The article is devoted to the outline of those issues that reveal the peculiarities of termination of employment by agreement of the parties. The authors draw attention to certain problems in determining the procedure for termination of the employment contract on this basis. In addition, the authors focus on the study of the characteristics of the application of the ground "by agreement of the parties." The analysis of scientific researches of outstanding modern experts of science of labor law is carried out, their most important remarks and considerations are resulted. The latest legal opinions of the Supreme Court of Ukraine on dismissal on this ground are considered and analyzed.
Today, considerable attention should be paid to the rules for the protection of employees' interests in the termination of employment, as Ukrainian lawyers point out that the labor law has significantly reduced the rules aimed at protecting the interests of employees.
The current legislation of Ukraine does not contain a legally defined relevant procedure and terms of termination of the employment contract by agreement of the parties. Lack of documentation of the agreement of the parties may have adverse consequences for the parties to the employment contract, as well as complicate the consideration and resolution of individual labor disputes. It is these circumstances that require the definition in the labor legislation of Ukraine of the procedure for reaching and drawing up an agreement between the parties to terminate the employment contract.
The real possibility of protecting the rights of employees upon termination of an employment contract on this basis depends on the effectiveness of the mechanism of judicial and state control over the employer's compliance with the procedure for dismissal by agreement of the parties.
Judicial practice at the Supreme Court level provides answers to questions that are not clearly regulated by law, allowing employers and employees to make informed and lawful decisions in this area. It should be noted that today the normative regulation of the provisions on the procedure for terminating an employment contract by agreement of the parties and bringing them into line with law enforcement practice needs to be improved.


A new artificial contamination method has been developed for hydrophobic composite insulators. It is based on mixing dry contamination particles with a low amount of atomized salt solution by means of a specially designed mixing nozzle. Unlike most of the other contamination methods developed for composite insulators, no pretreatment of the surface is needed. The salt solution precipitates on the contamination particles before they reach the surface of the insulator. This makes it possible to coat the insulator surface with a homogeneous layer of contamination without wetting the surface. The pollution process takes no longer than a few minutes and requires no special training. The proposed method is a simple, quick and effective way of artificial contamination of a wide variety of outdoor insulators.


Silicon dioxide is the most common silicon compound and a major constituent of the Earth's crust. Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is a chemical compound that is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO2. Silica is most commonly found in nature as quartz. Quartz exists in natural and synthetic forms. More specifically α-quartz is a widely known material, which is stable at low temperatures and pressures. The α-quartz is considered competent material because over the past many years it has attracted wide attention due to its unique characteristics. The article presents the research results from comparison between one of the morphological varieties of quartz – vein quartz of shungite rocks from Zazhogino deposit of Karelia – and a reference quartz sample. Via the Rietveld method, the values of the lattice parameters are determined. Apparent coherent length for vein quartz samples having contacts with various minerals are determined by the approximation method.


In article the problem of overcoming of regional technical backwardness of manufactures by means of perfection of integration interrelations of manufacturing enterprises is lifted. Main objectives and problems of the enterprises integrated into complexes are allocated. The author offers the associative form of integration as the most effective tool of stimulation of development of clusters, and also conditions at which the association will pursue the aims corresponding to a sustainable development of cluster as a whole are designated. Besides, the model of organizational structure which can raise adaptability to manufacture of cluster by lobbying of interests of participants by bodies of the regional power, and also by coordination of activity and projects from association of the industrial enterprises of region is developed. Thanking to effect of synergy from the offered actions good results of integration for which account there is a decrease in expenses and increase of competitiveness of production of the enterprises in the internal and external markets are reached.


Surveys were carried out in Tunisian table grape vineyards for assessing the occurrence and distribution of grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaVs). Leaf-roll symptoms were commonly observed in most of the surveyed vineyards. Samples were randomly collected from 712 individual vines for laboratory testing. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests showed that 81.5% of the vines were infected by one (35.7%) or more (45.8%) viruses. GLRaV-3 was the most widespread virus (76.3%), followed by GLRaV-5 (38.5 %), GLRaV-6 (13.2%), GLRaV-1 (9.1%), GLRaV-2 (6.3%), and GLRaV-7 (0.9%). GLRaV-3 and GLRaV-5, two mealybug-transmissible Ampelo-viruses, were present in mixture in 35.9% of samples. The highest infection rate was found in Cape Bon region (81.7 %), where cv. Italia had an infection rate of 79.5%. Superior seedless, the main cultivar in Sidi Bouzid, had 75% infection. GLRaV-6 and -7 were detected for the first time in Tunisia.


Objective To investigate the effect of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on the proliferation of muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) in vitro and explore its mechanism.Methods The MDSCs were obtained from mouse skeletal muscle by preplate technique.The cells in the experimental group were cultured in the medium containing ATP( 100 μmol/L),while the cells in the control group were cultured in the medium without ATP.The cell cycle of MDSCs was determined by flow cytometry.The expression of P2Y1 receptor mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.Results After treatment with ATP,the number of cells in the experimental group was much higher than that in the control group at the 3rd day.The G1 % in experimental group was markedly decreased,while S% and PrI value were significantly increased as compared with those in the control group.The time in G1,S and GaM phases in MDSCs were 21.5 hours,4.4 hours and 10.8 hours,respectively,in the experimental group,and were 27.1 hours,9.6 hours and 13.5 hours in the control group.The expression of P2Y1 receptor mRNA was up-regulated after the MDSCs were treated with ATP.The expression level reached the peak at the 3rd day and then it began to decrease,but still remained at high level.Conclusion ATP can stimulate the proliferation of muscle-derived stem cells through P2Y1 receptor,which may be completed by accelerating the transition from G1 to S phase and shorting the time of G1 and S phase.

Key words:
Muscle-derived stem cells;  Adenosine triphosphate;  P2Y1 receptor;  Flow cytometry


For the $n$-fold cover of a simply-laced simply-connected Chevalley group $G$ over a $p$-adic field $F$, where GCD$(n,p)=1$, Savin proved a correspondence between certain genuine representations of the $n$-fold cover of $G$ and the Iwahori-spherical representations of the group $G/Z_{n}$, where $Z_{n}$ is the $n$-torsion of the center of $G$. In this paper we prove the analogous result when $n=2$ and $F=\mathbb{Q}_{2}$. In particular, GCD$(n,p)\neq 1$.


In peripheral artery disease (PAD), atherosclerotic occlusion chronically impairs limb blood flow. Arteriogenesis (collateral artery remodeling) is a vital adaptive response to PAD that protects tissue from ischemia. Type II diabetics have a high risk of developing PAD, and would benefit from arteriogenesis. However, arteriogenesis is suppressed in diabetics by a multifaceted mechanism which remains incompletely defined. Upregulation of placental growth factor (PLGF) is a key early step in arteriogenesis. Therefore, we hypothesized that metabolic dysfunction would impair PLGF expression in skeletal muscle. We tested this hypothesis in C57BL/6J and ApoE-/- mice of both sexes fed a Western diet (WD) for 24 wk. We first assessed baseline levels of PLGF, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), and VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR-1) protein in hindlimb skeletal muscle. Only PLGF was consistently decreased by the WD. We next investigated the effect of 24 wk of the WD on the response of PLGF, VEGF-A, VEGFR1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) to the physiological stimulus of vascular occlusion. Hindlimb ischemia was induced in mice by gradual femoral artery occlusion using an ameroid constrictor. Growth factor levels were measured 3-28 d post-surgery. In C57BL/6J mice, the WD decreased and delayed upregulation of PLGF, and abolished upregulation of VEGF-A and VEGFR-1, but had no effect on MCP-1. In ApoE-/- mice fed either diet, all factors tested failed to respond to occlusion. Metabolic phenotyping of mice and in vitro studies suggest that an advanced glycation end product (AGE)/TNFα-mediated mechanism could contribute to the effects observed in vivo.


An Electronic Records Management System (ERMS) is a computer-based program that sets up for the retrieval process of the records that stored in the system.  This aim of the study was to investigate the effect of Electronic Recordkeeping implementation in Information Intensive Agency.  The objectives were to determine whether there is a policy in electronic recordkeeping in this agency, to identify whether staff at this agency has skills or knowledge in electronic recordkeeping and to identify the challenges facing the implementation of electronic recordkeeping in this agency.  A case study research method will be adopted to ensure greater reliability of data.  Data will be collected from 40 staff using questionnaires and interview, in order to respond to the above objectives.  Quantitative approaches will be used to analyze, present and interpret data and also supported by some interview from the expert.


ISSN: 1361-3324 (Print) 1470-109X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cree20 Queer cultural capital: implications for education Summer Melody Pennell To cite this article: Summer Melody Pennell (2016) Queer cultural capital: implications for education, Race Ethnicity and Education, 19:2, 324-338, DOI: 10.1080/13613324.2015.1013462 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2015.1013462


The recent article published covering "The role of autonomic dysfunction in predicting 1-year mortality after liver transplantation" (1) provides some useful insight into post-transplantation survival. However, it seems to us that the data lend themselves to a different interpretation, possibly pointing to a new application of heart rate variability analysis in patients awaiting liver transplantation.


A single geographical base has traditionally been created for each census of population in the United Kingdom, aimed primarily at organizing the enumeration task. The subsequent use of this enumeration geography for diverse purposes has been problematic but unavoidable. This paper examines how new digital spatial data and GIS technology are making possible the creation of separate geographies of the 2001 Census for data collection, validation, output, specification and use. The paper explores the implications of these changes for the development of a national spatial data infrastructure and for geographical research involving the census more generally.


The productions of halal food from farm to table are very challenging in our new modern world. Furthermore
manufacturing in world halal food industry are also extremely competitive. Thailand has been listed as one of top rank in the world tourist destination, top medical hub for foreign patients and relative and it also has been listed as top tenth world biggestfood exporting countries and exporting halal products to the world. The main objective of this paper is to study the trend of producing halal food products, prospects, and current challenging in Thailand. The data analysis is included interview with some experts in Thailand halal food industry. This paper would be velY helpfulfor policy makers and producers of halalfood industry in East of Asia countries. The main contribution of this study is to bring out that how Thailand as a non-Muslim country is successful for producing and exporting halalfood
production to the Middle East countries.


The fashionable view of the world today is often evoked in the cliche of the global village: the concept that everyone now has the power to enquire about things that were, until recently, hopelessly foreign. But set against this seemingly harmonious background are conflicts produced by language. Jerome Paradis analyses language rights in multicultural states through the language legislation and present de facto status of languages in Belgium and Switzerland, and the language problem, the Official Languages Act and recommendations of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in Canada. A comparative analysis of Canada and the European states completes the study.


Abstract : This program showed that to produce a hot pressed beryllium oxide (BeO) ceramic tube for use in a high intensity infrared lamp is a more difficult and complex than originally believed. The lack of uniformity and reproducibility of commercially available BeO powder, which will hot press to the degree of transparency necessary to produce a useful tube, is one of the severest problems encountered.


This paper deal with the performance analysis of vectored DSL in terms of the computational complexity and practical implementation on DSP processor. Paper is more specific for the design of diagonalizing pre-coder in downstream transmission of vectored DSL. Different algorithms for the design of linear and nonlinear pre-coders have been proposed in the past. All of these pre-coders are either highly complex in design or they give poor performance in terms of bit rate. As the cost of the customer premises modem is an important issue, any technique that can minimize the complexity of the system is extremely beneficial. In this paper performance in terms of execution time for basic model and diagonalizing pre-coder of vectored DSL is been analyzed using DSK 6713 a digital signal 32 bit, floating point processor. The clock frequency of mention processor is considered as 250 MHz. This processor has advanced very long instruction word (VLIW) architecture, with performance of up-to 2400 (532) million instructions per second. The execution time of the processor is compared with the Matlab profiler function.


Objective To research the clinical and angiographic characteristics of coronary heart disease(CHD) in patients with essential hypertension(EH).Methods All 272 CHD patients received coronary angiography and were divided into EH and non-EH groups.The clinical and angiographic characteristics of two groups were analyzed.Results ①Compared with non-EH patients,the EH patients were older,and more female,higher occurence rate of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipemia.②more multivessels were involved in EH group than in non-EH group(64.4% vs 50.3%,P0.05).③A significantly positive correlation was found between pulse pressure(PP),course of diabetes and coronary branches involved.Conclusion The feature of coronary lesion in CHD patients with EH has higher incidence rate of multivessels lesions.By a multivariate analysis,the severity of coronary lesions is correlated with PP and couse of diabetes.


Machine learning (ML) based decision making is becoming commonplace. For persons affected by ML-based decisions, a certain level of transparency regarding the properties of the underlying ML model can be fundamental. In this vision paper, we propose to issue consumer labels for trained and published ML models. These labels primarily target machine learning lay persons, such as the operators of an ML system, the executors of decisions, and the decision subjects themselves. Provided that consumer labels comprehensively capture the characteristics of the trained ML model, consumers are enabled to recognize when human intelligence should supersede artificial intelligence. In the long run, we envision a service that generates these consumer labels (semi-)automatically. In this paper, we survey the requirements that an ML system should meet, and correspondingly, the properties that an ML consumer label could capture. We further discuss the feasibility of operationalizing and benchmarking these requirements in the automated generation of ML consumer labels.


A B S T R A C T The paper presents the wear characteristics of a hybrid composite based on zincaluminium ZA27 alloy, reinforced with silicon-carbide and graphite particles. The tested sample contains 5 vol.% of SiC and 3 vol.% Gr particles. Compocasting technique has been used to prepare the samples. The experiments were performed on a "block-on-disc" tribometer under conditions of dry sliding. The wear volumes of the alloy and the composite were determined by varying the normal loads and sliding speeds. The paper contains the procedure for preparation of sample composites and microstructure of the composite material and the base ZA27 alloy. The wear surface of the composite material was examined using the scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Conclusions were obtained based on the observed impact of the sliding speed, normal load and sliding distance on tribological behaviour of the observed composite. © 2014 Published by Faculty of Engineering


Some new sufficient conditions for block quasi-diagonally dominant matrices are given,and some theorems are established.Then using these theorems,the nonsingularity and distribution of eigenvalue of block α double geometric mean diagonally dominant matrix is studied.


ABSTRACT Evaluation brings together power and knowledge in quite specific ways, this complex relationship providing the focus for this paper. Such a relationship is particularly important for educational evaluators with an explicit commitment to achieving increased social justice. How might the ethical practice developed by, for example, feminists or anti‐racists, be applied to educational evaluation? This paper provides a preliminary discussion of these issues, first, by offering a critical appraisal of the dominant models of educational evaluation. Second, it attempts to outline the principles and procedures for 'social justice' evaluators and, following this, considers the strategies currently available to them. It concludes that, particularly in the case of educational programmes with an equality dimension, 'social justice' evaluation may be both desirable and feasible.


In two treatises of 1533, Christopher St German accused the English bishops of grossly unjust prosecution of heresy suspects. Thomas More vigorously defended the prelates in his Apology and Debellation of Salem. Modern historians have concluded that St German had the better of the dispute, judging that he was only wanting fair trials for suspects, with More countering that this would flood the land with heretics. In fact, More asserted that the bishops consistently followed the requirements of canon law for criminal procedure in ex officio (inquisitorial) trials, notably the need for at least two witnesses, whose identity and testimony were to be made known to the defendant. More repeatedly challenged St. German to give historical instances of episcopal violations of these canons over the past century. A review of English heresy proceedings in the present article confirms More's judgment of the bishops' adherence to due process. The 1534 Heresy Act with its insistence on two witnesses added nothing to the canonical procedure already observed.


The authors had written a program by subsection summation method for Automatic calculation and CAD_mapping of water surface profile for prism_ or non_prism_ open channel and natural river course. The train of thought, process and authors' application experience in real engineering are introduced.


The PIR (Private information retrieval) array code is as an array version of the PIR codes proposed by Fazeli et al., and both codes aim at designing distributed storage systems with m servers which can implement classical k-PIR protocols while reducing the storage overhead. The central problem in PIR array codes is to maximize k/m, known as the virtual server rate. Blackburn and Etzion provided an asymptotically optimal construction and it has been conjectured to be exactly optimal. We provide a new upper bound of the virtual server rate by linear programming, indicating the optimality of Blackburn-Etzion construction for a wide range of parameters. Besides, we give a general construction of PIR array codes with much fewer servers, with a slight sacrifice on the virtual server rate.


The aim of the present investigation was to test the hypothesis that psychotic patients with prefrontal lobotomies show impairment on delayed response problems* The apparatus employed for these problems was a modi fication of one designed by Pascal and Jenkins* Three de layed response problems of the Hunter-Pascal Concept Formation Test were selected* It was predicted that the scores on these tests would indicate differences between a lobotomized group of psychotic patients and those without brain damage* Corn candy was placed in a fixed sequence behind a particular door for one of the problems and the subjects could find the prize behind any one of five doors which could be swung inward from the examiner's side of the ap paratus. The problems were scored for three indices: pre sentation score, total error score, and reaction time. All problems were administered individually to eighteen psychotic patients with prefrontal lobotomies and eighteen psychotic patients without brain damage. All subjects were white males between the ages of 29 and 45 years. Reports of electroencephalography, neurological examination, and skull X-ray were used as criteria to select the subjects. The groups were matched as a whole for IQ and age* Differences between the groups on delayed response were all in the predieted direction, but none was significant statistically* An interesting finding was that the lobotomized group ap peared to be a more heterogeneous one than the control group* Indeed, the control group was a very homogeneous one* Comparisons with other studies and suggestions for further research are made*


NetCE • Sacramento, California Phone: 800 / 232-4238 • FAX: 916 / 783-6067 1 A complete Works Cited list begins on page 39. Mention of commercial products does not indicate endorsement. Faculty Michele Nichols, RN, BSN, MA, received her Associates Degree in Nursing in 1977, her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing in 1981 and obtained her Master of Arts Degree in Ethics and Policy Studies in 1990 through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was Chief Nurse Executive at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and retired as the System Director for the Valley Health System University, a five hospital system in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is currently a volunteer nurse for Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada.


Motivated by the availability of real-time data on customer characteristics, we consider the problem of personalizing the assortment of products to each arriving customer. For an arriving customer of type z, the company must decide, in real-time, on the assortment of products to offer. Given the offered assortment, the customers make choices on which products to buy, if any, according to a general choice model that is specific to each customer type. Our goal is to develop a revenue-maximizing policy that determines the assortment to offer to each arriving customer, taking into account the customer type and the current inventories.
 We propose a family of simple and effective algorithms, called Inventory-Balancing, for real-time personalized assortment optimization. Each Inventory-Balancing algorithm is characterized by the penalty function that discounts the marginal revenue of each product, as the inventory level reduces. By adjusting the revenue of each product according to its remaining inventory, the algorithms hedges against the uncertainty in the types of future customers, by reducing the rate at which products with low inventory are offered. Thus, Inventory-Balancing serves as a simple mechanism that coordinates the front-end customer-facing decision with the back-end supply chain constraints.
 In particular, we prove that Inventory-Balancing algorithms with a strictly concave penalty function always obtain more than 50% of the optimal revenue. We also provide an Inventory-Balancing algorithm that obtains at least 1-1/e ≈ 63% of the benchmark revenue. The 63% ratio is optimal in the sense that no other deterministic or stochastic policies can achieve a higher value. In our numerical experiments, our algorithms perform even better than what is predicted by the worst-case bound, and they obtain revenues that are within 94% of the optimal. Through actual sales data from an online retailer, we also demonstrate that personalization based on each customer's location can lead to over 10% improvements in revenue, compared to a policy that treats all customers the same.


The capacity of bone marrow‐derived surface immunoglobulin‐positive (sIg+) human and mouse immature B cells, generated either in vitro or in vivo, to change their light (L) chain expression, has been assayed by the number of cells which change in vitro from one type of L chain to the other type, or to no sIg at all. Immature sIg+ B cells were generated in vitro from sIg− precursor cells from human or mouse bone marrow. The immature sIg+ cells expressed RAG‐1. Human sIg+ cells expressed xfr; and λ L chains in ratios between 1:1 and 3:1, whereas in mouse cells, this ratio ranged from 10:1 to 20:1. Upon reculture of the human and mouse xfr;+sIg+ cells, about half of them remained xfr;+, a quarter became λ+, and another quarter became sIg−. Between 1 and 3% expressed both xfr; and λ chains. Of the human λ+ cells, about two‐thirds remained λ+, only 1 to 2% became xfr;+, while the other third became sIg−. Again, between 1 and 3% expressed both xfr; and λ L chains. These results indicate that expression of sIgM in the B cell membrane does not terminate L chain gene rearrangement, and that some order exists in xfr; versus λ gene rearrangements. Hence, human and mouse xfr;+ immature B cells can become λ+, but very few of the λ+ cells can become xfr;+, and both can become sIg−. Further, human CD10+/sIg+ xfr;+ and λ+ cells and mouse B220low/sIglow xfr;+ cells enriched from bone marrow, i.e. immature B cells differentiated in vivo, changed their Ig phenotype upon in vitro culture, but in lower frequencies. By contrast, human and mouse mature B cells did not change their L chain or Ig phenotype. Hence, at least a part of the sIg+ immature B cells in bone marrow retain the capacity to change their L chain and Ig phenotype, and this capacity is lost when they become mature, peripheral B cells.


The present paper is devoted to the analysis and description of language units, representing the concept AGE in the English language. The topicality of the paper is preconditioned by the general orientation of modern linguistics on the cognitive linguistic approach as well as by the nessessity of a more detailed and profound description of the concept AGE, which is a unique fragment of the linguistic world model. The aim of the research is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the language units, representing the concept AGE in the English language. Concept AGE is represented by lexico-semantic field "age", which in its turn is realized by means of several thematic groups. Lexical units used to construct each of the thematic groups are divided into 2 groups. The first one is represented by lexemes and word-combinations, nominating this age period. Second group is made up of units (belonging to different language levels) pointing to a person of this age period. As a separate group we have also singled out the one, being realized by phraseological units.


Objective To explore the awareness and behavior of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS) among female sex workers in Shanghai. Methods Multi-stage cluster random sampling method was adopted to obtain a random sample of five districts in Shanghai,then two communities of each district were randomly selected,and a total of 324 female sex workers from 88 massage parlors and hair salons explicitly providing sexual services completed a questionnaire survey and interview. Results The correct answer rate of AIDS-related knowledge was 60.8%,which was higher in female sex workers from urban area than that in those from rural area(P0.05).29.5% of female sex workers had commercial sexual services without condom use for the request from guests,and 46.3% experienced condom slip off or breakage during commercial sexual services.Female sex workers from suburban area had more high-risk behaviors than those from urban area in oral and anal sex(P0.05). Conclusion AIDS-related education should be strengthened to reduce high-risk behaviors among female sex workers in small entertainment venues of Shanghai,and particular attention should be paid to those from suburban area.


CONTEXT
Guidelines in medical imaging are aimed at increasing the appropriateness of prescriptions, eliminating unnecessary examina- tions, reducing the exposure of the population and minimizing the costs to public health.

METHOD
Our analysis is based on a bibliographic search and the discussions of the " quality " working group of the BELMIP platform.

RESULTS
The introduction in 2004 and its 2014 revision of the guideliness in medical imaging in Belgium had no measurable effect on the imaging prescription. These recommendations are in fact unrecognized, incomplete, poorly constructed and often unusable.

CONCLUSION
Recommendations in medical imaging need to be reviewed and will be reviewed in the near future in order to be better structured and usable. The legal and medico-legal constraints should be integrated in order for Belgium to comply with the relevant European directive.


The research aims to identify and analyse the determinants and shaping factors of labour emigration within the European Union. The analysis is based on developing double-log macroeconometric models that combine cross-section and time series in a panel structure, by using a set of indicators specific for the emigration process, as well as for the economic activity, labour market and education, as main explanatory variables. The results show that high unemployment reduces the emigrant stock, mainly due to the loss of associated income and to the reduction of the migrants' capacity to move and establish into another country. At the same time, we identified a positive selection of emigrants at destination according to their educational level, while an increase in education in the source country downsizes the stock of emigrants mainly due to an improvement in employment perspectives.


A direct route to coumarin derivatives from phenols and propiolic acids has been developed. Phenols react with propiolic acids in the presence of Pd(OAc) 2 as a catalyst to give coumarins in good yields. The simple process occurs under mild conditions without any additives.


Fatigue crack growth curves for long through thickness cracks in largescale specimens in imitation of ship hull skin plates are performed by applying fatigue crack growth simulation code FLARP (Fatigue Life Assessment by Re-tensile Plastic zone generated load) developed by authors. Histories of stress range during the crack extension for each specimen and residual stress distributions of as welded and of stressrelieved specimens are taken into consideration by applying FLARP. Estimated fatigue crack growth curves by FLARP are good in agreement with measured crack growth curves. It is confirmed that FLARP enables to estimate the fatigue crack growth curves of long cracks in ship hulls.


The field of enzymatic biosensors applied to brain electrochemistry has rapidly expanded over the last few years, thanks in part to their excellent selectivity to specific target species. Much current research is therefore focused on enhancing the electrochemical signal, which often involves the detection of stoichiometric amounts of H 2 O 2 formed as part of the enzyme mechanism. This opens the possibility of enhancing a biosensor's performance by facilitating the H 2 O 2 oxidation signal through surface modification. Here, we investigate the impact of the roughness of the platinum surface on the biosensor response, where rougher platinum surfaces show greater activity for H 2 O 2 oxidation, and therefore enhanced biosensor sensitivity. Through careful manipulation of the electrode surface roughness, we are able to show a significant improvement to the LOD when using a rougher electrode surface. Additionally, we have shown that this enhanced surface roughness has no detrimental effects toward the electrode response time. This suggests that surface roughness could be a simple and easy to implement means of enhancing the sensitivity of electrode-based enzymatic biosensors, and is an important factor to consider when studying other aspects of biosensor fabrication.


Summary This paper describes a methodology integrating different soft computing techniques to predict petrophysical properties based on well log data. One and two hidden layers feed-forward neural network (FFNN), as well as support vector machine prediction models are compared. K-medoids clustering is further used to improve the prediction results. Well coordinates (only for the FFNN model), well depth and six wireline logs, commonly used in evaluating petrophysical properties, Gamma Ray (GR), Formation Density (RHOB), Neutron Porosity (NPHI), Sonic Travel Time (DT), Deep Laterolog (LLD), and Caliper (CALI) are used as input data. A total of 84.5 m of core with available data of water saturation completed with the saturation values obtained by the best petrophysical models are used for calibration. Four different scenarios are considered for model testing including that of a well unseen by the model. The proposed approach is evaluated using a real-world data set from the naturally fractured oilfield asset located in the coastal swamps of the Gulf of Mexico. The results show a strong correlation between the given data and those obtained from soft computing methods (R= 98% for training and R=90% for testing on a new well).


Thank you for downloading descartess legacy minds and meaning in early modern philosophy. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their favorite readings like this descartess legacy minds and meaning in early modern philosophy, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they cope with some harmful virus inside their computer.


Cylindrical coaxial cavity resonator with shift-tubes coupled with rectangular waveguide is designed. The gap characteristic impedance and external quality factor of higher order transverse magnetic mode TM310 in the cavity are simulated with high frequency electromagnetic simulator ISFEL-3D. The ununiformity of the characteristic impedance resulted from the coupling aperture is reduced through introduction of concave delves on peripheral wall of the cavity.


Mobile multimedia content delivery is a recent development that merges multimedia technology with the freedom and benefits offered by wireless network access to mobile/nomadic users. The technological push for this convergence stems from the immense user demand for mobile access having the same level of service "on the move" as that found on desktops. Yet, the convergence does not come without problems. On the one hand, the mobile environment has fluctuating levels of network service provision, periods of disconnection and dynamic environmental changes. On the other hand the applications are often executed on devices with limited resources available such as memory, battery power and CPU speed. In addition, if we also consider that media streaming requires bandwidth, storage and continuity, this convergence is a hard task to accomplish. We propose a novel caching architecture for content delivery to mobile devices in an attempt to provide efficient mobile user support for interaction with newly discovered services and uninterruptible/continuous service provision.


Abstract : This Workshop on Implementing Security Sector Reform consisted of four Panel Sessions. Panel One: The Police and Law Enforcement Components of SSR, focused on the police component of SSR, identifying methodologies and strategies for police capacity building and exploring the linkages between law enforcement and the other elements of SSR. Panel Two: The Role of Non-State Forces in SSR, focused on what role (if any) forces that are not formally affiliated with the state should play in supporting stability and security. Panel Three: Rule of Law and Justice in Security Sector Reform, explored the intersection between rule of law and the elements of SSR as developed in the must released U. S. Army Field Manual on Stability Operations, FM 3-07. Panel Four: Expanding the 3D Partnership: Multiple Stakeholders and issues of Prioritization explored the need to better integrate additional stakeholders in SSR activities and examined how SSR activities should be sequenced and prioritized by collaborating agencies. The papers presented during each session are included in this report.


Retail chemist retains a unique place in pharmaceutical marketing. Medical representatives get vital feedback from retailers on what is happening to company's products and how they are moving, competitors' activities, their future plans. The objective of study was to analyse attitude of retail chemist towards medical representatives. The survey indicated that according to retail chemist the medical representative perform useful service to the medical profession by way of providing information on price and discounts, availability of drugs and drug use.


Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. In this study, we assess the effects of wet cupping therapy, an ancient therapeutic method, on some inflammatory cytokines believed to impact the inflammatory state of the liver of patients affected by NAFLD. A total of sixteen NAFLD grade II and III patients, diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound, participated in this quasi-experimental study with self-control. The subjects received wet cupping therapy three times over six weeks. We assessed anthropometric and biochemical parameters pre- and post-interventions. Results showed that wet cupping therapy reduced CRP by an average of 50% in 67% of NAFLD patients. The first two wet cupping treatments reduced interleukin-1β, especially the second one for an average of 29% in 67% of patients. The efficacy of wet cupping to modify interleukin-6 was seen in the first wet cupping treatment with an average increase of 182% in 41% of patients. This treatment showed an average reduction of 16% of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in 59% of patients. Wet cupping therapy may be seen as a treatment to reduce the inflammatory state in patients affected by NAFLD when given at proper intervals. disorder has been approved. No pharmacological therapy is available. The only successful therapeutic strategy is lifestyle modification including diet modification, weight loss, and exercise [7][8] . These observations postulate that targeting inflammation in subjects affected by NAFLD may be seen as a novel therapeutic strategy to postpone the disease progression. Cupping therapy, an ancient medical therapy practiced mainly in the Middle East and China, is believed to improve quality of life through muscle stimulation and to treat pain in the head, neck, and back areas (From National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health). There have been few studies that assessed the effects of cupping therapy on inflammatory cytokines involved in the inflammatory state of the liver [9] . Although the anti-inflammatory effects of cupping have been proven to different pathological conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases. [10][11][12][13] In this study, the effects of wet cupping therapy on some inflammatory cytokines believed to take part in the inflammatory cascade derived from increased visceral adipose tissue in the liver of patients affected by NAFLD were accessed. the IL-1β by an average of 24% in 69% of patients and the second one reduced it by an average of 29% in 67% and the third cupping showed an average reduction of 28% in 64%. A randomized controlled trial assessed the effects of wet cupping therapy on serum lipid concentrations. They found that wet cupping could reduce LDL cholesterol but with no statistically significant variation in total cholesterol; they believe that it may prevent atherosclerosis [29] . Our data showed that wet cupping therapy could reduce LDL and total cholesterol for p values of 0.012 and 0.015 in our complete dataset respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first study to assess the effect of wet cupping therapy on inflammatory cytokines in patients affected by NAFLD. The P value of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in our complete dataset showed no significant statistical variation but we showed that the percentage variance calculated in different wet cupping therapy intervals for each inflammatory factor may be clinically important. However, we still do not know how many cupping procedures, and with what intervals, can reduce the inflammatory condition in our patients. The study limitation includes our small sample size. More studies should assess the molecular mechanism underlying the effects of wet cupping therapy in the future. In conclusion, wet cupping therapy may be seen as a novel adjuvant therapeutic strategy along with other therapeutic strategies to ameliorate the inflammatory state in NAFLD patients.


Abstract The Peano curve gives a continuous function of the unit interval onto the unit square respectively the unit cube. One of the most beautiful Peano carves was constructed in 1938 by I. J. Schoenberg. In this article we show how to use the theory of uniform distribution to construct as many points of this Peano curve as you need. In Section 3 we show how to use this for giving approximate solutions of equations. In Section 4 we develop a new theory of uniform distribution, using a singular measure, which can be applied to Brownian motion.


Reporting of incidents and near misses among healthcare professionals can help target improvement efforts and system changes to reduce the likelihood of patient injury. This study explored barriers that hinder healthcare professionals' disclosure of incidents and near misses in hospital settings in Saudi Arabia. Cross-sectional data were collected using a qualitative semi-structured interview with 30 participants, including surgeons, physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, and healthcare quality staff during January and February 2020. Barriers reported by the participants were classified across six themes: fear, lack of knowledge, lack of leadership support, workload, reporting system, and lack of motivation. Health leaders must ensure that the reporting process is planned, designed, and implemented in a nonpunitive manner. When selecting middle-level managers, their knowledge regarding quality of care and patient safety practices should be assessed. The findings of this study add to existing knowledge regarding the barriers preventing the reporting of incidents and near misses among healthcare professionals.


A total of 183 mulberry germplasm resources have been collected through 13 explorations covering 38 districts in 13 states and one union territory to assess their variability. The wild collections of Marus serrata were confined to North West India. M laevigata and Malba are available mostly in cultivated forms. The natural resources of M laevigata in North East had a wide variation. The natural genepool reserves of M laevigata with large tree population at Lamia bay, Doomarnalli, Havelock and John Lawrence Islands (Andamans) are identified and reported for the first time which serve as new locations of mulberry resources availability. The extent of variation in the developed genepool reserves at Central India and introduced European mulberry varieties in tea/coffee estates in Kerala in South India were identified. The variability of the Marus germplasm collected, its scope of utilization and necessity for long term conservation have been stressed.


Objective To develop a simple and reproductable method for the isolation and culture of brain microvascular endothelial cells(BMECs)of rats,and provide technical support for the studies of physiology,biochemistry and pharmacology of the brain endothelium and the studies of pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease.Methods Relatively pure cortex explants were obtained from1-to 4-day-old neonatal Wistar rats by careful dissection,we used cortex explant to culture BMECs and observed the morphology and migration of endothelial cells from cortex explant.The cultured cells were identified according to the morphology and immunocytochemistry of factor VIII-associated antigen.Results We found that the cultured cells began to migrate from cortex explant after 24 hours,showed the spindle-shaped morphology and reached the monolayer confluence after 10-14 days.Immunocytochemistry demonstrated more than 95% of the third generation cultured cells were positive for VIII factor protein,which indicated the cultured cells were vascular endothelial cells.Conclusion Explant culture is a economic and easy method for primary culture of pure BMECs.


The presence of the offshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is poorly understood for most of the southeast Pacific Ocean. Its wide distribution, low density, and lack of understanding of its ecology make the species unpredictable to observe and difficult to study compared to the coastal ecotype. We assessed the occurrence of offshore bottlenose dolphins off the central coast of Ecuador (01°36' S, 80°58' W) using information taken from 2001 to 2022. Data were collected by two research groups based 80 km apart, one in Puerto López (north) and the other in Salinas (south). A total of 48 dolphin groups were documented, 22 at Puerto López and 26 at Salinas. In Puerto López, 163 dolphins were individually identified, of which 70 intra-annual sightings and 102 inter-annual sightings were found. Inter-annual resightings at Puerto López corresponded to 55 individuals (33.7%) recorded between two and 17 years (mean = 5.82 years, SD = 5.1). In Salinas, 58 dolphins were identified, without intra-annual resightings and only two inter-annual sightings. Only one individual was recorded in both areas. Two site fidelity indexes were calculated, Occurrence (Oi) and Permanence (Pi), resulting in 11 and 13.7 times higher respectively, in Puerto López. The abundance at Puerto López, 163 animals (95% CI, 120 - 203) in 2021-2022, was estimated with a closed population model. The prevalence of scars associated with previous encounters with fishing gear was 43.6%, commensal barnacle (Xenobalanus globicipitis) infestation 42.3%, predation 3.6%, and dermal nodules 0.61%. Our findings suggest both site fidelity and some degree of population structure, but additional monitoring and genetic studies are needed to clarify these aspects. Nevertheless, this study provides information on key aspects necessary for developing conservation strategies for offshore bottlenose dolphins.


Lindernia molluginoides (Benth.) Wettst.is reported for the first time from Odisha State. Detailed description, photoplate and relevant notes are provided.


Reactions of molybdenum clusters with molecular nitrogen have been investigated by using a fast‐flow reactor equipped with a laser vaporization cluster source and laser ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer for detection of clusters. Absolute rate coefficients are reported for reaction of clusters in the range 3–35 metal atoms, at temperatures 279, 300, and 372 K in He buffer gas at 1 and 2 Torr pressure. Rate coefficients generally decrease with increasing temperature, as expected for a mechanism involving formation of a weakly bound precursor complex. By comparison with surface chemistry studies of nitrogen adsorption on molybdenum and tungsten, the reactivity trend with cluster size is interpreted as reflecting the geometric configurations of metal atoms on the surfaces of the clusters. It is suggested that structural transitions occur in molybdenum clusters in the size range 13–20 metal atoms. Evidence is described that suggests that cluster reaction products have nitrogen bound in both atomic a...


The purpose of this article is to verify if the impacts presented on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) are disclosed in the financial statements, the accompanying notes and sustainability report of Brazilian companies in the paper and cellulose industry. The methodology is a qualitative approach, using secondary data as an exploratory research is carried out in the statements and reports made available on the companies' website. The choice of companies was restricted to companies that have obtained environmental licensing, with their statements and reports of environmental impact, issued after 2010. Thus, among the seven companies listed on the BM&FBOVESPA, only three developed a new expansion project or expansion of units, Klabin SA, Fibria Celulose SA and Suzano Papel e Celulose SA in the analysis, it was found that the companies disclosed the existence of investments and environmental costs, and that Klabin SA and Fibria Celulose SA have shown a greater concern, front company to disclose the fines incurred and lawsuits. In addition, Klabin SA showed greater transparency in the disclosure of the likely impacts, contained in the EIR, arising from the new project. The results showed that the disclosures of the negative environmental impacts are not identify, it indicates a lack of transparency in the disclosure of environmental facts.


Orientation: Talent management (TM) practices in the competitive corporate environment and the success and profitability in an institution can affect employee retention, the institution's objective achievements and the contribution to Namibia's economic growth. Research purpose: The primary aim of the study was to determine if TM can influence the retention and turnover of employees at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), to explore the benefits that the institution can achieve by implementing TM and to study retention strategies that the institution can adopt to reduce turnover. Motivation for the study: Limited research existed regarding the execution of best practice TM in this institution. New ways need to be engaged for employees to stay employed longer at the institution. Research approach/design and method: The qualitative research design was implemented, with a target population of 39 administrative middle-level staff at NUST. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and research articles were reviewed. The data were analysed via qualitative content analysis that identified major themes. Main findings: This study found a relationship between TM and employee retention and concluded that synchronisation of TM practices and employee retention initiatives led to reduced employee turnover. A model was recommended. Practical/managerial implications: To implement and achieve TM properly, line managers and HRM managers should identify what hinders and facilitates TM. Contribution/value-add: This study will contribute to research of TM in Namibia and to the field of HRM in the public sector, particularly in the tertiary education area.


IN 1953 W.H. McEWEN, the long-time general manager of Maritime Co-op Services (MCS), the largest co-operative wholesale in the Maritime Provinces, wrote that cooperatives were not making sufficient progress towards taking "the people into the realm of Economic Ownership. Our present stage suggests that we are still in the wilderness looking towards the Promised Land, but still lacking the faith, courage and determination to go up and possess the land. We are on the march, but we haven't really arrived".1 McEwen's lament was understandable. When he had arrived in the Maritime Provinces from Manitoba during the depth of the Great Depression, he had brought to the Canadian Livestock Co-operative (Maritimes) or CLC (M) the predecessor of MCS a vision of establishing a non-profit co-operative commonwealth inspired by people such as Prairie co-operative leader Henry Wise Wood.2 For McEwen in the early 1930s, as well as those associated with the Extension Department of Saint Francis Xavier University and their soon-to-be famous "Antigonish Movement" program of adult education and co-operative action, the way forward seemed clear. The capitalist system was in crisis and near collapse, and the time was ripe for co-operatives to gain extensive control of the economy so that "the people", in the famous phrase of Extension Director Father Moses Coady, could become "masters of their own destiny".3 These co-operators and many others shared a vision that the burgeoning growth of local consumer co-operative stores, agricultural co-ops and credit unions, coupled with widespread co-operative initiatives in fish processing, housing and other enterprises, would stimulate the demand for extensive


This study investigates the use of gendered lexical items and collocates to deconstruct the patriarchal social system of Pakistan with the help of corpus tools. Media frame the mind and thinking of people with its repetitive announcements. Women being a part of the society are also part of media news but they are underreported by reporters and editors as most of the news are male- filtered news. Pakistani English newspapers are one of the popular sources of getting information across Pakistan. The local social system and male dominating mindset have influenced all types of media in Pakistan. It is observed that like all other fields of life, women are marginalized in Pakistani English newspapers too. It is hypothesized that male are over represented as compared to female and women related news are written by female writers and reporters. A corpus of 270 Pakistani English Newspapers has been selected from The News International, The Dawn and Daily Times with 90 articles from each paper. A corpus-based analysis has been carried out to identify gender discrimination and gender stereotypes in Pakistani society. All collocate of women and men are kept in attention in this work. The results reveal that women are represented as a minority and marginalized victims by male dominating society. On the contrary, the modern writers raise their voices to support and highlight the role of women in society. The study is the first attempt of its kind for an amalgam of corpus-based and CDA approaches.
Keywords: representation, corpus-driven analysis, newspapers, women, marginalized, minority


Surface plasmon-coupled fluorescence (SPCF) technique has developed as a highly sensitive, specific, and versatile methodology for quantitative and qualitative bioassays. It relies on the ability of prism-coupling approach to channelize the emitted photons into sharply directional emission with attributes of propagating surface plasmons resulting in highly p-polarized emission. There are voluminous research studies demonstrating the utility of wide range of nanomaterials as effective spacers in SPCF. Streptavidin magnetic nanoparticles (SMNPs) serve as excellent candidates for biomedical applications on account of their biocompatibility and tunable magnetic properties. From the perspective of magneto-plasmonics, although they are excellent candidates for SPCF explorations, they are underutilized in this domain. In this background, we report the first-time demonstration of quintessential integration of SMNPs and graphene oxide π-plasmons as crucial spacer material for augmented SPCF. The results obtained with exorbitant detector systems are substituted with reliable mobile phone camera based detectors, amenable for resource-limited settings.


A method for network load shaping in a mobile network (10), particularly a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) - or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) network, wherein the mobile radio network (10) a radio access network (20) and a core network (12) and having - a packet data flow (25) of at least one data source (27) to a mobile terminal (24) via at least one network device (14-1, 16-1) in the core network (12) and the radio access network (20) is passed, - in the network device (14-1, 16-1) data packets (34) of the packet data flow (25) are classified by a predetermined classification scheme, - classification scheme as a leaky bucket algorithm is used, a leak rate (R) corresponding to a predetermined maximum data rate, - the classification is carried out such that successive of such data packets from a series of successive data packets (34) of the packet data flow (25) would be exceeded the predetermined by the maximum data rate bandwidth for the transmission of the packet data flow (25) for forwarding it, respectively, a predetermined is obtained classification result (S3), each classified data packet (34) in the network device ...


Dense and crack-free thin films of potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) were synthesized using a sol-gel process. The decomposition of the organic precursors and the formation of the KTP were studied using thermal analysis, DRIFT, and XRD. Several processing parameters such as the nature of the precursors, the aging of the alkoxide solution, the firing atmosphere, time, and temperature were found to affect the final film microstructure. Thin films were deposited on single-crystal KTP, LaGaO3, MgO, and sapphire substrates to promote crystallographic orientation. SEM and XRD studies reveal that films deposited on KTP and LaGaO3 single crystals are highly oriented. The films deposited on MgO or sapphire were found to detach or chemically degrade. The orientation as well as the degradation mechanisms were examined in detail.


The gut microbiota regulates systemic immunity, and microbiota characteristics can be defined that have pro- or anti-inflammatory effects. We hypothesized that the gut microbiota influences the survival of completely MHC mismatched murine cardiac transplants. Transplants were performed using BALB/c donor hearts grafted to C57BL/6 recipients. Gut microbiota manipulation was performed using an antibiotic cocktail on d -6 to -1, before fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) using fecal pellets from three groups: healthy C57BL/6, mice on d11 of pregnancy, and T-cell receptor transgenic colitic mice. Other groups received immunosuppression with anti-CD40L or tacrolimus plus FMT. 16S rRNA gene sequencing from fecal pellets was used to identify bacteria associated with transplant outcome. Cardiac allografts were harvested at d40 or rejection, and assessed for survival. Higher survival rates and lower fibrosis scores were observed with FMT performed using pregnant mouse feces/antibiotics/anti-CD40L. FMT performed with colitic mouse feces/antibiotics/tacrolimus resulted in higher fibrosis scores. Bifidobacterium pseudolongum was present in pregnant and normal mouse feces, but not colitic mice, and significantly associated with positive transplant outcome. In conclusion, the microbiota has a profound systemic effect on immunity with consequences for graft outcome. Microbiota manipulation could be beneficial in reducing inflammation, subsequent tissue damage, and graft rejection.


Problem in this research ability language, especially the ability to master letters has not yet developed compared to other capabilities. Children look difficult at times name the letter symbols. So that tesearchers provide a solution by carrying out letter drying activities in the hope that it will make it easier for children to master language, especially the ability to recognize letters. The purpose of this research is to find out how the application of letter drying activities can improve the ability to recognize letters in group B children at Karya Banri kindergarten, Bulukumba Regency.this research is a class action research with quantitative descriptive data analysis and data collection techniques through observation an documentation. The subject of this research is group B kindergaerden of Karya Banri Bulukumba regency totalling 20 children. The results of the study showed that in the first cysle as a whole only reached 62,9% which met the sufficient criteria. While the re-doing of research in the second cycle as a whole has reached 75,5% and has met the good criteria and is at the level of ability to develop according to expectations.


A new technique for the fabrication of dense yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin-film electrolytes (between 3 and 10 μm) on porous electrode substrates has been used to make planar solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The YSZ electrolyte is strongly bonded to the Ni-YSZ and La 0.89 Sr 0.1 MnO 3 (LSM)-YSZ electrode substrates, and the power density of a Ni-YSZ/YSZ/LSM-YSZ cell is over 0.8 W/cm 2 at 800°C. Initial investigations of doped YSZ mixed-conducting electrodes in our thin-film YSZ cells indicate that Tb- and Ti-doped YSZs enhance cell power densities from 15 to 50% at 800°C. New Cu-CeO 2 -YSZ anodes for the dry oxidation of methane have also been investigated. Initial results show that the Cu-CeO 2 -based anodes are stable in hydrocarbon fuels, and that the principle anodic reaction is a direct, electrocatalytic oxidation of the hydrocarbon fuel.


This paper examines the relationship of the monetary economics of James Tobin to modern monetary theory, which has diverged in many ways from the directions taken by Tobin and his associates (for example, moving away from multi-asset models of financial market equilibrium and from monetary models of long-run economic growth) but which has also built upon aspects of his work (e.g., the use of simulation and calibration in his work on inter-termporal consumption decisions). Particular attention will be paid to Tobin's unpublished series of three Gaston Eyskens Lectures at Leuven on Neo-Keynesian Monetary Theory: A Restatement and Defense, and the paper draws on my forthcoming volume of Tobin for Palgrave Macmillan's series on Great Thinkers in Economics.


Damn you! Bring me some water. Leave me alone. I don't want you here. Heyyy — come here! Are you Sally? Where am I? Get out of here! Bring me some food. Who are you? Do you like my red dress?


Strong trophic interactions link primary producers (phytoplankton) and consumers (zooplankton) in lakes. However, the influence of such interactions on the biogeographical distribution of the taxa and functional traits of planktonic organisms in lakes has never been explicitly tested. To better understand the spatial distribution of these two major aquatic groups, we related the distributions of their taxa and functional traits across boreal lakes (104 for zooplankton and 48 for phytoplankton) to a common suite of environmental and spatial factors. We directly tested the degree of coupling in their taxonomic and functional distributions across the subset of common lakes. Phytoplankton functional composition responded mainly to properties related to water quality, while zooplankton composition responded more strongly to lake morphometry. Overall, the spatial distributions of phytoplankton and zooplankton were coupled at taxonomic and functional levels but after controlling for the effect of environmental drivers (water quality and morphometry) and dispersal limitation, no residual coupling could be attributed to trophic interactions. The lack of support for the role of trophic interactions as a driver coupling the distribution of plankton communities across boreal lakes indicates that taxon-specific and functional trait driven ecological interactions may not modulate large-scale spatial patterns of phytoplankton and zooplankton in a coordinated way. Our results point to community structuring forces beyond the phytoplankton-zooplankton trophic coupling itself, and which are specific to each trophic level: fish predation for zooplankton and resources for phytoplankton.


Orchis ustulata was classified as an endangered species (EN) in the Polish Red Data Book and the National Red List (Bernacki et al. 2015; Kaźmierczakowa et al. 2016). A new locality of it was found in the Murawy Dobromierskie Steppe Reserve in the vicinity of Dobromierz village
(Przedbórz Upland, S Poland). Orchis ustulata was recorded in grassland (Festuco-Brometea class). Its population consisted of 18 specimens in 2017. To preserve the population, active conservation (repeated cutting of shrubs and grazing or mowing of the herb layer) and monitoring are required.


A threshold configuring SAR A/D converter is presented that programs its comparator threshold at runtime to approximate the input signal via binary search. Low power and small area are achieved via a fully dynamic configurable comparator and an asynchronous controller with no need for capacitor-based feedback D/A converter. A 6-bit prototype in 90-nm digital CMOS technology achieves 32-dB SNDR at 50 MS/s consuming 240 μW from 1-V analog and 0.7-V digital supplies, i.e. 150fJ/conversion-step, in a core area occupation of only 0.0055 mm2, a 4× improvement on state-of-the-art designs.


Several methods have been proposed for comparing nucleic acid and amino acid sequences with the expressed aim of identifying areas of similarity (Needleman & Wunsch, 1970; Sellers, 1974; Fitch, 1969; Sankoff, 1972; Waterman et al., 1976; Dayhoff, 1969; Korn et al., 1977). Each of the methods proposed does have its own particular advantages, but at the same time each has its own limitations. For example the Needleman & Wunsch (1 970)/Sellers (1974) algorithm requires a matrix of real numbers of dimensions M x N when comparing two sequences of lengths M and N. Comparing two sequences of size 1000 requires more than 4000000 bytes of addressable memory assuming each real number occupies 4 bytes. This method, therefore, is restricted to use on large mainframe computers and can only be used for sequences of up to about 1000 residues. The program DIAGON (Staden, 1982), originally written in FORTRAN 77 for a VAX 11/780 computer, was developed to combine the best features of some of the methods previously mentioned into a simple to use graphical method for sequence comparison. The program is a fully interactive tool that simplifies the process of identifying similarities and producing aligned sequences. The algorithms used are far less demanding on addressable memory and are fast. The efficiency of the algorithms is such that it has proved possible to implement the program on a 8-bit microcomputer with 64Kbytes RAM. The current implementation of the program has been written in PASCAL for an Apple I[ + (or Apple / /e) running within the UCSD operating system. It consists of a number of segment (overlay) procedures to maximize use of the available memory. The Turtlegraphics unit is used to interface to the Apple high-resolution graphics display; but apart from that it should be readily transferrable to any other machine (with graphics capability) running UCSD-PASCAL. Additional hardware used is a dot-matrix printer, an optional 80 column card, two games paddles, and an Accelerator I[ card. This last item is optional but it does cause the program to run 3.6 times faster than on a standard machine. Typical execution times for different sequence lengths are given in Table 1. For larger sequences it is a simple matter to set up an EXEC file, from which instructions are retrieved, and the machine left to run unattended in 'psuedo-batch' mode. The DIAGON plot created being stored on disk, for perusal later. The output of DIAGON is a plot that consists of one sequence arranged along the x-axis, and the second along the y-axis. Every point (x , y ) within the plot is assigned a score which is a measure of the similarity of the two sequences at that point. If perfect matching is selected only exact matches are scored; whilst with proportional matching the degree of match between selected subsequences of defined length is calculated. For nucleic acids an identity matrix is usually used to give the score between different Table 1. Comparison of the time taken to produce one DIAGON plot as the size of the compared sequences increases The timings were performed on an Apple I[ + microcomputer fitted with an Accelerator I[ card and the proportional scoring algorithm was selected. Note that for typical proteins the times taken to obtain the plot are suitable for interactive use.


The preservation of open spaces is treated as an important policy in recent years as urbanization level is increasing higher in the world (Geoghegan, 2002). There are multiple positive effects associated with open spaces, including recreation, aesthetic and environment values (Geoghegan, 2002). The positive effects of open space as a nature-based solution on urban social, economic and environmental factors have been explored by a number of previous papers, such as housing price (Lutzenhiser & Netusil, 2001; Bolitzer & Netusil, 2000), spatial pattern (Lewis et al., 2009; Irwin & Bockstael, 2004), human health (Groenewegen et al., 2006; Irvine et al., 2013) and social safety (Groenewegen et al., 2006; Fischer et al., 2004). However, relatively less papers have predicted the open spaces' influences on socio-economic development. This paper will firstly verify the open space influences on economic factor (housing sale prices) and social factor (sense of safety, residential agglomeration) using a linear regression model. We consider the housing attributes, urban form attributes (eg. population density, block size, road density), driving and walking accessibility to different types of public open spaces, and accessibility to other amenities (eg. hospitals and schools) as influential features. Then, we test several machine learning algorithms in predicting the housing price and sense of safety change based on future open space planning scenarios, and choose the most suitable machine learning algorithm. City of Chicago, Illinois, US is chosen to be study area since data availability, sufficient open space types and long-term open space preservation strategies. This study can quantify the values of the open spaces in influencing socio-economic developments and provide a way to test the open space scenarios. It has potential to work as a tool for local planners to make better nature-based solutions in open space designs and plans.


Single crystals of n- and p-type Cd/sub x/Hg/sub 1-x/Te (x%=0.24--0.28) were irradiated at T=300/sup 0/K with 2.0 MeV electrons at doses of up to 2.2 x 10/sup 18/ cm/sup -2/. Studies were made of the electrical (R/sub H/,sigma, and R/sub H/sigma) and recombination (tau) parameters of samples subjected to irradiation and isochronous annealing in the temperature range 300--430/sup 0/ K. It was found that, whatever the initial type of conductivity, the saturation parameters of strongly irradiated Cd/sub x/Hg/sub 1-x/Te crystals corresponded to an n-type material with napprox. =5x10/sup 15/ cm/sup -3/ and R/sub H/sigmaapprox. = (2--4) x 10/sup 4/cm/sup 2/xV/sup -1/xsec/sup -1/ at 78/sup 0/ K. Electrons irradiation did not lead to the formation of additional recombination centers. An isochronous annealing stage was found at T=370--430/sup 0/ K. It is suggested that the observed changes in the properties of Cd/sub x/Hg/sub 1-x/Te under electron irradiation are due to the formation of vacancy clusters.


We are developing a retinal prosthesis vision chip based on a pulse-frequency-modulation (PFM) photosensor. Because the device is implanted in the eye ball and is powered by RF coil coupling with limited energy, low voltage and small current operation is required to achieve low power dissipation. We propose a capacitive-feedback-reset method for the PFM vision chip. The proposed method uses capacitive feed back through the junction capacitance of the photodiode and gate-source overlap capacitance of the reset transistor. In the proposed PFM circuit, the feed-through effect in resetting contributes to avoid current competition, so that the high dynamic range can be achieved even at the low voltage operation. We have fabricated a pixel TEG circuit in a 0.35-μm CMOS technology. The PFM photosensor circuit is composed of a four-stage inverter-chain. Dynamic range of 136dB has been achieved with 0.8-V power supply.


Much medical education, from undergraduate programmes to continuing professional development, is based on the premise that doctors are, or should be, selfdirected learners. Part of its attraction seems to be that the idea of self-directed learning (SDL) accords with western ideals of democracy, individualism and egalitarianism. It is also seen as a prerequisite for life-long learning. Two papers in this issue remind us that we should challenge the assumptions underpinning SDL and explore its applicability to clinical medicine.


Simulations of the stability of the secondary and tertiary structure of the α-keratin intermediate filament (IF) monomeric unit of wool are reported. Based on the assumed secondary structure three segments of the primary structure were selected: 1A, L12, and a part of 2B. Starting with an ideal α-helical conformation for each IF-segment, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out on the atomistic level at various temperatures in vaccum using the CFF91 force field. In either simulation the expected destabilization of the helical structure with increasing simulation temperature was observed. By use of different procedures of analysis, transition temperatures for the α-helical denaturation were determined that are significantly higher for the supposedly α-helical segments 1A and 2B than for the linker segment L12. The different stabilities of segments 1A and L12 were further verified through simulations in water environment that show the linker segment to be non-helical at room temperature. The lower transition temperature of segment L12 confirms the expectation that its amino acid sequence leads to increased conformational flexibility. The mobility of the water molecules surrounding the IF-segment is found to be significantly decreased by protein/water interactions.


"And whilst all these nations have magnified their Antiquities so exceedingly, we need not wonder that the Greeks and Latines have made their first Kings a little older then the truth." Sir Isaac Newton, The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms, Chap. VI . Though GNSS satellites are just some among many other satellites which are implemented for geophysical measurements, GNSS play a very significant and increasing role in collecting geophysical data. They have become an indispensable tool for many geophysical applications. Apart from this, GNSS satellites have also allowed spread spectrum radiowave technology to mature. This technology can be used on its own for atmosphere probing in other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum than GNSS's. Together with other atmosphere sensing instruments, GNSS provides information for weather prediction and monitoring climate change. GNSS has also become an essential tool for estimation of the Earth's rotation parameters. There are also emerging areas of paramount importance, which are yet under development, such as using GNSS signals for earthquake studies. Figure 11.1 depicts the subject of this chapter in relation to other chapters in this book. Data from global reference networks are routinely used to monitor movement of the Earth's tectonic plates relative to each other and to an inertial frame. In this task the same type of GNSS observables as described in Chapter 8 are used. Such observables are created using measurements from globally distributed networks of GNSS receivers, supplying various data in raw data formats, mostly in RINEX. The most prominent among such networks is the IGS network. There are also various regional and local networks, which can provide large volumes of geophysical information. Among such networks, for example, is the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) network in Japan, which consists of more than 1200 high-end geodetic GNSS receivers. The data from these networks include code and carrier phase measurements, Doppler measurements, and signal-to-noise ratio. All measurements are delivered from dual frequency receivers using two frequencies (L1, L2). We consider implementation of data from such networks in Sections 11.1, 11.3, and 11.4.


: What is structural rationality? Specifically, what is the distinctive feature of structural requirements of rationality? Some philosophers have argued, roughly, that the distinctive feature of structural requirements is coherence. But what does coherence mean, exactly? Or, at least, what do structuralists about rationality have in mind when they claim that structural rationality is coherence? This issue matters for making progress in various active debates concerning rationality. In this paper, I analyze three strategies for figuring out what coherence means in the debates on structural rationality. I argue that these strategies face problems.


Objective: To study cross-national inequalities in mortality of adults and of children aged <5 years using a novel approach, with clustering techniques to stratify countries into mortality groups (better-off, worse-off, mid-level) and to examine risk factors associated with inequality. Design, setting and participants: Analysis of data from the World Development Indicators 2003 database, compiled by the World Bank. Main outcome measures: Adult and child mortality among countries placed into distinct mortality categories by cluster analysis. Conclusions: Inequalities in child and adult mortality are large, are growing, and are related to several economic, social and health sector variables. Global efforts to deal with this problem require attention to the worse-off countries, geographic concentrations, and adopt multidimensional approaches to development.


The research study carried out was literature where the results of the research carried out contained several findings in the study, including; First, Humans were created by Allah SWT in a perfect form which makes it different from other creatures. Second, the human mind is a gift from Allah SWT, which is used to think, understand, be able to understand something, from within the human being himself, so that humans have the readiness to absorb everything. Third, religion is a matter of reason and its use must be in accordance with the provisions and limits that have been set and not result in absolute and absolute thinking that can harm humans themselves. Fourth, human intelligence is described through the ability of humans themselves to be able to restrain their lusts, those who do the most charity to remember death and the best in preparing provisions to face life after death. Fifth, in the context of human life today, the intelligence referred to includes intelligence IQ (Intellegence Quotient), EQ (Emotional Quotient), and SQ (Spiritual Quotient) and there are even other intelligences as part of one's potential that must always be honed and developed. Sixth, the function of reason which is accompanied by good intelligence in Islamic education, with the concepts of tadhakkur, tadabbur, tafakkur and has knowledge and faith, has a very important role in realizing quality Islamic education.


Problem formulations in natural language imply imprecision, ambiguity, incompleteness, conflict and inconsistency between requirements in a design problem. Recursive Object Model (ROM) based problem formulation in conceptual design extracts complete product requirement from design problems structured initially in natural language. Since ROM carries certain semantic and syntactic information implied in natural language, it is used to formulate a design problem through a question asking approach. The scope of this paper is to present an updated algorithm, question templates, rules and detailed procedures to ask generic questions based on ROM representations. Generic questions are needed for the clarification and extension of the meaning of a design problem in order to overcome the imprecisions, ambiguities, conflicts and inconsistencies of problem descriptions in natural language. The updated algorithm, question templates, rules and detailed procedures for asking generic questions are used in a case study to formulate the development of a Total Quality Management system (TQMS).Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Abstract The results of a survey into the provision and extent of use of video resources in Icelandic schools is given. While all schools at primary and secondary level are provided with at least one television and video recorder, the utilisation of video resources is relatively low. Due in part to the absence of off‐air reception facilities in most Icelandic schools, the use of video is mainly via videocassettes borrowed from the National Centre for Educational Media. The future policy for ETV in Icelandic schools is considered in terms of the provision of production facilities and training needs.


Agricultural tourism can produce great social, economic and environmental benefits to Yangling Agricultural Hitech Industries Demonstration Zone. Yangling enjoys a variety of unique advantages to develop tourism with a characteristic of farming culture and modern agricultural high technologies. Close attention should be paid to the tourism industry of Yangling and the government should play a dominating role and work out the collective layout of tourism industry as soon as possible. New attractions should be built and Yangling tour brand developed. More regional coordination with Xi'an, Xianyang and Baoji will strengthen Yangling's competition ability in the market. New human resource programs should be implemented so that tourism growth could be ensured by high quality staff.


The rise in globalization has compelled companies to become more competitive. Competitiveness is not bound to better production, indeed it goes beyond this and value added services have now sta ...


A previous Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) study showed high incidence of secondary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in children treated for T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T‐ALL) or higher‐stage lymphoblastic lymphoma. To prevent secondary neoplasms, induce prolonged asparagine depletion, and maintain high event‐free survival (EFS) in children with newly diagnosed T‐ALL or higher‐stage non‐Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL), we designed this pilot study to determine feasibility and safety of substituting methotrexate/mercaptopurine for teniposide/cytarabine and PEG‐asparaginase for native asparaginase.


The influence of acetic acid as the chemical conservant in three doses (4, 6 8 g/kg green mass) on the intensity of fermentation and proteolysis in lucerne silage was investigated. On the basis of chemical analysis, it was found that with the increase of conservant dose the pH value decreased aminogenesis and nitrogen solubility was limited. In silages treated the absolute and relative domination of acetic acid was found in total acid content. The increase of free and bonded acetic acid was discovered with the increase of conservant dose. Free butyric acid was not detected, while bonded butyric acid was present in negligible concentration, without effect on silage quality. Compared to control silage (III quality class according to DLG and Zelter method), a significant increase of acetic acid in silages resulted in the decline of their quality, and they were ranked as not useful (V quality class according to DLG method), or on the margin of usefulness (IV quality class according to Zelter method). In spite of some foreign references, domestic experiences show that acetic acid is not an effective conservant and it is not recommended for that use for lucerne that is not simple to ensile.


Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is commercially used despite incomplete nuclear reprogramming of the somatic cell nucleus by the enucleated oocyte compromising its efficiency. Oocyte selection is a key factor in increasing this efficiency as its cytoplasm reprograms the differentiated cell. In this study, we adapted a methodology to characterize epialleles in potential epigenetic markers in single in vitro matured oocytes. Characterization of the regions that control the expression of imprinted genes, X‐chromosome inactivation, and satellite I DNA (IGF2, ICR‐H19, XIST, RepA, and SAT1) showed methylated and unmethylated alleles in the imprinted genes IGF2 and ICR‐H19 while XIST‐DMR1 and RepA showed hypermethylated alleles. There was great variation in methylation patterns for candidate regions which may be related to oocyte quality. Moreover, the identification of different epialleles in the same oocyte suggests that, at least for those loci, the epigenome of the metaphase plate and polar body is different. The single‐cell bisulfite polymerase chain reaction technique can be used to improve the precision of selecting the best oocytes for SCNT procedures, thereby increasing its efficiency.


Energetic (exceeding 35 MeV) gamma-rays have been observed from the direction of Cygnus X-3 with the SAS-2 gamma-ray telescope. The statistical significance of the excess above the galactic and diffuse radiation is approximately 4.5 sigma. In addition, the gamma-ray flux is modulated at the 4.8-hr period observed in the X-ray and infrared regions, and within the statistical error is in phase with this emission. The flux above 100 MeV has an average value of about 4.4 millionths photon/sq cm per sec. If the distance to Cygnus X-3 is 10 kpc, this flux implies a luminosity of more than 10 to the 37th power erg/s if the radiation is isotropic and about 10 to the 36th power erg/s if the radiation is restricted to a cone of 1 steradian, as it might be in a pulsar. Upper limits are presented for the gamma-ray flux from other known or suspected periodic X-ray sources.


The purpose of this study was to to analyze the effect of transformational leadership, communication and discipline on the performance of employees at PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi. This research included in the research explanations (explanatory research) because this research is intended to explain the influence or causal relationships between variables by testing the hypothesis that has been formulated. This research population is all employees remain part of office PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi, amounting to 59 people. The number of employees of PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi as a whole is 59 people, so that the sample used purposive sampling. The analytical tool used is multiple linear regression analysis. After analyzing the data, some conclusions can be drawn, namely: 1) .Kepemimpinan transformational significant positive effect on the performance of employees at PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi, so the first hypothesis stating that transformational leadership significant positive effect on the performance of employees at PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi, accepted. 2) .Komunikasi significant positive effect on the performance of employees at PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi, so that the second hypothesis which states that communication significant positive effect on the performance of employees at PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi, accepted. 3). Labor discipline significant positive effect on the performance of employees at PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi, so the third hypothesis which states that the labor discipline significant positive effect on the performance of employees at PT. BPR Lestari Purwoharjo Purwoharjo District of Banyuwangi, accepted.


The subject matter of the invention is a coating slip comprising at least one pigment, water and: between 30% and 90% by weight of dextrin (A) consisting of at least one dextrin having a weight-average molecular weight MA of less than 500 kDa; between 10% and 70% by weight of dextrin (B) consisting of at least one dextrin having a weight-average molecular weight MB; the weight amounts of dextrins being relative to the total amount of the mixture of dextrins (A) and (B) in the composition, characterized in that MB is greater than MA 50 kDa. The invention also relates to a process for coating paper comprising a step of coating with this slip, and also to the paper obtained at the end of this process.


T. Iwaniec has conjectured that the derivative of a locally a-Holder continuous quasiconformal mapping of Rn is locally integrable to any power p < Ina . We disprove this conjecture by producing examples of quasiconformal mappings of the plane that are uniformly Holder continuous with exponent < a < 1 but whose derivatives are not locally integrable to the power I


FRC (frame re-compression) is a kind of widely used technique in reducing the SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory) bandwidth of HEVC video system. However, in previous research works, FRC imposes requirements on accessing pattern and hence its usage are only limited in HEVC video codecs. While in a typical HEVC VLSI video system, there exists many other video IPs with high bandwidth requirements. Therefore, in this article, we propose a new FRC architecture to overcome the limitation and make it applicable to all the video IPs in a HEVC VLSI video system, which raises the overall bandwidth reduction rate of the whole video system. Our proposal has two points: firstly we propose a system internal bus based FRC architecture, which is independent, transparent, and easily connected to all other video IPs. Secondly, we propose a FA (freely access) scheme to remove the requirements on access pattern in previous work. By using this proposal, the bandwidth reduction rate in our VLSI video system model is raised from 92.4% to 69.6%.


It is essential to life that a balance is maintained between processes that produce ATP and those that consume it. An obvious way to do this would be to have systems that monitor the levels of ATP and ADP, although because of the adenylate kinase reaction (2ADP↔ATP+AMP), AMP is actually a more sensitive indicator of energy stress than ADP. Following the discoveries that glycogen phosphorylase and phosphofructokinase were regulated by AMP and ATP, Daniel Atkinson proposed that all enzymes at branch points between biosynthesis and degradation would be regulated by adenine nucleotides. This turned out to be correct, but what Atkinson did not anticipate was that sensing of nucleotides would, in most cases, be performed not by the metabolic enzymes themselves, but by a signalling protein, AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase). AMPK occurs in essentially all eukaryotes and consists of heterotrimeric complexes comprising catalytic α subunits and regulatory β and γ subunits, of which the latter carries the nucleotide-binding sites. Once


The present research investigated how consumers with differential involvement and different personal ads skepticism would correct their judgment of the products by subtracting the endorser effect in settings close to the advertisement environment. The study assessed the nature of consumers' correction behavior based on Flexible Correction Model¬. Corrections are anticipated when individuals were motivated and capable to do so. When people are highly involved and face irrelevant endorsers, high ads skeptical people corrected their ratings in a direction opposite to the perceived biasing direction. A significant difference was found between high and low ads skeptical groups. However, when they receive relevant endorsers, ads skepticism does not lead to significant difference of product judgments. In the same manner, high ads skeptical people seemed to fail to correct the endorser bias and rated the target product no differently under low involvement conditions.


The application of modern informa tion technology makes the education reforma tions forword.The interval-based teaching organization method is introduced in this paper.A CBE environment on the In ter-net for the interval-based teaching method is discussed,and the four pro cesses of the teaching method and the components of the environment are presented in detail.


Governments and aid agencies in many developing countries channel credit to agriculture. The goal is to promote development, help the poorer peasants, encourage innovations, and eliminate the reliance on the local allegedly monopolistic moneylenders. Credit is deemed appropriate for achieving these goals since it is easy to administer, its effect is immediate, and it can be directed to the desired groups in the population. However, experience has shown that credit programs tend to fail.' Subsidized credit introduces inefficiencies, most of the credit goes to the richer farmers, and it encourages capital intensification and replacement of labor by machinery-hardly the goals governments aim for.2 Cooperative credit was introduced in several places to improve distribution of subsidized loans and to increase repayment rates, but most of these efforts also failed.3 These failures of outside intervention can be explained within the perspective of modern theory, which has improved our understanding of (and increased our sympathy to) the working of rural credit markets and their institutions in poorer countries.4 Israel is not a poor country; its agriculture is well endowed with capital and is technically advanced, and while informal (gray) credit markets exist, most of the financial services are provided by commercial banks. Still, there are many similarities between the basic structure and problems of the credit market in Israel and those of developing countries. Central among them is the problem of control, which lies in the basis of the theoretical analysis and is of major practical importance both in rural credit markets for developing countries and in the cooperative-intensive Israeli farm sector. In this article we summarize lessons drawn from many years of experience with cooperative agricultural credit in Israel. The discussion is limited to the sector of the moshavim, cooperative villages of family farms; the experience of the large-scale communal kibbutzim is not considered at this stage.


Digital TV broadcasting`s resolution or tone quality is very excellent than analog broadcasting and has many advantages including various multimedia functions such as home shopping, home banking, internet search, telecommuting, VOD, etc. In this study, it is essential to analyze the regional electromagnetic environment before Digital TV broadcasting, and therefore we analyzed Busan area`s limitation using ETRI propagation model. For maintaining high-quality Digital TV signals, we measure electric field intensity wide and far in Busan including mountains area and high-rise buildings. Generally, it has lower value by a standard ETRI propagation model than simulated value about standard model, but distribution pattern are similar with it. Compared theoretical values with the measured results, they have similar values for flat area but very different values for crowded city area and mountains area So we conclude that ETRI propagation model and theoretical model are not suitable for Busan in a free space.


Abstract Objectives The aim of the study was to analyze the performance of the anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) level for the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome in women with morbid obesity. Study design A single-centre cross-sectional study was conducted in 50 women of reproductive age with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 40 kg/m2. Each patient underwent a clinical examination, biological and hormonal assays, and an ovarian ultrasound between the third and the fifth day of the menstrual cycle. Polycystic ovary syndrome was diagnosed according to the Rotterdam's criteria. Results The mean age of participants was 34.2 ± 7.5 years. Polycystic ovary syndrome was diagnosed in 20 women (40%). Age and anthropometric parameters did not differ between women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome. The mean AMH level was significantly higher in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (3.4 ± 3.6 vs 1.3 ± 1.2 ng/ml, p=0.010). It was positively correlated with the Ferriman and Gallwey score (r=0.496, p=0.016), total testosterone level (r=0.524, p < 10−3) and the LH/FSH ratio (r=0.290, p=0.046). In women aged between 35 and 45 years, the optimum cut-off level for the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome was 0.81 ng/mL, providing a sensitivity and a specificity of 90 and 71%, respectively with an area under the ROC curve of 0.857. Conclusions AMH level was significantly higher in morbid obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared with those without polycystic ovary syndrome. Specific thresholds for this population must be assessed to improve the sensitivity and specificity of AMH for the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome.