In South African law, the distinction between the universal partnership proper, the societas omnium bonorum, and the general partnership in all commercial undertakings, the societas universorum quae ex quaestu veniunt, remains significant. This is particularly so since the question whether, in which instances and to which extent the universal partnership of all property was and is recognised in Roman-Dutch and South African law, until recently has not been free from doubt. The situation was further complicated by the numerous references in the law reports merely to a "universal partnership" without specifying which type was under consideration. Fortunately very significant progress towards removing all uncertainties was made by the recent seminal judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Butters v Mncora.


Objective To compare image technics with serological tests for diagnosing echinococcosis in epidemiological survey based on data from 5 counties in Qing Zhang Plateau. Methods 7 702 volunteers were examined by abdominal B ultrasound, chest roentgenogram and detected antibody by Dot ELISA. 454 volunteers showing space occupying lesion in internal organs liver and lung etc. were examined by Em18 blot. The diagnostic results from image technics were taken as confirmed diagnosis. Results The positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Dot ELISA to detect antibody in 7 702 cases for two types of hydatid disease (HD) were 48.5% and 99.3% respectively. The ratio of positive rate of Dot ELISA to HD prevalence rate was 1.8∶1. The positive predictive value of Em18 blot for alveolar echinococcosis in 454 cases was 82.9%, while negative predictive value 95.3%, but the positive rate for diagnosing of cystic echinococcosis was 5.8% only. Conclusion It has been suggestd by the authors that in epidemiological survey, ultrasonic examination should be the main method for diagnosing HD, and the results from serological tests could not be considered to be an index as HD infection rate in population.


Objective To investigate precise location of sellar floor for pituitary adenoma resection through unilateral endonasal transsphenoidal approach. Method Sagittal and coronal CT scans and MRI scans were all made in 77 patients. The skull base sellar angle and sellar clivus angle were measured. The distance from anterior nasal spine to skull base sellar angle and to sellar clivus angle were measured. The shortest distance of bilateral carotid arteries was measured. After we had found the skull base sellar angle and rounded the sellar floor to find the sellar clivus angle intraoperative, the sellar floor could be confirmed. Results There were 61 patients with skull base sellar angles ≥90°, 16 patients with skull base sellar angles <90° ,48 patients with sellar clivus angles ≥90° ,29 patients with sellar clivas angles <90°. The average distance from anterior nasal spine to skull base sellar angle was (64. 90 ± 7. 41) mm. The average distancefrom anterior nasal spine to sellar clivus angle was(71.74 ±7. 70) mm. The sellar floors were all found out accurately. The pituitary adenomas were resected without severe complications. Conclusions CT and MRI scans could help to realize the shapes and positions of sellar floor and sphenoidal sinus. The two angles may be applied to localize the sellar floor for pituitary adenoma resection.

Key words:
Pituitary neoplasms;  Stereotaxic techniques;  The skull base sellar angle;  The sellar clivus angle


The purpose of this study focuses on and explain the policy-determining factors that emerged in the process of revising customized wages for the National Basic Livelihood Security Act on December 30, 2014. This is an analysis of the reasons why the rapid revision of the welfare system could have been made at a certain time in a situation that did not progress despite the specific demand for revision of the law surrounding the blind spot. To this end, using Kingdon's policy flow model, which emphasizes the contingency of policy decisions, the flow of problems, political flows, and policy alternatives were reviewed respectively. In the course of each of these flows, the suicide incident of mother and 2 daughters in Songpa served as a major medium that played a large role in the policy-making process and the window of policy could be opened. As a result, This incident triggered social and policy interest in the issue of the National Basic Livelihood Security Act. It was found that the law was revised quickly, causing a great wave of waves as a social issue. ■ keyword :∣National Basic Livelihood Security Act∣Customized Benefits∣Kingdon∣Songpa's Mother and 2 Daughters Suicide Case∣ 접수일자 : 2020년 09월 28일 수정일자 : 2020년 11월 09일 심사완료일 : 2020년 11월 09일 교신저자 : 박윤영, e-mail : firstname.lastname@example.com 한국콘텐츠학회논문지 '21 Vol. 21 No. 2 632


The present invention relates to the quick releasing formulations of (R) -2- amino -3- Phenylpropylamino formic acid esters and the method for treating disorder using it.


The study area, in northwestern Burundi, is an alluvial plain consisting of fine clayey sands and coarse sands with mixed lithology. The aquifer of the lower Rusizi plain could be considered as confined under a clay layer. A 2D horizontal groundwater flow model was developed under steady-state conditions using the Modflow software. The study aims to determine the most productive areas of this confined alluvial aquifer and the main aquifer inflow and outflow values together with the recharge and river–aquifer interactions. The groundwater potential is dependent on the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness values providing the local transmissivity values. The calibrated model made it possible to assess the spatial distribution of the hydraulic conductivity values at the regional scale, which ranged from 6 × 10−6 (contact between alluvial plain and Precambrian basement) to 7.5 × 10−3 m/s (coastal barriers). The results also provided the computed groundwater flow directions, and an estimation of the groundwater levels in areas not yet investigated by drilling. The results of the computed groundwater flow budget allowed us to deduce that recharge and river–aquifer interaction constitute the main inflow while the downwards boundaries (where piezometric heads could be prescribed) are the main zones where outflows occur. The results of this model can be used in the planning of pumping test programs, locating areas with high groundwater potential to plan water supply for different private and public users. This predictive tool will contribute to the resolution of problems related to the use and integrated management of the groundwater resource in this part of Burundi.


By ocular tuberculosis I understand in the following the intraocular hematogenous tuberculosis alone, that is to say i n the first place chronic tuberculous uveitis, scleritis, and keratitis, and the affections which arise in sequel to these, while I exclude the more rare, frequently ectogenous tuberculous affections in the adnesa of the eye, and of course also the common phlyctenular affections. The ocular tuberculosis niay be called a modern disease, as it is not until the last decades that we have realized the important r61e of tuberculosis in the etiology of several intraocular pathological conditions. As most always new ideas will be carried too far, so also here the label of tuberculosis has perhaps in some cases been too rashly and indiscriminately attached to ocular affections which do not, perhaps, come under this category. A s an excuse it may be said that the etiology can but rirely be verified by bacteriological or inoculation test. I n order to be, as far as possible, on the safe side, I in dude here only the following categories of cases : 1. Cases with typical tubercles in the uvea, or, at least, caseous precipitates on the iris or on Descemet's membrane. 2. Cases of subsided ocular tuberculosis, with atrophy of the iris or sclera, or with residues of a deep keratitis, provided that tuberculosis could be demonstrated in other organs, or that a positive reaction was manifest in the tuberculin test.


We give protocols for the secure and private outsourcing of linear algebra computations, that enable a client to securely outsource expensive algebraic computations (like the multiplication of huge matrices) to two remote servers, such that the servers learn nothing about the customer's private input or the result of the computation,and any attempted corruption of the answer by the servers is detected with high probability. The computational work done locally by the client is linear in the size of its input and does not require the client to carry out locally any expensive encryptions of such input.The computational burden on the servers is proportional to the time complexity of the current practically used algorithms for solving the algebraic problem (e.g., proportional to n3 for multiplying two ntimesn matrices). If the servers were to collude against the client,then they would only find out the client's private inputs, but they would not be able to corrupt the answer without detection by the client.


A hybrid Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) architecture concept is currently considered a viable method for obtaining a quiet vehicle when quiet is necessary. The quiet is primarily obtained through use of an all-electric propulsion system when quiet is necessary. The hybrid system concept can consist of an electric propulsion system (i.e. a ducted fan) and a fuel to electric system (i.e. gas turbine generator). The other major components include the fuel storage, electricity storage (batteries) and a central controller. This paper presents a novel concept in which the power and propulsion system designs are integrated to result in a significant improvement in overall system weight as compared to the current state of the art. INTRODUCTION A hybrid Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) architecture concept is currently considered a viable method for obtaining a quiet vehicle when quiet is necessary. The quiet is achieved by operating an all-electric propulsion system such that only the ducted fan needs to be made quiet. The hybrid aspect of the system essentially comes from the mix of fuel and battery energy storage and the ability to draw from either storage method to power the propulsion system (Lukasik, 2017). Hybrid systems are common for ground transportation and generally enable energy recovery as the momentum of the vehicle can be converted back to electrical energy via regenerative braking. This is obviously intended to improve the overall vehicle efficiency by eliminating the need to waste the momentum already invested in the vehicle when it is time to stop. However, this is not the case for an airborne application. Aside from the very short duration of braking that happens during the landing, there is no similar opportunity for energy recovery in the typical aircraft mission. There is, however, a common need to operate UAS quietly as they are often used in surveillance roles in which they either need to remain unidentified or just less intrusive to the ongoing events on the ground. This becomes the motivation for a hybrid propulsion system in UAS, quiet operations. This is also relevant to the current trend towards more integrated design of power, propulsion and thermal systems (Zierolf, et.al, 2014). There are many aerospace applications where the interaction of these systems is increasing. Traditional design approaches generally consider each as a sub-system and they are more or less optimized individually to achieve a common goal through defined system interfaces. However, it has long been established that designing an integrated system from the beginning of the concept can significantly improve the overall system performance. Consider the gas turbine engine system itself. It is essentially the combination of a compressor, a combustor, a turbine and some power consuming device (generator, nozzle, etc). If these components were to be designed as independent machines and then integrated at the vehicle level, there would surely be a significant negative impact on the overall weight and performance of the system. Instead, these subsystems are designed as an integrated system very early in the process, becoming essentially one machine achieving highperformance standards for weight and volume. This same integrated approach can be applied to higher levels of the system, taking into consideration power, propulsion, and thermal requirements. One concept for a hybrid UAS propulsion system includes five main components as shown in Figure 1. below. Starting with the energy storage, there is a fuel storage system (gas tank) and an electric energy storage system (battery bank). On the other end of the system is a motor-driven propulsive fan which can provide the quiet thrust needed for flight. Since the fan is powered by an electric motor, it is necessary to move energy from both storage devices to the motor on demand. This is partly the role of the fuel-to-electric system, which in the case of this figure, is a gas turbine engine driving a generator. At the center of the entire system is a controller which contains the logic to manage the flow of energy throughout the system. Such a system is similar to that shown by Lents et.al, 2016, except with a different design intent and different application to UAV instead of commercial aircraft propulsion.


This article through to agriculture super docking in distribution system using RFID cost benefit analysis,so as to reduce the docking in agriculture circulation caused by the loss of the fresh agricultural products put forward the new method,so as to improve the agriculture of the related enterprise of super docking benefit,optimize agriculture super docking logistics distribution system.


A SAS program was written to compute pairwise multiple comparisons among a set of k independent product-moment correlation coefficients. The program can accommodate both equal and unequal sample sizes for up to k = 10 samples. Although the theoretical basis of the statistical technique is attributable to Tukey, the applicability of the method to correlation coefficients was made possible through a large-sample technique described by Levy.


The general theory of almost symplectic !-conjugation was elaborated, for the flrst time, by P. Stavre ((7)). Its applications to the total space E of a vector bundle » = (E;…;M) are already studied ((3)). In the cases of the tangent bundle and of the cotangent bundle, the two authors obtained new results, with applications in Hamiltonian models ((9), (4)). Using these results and the theory of the G-conjugation ((8)), in the framework of the theory of Lagrange-Hamilton models, the authors obtain the case when the theory of the almost symplectic !-conjugation and the theory of the G-conjugation are equivalent.


Disclosed is a method for preparing an organic electronic device, which contains one or more layers of a suitable functional material on a substrate, which process is characterized in that at least one interlayer of an amphiphilic protein is placed between adjacent layers of the functional material, or between the substrate and the adjacent layer of the functional material. The protein interlayer improves the adhesion of layers without negative impact on the device's performance


The objective of the invention is to provide a manufacturing method for nutritious food, which belongs to the technical field of food. The nutritious food is prepared from corn, peanut, pine nut, lotus seed, red date pulp, Chinese yam and black sesame through reasonable collocation, frying and steaming and cooking and overcomes the problems of unreasonable diet and unbalanced nutrition of people. The nutritious food enables daily diet to be diversified, is capable of changing food patterns and increasing nutrients, contributes to the growth and development of children, and is ideal nutrition food with the category characteristics of naturalness, greenness, nutrition and health. Meanwhile, the nutrition food overcomes the problems of singleness of diet, imbalance of nutrient intake and the like of people in daily life.


Organic field‐effect transistors with parallel transmission and learning functions are of interest in the development of brain‐inspired neuromorphic computing. However, the poor performance and high power consumption are the two main issues limiting their practical applications. Herein, an ultralow‐power vertical transistor is demonstrated based on transition‐metal carbides/nitrides (MXene) and organic single crystal. The transistor exhibits a high JON of 16.6 mA cm−2 and a high JON/JOFF ratio of 9.12 × 105 under an ultralow working voltage of −1 mV. Furthermore, it can successfully simulate the functions of biological synapse under electrical modulation along with consuming only 8.7 aJ of power per spike. It also permits multilevel information decoding modes with a significant gap between the readable time of professionals and nonprofessionals, producing a high signal‐to‐noise ratio up to 114.15 dB. This work encourages the use of vertical transistors and organic single crystal in decoding information and advances the development of low‐power neuromorphic systems.


This paper is a country report of the current progress of the research and development efforts in machine translation in Malaysia with emphasis on the work being carried out at the Malaysian National Institute of Translation.


Our working lives can seem simpler when we have a career plan - a timeline with goals and outcomes. In reality, the path can be far from clear.


Objective To compare the therapeutic effects of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy(ESWL), pneumatic lithotripsy(PL), minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL), ureterolithotomy(UL), and to explore and evaluate various surgical therapeutic methods for upper urinary tract calculi. Methods The data of 186 cases of upper urinary tract calculi were retrospectively reviewed. Of which,34 cases were pure kidney stones,19 cases were complicated kidney stones,79 cases were stones in the upper and middle segment of ureteral (12 groupⅠureteral stones,44 group Ⅱ ureteral stones and 23 group Ⅲ ureteral stones) and 54 cases were stones in the lower segment of ureteral. Result 54 cases were managed with ESWL,103 cases with PL,11 cases with MPCNL and 18 cases with UL.The stone free rates of the ESWL, PL, MPCNL and UL group 2 weeks after management were 72.2%(39/54), 80.6%(83/103), 81.8%(9/11) and 100%(18/18), respectively. Conclusions ESWL has been the treatment of choice for pure kidney stones and for group Ⅰ stones in the upper and middle segment of ureteral, PL has been the best for stones in the lower segment of ureteral, MPCNL has been the best for complicated kidney stones, and UL can remove stone at one time and treat complications such as ureteral stricture at the same time. For complicated upper urinary tract calculi, the best results of treatment can be achieved by unifying multiple methods.


We examine trade credit links between …rms as a channel of international return comovement. We model …rms in dierent countries connected by trade credit links in segmented stock markets with asymmetrically informed speculators. The model predicts that the cross-serial correlation of country stock returns increases as trade credit increases. Using data from 55 countries from 1993 to 2009, we …nd evidence consistent with the model. Stock returns of high trade credit …rms in exporting (importing) countries are predicted by the returns of the countries that consume this output (supply inputs). A model- implied cross-country long-short portfolio strategy yields 12-15% annualized, after risk adjustment.


This paper is concerned with developing a better understanding of the dynamics that affect the relationship between industries and their geographical and spatial context at different scale in the XXI century. It shows the peculiar point of view of a planner with a focus on space and place in building the new post-crisis economic landscape. The paper states that the changing patterns of places and space of industries are a good perspective to observe – and also to criticize – the dominant narratives "at work": global city-regions (Sassen 1991), space of flows (Castells 1996), creative cities (Florida 2002; Landry 2000, Evans 2009, Scott 2010), and creative industries and clusters (Comunian et al., 2010). Starting from etherogeneous italian case studies – a post industrial district, a creative cluster, an urban fashion district, etc. – it seeks to understand also and the ways in which the territories of industries and economic production are studied and represented in urban research, and to some extent in popular discourse. Castells M. (1996), The information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Blackwell, Oxford. Comunian R., Chapain C., Clifton N. (2010), "Location, location, location: exploring the complex relationship between creative industries and place", Creative Industries Journal, 1. Evans G. (2009), "Creative Cities, Creative Spaces and Urban Policy", Urban Studies, May. Florida R. (2002), The Rise of Creative Class, New York, Basic Books. Landry C. (2000), The Creative City, Earthscan. Roy A. (2009) "The 21st-Century Metropolis: New Geographies of Theory", Regional Studies 43.9. Sassen S. (1991), The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo, Princeton U. P. Scott A. J. (2010), "Cultural economy and the creative field of the city", Geografiska Annaler 2, Series B.


Phagocytic cells of the innmune system contain an oxidase that is important for the killing and digestion of engulfed microbes. This oxidase is an electron transport chain that transfers electrons from NADPH in the cytosol to oxygen to form superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in the phagocytic vacuole. Absence or abnormality of this oxidase results in the syndrome of CGD, characterised by a profound predisposition to infection. This electron transport chain consists of a flavocytochrome b located in the plasma membrane and membrane of the specific granules. It is composed of a and p subunits, with apparent molecular masses of 23kDa and 76-92kDa respectively. The B subunit is a member of the FNR family of reductases with FAD and NADPH binding sites, whereas the haem is probably located on the a subunit. Two specialised proteins, p47-phox and p67-phox, and the smaii GTP binding protein, p21 rac1, in the cytosol are required for activation of electron transport. Oxidase activity can be reconstituted in a "cell-free system" from these five proteins. Defects of the two subunits of the cytochrome, p47-phox and p67-phox account for almost all cases of Chronic Granulomatous Disease, in which this electron transport chain is defective. This oxidase system transports electrons unaccompanied by protons across the wall of the phagocytic vacuole, resulting in an elevation of the vacuolar pH, optimising conditions for killing and digestion of engulfed organisms by neutral proteinases from the granules.


The main objective of this paper is to present the development of a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)-based approach for quantifying aggregate segregation in asphalt concretes (AC). It implements this approach in analyzing the segregation of nine AC core X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT) images obtained through an automated digital image processing technique. It utilizes a DWT approach for separating coarse from fine aggregates, on the basis of a selected wavelength separating the two sizes. A segregation index (SI) is defined based on the wavelet energy in each group of aggregate particles. The SI was shown to be a high resolution numerical measure of aggregate segregation in the horizontal and vertical directions matching the perceived segregation obtained from the visual inspection of the images. The mean values of the SI along the horizontal and vertical directions give an overall measure of segregation in the sample along these directions.


ZnO nanorods which have been doped with Zn are studied with photoluminescence spectroscopy at low temperature. Detailed photoluminescence studies reveal that the insertion and extraction of Zn in the nanorods creates zinc related intrinsic defects. The optical signature of these defects is located 30 meV below the conduction band minimum.


Using in situ hybridization with radiolabelled oligonucleotide probes, we studied the mRNA expression of IL‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐12, tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), TNF‐β, interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), and transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) in the brain during the lethal course of experimental meningitis in a rat model inoculated intracisternally with Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) or Streptococcus pneumoniae and in uninfected control rats inoculated with the same volume of PBS. The production of IL‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐6 and IFN‐γ was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In the brain of Hib‐inoculated rats, there was marked mRNA expression of IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α, IL‐12 and IFN‐γ. IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α were up‐regulated throughout the observation period at 2, 8 and 18 h post‐inoculation (p.i.), with similar patterns of induction. The Th1 cytokines IFN‐γ and TNF‐β were up‐regulated within 8 h p.i. IL‐10 and TGF‐β were down‐regulated at 18 h p.i., while IL‐4 was not detected. In contrast, the brain of S. pneumoniae‐inoculated rats showed lower levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α, but higher levels of TNF‐β and detectable mRNA expression of IL‐4 when compared with Hib‐inoculated rats. IL‐12, IFN‐γ, IL‐10 and TGF‐β exhibited similar patterns of induction in the brains of Hib‐ and S. pneumoniae‐inoculated rats. At 18 h p.i., immunohistochemistry showed similar patterns of IL‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐6 and IFN‐γ as mRNA expression in the brains of Hib‐ and S. pneumoniae‐inoculated rats. The differences of cytokine profiles induced by the two bacterial strains may imply that different immunomodulating approaches should be considered, depending on etiology.


The effect of caloric deficits was studied on performance capacity under the following conditions: a) 3100 Cal/day for the entire experiment (control group of 6 men); b) 580 Cal/day for 12 days (6 ...


The introduction first sketches the general approach followed in the volume, which is to trace the historical emergence of the text of the Qur'an against the historical background of the period. It situates this approach within the context of often conflicting discourses and political issues of knowledge production between Europe and the Islamic world and clarifies the way in which the study of the Qur'an can bridge hermeneutic polarities between East and West. Following this, the thirteen chapters that follow are described in brief, and an overview of the methodology and conclusions of the work are given.


Interstitial ultrasound applicators for high-temperature thermal therapy are currently being developed for treating cancerous and benign disease. Internally cooled, direct-coupled (ICDC) applicators, composed of a segmented array of cylindrical ultrasound transducers, have demonstrated capabilities of producing controllable and conformal heating distributions along the applicator length and angular orientation. In this study, 2D transient acoustic and biothermal models of ICDC applicators were developed using a mixed implicit and explicit finite difference solution with variable node spacing in cylindrical coordinates for enhanced speed, stability and accuracy. The model incorporates dynamic behaviour of acoustic parameters and blood perfusion as a function of temperature and thermal dose. Acoustic intensity distributions were modelled as a composite of measured and theoretical intensity distributions. The shape and time evolution of temperature contours and thermal lesions for 90°, 200° and 360° angularly directional applicators and multi-transducer applicators were modelled for heating durations between 1 and 5 min. Model parameters were selected to match previously reported ex vivo and in vivo studies of 2.2 mm diameter ICDC devices in thigh muscle and liver (15–30 W cm−2 applied power density, 0.5–5 min treatment times, 2.8–3.6 cm diameter thermal lesions). The temperatures and lethal thermal dose (600 EM43 °C) contours calculated using the models were in excellent agreement with temperatures and thermal lesion dimensions (visible coagulation) determined experimentally. The differences between maximum radial depths of coagulation calculated using the r–z and r–θ models were small, less than ∼2 mm for 10–15 mm lesions. There was a strong correlation between the calculated 50 °C contour and the radial, angular and axial lesion dimensions obtained for 3–5 min heating protocols. The models developed in this study have significant application in design studies and potential future use in treatment planning of ICDC interstitial ultrasound thermal therapy.


Rule 1 – Planning Take a few minutes to work out the objective(s) of your letter. What do you want your reader to do as a result of reading your letter? Pick up the phone? Ask for more information? Take a trial? Don't have more than two objectives and be very clear that you can only have one subject per letter. For instance, if you're writing about membership don't be tempted to add in about attending an event. If you're writing about a partnership, don't throw in extra about membership. You'll confuse and probably fail on both counts.


This paper discusses whether SIPs generate positive announcement returns because of increased efficiency after the ownership transition. We apply a market model event-study methodology based on a sample of 134 SIPs in the 1979-2003 period. We identify significantly negative CAARs between 0.125% and -1.766% and find that firm and offering size, the proportion of secondary shares issued within the SIP as well as the market environment have a negative impact on announcement returns. In contrast, the negative CAARs are less distinctive for enterprises that had prior SIPs. CEO DUALITY AND FIRM PERFORMANCE—AN ENDOGENOUS ISSUE 58


Chemically induced DNA damage may give rise to strand breaks in cellular DNA, either through facilitated hydrolysis or through enzymatic strand scission involved in DNA repair. DNA breaks are usually formed rapidly after the introduction of DNA damage. Analysis of DNA-strand breaks by DNA unwinding in alkali followed by hydroxyl apatite chromatography is therefore a useful method to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the metabolic activation of genotoxic agents. This is shown in studies with phenacetin, phenacetin metabolites, and dopamine. Penacetin is a component in several analgesic and antipyretic formulations and has been reported to cause severe kidney damage and an increased incidence of urinary tract cancer after long-term treatment. In contrast, phenacetin and its major metabolites have been found negative in the Ames test in the presence of liver microsomes. We therefore considered the possibility that phenacetin or one of its metabolites may undergo organ-specific metabolic activation in the urinary tract. One such mechanism may be cooxygenation catalyzed by prostaglandin synthetase, an enzyme activity that is present in high levels in the kidney but not in the liver. Cultured human skin fibroblasts were incubated with ram seminal vesicle microsomes, containing high concentrations of prostaglandin synthetase (PGS), and the induction of DNA-strand breaks in the fibroblasts was detected. In these experiments p-phenetidine, a primary phenacetin metabolite, caused DNA-strand breaks (TABLE


Signature and behavior-based anti-virus systems (AVS) are traditionally used to detect Malware. However, these AVS fail to catch metamorphic and polymorphic Malware-which can reconstruct themselves every generation or every instance. We introduce two Machine learning (ML) approaches on system state + instruction sequences – which use hardware debug data – to detect such challenging Malware. Our experiments on hundreds of Intel Malware samples show that the techniques either alone or jointly detect Malware with ≥ 99.5% accuracy.


Cattle and buffaloes have been supporting livelihoods of a large number of poor farmers in India. Eighty-five percent of 63 million dairy households are smallholder having less than three animals. The country has 191 million cattle and 105 million buffaloes and 37 distinct cattle and 13 buffalo breeds. During 2017–18, the country produced 115 million semen doses and carried out 100 million inseminations, but efforts towards genetic improvement were negligible prior to the launching of National Dairy Plan (NDP) by National Dairy Development Board in 2012. Under NDP, 13 progeny testing (PT) and 10 two-tier nucleus schemes (referred to as Pedigree Selection (PS)) have been initiated. This paper describes the experiences of implementing these programs. During the period between 2012 and 2018, the PT programs together have completed test mating of about 2,000 bulls and built the infrastructure to test annually more than 400 bulls and evaluate them for various traits with 70–100 daughter records per bull. Breeding values are estimated every six months. The PT and PS programs together have supplied 1,720 young bulls, replacing about 40% of the AI bulls in the country. The key learning of implementing PT and PS includes: implementing a classical PT program is not feasible under Indian conditions; producing young males using progeny tested semen and selecting them based on their breeding value is feasible; introduction of genomic selection is very relevant; unravelling environmental effects from genetics under the smallholder production system is the key challenge; developing an appropriate information system is the key to success; evolving right institutional arrangement is very important, and genetic improvement has to be treated as a public good and programs need to be publicly funded at least for the initial 15 years.


Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) α, a nuclear transcription factor, regulates peroxisomal β oxidation and following activation, nitric oxide (NO) is produced. In this study, we examined the effect of siRNA on PPARα expression and β‐oxidation. 3 different PPARα siRNA sequences and scrambled siRNA were custom prepared and cloned into plasmid expression vector. Male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with plasmid DNA (siRNA; 10ƒÝg/rat, i.v) or scrambled sequence 24 hrs before treatment with clofibrate (Cf; 250 mg/kg; i.p x 3 days) or vehicle (control). Animals were sacrificed and tissues processed for biochemical and molecular analysis. Cf increased β oxidation (62±4, 86±10 and 56±8%; p<0.05) and PPARα expression in the liver, kidney cortex and medulla, respectively. siRNA blunted (58±9%; p<0.05) the increase in the renal medulla but not the cortex or the liver. Similarly, Cf increased PPARδ expression that was unchanged by siRNA. Cf increased NO excretion 2‐fold and siRNA reduced it (63±12%; p<0.01). siRNA also reduced medium chain acyl dehydrogenase (MCAD) expression in the renal medulla in control but not Cf‐treated rats . This study shows that siRNA inhibits PPARα expression and associated β‐oxidation in the renal medulla probably via NO inhibition. The increased expression of PPARδ in the presence of PPARα siRNA may restore normal β‐oxidation process via modulating MCAD.


Abstract : Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women in the United States. A full term pregnancy early in reproductive life can reduce breast cancer incidence in women by up to 50% and p53, an important tumor suppressor gene, was shown to be a major effector for this protection effect. We hypothesized that p53 may negatively regulate the proliferation and self-renewal of mammary stem/progenitor cells and that the increased p53 in parous gland may limit mammary stem/progenitor cells population and reduce the transformation risk. Mammosphere assays showed that decreased p53 dosage in Trp53+/- and Trp53-/- mice led to increased numbers and size of mammospheres. Meanwhile, the number of secondary and tertiary mammospheres was not affected by (IR) regardless of their genotype. The cell cycle analysis also showed that the Trp53-/- mammospheres have higher proliferation rate than Trp53+/+ spheres. Serial dilution and transplantation experiments also showed that the Trp53-/- epithelium had significantly increased frequency of long-term regenerative MaSCs compared to Trp53+/+ epithelium. The BrdU labeling experiment showed that Trp53-/- mammary gland contains less label-retaining epithelial cells (LRECs) than Trp53+/+ epithelium. Our data suggest that p53 negatively regulates the self-renewal of mammary stem cells. The MaSCs pool expands with decreased p53 dosage, which may result in a higher transformation risk. Meanwhile, the p53-mediated apoptosis pathway is compromised in the mammosphere-initiating cells.


Abstract The product-operator formalism using the Cartesian operator basis was modified, and the notation of Ix(φ) = Ixcos φ + Iysin φ and Iy(φ) = Iycos φ − Ixsin φ simplified the product-operator description of uncoupled or weakly coupled spins in multipulse sequences with arbitrary pulse phases and chemical-shift precessions. The compact Cartesian coordinate product-operator (C3PO) formalism is more compact than any other proposed basis set, easily provides complete coherence-pathway information, and provides better visualization than the original Cartesian basis set. Formulas for evolution under radiofrequency pulses, chemical-shift precession with spin-spin coupling, and multiple-quantum coherences are provided for weakly coupled IS and I3S spin systems (I = S = 1 2 ) and for a strongly coupled IS (AB) spin system. Formulas are also provided for a spin coupled to an S = 1 spin. The C3PO formalism is compared with the spherical basis set, and examples are provided for STEAM-localized spectroscopy, COSY, and a strongly coupled AB spin system.


The invention discloses a method and a device for evaluating speech quality. The method includes processing and analyzing to-be-evaluated speech signals and determining the first speech quality of the to-be-evaluated speech signals; determining speech quality evaluation results of the to-be-evaluated speech signals according to the first speech quality and at least one KPI (key performance indicator) parameter of each transmission channel for the to-be-evaluated speech signals. The first speech quality comprises quality distortion values and/or MOS (mean opinion score) values. The method and the device for evaluating the speech quality in an embodiment of the invention have the advantages that the speech quality of the to-be-evaluated speech signals is determined according to the to-be-evaluated speech signals and the KPI parameters of the transmission channels for the to-be-evaluated speech signals, accordingly, the speech quality evaluation accuracy can be improved, and the user experience can be enhanced.


A preliminary report of the effect of high-intensity noise on cochlear hair cells. The animals have been exposed to various kinds of noise from two different tone generators, jet engines, helicopters, gun shots and white noise. The structural changes appearing inside the organ of Corti are described.


13 W ether – Jauary 221, ol. 6, o. 1 Arctic. Areas like the British Isles are often stormy and wet as the strong jet stream aids the development of deep areas of low pressure. Conversely, when the polar vortex is weak, the jet stream in the troposphere tends to be weaker, shifted further south and wavier, allowing cold air to plunge out of the Arctic into the mid-latitudes. These two different patterns are known respectively as the positive and negative phases of the Arctic Oscillation (and the closely related North Atlantic Oscillation), which describe the strength and latitude of the tropospheric jet streams. However, the stratospheric polar vortex is only one of several factors that can affect tropospheric weather patterns during winter. While its influence can be significant, it is not always strong or the same across different events. Determining when and why the troposphere responds more strongly to some stratospheric changes is an area of current research.


Music-related interventions have been extensively used in the field of sport and exercise as a strategy to ameliorate the effects of fatigue-related symptoms and enhance exercise performance (for review, see Karageorghis and Priest, 2012a,b). Recent evidence indicates that music regulates brain activity (Bishop et al., 2014) with consequent effects on psychophysiological responses and work output (Terry et al., 2012). In order to define whether a piece of music is motivational or oudeterous (i.e., motivationally neutral) psychological instruments such as the Brunel Music Rating Inventory-3 (BMRI-3; Karageorghis and Terry, 2011) have been developed on the premise that the musical components define the motivational qualities of music. Karageorghis et al. (2006) suggested that musical components such as rhythm and melody have considerable influence upon psychophysiological responses that occur during exercise. In such application, the exerciser rates the magnitude by which the elements of music influence the physical task. Each piece of music receives a score based on the exerciser's/athlete's opinion; thus, the score is used as an index of how motivational a piece of music is (e.g., Hutchinson and Karageorghis, 2013). Despite the influence of the elements of music on bodily responses that occur during exercise, moderate-to-high intensity bouts of physical activity are theorized to force attentional focus to associative thoughts, meaning that subcomponents of the auditory stimulus are naturally dismissed (see the Attenuation Theory, Treisman, 1964; see Gabana et al., 2015, for a practical example).


Using the framework of the self-determination theory continuum, we investigated the influence of the distinct autonomous and controlled motivational regulations for engaging participants in online and offline support of charitable events for the causes of breast cancer and homeless youth. Participants were exposed online to Facebook event pages appealing to helping others. When the often omitted integrated autonomous regulation was included in the model, it was the strongest predictor of supportive intentions. Without integrated regulation in the model, we would have overestimated the relatively minor influence of controlled introjected regulation. Furthermore, rather than one overall measure of autonomous intrinsic regulation, we assessed the differential influences of three separate dimensions (to experience stimulation, to learn and to accomplish). Intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation had a unique influence on online and offline supportive intentions. Such was not the case for the dimensions of to learn or to accomplish. Follow-up meditation analyses of self-reported behaviours confirmed that autonomous integrated and intrinsic to experience stimulation regulations led to stronger intentions to support online behaviours, which, in turn, increased the likelihood of actual online engagement. The findings in a social media context highlight the importance of analysing distinct regulatory styles within the self-determination theory continuum. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In CHS92] it was proved that (strong) bisimulation equivalence is decidable for all context-free processes. We reduce eeectively the question of bisimulation equivalence of processes in BPA to that of context-free processes, by interpreting the deadlocking process as a kind of live lock. This shows that bisimulation is also decidable for BPA. 1 Introduction In BBK87, BBK93] it was proved that bisimulation equivalence is decidable for normed context-free processes, also known as normed processes over BPA. In that remarkable paper it was shown for the rst time that context-free processes express some nite periodicities which allow an eeective comparison of processes. In Cau90, HS91, Gro92] simpler proofs have been given of the same result. In HJM94] a polynomial time algorithm for deciding bisimulation for normed context-free processes is presented. In CHS92] the previous result was extended by showing decidability of bisim-ulation equivalence for all context-free processes, also known as processes over BPA. The proof is very elegant, exploiting a deep insight in the structure of such processes. An exponential time algorithm for deciding bisimulation equivalence has been given in BCS95]. As far as we know the question of bisimulation for BPA , the context-free processes which can be expressed with the extra constant , has not been studied. In this paper we extend the decidability of bisimulation equivalence of context-free processes to that of processes deened in BPA. We do this by interpreting deadlock () as a special context-free process and by proving that bisimulation equivalence of transformed BPA processes is equivalent to that of the originals. 2 The decidability proof. We begin by presenting BPA brieey and then giving the requested proof. For the broader context of BPA and BPA we refer the reader to the seminal book ? Research supported by Esprit BRA 7166 concur 2.


In the late 1960s Lee Lozano cut a series of holes from the surfaces of her recent abstract paintings. In these works, the holes register less as a creative act than as a kind of destruction. The cutout canvases have elicited little critical attention from writers, who have tended to focus on Lozano's later conceptual art-life practices, although I suggest the two practices share more than has to date been recognized. Lozano's paintings not only survived the material acts of destruction enacted upon their surfaces with the knife blade. They survive, too, as evidence of Lozano's attempts to destroy painting at a moment when she was on the brink of giving up on both painting and work entirely—twin acts of sabotage, or self-sabotage, even, we might say.


Medical specimen photography is an indispensable step in medical education and scientific research. On the basis of a large number of shooting practices, a set of photography skills have been summed up, including the medical specimens shooting principles, sampling methods, camera equipments, backgrounds, light source and parameters. During medical specimen photography, we should make sure true process, accurate samples, clear image quality, layered main backgrounds, beautiful pictures and correct selection and usage of photographic equipments. Accordingly, a set of disposable small photo studios which are suitable for medical specimen shooting have been built to help medical workers improve the quality of photography in medical education and research specimens.

Key words:
Specimen; Photography; Parameters


Bannister & Ward (1981) recently examined the changes in non-structural carbohydrate contents of Chionochloa rigida and e. macra during winter . We agree that their observations help to "provide a physiological explanation for the success of e. rigida at lower altitudes and the restriction of e. macra to higher altitudes" (p. 239). However, we cannot agree that their observations in any way support the interpretation that mixed stands of e. macra and e. rigida result from "e. rigida extending its range upslope in response to a 'post-Little Ice Age' Warming climate" (Meurk 1978, p. 47). For Canterbury mountains Connor (1965) showed that irrespective of aspect, at lower altitudes in the Rakaia catchment, e. macra (then known for that area as e. rigida) dominated on fine-textured soils, whereas C. flavescens (eastern South Island form) dominated on coarse-textured rubbly soils. Nearby in the Ashburton catchment, a similar relationship was found between C. macra (by then known as Ozionochloa "Q") and e. rigida Connor & MacRae 1969). For Central Otago mountains, where land surfaces are more stable and altitudinal zonation is strong, e. macra was not recognised as a distinct taxon but merely as a high altitude ecotype of e. rigida influenced by climatic gradients (Mark 1965). Numerous experiments and plant tissue analyses have since shown that e. macra has very distinctive nutrient requirements and a mineral ecology that has adapted it to grow on older soils than those of e. rigida or e. flavescens (eastern South Island form) (Connor et a1. 1970, Molloy & O'Connor 1970, O'Connor et al. 1972, Williams et a1. 1978). These observations and experiments provided an explanation for the patterns described by Connor (1965) and Connor & MacRae (1969). They also enable us to suggest that land surfaces with pure e. macra, or e. rigida with e. macra, will have some underlying soil differences compared with pure stands of e. rigida on the same slope and with the same climate - a process of logic first described by Jenny (1941). It was such a situation in the Ashburton catchment that Williams et al. (1977) referred to. Here there are no major differences in parent rock, but the soils beneath the mixed stands are finer textured than those beneath pure e. rigida. We interpret these patterns as resulting from the influence of the state factors-parent material and time--on the whole ecosystem, in the sense of Jenny (1958, 1980), without having to introduce the more complex and tenuous notion of climatic change. We have abundant unpublished evidence to further support our argument, but have based this reply solely with reference to published field examples and experimental or analytical data.


This paper offers a detailed empirical account of how human-environment relations were reconfigured in the UK and Ireland during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 lockdowns, a period which natural scientists defined as the COVID-19 Anthropause. Bringing this scientific concept into conversation with geographical work, we consider anthropause as both a lived condition and an historical moment of space-time decompression. Our expanded conceptualisation of anthropause, centred on lived experience and everyday life, develops a more hopeful politics than those offered by the 'Great Acceleration' narrative, which suggests digital media and urbanisation separate humans from nature. In contrast, we identify affirmative and inclusive modes of 'anthropause environmentalism' and explore their potential for fostering convivial human-nature relations in a world that is increasingly urban, digital, and powered by vernacular expertise. To make this argument, we turn to the Self-Isolating Bird Club, an online birdwatching community operating across several social media platforms which, at the pandemic's height, reached over 50,000 members. We trace three key changes to human-nature relations illustrated by this group which we use to structure our paper: connection, community and cultivation. The COVID-19 Anthropause recalibrated the fabric and rhythms of everyday life, changing what counts as a meaningful human-nature relationship. This paper will be of interest to geographers exploring environmental change at the interface of more-than-human and digital geographies, as well as environmentalists and conservationists. To conclude, we offer suggestions as to how scholars and practitioners might harness the lessons of anthropause to respond to the 'anthropulse'.


An FFT algorithm operating on a 16-bit microcomputer can calculate a 256-point transform as much as 10 times faster than a similar algorithm on an eight-bit microcomputer.


Abstract Determining who is in, and who is out, is a hot topic in debates about membership in religious communities, and the bodies, state and sectarian, that have the power to make decisions regarding such membership. For the most part, the state and the courts have taken a decidedly hands-off approach to interference in religious association decision-making. Some judgments have reinforced the proposition that individuals who 'voluntarily' commit themselves to a religious association's rules and decision-making bodies must be prepared to accept the outcome of fair-hearings conducted by those bodies. At the same time, a number of judgments have demonstrated a willingness to intervene quite profoundly in the affairs of a variety of different religious communities and mediate the relationship between the profane and the sacred, the traditional and the modern. Our intervention concentrates on but two features of court-driven, constitutional review of religious association decisions regarding membership or participation in a given community. First, we suggest how the law of evidence can provide appropriate guidance to courts faced with the challenge of interrogating the validity of decisions taken by religious bodies. Second, we offer a theory of religious community life in a constitutional democracy that can guide courts in determining when and where they should and should not interfere in the decision-making of religious bodies.


The period of economic crisis and structural adjustment in the 1980s and 1990s saw an increase in poverty based on income, together with a reduction of poverty measured by other indicators of scarcity and deprivation (such as lack of drainage). This article analyzes the paradoxical evolution of trends in poverty in Mexico and Mexico City. To this end, it describes the methodologies used to measure poverty. It also explores the problems of the National Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (INEGIS), the main source for measuring poverty. It then examines existing studies on poverty in Mexico, the majority of which focus on income-based poverty. Development in the sphere of income-based poverty is contrasted with other essential facilities (health, education, housing). This serves as the basis for the discussion of the paradoxical evolution of these two dimensions of poverty. The section concerning the evolution of poverty in Mexico City begins with a review of social micro-studies. It then shows the development of certain indicators of social welfare for the city, which show that the paradox of the evolution of poverty is not exclusive to the country as a whole, but also affects the city. The results of the measurement of poverty in Mexico City, based on the 1984, 1989 and 1992 ENlGHs and applying the Integrated Poverty Measurement Method (MMIP) are used for the discussion of this paradox. The article ends with evidence on changes in household living conditions during the periods of stabilization and adjustment in Xalpa, a working-class neighborhood in Mexico City.


As a new developmental vector system,the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)has several advantages:larger capacity,hereditary stability and easy handling,etc.It has been extensively used in genome research and anal-ysis of gene function.This paper reviewed the progress on the development of BAC and the application of BAC in the study of genomics in recent years.


Methods and approaches in the selection of informants for fixing folklore works of Russians, Evens, Yakuts, who have inhabited the North-East of Yakutia since ancient times, are considered. The authors dwell on such issues as ways of finding informants; clarification of the status (narrator, singer and performer); concretization of the performer's personality and his repertoire. The novelty of the research is seen in the fact that at the present stage, methods of selecting informants are being studied; the approaches to the selection of performers of song folklore, used by M.N.Zhirkov, are specified; the change in the status of the storytellers of Russian folklore is traced; the main features of the performance of the Even epic by the narrators are analyzed. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that the history of the study of the epic and song heritage of personalities-performers of the song-prose epic of the Russians Ustye, Evens and Yakuts by the staff of the Institute of Language and Culture is examined. Methods and approaches of M. N. Zhirkov in the selection of performers, as well as their repertoire to be fixed, are revealed. The importance of summarizing the already achieved results and setting new tasks in collecting and fixing folklore and musical material in the context of the extinction of folklore tradition and a reduction in the number of experts of traditional culture is affirmed.


Lie algebras graded by a finite irreducible reduced root system ∆ will be generalized as predivision ∆G-graded Lie algebras for an abelian group G. In this paper such algebras are classified, up to central extensions, when ∆ = Al for l ≥ 3, D or E, and G = Zn.


IN 1993, JEFFREY Segal and Harold Spaeth published The Supreme Court and the Attitudinal Model. Within this text the authors made the following prediction: "if a case on the outcome of a presidential election should reach the Supreme Court . . . the Court's decision might well turn on the personal preferences of the justices" (Segal and Spaeth 1993, 70; 2002, 1). Seven years later, such a scenario presented itself in Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000). The Supreme Court's 5–4 decision to halt Florida recounts was controversial for a number of reasons. Most notably, this decision was the equivalent of declaring George W. Bush presidentelect, and the majority consisted of the Court's most conservative members—all of whom were appointed by Republican presidents. The two justices appointed by a Democratic president, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, did not favor this remedy and would have allowed more time for recounts.1 As one federal judge noted, the outcome in Bush "just seemed so politically partisan" (Greenhouse 2000, A32). Some legal scholars, too, recognized the partisan nature of the Court's decision and chastised the majority for indulging in the "low" politics of partisan favoritism (Balkin 2001, 1408; Balkin and Levinson 2001, 1061; Gillman 2001a, 7; Levinson 2001, 8). And one political scientist claims that three forces motivated the majority's decision—"partisanship, partisanship, and partisanship . . . " (Geer 2002, 85). Strangely, issues relating to election law and partisanship receive relatively little attention in the judicial behavior literature. As Bush v. Gore clearly demonstrated, courts have the ability to influence the outcome of a presidential election. If the courts can influence a presidential election then, to use the cliche, nothing is sacred. Courts throughout the country regularly decide a plethora of election-related legal issues. The issues judges confront vary in complexity. Some election law issues are rather simple, such as determining whether a polling location should be open past the mandated closing time. Other issues are more complex, such as determining which candidates appear on the ballot for a given election. This study considers the latter. When a potential candidate wishes to run for elected office, he must file candidate petitions with the state (or county) election authority (e.g., secretary of state or the board of elections).2 The election authority then determines


The rapid development of neuroscientific technology enables us researchers to demonstrate delineate the regions of the brain and the activation while performing the second language tasks. Through this new method, the second language acquisition (SLA) research is obtaining new insights about the human brain and language learning. As researchers explore the cognitive processes underlying language acquisition, an deeper understanding of the brain becomes more important. It is suggested that language acquisition researchers must begin to incorporate a degree of neurobiological reality into their perception theories and ideas of the language acquisition process. Such a neurally inspired view helps to provide a common ground for evaluating and integrating various language acquisition perspectives. This paper describes two neurolinguistic perspectives on SLA: First, it discusses possibilities for investigating how SLA theory aligns with neuroscientific findings. Second, it discusses the brain regions and functions that operates in first (L1) and second languages (L2), integrating SLA theory and brain data. In order to describe two perspectives, this paper has four goals (1) to clarify the development of brain technology; (2) to highlight neurobiological research of relevance to language acquisition research; (3) to discuss attention, automaticity, and brain activation of Japanese language learners and (4) to explore the relationship between the brain and SLA in the language classrooms.


The direct bombardment mode (plasma sputtering) of d.c.-voltage sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) achieves better depth profile resolution than ion gun sputtering by minimizing the conic structures and preferential sputtering associated with ion gun sputtering. However, when applied to insulating materials, d.c. SNMS allows a charge to build up on the surface ; this charging causes sample decomposition and degrades the depth resolution. This problem can be eliminated by applying a high-frequency square-wave voltage to the target. The negative phase of the square wave produces positive ion bombardment, while the positive phase attracts electrons to the sample surface to neutralize the accumulated positive charge. The analysis of insulators is particularly enhanced by this method.


Estimates of the emitted power and the metric perturbation of the gravitational waves generated in laser plasma interaction are performed. The expected intensities are too low to be detected with the present day instruments.


The article contains the results of the research of the entrepreneurship trends in the small and medium business (SMB). The analysis of such indicators as the turnover and the number of SMB entities has been carried out as the indicators of the development of the entrepreneurship sphere. Additional indicators such as the growth rate and the increment rate of the identified indicators have been calculated


Internet and the new technologies are generating new scenarios with and a significant increase of data volumes. The treatment of this huge quantity of information is impossible with traditional methodologies and we need to design new approaches towards distributed paradigms such as MapReduce. This situation is widely known in the literature as Big Data. This contribution presents a first approach to handle fuzzy emerging patterns in big data environments. This new algorithm is called EvAFP-Spark and is development in Apache Spark based on MapReduce. The use of this paradigm allows us the analysis of huge datasets efficiently. The main idea of EvAEFP-Spark is to modify the methodology of evaluation of the populations in the evolutionary process. In this way, a population is evaluated in the different maps, obtained in the Map phase of the paradigm, and for each one a confusion matrix is obtained. Then, the Reduce function accumulates the confusion matrix for each map in a general matrix in order to evaluate the fitness of the individuals. An experimental study with high dimensional datasets is performed in order to show the advantages of this algorithm in emerging patterns mining.


Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are essential in developing the world economy. However, they face financing distress due to high information asymmetry and lack of collateral and credit. From the enterprises sustainable development perspective in the big data era, this study explores whether and how blockchain technology can alleviate the information asymmetry problems of SMEs and further improve the convenience of accessing finance. Blockchain technologys decentralized, unchangeable, and transparent natures can reduce information asymmetry between SMEs and the financing parties. SMEs become more creditable to the bank with a more transparent share of businesses operation information and financial conditions based on blockchain. At the same time, market investors can also learn more about the operation of corporate funds. Overall, this study provides new insights on how to use blockchain technology to increase SMEs development efficiency by lessening information asymmetry, reducing the cost of equity and bond financing for SMEs, and effectively reducing SMEs financing difficulties in this age of big data.


Objective: To compare Lugol's Iodine and Methylene blue as an adjunctive tool for early diagnosis of premalignant oral lesions by taking histopathology as the gold standard. Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive. Setting: Outpatient Department of Isra Dental College Hospital, Isra University Hyderabad. Period: January 2021 to July 2021. Material & Methods: All patients with oral premalignant lesions were selected. Methylene blue and iodine staining were used in the lesion area. The dye was applied directly with a cotton bud for 10–20 seconds, and the mouth was resigned with tap water. The dye retention pattern was evaluated by the stain retention intensity on the lesion. Incisional biopsy was performed simultaneously at that site as a gold standard. Results: Out of 60 cases, males were 49 (81.6%) and females were 11(18.3%). The mean age of males and females was 41.910.7 years and 39.87.74 years, respectively. Out of all patients, 65.0% had more than one addictive habit of mainpuri, gutka, or supari. The commonest region of oral lesions was the buccal mucosa among 61.6% of patients, followed by the alveolus in 16.6%, lips 8.3%, tongue 6.6%, and retro molar area 3.33%, while the palate and floor of the mouth were involved in 1.66% of patients. According to the diagnostic accuracy of methylene blue, the sensitivity was 89.4% and the specificity was 66.6%. According to the Lugol's, iodine sensitivity was 83.3% and specificity was 50%. Conclusion: It has been determined that methylene blue and lugols iodine staining are the best, easy, and noninvasive screening tools to detect the early diagnosis of malignancy.


Abstract This is a study about the size effect on the methodology with concrete cylinder specimens for analysis of the debonding phenomenon at the interface between concrete and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). The influence of the concrete specimen size variation is analyzed by maintaining the same geometry in adhered FRP. Direct tensile experiments were performed with three dimensions of cylindrical concrete specimens (diameter × height) for analysis of size effect: 50 mm × 100 mm, 100 mm × 200 mm, and 150 mm × 300 mm. Ten different geometries of the composite material were tested. Two failure modes were observed in the experiments: debonding between the two materials and tensile failure in concrete specimens. In experiments with interface failure, the size of concrete specimens has no significant influence on maximum force, shear stress to peak, and stiffness in debonding between concrete and FRP. However, the use of smaller specimens for analysis of interface collapse is limited because the concrete reaches its normal stress capacity with a lower tensile force, and therefore, the failure often occurs in the concrete.


Objective Study the changes of vitamins and amino acids in the forage after autoclaving.Methods Using amino acid automatic analyzer to assay the amino acid content of the forage and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) to determine the vitamin content.Re-assay the contents of vitamin and amino acid 8 minutes after the forage steam pressed with the temperature of 132℃,and compared to the earlier data.Results After the steam press,the contents of lysine and methionine of the forage declined obviously compared to the record before processing(P 0.05).Meanwhile,the contents of vitamin A and vitamin B complex remarkable dropped.Conclusions Whether the content of amino acid or the content of vitamin of the forage,was greatly impacted by the autoclaving.


Spinal MgFe1.98Nd0.02O4 was prepared by simplified sol-gel method. To measure the dielectric properties samples were sintered from 700-800 oC in the steps of 50 oC. The sample's phase purity, crystallographic phase and crystallite size was measured by X-ray diffraction method (XRD). The pellets were analyzed in Scanning Electron Microscope for their surface morphology and grain shape. Dielectric properties were measured from 20 Hz to 3 MHz at room temperature. Samples sintered at 750 oC, showed highest value of AC conductivity which indicated that the material is suitable for use in sensors. However, minimum value of dielectric loss factor was obtained at 800 and#176;C which makes it more suitable for antenna applications.


Do we need another report on pain in cerebral palsy (CP)? We know that pain hurts and we know that pain is common in paediatric CP. Still, the number of papers on a common problem in a relatively common medical condition is far from overwhelming. A recent search in PubMed (September 2015) for 'pain AND cerebral palsy AND child' revealed 511 hits. Besides pain prevalence, endpoints of the studies may be sorted into two groups: (1) musculoskeletal issues; and (2) health-related quality of life (HRQL), quality of life (QoL), mental health, and participation. Jayanath et al. report pain recognized by parents in 101 non-verbal children and adolescents with CP, aged 2 to 20 years and living in urban Malaysia. Sixty-five percent reported pain during the last 4 weeks, pain was intense in 17%, and daily pain occurred in 28%. Variables associated with increased pain intensity were increasing child age and spastic quadriplegic CP. Physiotherapy and toileting were the most common activities associated with pain. The two population-based Studies of Participation of Children with CP Living in Europe (SPARCLE) have reported on pain in larger study populations of children with CP aged 8 to 12 years (SPARCLE I) and adolescents aged 13 to 17 years (SPARCLE II). In the latter study, parent-reported pain frequency and intensity are given separately, and analysed in a similar way as in the study by Jayanath et al. In the Jayanath et al. study, the circumstances in which pain occurred are recorded on a validated instrument (Caregiver Priorities and Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities Questionnaire, Comfort and Emotion Section), which is original and relevant. However, in the SPARCLE II study, a list of very similar circumstances was used. Pain during physiotherapy is addressed in both studies. The most striking finding in the Jayanath et al. study is that socioeconomic factors, including parental education, were not associated with parent-reported child pain; just as it was not in the European SPARCLE II study. Further, the finding that pain intensity, but not pain frequency, increased with increasing age is to my knowledge original and of clinical relevance. The International Association for the Studies of Pain (IASP) definition of pain tells us that pain is 'an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.' In CP, sources for stimulation of nociceptors (that will signal potential tissue damage) are muscle overuse, strain caused by involuntary movements, immobilization, and atypical joint compression from the imbalance of muscle activation across joints. In line with this, early literature on pain in paediatric CP describes a variety of orthopaedic issues targeting musculoskeletal tissue. Newer literature tends to include 'any pain' and complex concepts such as QOL and HRQL in which bodily discomfort or pain is included. The few studies on pain and mental health in CP indicate that pain is associated with an increase in mental health problems. A somewhat larger body of studies indicate that pain in CP is associated with decreased participation. These newer studies leave no doubt that pain is important in the lives of children and adolescents with CP and that both personal and environmental factors may influence how much pain hurts. In our struggle to prevent and relieve pain in CP, we need pain reports across the lifespan from people living under diverse sociocultural circumstances. To be able to compare results, similar methods should be chosen. From that perspective, Jayanath et al. contribute substantially with their near replica of the parent-reported pain part of the SPARCLE II study. On the other hand, the disease-specific target organ in CP is musculoskeletal tissue, and secondary musculoskeletal problems (including pain) are even part of the CP definition from 2006. Time has now come to swing the pendulum from studies of 'any pain' in CP back to studies of musculoskeletal pain. At the same time, we should not lose sight of our bio-psycho-social frame of reference.


IntroductionThe Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan holds a set of anomalous attributes ranging from cultural diversity to enriched historical accounts and intriguing topographic features which converges the global attentions. Spreading over an area of 72,496 square kilometers, this region comprises of 10 varying districts inhabiting different patterns and dialects, ultimately making the entire region a blend of widely practicing ethos (Government of Gilgit-Baltistan 2015). The famous ancient trade route (famously known as silk-route) passes through the region which enhances its strategic importance. This traditional silk-route used for trade throughout ages and linked the Subcontinent with China and Central Asia and Europe. This strategic location of the region became lucrative to the then prominent rulers i.e. Sikhs of Punjab and Dogras of Kashmir in extending their powers by occupancy of the region. With ruling inclinations, the Sikhs and Dogras attacked and occupied a larger part of Northern area (present Gilgit-Baltistan region) from 1840 to 1890 wherein the areas of Gilgit and Astore are prominent (Jabir 2001). Prior to the Dogra reign, Astore has a consistent history which is inscribed in the Imperial Gazetteer of India (1908: 239):The history of Astore or as the Dogras call it Hasora, is intimately connected with that of Skardu. More than 300 years ago Ghazi Mukhpun, a Persian adventurer is said to have married a princess of Skardu reigning family. The four sons born of this union became Ras of Skardu, Astore, Rondu and Kharmang. The independence of Astore ceased at the Dogra contest.After a short span of Dogra's charge of Astore, this area came under the control of the British rulers. They established the Gilgit agency and divided the area into four sub-units i.e., Gilgit, Ladakh, Skardu and Kargil (Lorimer 1976:226). It is worth mentioning that, external affairs of the region were controlled by the British and the internal administration was largely left to the then Kashmir Government governed by Dogras (Zain 2010:183). In 1935 British government took the Jammu and Kashmir on lease for almost 60 years. Therefore, in this way the ruling land of Gilgit was widened during the British rule. In April 1947 British Government decided to formally retrocede the leased areas to Hari Singh's Jammu and Kashmir state on August 15, 1947. On the other side the local freedom movement (jang-e-azadi) got some momentum in Gilgit region. Gilgit scouts along with the Muslim officers of Bunji region (adjacent to Astore) launched a movement and besieged the British Viceroy's house in Gilgit. They defeated the foreign forces and established rule of independent in Gilgit on November 1, 1948. The newly raised independent government sent proposal to the government of Pakistan to annex the region to Pakistan. Pakistani government accepted this proposal and sent a representative in the form of the political agent, by this way Gilgit came under the control of Pakistani in 1948.Geography, Language, and Major Ethnic Groups in Astore ValleyThe valley of Astore characterizes a rugged landscape comprising hillsides. The hills are partly broken into cliffs and partly of a smooth surface, grown over with grass in tufts, and with bushes of cedar sprinkled over. In some areas Pine trees of smaller size stands before and makes a thin forest. Above the mountains there rise arrogant rocky and snowy peaks. At bottom this area is quite narrow with small level of cultivation (Drew, 1875:203). Broadly, Astore is spread over the Northern parts of Pakistan between 34.80-35.8o N latitude and 74.4o-75.2o E longitude (Ali, 1995). Astore is bordered by Baltistan in the south-east side, Gilgit in East-North, Diamer and Azad Kashmir in the Western side. The majority of the inhabitants of Astore valley speak the Shina language. The dialect of Shina language of Astore is somehow different from the rest of Gilgit-Baltistan. The words are pronounced in a slower frequency than those of people speaking Shina in Chilas, and Juglot and Gilgit. …


This study is with regards to understand what are the reasons for attrition in BPO sector. The attrition rate in the BPOs is extremely high and is estimated to be around 48% in voice-based processes and 26% in non-voice based BPO processes. There has been 100% attrition rate showcased in some BPOs which is quiet alarming. This study has been conducted and it was identified that factors related to personal problems, job related and environmental related factors, lack of growth opportunities, lack of work life balance, policies and procedures not being conducive, poaching by competing BPO companies are some of the various reasons that has contributed towards employee attrition in ITES industry. Hence, it is necessary to identify such problems and try to propose ways through which the BPOs can reduce the attrition rate. A survey method has been considered wherein a sample of 200 respondents was studied. The questionnaire consisting of questions relating to their personal profile, to analyse what degree of personality they exhibit and see if there is any influence of that has led to attrition and have been handed to them for response. After collecting these responses, using statistical technique an in-depth analysis has been carried out and been able to identify substantial reasons for high attrition rate. Thereafter, the study has also made recommendations to reduce attrition rate in BPOs in Bengaluru.


The morphological diversity of diosculumic sponges, known as Paracraticularia cylindrical, results from the fact that many fossils assigned to this species prove to be fragments of the apical segments of internodes (branches) from major colonies that are rarely encountered as totally preserved fossils. The structures of the branch apical segments and the oscula outlines reflect various manifestations of hexactinellida synchronous division conductive to morphological diversity of the descendants, the succeeding complicatedly structured colonial sponges. Some morphs (parataxa) are considered to belong to the species which are mostly fragments of the apical segments from the braches of the Paracraticularia primary colonies.


This paper focuses on the interaction between the Hindus and Christians of Pondicherry between 1700 and 1900, showing how Christianity gained a foothold among the Hindus. On the one hand, pressures, preferences and persuasion were used by the French to induce conversions, while on the other hand certain cultural, social and moral aspects of Hinduism, like vegetarian ism and the caste system, made conversions difficult. The high-handed methods of some French colonisers and missionaries also slowed down the conversions. The paper brings out both the legendary tolerance of the Hindus and Hinduism, and the intolerance exhibited by egalitarian ideologies like Christianity, which pay scant regard to diverse cultural, moral and religious traditions and beliefs. The paper also rejects the theory that there is a symbiosis at work between the Hindus and Christians and affirms the distinctive existence of a Judeo-Christian-Islamic, and a Hindu-Buddhist, world.


The flow around a flow-disturbing step in a rectangular microchannel is studied by measuring the wall shear rate along the channel, using the electrodiffusion technique and by determining the velocity field using the μ-PIV method. A parametric study based on the Design of Experiments (DOE) and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was then performed, and the effect of key design parameters on the flow characteristics was numerically investigated using CFD simulations. The computational results are in excellent agreement with the corresponding experimental ones. The CFD simulations cover both the laminar and the turbulent flow regime. It was revealed that in both flow regimes the step height has a major influence on the recirculation length. However, the Reynolds number (Re) value affects the recirculation length only in the laminar region, while the step length seems to have no significant effect compared to the Re and the step height. Finally, new correlations are proposed predicting the length of the bottom recirculation zone with reasonable accuracy and can be used as rough guidelines for the design of microdevices.


Bacterial release factors RF1 and RF2 are methylated on the Gln residue of a universally conserved tripeptide motif GGQ, which interacts with the peptidyl transferase center of the large ribosomal subunit, triggering hydrolysis of the ester bond in peptidyl-tRNA and releasing the newly synthesized polypeptide from the ribosome. In vitro experiments have shown that the activity of RF2 is stimulated by Gln methylation. The viability of Escherichia coli K12 strains depends on the integrity of the release factor methyltransferase PrmC, because K12 strains are partially deficient in RF2 activity due to the presence of a Thr residue at position 246 instead of Ala. Here, we study in vivo RF1 and RF2 activity at termination codons in competition with programmed frameshifting and the effect of the Ala-246 → Thr mutation. PrmC inactivation reduces the specific termination activity of RF1 and RF2(Ala-246) by ∼3- to 4-fold. The mutation Ala-246 → Thr in RF2 reduces the termination activity in cells ∼5-fold. After correction for the decrease in level of RF2 due to the autocontrol of RF2 synthesis, the mutation Ala-246 → Thr reduced RF2 termination activity by ∼10-fold at UGA codons and UAA codons. PrmC inactivation had no effect on cell growth in rich media but reduced growth considerably on poor carbon sources. This suggests that the expression of some genes needed for optimal growth under such conditions can become growth limiting as a result of inefficient translation termination.


The aim of this study a comparison between the three models for the valuation of stocks in Tehran Stock Exchange. These three names PE, Olson or residual income and a Markov chain (Markov) are. Researchers in their study were to calculate the valuation of shares in the first two terms and then calculate the value of the enamel Markov chain to achieve a comparative mode. Result of research shows that almost in all cases, there is no significant difference between explanatory power of these models in determining shares value and investments in Tehran exchange market can for assessment of shares uses from these 3 models, but in most cases residual income assessment model by considering less standard error of regression can say, partly is better model in determining the company's value which maybe the main reason be have high explanatory power of two dependent profit variable overall, and book value of share holder's salary by using the overall accounting relation in comparison with two other models.


Electron spin echoes were performed on nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) centers in diamond using optical polarization and detection and 35 GHz microwave control. The experiments demonstrate an approach to quantum information in the solid state. A phase memory time of 3.6 ms was measured, and coupling of the electronic spin to the N nuclear spin was observed. Because of the favorable properties of the N-V center, interesting extensions of these single-qubit operations can be proposed.


Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is the most frequent cause of glomerular disease in children, it can deve-lop many complications, including infection, thrombosis and acute kidney injury, while acute adrenocortical suppression is a complication of some drugs administration.This review focuses on the pathophysiology and management of common complications in patients with NS.

Key words:
Nephrotic syndrome; Complication; Child


ABSTRACT : Tuna fish is one of foodstuffs which has crumbly and perishable characteristics so that it requires a well-designed and well-prepared supply chain management system when it is delivered to the consumers. This study intended to analyze the product flow, fund flow, information flow, and the efficiency of supply chain performance of tuna fish in Banda Aceh. The methode employed to analyze the product flow, fund flow, information flow was descriptive analysis. Meanwhile, for the purpose of analyzing the efficiency of supply chain performance, Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR) was used. SCOR was initiated by constructing initial hierarchy which was based on the process of SCOR namely Plan, Source, Make, delivery, and Return with general dimension namely Reliability, Responsiveness, Flexibility, Cost, and Asset. The measurement of the efficiency of supply chain performance was done by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Objective Matrix (OMAX). The results of the study showed that CV. Tuah Bahari and PT. Nagata Prima Tuna have not performed product flow and information flow optimally in their supply chain, even though fund flow was done optimally. The result of performance efficiency measurement of CV. Tuah Bahari and PT. Nagata Prima Tuna showed that it was in average category, with the total index 6.29 for CV. Tuah Bahari and 5.27 for PT. Nagata Prima Tuna. Keyword: Supply Chain, Tuna, SCOR, and Performance Efficiency.


This study presents a new discovery of the super giant magneto-resonance effect observed at near resonance frequency in a magnetic LC-resonator consisting of a glass-coated amorphous Co83.2B3.3Si5.9Mn7.6 microwire with two capacitive terminal electrodes. The impedance measurement was carried out by an impedance analyzer. The magneto-impedance ratio (MIR) can be defined as MIR(H)=DeltaZ/Z(Hmax)=1-|Z(H)/Z(Hmax)|, where Hmax is an applied maximum external magnetic field.


The edge plasma region plays a key role in the performance of tokamak fusion devices, as transport in this region directly affects the energy confinement properties of the discharge and determines particle and heat loads on the first wall and the divertor. Recent experiments in Alcator C-Mod show strong evidence that transport in edge is governed by critical gradients physics in both L-mode and Hmode. To examine profiles from experimental millimeter resolution Thomson scattering edge data a modified tanh fit is routinely performed which reports the global pedestal parameters. The goals of this work are to apply new fitting techniques (e.g. B-splines), and then compare results to find the most suitable fitting routine which does not impose artificial constraints on the result. The results of such fits for a wide variety of Land H-mode profiles are then stored in a recently constructed database with complete profile information. This allows us to conduct profile studies over a wide range in C-Mod operation space and over a range of radial locations in the edge region. Supported by USDoE award DE-FC02-99ER54512


Non‐invasive tests (NITs), such as Fibrosis‐4 index (FIB‐4) and the aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI), developed using classical statistical methods, are increasingly used for determining liver fibrosis stages and recommended in treatment guidelines replacing the liver biopsy. Application of conventional cutoffs of FIB‐4 and APRI resulted in high rates of misclassification of fibrosis stages.


Additive manufacturing (AM), a layer based material addition technology to create three-dimensional objects directly from a 3D CAD model with little restrictions regarding the shape of the object. Today AM is already a proven technology for direct part production. The challenge is to identify suitable components of a product that will benefit from AM's capabilities. To support the identification of parts this paper presents indicators to parts where a re-design for additive manufacturing will create the most added value. Furthermore the benefits of additive manufacturing are subdivided into process advantages and design advantages. This distinction is fundamental, because it represents a great impact on the development process itself and the design strategy. The advantages, indicators and design strategies are explained and illustrated on two cases.


An enhanced sliding mode control method for clutch disk towing separation testing machine is proposed in this paper. The mathematical model of each part has been established and the open loop simplified mathematical model has been deduced. Based on the simplified mathematical model, the identification model of the system is established using least-squares to identify the parameters of the system; the parameters have been calculated by the complex method. The controller which is composed of speed feed forward, force feed forward and sliding mode control is used in the system controller. Numerical simulation shows that the proposed method has the good steady precision and dynamic characteristics.


Abstract This open, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group study evaluated the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus-based dual and triple therapy regimens. For this 3-month study (with 12-month follow up), 491 adult renal transplant patients were randomized and received either dual therapy (tacrolimus/corticosteroids; 246 patients) or triple therapy (tacrolimus/corticosteroids/azathioprine; 245 patients). Patient survival rates at months 3 and 12 were 99.2 (dual) vs 99.6 % (triple) and 97.8 vs 98.7 %, respectively. Graft survival rates at months 3 and 12 were 94.1 (dual) vs 95.4 % (triple) and 92.8 vs 93.3 %, respectively. After 3 months, the incidences of treated acute rejection were 28.8 (dual) and 29.7 % (triple); and 7.6 (dual) and 5.4 % (triple) for corticosteroid-resistant acute rejections. Between months 4 and 12, three new first rejections were reported, (dual: 2, triple: 1). For leukopenia (1.3 vs 11.7 %; P < 0.001) and anemia (14.8 vs 23.0 %, P = 0.026), significantly higher incidences were reported in the triple therapy group. The incidence of de novo insulin-dependent diabetes was 5.6 (dual) and 4.0 % (triple) at month 3. In terms of efficacy, no difference between the treatment groups was observed.


This paper describes the solution for p-curves in SO(4) and gives its closed form. The rotational symmetry was exploited in order to simplify the algebra. The relationship between the Casimir invariant functions and Lax operator is provided, along with its use as part of a Lax pair. The double cover by SU(2) × SU(2) enables two simpler problems to be found and integrated using Philip Hall coordinates and the solutions are then projected onto SO(4). The methodology is generic and can be applied to other problems.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine stock price crash risk (SPCR) as a function of meeting or missing three earnings thresholds – reporting a profit (earnings level), reporting an earnings increase (earnings change) and meeting analysts' forecasts (earnings expectation).

Design/methodology/approach
The authors rely upon the research design of Herrmann et al. (2011) to identify the incremental impact of the earnings level and earnings change benchmarks on SPCR, after controlling for the effects of meeting or missing analysts' expectations.

Findings
The authors find that meeting analysts' expectations is negatively associated with SPCR, and this relationship strengthens with the magnitude of the unexpected earnings. However, the authors find little evidence of incremental threshold effects to suggest that earnings level and earnings change benchmarks are critical thresholds with respect to SPCR. Our results are robust after including a number of control variables.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature that investigates determinants of SPCR while simultaneously providing new evidence to conclusions that analysts' earnings forecast is at the top of the earnings benchmark hierarchy.


In this paper, linear active disturbance rejection Control (LADRC) method is applied to design decentralized load frequency controllers (LFC) for multi-area power systems in deregulated environments. LADRC can treat the connections between one area and the rest of the system and the effects of possible contracts as a set of new disturbance signals, and it can compensate quickly after estimating them. Thus, it can achieve good disturbance rejection performance and be a good candidate for LFC design. The proposed method is tested on a four-area power system. Simulation results show that the proposed design method is simple to apply in practice and can achieve good performance. However, anti-windup problem for LADRC needs to be further investigated.


The coordination study of 1972 performed by Mr. N.A. Williams of Kaiser Engineers (LTR 13 10-3) is examined and updated based upon 1977 loads. Present overcurrent relay settings are presented and evaluated for adequacy in terms of the updated short circuit analysis. Recommendations are made for new relay and trip device settings to improve coordination. Switchgear ratings are examined against available short circuit currents, and recommendations are made where applicable. Vital MCC-A and B are examined in detail to provide maximum continuity of service for every fault contingency. A recommendation is made to improve the reliability of these buses.


An approach for n-type passivated emitter and rear locally diffused (PERL) solar cells is presented that combines the PassDop technology with Ni- and Cu-plated front contacts. As a step toward an eased industrial implementation, a new PassDop layer-based on a-SiN∞:P is presented and compared with the original layer based on a-SiC∞:P. We show that the PassDop concept can be used as a rear-side approach for these solar cells that reach energy-conversion efficiencies up to 23.5% on a small-area (2 × 2 cm2) when using the layer based on a-SiC∞:P, and 22.8% when using the layer based on a-SiN∞:P. By applying the same technology on a larger scale, we achieved efficiencies that exceed 22% on 143.2 cm2. We show that Ni-plating on boron emitters allows for excellent contact properties. With laser contact opening in conjunction with Ni- and Cu-plating, similar results for photolithographic opening (TiPdAg seed layer and Ag-plating) can be reached. Combining these technologies, cells are presented using PassDop as the rear-side approach and Ni-plating to contact the boron emitter with first results to achieve up to 21% cell efficiency on 148.6 cm2.


Abstract This study investigated the entrepreneurial orientation of micro enterprises in the retail sector in South Africa. Data was collected through the use of self-administered questionnaires in a survey. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The Cronbach's alpha was used to measure reliability. The results indicated that micro enterprises are adept in introducing new product lines and also making changes to the product line. However, micro enterprises are weak in the area of research and development. The results also showed that micro enterprises are on the average weak in the area of proactiveness. Micro enterprises are followers rather than leaders and are not risk lovers. Recommendations on how micro enterprises can improve entrepreneurial orientation are suggested.


Abstract We will investigate in this paper the relation between income inequality and climate change, taking into account that the increase of carbon emissions has among consequences the increase of inequalities. The most vulnerable to climate change are the poorest and less developed countries. Climate change represents an important challenge for EU policymakers and the transition to zerocarbon emissions will lead to greater social inclusion and convergence among EU countries. We use in this paper two-stage OLS in order to analyse the relationship between income inequality and carbon emissions in case of EU countries.. We apply our model to two groups of European Union countries, the old member states - EU15 and new member states - EU13. Our results confirm that there are important differences between the two groups regarding the relationship between climate change and income inequalities. Therefore, policies implemented at EU level are extremely important in order to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on growing inequality and poverty in EU countries. Governments must invest in new technologies, industries and innovation in order to address the complex challenge posed by mitigating climate change.


Objective To study the microsurgical anatomy and operative significances of the infratemporal fossa.Methods Eight adult formalin-fixed cadaver specimens and five dry skull specimens were examined.The bony structures and soft tissues of infratemporal fossa were dissected and examined step by step on both sides of each specimen under surgical microscope.After accomplishment of each key step,photographs were taken.Results Infratemporal fossa is an extracranial space enclosed by bony structures.It is located under middle cranial fossa,and is adjacent to maxillary sinus,pterygopalatine fossa and parapharyngeal space.Infratemporal fossa communicates these regions through bony fissures or foramina which are occluded by vessels,nerves and connective tissue.The main structures of infratemporal fossa include medial and lateral pterygoid muscles,maxillary artery,mandibular nerve and pterygoid venous plexus.The locations of muscles,nerves and vessels with their branches are described detailedly.Conclusion Microsurgical dissection and observation is the only way to obtain an overall and systematic understanding of the infratemporal fossa;the knowledge from this research is of great value to tumor resection operations in this region.


Because of current policies,systems and other objective and subjective factors,a lot of the children of migrant workers face many difficulties on education.To solve the problems,we should analyze the reality,the cause of the problem in-depth and then summarized to address the problem of ways in order to construct harmonious society.