Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive systemic disease that affect the microvascular permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and intestinal barrier leading to increased morbidity, mortality and central nervous system symptoms. In this study we examined the relationship of blood brain and intestinal barrier dysfunction in relation to uraemic environment and increased risk of developing neurologic complications and mortality. In addition, potential proteins conferring the junctional communications were assessed.

 The study included serum samples from 216 prevalent haemodialysis (HD), 80 peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 80 healthy subjects. Permeability of the BBB was evaluated by measuring serum concentrations for brain-specific biomarkers S100B, NSE (neuron specific enolase), BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) using ELISA. TMAO (trimethylamine-N-Oxide) as a surrogate of gut generated uraemic toxins was analysed by mass spectrophotometry. Subcutaneous fat tissues with identified microvessels from 10 kidney transplant recipients and 11 donors were examined for expression of tight junction proteins claudin-5, occludin and JAM-1 (junction adhesion molecule-1) by immunohistochemical staining.

 HD and PD groups showed elevated cholesterol, triglyceride, creatinine, hsCRP and lower BMI, and P-albumin compared to healthy controls. BDNF serum concentrations were lower in both HD (14.0 ng/mL, IQR 8.7-19.2) and PD (17.9 ng/mL, IQR 14.4-23.4) vs controls (20.2 ng/mL, IQR 16.7-25.7). Similarly, S100B serum concentrations were lower in both HD (31.6 pg/mL, IQR 9.4-186) and PD (49.4 pg/mL, IQR 9.8-118) vs control (87.3 pg/mL, IQR 13.3-749). Conversely, NSE serum concentrations were higher in both HD (5.3 ng/mL, IQR 4.4-6.6) and PD (4.0 ng/mL, IQR 3.6-4.7) vs controls (3.5 ng/mL, IQR 2.9-4.3). Finally, TMAO serum concentration were also higher in both HD (6.4 ng/μL, IQR 4.0-11.2) and PD (3.8 ng/μL, IQR 2.2-6.3) vs controls (0.4 ng/μL, IQR 0.3-0.6). No significant sex differences in biomarker concentration were found, except for TMAO in healthy controls. Immunohistochemistry studies of endothelial tight junction proteins in microvessels, within the subcutaneous fat tissues, showed reduced expression of claudin-5 (5%), occludin (6%) and JAM-1 (5%) in kidney transplant patients vs donors (7%, 8% and 8%, respectively), and ongoing studies are indicating a trend for altered expression of tight junction proteins after ex vivo stimulation with TMAO.

 We report that CKD5 patients showed disruption of BBB and intestinal barrier resulting in altered circulating serum levels of brain-specific biomarkers, secondary to a disruption in the tight junction protein markers in microvasculature of adipose tissue. These findings imply that it is important to continuously monitor cognitive function(s) in CKD. Further studies are needed to assess direct effect of TMAO on tight junction proteins which confer vascular permeability.


According to GB/T 26743-2011, 37 different surface state of 8 mm CFRP tendons are made on the mechanical properties test to determine some mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elastic modulus and elongation rate. The experiment process, experimental method and failure state are introduced in detail. Considering many factors to the experimental results, the results are analyzed from production process, binder type, anchorage length and fiber species. The results showed that stress-strain curves are straight lines and the failure mechanism has brittle fracture characteristics. From the point of view of detection method, anchor end must adhere sand in accordance with anchorage of resin sleeve in national standard when testing. CFRP tendon of fiber volume ratio 63%-65%, thread depth of which is suggested to be 0.3-0.4mm, is recommended to produce by one molding process. Anchorage length is suggested to be 200mm above.


In this proposed Region Indicator with Contour Segmentation (RICS) method, five major steps are followed to select the exact calculi region from the renal calculi images. In the first and second stage, the region indices library and renal calculi region parameters are computed. After that, the image contrast is enhanced by the Histogram Equalization and the most interested pixel values of enhanced image are selected by the k-means clustering. The most interested pixel values are utilized to find the accurate calculi from the renal images. In the final stage, a number of regions are selected based on the contour process. Subsequently, pixel matching and sequence of thresholding process are performed to find the calculi. In addition, the usage of ANFIS in supervised learning has made the technique more efficient than the previous techniques. Here, the utilization of contour reduces the relative error in between the Expert radiologist and the segmented calculi, which are obtained from the proposed algorithm. Thus, the obtained error is minimized that leads to high efficiency. The implementation result shows the effectiveness of the proposed RICS segmentation method in segmenting the renal calculi in terms of sensitivity and specificity. And also, the proposed method improves the calculi area detection accuracy with reduced in computational time.


Objective: The purpose of this study is to detect and evaluate the brain and spinal cord conduction function in rats with functional electrical stimulation (FES) technique, and to provide a practical simple atlas for electrode implantation in the microelectronic neural bridge system.Methods: FES was performed on the brain and spinal cord of 16 SD rats, and the normalized coordinate spinal signals of nerve and the types of evoked motion were recorded.Results: ➀ The FES technique could activate the core area of spinal cord and induced the lower limb movement of key muscle. ➁The spinal cord conduction function of the rat primary motor cortex nerves in the brain and spinal cord could be assessed by Cerebus system.Conclusions: FES can activate multiple sets of spinal nerve fibers and to complete special action.


Environmental business management integrated system of environmental management using checklists policies and strategies production marketing and external relations facilities staff and employee welfare administrative and legal issues current and future developments. Appendix: useful addresses.


In Testo Junkie, Preciado briefly introduces the figure of the 'techno-Barbie'. Contrasted with his own Testogel-fuelled pornographic experiments, the possibilities of oestrogen or progesterone seem somewhat uncharitably foreclosed upon. Though Preciado draws our attention to the gendered politics of chemical enhancement and hormonal justice, it begs the question: where do we draw the line between experimentation and chemical domination? We engage with the figure of the techno-Barbie to explore our own experiments with hormones and gendered agency in the boundaries of advanced biocapitalism. Drawing on a range of allied texts, we explore the ambivalences of our own hormonal experimentation. What kinds of hormonal experiments are allowed to be cast as such? In response to this all-encompassing theory of domination, we ask: how might the techno-Barbie speak back?


An efficient and systematic procedure is proposed for finding the optimal damper positioning to minimize the dynamic compliance of a planar building frame. The dynamic compliance is expressed in terms of the transfer function amplitudes of the interstory drifts evaluated at the undamped fundamental natural frequency. The dynamic compliance is minimized subject to a constraint on the sum of the damping coefficients of added dampers. Optimality criteria are derived and the optimal damper positioning is determined via an original steepest direction search algorithm. This algorithm enables one to find an optimal damper positioning sequentially for gradually increasing damper levels. The influences of support-member stiffnesses on the response suppression level and on the optimal damper positioning are also disclosed numerically. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Persistence of annual weeds is often related to a large number of the dormant seeds buried in soil. Dormancy enables weeds to survive and maintain the longevity as a seed bank in soil despite frequent soil disturbances and weedings. It is indicated that dormancy is the single most important characteristic of weeds which enables them to persist and flourish, and germination is critical in establishment of weed infestation (NAS, 1968). Ecological behaviors of many weeds such as the possession of seed dormancy, germination requirements, periodicity of germination and its relationship with environmental stimuli suit the purpose for their establishment and propagation at their habitats, and these are often theoretically defined as adaptation. However, our physiological and biochemical understanding of such ecological adaptation of weeds is not limited only to scientific interest, but is also important for a new approach in herbicide technology and control measures. Echinochloa oryzicola VASING. is a gramineous and representative rice paddy weed that produces large seeds (spikelets), 3 to 5 mg per seed, with innate or primary dormancy. The seed dormancy in fields was suggested to be terminated with the low temperatures from the late autumn to early spring, the fluctuating temperatures in spring and with the flooding that accompanied the beginning of rice cultivation (MIYAHARA, 1972). Seeds awakening from dormancy can germinate under oxygen-deficient conditions (MIYAHARA, 1972; KATAOKA and KIM, 1978; KENNEDY et al., 1980). and an anaerobic condition actually stimulates germination of seeds with relatively shallow dormancy (YAMASUE and UEKI, 1979). The seed dormancy could be artificially broken with respiratory inhibitors such as KCN and NaN3 (SHIMIzu and UEKI, 1972). These combined findings indicate the importance of respirationand/or oxygen-related reactions in the physiological mechanism of the dormancy and germination of seeds which germinate in fields flooded with paddy water. This paper reports the first part of a series of experiments made to elucidate the ecophysiological mechanisms of seed dormancy and germination of Echinochloa oryzicola. Specific objective of the experiments reported here was to characterize the dormant and non-dormant seeds in respiration and its related enzyme activity during the imbibition under an optimum germination condition.


With nine states presenting marijuana legalization measures in the 2016 election, the marijuana industry is poised to become one of the largest emerging industries in the indoor agricultural market. In recognition of the potential load growth associated with the expanding U.S. medicinal and recreational cannabis industry, this paper seeks to characterize the state of the market, including common industry practices, trends, and energy efficiency opportunities. To date, only limited research-based literature has been published on the energy consumption impacts of marijuana legalization and indoor cannabis growing. This paper seeks to build on previous investigations by presenting primary research that has been conducted on regional industry standard practices and measure costs. The authors have found LED grow lights, dehumidification, and space-conditioning end uses to be the primary energy efficiency opportunities available for the indoor cannabis industry. The authors will present an industry specific analysis of LED lighting energy savings, as well as the primary cost research for baseline and LED grow-light fixtures. The authors also conducted interviews with HVAC engineers specializing in indoor cannabis-growing operations and identified several energy savings opportunities.


In this issue of Leukemia and Lymphoma , Auner and colleagues report the eff ectiveness of a second autologous stem cell transplant at relapse for patients with multiple myeloma who previously underwent a stem cell transplant as part of planned induction therapy. Th ese 83 patients had a median overall survival of 31.5 months. Chemosensitivity, as has been reported for transplant in large cell lymphoma, predicts a superior outcome, and the progression-free survival after the fi rst autologous stem cell transplant also predicted a favorable outcome. Moreover, in this highly diverse population, health disparities were not recognized [1]. One important aspect of this approach was that these patients had the requisite stem cells collected prior to the fi rst transplant, and the stem cells were then cryopreserved for the possibility that they would be used as part of salvage chemotherapy. Th is approach incurred the costs of cryopreservation for up to 93 months, but the ongoing costs of maintaining the stem cells are less than the cost of a single course of novel agent-based chemotherapy. Others have also reported favorable outcomes with durable responses using a salvage second autologous (auto) transplant. Investigators at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported 44 patients who were transplanted, with a treatment-related mortality of 2% and a median overall survival from the salvage auto transplant of 31.7 months, and, as reported in the current paper, time to progression after the fi rst auto stem cell transplant was predictive of outcome following a second course of high-dose therapy. In the M. D. Anderson study, unlike the Auner study, black patients had a shorter survival [2]. A Swedish team reported 66 patients who received melphalan conditioning at 100 mg/m 2 , achieving a 62% response rate, no treatment-related mortality and a median overall survival of 24 months. Th e Swedish team concluded that a durable response after the fi rst stem cell transplant justifi ed consideration of a second stem cell transplant at the time of progression [3].


We report the investigation of the 3s←2p transition in the Bar2 cluster. In a supersonic expansion of B atoms entrained in Ar, at high beam source backing pressures we observe several features in the fluorescence excitation spectrum which cannot be assigned to the Bar diatom. Using Bar(X,B) potential energy curves which reproduce our experimental observations on this molecule and an Ar–Ar interaction potential, we employ a pairwise additive model, along with variational and diffusion Monte Carlo treatments of the nuclear motion, to determine the lowest vibrational state of the Bar2 cluster. A subsequent simulation of the fluorescence excitation spectrum reproduces nearly quantitatively the strongest feature in our experimental spectrum not assignable to Bar. Because of the barrier in the Bar(B 2Σ+) potential energy curve, the 3s←2p transition in the Bar2 is predicted to have an asymmetric profile, as is found experimentally.


This qualitative study was conducted with a convenience sample of 20 South Asian women experiencing domestic violence in the United States. The results explore the patterns of abuse as well as the factors and circumstances (i.e. turning points) that motivated South Asian women to change in the context of the stage that they were in as per the Landenburger model (binding, enduring, disengaging, and recovery). The four themes that emerged from the interviews and analysis are (1) 'Timing and Frequency of abuse', (2) 'Methods of control – financial, isolation and suspicion', (3) 'Cycle of Abuse', and (4)' Turning Points – motivation to change'. Implications for practice and policy-level changes for abused South Asian women in the United States are discussed.


CuInSe2 (CIS) thin films were prepared by ion-beam sputtering at different substrate temperatures. The films prepared at room temperature were annealed at different temperatures. Films annealed at appropriate temperatures are dense, uniform and of single-phase.


The change in relative phase between the accelerating rf fields and the beam bunches is the dominant factor of beam‐energy change in linear accelerators. Major factors of the changing rf phase are modulator high voltage jitters in the short term and drifts in environmental conditions in the long term. We have investigated influences of cooling water and air temperature changes on the rf phase and beam energy drifts in the PLS 2.5‐GeV linear accelerator. In this article, we describe how the environmental factors change the beam energy drifts.


Sickle-cell anemia, which is inherited as a dominant mendelian characteristic, is found almost exclusively in Negroes, and is the most common primary blood dyscrasia in Negro hospital patients. The sickle-cell trait, or the constitutional tendency of the bone marrow to produce elongated, semilunar erythrocytes, is found in 7.5 per cent of the Negro race. This trait becomes of significance, however, only when the number of abnormal erythrocytes is great enough to cause clinical symptoms. It has been estimated that the ratio of sickle-cell anemia to sickle-cell trait is 1 to 40. Pathology The fundamental pathology of sickle-cell anemia is blood stasis, with congestion and thromboses. It is presumed that the elongation of the erythrocytes makes their passage through capillaries difficult, thus causing stagnation of blood. Widespread and severe blood stasis may occur, these episodes being reflected in the clinical course as crises. The elongated erythrocytes are treated as abnormal cells and destroyed by the ...


The utility model discloses a high frequency transformer which comprises a magnetic core, a primary winding and a secondary winding. Insulation adhesive tape is arranged between the primary winding and the secondary winding. One end of the insulation adhesive tape exceeds the edge of the primary winding. The high-frequency transformer has the advantages of being good in insulation effect, simple in operation and less in consumed time.


This study aimed to carry out morphoanatomical, histochemical and phytochemical analysis of leaves and stems of 'Tetrapterys multiglandulosa' Cav. (Malpighiaceae), a native plant responsible for abortion and sudden death in beef cattle. Plant specimens underwent anatomical study, in which leaves and stems were dried and ground with aqueous and ethanol extracts subjected to histochemical and phytochemical analysis. Anatomical observation of vegetative organs detected the presence of simple columnar cells in the adaxial epidermis, palisade mesophyll, parenchyma with a layer of cells and paracitic type stomata. Stem cross-sections presented circular section, single layer (uniseriate) epidermis with thick cuticle and Malpighi's trichomes, the phelogen was in differentiation. The cortex showed angular collenchyma, parenchyma with exogenous channels and druse shaped calcium oxalate crystals. Phytochemical tests of aqueous and ethanol extracts of leaves and stems indicated the presence of phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids and cardiotonic heterosides. Potentially phytotoxic secondary metabolites evidenced in the leaves and stems, including saponins and cardiotonic heterosides were correlated with clinical signs observed in intoxicated animals.


This study contains the method of parenting in shaping the religious character of children in jorong Parit Panjang Kenagarian Lubuk Basung Kecamatan Lubuk Basung. Then it has the aim of knowing the parenting method in shaping the religious character of children. The research was conducted using a descriptive qualitative method. The data collection techniques used in this study include observation, interviews and documentation in searching for data related to the title of the research that is sourced directly from the family or community in Jorong Parit Panjang. The data analysis technique used in this research is through the stages of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. As for the results of this study, parenting methods are divided into habituation methods and exemplary methods.


Ruthenium-catalyzed highly selective codimerization of N-acetyl α-arylenamines with ethyl acrylates is reported. This codimerization reaction provides a new efficient method for the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated γ-amino esters with a quaternary center.


While procedural justice theory has become the dominant paradigm in thinking about police legitimacy, it has several important weaknesses. First, procedural justice's conceptually essential distinction between 'process' and 'outcome' is blurred in reality, which is visible both in empirical operationalizations and in researchers' understanding of police work. Second, procedural justice theory views society through an implicit consensus lens, making it poorly equipped to address police–citizen conflicts and structural societal inequalities. This is evident in the theory's inability to unpack the dynamics of police–citizen interactions and its reluctance to problematize the police role in contemporary plural societies. To advance our understanding of police legitimacy and police–citizen relations, particularly among marginalized groups, we strongly recommend working toward theoretical renewal and empirical diversification.


The article is concerned with the analysis of the role of credit rationing in Czech agriculture on the case of large agricultural enterprises. The part of results, first presents the author's derivation of the theoretical model (model CR-AS), which represents a good tool (approach) for the analysis of credit rationing on sector level. Second, the focus on large agricultural enterprises and relevant characteristic of agriculture ask for a small adjustment of the derived model CR-AS in the part of model application. Third, the adjusted model is expressed numerically by the employment of econometric methodology. The estimation of the model is made per partes. The co-integration is used for fitting the Cobb-Douglas pro - duction function, which embodies the long run production characteristics of large agricultural enterprises. The CR D curve is derived based on the stability assumption of the production function that is essential considering the recursive nature of the model. Finally, the specified model is employed in the ex-post analysis of the impact of credit rationing on production level of large agricultural enterprises. The outputs of the analysis suggest that, in average, the group of large agricultural enterprises might not be directly influenced by possible presence of credit rationing on the agricultural loan market. Never- theless, that might not be the case of small and middle enterprises. The analysis continues with the investigation of possible meeting of credit rationing within both the group of large agricultural enterprises and the group of small and middle enter- prises and stresses his implications. Furthermore, the role of the PGRLF (Support and Guarantee Farm and Forestry Fund) is analysed and discussed on the subject of reduction of credit rationing phenomena on the agricultural loan market.


[1] Prevalence and correlates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in people prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for ... [2] Chronic pain in the Japanese community-prevalence, characteristics and impact on ... [3] Relationship between depression and coping strategies in chronic back ... [4] Ethnic differences in the association between depression and chronic pain: Cross sectional ... [5] Depression and pain comorbidity: A literature ... [6] Chronic pain and comorbid mental health conditions: Independent associations of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression with pain, disability, and ... [7] Association of traumatic brain injury with chronic pain in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans: Impact of comorbid mental health ... [8] The relationship between chronic pain, social support, and depression in ... [9] Pilot feasibility study of a brief, tailored mobile health intervention for depression among patients ... [10] Understanding the link between depression and ... [11] Longitudinal associations between depression, anxiety, pain, and pain-related disability in chronic pain ... [12] Observing the effects of mindfulness-based meditation on anxiety and depression in chronic pain ... [13] The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the rate of chronic pain and pain catastrophizing in women with chronic low ... [14] The roles of pain coping strategies in adjustment to chronic ... [15] Comparing the role of psychological ... [16] Validation of depression anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21) for an ... [17] The depression anxiety stress scales (DASS): Normative data and latent structure in a large ... [18]


Review(s) of: The Godfather: The Life of Brian Burke, by Quentin Beresford, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 2008. pp. vii + 294. $35.00 paper.


With the exponentially increasing demand for wireless communications the capacity of current cellular systems will soon become incapable of handling the growing traffic. Since radio frequencies are diminishing natural resources, there seems to be a fundamental barrier to further capacity increase. The solution can be found in smart antenna systems. Smart or adaptive antenna arrays consist of an array of antenna elements with signal processing capability, that optimize the radiation and reception of a desired signal, dynamically. Smart antennas can place nulls in the direction of interferers via adaptive updating of weights linked to each antenna element. They thus cancel out most of the co-channel interference resulting in better quality of reception and lower dropped calls. Smart antennas can also track the user within a cell via direction of arrival algorithms. This implies that they are more advantageous than other antenna systems. This paper focuses on few issues about the smart antennas in mobile radio networks. Keywords—Smart/Adaptive Antenna, Multipath fading, Beamforming, Radio propagation.


In recent years, studies on the structure of the cochlea by surface preparations have been increasing, particularly on normal and pathologic patterns of the sensory area of the cochlea. Lindeman9 -12 applied the surface preparation technique and used phase contrast microscopy for the vestibular sensory areas and demonstrated clear regional patterns of it. I~ the present study, th.e entire surface VIew of the sensory epIthelium of the crista ampullaris was demonstrated by using the silver reaction method18.104.22.168 and the succinic dehydrogenase staining.' These two staining methods proved to be very helpful in the surface study of the vestibular sensory epithelium under an ordinary light microscope.


The article is devoted to the problem of creating an innovative organization that is ready for the uncertainty of the external environment and identifying opportunities from the emerging problems through constant generation of creative ideas and developing new products and services. For that reason the need for different approaches to perception, assessment and enterprise`s innovative activity is substantiated


A total of 192 Hyplus rabbits (male and female ratio 1:1) of weaning age 35 d were randomly divided into three experimental groups (n=64 each), group 1 was fed ad libitum (control), group 2 (R50) was restricted from 42 to 49 d of age (50 g/d/rabbit), and group 3 (R65) was restricted from 42 to 49 d of age (65 g/d/rabbit). After the restriction time, all the groups were back to ad libitum feeding till the end of the experiment (70 d of age). Growth was recorded weekly. After restriction period, haematological and biochemical parameters were measured in a week interval. During the restricted period, the values of daily weight gain in restricted rabbits were lower than in full-fed rabbits, but after restriction, when animals were again fed ad libitum, a compensatory growth was found. Final body weight (at 70 d of age) tended to be lower in restricted groups (-9%, P=0.08). Blood plasma glucose, total protein and urea concentrations were not significantly affected by feed restriction in growing rabbits. However, feed restriction reduced blood plasma triacylglycerols (-23% in R50 and -16% in R65 vs control, P<0.05), and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA, 19 % in R50 and 23% in R65) while increased cholesterol (+27 % in R50 and +29% in R65 vs control, P<0.01). Feed restriction reduced the erythrocyte number by 6 and 7% in R50 and 3 resp. (P<0.05) and haemoglobin concentration by 7 and 5% in R50 and R65, resp.(P< 0.01), meanwhile mean cell volume (MCV) was increased by 1.5 and 2.7% in R50 and R65, resp. (P<0.05). Feed restriction had no significant effect on leukocyte number and haematocrit value. It could be concluded that short-term limitation of the feed intake improved feed conversion ratio, had a limited negative effect on final body weight, reduced blood plasma TAG and NEFA, and seemed to produce normal blood picture in fattening rabbits.


Objective: To detect the changes of serum cardiac troponin T(cTnT) in patients with high altitude pulmonary edema(HAPE). Methods: The levels of cTnT in patients with high altitude pulmonary edema were determined by radiaoimmunoassay before and after treated with nitrogen monoxide(NO). Results: The level of cTnT in HAPE subjects before NO treatment was higher than that after NO treatment(p0.01), and blood oxygen saturation(SaO2) in finger before NO treatment was lower than that after NO treatment(p0.01). The cure rate for HAPE with NO was 100%.Conclusion: There was myocardial damage and heart function fall in HAPE cases, and NO might be a very effective therapeutic drug to this disease.


The O(1D,3P)+CH3F reaction has been investigated using universal crossed molecular beam methods. The following reaction channels: HF+H2CO, H+CHFOH/CFH2O, and H2+CFOH/CHFO, have been observed in a single set of experiments. Time-of-flight spectra have been measured for products from these channels. Product angular distributions have been determined for these product channels, indicating that the dominant dynamical pathway for the reaction is the insertion mechanism. Relative branching ratios of the observed reaction channels have also been estimated. Experimental results in this work indicate that the HF formation channel is the dominant reaction pathway. This study provides a rather complete dynamical picture of the multiple channel O+CH3F reaction. It is believed that the O(1D) reaction is playing a major role in this experiment since it is energetically more favorable.


T. J. Hochstrasser explores some of the same materials from a different angle. His complex analysis of the central conceptual role of sociability in early natural law shows how the earliest histories of moral philosophy grew out of reflection on natural law, and recovers early natural law theorists' own conceptions of what they were doing, which have otherwise been forgotten. A chapter on the precise meaning of sociability in natural law theory is followed by a comparison between Leibniz and Pufendorf on voluntarism and moral epistemology. Thomasius and then Christian Wolff are shown to have followed through on the implications of sociability. In Thomasius's case this meant that although God was still a theoretical figurehead, He was now marginal for public debate. For Wolff, God was even more dispensable. Self-consciously Christian philosophers had prepared the way for the atheists, even via their refutations of the atheists.


Art, perception and visual thinking in the context of Rudolf Arnheim's theory Knowledge of the world and education is traditionally based primarily on reading books, in which the main tool is the language that enables knowledge and education to be passed on to people. Since language is used to naming things and is an established means of communication, we understand it as a tool for interpreting reality, not for self-evaluation of a given reality. In this context, the image, and in our case, the work of art, is an authentic means of sensory communication, which is a direct form of communication, so its meaning is not interpreted in any way, that is, changed or enriched by other connotations and meanings. Sensory perception is thus based on the authentic experience of the recipient and creates the possibilities of language. German art psychologist Rudolf Arnheim (1904–2007) dedicated his lifelong research to the theories of sensory perception of art that lead to visual thinking. The language of art is understood as an expression medium that acts on the sensory component of human perception and thus creates the true reality of the seen. In this context, he devoted himself to the problem of analyzing the language of art, which he understood as the only authentic approach to reality. Art thus becomes a sovereign means of communication, which brings through the perceptual components a new interpretation of a given reality. Sensory perception of the seen is an active and creative process of comprehension that is composed of invention and intelligence. The characters are structured within the framework of the ten major visual categories that make up the whole of the seen. Art thus reveals the true nature of things and human existence, and that is one of its main roles. In connection with these theories the devotion to art, whether as a viewer or a theorist, develop our productive thinking and help us better understand the true reality of the world in which we live. This knowledge is authentic because it is based on our own sensory experience. This is not an interpretation or a given interpretation of a thing, but a matter in itself, which primarily affects our visual senses through the empathy, subjectivity, experience, emotions and knowledge of each person. Images are the basic elements that make up the human understanding of the world and without which we would not be able to fully understand human civilization.


Abstract As a consequence of the Affordable Care Act's enhancements of Medicare benefits, certain recommended clinical preventive services became available to Medicare beneficiaries without cost-sharing. We study the impact of these mandates on racial/ethnic disparities in the use of preventive services among traditional Medicare beneficiaries. We analyze nationally representative data on non-institutionalized Medicare seniors from the 2006-2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (N=27,124). Our preventive services of interest include yearly receipt of cholesterol check, blood pressure test, flu shot, endoscopy, blood stool test, clinical breast examination, mammography and prostate exam. We estimate propensity score weighted difference-in-difference (DID) models to test for differences in preventive services utilization by race/ethnicity. Among traditional Medicare beneficiaries, we do not observe significant change in the use of most preventive services for Blacks and Hispanics compared to their White counterparts. However, Hispanics have significantly increased their use of blood stool tests relative to whites. Overall, we do not find major evidence to support a differential effect of reforms on race/ethnic minorities' uptake of preventive services following the mandates. Our results suggest that despite an overall benefit trough services expansion and cost-sharing elimination race/ethnic group differences persist. As such, disparities might continue and would require additional interventions. Reduction in disparities is a stated goal of US policy for many decades and achieving equity might require additional work and more varied and targeted interventions.


Synthetic utility of 1-fluoro-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (FTNB) as a condensing agent was investigated. The use of FTNB and DMAP was found to be very effective for direct esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols or thiols. However, this system was not very effective for macrolactonization. Reaction of 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl esters with several nucleophiles was investigated briefly. Plausible reaction mechanisms of esterification are presented. It seems that the reaction proceeds via the intermediacy of 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl esters by initial formation of 2',4',6'-trinitrophenyl-4-dimethylaminopyridinium salt from which the trinitrophenyl group is transferred to the carboxylic acid.


This study examines differences across gender in eight components of life effectiveness in pre- and post-studies. This study also measures differences in rural youths' attitudes toward positive youth development (Psy4life) programme across three demographic factors (gender, educational level, and past involvement in youth programmes). We predicted that there would be differences between male and female in life effectiveness and its components and that there would be differences in youths' attitudes toward Psy4life programme according to the three demographic factors. Twenty rural youths participated in Psy4Life programme (9 male, 45%; 11 female, 55%; mean age: 15.3, SD=1.81). In the post-study, Mann-Whitney U Test results showed significant differences between males and females in life effectiveness and three of its components (achievement motivation, intellectual flexibility, and leadership). In the pre-study, only intellectual flexibility was associated with significant gender differences. There were no significant differences in attitudes toward Psy4life programme across gender, education level, and past involvement in youth programmes. We assumed that female participants might be more motivated, open to new ideas, and capable of leading a group than male youth. Attitudes towards youth programmes might differ based on other factors, such as extrinsic and intrinsic motives, which need to be examined in the future. © 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.uk


Conclusions We hypothesize that the femoral I/R vein will show an increase in blood H2O2 release compared to its counterpart sham femoral vein. Whereas, a decrease in NO release is expected in the femoral I/R vein compared to the sham vein of saline control animals. When the direct NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin (T1/2 3h), is given at the beginning of reperfusion we predict a decrease in H2O2 release and an increase in endothelial-derived NO bioavailability compared to saline control group.


The results of the precision study of the distribution of platinum group elements (PGE), including gold, in the mesoarchean (2.9-3.0 Ga) komatiite-basaltic complexes of the Vedlozero-Segozero greenstone belt have been presented. Variations of PGE contents in the main geochemical and lithofacies types of komatiitic series have been established.


Innovative thoughts and innovative results can be found everywhere in Mao Zedong Thought.These innovative thoughts and innovative results are characterized by sticking to seeking truth from facts,being brave enough to criticize,being good at independently dialectical thinking and emphasis on investigation and research.In the teaching of the course Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought,such teaching methods as can make good use of students' active functions are used,including questionnaires,research learning,question discussion,lecturing and story-telling.Thus the students can have a better understanding of the results,spirits and characteristics,which will play a great role in fostering students'innovative spirit,innovative personality and innovative competence.


5-Chlorosalicylaldehyde azine (1) has been reported to exhibit a typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature in our previous work. In this work, we further discovered that AIE fluorescence of 1 could be selectively quenched by Cu2+, hence 1 and Cu2+ complex was applied as a turn-on fluorescence probe for pyrophosphate (PPi) detection in aqueous solution. 1H-NMR data of the isolated products revealed that the addition of PPi underwent displacement of 1 in 1–Cu2+ complex, which led to the release of free 1 to aqueous solution, resulting in recovered AIE fluorescence. With fluorescence enhancement detection by the 1–Cu2+ complex, the linear range and detection limit for PPi were obtained as 0–15 μmol L−1 (R2 = 0.997) and 0.064 μmol L−1, respectively, with satisfactory selectivity over other anions. The method was also used for PPi detection in serum samples.


Objective To get epidemical data of dental fluorosis in 12-year-old people of urban districts and rural areas in Tianjin.Methods To investigate dental fluorosis of 12-year-old residents in 3 urban districts and 3 counties by way of sampling survey according to the standards of the third national oral health epidemiological investigation.Items of the survey included case rate of dental fluorosis and community dental fluorosis index(CFI).A total of 774 persons,including 391 boys(197 boys in urban districts and 194 boys in rural areas) and 383 girls(188 girls in urban districts and 195 girls in rural areas) were sampled.Results Case rate of dental fluorosis of 12-year-old people was 63.6% in Tianjin,in urban districts was 56.6%,in rural areas was 70.4%.CFI of 12-year-old people in Tianjin was 1.53.So,it was middling degree of fluorosis epidemiogenesis in Tianjin area according to the standard of WHO.And light and terrier light dental fluorosis were major in urban districts and midrange dental fluorosis was major in rural areas.12-year-old people with severe dental fluorosis were less no matter in urban districts and rural areas in Tianjin.Conclusion There was a middle degree of fluorosis epidemiogenesis in Tianjin,and a tendency that the prevalence of dental fluorosis of rural areas was more severe than that of urban fields.It showed that the content of fluorine in water was high in rural areas in Tianjin.So the work of removal of fluorine from water should be reinforced.


Fire smoke is an important causation resulted in many casualties in the fire of multi-floor buildings. Typical cases were simulated as multi-floor building fires by a reduced-scale experimental storied building model and the characteristics of fire smoke flow from fire source were studied by groups of experiments referring to actual environment. The results indicates that smoke temperature lowers continuously due to heat exchange, but smoke could rise to upper storey rapidly and sediment quickly, furthermore, the concentrations of toxic components of different cases involved could increase with the temperature of fire source increase. Analysis shows that the results comply well with the investigated findings of real fire.


Issued as Quarterly technical status reports no. [1-3], and Annual report, Project no. E-16-C03 (subprojects are E-21-C03, B-495, G-35-C03; continuation of E-16-C02; continued by E-16-C04)


The researches were performed during 2006-2008, at USAMVB Timisoara, at the Research Centre for Pastures and Forage Plants, on a salty chernozem, moderately gleyed, with pH pH (H2O) of 6.21 on the depth of 0-13 cm. The experimental display was consisted of a bifactorial experience, with the following graduations: A - bacterial inoculation of the alfalfa within the association (a1 - not bacterized, a2 - bacterized); B - nitrogen-fertilization doses (b1 - N0, b2 - N30, b3 - N60, with application after each cutting). During the experimental period, the biggest total nitrogen amount was obtained in the second year of vegetation (240 kg/ha), and in the first and the third years of vegetation, the results were similar (207 kg/ha and 209 kg/ha). Every year of vegetation, the bacterized variants produced total nitrogen amounts that were much bigger than in the not-bacterized variants, 17.8%-fold bigger in the first year of vegetation, 28.1% in the second and 21.2%-fold bigger in the third year. The interaction of the factors studied proved that, on the average for the utilization period of the pasture consisted of Dactylis glomerata + Medicago sativa, the biggest total nitrogen content, 248 kg/ha, was achieved in the variant with bacterized alfalfa and N60-fertilization, namely 45%-fold bigger than in the variant that was not bacterized and nitrogen- fertilized.


the Model for Improvement (IHI) to determine measures around baseline, benchmark, and sustainability. Expected length of treatment (time in chair) vs. actual length of treatment data was collected for 30-days. Variances were investigated and assessed against benchmark. Direct care time during treatment was identified as the greatest influence to variation. Direct care time by treatment was reviewed and given an 'acuity scale'. This matrix was then applied by the team leader and clerk when scheduling appointments. Further P-D-S-A cycles included adjustments to expected length of treatment and smoothing out allocations by assessing acuity in 15-minute blocks. These changes resulted in a reduction of non-value added chair time for the patients, improved on-time scheduling and a reduction in over-time for unit staff. The improved matrix was used to establish electronic scheduling plans. The Scheduling Improvement work demonstrates the benefit of reducing nonvalue added chair time to patients by adding an acuity scale for smoothing workflow. This method has also been used in the Theatre Perfect List project with success. Abstract: This work was undertaken at the Chemotherapy Day Unit of Ballarat Health Services in Victoria, Australia by a team comprised of the redesign lead, nursing, and clerical staff. The need for improved scheduling was highlighted in the Victorian Chemotherapy Service Redesign Project (VCSRP). During baseline data collection it was determined that 50% of patients were experiencing nonvalue added chair time. SMOOTHING OUT SCHEDULING IN A REGIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY DAY UNIT BY ADDING AN ACUITY SCALE TO LENGTH OF TREATMENT Ballarat Health Services


The simulation of physical systems is a very important task in modern product development. Besides single domain systems also the simulation of multi domain systems as a whole has increasing importance. This work deals with coupled simulation of multi domains, especially mechanical, hydraulic and electric ones, using co-simulation: the subsystems are integrated by their own integrators and are dynamically connected at discrete macro time steps. The main aspect lies on stability improvements and parallelization to achieve time efficient simulations on multi CPU computers. Beside analytical considerations also examples of industrial relevance are given showing the power of parallel multi domain co-simulations.


Abstract The area of reproductive politics in Italy demonstrates both a process of secularisation and desecularisation. On the one hand the highly conservative Assisted Reproduction Act of 2004 has been challenged in the courts leading to a resecularisation of this area of law. On the other hand the Abortion Act of 1978 has been descularised by the high usage by doctors of the conscientious objection clause of the Act. This article looks at this parallel movement of both secularisation and desecularisation.


Four complete water-soluble fertilizer (WSF) formulations including micro- nutrients applied at 200 mg·L L1 nitrogen (N) at each irrigation (Peters Excel (21N-2.2P- 16.5K), Daniels (10N-1.8P-2.5K), Peters Professional (15N-1.3P-20.8K), and Jack's Professional (20N-1.3P-15.7K)) were compared with two controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) products (also containing micronutrients) substrate incorporated at transplant at a rate of 3000 g·m L3 of substrate (Osmocote Plus (15N-4P-9.9K, 90 to 120 days longevity at 21 8C) and Osmocote Bloom (12N-3.1P-15K, 60 to 90 days longevity at 21 8C)) in the greenhouse production of four commonly produced bedding plant species with high alkalinity irrigation water (pH 7.1, 280 mg·L L1 CaCO3 equivalent). Species included Argyranthemum frutescens (L.) Sch. Bip. 'Madeira Cherry Red' and iron-inefficient Calibrachoa Cerv. hybrid 'Cabaret Pink Hot', Diascia barberae Hook. f. 'Wink Coral', and Sutera cordata Roth 'Abunda Giant White'. Additional treatments included a combination of 100 mg·L L1 Excel and 2100 g·m L3 Osmocote Plus and an Osmocote Plus treatment irrigated with reduced alkalinity water (acidified to pH 6.3, 92 mg·L L1 CaCO3 equivalent). Bedding plants were evaluated at the end of a finish or market stage (3 or 5 weeks depending on species) for shoot dry mass (SDM) and root dry mass (RDM), tissue nutrient concentrations, and visual quality rating (0 to 4). At 3 weeks, there were no significant differences in SDM and RDM between fertilizer treatments for any of the four species. Shoot dry mass significantly increased at 5 weeks in the WSF and combination treatments over the three CRF only treatments for Argyranthemum and over the non- acidified Osmocote Plus treatment only for Calibrachoa. At finish, 3 weeks for Sutera and Diascia and 5 weeks for Argyranthemum and Calibrachoa, visual quality rating for all species was lowest when using Osmocote Plus with or without acidified irrigation water compared with the WSF treatments, except the Daniels treatment in Argyranthemum, which also resulted in a low visual quality rating. Leaf tissue N for all species and phosphorus (P) for all except Diascia were below the recommended range for bedding plant crops in the CRF treatments, which was reflected by the lower substrate electrical conductivity (EC) for the CRF alone and combination treatments. Leaf tissue N and P were related to visual quality rating for all species, leaf tissue potassium (K) for Argyranthemum and Calibrachoa only, and leaf tissue iron (Fe) for Diascia only.


The paper present a brief analyze of tools used in estimating competition in Romania from the perspectives of economic theories. From classical index such Concentration ratio or Herfindahl-Hirschman index to extensions as Average relative size of firm to some new proposals from Romanian economic literature. For all commented indicators are presented some data analysis and in particular on the correlation between number of firms and concentration. The main conclusions are in the direction of an aggregate index as sole realistic possibility to characterize the multidimensional aspects of competition (market structure, economic process, and strategic behavior) correlated with the critical observations presented.


The analysis of negative impact of flexible mechatronic system parameter error and its reduction is presented in this contribution. The MPC method is proposed to use for reduction of double notch filter insufficient effect, which was initially integrated into system for flexible joint parasitic frequencies elimination. Simulation experiments results – response of system angular velocity and control process quality analysis confirmed the correctness of proposition of MPC controller using.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the structural relationships among skepticism, experiential risk, cognitive dissonance, experiential quality, brand experience and experiential satisfaction, switching intentions and switching behavior from the perspective of green branding.

Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from consumers who had purchased environmental shampoos, obtaining 613 valid samples which were analyzed with structural equation modeling.

Findings
The results indicate that green brand experiential risk, green brand cognitive dissonance, green brand experiential quality and green brand experience influence green brand experiential satisfaction. In addition, green brand experiential satisfaction has an impact on green brand switching intentions, which, in turn, positively influence green brand switching behavior.

Practical implications
To decrease the perceptions of green brand skepticism, green brand experiential risk, green brand cognitive dissonance, green brand switching intentions and green brand switching behavior and increase the perceptions of green brand experiential quality, green brand experience and green brand experiential satisfaction, the findings will help environmental organizations develop and implement market-orientated product strategies.

Originality/value
The results provide a better understanding of the relationships among skepticism, experiential risk, cognitive dissonance, experiential quality, brand experience, experiential satisfaction, switching intentions and switching behavior in an environmental context.


ABSTRACT:This essay explores the question whether characters can exist without being signified in any way. If characters can exist trans-medially, independently of a particular form of signification or sign-vehicle, why not exist without any signification at all? What kind of existence would such a character have? And, paradoxically, what would examples look like? While the question at face value might appear logically invalid, I argue that at (or just beyond) the minimalist end of the character-representational spectrum, we find what might be called implied characters, that is, characters that are not in any way given, represented, named, or performed, but can only exist in the minds of their players during play, as a formal slot without physical, structural, communicational, or mental properties.


The rat cerebellum was previously shown to contain two polypeptides, a hexadecapeptide termed cerebellin and an apparent metabolite des‐Ser1‐cerebellin. The cerebellins have a high degree of sequence homology with residues 625–641 of the polyimmunoglobulin (polyIg)‐receptor adjacent to its membrane‐spanning domain. Since the cerebellins are localized in Purkinje cells and enriched in synaptosomes, this might indicate that cerebellin is a specific proteolytic cleavage fragment of a synaptic protein involved in the transcytosis of an unknown ligand. Using a specific cerebellin radioimmunoassay described here combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography, cerebellin immunoreactivity could be demonstrated in the cerebella of all vertebrates examined from man to chicken. Cerebellin immunoreactivity is localized to Purkinje cells in the rat, mouse, and chicken. Furthermore, cerebellin expression is under developmental regulation in both the chicken and mouse. In addition, neurodevelopmental mutations of mice that eliminate granule cells cause a large deficit in cerebellin levels, suggesting some form of transneuronal regulation.


With the growing number of resources on self-determination, teachers may find it difficult to locate the information that will be most useful for planning educational programs. This article provides a map for teachers to use in searching the self-determination literature to find usable ideas. This map includes two primary paths. The first leads through the conceptual literature to the destination of increasing understanding of self-determination. In following this path, teachers may locate information on the concept or on its specific components, such as choice making, problem solving, and self-advocacy. Examples include conceptual resources that may be especially useful for teachers. The map also points to pitfalls to avoid while gaining understanding of self-determination, such as assuming that everyone values the same adult outcomes. The second path travels through the intervention literature, including research studies, how-to resources, and published curricula, and leads to designing self-determination instruction and environmental supports. Examples are offered from these resources on how teachers can develop Individualized Education Programs, identify teaching strategies, develop environmental support, and use the resources for personal development.


State machine based formalisms such as labelled transition systems (LTS) are generally assumed to be complete descriptions of system behaviour at some level of abstraction: if a labelled transition system cannot exhibit a certain sequence of actions, it is assumed that the system or component it models cannot or should not exhibit that sequence. This assumption is a valid one at the end of the modelling effort when reasoning about properties of the completed model. However, it is not a valid assumption when behaviour models are in the process of being developed. In this setting, the distinction between proscribed behaviour and behaviour that has not yet been defined is an important one. Knowing where the gaps are in a behaviour model permits the presentation of meaningful questions to stakeholders, which in turn can lead to model exploration and thus more comprehensive descriptions of the system behaviour. In this paper we propose using partial labelled transition systems (PLTS) to capture what remains to be defined of the system behaviour. In the context of scenario synthesis, we show that PLTSs can be used to support the iterative incremental elaboration of behaviour models.


address space. For example, a C language program has a single main function from which all other threads are created. Each thread in turn is defined as a C function within the overall program. Typically both the RTOS and the application reside in unprotected memory, where physical and logical addresses are the same. There may be some use of supervisor/user modes of operation that restrict applications in user mode from issuing certain instructions, thereby adding modest protection. Fundamentally, though, all memory is visible to all the application, which has both pluses (performance and simplicity) and a big minus (vulnerability to memory corruption bugs).


Students eagerly file into the classroom-some with great anticipation, some with uncertainty, and some with a considerable amount of fear. The buzz begins about where they will request to be placed for their field experience as a student teacher in agricultural science. One student mentions that he has to stay in the immediate area because of his apartment lease. Another student provides their well-rehearsed verse of why they need to teach at a school back near their hometown, even though it is over 200 miles away from the university. A third future teacher wants to go to a particular school that doesn't have that great of a program because she has heard that the teacher there will be retiring at the end of the year. The student teacher figures she'll have a great shot at the job if she does well. And then a lone hand is raised... "Which school would teach me everything about a wellrounded program, from quality classroom instruction to maintaining facilities, from good discipline to school and community support, from diverse curriculum offerings to involvement in many FFA activities? Who will teach me about budget and transportation requests, conducting fundraisers, and supervising projects? Where can I learn about adult support groups, service activities, and being a respected member of the community?" These individuals have assembled at an orientation meeting for next semester's student teachers. Each student knows, from having observed previous blocks, that they will have to dress professionally each day... no denim-ties for the gentlemen, closed-toe shoes for the ladies-get rid of non-traditional and exposed piercings, etc. The person walks in and utters his first words: "Congratulations, and thank you for choosing the greatest profession in the world." "What?! In spite of all the questions that exist, this guy wants to congratulate us on a decision we made several years ago? And what have we done to deserve a 'thank you'?" The discussion about this issue's theme - Passing the Torch - can take on many forms and vantage points. As an agricultural science teacher, we begin making an impression on younger brothers and sisters of high school students; thus, what we do may influence the career choice of an eight- or twelve-year-old. When we teach a high school student, we do things that may influence the career choice of a sophomore or senior. The young adult who arrives at the university, unsure of her or his major, might take our class or join the club we advise. Surely we will be under a watchful eye and impressionable mind. We have an opportunity to influence the career choice of students of all ages. So why should we be concerned about the career choice of that person who is fixing to student teach? Haven't they made their career choice? Haven't we done our job to sustain the profession by serving as a teacher educator? Ingersoll (as cited in the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, 2002) indicated that an estimated one-third of America's teachers leave the field sometime during their first three years of teaching, and almost onehalf leave after five years. A person who is "considering a career in Agricultural Education" is clearly that high school student, the college freshman, and even the student teacher. But aren't the first-year teacher and the one in her tenth year still "considering a career in Agricultural Education." What is being done to retain these teachers? Retention efforts are indeed a part of "Passing the Torch." This brings us back to the professor who opened the orientation meeting with words like "congratulations" and "thank you." These few words have such big meaning. Quite likely you have been congratulated for some element of success you enjoyed as a teacher. But have you ever been congratulated for becoming a teacher? Perhaps someone has thanked you for something you did as a teacher, but have you ever been thanked for becoming a teacher? Simple words like these can provide a huge boost in a profession that is often thankless. …


A nanocrystal structure has been revealed in muny phosphors and the relationship between nanocrystal size and phosphor performance was found by a 3-dimensional model to simulate the cathodoluminescence (CL) excitation process under Field Emission Display (FED). The experimental resultsfor efiiciency and saturation of three sets o j Y,O,:Eu samples and one set of SrGaJ,:Eu samples provide the evidence,for the proposed 3-0 model.


Increases in available soil N under forests can affect several ecosystem functions including soil CO2 fluxes and microbial activity. Most of the studies, concerning reactive N deposition in natural ecosystems, are located in the northern hemisphere, meanwhile little is known in southern forest ecosystems, including deciduous Nothofagus forests. We evaluated the effect of reactive N additions (N-NO3 broadcasted under 20 trees at a rate of 400 Kg ha-1 yr-1) in soil CO2 fluxes (Rs, μmol CO2 m-2 s-1), microbial biomass C (MBC), and related ecophysiological indexes, in the most septentrional N. glauca forest of Chile (19S 310464 S, 6213139 W). Twenty additional  N. glauca trees, with no N additions, were used as controls. After seven months of N-application, soil respiration was significantly higher (p<0.001) under the N-fertilized trees than in the control trees. Soil MBC, the ratio between MBC and soil organic C (qmic), and the ratio between cummulative basal respiration and SOC (qmin) decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the N-enriched trees, but only after two years of N application. Basal respiration and the metabolic quotient qCO2 were not affected by N enrichment. Even though soil respiration increased, N enrichment inhibited microbial activity. Temporal variations in MBC, basal respiration, and qmic were also found and were associated to water availability.


to November 1991. five months after the Nepali Congress 's eJection victory and shortly before prime minister Girija Prasad Koiralals official visit to India, Tribhuvan University's Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies organized a seminar entitled "Continuity and Change in Nepalese Foreign Policy," focussing on Nepal ' s relations with her Southern neighbour. This volume comprises five major papers, together with discussants' comments, an inaugural address by the cenlre ' s director. Durga Bhandari, and an "Afterword" by the editor. Whilst all contributors are enthusiastic about the change to democracy in Nepal, three of them had ministerial experience under the panchayat regime: Rishikesh Shaha, though a fierce crilic of the panchayat system from the lale '60s onwards. served as King Mahendra's fmance and Ihen foreign minister shortly afler the 1960 royal coup and was also a principal archilect of the 1962 constitution; the lale Ram Rajbahak was a former Minisler of Industry; and Arjun Narsingh K.C., now an influential Congress M.P., was once Minisler of State for Health. Another of the main participants, Lok Raj Baral, probably Nepal's best-known polilical scientist, rtmained a full-time academic throughout the panchayat cm but ha!i !ongstanding links with the Congress Party and in 1992 was asked by the govemmenl to conduct a one·man investigation inlO the Tanakpur agreemenl, the India-relaled issue currently causing the greatest controversy in Nepal. Thus, whilsl the seminar proceedings do not strictly reflecl Nepal government policy, they provide the reader with a useful picture of Nepalese establishment thinking. The kingdom of Nepal, established at the same time that Clive was lying the foundations for British hegemony in India, was never brought under formal British control and therefore does not today form part of the lndian Union. Nevertheless, as a society dominated by caste Hindus whose language is closely relaled 10 Hindi, ils cultural links to India are extremely strong. Economically. it is highly dependent on the more developed lndian economy, since the river valleys which facilitate the movement of people and goods run southwards towards the lndian plains rather than east-west !hrough the hills, because military and civil employmenl in India has long been a vital source of additional income for hill fanning communities. Finally, the country's geographical position along the Himalayas, the natural border between south and cenlral Asia, makes it of vital strategic concern to New Delhi. Offsetting these factors binding Nepal to India is the strong sense of separation from, and dislrusl of the plains-dwellers which has long characterised !he hill Nepali. Any govemmenl in Kathmandu is therefore caught in a dilemma: 10 accept a 21


The fuzzy controllers have demonstrated their effectiveness in the control of nonlinear systems, and in many cases have established their robust and that their performance is less sensitive to parameter variations over conventional controllers. In this paper, Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Controller (IT2FLC) method is proposed for controlling the speed with a direct stator flux orientation control of doubly-fed induction motor (DFIM), we made a comparison between the Type-1 Fuzzy Logic Control (T1FLC) and IT2FLC of the DFIM, first a modeling of DFIM is expressed in a (d-q) synchronous rotating frame. After the development and the synthesis of a stabilizing control laws design based on IT2FLC. We use this last approach to the control of the DFIM under different operating conditions such as load torque and in the presence of parameter variation. The obtained simulation results show the feasibility and the effectiveness of the suggested method.


This invitation explains our goal and illustrates specific objectives of macromarketing study. It identifies current priorities in macromarketing thought and explains why we believe the Journal of Macromarketing can serve the professional scholar and public and managerial social policy formulating communities concerned with marketing.


The Department of Health and Human Services announces the implementation of the Pro-Children Act of 1994, which prohibits smoking in certain facilities in which education, library, day care, health care and early childhood development (including WIC and Head Start) services are provided to children. In accordance with section 1043(d) of the Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is publishing the prohibitions which restrict smoking in certain indoor facilities.


Hepatitis B virus (HBV) Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are among the most commonly transmitted viruses through blood and blood products. The diseases hepatitis B hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS cause severe morbidity and mortality in the developing world and especially in the sub-Saharan Africa. Hepatitis B is highly endemic in Kenya; in the period before the HIV pandemic the prevalence among blood donors was about 10% (1). From the early 1990s the prevalence of HBsAg among blood donors has steadily declined to about 3.4% in 2004 (Okoth personal communication). This has been due to selection of donors from low risk groups and family donors which gives a false low prevalence yet the prevalence of hepatitis B disease; acute hepatitis chronic hepatitis liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma remains the same (2). HBV is also transmitted sexually and perinatally. HBV infection in early childhood leads to about 90% of chronic disease as opposed to infection later in life leading to 10% of chronic disease. (excerpt)


Comments and cited referenced papers by Dr. Dlugosz described specific field-excitation geometries in connection with biomedical studies of energy absorption by "an animal under test" and, broadly interpreted, include ourselves. The importance of this subject is underscored by the exposure of all of us to electromagnetic radiation from a variety of sources: not only those from radio and television sources, but today from cell-phone towers, satellites, and even from traffic-light signal systems. In Dlugosz [1], a distinction was made between near- and far-field components from emitting sources. To be sure, both types are of concern in biological measurements in the geometries described by Dr. Dlugosz, and also by antenna or radar engineers like myself in connec tion with polarization properties. But except for the detailed design of radiating apertures, we can take advantage of the simplicities afforded by a far-field assumption.


ABSTRACT This text is the translation of an interview given by Brazilian anthropologist, professor, and Brazilian Black Movement activist Lélia Gonzalez (1935–1994) at the beginning of the 1980s. Gonzalez, who is today enthusiastically incorporated into the academic anthropology after decades of silence in Brazil, exposes here some of the particularities of her stunning life itinerary. She has challenged Brazilian social theory by bringing forward the need for an approach that considers race, gender, and coloniality, and has worked towards an open dialogue with Latin American realities, including Brazil's. Her contribution has been recognized as essential by public intellectuals such as Angela Davis, and her reemergence has to do with the growing demand of decolonizing the Brazilian Academy, issued by the Black movement and other social movements in the country. The translation, having Brazilian Portuguese as the language of origin, has been made by anthropologists, social scientists, and translators from the RECânone Community Project, linking the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and the University of Brasília, both public centers of higher education in the country. Translators added notes aiming to help a non-Brazilian audience understand the racial, social, and cultural context where Gonzalez produced her academic and activist work.


Abstract. Significance Advanced digital control of microscopes and programmable data acquisition workflows have become increasingly important for improving the throughput and reproducibility of optical imaging experiments. Combinations of imaging modalities have enabled a more comprehensive understanding of tissue biology and tumor microenvironments in histopathological studies. However, insufficient imaging throughput and complicated workflows still limit the scalability of multimodal histopathology imaging. Aim We present a hardware-software co-design of a whole slide scanning system for high-throughput multimodal tissue imaging, including brightfield (BF) and laser scanning microscopy. Approach The system can automatically detect regions of interest using deep neural networks in a low-magnification rapid BF scan of the tissue slide and then conduct high-resolution BF scanning and laser scanning imaging on targeted regions with deep learning-based run-time denoising and resolution enhancement. The acquisition workflow is built using Pycro-Manager, a Python package that bridges hardware control libraries of the Java-based open-source microscopy software Micro-Manager in a Python environment. Results The system can achieve optimized imaging settings for both modalities with minimized human intervention and speed up the laser scanning by an order of magnitude with run-time image processing. Conclusions The system integrates the acquisition pipeline and data analysis pipeline into a single workflow that improves the throughput and reproducibility of multimodal histopathological imaging.


In this paper, we describe a framework for the extraction of low-level and high level information from movies in order to be used for cinemetric applications. The developed framework analyses the available video content and extracts characteristics related to color, motion, contrast, shot length, tempo, face to frame ratios etc. The extracted information is stored in MPEG 7 AVDP profile format, which is a standard description format that can be imported to related cinemetric applications. We applied the developed framework in a collection of downloaded videos, as well as 3 stereoscopic movies.


Changes in the pattern of education from the traditional model to the modern education model show that there is a transformation in the Islamic education system in Aceh. Of course these changes follow national education standards. The purpose of this study is to describe the transformation of Islamic education in terms of the elements of education in the form of raw input, learning resources, processes, and learning outcomes (output). This type of research is qualitative research using literature review. The results of the study show that (1) the transformation of Islamic education is very important because it can improve the quality and empowerment of education and strengthen the existence of educational institutions and systems in responding to national education regulations. Of course education management is carried out in a systematic, structured, and measurable manner; (2) changes in Islamic education relating to ideas and values adopted by community groups; and (3) Changes in Islamic education in Indonesia are (1) efforts to develop Islamic education is a call to history and at the same time a challenge for the future; (2) efforts to develop Islamic education require networking between various education centers; (3) improving the quality of human resources in the field of Islamic education is a key step to achieving excellence; and (4) Islamic education efforts are ultimately aimed at building human civilization supported by qualified individuals. So that the results of this study can be used as a reference for the process of change and improving the delivery of Islamic education


A data transfer apparatus includes a serial interface controller configured to perform data transfer between the data transfer apparatus and a destination device via a serial transmission line; and a transfer controller configured to control the data transfer, issue a read request for data to the destination device, and resume issue of the read request after elapse of a given retransmission time when a positive acknowledgement in response to the read request is not received from the destination device under a given condition.


Objective
To study the effect of bilateral scissor bite of second molars on the growth and position of mandible and provide proper reference for correct orthodontic diagnosis and treatment of malocclusion.

Methods
20 adult females with bilateral scissor bite of second molars were selected as experimental group. 30 adulte females with normal posterior occlusion were selected as control group. The subjects of both groups had high-angle Class II division 1 malocclusion. Lateral cephalograms were recorded before treatment. Jarabak cephalometric analysis and plaster model analysis were used to measure the differences between two groups.

Results
Compared with the control group, the length of mandibular body, the width of basal bone at second molar level, ∠N-S-Ar and∠Ar-Go-N were significantly smaller in the experimental group(P 0.05).

Conclusions
Bilateral scissor bite of second molars restricts the growth of mandibular body and basal bone width at second molar region, and the condyle is in a relatively anterior position, while Gonion is relatively posterior. Treatment with these patients requires analysis of condyle position to provide better treatment plan.

Key words:
Bilateral scissor bite; Mandible; Class II division 1; Jarabak cephalometric analysis


The correlations among hardness, draw resistance and cigarette weight were analyzed and the relative factors influencing these parameters and the rule of variation were discussed. The results showed that 1) the hardness of cigarette was increased with the increase of cigarette weight when the filling power of cut filler was constant, 2) the cigarette weight was decreased with the increase of the filling power of cut filler when the hardness of cigarette was constant, 3) at the same cigarette weight, the higher the filling power, the greater the hardness of cigarette, 4) the draw resistance of cigarette was increased with the increase of unit weight and hardness of cigarette.


The anchoring effect is demonstrated in the psychological literature to be prevalent and strong. We directly test the anchoring effect and confirm its presence in the primary market. We utilize the IPO data of dual-listed Chinese A and H-shares for which potential anchors can clearly be identified. Due to differences in the required rate of returns, the valuation of A-shares is higher than that of their corresponding H-shares. We provide strong evidence that when a firm sequentially issues H- and A-shares, the A-share offer price is anchored by the lower H-share price, which partially contributes to high A-share IPO underpricing.


Abstract Objectives: Alpha-synuclein is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple system atrophy (MSA) and can be regulated by lipids. This study aims to validate the correlation between lipid levels and the prevalence of MSA as well as its progression. Methods: A total of 234 patients with probable MSA and 240 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were included in this study. Lipid contents, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG), were evaluated. The unified MSA rating scale (UMSARS) was used to assess the severity of MSA. Results: Lipid levels in MSA patients were significantly lower than those in healthy controls. Patients with MSA-C were significantly younger, had higher body mass indices (BMIs), higher UMSARS scores, and lower HDL-C contents compared with MSA-P patients. Subjects with the lowest quartiles and the second quartiles of total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C had high prevalence of MSA compared with subjects with the highest quartiles. No correlation was found between the mean rate of annualized changes and serum levels of lipids as well as other independent factors, such as age, BMI, gender, subtypes (C-type or P-type), and disease duration at the initial visit, in 107 followed-up MSA patients. Discussion: Low levels of total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG increased the prevalence of MSA in a Chinese population. Patients with MSA-C showed significantly lower levels of HDL-C than MSA-P patients. However, lipids did not deteriorate or improve the progression of MSA.


A new paradigm, Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC), for fitting a model to experimental data is introduced. RANSAC is capable of interpreting/smoothing data containing a significant percentage of gro...


The research study was carried out to know relationship between profile characteristics and knowledge level of state department of agricultural (SDA) and farmers practice (FP) respondents on nutrient management in vegetables in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. For Data collection 200 respondents were selected randomly representing 20 villages of 2 community development blocks during the year 2014-15 and 2015-16 using structured interview schedule. The findings revealed that the independent variables viz. farm size, farming experience, irrigation water supply, extension contact, capacity enhancement activities, exhibited positive and significant relationship at five per cent level of significance whereas education, information seeking behaviour exhibited positive and significant relationship at one per cent level of significance. Age, annual income, machinery ownership, profit oriented behaviour exhibited non-significant relationship with knowledge level of SDA respondents. With respect to FP respondents variables like education, annual income, farm size, extension contact and capacity enhancement activities exhibited positive and significant relationship at five per cent level of significance whereas age, farming experience, irrigation water supply, information seeking behaviour, machinery ownership, profit oriented behaviour exhibited non-significant relationship with knowledge level of FP respondents.


ABSTRACT Youths from marginalized and disenfranchised communities can be empowered to advocate for social justice through civic engagement and sociopolitical action. Examining youth empowerment programs, using critical social theory, builds upon our understanding of sociopolitical systems and oppression and provides a lens to examine mechanisms of change while applying theory to practice. Jennings, Parra-Medina, Messias, and McLoughlin (2006) have identified six dimensions of critical youth empowerment programs, which provide a framework for examining youth empowerment programs. This article presents the Teen Empowerment program, as implemented with high-risk youths in urban communities, and examines it along these six dimensions and provides a model for how to critically examine youth empowerment programs using this framework.


Learning a proper nursing care motion is efficient in preventing low back pain for nurses and care workers. It is important to monitor the body movements to be able to identify the proper nursing care motion. The measurement system needs to be low cost for daily use and comfort for the human body. In this paper, smart clothing to monitor bed care motion using hetero-core fiber optics. As a result, the proposed textile sensor can determine if the nursing care movement is shifting in the center of gravity or not with only optical loss change.


A new anode of Al/Pb-0.23%Ag was prepared from methanesulfonic acid bath by electrodeposition for zinc electrowinning.The results of corrosion test and electrochemical analysis show that the Al/Pb-0.23%Ag anode has a lower corrosion rate,higher corrosion potential and lower corrosion current density,higher electrocatalytic activity as compared to conventional Pb-0.25%Ag anode.The metallographic structure and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) observations show that the Al/Pb-0.23%Ag anode has tiny and dense crystals.X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis shows that the Al/Pb-0.23%Ag anode has the phase of PbSO4,α-PbO2 and β-PbO2 after 48 h of anodic polarization.


The Yanaizu-Nishiyama geothermal power plant commenced operating in May 1995. A positive self-potential (SP) anomaly was observed over the high temperature zones before the commencement of the fluid production. The positive SP anomaly disappeared on the profile in 1996, possibly owing to the development of the downward geothermal flow into the reservoir. Further surveys were carried out between May and September after 2 months' shut-in of all the production wells in 1998. The positive SP anomaly was again observed on the profile in May, but decreased with time after the re-start of production. Numerical simulation was performed using a conceptual reservoir model and the SP variation was calculated. The model shows a positive SP anomaly above the high conductive vapour zone that is produced by the upward fluid flows for the natural-state condition. The production-induced flow becomes dominant during exploitation and the current sinks replace the positive sources of conduction current, resulting in the negative SP anomalies on the surface. The SP recovers substantially during the shut-in of the production wells. This is caused by the reduction in fluid flows from the vapour zone to the production zones. The SP decreases sharply after the re-start of production. The simulation reproduces the observed changes in SP at the YanaizuNishiyama geothermal field.


BCI (Brain-computer interface) use for scanning the brain activity. This is the interface, which creates
the connection between the brain and the computer. Thanks to this interconnection allows us to observe the brain
activity. BCI translate brain signals into control commands for external devices using decoding algorithm. BCI
systems can be very useful for examining areas neurobiology, neuropsychology, physiotherapy, neurophysiology
etc. The aim of this article is to prove that brain-computer interface is a helpful and quite precise tool. To achieve
that objective has been created few real-life examples, among which we can find a practical use. The results
show that this device is indeed helpful (in a medical field, rehabilitation or psychology). In practice, unfortunately
not used very much.


The study assesses the relevance and challenges of corporate social responsibility with emphasis on sustainable development policies for economic development of marginal oil fields in Niger Delta. The proposed model of sustainable corporate social responsibility highlights the importance of changing paradigm in the design and implementation of corporate social responsibility, we conclude that to redress the situation of community challenges in the development of marginal oil fields in Niger Delta, there is the need to adopt an approach that strike a balance between economic, socio and cultural objectives..


: A letter on July 29, 1927 from B.K. Zaitsev to Yu.I. Aykhenvald is published and commented. The history of the relationship between Zaitsev and Aykhenvald is briefly outlined. More over the Letter of the Board of the Union of Russian Journalists and Writers of Germany with Gorky's sympathetic response to Dzerzhinsky's death is cited both with the review of the responses to the "Letter of Russian Writers" (1927) in the newspaper "Rul".


The author of the article defines specifics of the component structure of the teachers text activity as the result of methodical displaying of the basic structural components of activity (motive, the purpose, conditions of realization of actions, operations) on the maintenance and purpose of such kind of professional pedagogical activity which occurs at studying of a new material


At present, the digital control technology of single chip microcomputer has been widely used in stage lighting control, but here are still some limitations in the system resources, such as computing speed, storage space and scalability. In order to improve these problems, this paper has proposed a new system design with an ARM microprocessor as the control core. The dimming data transmission follows the DMX512 protocol, so a digital PWM controller was used to generate duty-cycle adjustable PWM signal. The drive circuit controlled the IGBT device to turn-on and turn-off. Therefore, the brightness of lamp is adjustable through the dimming system. The experimental results have shown the perfect performance of simple operation and stable dimming effect of our system, which can satisfied the demand of stage dimming for modern performing places.


The author examines a large pictorial cycle of Saint Teresa of Avila; a cycle that was commissioned by Luis Guillen de Moncada, VII Duke of Montalto and Cardinal Co-protector of Spain, and in which Spanish, Italian and Flemish painters participated.


A 45-year-old man was transferred to our institution for management of potential bronchopleural fistula complicating left upper lobe surgical lung wedge resection for lung adenocarcinoma. Four days after surgery, extensive subcutaneous emphysema was seen on chest X-ray (Figure 1 …


Typhoid fever remains a major public health risk with more than 13 million cases occurring annually in Asia alone. Delay in diagnosis and institution of appropriate therapy especially with emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of Salmonella typhi, can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality may significantly increase the risk of adverse outcome. Traditionally, the isolation of S. typhi remains the gold standard for diagnosis but, the Widal test continues to be the most asked for test, despite numerous problems in the standardization and interpretation.1 The dot enzyme immunoassay for detection of serum antibodies to S. typhi is rapid, simple and can be interpreted visually.2 The present study was carried out to evaluate the typhidot test in comparison with blood culture and the Widal test in patients admitted in PGIMER, Chandigarh with a clinical diagnosis of enteric fever. In 50 consecutive patients with S. typhi isolated in blood culture, Widal test and dot EIA were performed. A control group of 50 patients with unrelated complaints were included. The Widal test using in-house S. typhi antigens was considered positive in a single serum sample when the S. typhi H antibody titre was ≥ 320 and O antibody titer was ≥160. The Typhidot test (Malaysian Biodiagnostic Research SDN BDH, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) which detects IgM and IgG antibodies against S. typhi by using a specific antigen was performed according to manufacturer's instructions. The Widal test in single serum sample was positive in 30 (60%) blood culture positive patients and was negative in all 50 cases in the control group. IgG and/or IgM was detected by the typhidot test in 48 (96%) blood culture positive patients and 7 controls. Both IgG and IgM could be detected in 15 patients whereas only IgM could be detected in 30 and only IgG in three. Neither IgG nor IgM could be detected in two patients with S. typhi isolation in blood culture. Presence of IgM was a more sensitive indicator, with 45 (90%) being positive for IgM and 18 of 50 (36%) being positive for IgG. Widal test was found to be 60% sensitive and 100% specific whereas Typhidot was 96% sensitive and 86% specific when compared to blood culture. Typhidot had a very high negative predictive value of 95.55% and positive predictive value of 87.27%. The diagnostic value of Widal in single serum samples remains a contentious issue. The sensitivity of the typhidot test is much higher than the Widal test and is sensitive even in fevers of short duration.3 The high NPV (95.55%) of the test even in a highly endemic area is an advantage and can be successfully used even in low-incidence populations. The Typhidot offers advantages of increased sensitivity, rapidity, early diagnosis and simplicity over the Widal test. Culture isolation remains essential especially for antibiotic susceptibility testing and serological tests for the diagnosis of typhoid fever can be used in conjunction with culture.


Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an important energy storage chemical inside all cells. Human lymphocytes have P2Z receptors. This study showed that when ATP was added added to the outside of lymphocytes it attached to the P2Z receptor opening a channel through which tiny amounts of calcium entered the cell switching on the enzyme phospholipase D. Two new and potent inhibitors for the P2Z receptor, KN-62 and KN-04, which have no effect on the other two types of ATP receptor were discovered. They are several hundred times more potent than currently available inhibitors.


Cationic imidazole-blocked polyurethane(CBPU) was prepared from the raw materials of isophorone diisocyanate(IPDI),polycaprolactone glycol,methyldiethanolamine(MDEA),ADH,bisphenol A,N-[(1,1-dimethyl-2-acetyl) ethyl]-β-dihydroxyethylamino propanamide(DDP),using imidazole as the blocking agent.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),1HNMR,dynamic laser light scattering(DLLS) and SEM were used to characterize the structure of CBPU,the particle size and the surface morphology of the paper.The influence of the blocked ratio on the particle size was studied.At the same time,the effects of the blocked ratio and the dosage of CBPU on the physical properties of the treated paper were also studied.The experimental results show that the structures of tertiary amine group,imidazole ring and urethane group are found in CBPU molecular structure.The particle size is nearly related to the blocked ratio of CBPU.The paper strength,especially the wet strength can be obviously increased with the increase of the blocked ratio and the dosage of CBPU.The wet strength is 30.32% when the blocked ratio and dosage of CBPU are 10% and 5% respectively.


A connection device, a tablet device, an image sensor, a display and a touch device. Said connecting means for connecting the base unit and a chip unit, comprising: a first flexible connection means comprises a first wire for electrically connecting with the substrate unit; a unit rigidly connected with said first flexible connection unit connected to a second wire comprising a conductor electrically connected to the first; and the chip unit connected to the second wire. Aspect of the present invention, in chip units sequentially connected by rigid connection means and a flexible electrical connection unit with the substrate unit; therefore, be damaged even if the flexible connection unit with the substrate unit separation, the chip unit and the rigid connection means is not Thus damage, as long as the flexible connection unit connected to the rigid unit separation, the chip unit can be reused.


The tension truss antenna structure is an effective architecture for large and high-precision parabolic reflectors. Here a parabolic surface is approximated by planar triangular facets formed using...


Abstract We present the properties of S*c mixtures containing new 2-ring 5-n-alkyl-2-(4-n-alkenyloxyphenyl)pyridines and pyrimidines with systematically varying positions and configurations of the double bond Trans configurations at odd positions (counting the number of atoms from the core including the oxygen and the first carbon atom of the double bond) suppress the SA phase, increase the S*c tilt angle, Θ, and the spontaneous polarization, P s, and lead to long switching times τ. Cis configurations at even positions suppress the nematic phase in favour of smectic phases, decrease Θ and P s, and shorten τ. Other positional configurational combinations strongly reduce the clearing point. Furthermore, our results indicate that the preferred conformation of the alkenyloxy chain consists of alternating cis and trans units.


Author(s): Julien, Joelle | Advisor(s): Pierre, Jemima | Abstract: While the U.S., other Caribbean islands, France, and Canada have been the primary destinations of Haitian migrants over the last half-century, and, though the U.S. is still perceived as the ultimate destination, since late 2016 Haitian migrants have had to make calculated decisions about settlement in Mexico—oftentimes perceiving Mexico as a temporary site before eventual travel to the U.S. As changing immigration policies in the Americas, in response to different processes of global movement generated by the contemporary neoliberal moment, restrict and stimulate movement, these migrants often have to navigate not only domestic, but also international politics as they are in simultaneous transit and settlement. This thesis explores how anti-Black and anti-immigrant sentiments against Haitian people in Tijuana was complicated by first, Mexico's fraught relationship with migrants from its southern neighbors en route to the U.S.; second, the form that anti-Blackness takes vis-�-vis the national racialized discourse and practice of mestizaje; and third, U.S. immigration policies. I argue that Mexican legislative responses to Haitian migration are deployed as a tool to disrupt and affirm the interrelationship between Mexican and U.S. immigration policies; and that examining Haitian migrant experiences in Tijuana allows us to think through settler colonialism and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous formations in Mexico.


In this report a new atroposelective total synthesis of (+) isokotanin A is described. The combination of metal‐ and enzyme catalysis facilitates a scalable route towards the key axially chiral 2,2′ biphenol building block. We established a one‐pot Miyaura‐Suzuki homocoupling towards the tetra‐ortho‐substituted biphenol on a decagram scale, applying Buchwald's precatalyst PdG4SPhos and SPhos in low loadings. Next, an enzymatic kinetic resolution method was achieved by utilizing commercially available Candida rugosa lipase for catalyzing the enantioselective hydrolysis of biphenyl dipropionate. The enantiomerically pure tetra‐ortho‐substituted biphenol was converted in 8 steps to the natural product.


Microbial populations at 0~50cm layers under different land use patterns in Agro-pasturage ecotone such as natural grassland,farm land,artificial grassland and abandoned land were studied.The results showed that:(1) The number of bacteria,fungi and actinomycetes under the same land use pattern was in the order: bacteriaactinomycetefungi.(2) The number of bacteria under different land use patterns was in the order of natural grassland Leymus chinense grassland of five years old farm land of five years old alfalfa abandoned land;quantity of fungi was in the order of abandoned land five years old Leymus chinense grasslandfive years old alfalfa landnatural grasslandfarm land;the number of actinomycete in natural grassland was the highest,while the number of actinomycete in five years old alfalfa land and abandoned land was the lowest.(3) The number of the bacteria,fungi and actinomycete in 0~10cm layer was higher than that in 10~50cm layers and the vertical distribution of soil microorganism was decreased gradually with the soil depth.(4) The quantity of microbes in the five years old Leymus chinense grassland was significantly higher than that in the farm land and alfalfa grassland.