated. In the present study, the crude aqueous-alcohol extract of the root bark was demonstrated to display a time- and dose (30- 300 mg/Kg p.o.)- dependent anti-inflammatory effect in rats. The extract showed a good anti-inflammatory activity (ED50 = 5.294±0.020 mg/Kg BDW) compared to diclofenac (ED50=1.994±0.001). The root bark also showed a high total phenolic content (74.53±0.004) vitamin E equivalent (VEE)/g) and free radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 8.841 μg/ml) compared to the standard vitamin E (8.605±0.01). The observed activities may be attributed to the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, coumarins, anthraquinones, fatty acids, reducing sugars and tannins found in the phytochemicals screening of the plant. The present study for the first time has established the scientific basis for the traditional uses of A. aubryanum for treating inflammation, edema, boil and wounds.


The structure of 4-amino-N-[amino(imino)methyl] benzenesulfonamide (sulfaguanidine) and of its azanion have been studied on the basis of both infrared spectra and DFT calculations. A good agreement has been found between the theoretical and experimental vibrational characteristic of the particles studied. The theoretical method used gives a good description of the strong spectral changes caused by the conversion of the sulfaguanidine molecule into the corresponding azanion. The structural changes which accompany this conversion take place at and next to azanionic centre. According to the present calculations, the new (anionic) charge of azanion is distributed, as follows: -0.07 e - , 0.37 e and -0.56 e over the amino group, phenylene ring and sulfonylguanidine fragment, respectively.


Radioimmunoassay of serum estrogen (sum of estrone and estradiol-17β) in 0.5 ml of human serum is described. After dilution of the serum, the estrogens are adsorbed on a Sephadex G-15 column in the presence of dilute HCl and then eluted with benzene. After evaporation of the benzene eluate, the estrogens are dissolved in bovine serum albumin (5 g/ liter solution, at pH 8.0). An aliquot of this solution is used for the assay. Serum estrogen concentrations (mean ± SD) were 69 ± 23 pg/ml in 105 normal men and 199 ± 146 pg/ml in 26 fertile women. In 109 postmenopausal women, estrogen was undetectable in seven sera, but in the remaining 102 it was 52 ± 30 pg/ml of serum.


Background: Anxiety is the most common physiological and psychological response to pain in burn patients, which can affect their physical and mental performance. This study aimed to determine the association between pain and anxiety of death in burn patients was performed. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study in the burn ward of Imam Khomeini University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah. 103 patients in burn units for women and men were randomly selected and examined. The data from questionnaires blesky (1999) the level of death anxiety and anxiety in burn patients and a numerical rating scale were used to measure pain. The data collected by statistical software SPSS 18, Spearman correlation coefficient test and regression test at 5% level were analyzed. Results: According to the study, the severity of acute pain and the anxiety of death in the first and second weeks there is a significant relationship, There is also the third and fourth week. The results predict death anxiety by pain, the model can explain 54/6 percent of the variance in pain intensity was a significant predictor for death


Background: The majority of medications used in treating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are taken through metered-dose inhalers (MDIs). Studies have reported that most patients demonstrate poor inhaler technique, which has resulted in poor disease control. Digital Health applications have the potential to improve the technique and adherence of inhaled medications. Objective: This study aimed to validate the effectiveness of the BreatheSuite MDI device in assessing the technique of taking a dose via an MDI. Methods: The study was a validation study. Thirty participants who self-reported a diagnosis of asthma or COPD were recruited from community pharmacies in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Participants used a BreatheSuite MDI device attached to a placebo MDI and resembled taking 3 doses. Pharmacists used a scoring sheet to evaluate the technique of using the MDI. An independent researcher compared the results of the pharmacist's scoring sheet with the results of the BreatheSuite device. Results: This study found that the BreatheSuite MDI can objectively detect several errors in the MDI technique. The data recorded by the BreatheSuite MDI device showed that all participants performed at least one error in using the MDI. The BreatheSuite device captured approximately 40% (143/360) more errors compared to observation alone. The distribution of participants who performed errors in MDI steps as recorded by BreatheSuite compared to errors reported by observation alone were as follows: shaking before actuation, 33.3% (30/90) versus 25.5% (23/90); upright orientation of the inhaler during actuation, 66.7% (60/90) versus 18.87% (17/90); coordination (actuating after the start of inhalation), 76.6% (69/90) versus 35.5% (32/90); and duration of inspiration, 96.7% (87/90) versus 34.4% (31/90). Conclusions: The BreatheSuite MDI can objectively detect several errors in the MDI technique, which were missed by observation alone. It has the potential to enhance treatment outcomes among patients with chronic lung diseases. (JMIR Biomed Eng 2021;6(4):e26556) doi: 10.2196/26556


All 30 000 women in France who had Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP) breast implants have been recommended by their government to have them removed at no cost as a "preventive" measure.

In the UK, however, the drug regulatory body the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said it stood by its earlier advice to the 40 000 UK women who had the implants, that there was no evidence to support routine removal.

The company PIP went into administration last year and use of its implants was banned after concerns that it may have used non-medical grade silicon to make the implants.

Fresh fears of the dangers of having the implants surfaced recently in the …


Major flood events are causing severe socio-economic damages. In Germany alone, the havoc wreaked by the 2002 and 2013 floods along the Elbe and Danube river amounted to more than 11 bn EUR. Highly skilled hydrological forecasts can help to mitigate such damages. Among several factors, these hydrological forecasts are strongly dependent on the initial conditions of the land surface at the beginning of the forecast period and the forecast skill of the meteorological forcing.


C of regular shapes into patterns by means of a set of predefined rules can be observed in many everyday situations, from the tiles on a bathroom floor, the hexagonal patterns of honeycombs, the games of dominoes and Tetris, or even chemical structures of molecules such as hydrocarbons. In all these examples the predefined rules consist of shapes, which abut one another by the contact of respective edges, leaving no interior holes. Interestingly, only three regular polygons can construct these two-dimensional patterns. When the polygons are squares the possible patterns have been called (square-cell) animals by Martin Gardner (1956) and polyominoes by Solomon Golomb (1965). The animals with four cells are the same as the tiles in the Tetris. As shown in Figure 1, the five animals with four cells have been called the names below them by Frank Harary (1982, 1983).


Evidence for hexadecapole collectivity in closed-shell nuclei is presented by examining the observed characteristics of the lowest 4{sup +} excited state in each case. These 4{sup +} states, presently identified in the {ital N}=82 isotones {sup 132}Sn and {sup 140}Ce, and the {ital Z}=82 isotopes, {sup 202}Pb and {sup 204}Pb, have nanosecond half-lives, and are found to decay by enhanced {ital E}4 transitions to the respective 0{sup +} ground state, whereas {Delta}{ital I}=2 {ital E}2 transitions from, and to, these states have {ital B}({ital E}2) values which are only a fraction of a Weisskopf unit. These features, suggestive of a significant one-phonon hexadecapole component in the structure of these 4{sup +} states, are interpreted in terms of their shell model configurations. Similar characteristics are predicted for some other closed-shell nuclei.


Abstract With so many automotive company in Indonesia then the consumer will be more selective in deciding which brand of motorcycle is used as a means of transportation. The emergence of the Chinese motorcycle manufacturers are increasingly tightening competition motorcycle industry in Indonesia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship satisfaction and customer loyalty to Yamaha Vixion. The sampling technique used is nonprobability sampling accidental (accidental sampling). The population in this study is the people who buy and use Vixion Motorcycles Yamaha Motor Kebun in Eternal Repair Orange, West Jakarta. The total population in this study was not counted. Based on the results of the study to 100 respondents and a discussion of the level of consumer satisfaction in using Vixion Yamaha motorcycles can be concluded that consumers in Vixion Yamaha Motor Kebun Timeless Repair Orange, West Jakarta included into the category quite satisfied. Of the five levels of brand loyalty, ie switcher , habitual buyers, satisfied buyer, liking the brand, and committed buyer, based on the calculation of the level of loyalty 100 respondents found that consumers in the Eternal Motorcycle Workshop Kebun Orange, West Jakarta including the level of committed buyer. This means consumers are loyal to Yamaha Vixion and promotes it to others in order to buy a motorcycle Yamaha Vixion brand. Based on the results of the discussion that the customer satisfaction variable (X) has a positive and significant relationship with customer loyalty variable (Y). This is evident from the value of  Spearman Rank correlatioan. Keywords: switcher, habitual buyers, satisfied buyer


For over thirty years I have been studying the place names of Kentucky. It's not been easy. Here's why. The two obvious components in the study of place names are the place and its name. Students of place names have often assumed things about both of these without fully understanding what they're about. First, what's a name? It's usually a word or group of words ( or some other symbol, even a number) that identifies something and distinguishes it from other things which it may resemble. There may be some obvious connection between the name and what it identifies, but there needn't be. And there's usually no inherent association between the name and its referent, unless they've become so closely identified with each other that one naturally thinks of the referent when he hears or sees the name applied to it. Does every place have a name? Does every place have to have one? A name is given to locate, identify, distinguish and describe a place in some meaningful way. If it were necessary to do this, then the place was given a name, at least for a particular occasion. You want to tell someone about something that happened to you at a certain place, maybe warn him or her not to go there. You have to identify that place, and to do that you have to give it a name. You might make up a name on the spot, based on some experience you had there: you were crossing a stream, in a storm. You nearly drowned in the flood. It was a hell of an experience, that's for sure. So you called it Hell for Certain. You didn't stay long at that place. You left and never returned. But you never forgot it, not with that name. Some years later, another person came to that place. But he liked it. The weather had much improved by then. He settled down and built himself a cabin and took up farming. Other families soon joined him, and a small settlement grew up there. His name was Jones, so he started calling the place Jonesville for himself. One day a government mapmaker came to Mr. Jones's home and asked him what the place was called. He said it was Jonesville, and the mapmaker put that down on his map. Mr. Jones soon passed on. Still more families moved in. They saw no reason to go on calling the place Jonesville. They didn't remember Mr. Jones and so began


Due to the complexity of the counseling process, counselors-in-training often experience performance anxiety when entering the counseling profession. Research shows that higher counseling self-efficacy (the belief in oneself to perform counseling skills successfully) helps decrease performance anxiety. Further, a strong supervisory working alliance is the most effective intervention to increase counseling-self-efficacy. However, there are barriers to building a strong supervisory working alliance including high performance anxiety and low counseling self-efficacy as well as the dual nature of the supervisor's role as mentor and evaluator. This study introduces an equine assisted learning supervision intervention for counselors-in-training. This experiential learning intervention provides an opportunity for counselor self-exploration and growth in a non-evaluative, nonjudgmental, novel situation. The population of interest was counselors-in-training enrolled in CACREP counseling programs. The purposive sample included 20 students enrolled in a theories counseling course or a practicum skills course. The study used a quasi-experimental design where participants completed a Demographic Questionnaire, the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory, the StateTrait Anxiety Inventory, and the Supervisory Working Alliance-Trainee Form. Participants were randomly selected to be in a treatment group, which received a one hour individual equine assisted learning supervision intervention or in the control group, which received class as usual. Six research questions examined the main effect of the EAL-S intervention on counseling selfefficacy, the main effect of the EAL-S intervention on performance anxiety, the relationship between counseling self-efficacy and performance anxiety, the correlation of the quality of supervisory working alliance with counseling self-efficacy, the correlation of the quality of the supervisory working alliance with performance anxiety, and the correlation of the supervisory working alliance with the effectiveness of the EAL-S intervention. A split-plot MANOVA was performed to analyze the first two questions and revealed a significant main effect of the EAL-S intervention on counseling self-efficacy. Non-significance was found in the main effect of the EAL-S intervention on performance anxiety. Pearson Product Moment Correlations were performed for the remaining questions. A significant positive correlation was found between counseling self-efficacy and performance anxiety. No significance was found in the correlation of the quality of the supervisory working alliance with counseling self-efficacy, performance anxiety, or the effectiveness of the EAL-S intervention. Findings support that a one hour EAL-S intervention can improve counselors'-in-training counseling self-efficacy and improve their tolerance for performance anxiety. These results have implications for counselors-in-training, supervisors, and counselor educators. THE EFFECTS OF AN EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING SUPERVISION INTERVENTION ON COUNSELORS'-IN-TRAINING PERFORMANCE ANXIETY, COUNSELING SELFEFFICACY, AND SUPERVISORY WORKING ALLIANCE A Dissertation Presented To The Faculty of the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Ph.D. Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration by Cheryl C. Meola October. 2017 ©Copyright 2017 Cheryl Meola THE EFFECTS OF AN EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING SUPERVISION INTERVENTION ON COUNSELORS'-IN-TRAINING PERFORMANCE ANXIETY, COUNSELING SELFEFFICACY, AND SUPERVISORY WORKING ALLIANCE by Cheryl C. Meola


Two important matters are discussed in this editorial: four year professional qualifications, and malpractice insurance cover for pregnancy sonograms.
The year 2014 is unique in the history of the radiography profession. The reason for this uniqueness is that two universities in South Africa enrolled the first students for the four year bachelor degree in radiography. At the CUT in Bloemfontein the Bachelor of Radiography in Diagnostics is offered while CPUT in Cape Town offers the Bachelor of Sciences degrees in all four of the radiography categories. In 2015 more universities in South Africa will follow these models of education and training of radiographers. The first bachelor degree students will begin community service in 2018. And so by 2020 the three year national diploma and bachelor of technology degrees should be phased out.


Objective To study the effects of prematura formula on preterm and/or very-low-birth-weight infant.Methods 53 preterm infants who were fed with prematura formula were observed,the birth weight regain dates and weight increasment rate were analyzed.Results The weight increasment rate of preterm was(16.04±3.85) g/(kg·d),P0.05.t regain dates of preterm in observation group were(9.64±3.98)days,P0.05.Conclusions The usage of prematura formula corectely can make the weight of preterm infants reach an ideal goal.Timely and feasiblly fluid supplementation and inner circumstance maitaining are the key methods to shorten birth weight regain dates.Enteral nutrition combined with parenteral nutritioncan ensure pursuit of growth early of preterm babies after birth.


Horse breeding has been affected by our ever-evolving society for many centuries. This study describes the most important historical and present-day milestones influencing horse breeding as a consenquence of the development of our society.


Nowadays, the main reason for the blending of biofuels stems from the necessity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Depending on market requirements, all gasoline fuels should be blended with 5–25 vol % ethanol. Low-blend ethanol gasolines are characterized by alcohol contents ranging from 5 to 10 vol % in Europe and up to 15 vol % in the United States. The achievement of new emission reduction targets and implementation of the requirement to replace fossil energy with renewable energy set out in RED Directive 2009/28/EC will demand blending of 20–25 vol % ethanol gasoline in Europe. Such blends should be stable while being kept in storage or car tanks for a certain time. This article presents the results of research on the evaluation of changes in the physicochemical properties and parameters characterizing the chemical stability of E15–E25 gasoline during short-term storage. Studies have shown that after 4 months of storage, E15, E20, and E25 gasoline did not meet the required minimum in vapor pressure ...


A Data Encryption Standard (DES) apparatus for encrypting 64-bit plain text blocks includes an input buffering unit 610, 620 for receiving a plain text block byte-by-byte and outputting first and second 32-bit plain text blocks in response to a first clock (CLK 1), an encryption unit 631, 634 for performing time multiplexed encryption of the first and second 32-bit plain text blocks in response to the first clock signal and a second clock signal ( CLK 1), the second clock signal being the inverse of the first clock signal (see figure 9), thereby generating first and second 32-bit cipher text blocks, and an output buffering unit 640, 650 for receiving the first and second 32-bit cipher text blocks in response to the second clock and outputting eight 8-bit cipher text blocks. The DES operation is reduced from 16 rounds to 8 rounds, reducing power consumption due to switching.


Complex systems are characterized not only by the diversity of their components, but also by the interconnections and interactions between them. For modeling such systems, we often need several formalisms and we must concern ourselves with the coexistence of heterogeneous models. This objective can be achieved by using multi-modeling. The transformation of such models in a pivot model is a technique in this context. This paper introduces the DEVS 'Discrete Event System Specification' which model coupling approach is supported by a proposal for transformation of Petri nets in DEVS models. Petri Nets are universal formalisms which offer mathematical and graphical concepts for modeling the structure and the behavior of systems. We present mechanisms which can systematically transform the places and transitions in Petri nets to DEVS models. The coupling of these models generates a DEVS coupled model capable of running on platforms based on DEVS formalism.


Using data from a 3-year longitudinal study of 100 young adolescent males, radioimmunoassay (RIA) results for testosterone (T) measured in the same plasma and saliva specimens were compared across six laboratories. Correlation coefficients across labs for plasma samples were generally high, ranging from. 69 to. 96, with most coefficients exceeding. 80. However, cross-lab comparability of saliva T values was poor; two of three coefficients were 0. Correlations between specimen types for concurrently collected blood and saliva samples were highly variable, ranging from 0 to 86. The correspondence between plasma and saliva T values was not better when the same lab performed both types of RIAs. The magnitude of relationships between T and pubertal development, as well as between T and several behavior dimensions, also varied by lab, suggesting different conclusions about the presence and strength of hormone-behavior links.


This sequence introduces students to medical microbiology, infectious diseases, and antimicrobial therapy, and focuses on pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of various infectious diseases.


Victoria Climbie was a West African child sent to Europe in the care of her aunt, Kouao. She died as a consequence of cruelty and neglect at the hands of her aunt and her aunt's boyfriend, Manning, in particularly extreme circumstances. A major inquiry by Lord Laming into the failings of the statutory services revealed widespread problems and made many recommendations to government.

Drawing on the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report, the paper aims to describe and understand Victoria's states of mind during her time in England. The report contains many clues to the meaning of what happened, but their significance for learning from the entire tragedy is missed. The paper explores why professionals found it impossible to see what was happening, despite the evidence being available. Both Victoria's states of mind and those of the professionals who came into contact with her are analysed in terms of defences against extreme mental pain. The importance of the right kind of training and organizational support being available for child protection staff is discussed.


Co-parenting is an enterprise involving the coordination among adults responsible for the care and upbringing of a child. In nuclear families,father and mother work together in co-parenting their child. Co-parenting research originally emerged in divorce families,and then developed from triangle to multielement system gradually. However,it has not reached an agreement for construct of co-parenting to date. Co-parenting relationship warrants future study in Asian families,extended families and multiple children families in China. In addition,dyadic data analysis gives the research of coparenting a new perspective.


This paper examines the representations of the A-bo mb and its victims in Japanese manga. While Keiji Nakazawa's Hadashi no Gen (Baref oot Gen) stands tall in this genre, the brief look at the history of A-bomb mang a in Japan will reveal that the nuclear bombs that killed more than a quarter milli on people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been a popular topic in Japanese mang a and has manifested in variety of manga genres. In overviewing the history of A-bomb manga in Japan, this paper aims to explore the social connotations of A-bomb manga. I wish to show that Japanese manga is a major vehicle in promoting and proliferating the Genbaku Otome, or A-bomb beauties myth. This myth l ies at the centre of the Japanese imagination of the A-bomb victims and whi ch contributes significantly to the establishment of the social notion of victimisa tion in post-war Japan.


It is now more than 50 years since the publication of the UK Smeed Report, a seminal work that first proposed road pricing as practical policy for dealing with congested roads. This chapter is a review of what has happened since and what road pricing has to offer in the future. Although much of the material is UK-centric, the lessons apply world-wide.


Corporate marketers have jumped on the micromarketing bandwagon, but many have discovered that the path to profits contains a number of potholes. This article details three companies' niche marketing mistakes; the author suggests how to avoid them.


In August 2013 I was lucky enough to go to Toronto, Canada, to attend the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) conference and trade show. I was awarded the 'Greg Maddock Memorial Scholarship' by Parks and Leisure Australia. This professional development scholarship allowed me to fly to Toronto and attend this 5 day conference to learn about trees in urban areas. Once it was confirmed I had the scholarship, I decided to make the most of the long trip to Canada and take time to visit a few world class cities in the USA. Using Linked In and a few contacts from Melbourne University and Parks and Leisure Australia, I managed to get parks professionals contacts in Chicago, Washington D.C., Baltimore and New York. Council assisted financially to allow me to extend the trip to 24 days.


There continues to be a growth of women obtaining jobs in health care professions and in academics related to health care and anatomical sciences. The didactic portion of many health professional programs includes gross human anatomy education with participation in a traditional cadaveric laboratory. Traditional cadaveric laboratories utilize embalming chemicals such as formaldehyde and phenol. Existing literature regarding the effects of formaldehyde and other embalming agents on pregnancy and lactation is limited and conflicting. Additionally, there is minimal, poor quality literature on the spectrum of policies addressing participation of pregnant and/or lactating women in traditional cadaveric laboratories.


Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) play critical roles in obesity‐associated inflammation that contributes to metabolic dysfunction. Talabostat (TB) exerts some therapeutic effects on tumors and obesity. However, it remains unknown whether the metabolic benefits of TB on obesity is dependent on ATM‐mediated adipose inflammation.


Abstract This technical note presents an instrumental method for the precise and timely installation of mechanical displacement sensors to investigate stem compression and relaxation associated with whole-tree rainwater loading and evaporation, respectively. We developed this procedure in response to the conclusions of Friesen et al. (2008), which called for the development of a precision mounting method for strain sensors on inherently-irregular trunk cross-sections so that rainfall interception, storage and evaporation may be distinguished from other strain-related phenomena. To supply precise sensor installation locations, high-resolution trunk profiles are generated using the LaserBarkTM automated tree measurement system. These scans are utilized to approximate the location of neutral bending axes. A routine then instructs a mobile rangefinder along the cross-section to optically indicate exact positioning for strain sensors over the bending axes. As imprecise sensor placement linearly increases error and diminishes signal-to-noise ratio, this automated installation routine is designed to remove significant distortions created by wind throw, off-centre loading within unevenly-distributed canopies, and human error that can lead to erroneous measurements of rainfall interception. Citation Van Stan, J. T. II, Jarvis, M. T., Levia, D. F. Jr & Friesen, J. (2011) Instrumental method for reducing error in compressionderived measurements of rainfall interception for individual trees. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(6), 1061–1066.


The board of directors is an important entity in a company, creating a link between shareholders and managers and therefore playing an important role in the governance of a firm. This study focuses on board structure and the extent of the corporate governance statement disclosure. This study found that the size of the corporate board does have some influence on the extent of the corporate governance statement disclosure. It is quite surprising to find that the rest of the variables involving the board structure do not have any association with the extent of corporate governance statement.


This article reviews what we know of the phenotype and genotype of Prader-Willi syndrome and hypothesizes two possible paths from phenotype to genotype. It then suggests research that may strengthen the case for one or other of these hypotheses.


We consider the Cauchy problem for the defocusing cubic nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (NLS) on the waveguide manifold $\mathbb{R}^3\times\mathbb{T}$ and establish almost sure scattering for random initial data, where no symmetry conditions are imposed and the result is available for arbitrarily rough data $f\in H^s$ with $s\in\mathbb{R}$. The main new ingredient is a layer-by-layer refinement of the newly established randomization introduced by Shen-Soffer-Wu \cite{ShenSofferWu21}, which enables us to also obtain strongly smoothing effect from the randomization for the forcing term along the periodic direction. It is worth noting that such smoothing effect generally can not hold for purely compact manifolds, which is on the contrary available for the present model thanks to the mixed type nature of the underlying domain. As a byproduct, by assuming that the initial data are periodically trivial, we also obtain the almost sure scattering for the defocusing cubic NLS on $\mathbb{R}^3$ which parallels the ones by Camps \cite{Camps} and Shen-Soffer-Wu \cite{Shen2022}. To our knowledge, the paper also gives the first almost sure well-posedness result for NLS on product spaces.


Through analyzing the Zhaozhuang coal mine dispatching command central indoor design and fitment construction of Jin coal group,it gets the representation from the whole layout,space management,interface form,material adapted,detail modus operandi and light preparation,and indicates the practical application of Chinese fitment style in modern office environment from whole to partial,from interface to space.


The salary structure of employees is usually fixed based on obvious indices. The failure to routinely review a number of social and economic factors in the formulation and implementation of a salary structure through established policy instruments usually impacts negatively on employees upon retirement. This paper therefore holistically examined the issues and challenges of retirement planning in Nigeria against the backdrop of salary structure vis-à-vis the impediments of laws and pension policy objectives. Also, the examination x-rayed the laws that inhibit doing of business by employees and the capacity of employees to save a sizeable and reasonable amount while in service so as to guarantee them financial freedom upon retirement. This examination is based on doctrinal, primary and secondary research methods. The paper finds that due, largely to a paradigm shift from the old "Defined Pension Scheme of Pay As You Go" to the new Contributory Pension Scheme wherein the Scheme is to be funded by the employers and employees, under a private management system. Also, it finds that the employees' monthly emoluments and the statutory 18% contributions between the employers and employees towards the retirement savings account for each employee cannot guarantee financial freedom upon retirement to employees. This paper, therefore recommends among other things, that the extant laws that prohibit and inhibit employees in ease of doing business should be amended to create ample and authorized space for them to engage in business at the close of work (from 2pm) instead of the usual 4pm.


In Reply. —In response to the issue of informed consent for publication raised by Dr Kirsch, I believe that in most circumstances identifying information should not be published unless the patient gives written consent for publication. Further-more, I believe informed consent for publication should be obtained in certain other circumstances in which it is feasible and appropriate. I do not believe, however, that informed consent should be required in every conceivable situation. From an ethical perspective, the moral principle of respect for autonomy, the principle from which the concept of informed consent is derived, should not always trump other moral principles such as nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. Conflicts between moral principles (eg, between autonomy and beneficence) result in moral problems. Such problems cannot be routinely satisfactorily resolved by adhering to a "requirement" of a group of journal editors. Kirsch suggests that any patient should have the right to control the publication


The room temperature optical properties of single crystal MgF2 were determined in the 4.1 eV–10.9 eV energy range, from transmission and near‐normal‐incidence reflectance measurements, and in the 11.0 eV–27.5 eV range, from reflectance measurements made at various angles of incidence. Sharp structure in the reflectance spectra of single crystal MgF2 is associated with an exciton transition at 11.8 eV. Broader structure at higher energies is associated with an interband transition at 20.8 eV. The energy‐loss function for volume plasmons has a maximum at 24.5 eV which agrees well with the theoretical value. In addition, the optical properties of an evaporated film were determined in the range 11.0 eV to 29.5 eV, but structure in the reflectance spectrum is not as well defined. However, there is fair agreement with previously published optical constants of evaporated MgF2.


The relativistic R-matrix method is used to calculate elastic and inelastic cross sections for electron incident on lead atoms with energies from 0-7 eV. The role of the resonances is analysed and the differential cross section and the spin polarisation are compared with R-matrix calculations on Hg and Tl atoms.


Preface
Rapid sale of the first edition in a relatively short time plus the need to update information
for an area of significant activity has dictated the need for the second edition of this
book. Of late, the rapid deployment of solar photovoltaic technology across the globe has
also demanded a need for the estimation of the local availability of the solar energy
resource. In this respect the user will find that a considerable amount of new information,
along with computational tools has been added in this edition.
New material and, in most cases, resulting computer programs on the following topics
has been provided:
(a) Sun-path diagrams for abbreviated analysis.
(b) New data files on measured data sets of irradiance and illuminance.
(c) Distance between any two locations (solar radiation measurement site and location
of its utilisation).
(d) Characterisation of sky clarity indices and solar climate for any given location.
(e) Corrections for sky-diffuse irradiance measurements using a shade-ring device.
(f) Quality control of measured solar radiation and daylight data including outlier
analysis.
(g) Cloud radiation model.
(h) Page radiation model (developed by Emeritus Professor John Page).
(i) An extensive section on various forms of turbidity and their inter-relationships.
(j) Newer generation of turbidity-based radiation models.
(k) The European clear-sky solar radiation model (developed by Emeritus Professor
John Page).
(l) Procedures for obtaining sunshine data from cloud cover information and vice versa.
(m) Frequency of occurrence of diffuse and global illuminance.
(n) Zenith luminance models.
(o) New all-sky CIE standard for sky luminance distribution.
(p) Spectral radiation.
(q) Detailed measured data sets of solar radiation and other meteorological parameters.
(r) Web sites that provide solar radiation and daylight data and other related information.
In response to a demand from readers and reviewers of this book a section on estimation
of clear-sky solar irradiance for any part of the globe has been added.
Within the past 5 years there has been an acceleration of activity in the exploitation of
solar energy and this has primarily resulted from protection of environment pressures. The
Kyoto protocol for reduction of carbon dioxide has been an important instrument in this
respect. Subsidies offered for the use of solar water heating and building integrated photovoltaic
installations (BIPV technology) within the European Union countries have resulted in a rapid take-off of these and related technologies.
Another contributing factor that will eventually lead to the use of solar power within the
transport sector is the spiralling monetary and environment costs associated with the current
use of fossil fuels. With the rapid decline in the oil reserves within the Gulf of Mexico
basin, Iraq has become the linchpin in the US strategy to secure cheap oil. Between Saudi
Arabia and Iraq, with their respective proven oil reserves of 262 and 112 billion barrels, a
staggering 40% of world's oil reserves is shared. With the US invasion of Iraq it appears that
a new phase of 'Energy wars' has started that may indeed spill over to other Opec countries.
The repercussions of such actions and the fact that cheaper oil resulting from the 'capture'
of oil reserves will lead to a faster consumption may indeed herald the true age of solar
energy. In this respect world political leaders would be well advised to promote renewable
energy technologies. That is the only and truly sustainable action for the abatement of the
effects of an increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas loading.


SUMMARY: We developed a package TripletSearch to compute relationships within triplets of genes based on Roundup, an orthologous gene database containing >1500 genomes. These relationships, derived from the coevolution of genes, provide valuable information in the detection of biological network organization from the local to the system level, in the inference of protein functions and in the identification of functional orthologs. To run the computation, users need to provide the GI IDs of the genes of interest. Availability: http://wall.hms.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/tripletSearch.tar.gz Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Objective To study the role of carbon monoxide (CO) in the pathogenesis of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methods The plasma CO level was detected in 32 newborns with HIE (10 cases of mild HIE, 16 cases of moderate HIE and 6 cases of severe HIE) in the acute and recovery phases. The brain CT scan was perfomed in 32 cases 5-7 days after birth to assess the degree of brain injury. Thirty healthy neonates served as controls. Results In the acute phase, the plasma CO levels of the moderate and severe HIE infants [( 1.68 ± 1.25 ) and ( 2.79 ± 0.96 ) mg/L, respectively] were significantly higher than that of the normal controls [( 1.16 ± 0.82 ) mg/L]. The plasma CO level of the severe HIE infants was significantly higher than that of the mild and moderate ones. Moreover, the level of CO significantly increased in the neonates with brain damage compared with that in the patients without brain injury. In the recovery phase, the CO level in all the HIE neonates decreased to the normal level. Conclusions The plasma CO level is related to the severity of neonatal HIE and the degree of brain damage. CO might play an important role in the pathogenesis of neonatal HIE.


The incidence and lethality of youth violence is escalating, leading to the development of violence prevention programs. Some have attempted to "resensitize" individuals to violence. The Attitudes Towards Violence Scale was designed to assess the impact of such interventions. The Scale demonstrates good internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha=.86) and a meaningful twofactor solution: Reactive Violence (violence used in response to actual or perceived threat) and Culture of Violence (a pervasive, ingrained identification with violence as an acceptable and valued activity). Being male, being of a non-European American ethnicity, or being a victim of violence predicted endorsement of proviolence attitudes. The Attitudes Towards Violence Scale may be useful in targeting interventions according to preexisting attitudinal dispositions.


In recent years there has been renewed interest in the role that the TM region of gp41 may play in viral penetration of cell membranes during either entry or egress or during syncytium formation. Using a combination of Clustal and Blast analysis we identified a region of HIV gp41 [Glycoprotein gp41 is a highly conserved protein with a single transmembrane [TM] region in HIV‐1, and its fusion peptide (FP) has been established as essential to the infectious fusion capabilities of the virus. The TM region is highly conserved in HIV‐1 and chimpanzee SIV, but not HIV‐2, and is shared by human CD4 [CD4 is a coreceptor in host cells that facilitates binding interactions. It has a particularly significant role in immune cells; T‐cells and phagocytes] and by Syndecan [ a heparin sulfate proteoglycan involved in receptor mediated cell migration and chemotaxis], two known coreceptors of HIV 1 infection. This region has not previously been identified in these coreceptors as a potentially significant region of the molecules. Using a combination of direct experimentation [2D NMR in SDS vesicles] and computational modeling [compuational alanine scanning, GRASP analysis of the electrostatic surfaces and surface area analysis] it is clear that these TM regions share a common structural motif and could provide for an interaction surface either for homo oligomerization or for hetero‐oligomerization. This raises the possibility that the co‐receptor function of CD4 or Syndecan may involve interactions with gp41 within the plane of the cell membrane as well as extracellular interactions, and contribute to the mechanism of entry of the virus into target cells.


The rise of the genre that now we call the novel is contemporary to the development of human sciences and statistics. However, the discoursive formations of the novel and the human sciences are in many respects opposite: the novel justifies itself by presenting itself as a history of private life, as the genre of the individual; the human sciences and the statistics report individuals to the icy identity of concepts and numbers. It is as if, at the very moment in which the right to differences affirms itself, the differences were traced to the identity of the universal forces that act around and through individuals. What does this dialectic mean? What does this dialectic allows us to understand?


Geomorphology has played a central role in the study of active orogenic belts. Extensive tectonic deformation associated with the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has occurred in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, particularly along the Lancang River Orogenic Belt (LROB) and the Lancang River Fault. Therefore, the landscape evolution of the LROB has significant implications for understanding the tectonic process of intracontinental mountain building and plateau growth. In this study, we used digital elevation models (DEMs) to extract longitudinal profile information on the fluvial systems of the central segment of the LROB. The paleolongitudinal profile developed on the low-relief landscape was reconstructed and the data were used to estimate the amount of surface uplift in the central segment of the LROB. The main purpose of this study was to detect the channel response to tectonic deformation in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.


This article proposes the integration of electromagnetic weapons on a robot, design and construction of an electromagnetic armed robot, autonomous targeting of possible targets with the electromagnetic weapon, and the features a electromagnetic armed safety robot should have. Unlike traditional user-targeted field security robot approaches, the robot mentioned in this study detects potential threats in the task area with image processing and artificial intelligence techniques, so the user can accurately identify and autonomously target targets without the need for controlled targeting. Unlike today's armed robots, an electromagnetic armed robot, which will be a new literature study, has been developed to create a reference path. An electromagnetic weapon that can be carried by a robot is produced and integrated into the robot and a new armed robot approach with electromagnetic weapon is introduced. Various methods are proposed considering the range restriction of electromagnetic weapons and possible targeting errors of the robot user. A control algorithm has been developed to have the most appropriate targeting under the dynamic constraints of the robot and user for target tracking. Prototyping and experiments show the ability of an autonomous security robot with an autonomous targeting system to troubleshoot user problems and targeting problems. In addition, various methods and recommendations are provided for the features that a electromagnetic armed security robot working in the field should have.


Insulin is one of the most important hormones which coordinate the action of cells throughout the body for managing uptake, use and storage of blood sugar correctly. To date, about 329 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the INS gene for insulin have been confirmed. Nonetheless, little is known about the relationship between phenotype and SNP genotype in the INS gene. Here, we analysed the INS nsSNPs using different computational methods and identified 16 nsSNPs to be potentially pathogenic. Furthermore, we used the ConSurf server to estimate the evolutionary conservation and distribution of amino acid positions in the insulin protein. The predicted pathogenic mutations acquired through this present study is expected to provide a guide for prioritizing the important nsSNPs to be selected for further wet lab evaluations and huge population based genotyping studies.


In this paper we present the Elliptical Weighted Average filtering algorithm and an optimized implementation of a two- pass algorithm and used in digital image and video warping. Two-pass algorithms are well suited for hardware implementation due to their reduced complexity in using 1-D re-sampling and anti-aliasing filters. But, the primary disadvantage is the need for a large buffer to store the temporary image since warping is performed in two passes. The size of the temporary buffer is equal to or greater than the size of the input image. A dedicated, hardware, implementation for this algorithm implies huge cost in terms of real estate on chip. In our approach, Wolberg-Boult's resampling algorithm is modified to use only two rows of temporary buffer thereby making the algorithm more amenable for hardware implementation. We present the complexity analysis based on number of arithmetic and logic operations (add, shift, compare, multiply, clip and divide) per macroblock. In the case of EWA filters, it is the most cost-effective high- quality filtering method because point inclusion testing can be done with one function evaluation and the filter weights can be stored in lookup tables for reduction in computation. For mapping the quadrilaterals, four equations were needed for the four lines of the quadrilaterals, which was computationally complex, wherein the computational cost was directly proportional to the number of input pixels accessed. Also we present the complexity analysis per macroblock.


We have developed a polystyrene-based well of-the-well system (WOW) using injection moulding to track individual embryos throughout culture using time-lapse cinematography (TLC). The WOW-cultured bovine embryos following in vitro fertilization (IVF) were compared with conventional droplet (control)-cultured embryos on in vitro and in vivo development. Twenty-five of zygotes were cultured in each culture system containing 125 μL of CR1aa medium supplemented with 5% calf serum for 168 h after IVF. No differences between control- and WOW-cultured embryos were observed during development to the blastocyst stage. Morphological quality, inner cell mass (ICM), and trophectoderm (TE) cell numbers and post-vitrification survival rates were not different between control- and WOW-derived blastocysts; however, incidence of apoptosis in the ICM and TE cells was reduced in WOW culture (P < 0.01). Oxygen consumption in WOW-derived blastocysts was closer to physiological level than that of control-derived blastocysts. Moreover, WOW culture improved embryo viability, as indicated by increased pregnancy rates at days 30 and 60 after embryo transfer (P < 0.05). The TLC monitoring was performed to evaluate the cleavage pattern and the duration of the first cell cycle of embryos from oocytes collected by ovum pick-up; correlations with success of pregnancy were determined. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the cleavage pattern correlated with success of pregnancy (P < 0.05), but cell cycle length did not. Higher pregnancy rates (66.7%) were observed for animals in which transferred blastocysts had undergone normal cleavage, identified by the presence of 2 blastomeres of the same size without fragmentation, than among those with abnormal cleavage (33.3%). These results suggest that our microwell culture system is a powerful tool for producing and selecting healthy embryos and for identifying viability biomarkers. This work was supported by the Research and Developmental Program for New Bio-Industry Initiatives.


Recovery of Ni-Cd batteries was studied by a self-designed vacuum-aided recovering system under laboratory condi-tions. The fundamental research on a process of disassembling and recovering selected materials from Ni-Cd batterieswas conducted. The impacts of temperature, pressure and time were studied respectively. The mechanism of vac-uum thermal recovering was also discussed. The results show that: Ni-Cd batteries can be recovered effectively by vacuum-aided recovering system at 573~1173 K. At constant pressure, the increase of temperature can improve theseparating efficiency of cadmium. When the temperature is 1173 K, the cadmium can evaporate completely fromthe residue during 3 h at 10 Pa. The reduction of pressure in the certain range is effective to separate cadmium byvacuum distillation. Distillation time is a very important factor affecting separation of cadmium.


Napier City Council has over 300
pensioner homes in nine villages
spread across the city. Most were
designed and built between the late
1950s and the 1980s. The original quality of
construction was high and the houses have
been well maintained, but they were built for a
time when fuel was cheaper and expectations
of comfort were more modest than today.
Accessibility demands have also increased with
the increasing age of the population and desire
for independence.

The pensioner homes average about 40 m2 in floor
area and, with the exception of a few adaptations
and alterations, remain much the same as they
were when built up to 50 years ago. Realising
the housing needed to adapt for future changes,
the City Council commissioned a feasibility study
to review the sustainability of these house types
in the long-term. This was partially funded by
Housing New Zealand Corporation.
The study, undertaken by Pacific
Environments Ltd, focussed on energy,
accessibility and maintenance. These areas
covered the provision of affordable warmth,
future fuels, access both within the home and
to the wider community and also a maintenance
regime so the properties remain robust for the
next century.


Recognizing prohibited items in X-ray security checking images automatically based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) has attracted attention increasingly. However, there are no suitable X-ray security checking image databases to train a reliable CNN model. Therefore, we propose a data augmentation method for X-ray security checking images. First, a lot of new X-ray prohibited item images are generated using the improved Self-Attention Generative Adversarial Network (SAGAN). Next, a Cycle GAN based method is proposed to transform the item natural images into the X-ray images. It can enrich the diversity of the new images, including item shape and pose. Then, we combine the prohibited item images with background images to synthesize the new X-ray security checking images. Finally, two single shot multi-box detector (SSD) models are applied to verify whether the enlarged database has achieved data augmentation. Experimental results show that the performance of SSD model trained by the enlarged database is better than the SSD model trained by the original database. It implies that our method can achieve data augmentation for X-ray security checking images effectively.


This paper presents the results of a November 1995 survey of ALA-accredited library schools that was conducted to determine: (1) whether computer literacy is either an admission prerequisite or graduation requirement for M.L.S. programs; (2) the definition of computer literacy used by each school; and (3) the options for satisfying any requirements. Of respondents, 33.3 percent have a computer literacy admission prerequisite; 55.6 percent require computer literacy for graduation; and 11.1 percent have no formal computer literacy requirement. Computer literacy is defined by 86.7 percent of the respondents as the ability to use applications software such as word processing, spreadsheets, and database programs. Seventy-two percent of schools with a computer literacy graduation requirement allow this requirement to be met through coursework in the program. The author recommends that base-level computer literacy as defined by the programs should be attained through undergraduate-level coursework prior to admission to an M.L.S. program.


demonstrated the viability of a mediational model derived from self-determination theory for predicting exercise behavior. However, Edmunds et tested only a partially developed, not a fully developed, model. This study tested a fully developed mediational model of exercise behavior in a cardiac rehabilitation setting. 80 cardiac rehabilitation completed the Health Care Climate Questionnaire 2006), the Psychological Satisfaction in Exercise Scale & 2006), the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire & Ingledew, 1997), the Vitality Questionnaire and the Godin Leisure Time Questionnaire 1997). In addition, exercise program attendance was recorded. RESULTS: data to correlational, multiple regression, and mediational analyses. Perceived autonomy support (PAS) was positively correlated with autonomous regulation, subjective vitality, and program attendance. Autonomous regulation was positively correlated with subjective vitality and program attendance. Program attendance was positively correlated with total METs. The psychological predictors, together, predicted 30% of the variability in subjective vitality and 14% of the variability in program attendance. Subjective vitality was independently predicted by PAS and autonomous regulation. Program adherence was independently predicted by PAS and autonomous regulation. Seventy-three percent of the relationship between PAS and subjective vitality, z = 2.37, p<.02, was mediated by autonomous regulation and 48% of the relationship between PAS and program attendance, z=2.04, p<.04, was mediated by autonomous regulation. CONCLUSION: Consistent with SDT, the relationships between PAS and subjective vitality, and between PAS and program attendance, were mediated by autonomous regulation. Exercisers who felt like program staffs were supportive of their autonomy were more autonomously regulated. They also felt more vital and energetic, and they attended more exercise sessions. The impact of physical activity interventions on the constructs of Self Determination Theory (SDT) and motivation have yet to include a weight training component. PURPOSE: To examine the impact of weight training on autonomy, competency, relatedness, and self determined motivation over a period of 12 weeks. We hypothesized that women who participated in a 12 week weight training program would exhibit a significantly greater level of autonomy, competency and self determined motivation than a non weight training control group at 12 weeks. METHODS: The sample consisted of 44 sedentary women with no prior weight training experience. The mean age was 22 years (range 18 - 29) and BMI's ranging from 19.3 to 46.7 (M=27.0). Upon random group assignment, psychosocial and anthropomorphic data were collected from all participants at baseline. regression were applied to explain EX behavior and to predict level of autonomy by the three SE dimensions. RESULTS: Most participants ( N =139; 65.5% women; age 26-69 yr, M =46.27, SD =11.26) were in the action or maintenance stages (69.3%). None of the motivational regulations or SE was significantly correlated with mild or moderate EX. Only scheduling SE ( r vig=.367; r total=.319) and identified regulation ( r vig=.414; r total=.274) showed positive association with vigorous and total EX. Gender, MESE subscales and motivational regulations were included in a regression model that explained 17.2% of the variance in total EX, F (9,122)=2.813, p =.005. Gender and scheduling SE were significant predictors. This model also predicted 35.0% of the variance in vigorous EX. Gender, scheduling SE and amotivation were significant predictors. Task, barrier and scheduling SE explained 23.7% of variability in autonomy. Scheduling SE and task SE were the most influential predictors. CONCLUSION: Gender and scheduling SE were significant predictors and explained more variability in vigorous EX than total EX in adults in a fitness program. Level of autonomy could also be explained by scheduling SE and task SE. The relationship between MESE, motivational regulations, and exercise needs further investigation in a longitudinal design.


Adrienne Millbank responds to an article on asylum-seeker rights in the previous issue of this journal. She argues that the authors are undermining the international asylum system by insisting on open-ended rights for all asylum seekers, irrespective of the merits of their claims.


We report a strategy for efficient suppression of electron-hole recombination in hematite photoanodes. Acid-treated hematite showed a substantially enhanced photocurrent density compared to untreated samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies revealed that the enhanced photocurrent is partly due to improved efficiency of charge separation. Transient absorption spectroscopic studies coupled to electrochemical measurements indicate that, in addition to improved bulk electrochemical properties, acid-treated hematite has significantly decreased surface electron-hole recombination losses owing to a greater yield of the trapped photoelectrons being extracted to the external circuit.


A presentation by the South East Public Health Group's Senior Intelligence Officer introducing the NHS Programme Budgeting Project data as an information resource.


Classical economic theory distinguished between two factors of production: capital and labour. Alfred Marshall added a third factor: management. Gary Becker, in distinguishing between unskilled and specialized labour, emphasized the importance of investment in special human capital. Dieter Sadowski showed that investment in general human capital increases the ability to move but reduces the willingness of the employee to move. In the 'New Economy' the willingness of the employees to move has increased significantly. On the other hand, the firms have become interested in flexibility: Project management requires combining different skills in individual projects and assigning different individuals to ever-changing projects. These individuals may be found inside or outside the firm. In this sense we talk about the virtual firm. In the article, a generalized assignment problem is developed to capture the process of managing special skills of individuals for changing projects in a virtual company.


Abstract A new approach to determining the attitude of a rigid body is suggested, which does not rely on the use of magnetometers. In the framework of this approach, the problem of determining the attitude reduces to solving a minimization problem for a function of three variables (angles characterizing the initial attitude of the body). The proposed method can be employed in precise geodetic measurements carried out with the use of a geodetic pole with a satellite antenna and an IMU installed on its top when, for some reasons, the surveyor cannot position the pole vertically (e.g., near walls or buildings). The use of the traditional approach, which relies on a compass and accelerometers, in this case does not ensure the desired accuracy of the attitude determination due to magnetic disturbances (both external ones and those induced by the receiver) affecting badly compass readings. The discussion is illustrated by results of field experiments.


Absorption spectra of trilayer rhombohedral graphite are studied with the tight-binding model. The interlayer interactions cause a tiny energy gap and band-edge states in electronic structures. The band-edge states exhibit logarithmic divergences and discontinuities in the density of states. The frequencies of the absorption peaks correspond to the vertical transition energies of the band-edge states. Optical spectra of trilayer simple hexagonal and orthorhombic graphites are also investigated. The stacking effects on the density of states and absorption spectra are presented and discussed in detail.


MultifunctiOnal ligand S-cyano-6-(4-pyndyl)-2-thiOuracll (L) posses~1ng hydrogen bond1ng groups complementary to those found in nucleotide bases has been synthesiud and compleud with trans-1Co(en) 2 Cl 2 1+Cl- (en= eth)•lene diamme) result1ng into two types of complexes [Co(en) 2 LCII 2 +.2CI- and ICo(cn)zL 2 13+.3CI-. Thc~e complncs were allowed to react w1th thym ine (T) and adenine (A) bases separately. Solid complexes thu~ synthesized have been characterized using elemental analy sis, FAB mass, spectral (IR, lJV-vis1ble, 1H NMR) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) stud1es. Association of ligand (L) and 1ts one representative complex ICo(en)zLCIJ2+.2CI- with thymine base has been studied by UV-v1sible spectropho tometry.


The simple setup was realized to analyze samples of water vapor collected from the solid surface adsorbent in the form of corundum ceramic balls. The adsorbent was previously saturated with water vapor from a source of distilled liquid water without dissolved gases. Testing of samples is carried out in a glass vessel isolated from the adsorbent by means of a forced change of pressure of vapor in the vessel. The necessary pressure rise occurs at the moment when steam is let into the vessel and the pressure drops during the vacuum pumping of water vapor. It was found that the samples respond differently to the rate of pressure change. This characteristic of gaseous mediums is associated with a significant quantity of discharged water molecules. It was found that the tested samples are clearly divided into two types according to the rate of pressure change. The first few samples behave in a similar way, but the behavior of the remaining samples is very different. It depends on the serial number of the sample. Samples demonstrate the self-similarity effect at the final stage of the experiment. In this case the rate of change of pressure smoothly decreases to a value of 3/4. This study found that the properties of water vapor can change during desorption from the adsorbent, in contrast to the current view that all desorbed water molecules are identical in their properties.


Joint infections cause premature implant failure. The avoidance of bacterial colonization of implant materials by modification of the material surface is therefore the focus of current research. In this in vitro study the complex interaction of periodic structures on PET and titanium surfaces on the adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus is analysed.


Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DDCS) comprises approximately 10% of all chondrosarcomas and has the worst outcome with a 5-year survival of 10%.The preferred Iocalizations are the femur,humerus and pelvis.DDCS represents a special form of chondrosarcoma characterized by the presence of well-differentiated cartilaginous component in juxtaposition with malignant mesenchymal tumor of high-malignancy grade.The diagnosis of DDCS is highly complicated,requiring detailed radiological and histopathological evaluation as well as precise bioptic technique.The dedifferentiated component is typically a high-grade sarcoma (usually grade 3 or 4),which can be either an osteosarcoma,a malignant fibrous histiocytoma or an anaplastic spindle cell sarcoma.In approximately one-third of the radiographs,one-third of the MR images, and one-half of the CT scans,the tumors demonstrates bimorphic features.Recently,array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) studies have been performed on frozen chondrosarcoma (including DDCS) specimens.There is a statistically significant association between high-grade tumor (grade Ⅱ and dedifferentiated) and the recurrent genetic deletions at 5q14.2~q21.3,6q16~q25.3,9p24.2~q12,and 9p21.3. One of the most commonly deleted regions of DDCS involved chromosome 9.Earlier investigations of DDCS showed p53 mutation and p53-LOH in the anaplastic component.It is also accompanied by Rb-LOH. P161NK4 and E-cadherin promotor methylation were observed in the low grade chondroid compartment of DDCS.While p161NK4,FHIT,and E-cadherin were methylated in highly malignant osteosarcomatous compartment of the tumor.Surgical resection of the tumor within wide or radical margins is the most important treatment.The value of neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy remain uncertain.Several new drug targets have been identified and phase Ⅱ studies are currently ongoing.Current phase Ⅱ trials open for DDCS patients used the following medicine:apomab (proapoptotic selective agonist of Apo2L/TRAIL death receptor),perifosine (serine/threonine kinase Akt inhibitor),dasatinib (multitargeted small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor), and the combination of gemcitabine and docetaxel.More recently,several phase Ⅰ studies have reported incidental responses of DDCS to newer targeted agents,such as histone deacetylase and vascular endothelial growth factor antisense oligodeoxynucleotide.The prognosis for patients with DDCS remains poor.The poor prognosis of the DDCS is determined by nonchondroid high grade component caused by invasive growth and formation of metastases.Therefore,early diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment may improve the outcome.


The rapid increasing tourists have brought a biggsh environmental pressure to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in recent years.In order to realize the environmental protection and sustainable development,the best environmental capacity of the park must be made out to manage the tourists and control the numbers of hotels in the park.Using the field suvey method,the number of bed,the length of travel path and the total phosphorus content of water were used as the measuring indices to calculate the economic developmental capacity,daily spatial capacity,and seasonal ecological environmental capacity of the park respectively.Based on the calculation of economic development capacity,daily spatial capacity,and seasonal ecological environment capacity,the best tourism environmental capacities of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,Hunan Province of China were made out.The results showed that the economic developmental capacity of the park was 41 400 persons per day,the daily spatial capacity was 13 255 persons per day,and the seasonal ecological environmental capacities varied markedly,which were 1 848 persons per day in spring,3 879 in summer,1 307 in autumn and 775 persons per day in winter.Through anzlyzing these results,the paper ascertained the best tourism environmental capacity of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park as 13 255 persons per day,and "the best inside accommodation capacity" of the park was 1 848 persons per day in spring,3 879 in summer,1 307 in autumn and 775 persons per day in winter.The results can provide suggestions to the management and control of the number of tourists entrying the park,the number of tourists accommodated in the park and the number of the hotels hold in the park.


An improved efficient anonymous authentication protocol with key agreement was proposed to overcome large communication overhead and high computational complexity of Li-Lee's protocol.By maintaining security attributes of the original protocol,the session key establishment mechanism between the home agent and the foreign agent was redesigned in the improved protocol.Furthermore,session key update function was supported by the improved protocol.The performance analysis shows that,compared with the Li-Lee's protocol,the improved protocol has advantages of low communication cost and computational complexity,and it is more applicable for wireless communications.


Six TiIV complexes of branched diamine bis(phenolato) ligands that feature a pendant donor side arm with different aromatic and N-substitutions were synthesized and their hydrolytic stability and cytotoxicity were investigated as closely related analogues to the highly active and stable salan TiIV complexes [salan = N,N′-bis(o-hydroxybenzyl)-1,2-diaminoethane]. Although the Cs-symmetrical complexes include binding of the side-arm N donor to the metal as analyzed crystallographically, thus making them highly similar in coordination features to the C2-symmetrical salan complexes, they exhibit poor hydrolytic stability, presumably due to higher flexibility in binding of the side arm in solution. Complexes of alkyl aromatic substituents, both N-methylated and N-ethylated, with varying steric constraints demonstrated poor cytotoxicity. In contrast, ortho-halogenation, although it does not affect hydrolytic stability, substantially enhances the cytotoxicity towards colon HT-29 and ovarian OVCAR-1 cells.


Late Gadolinium-Enhanced Cardiac MRI (LGE CMRI) is a non-invasive technique, which has shown promise in detecting native and post-ablation atrial scarring. To visualize the scarring, a precise segmentation of the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PVs) anatomy is performed as a first step—usually from an ECG gated CMRI roadmap acquisition—and the enhanced scar regions from the LGE CMRI images are superimposed. The anatomy of the LA and PVs in particular is highly variable and manual segmentation is labor intensive and highly subjective. In this paper, we developed a multi-atlas propagation based whole heart segmentation (WHS) to delineate the LA and PVs from ECG gated CMRI roadmap scans. While this captures the anatomy of the atrium well, the PVs anatomy is less easily visualized. The process is therefore augmented by semi-automated manual strokes for PVs identification in the registered LGE CMRI data. This allows us to extract more accurate anatomy than the fully automated WHS. Both qualitative visualization and quantitative assessment with respect to manual segmented ground truth showed that our method is efficient and effective with an overall mean Dice score of 0.91.


An entrepreneur is an innovator who is also creative and a strategist - someone who firmly believes in their own ideas and executes the successfully. Yet, certain emotional factors stand out among entrepreneurs when undertaking or executing plans, which could be critical for designing future entrepreneurial training programs. This article shows the results of a study in Venezuela that analyzed the relationship among entrepreneurial attitudes and emotional styles as observed in the students who participated,  94 of which were from Central University of Venezuela majoring in Business Administration and Accounting, and 165 students from the Simon Bolivar University majoring in Engineering and short-term Administrative and Industrial career paths. A descriptive, correlational, non experimental design was used based on the "Am I an Entrepreneurial Type?" (STE) scale to measure entrepreneurship as well as an Emotional Style Questionnaire (EEC). The results showed a 33% variance, indicating that an individual with a strong attitude towards entrepreneurship showed negative emotional rumination styles. They are proactive onl yin terms of their propensity towards rumination. Given these results, training guidelines should include addressing the traits of the future entrepreneur and a cross-cutting inclusion of optimism and proactive entrepreneurial attitudes as well as how to control and manage emotions.


The present study was conducted, following exploratory research design to know the opinion of livestock farmers towards privatization of veterinary services. Data were collected by a pre tested and structured interview schedule from 120 livestock farmers selected through quota and proportionate random sampling from six villages in three mandals of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh. The findings indicated that majority (45%) of the livestock farmers had favorable opinion towards privatization of veterinary services followed by neutral (35.83%) and unfavorable (19.17%) opinion. Mean content analysis scores of first five ranked opinion statements were in the order of: privatization requires more infrastructure (2.80); privatization provides quick diagnostic services (2.53); privatization assures continuous supply of drugs and other inputs (2.52); privatization increases mutual accountability of farmers and veterinarians (2.50); and privatization reduces the financial burden on Government in providing the veterinary services (2.49). The study revealed that most of the livestock farmers have understood the need and importance of privatization in the present scenario and opined that the quality of veterinary services would improve by privatizing the services.


A high-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) superconductor is new category of highly disordered superconductors. Therefore, finding brand-new superconducting characteristics in the HEA-type superconductors would open new avenue to investigate the relationship between structural disorder and superconductivity. Here, we report on the remarkable broadening of specific heat jump near a superconducting transition tempreature (T c) in transition-metal zirconides (TrZr2) with different mixing entropy (ΔS mix) at the Tr site. With increasing ΔS mix, the superconducting transition seen in specific heat became broader, whereas those seen in magnetization were commonly sharp. Therefore the broadening of specific heat jump would be related to the microscopic inhomogeneity of the formation of Cooper pairs behind the emergence of bulk superconductivity states.


Based on the study of the monastery`s letters patent and inventories of property, the article aims to restore the letters patent of the 17th century for landed property of the Tikhvin Uspensky monastery in Novgorod uyezd. Restoring letters patent helps to study the archive of the monastery because record keeping of landed property determined the structure of the archive. These legal documents may be divided into three groups: 1) letters patent of the second half of XVI — the first quarter of the XVII century, incorporating information about landed property acquired in 1613/14 years; 2) letters patent for the land in Nikolaevsk Shungsky and other church yards; 3) letters patent for fishing. Analysis of the materials showed that a significant number of the letters patent of the XV — the first quarter of the XVII century failed to be preserved. The letters patent were not recorded in the inventories of property and their texts are not presented in monastery registers. Based on the data from the preserved documents, we can trace the history of individual land grants to the monastery and their recorded evidences up to the end of the 17th century.


-The effects of polyploidy on embryonic developmental rate and temperature tolerance of salamanders in the Ambystoma laterale-texanum hybrid complex were examined. Neither initial size, genotype nor ploidy of eggs affected embryonic rates and tolerance limits. Larger eggs gave rise to larger hatchlings at cold temperatures only, and body size of hatchlings from large and small eggs was larger at cold temperatures than at warm temperatures. Although polyploidy does not affect embryonic development, one selective benefit of polyploidy is large egg size.