Objective: To determine the maternal deaths and the factors affecting them in our city. Methods: The maternal deaths occurred in our city between January 2015 and June 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. The review was conducted by checking "Maternal Death Registry Forms" of the Provincial Directorate of Health. In cases where additional data related with the cause of death were required, the relatives of the cases, associated family practitioner, The Council of Forensic Medicine or local authorities were contacted. The data of the cases including age, gravida, parity, abortion, delivery type, week of gestation during delivery, period of death and maternal deaths due to direct, indirect and incidental causes were recorded. Based on total live births and maternal deaths within 6.5 years, maternal mortality rate was found as the maternal death number per 100,000 live births. Descriptive statistics were used for the statistical analysis of the data. Results: A total of 46.618 live births occurred between 2015 and 2020 in Elazığ. The number of maternal deaths due to direct and indirect causes is 7, and maternal mortality rate was found 15.01/100,000. Hypertensive diseases during pregnancy (n=3, 42.8%), pulmonary embolism (n=1, 14.3%) and cerebral thrombosis (n=1, 14.3%) were among the natural causes of maternal deaths. Indirect cause for maternal death was cardiac diseases (n=2, 28.6%). When they were categorized according to the Three Delays Model, there were 3 death cases in the first delay model and 2 death cases in the third delay model, but there was no maternal death in the second delay model. Conclusion: Maternal death is an significant public health issue which develops due to the generally preventable causes and maintains its importance. The factors contributing to death should be paid attention in order to decrease maternal death rates.


The aim of this research was to analyze the physical characteristics of root vegetables: carrot, parsley, parsnip and celery. These root vegetables are sold fresh on the market which is why it is important to specify its shape, structure and root texture. Carrot, parsley and parsnip were grown in ridge cultivation and celery was grown on the flat ground. The yields of root and leaf, as well as the dry matter were measured. Root physical characteristics were tested by the puncture test. The puncture force was measured by TMSPRO instrument (Food technology) having the cylindrical punch diameter of 6 mm. The puncture test was performed for every root at three measuring points located at the point of maximum diameter: sideways into the whole root and at the cross section of xylem and phloem. Critical points were determined on the puncture curve: puncture point ('yield point'), maximum and average value of the puncture force for the distance of 10 mm, as well as the slope of the puncture force. Also, the shape of the puncture curve was analyzed with respect to the depth of the cylindrical punch penetration. The puncture test showed statistically significant and clearly expressed differences in the measuring points of the carrot, parsnip, parsley and celery which confirmed the heterogeneous structure of the tested root vegetables. The measured quantitative values of the puncture force are very important in the technological sense since they can contribute to the design of the machinery used for mechanical harvesting and processing.


A new single phase high performance input side switched AC-DC Cuk converter is proposed. A bidirectional switch is formed by a unidirectional semiconductor switch with proper positioning of the bridgeless diodes at the input ac side for power conversion for both positive and negative half cycle. Because of the high frequency input side switching, the power factor of the circuit is inherently corrected and it requires a small filter to make the input current near sinusoidal with limited THD. The significant improvement in THD makes the circuit a good choice in applications needing AC-DC conversion with power conditioning. The circuit exhibits such performances with variable loads at constant frequency switching with no additional control circuits. The efficiency of the circuit is also satisfactory. Analysis and simulation results of the circuit are obtained by using software simulation. The main advantage of this new AC-DC converter is its superior power quality.


Tensions between Ukraine and Russia are not new, but their resurgence bodes ill for European energy security. This latest dispute between Europe's largest natural gas supplying state and its key gas transit state should be a warning flag to Europe that, despite efforts by the IMF and other countries, the underlying causes of the dispute that left Europe without gas for heating and electricity in 2009 remain unresolved and require European intervention. Below we describe the nature of the problem and propose an approach for addressing one of Europe's most important energy security problems.


Bacterial cellulose was produced in rotating bio-disc reactor and the traditional static mode.The water-holding capacity,purity,crystal degree and cellosilk structure of bacterial cellulose produced in static or rotating bio-disc(RBD) reactors were tested.The differences in the property and structure of bacterial cellulosed produced in static or RBD reactors were analyzed.The results indicated that the bacterial cellulose produced in RBD reactor had higher water-holding capacity and purity.The bacterial cellulose produced in the traditional static method,whose cellosilk structure were more compact and fine,had higher crystal degree than that produced in RBD reactorl


The invention relates to a low-NOx burner for a wall-hung stove, which is mainly used for burning in a negative-pressure condition. The burner comprises a burner main plate, wherein the lower part of the burner main plate is provided with injection openings; the upper part of the burner main plate is provided with a flame tunnel; the injection openings are connected with the flame tunnel through injection pipes; two injection openings are arranged and are respectively a dense fuel gas injection opening (4) and a thin fuel gas injection opening (1); the flame tunnel is provided with at least three parallel flame opening grooves, wherein the flame opening grooves distributed on the two sides are dense flame openings (2), the flame opening distributed in the middle is a thin flame opening (3); the dense fuel gas injection opening (4) is connected with the dense flame openings (2) through dense fuel gas injection pipes; the thin fuel gas injection opening (1) is connected with the thin flame opening (3) through a thin fuel gas injection pipe. Compared with the prior art, the low-NOx burner for the wall-hung stove has the advantages of being simple in structure, sufficient in burning of combustion gas, little in generation of nitric oxides, wide in application range, and the like.


The manufacture technology of pigskin sofa leather was discussed in detail.The procedures such as weighing,soaking,dehairing,pickling and tanning, retanning,dying and fatliquoring etc.were introduced systemically.


reused in later church structures such as Aston-on Trent  or Darley Dale . If, as is suggested for Aston-on-Trent , the fact that there was no attempt to hide the fragment in the structure so that its visibility seems to have been important, then a sense of just how visible it is, to whom and from what angle becomes potentially important. These are, however, minor quibbles. Derbyshire and Staffordshire is an enormously rich and rewarding collection of essays and catalogue of sculpture. The authors and the Corpus team are to be congratulated on a volume that will certainly add significantly to our knowledge of both Anglo-Saxon art and the culture and history of the region covered.


This paper foregrounds education for sustainable development (ESD) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as emergent discourses that need conscious efforts to align their ideals. While it explores the capacity of ESD to make significant contribution towards educational thinking and practice, it does so recognising that current neoliberalists' and capitalists' agenda, particularly as they relate to formal schooling, contradicts the ideals of education for sustainable development. Using the United States—a capitalist giant—as a focus, the paper employs critical discourse analysis to expose such conceptual and operational contradictions inherent in current business involvement in schools. In calling for a change, the paper draws attention to the need for a conscious alignment of CSR activities both in schools and in the wider community to current ESD agenda. The paper concludes that if CSR is a business' contribution towards sustainable development, then its pedagogical imperatives must be critically explored.


Kennedy arguably cleared the way for Radical Reconstruction and the 1964 Civil Rights Act, while Garfield's death was linked even more directly to the civil service reforms of 1882. In each of these cases, the fact of a president's assassination seemed to matter less than the meanings attached to it, as politicians, reformers, and moralists of different stripes vied for the chance to define the assassins, interpret the legacies of the fallen presidents, and make sense of the murders for a larger American audience. Eric Rauchway is alive to the interplay of fact and meaning in his immensely enjoyable and engagingly written study of the least well-known presidential assassinationthe murder of William McKinley at the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. In his hands, an event most have considered to be a mere anecdote, if they have considered it at all, emerges as a moment of broad historical significance. Of all the presidential assassinations, Rauchway tells us on the very first page, "McKinley's had the most dangerously political motive"(p. ix). John Wilkes Booth, in shooting Lincoln, merely extended the aims of the Confederate war; Charles Guiteau, Garfield's assassin, claimed divine inspiration and the righting of a personal snub; and Lee Harvey Oswald's motives for killing Kennedy are forever shrouded in mystery. Leon Czolgosz, the man who shot McKinley, explained his reasons for killing the president with sober clarity: he disagreed with the system of global, industrial capitalism that the president represented and did what he perceived to be his duty by shooting him dead. By declaring himself an anarchist, McKinley's assassin seemed to link his own act with a terrifying series of high-level assassinations throughout Europe. The United States was just then emerging as the "capital of capital," in Rauchway's words, a country that "extended its influence around the globe, ... made millionaires of a few men and poor toilers of a multitude of others, ...


The method and system is disclosed that provides a standardized distraction prevention safety protocol. In particular, one embodiment of a method of mobile device starts a distraction prevention or safety protocol operation of the mobile device under certain conditions is disclosed. The method includes the step of discovering one or more protocols activator configured to transmit discovery information associated with a particular condition. The method further comprises the step of starting the distraction prevention safety protocol operating at least in part on mobile device discovery information. In one implementation, certain conditions may be a particular environment itself, and / or a particular sequence from the case or the portable device portable device enters a particular environment have an event if you dialed there. .FIELD 1


E-book sales have experienced rapid growth in the past few years, yet their impact on print book sales remains unclear. This paper empirically investigates the cannibalization and market expansion effects of e-books. Using individual-level transaction data from 2008 to 2012, we estimate a dynamic structural model of consumer e-reader adoption and subsequent book purchases, including quantity, reading format (e-book or print book), and retailer choices in a number of book categories. We emphasize in the model the role of consumers' self-selection into buying e-readers based on heterogeneous book tastes. We find that on average, 42% of e-book sales come from cannibalizing print book sales and 58% come from market expansion. Among the cannibalization effect, offline bookstores bear 53% of the cannibalization loss, while Amazon bears 32% and other online retailers bear 15%. We discuss how the impact of e-books would change under counterfactual pricing scenarios using the estimated demand system.


According to the characteristics of coal mine rock heading.The mine crawler hydraulic drill loader capacity of the main structure and principles were described,through further analysis of the structure and design improvements,proving the reliability of the drill loader structural design and improveing the productivity of the mine.


Introduction: The knee joint is the second most frequently injured joint. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a relatively common injury to the inner part of the knee joint, mainly related to contact sports. Its rupture leads to instability of the entire joint. Two treatment options are possible: operative or conservative. Each of them is related to an appropriate rehabilitation process. The aim of this study was to define a comprehensive rehabilitation plan in patients after ACL rupture and meniscal suturing.Materials and methods: The work was written based on the medical history of the patient who was diagnosed with complete rupture of ACL, and then reconstruction was performed with the harvesting of a semitendinous and slender muscle graft.Results: The rehabilitation process can be divided into two stages: hospital and post-hospital. Rehabilitation in hospital conditions begins on the zero day after arthroscopy. The main goals of rehabilitation include: increasing the range of mobility, no myofascial dysfunctions, no thromboembolic complications, and the ability to self-service.Conclusion: Rehabilitation is an indispensable element of the treatment of patients after ACL reconstruction. Early initiation of rehabilitation brings tangible benefits during treatment and return to full physical fitness.


The invention peroxidase cotton proliferator activated receptor δ to having activity in (Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor δ, hereinafter represented by 'PPARδ') synthesis of the novel thiazole derivatives and intermediates and those represented by the compounds of formula (Ⅰ) there is provided a method. Formula Ⅰ] [In the formula, A is hydrogen, R to be.] Cotton peroxidase proliferator activated receptor δ, thiazole derivatives


* Abbreviations:
 ED — : emergency department
 QI — : quality improvement

Children with asthma continue to suffer significant morbidity1 despite improved treatment options and widely distributed best practice guidelines.2 The best predictor of future severe asthma exacerbations is a recent asthma exacerbation.3,4 In "Inpatient Quality Improvement Interventions for Asthma: A Meta-analysis" published this month in Pediatrics , Parikh et al5 examine the impact of quality improvement (QI) initiatives conducted during inpatient asthma hospitalization on future (postdischarge) asthma morbidity. After reviewing an array of inpatient asthma interventions, they used meta-analysis to conclude that inpatient QI efforts have limited impact on postdischarge asthma outcomes. Their findings reveal the paucity of programs directed at improving postdischarge asthma control. Importantly, they identify some positive outcomes after inpatient multimodal targeted asthma QI interventions.

We applaud Parikh et al5 for conducting this ambitious analysis, especially given the wide range of interventions, methodologies, measured outcomes, and disparate care settings wherein asthma inpatient QI was conducted. We also congratulate them for evaluating whether inpatient QI work alone has short- or long-term effects on future asthma morbidity (ie, asthma-related emergency department [ED] revisits or readmissions). We suspect some think …

Address correspondence to Elizabeth D. Allen, MD, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Dr, Columbus, OH 43205. E-mail: beth.allen{at}nationwidechildrens.org


METHOD FOR APPROXIMATING THE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION OF THE STATES IN THE SINGLE-CHANNEL SYSTEM WITH A SELF-SIMILAR TRAFFIC LOZHKOVSKYI A.G., LEVENBERG YE.V. Estimation of the service quality characteristics in a single-channel system with queue for the packet network is often reduced to the determination of the Hurst exponent for self-similar traffic, after which using the known Norros formula calculated average number of packets in the system. In this work we propose a method for approximating the distribution function of the states of the system and on its basis, a formula for calculating the service waiting probability in a single-channel system with a self-similar traffic.


The management in the closing of the productive chain of the bovine meat constitutes at present an imperative to which efforts must be dedicated, within the cattle sector, because of the challenges imposed by the scenarios of industrialization and marketing at international and national level, together with the current call to improve the Cuban economic and social model. The presence of a procedure that makes such management viable becomes a powerful tool at the disposal of the decision makers involved in this process, especially those who focus on the closure of production chains. The objective of this work is to propose a procedure that, from a systemic vision, responds to the enterprise reality of the state bovine meat sector, in the closing of the productive chain until the final consumer, with added value. From the premises and objectives that make up the proposed procedure, composed of two closely interrelated stages, in which the map of chain closure is articulated, with the diagram of determined processes, it was possible to identify the most relevant actors and processes within each link of the closure of the bovine chain. This interrelation made it possible to have a practical management solution for the closure of production chains within the municipality of Consolacion del Sur.


Improved control system for landing a VTOL UAV on a mobile platform, comprising the addition of a control system based on sensors which measure the tension cable from the aircraft with the landing and orientation angles of said cable with respect to an associated aircraft system, and a control module that takes as inputs the voltage both in magnitude and direction-arising from these sensors, plus the control set generated by the controller of the aircraft. The control module object of the invention calculates, from the tension in the cable, corrections to introduce in the control set, that are ahead of the disturbances that occur in the position of the aircraft as a result of changes in the voltage cable.


Cervical aorta is a rare congenital anomaly which often presents as a mediastinal mass on routine chest X rays. The following case report describes the role of echography as a non-invasive diagnostic aid in this disorder. A 51-year-old Puerto Rican female (R.M.) was admitted to the gynaecology service for post-menopausal bleeding and was referred for evaluation of a left superior mediastinal mass discovered on routine admission chest X ray. Besides a history of infrequent vague chest pains unrelated to effort, the cardiopulmonary history was essentially negative. On physical examination the pulse was 80/minute and B.P. 115/70 mm Hg. Prominent pulsations were visible in the left supraclavicular region. A systolic thrill was palpated over that area as well as the left carotid region where a loud bruit was audible radiating to the base of the heart. There were no abnormal cardiac auscultatory findings. The lungs were clear and no evidence for congestive heart failure was present. All the peripheral pulses we...


Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a leading cause of death among children in Africa. To improve treatment efficacy and delay development and spread of antimalarial drug resistance artemisinin artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is now globally recommended as first-line treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria as a cornerstone in modern malaria control. The aim of this thesis is to improve the understanding of the molecular basis of potential evolution of P. falciparum resistance to ACT. After the worldwide introduction of ACT several reports demonstrate that the multidrug resistance protein 1 ( pfmdr 1) and chloroquine resistance transporter ( pfcrt ) genes are under selective pressure. This thesis describes the in vivo selective process for pfmdr 1 haplotype coding for aminoacids 86N, 184F 1246D in reinfections after artemether-lumefantrine treatment. The selective window is within 35 days after treatment during the elimination phase of the partner drug.


Corresponding to the rise and acceptance of the 802.11b standard (Wi-Fi) in the United States, wireless local area networks (WLANs) that offer high-speed Internet access at numerous locations in markets that cover education, health care, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, government, and transportation are experiencing rapid growth. There has also been an active establishment of innovative business models to tap into the general demand for high-speed Internet access by creating wireless broadband networks based on clusters of WLANs. This paper outlines the key factors driving Wi-Fi growth and describes competing technologies. Using mini-cases, it explores the strategies of four organizations involved in developing wireless broadband networks (Boingo, Joltage Networks, Sputnik, and NYC Wireless). Although operating in the same market, these organizations offer significantly different access methodologies and services. The nature of possible future innovation in this domain is also examined.


5-power modules in series of each phase was taben as an example to analyze the neutral point drifting technology and research the treatment of module failure of modules in series high-voltage transducer.According to the mathematical analysis,neutral point drifting formulas were deduced to calculate phase angles and line voltage.After theoretical analyzing on specific module failures,phase angles and line voltage are calculated by formulas.The method adjusts the phase angle to keep three-phase line voltages symmetrical and make the transducer output the largest effective power when broken modules are bypassed and phase voltages are not unsymmetrical.Compared simulation results simulate by Simulink with theoretical values,the mathematical model is verified.At this point,the model and formulas can be widely popularized to solve the practical issues.


Sulfur is one of the most abundant and economical sources in the p-block family and highly redox active, potentially utilizable as a charge-storing electrode with high theoretical capacities. However, its inherent dissolution feature in the electrolytes inhibits its accessibility as an electrode material in typical metal-sulfur batteries. In this work, the synthetically designed fluorinated porous polymer, when treated with elemental sulfur through a well-known nucleophilic aromatic substitution mechanism (SNAr), allows for the covalent integration of polysulfides into a highly conjugated benzimidazole polymer by replacing the fluorine atoms. Chemically robust benzimidazole linkages allow such harsh post-synthetic treatment and facilitate the electronic activation of the anchored polysulfides for redox reactions under applied potential. The electrode amalgamated with sulfurized polymer mitigates the so-called polysulfide shuttle effect in the lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery and also enables a reversible, more environmentally friendly, and cheaper aluminum-sulfur (Al-S) battery that is configured with mostly p-block elements as cathode, anode, and electrolytes. The improved cycling stabilities and reduction of the overpotential in both cases pave the way for future sustainable energy storage solutions.


THE REPORT CONSISTS OF THREE SEPARATE STUDIES. THE FIRST STUDY DISCUSSES A PRT SYSTEM OPERATING UNDER QUASI-SYNCHRONOUS CONTROL AND DEMONSTRATES THE FEASIBILITY AND LIMITATIONS OF THIS STRATEGY IN A VERY HIGH-DEMAND SITUATION USING A COMPUTER SIMULATION. THE SECOND PAPER APPLIES OPTIMIZATION THEORY TO THE DESIGN OF FEEDBACK CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR HIGH-CAPACITY AUTOMATED TRANSIT SYSTEMS. RESULTING CONTROLLERS MINIMIZE HEADWAY AND VELOCITY ERRORS WITHOUT CAUSING PASSENGER DISCOMFORT. SIGNIFICANT DYNAMIC RESPONSE IS ACHIEVED DURING NORMAL MAINLINE OPERATION, MERGING AND DEMERGIN, MANEUVERING AND EMERGENCY STOPPING. THE THIRD PAPER DISCUSSES THE THEORY OF OPTIMAL CONTROL AS APPLIED TO THE DESIGN OF FEEDBACK SYSTEMS FOR LONGITUDINAL CONTROL OF AUTOMATED TRANSIT VEHICLES.


We report an improved method to produce uniform Ag nanorods based on the soft-templates method and to greatly decrease the amount of shape impurities, with the assistance of sodium salicylate. This...


Two genomic DNA libraries, one oerived from a normal fetal liver (1) and one from the Calu-1 tumor cell line (2), were screened by hybridization to human transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-a) cDNA (3) restriction fragments. Restriction fragment mapping of the hybridizing genomic DNA fragments and DNA sequence analysis (4,5) revealed that the coding sequence of the TGF-8 precursor gene is divided in seven oistinct exons with six introns as shown below. differences organization between the gene fragments from both libraries.


ABSTRACT Since the beginning of Thailand's protracted political crisis in 2005, the country has experienced a conservative political turn centered on the monarchy. One of the regions where this turn has been most pronounced has been in southern Thailand. Studies of the south have tended to focus on the border provinces, its Malay Muslim community, and a long-running separatist movement. The more populous parts of the upper south with a Thai-Buddhist majority have been largely overlooked. In recent decades the south's old Buddhist heartland has witnessed a high level of cultural and religious dynamism. This region has given birth to an influential new academic field of southern Thai studies and a distinctive southern Thai literature. These factors have contributed to the hardening of a southern Thai Buddhist identity. Politicians and activists from the south have played a prominent role in Thailand's on-going political crisis. This article explores the rise of conservative radicalism in southern Thailand's Buddhist heartland with reference to the roles of southern academics, writers, poets, activists, and politicians over the last half century. It offers a regional case study of the roots of Thailand's political crisis as well as the rise of Buddhist radicalism in Southeast Asia.


The present invention includes a main chamber 7 connected to the main pump 8, and a least one sub-chamber 9 connected to one or more secondary pump 10, to a seabed foundation 1 for offshore facilities. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the main pump 8 is a suction pump, the secondary pump 10 is pressurized pump. The present invention is further so seabed foundation sinks to the seabed, substantially vertical axis in in the step 14 to operate the main pump 8 to provide a negative pressure to the main chamber 7, sinking into the seabed It relates to control alignment of the seabed foundation, and a step 15 for actuating the one or more secondary pump 10 to provide a positive pressure in the auxiliary chamber 9 relates to a method of positioning the seabed foundation on the seabed 19. .FIELD 1


Beethoven's Quartet in F major, Op. 18 No. 1, was written in the same year that Wordsworth published The Lyrical Ballads. It was frequently per formed in London and in the provinces during Wordsworth's lifetime, but I doubt if he would have crossed the road to hear it, and if he had, he wouldn't have liked it. All we know of Wordsworth suggests that vocal and instrumental music appealed to him very little, and in this he is strikingly unlike many of his great predecessors. Milton, Dryden, Pope, Gay, and even Christopher Smart were sensitive to the power of music, and it played a creative role in their art. But Wordsworth's immediate friends and contemporaries were much more like him. Of all of them, perhaps De Quincey had the best developed apprecia tion of music. From his earliest years, in the 1790's, he records: "With Handel I had long been familiar, for the famous chorus-singers of Lancashire sang continually at churches the most effective parts of his chief oratorios. Mozart was yet to come. . . . But, above all, a thing which to my dying day I could never forget, at the house of this guardian I heard sung a long canon of Cherubini's. ... It was sung by four male voices, and rose into a region of thrilling passion, such as my heart had always dimly craved and hungered after, but which now first interpreted itself, as a physical possibility, to my ear" (Collected Writings, ed. D. Masson [1889-90], I, 109-10). And H. A. Eaton mentions his tastes and habits in his sixties: "After dinner, there usually was music by his two younger daughters. Fond as he was of music, however, he was not often in the room while it was going on; he was a good listener from his den downstairs, and would comment on his favorite selections when he rejoined the company. Beethoven in these years was alone the composer for whom his reverence was devout; Mendelssohn he could not like. But Bellini appealed to him, and Mozart, and certain ballads; Weber's 'Invitation to the Dance' and Pergolesi's 'Gloria'" (Thomas De Quincey: A Biography [1936], p. 360). Quite a catholic and commendable taste, but he never seems to have passed on any of his enthusiasms to his friend Wordsworth. At the other extreme, Dorothy seems to have had no interest in music whatever. There is hardly a mention of musical performances, or concerts, or operas, or oratorios, in the journals or the letters. We do not know who was her favorite composer (if she had one), and we have no evidence that she could sing, or perform even competently on any musical instrument. And Wordsworth seems to have found this ignorance entirely supportable.


Purpose – To provide a cohesive framework for understanding how supports co-occur and interact to impact graduate students' teaching experiences, this paper systematizes the multi-layered context in which institutions, departments, faculty, peers, and individuals provide support. Previous studies on graduate students' teaching focussed on specific programs, initially to describe them, and more recently to assess their outcomes. However, this piecemeal approach misses the complexity of graduate students' contexts. Design/methodology/approach – Through a literature review of existing supports for graduate students' teaching, the need for a contextual framework was clearly identified leading to its development and application to provide a cohesive categorization of supports. Findings – The review of existing literature identified graduate students' supports and needs for support across all layers of their higher education context. Practical implications – This new framework offers a theoretical grounding for...


We are developing a method for labeling tumor boundaries. An enzyme involved in wound healing covalently links a fluorescent-labeled substrate into the growing tumor boundary. We have performed in vitro assays to study this method.


The article aims to discuss processes of anchoring and objectifying the social representations of literary reading produced by public school teachers. Ninety four (94) teachers from the early years of elementary school participated in this qualitative research. The data analysis is referenced in the theory of social representations proposed by Moscovici (1978, 2015), who understands the representational process as a form of knowledge which functions as the elaborator of behaviors and communication. It was found that the teachers anchor literary reading in the playfulness of the text and in the possibility of using it to teach and educate children. Since pleasure is not the school's objective, teachers adhere to dramatization practices to give concreteness and materiality to the pleasure of reading.


The present study employed a method called event cuing to investigate the organization of autobiographical memory. The unique feature of this method is the use of event descriptions as retrieval cues. Participants first recalled a set of personal events. Next, they responded to each of these cuing events by retrieving a second related personal event (the cued event). Subsequently, relations between cued and cuing events were coded by the participants, and all events were dated and rated for importance. Results indicate that memorable personal events, regardless of age or importance, are often embedded in event clusters; that events organized by these clusters, like episodes in a story, are often causally related, temporally proximate, and similar in content; and that narrative processes may not be necessary for the formation of event clusters, though subsequent narration may affect their contents and structure.


Purpose – The aim of this paper is to focus on how to create a coaching culture in organizations through coach training and external coaches.Design/methodology/approach – The writer draws on her experience in corporations as a board director and as a consultant to organizations in the field of coaching.Findings – Conclusions are drawn about the effectiveness of coach training over external coaches and the best ways of implementing a coaching culture.Practical implications – Advice is given regarding: the principles of a coaching culture; how to launch a coaching program; a ten point plan for implementing a coaching culture; how to choose external coaches; how to choose coaching skills training; challenges of coaching in the workplace; informal coaching in the workplace; and uses for coaching skills in the workplace.Originality/value – The writer's broad experience of designing and delivering cross cultural coaching programs, and as a board level director, enable her to challenge existing concepts, to offe...


The problem of site selection evaluation for salt cavern gas storage arises along with the rapid development of salt cavern gas storages.Based on the classification of the influence factors and the analysis of site selection for salt cavern gas storage,Analytic hierarchy process is used to build a layer structural model.Using expert investigation method,the importance weights of 18 influence factors are obtained.Then taking the advices of the experts on salt cavern gas storage building and the related research results into consideration,index suitability standards and synthetical evaluation standards of site selection evaluation for salt cavern gas storage are put forward.Combined with the importance weights of 18 influence factors,a formula is developed to calculate the synthetical appropriate value P of site selection.The results provide a feasible method and theory for the construction of salt cavern gas storage in China.Finally,this method is used to evaluate the suitability of building salt cavern in Yunying salt mine.The result is consistent with the expert opinions,which shows that this method is reasonable.


The assessment of the botanical origin of unifloral honeys is an important application in food control. The current official methods mainly use pollen analysis. The aim of this paper is to present an SPME analytical approach to the study of honey volatiles. Honey samples (40) obtained from hive sites in different regions of Italy were analysed. The samples had six different botanical origins: citrus (five), chestnut (10), eucalyptus (eight), lime tree (11), thyme (two) and dandelion (four). Melissopalynological analysis was also performed. Identification of volatile compounds was carried out by SPME/GC/MS analysis, and quantitative evaluation was done by SPME/GC/FID analysis for compounds with well- resolved peaks. Using the SPME method, all samples with the same botanical origin gave remarkably similar GC profiles. Some volatile compounds were found only in specific floral source honey samples and thus could be interesting for use as markers.  2003 Society of Chemical Industry


The distributions of atmosphere temperature and pressure along the altitude are deduced within the adiabatic atmosphere model based on Van der Waals gas.Results are compared with those of ideal gas.


A carborane derivative containing nitronyl nitroxide group was synthesized and was crystallographically and magnetically characterized. The X-ray structure analysis revealed that the molecules were crystallized in a head-to-tail dimer fashion. The intradimer ferromagnetic interaction (J/k B = +4.26(2) K) was observed.


The present report describes the test procedures and results of three in-situ full-scale tests carried out in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1998. The tests were carried out on the northbound lanes of the State Street Bridge at Interstate 15, in Salt Lake City. The first test was carried out on a three column bridge bent in the as-is condition (Bent #5), the second test was carried out on a bent which was seismically retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites (Bent #6), and the third test was carried out on Bent #5, after it was repaired with epoxy injection and a seismic rehabilitation with CFRP composites (Bent #5R). The report provides detailed information on the test setup, the loading scheme used to simulate seismic loads, a description of the condition of the as-is bridge bents, the design of the CFRP composite for seismic retrofit of the bridge bents, and an assessment of the performance of the three bridge bents. The seismic retrofit goal of increasing the displacement ductility of the bridge by a factor of two was achieved.


Review(s) of: The Computer in Composition Instruction Edited by William Wresch Published by National Council of Teachers of English, 1984 Price: $19.50 (Available from AATE, Norwood S.A.) For information and research on computer programs for teaching writing


The Disclosure Statement for
 the Bond Guarantee Program (Disclosure Statement) of the Texas
Permanent School Fund (PSF) provides information regarding the bond
guarantee program (Bond Guarantee Program) administered by the Texas
Education Agency (TEA) for the benefit of issuers, owners and beneficial
 owner


Using panel data for 15 economies from 2001-12, I identify determinants of central bank foreign exchange intervention in emerging markets ("EMs") with flexible to moderately managed exchange rates. Similar to other studies, I find that central banks tend to "lean against the wind," buying/selling more foreign exchange in response to greater short-run and medium-run appreciation/depreciation pressures. The panel structure provides a framework to test whether other macroeconomic variables influence the different rates of reserve accumulation between economies. In testing other variables, I find evidence of both precautionary and external competitiveness motives for reserve accumulation.


Clustering approaches can alleviate the burden of tagging face identities in ad hoc video and image collections. We introduce a novel semisupervised framework for clustering face patterns into identity groups using minimal human interaction. This technique combines concepts from ensemble clustering and active learning to improve clustering accuracy. The framework actively queries the user for a soft link constraint between each pair of neighboring faces that are ambiguously matched according to the ensemble. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach with the broadest evaluation of active face clustering algorithms to date. Our evaluations focus on data that is appropriate for human-in-the-loop face recognition, including blurry point-and-shoot videos, images of women seen before and after the application of makeup, and photographs of twins. The results indicate that ensemble-based constrained clustering algorithms are generally more robust to noise than alternative approaches. Finally, we show that the proposed clustering algorithm is more accurate and parsimonious than the current state-of-the-art.


The complete validation of an econometric model is a process which involves a formidable number of activities in the various steps of model building, like economic structure specification, test of hypothesis and parameter estimation, simulation behaviour and decision making. Our attention will be mainly focussed on some aspects related to simulation and decision making; in particular, the purpose of this paper is to analyze some problems of the validation process for which stochastic simulation can be profitably used.


The basalts exposed near Bukit Mersing, Sarawak are early Eocene in age, and li e conformably over the highly folded , imbricated metasediments of th e Rajang Group. Initi ally thought to be ophiolite, it lies close to the "Tatau-Bukit Mersing Line" , which was thought to be a major thrust fault or terrane suture, containi ng obducted ocean floor material. The one analysis published in 1957 showed a K20 value of 2.82%, too high for ocean floor basalt produced at a spreadin g center. New analyses confirm that K contents in these rocks are hi gh. The K is hosted in K-feldspar rims around pl agiocla se phenocrysts. Based on the chemistry, and on field relation ships , the Tau Range basalt is not ophi o lit e, but is likely to be Oceanic Island basalt, developed over oceanic crust, caused by short-lived hot spot magmatism.


Based on the analysis of Camillo Sitte and Charles Buls studies, the article discusses the contribution of the Urban Aesthetics in the understanding process of the built environment as cultural heritage. In the context for urban transformations throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century – particularly related to the viability of


The vast majority of hospitals rely on incident reporting to identify internal threats to patient safety. Yet, incident reporting suffers from major limitations. It detects only a small percentage of serious incidents, reported incidents are often minor or represent inappropriate targets for detailed investigation, and the frequency of data generated cannot track changes in safety over time because variations more likely reflect changes in reporting patterns than alterations in underlying hazards. These well-known problems with incident reporting have given rise to two avenues of improvement: enhancing traditional reporting systems and implementing alternative approaches to identifying patient safety problems. Enhancements to incident reporting have included stimulating greater reporting from frontline staff, facilitating the reporting process, improving unit or organizational culture related to incident reporting, and broadening target incidents to include near misses (which staff may feel more comfortable in reporting and analyzing). Each of these enhancements can increase reporting through greater engagement of staff. However, this increased engagement also raises the stakes because improvements in unit culture and engagement will quickly disappear (or worse, lead to staff demoralization) if reporting efforts produce no change. Alternatives to incident reporting include strategies such as trigger tools and executive walk rounds, which, despite their recent vintage, have disseminated into routine use at many hospitals, as well as application of a modern patient safety framework to traditional methods of quality assurance such as morbidity and mortality rounds. A number of other strategies exist, such as data warehouses, systematic monitoring of discrepancies in pathologic diagnoses, and use of interactive voice response systems to contact patients after episodes of care, although these strategies likely find application only in small numbers of hospitals with specialized interests, expertise, and infrastructure (Table 1, available in online article). Previous research has suggested that regardless of the advantages and disadvantages of these various detection methods (Table 1, online), each method identifies fairly distinct problems. However, the article by Levtzion-Korach et al. in this issue of the Journal provides the most impressive empiric demonstration of the lack of overlap between methods for detecting patient safety problems. The authors systematically classified the problems detected at their hospital using a Webbased voluntary incident reporting system, the hospital risk management database, patient complaints, medical malpractice claims, and executive walk rounds. Consistently applying a single taxonomy to each of the approximately 15,000 problems captured by these disparate data sources undoubtedly involved a prodigious amount of work, but the results can be summarized quite simply: Each method identified important problems that were generally not captured by any of the other methods. Simply looking at the most frequent categories of problems identified by each incident reporting method illustrates this main finding of the study. The three most commonly identified categories (four—in cases of a tie) for each of the methods are listed below: ■ Spontaneous reporting: patient identification issues, falls, and medication problems ■ Malpractice claims: clinical judgment related to diagnosis and treatment, communication, technical skills, and problems with medical records (incomplete, illegible, or missing) ■ Patient complaints: communication, ancillary services (for example, patient transport, kitchen, housekeeping), administrative issues (admission and discharge processes, scheduling) ■ Risk management: technical skills, patient and family behavior (compliance issues, unusual behavior by patient or family members), administrative issues, and clinical judgment ■ Executive walk rounds: equipment problems, electronic medical record and other such technologies, infrastructure Reporting Systems


A large number of images taken under conditions of insufficient lighting, often with overall darkness, low contrast, noise and inconspicuous details, thus affecting people's observation of the image content and the subsequent use of the image. This paper presents a novel method, Attention U-Net Dual Discriminator-Generative Adversarial Networks (AUDD-GAN), which combines attention mechanism, U-Net network structure and the dual discriminator. First, the method generates a normalized attention map to guide the subsequent modules to perform illumination enhancement to prevent overexposure or underexposure problems; second, the U-Net generative network extracts characteristics of diverse levels to acquire richer detail information; then, a dual discriminator is used as the discriminative network, where PatchGAN is used as the local discriminator to achieve better enhancement effects; ultimately, we combine multiple loss functions as the joint loss function. AUDD-GAN is verified to enhance the global contrast of the image while enhancing the detail features more effectively.


Based on the principles of topology contravariant,a new framework for error analysis of mechanical system is proposed.Using the theory,the original information space,final information space and topology contravariant operator are established to describe the error analysis problem and transform motion error space of the mechanical system to the error source space.It is a new point of view on error analysis of mechanical system to reduce error from error source space,which can be the foundation to further improve the work quality of the system.The method of error analysis is applied for the parallel robot.The result of simulation experiment indicates that the work quality of parallel robot can be further improved by reducing the parameter of the pose error.The validity of the proposed approach is demonstrated by simulation experiment.


We present a method for determining the ratio of the tasks when breaking any complex workload in such a way that once the outputs from all tasks are joined, their full completion takes less time and exhibit smaller variance than when running on the undivided workload. To do that, we have to infer the capabilities of the processing unit executing the divided workloads or tasks. We propose a Bayesian Inference algorithm to infer the amount of time each task takes in a way that does not require prior knowledge on the processing unit capability. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this method in two different scenarios; the optimization of a convex function and the transmission of a large computer file over the Internet. Then we show that the Bayesian inference algorithm correctly estimates the amount of time each task takes when executed in one of the processing units.


• The retrofitted Erie Press Binder Control Unit and GM liftgate tooling were tested in tryouts at TDM in Warren, MI using three different materials with varying thicknesses. Binder force trajectories generated by both trial-and-error and FEA were implemented and parts were successfully made. The tryout time using the system was considerably less than the estimated tryout time using conventional methods of working the die.


Introduction Suicide-related Internet use is becoming more common, and many research study its potential risks and benefits. Objectives Data on suicidal thoughts and Internet use of patients with depressive disorders were collected to assess their suicide-related Internet use and its relation to help-seeking preferences. Methods Semi-structured interviews were completed to assess Internet use patterns and suicidal thoughts among patients treated with depressive disorders, and preferred forms of help-seeking were also examined. Results 113 patients completed the interviews, most of them spend more hours a day using the Internet. More than 80% came across suicide-related contents while browsing, a quarter reported specific search for suicidal contents. In case of suicidal thoughts, three-quarters of depressed patients would seek help from a mental health professional, two-thirds from their partners, half from friends, and nearly one-third from parents, other relatives or from GPs. Most patients would prefer offline (personal) help for their psychological problems and suicidal thoughts, online methods were less preferred, with only one-fifth choosing these options. However, a third of them also considered it probable that they would not ask anyone for help. Conclusions Despite of the frequent use of the Internet, online help-seeking is less common in depressive patients. However, in the times of pandemic, online help facilities may provide an opportunity to prevent suicidal behavior for those, who have suicidal thoughts and use the Internet regularly, especially searching for suicide-related contents. In the future, further research is needed to develop more effective online suicide prevention programs and applications. Disclosure No significant relationships.


JPEG2000 is a very promising still image standard because of its excellent performance. However, it also causes a higher complexity to implement. In practice, in JPEG2000 coding systems, an image is segmented into serial tiles and each tile is compressed or transformed independently, thus creating tiling artifacts in the tile boundary. At low bit rates, tiling artifacts in JPEG2000 images are annoying. This paper introduced a new post-processing method to reduce this artifact, where max-lift wavelet subband decomposition was used and then subband coefficients were adaptively filtered and soft-thresholded. The post-processing is done out of JPEG2000 image coding systems, so it has no compatible problem with the JPEG2000 standard. Experiments showed that the post-processing was effective to obviously enhance the visual quality of the JPEG2000 image at low bit rates


In this paper a comprehensive analysis and a testing process are proposed for investigation of a self-excited induction generator working as integrated source in a low power multisource remote site. For its integration, a reliable scheme is defined and several tests are carried out with a laboratory test bench to evaluate the induction generator stability. The analysis defines a preferential operation area for each machine and the testing process reveals the evolution of the voltage stability during transients by a comparative study between autonomous mode and a mode where the induction generator is connected to a multisource DC bus. In order to avoid the voltage collapsing and the demagnetization of the machine it is necessary to identify its parameters and to define its operating working area where the best stability can be obtained as well as the limits of the load variation. The analytical model used to provide the working area is presented in the paper and also the experimental results which show the significant incensement of the load variation interval for the self-excited induction generator connected to a multisource site.


With the survival of an increasing number of premature infants, an increased incidence of retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) has been documented in neonatal centers despite the careful monitoring of both FIO2 and PaO2 levels. Johnson et al. report an incidence of 19% among infants weighing less than 2,500 gm, with 32% in the 1,000- to 1,500-gm weight group and 75% among the six survivors in the less than 1,000-gm weight category, at Pennsylvania Hospital from 1968 to 1972.


The switching-on current surge of the high-power electronic tube filaments may be restricted by gradually applying the filament voltage, series connecting resistors or an inductor in the filament circuit, and by using a leaky-flux filament transformer.


A new adaptive Kalman filter is proposed to address the problem of nonlinear systems that cannot be linearized or where the model is unavailable. Using a correlation function of the output vector of a state model system, the transition matrix of the Kalman filter is adjusted to the current situation. This adaptive transition matrix, associated to Kalman gain compensation, produces efficient state estimation. The performance of this predictor has been evaluated on a visual servoing application.


This article shows the necessary shift in missional thinking from the functional approach in most congregational studies to create purpose and consumer driven congregations to a foundational approach based on the church being an agent of the missio dei. This switch in rethinking the essential, basic missional identity of the church necessitates a rethinking of


The invention discloses a method and a system for recommending applications to an electronic device. The method includes acquiring configuration information of the electronic device after access of the electronic device to an application recommending server is detected; selecting a candidate recommendation application matched with the electronic device for recommendation according to the acquired configuration information of the electronic device. By means of the method and the system, the applications suitable for the electronic device can be recommended to the electronic device according to the condition of software and hardware configuration, recommendation of applications which are not matched with software or hardware configuration information of the electronic device is avoided, and conditions that the electronic device slowly operates and even is halted can be further avoided.


Using a Lagrangian which contains quarks as elementary degrees of freedom and mesons as bound states, a transport formalism is developed, which allows for a dynamical transition from a quark plasma to a state, where quarks are bound into hadrons. Simultaneous transport equations for both particle species are derived in a systematic and consistent fashion. For the mesons a formalism is used which introduces off-shell corrections to the off-diagonal Green functions. It is shown that these off-shell corrections lead to the appearance of elastic quark scattering processes in the collision integral. The interference of the processes $q\bar q\to\pi$ and $q\bar q\to\pi\to q\bar q$ leads to a modification of the $s$-channel amplitude of quark-antiquark scattering.


Extant research has highlighted the critical role of unabsorbed slack resources in internal innovation processes. In recent years, many firms have continued to open up their innovation processes to actively collaborate with external partners. In light of a limited understanding of the determinants of collaborative innovation, we provide new theoretical arguments about the relationship of unabsorbed slack resources with internal and collaborative innovation processes. Specifically, we draw on resource-based and competence-based logic and develop a conceptual framework for intraorganizational and interorganizational innovation with propositions for the impact of unabsorbed slack resources on internal and external knowledge acquisition and commercialization processes. The arguments underscore the critical role of excess resources in collaborative innovation, and they highlight the need for a fine-grained examination of the impact of unabsorbed slack resources in innovation processes. The arguments are particularly important in light of a renewed interest in essential enablers and barriers to collaborative innovation processes.


A hydrophobic nanocapsule controls the photophysics of aromatic molecules by suppressing their favored solution pathways. Kaanumalle LS, Gibb CLD, Gibb BC, Ramamurthy V. 2005. Journal of the American Chemical Society 127:3674–3675. A novel mechanism of endothelial protein C receptor release, in microparticulate form, by activated protein C. Casa MP, Fukudome K, Toh CH. 2004. Blood, 104:531A. A novel method to enhance the stability of alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate microcapsules. Wang MS, Childs RF, Chang PL. 2005. Journal of Biomaterials Science—Polymer Edition 16:91–113. Accumulation and fate of microorganisms and microspheres in biofilms formed in a pilot-scale water distribution system. Langmark J, Storey MV, Ashbolt NJ, Stenstrom TA. 2005. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71:706–712. Activated leukocytes and endothelial cells enhance retention of ultrasound contrast microspheres containing perfluoropropane in inflamed venules. Yasu T, Greener Y, Jablonski E, Killam AL, Fukuda S, Suematsu M, Tojo SJ, Schmid-Schonbein GW. 2005. International Journal of Cardiology 98:245–252. Activated protein C induces the release of microparticleassociated endothelial protein C receptor. Perez-Casal M, Downey C, Fukudome K, Marx G, Toh CH. 2005. Blood 105:1515–1522. Adsorption of a cationic dye molecule on polystyrene microspheres in colloids: Effect of surface charge and composition probed by second harmonic generation. Eckenrode HM, Jen SH, Han J, Yeh AG, Dai HL. 2005. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 109:4646–4653. Adsorption/release behaviour of oligonucleotides on polymeric core-shell microspheres. Tondelli L, Ballestri M, Cazzato A, Federici F, Magnani L, Sparnacci K, Laus M. 2005. Journal of Controlled Release 101:355–356. Alginate microcapsules prepared with xyloglucan as a synthetic extracellular matrix for hepatocyte attachment. Seo SJ, Akaike T, Choi YJ, Shirakawa M, Kang IK, Cho CS. 2005. Biomaterials 26:3607–3615. All-trans-retinoic acid microspheres: Preparation and in vitro characterization. Cirpanli Y, Unlu N, Calis S, Hincal AA. 2004. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences S53. Antisense peptide nucleic acid delivered by core-shell microspheres. Chiarantini L, Cerasi A, Millo E, Benatti U, Laus M, Spamacci K, Magnani L, Tondelli L. 2005. Journal of Controlled Release 101:397–398.


An endoscope cover is fitted to an endoscope comprising a cylindrical main cover body (9a) on (1), of the main cover body (9a) further comprises: a fixing portion provided at a substantially central portion thereof (12), the inner circumferential surface of the main cover (9a) for fixing the force to the endoscope (1) on the outer circumferential surface of the distal portion (2); a provided on a distal end portion thereof (2) projections (11); and a non-fastening portion (13) is provided on a rear end portion thereof and secured in a non-mounted state on the outer circumferential surface of the endoscope (1) the distal end portion (2) is.


The effect of axial energy spread on the radiation of third harmonic is studied in the free electron laser with planar wiggler and ion-channel guiding. Spread in the longitudinal momentum and so in the initial energy of electron beam, without any spread in the transverse velocity, is assumed in the form of Gaussian distribution function. The technique that is employed is a one-dimensional and steady-state simulation. A set of self consistent nonlinear differential equations that describes the system is solved numerically by Runge-Kutta method. Due to the sensitivity of harmonics to thermal effects, gain improvement of third harmonic radiation is achieved by using ion-channel guiding technique and efficiency enhancement is applied by tapering the magnetic field of wiggler to optimize radiation. The bunching parameter of the electron beam is also studied. It is found that the growth of the magnitude of the bunching parameter that is caused by the ponderomotive wave stops before the saturation point of the radiation. This means that ponderomotive wave saturates at a shorter distance compared to the radiation.


In the age of Internet, accurate sales forecasting model is of great significance to help enterprises cope with the changes of market demand and make a reasonable inventory plan. Due to the influence of many non-linear factors, the precision of traditional sales forecasting model is often unsatisfactory. In order to improve the precision of sales forecasting, this paper uses PCA to reduce the dimension of the input LSTM network data features and retain the useful information in the data, taking full advantage of the advantages of XGBoost model and LSTM neural network model, after removing the noise data, the PCA_LSTM-XGBoost combined sales forecasting model is constructed based on the entity historical data, and the comparison experiments with the single model and two typical time series forecasting models are designed and implemented. The experimental results show that under the same experimental conditions of the enterprise, the PCA_LSTM-XGBoost combination prediction model can reduce the MAPE of at least 8% in the commodity sales volume prediction compared with other models, which indicates that it has higher accuracy and better applicability.


In this paper, considering that most signals exhibit cyclostationarity and coherent sources caused by multipath propagation are often encountered in a variety of wireless communication systems, we propose a direction-finding algorithm based on cyclic cumulants to extract the desired non-Gaussian cyclostationary coherent sources by designing a fourth-order cyclic cumulant matrix and using TLS-ESPRIT algorithm. To coherent sources, a 'de-correlating' method is exploited in our cyclic cumulant matrix model. Simulation results show that not only does the approach possess signal-selectivity capability but can effectively suppress additive stationary noise and Gaussian noise in environments where the spatial characteristics of noise are unknown, even when the noise shares the same cycle frequency as the signals of interests (SOI's). Moreover, under a lower signal to noise ratio (SNR) and a smaller sampling number, it has ability to detect and resolve more coherent and incoherent sources using fewer sensors.


Synopsis Twenty-five schizophrenic patients currently experiencing Schneiderian symptoms performed a series of tasks in which drawings had to be made in the absence of immediate visual feedback. In comparison to 10 normal controls and to 30 patients not experiencing Schneiderian symptoms, the target group had great difficulty in keeping track of their performance and remembering what actions they had made. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Schneiderian symptoms (such as delusions of alien control) are associated with impairments in the central monitoring of action.


Sec. 1. Definitions. As used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings specified: (a) The term "Act" means the Indiana Uniform Controlled Substances Act of 1973. IC 1971, 35-24.1 [Repealed by Acts 1976, P.L.148, SECTION 24; Acts 1977, P.L.26, SECTION 25. See IC 35-48.] as amended. (b) The term "basic class" means, as to controlled substances listed in Schedules I and II [856 IAC 2-2-2 and 856 IAC 2-2-3]: (1) Each of the opiates, including its isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, esters, and ethers whenever the existence of such isomers, esters, ethers, and salts is possible within the specific chemical designation, listed in Section 2.11(b) [856 IAC 2-2-2(b)] of this chapter; (2) Each of the opium derivatives, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers whenever the existence of such salts, isomers, and salts of isomers is possible within the specific chemical designation, listed in Section 2.11(c) [856 IAC 2-2-2(c)] of this part; (3) Each of the hallucinogenic substances, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers whenever the existence of such salts, isomers, and salts of isomers is possible within the specific chemical designation, listed in Section 2.11(d) [856 IAC 2-2-2(d)] of this part; (4) Each of the following substances whether produced directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of vegetable origin, or independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis: (i) Opium, including raw opium, opium extracts, opium fluid extracts, powdered opium, granulated opium, deodorized opium and tincture of opium; (ii) Apomorphine; (iii) Codeine; (iv) Ethylmorphine; (v) Hydrocodone; (vi) Hydromorphone; (vii) Metopon; (viii) Morphine; (ix) Oxycodone; (x) Oxymorphone; (xi) Thebaine; (xii) Mixed alkaloids of opium listed in Section 2.12(b)(2) [856 IAC 2-2-3(b)(2)] of this part; (xiii) Cocaine; and (xiv) Ecgonine; (5) Each of the opiates, including its isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, esters, and ethers whenever the existence of such isomers, esters, ethers and salts is possible within the specific chemical designation, listed in Section 2.12(c) [856 IAC 2-2-3(c)] as amended, of this part; (6) Methamphetamine, including salts, isomers, and salts of isomers. (7) Amphetamine, its salts, optical isomers and salts of its optical isomers; (8) Phenmetrazine and its salts; and (9) Methylphenidate. (c) The term "Administration" means the Drug Enforcement Administration, formerly the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. (d) The term "agent" means an authorized person who acts on behalf of or at the direction of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser. It does not include a common or contract carrier, public warehouseman, or employee of the carrier or warehouseman. (e) The term "controlled premises" means–


There are few doubts about the current necessity of undertaking a deep analysis on what are the present transport tendencies and how planning should assist in the definition of the best strategies and actions to tackle the problems that society is now facing. Conventional planning and assessment methodologies and techniques developed to mitigate transport detrimentalimpacts have analysed observed and projected transport trends and have tried to improve their environmental and social effects, often by ex-post measures. Although this approach has led to an improvement in comparison to previous results, and despite the adoption of new regulations seeking for ex-ante mitigation, it has not led us towards meeting long-term environmental objectives. New, innovative tools and approaches are needed to enhancethe aim of sustainability. One of the most interesting methodological procedures to be followed is called backcasting: Starting from that "desirable" long-term future scenario, a set of actions required to make it viable is identified. The desirable future is defined through the use of criteriawhich can be quantified and have environmental significance. Taking into account the current trends, the actions to be undertaken will then lead usto achieve this situation. The proposed paper is focused on the application of the backcasting principles to an area of special interest due to itsenvironmental sensitivity. Most of the northwest part of the Madrid region is an environmentally protected area under national and European regulations- and the amount of traffic that it supports is expected to rise significantly if current trends continue. The Madrid metropolitan area is a very active territory in terms of economic development, with implications such as urban sprawl, traffic increase, and environmental and social detrimental impacts. In this context, a desirable future for the year 2020 is defined through the use of a set of indicators, including emissions, energy consumption, land take and travel time, which aimed values for 2020 are defined according to the policies, strategies and protocols already in force, translated to the area under study. An estimation of traffic flows throughthe area is developed using the VISUM transport model. Regarding the baseline situation, the model is run with 2004 data from the Regional Transport Authority, including origin/destination and number of trips by private vehicle and public transport, modelling such trips on the existing transport infrastructure. The amount of trips for the year 2020 in the Business AsUsual (BAU) 2020 scenario is calculated from the year 2004 data, expandedby the predicted increase in land take and its use (industrial, residential, commercial) and therefore potential population and origin-destinationsas well as different infrastructure options. In order to know the degree of environmental effects, the indicators mentioned above are calculated for the baseline scenario using VISUM results and the COPERT emission factors for each type of vehicle technology. In addition, an estimation of the likely new vehicle technologies and their emission factors for the year 2020 is also developed, which will be applied to VISUM results for 2020 BAU scenario. Indicators for the BAU scenario will then be compared with those for the desirable scenario in order to assess how distant they are. According to the differences, a set of policy options, measures and combinationsof them will be defined, including technological and demand management options. Their potential contribution to the achievement of the pursued target values will be assessed, aiming at identifying the best combination. For the covering abstract see ITRD E137145.


Generator Excitation System is used to provide the DC supply to the field winding for producing the magnetic field in the generator. It is considered as a main part and backbone of the generator. Excitation system also provides stability of the power system by controlling the system voltages which can be enhanced for considering some key factors. In this paper performance evaluation of new static excitation system of Tarbela power station has been carried out. In Tarbela there are two types of Excitation for different generating units i.e. rotary and Static Excitation system. In this paper different test results of new state of the art static excitation system has been presented and compared with the rotary excitation system. Some new features of static excitation system are also discussed for improving the response and stability of the power system.


Adams, .L, .:.11. D. Disinfection by Heat, with description of a new Disinfecting Chamber. Trans. San. Iiist. Vol. V. is84. Adams, .L1liss Rose. lvoinan's Worli in Relation to Sanitary Science. 1877. Miscel. Papers, San. lnst. Vol. I. Agnew, T7zonz.os, Ji'.U.8. Observations on the Geology of Exeter, and the improbability of there being a Subterranean Water Supply for Economical purposes. Trans. San. Inst. Vol. II. 1880. Angell, .4)-th?t)-, l~:C'.~5'. 1'he Treatment and Disposal of Sewage and of Sewage Sludge. Trans. San. Inst. Y 01. Xlll. 1892. Angell, Leiuis, llLlust.G'.7~. Impediments to Sanitary Progress. Trans. San. Inst. Vol. A'11. l~S86.


Inflation, measured as the rate of growth of consumer prices, constitutes one of the most important macroeconomic measures. It is inseparable from market inefficiencies because it brings about transaction costs, or so-called menu costs, due to the repricing of goods; it conceals price information and generally heightens uncertainty in the economy. This increases real interest rates and reduces investment. Moreover, unexpected changes in price levels lead to the redistribution of wealth in the economy. Debtors usually benefit from heightened inflation, while lenders suffer. In the absence of a well-developed labor market or the full indexation of wages, inflation has a similar influence on real wages, and, thereby, on the living standard of the majority of the population. It is therefore not surprising that most macroeconomists devote a great deal of attention to the accurate prediction of inflation. They also typically monitor producer prices as an important indicator of future consumer price growth. Increases in producer prices are reflected with a lag in prices faced by the end consumer. This article attempts, through statistical and econometric approaches, to explore more fully the relationship between the prices of industrial


This paper makes an attempt to analyse the behaviour of regional income inequalities and capital inequalities in India. It also seeks to examine the relationship between the trend in regional income inequality and regional allocation of investment among different states. Part I of the paper presents the estimates of the extent of income and capital inequalities among different states for the years 1960-61 and 1970-71. Part II analyses the interstate variations in capital-output ratio. The final part of the paper examines some alternative approaches to balanced regional development.


The utility model discloses a special wrench for an ice-coating-proof conductor spacers, which comprises a clamping device, a fastener and a detacher, wherein the clamping device comprises an upper clamp plate and a lower clamp plate, one end of the upper clamp plate is connected together with one end of the lower clamp plate by using a pin shaft, and open slots are respectively formed at the other end of the upper clamp plate and the other end of the lower clam plate, the fastener is detachably connected with the clamping device, the detacher is connected to the upper clamp plate of the clamping device, and arc surface structures are adopted in the contact position of the upper clamp plate and a conductor spacer as well as the contact position of the lower clamp plate and the conductor spacer. The special wrench provided by the utility model not only can be used for mounting common conductor spacers, but also can be used for mounting the ice-covering-proof conductor spacers, the field installation is extremely convenient, and the operating efficiency is high.


The differential diagnosis and etiological classification of the two main forms of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) [thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS)] remain challenging.1 The terms TTP and HUS are used to describe the clinical presentation of these diseases. HUS has prominent renal involvement, whereas neurological manifestations are common in TTP. The distinction is not always reliable; neurological complications can be present in patients with aHUS and renal failure not requiring dialysis can be present in patients affected by TTP.


One-dimensional linear stability analysis was performed for single-phase lead-bismuth eutectic natural circulation. The Nyquist criterion and a root search method were employed to find the linear stability boundary of both forward and backward circulations. It was found that the natural circulations could be linearly unstable in a high Reynolds number region. Increasing loop friction makes a forward circulation more stable, but destabilizes the corresponding backward circulation under the same heating/cooling conditions. The characteristic wavelength of an unstable disturbance is roughly equal to the entire loop length.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


New psoriasis therapies offer great hope for the people who suffer from psoriasis and other chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are the disn ; eases that can be treated with biological therapy which targets either the interaction between an antigen-presenting cell and the T-cell, or cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- a) that are presumed to be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis. Current biologic therapies now seem to hold promise of potentially excellent effect: etanercept ; efalizumab ; infliximab ; macrolides (tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, sirolimus). Existing therapies in Croatia are: phototherapy (PUVA or UVB) for 4 weeks and for 6 weeks therapy: retinoids (Neotigasonr ; ) + PUVA (RePUVA), cycn ; losporin, methotrexate (MTX), and in very rare circumstances systemic steroids. Rotan ; tional therapy is necessary. Topical therapy includes: keratolitics ; tar (antralin, dithranol 0.5-4%) ; topical corticosteroids ; analogs of D3 vitamnine (calcipotriol, tacalcitol) ; topical retinoids (tazaroten gel) ; naphthalanotherapy ; heliomarinotherapy and combination of all above. In Croatia we use all therapeutic possibilities as they are in Europe, except bion ; logicals which will transform the way of treating moderate to severe psoriasis. We prefer combinational therapy and principles of rotational therapy.


In the present research genotype-dependent selectivity of space memory training and extinction at mice of different lines is shown. Latency to reach the hidden platform, time of a «passive drift» and time spent in a «target» quadrant were analyzed. Mice C57BL/6J, BALB/c, CBA/Lac and AKR/J showed good learning ability to solve spatial task in a water maze. The lower parameters of learning have demonstrated mice DBA/2J. Mice C3H/HeJ have no capability to acquire of a space memory trace. The delay of space memory extinction is revealed at mice CBA/Lac and C3H/HeJ, because increase of latency to search platform was registered only in an extremity of testing without a platform and was not observed of recession of a time spent in «target» quadrant.


Introduction: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as an alternativein periodontal therapy. Presently, there is an evidence-basedlearning curve showing a first stage when it was used as cementing biomaterial as well as bone tissue regeneration stimulant. In a secondcurrent stage based and substantiated on biological evidence,it is applied for soft tissue wounds healing. This has elicited great expectations in several medical specialties, including dentistry.Method: The case here presented is of a healthy, non-smoker, 29year old female patient who attended the Graduate and Research School, National School of Dentistry, National University of Mexico(UNAM). Diagnosis emitted was localized aggressive periodontitis. After phase I, the patient was subjected to fl ap surgery with PRPand bone allograft. Results: The patient was assessed 6 and 12months after treatment. Based on the six maintenance parameters established by Drs. Lang and Tonetti, she was classified as presenting low risk of periodontal disease recurrence. Conclusions:Today's clinical operator increasingly understands the need of making decisions based upon scientific evidence. To the present datewe recognize that it is biologically possible for a higher platelet concentrationto foster healing.


Industrialized countries have agreed to cut their emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – the three most important greenhouse gases – by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2008–12. The legally binding deal was hammered out after ten days of tough negotiations by delegates from 160 countries at the climate summit in Kyoto, Japan, last month (Physics World December 1997 p7).


We apply the symplectic shell model to the breathing mode in closed-shell nuclei. The group theory of Sp(2,R) is used to embed the description of the collective monopole excitation in the framework of the oscillator shell model. This provides a microscopic description of the breathing mode by way of a diagonalization of the effective interaction in an appropriate collective subspace. We apply this model to closed-shell nuclei ranging from /sup 56/Ni to /sup 208/Pb using various Skyrme-type forces. The results confirm that a force with a nuclear matter incompressibility of about 200 MeV reproduces the experimental breathing mode energies. An evaluation of the calculated wave functions using the formalism of the Sp(2,R) boson picture indicates the importance of two-boson correlations that particularly affect the compression modulus. As an element in our analysis we compare Sp(2,R) model and random phase approximation results. This reveals the strengths and limitations of the symplectic model.


With the dramatic social changes in recent China, changes of people's trust may take place as well. The present study conducted a cross-temporal meta-analysis of 53 papers adopting Rotter's Interpersonal Trust Scale (ITS) to investigate Chinese college students' trust. The 53 papers involved 24233 college students and the data collection time ranged from 1998 to 2009. Results showed that: (1) Chinese college students' interpersonal trust was decreasing in the past 11 years, and compared to the year of 1998, it dropped 1.19 standard deviations in 2009; (2) Interpersonal trust declined significantly for both the male and the female, whereas, trust scores had no significant gender difference; (3) Interpersonal trust of students from rural area declined significantly, whereas trust of students from urban area held constant, moreover, no difference of trust scores was observed between rural and urban students.


I Memory Strategies Across the Life Span.- 1 Children's Use of Memory Strategies Under Instruction.- A Developmental Framework for Strategy Use.- Training Procedures for Acquisition and Generalization of Strategy Use.- Changes in Strategy Effectiveness with Age.- Concluding Comments.- Reference Notes.- References.- 2 Memory Strategy Instruction During Adolescence: When Is Explicit Instruction Needed?.- Does Memory Develop During Adolescence?.- Five Frequently Asked Questions About Memory Strategy Instruction.- Concluding Remarks.- Reference Notes.- References.- 3 Mnemonic-Device Instruction with Adults.- The Scope of the Chapter.- List-Learning Techniques.- Mnemonic Techniques for Prose Materials.- Summary.- Reference Notes.- References.- 4 Memory Strategy Instruction with the Elderly: What Should Memory Training Be the Training Of?.- Memory Decline in Old Age.- Memory Strategy Instruction Research.- Memory-Training Programs.- Important New Developments.- Motivation.- Summary and Conclusions.- Reference Notes.- References.- II Cognitive Strategies and Special Populations.- 5 Learning and Memory Strategies in the Mentally Retarded.- Toward a Paradigm for Strategy-Training Research.- Research on Strategy Acquisition and Transfer.- Theory and Strategy-Training Research.- New Directions for Strategy-Training Research.- Reference Notes.- References.- 6 Memory Strategy Instruction with the Learning Disabled.- Definition of Learning Disabilities.- Studies of Cognitive Disabilities.- Research on Memory Strategy Instruction.- Future Directions for Memory Strategy Instruction.- Reference Notes.- References.- 7 The Zone of Proximal Development.- Philosophical Background.- Zone of Proximal Development.- Dynamic Assessments of Intelligence.- Empirical Studies of the Zone of Proximal Development.- Implications for Future Research.- Reference Notes.- References.- III Strategies for Attitudinal and Social-Behavioral Change.- 8 Cognitive Processes in Television Viewing: Description and Strategic Implications.- Aspects of the Viewing Process.- Research on Interventions in Viewing.- Implications and Possibilities.- Reference Notes.- References.- 9 Cognitive Strategies in Advertising Design.- Issues in Strategy Effectiveness.- Visual Strategies.- Organizational Strategies.- Conclusion.- Reference Notes.- References.- 10 Cognitive Behavior Modification: The Clinical Application of Cognitive Strategies.- A Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective.- Clinical Applications.- Methodological Issues.- Summary.- Reference Notes.- References.- 11 Cognitive Strategy Training and Children's Self-Control.- Development and Verbal Control of Motor Behavior.- Cognitive Intervention Effects on Children's Delay of Gratification and Resistance to Temptations.- Effects of Cognitive Strategies in Modifying Impulsive Behaviors.- General Discussion.- References.- Author Index.


The present invention relates sulfate-containing and aluminum-containing pigments having pseudobohmitische structural units, their preparation and use in papermaking. These pigments show in the manufacture of paper for ink-jet color printer surprisingly good print results and are also easy to produce.


Cache coherence is one of the main factors that can complicate the design of Network On Chip (NoC) due to the large volume of control traffic NoCs generate. With the demand to build a scalable multicore system, this problem has become more urgent to resolve. The snooping-based approach, in spite of its simplicity, cannot scale, while the directory-based approach has better scalability but involves synchronization and message exchange, resulting in a larger latency. This paper describes an efficient directory-based cache coherence protocol for a multi-stage multicore system. The protocol decouples the directories from level-2 caches and places them in the multi-stage network. It achieves two advantages over the traditional directory-based protocol in lowering the latency by almost half due to the placement of the directories, and allowing multipath routing to better load balance the traffic and thus reduce congestion. Control message multicasting and acknowledgment message aggregation are used in the network to speed up the completion of cache coherence operations. We have applied our proposed protocol on a fat-tree topology network. The simulation results based on synthesis traffic and Splash2 trace traffic show that our NBC scheme outperforms the traditional directory-based approach.


It is important that limited government resources be channeled to the poor, but it is not always easy to identify the poor. Which households should be given tranfers when reliable information on incomes is difficult to obtain? The authors of this paper present a simple method for targeting when income is not observable but other characteristics that are correlated with income can be observed. Using survey data taken from Cote d'Ivoire, they predict incomes based on observable characteristics and distribute transfers on the basis of those predictions. It appears that significant reductions in poverty can be achieved using this method.


The study particle azimuthal anisotropy in heavy-ion collisions provides insight on the collective hydrodynamic expansion of the system and on its equation of state. The measurement of the elliptic flow, $v_2$, of D mesons compared to that of light hadrons is expected to be sensitive to the degree of thermalization of charm quarks within the quark-gluon plasma. The first measurement of D$^0$ meson $v_2$ with the ALICE detector at the LHC will be presented. The preliminary results obtained with the first Pb-Pb run at LHC show a hint of non-zero $v_2$ in $2


Plants contain and may subsequently release into the environment molecules that provide them with defenses against disease, nematodes, herbivores, and other plants. Because of genetic differences and continuous selection pressures from the natural environment, the distribution of such molecules is irregular. In addition, the concentrations of such plant molecules are determined by the environment in v^^hich they grow. Thus potential levels of chemical defenses are determined by the genetic makeup as well as the growth environment of the plant. In cases where molecules must first enter the sou before acting on an associated species, the role of sou factors such as microorganisms, amount of organic matter, and soil pH also are important in determining the active concentrations. Little information is available on the mode of action of most of these molecules. Such information can be useful in manipulating interactions to the benefit of agriculture. For example, toxicity of simple phenolic acids in soil solutions can be minimized or enhanced by manipulating soil pH and soil nutrition. The plant kingdom is a vast storehouse of chemical molecules waiting to be identified, isolated, manipulated, and used. With the advent of molecular biology and biotechnology, new opportunities for effectively using such molecules in agriculture are now at hand. Before discussing specific plant chemical defenses, let us look at the kinds of molecules found in plants. Plant Molecules


The ability and confidence of clinical medical students to insert endotracheal tubes correctly and quickly and to recognize oesophageal misplacement was evaluated. Ten (33%) of the medical students intubated the trachea correctly at their first attempt but 14 (47%) incorrectly identified the position of the endotracheal tube. However, recognition improved by their second and third attempts (70% and 80% respectively). Ninety-three percent of students intubated correctly on their third attempt. Although medical students can obtain better results at correct tube placement with repeated attempts under optimum conditions — A practice effect — And do better at recognizing correct tube placement there is still a persistent failure to recognize endotracheal tube misplacement, ie oesophageal intubation. It is the ability to recognize oesophageal intubation promptly that is a life-saving skill. This essential skill should be taught during the introductory anaesthesia programme through the use of clinical patients.


Hard rock drilling is facing increasing importance by using geothermal energy as a new energy source. Percussive drilling methods are generally well suited for drilling hard rocks. However, until now there is no drilling tool available on the market that uses percussive drilling methods and can be applied in deep boreholes in combination with common drilling muds. The aim of the DGMK project 733 is to develop a hammer drill which generates the impact energy downhole and works with conventional drilling mud. Seven different drive concepts were developed during the feasibility study. Demonstrators were manufactured for four of the seven drive concepts. The evaluation of the drive concepts showed that two of them have a high potential for the implementation in the field. These two concepts will be developed further to laboratory prototypes and were investigated at a test facility.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


We have measured high resolution electron photodetachment cross sections for substituted acetophenone enolate anions using an ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer as an ion detector and a cw dye laser as a light source. In each case we find a series of narrow resonances (half‐width∼1 nm) beginning at threshold which do not correlate with states appearing in limited basis set MO calculations. These resonances are attributed to the vibrational levels of a Rydberg‐like electronic state supported by the dipole of the product neutral. We also report the observation of higher energy resonances in the low resolution cross sections. These resonances do correlate with states appearing in limited basis set MO calculations and we assign them as π–π* states of the anion. From the high resolution data, we report electron affinities for the following substituted acetophenone enolate radicals: m‐fluoro: 2.218+0.005−0.010eV, p‐fluoro: 2.176+0.005−0.010eV, p‐H: 2.057+0.005−0.010eV, p‐C(CH3)3: 2.032+0.005−0.010eV, m‐methyl...


" W e liv e in in A lg e ria b u t our h e a rt is w ith Cuba," Ben B e lla to ld us, and he w e n t on: " th is is a tru th , n o t an em p ty phrase; the fun dam e n ta l line w h ich w e have chosen is the same and i t de te rm ines the closeness and the u n ity between ou r peoples and ou r revo lu tions ." Ben B e lla rece ived us a t the door o f the house w h ic h the M oroc can governm ent had made a v a ilab le to h im in the o u ts k ir ts o f Rabat. O utside, a n t i-a irc ra ft guns among the trees guarded the sky, a le r t fo r any co lo n ia lis t attack. Ben B e lla shook o u r hands v ig  orously. M om ents la te r i t seemed to us th a t th is m an had been a life lo n g fr ie n d , no t the e x tra  o rd in a ry leader, the hero w hom w e w ere m eeting fo r the f ir s t tim e. Ben B e lla gives the im pression o f (Continued on Page 4) Socialist Candidate Files for Congress From Minneapolis


Optically active polyenic β-keto sulphoxides 4 and 5 undergo a cyclisation mediated by SnCl4 to give easily separable diastereoisomeric dihydropyran derivatives 6a,b and 10a,b, respectively; the crystalline stereoisomers of which can be converted into (+)-dihydroacitinidiolide 7 and (–)-norambreinolide 11.


Sandwich composites marked by their characteristic high stiffness to weight ratio have received wide attention from various industrial sectors for weight critical applications. Sandwich constructions invariably comprise of different materials with distinct material properties, and are prone to peculiar failure modes. A critical and most common damage mode is face/core debonding (or disbonding). Debonds can occur due to several reasons insufficient wetting of face sheet and core during the production process, blunt body impacts, tool drop or by prolonged exposure to in-service loads. The presence of a debond compromises the safety of the structure, as lack of adhesion between face sheet and core in a sandwich undermines the integrity of the entire structure. Nowadays, structures are pushed close to their performance limits leading to significant reduction of built-in reserve margins. Therefore, from the design and analysis perspective of sandwich structures, adequate tools are necessary for damage assessment. In order to assess the critical strain energy release rate of the face/core interface or fracture toughness, accurate methodologies need to be developed. The aim of this Thesis is to develop robust fracture mechanical based tools to characterize face/core debonds. Primarily, the focus was laid on fracture based test methods to assess the strength of the sandwich interface such as the Single Cantilever Beam (SCB) and the Double Cantilever Beam loaded with Uneven Bending Moments (DCB-UBM). A parametric study is conducted to analyze the SCB sandwich specimen from a mode mixity perspective based on the numerical mode-mixity method Crack Surface Displacement Extrapolation (CSDE) method. For a wide array of sandwich systems it was shown that despite conforming to the existing sizing study, mode-mixity deviate away from mode I conditions during a SCB test. Recommendations are laid out based on the modelled results to ensure that the debonding occurs under mode I conditions corresponding to a peel loading on the face sheet. The conclusions from this finite element based parametric study can serve as input to the ASTM International draft standard currently being developed. Analysis of a force loaded SCB sandwich specimen using the Winkler model is presented. This analysis is further extended to a moment loaded SCB sandwich specimen. A new