High-permittivity hafnium titanate (HfxTi1−xO2) films of various compositions have been investigated. Chemical-vapor deposited thin films have well-controlled composition and a smooth surface. Thicker films show large, highly anisotropic grains with their long axis in the plane of the film. Electrical measurements showed that the interfacial layer equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) decreases linearly with increasing Hf content. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy indicates that the interfacial layer is primarily SiO2. In the composition range of 0.3<x<0.5, the permittivity of the high-κ films increases linearly with increasing Ti content. For values of x<0.3, the film's permittivity is close to that of pure HfO2(∼20), while for Ti-rich films the permittivity is close to that of pure TiO2(∼50). For films with a physical thickness less than 10 nm, the leakage current decreases as Ti increases for a fixed EOT.


Abstract : Volume 3 describes the development of a process for coating large diameter rocket nozzle throat inserts with pyrolytic graphite. Inserts with throat diameters of 7.0, 10.6, 12.45 and 13.0 inches were fabricated.


How to develope the technique is the key Factor of achieving perfect result in the short track skating competition.It is to exert the most advanced technique or to reform some old technique.There are two ways for developing technique,one is to innovate by oneself,the other is to study others advanced technique.The sports technique system is dynamic and continual progressing.Innovation is the main force to promote the technique of short track speed skating.So can it ensure to promote sports result in the short track skating event.


Early studies of engineering leadership in North America suggest widespread resistance to leadership among engineering students and professionals. We explore two integrally linked strategies for overcoming this resistance—one conceptual and one empirical. First, we draw on Giroux's theory of resistance to reframe the assumption that engineers who have questions about leadership are opposing the notion of engineering as a leadership profession. Second, we investigate the notion of leadership affinity by analyzing 617 open-ended survey responses to the following question: "what inspires you about an engineering profession that embraces leadership?" We conclude with a theoretically informed discussion about the potential impact of leadership affinity on engineers' professional development and social impact.


D yspepsia refers to symptoms centered in the upper abdominal region, such as pain, heartburn, feeling discomfort after eating, and heavy feeling in the stomach. Dyspepsia affects upto 40 percent of adults each year, and about 10 percent of those affected seek medical care. 1 most cases in patients who seek care are eventually diagnosed as functional dyspepsia. 2 Functional (nonulcer) dyspepsia is defined as the presence of postprandial fullness, early satiation, or epigastric pain or burning in the absence of causative structural disease. recent guidelines distinguish dyspepsia from heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, which often coincide with dyspepsia but are considered separate entities. 5 Previous studies have used a variety of definitions for dyspepsia. Currently Rome III guidelines are in use for definition of functional dyspepsia, which define functional dyspepsia as, presence of at least one of the following: bothersome postprandial fullness, early satiation, epigastric pain, epigastric burning and no evidence of structural disease (including at upper endoscopy) that is likely to explain the symptoms (criteria must be fulfilled for the past three months, with symptom onset at least six months before diagnosis (Table 1). rome III diagnostic criteria divide functional dyspepsia into two subcategories: epigastric pain syndrome (i.e. epigastric pain or burning) and postprandial distress syndrome (i.e., postprandial fullness or early satiation). 3 Pathophysiology Dyspepsia is a symptom and not a diagnosis. Dyspepsia is a heterogeneous group of disorder and there are no definitive pathophysiologic mechanisms for functional dyspepsia. Several studies implicate gastric dysmotility in the pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia. Studies have documented altered gastric motility (e.g., gastroparesis, gastric dysrhythmias, abnormal fundus accumulation, pyloric sphincter dysfunction) in up to 80 percent of patients with functional dyspepsia. 5,6 however, the degree of dysmotility does not correlate with symptoms. The relationship between functional dyspepsia and acid secretion is unclear. One study demonstrated a lower ph level in the duodenum of patients with functional dyspepsia compared with those in the control group, although the ph level did not correlate with symptoms. 10 The role of helicobacter pylori infection in functional dyspepsia has also been investigated. Large population studies have shown an increased incidence of h. pylori infection in patients with functional dyspepsia. The differential diagnosis of dyspepsia is shown in Table 2. While important clues to symptom aetiology may be obtained from interview and examination, symptom patterns alone do not discriminate organic from functional dyspepsia. 12 In 50%–60% of cases, no …


We provide a naturally isomorphic description of the persistence map from merge trees to barcodes in terms of a monotone map from the partition lattice to the subset lattice. Our description is local, which offers the potential to speed up inverse computations, and brings classical tools in combinatorics to bear on an active area of research in topological data analysis (TDA).


Developed in the 1970s, transrectal ultrasound of the prostate applied to biopsy of that organ started to be used more widely in the 1980s (1, 2). In that decade, the use of this technology among renowned teams allowed great knowledge to be acquired about prostate anatomy, the procedure and complications (3, 4). Much has been changed since then, devices have developed substantially, new imaging methods have been added, protocols and guidelines have been outlined for the proper use of this diagnostic tool. So, after more than 30 years of publications, the most skeptical of urologists would say that this science is exhausted, and no other paper could emerge on this topic. With great satisfaction, the International Brazilian Journal of Urology once again brings to our dear readers an assessment of prostate biopsy guided by ultrasound from a different perspective. In previous editions, new data about complications of the procedure (5) and evaluation of the pain pattern in different methods of sample acquisition (6) were presented. In this issue we bring you an article that discusses the mood disorders associated with biopsy and positive results. The wide access and use of screening methods, made part of our actions somewhat mythical. The lack of real understanding about PSA and all the taboos inherent to digital rectal examination, together are enough to create a fog of doubt and fear among men in the age group for screening. In other areas of oncology, where screening methods are possible, patients also face similar challenges before diagnosis; and once it is done, a storm of dubious thoughts sets in their minds and souls. Among women, confirmation of a breast cancer or a cervical and its treatment may impact on self-image and sexual concerns which may lead to mood disorders and worsening quality of life (7-10). Likewise, a positive diagnosis through colonoscopic screening for malignancies can bring countless questions to the patient who, without assertive information or even without adequate support, can develop anxiety or depression (11). In the present study Sefik et al. demonstrated that, before biopsy, levels of anxiety and depression measured were correlated with serum levels of PSA. Demonstrating one of the negative effects that a "simple blood test" could have on individuals. And they show us more: just after biopsy, those symptoms disappeared; this is related to the good practice adopted in that department, where the patient is well oriented on the technique of the procedure just before it (12). In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the National Cancer Institute INCa a branch of the Urology Department, the Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Center CDCP –welcomes referral patients from all over the state, whose biopsy was requested in primary care by a family and community physician or even by urologists serving in public settings. Understanding the burden of expectations related to that referral, our Center proposes a multi-professional approach to the patient and his family. EDITORIAL COMMENT Vol. 46 (6): 1006-1009, November December, 2020


The public space related to the urban life, is a topic that provides relevant aspects
in the city study how integrating space society, through it are given a variety of
activities own of lives in cities. This relationship is want to demonstrate analyzing a pedestrian public space icon of the City of Caracas over time as the Boulevard de Sabana Grande, Libertador Municipality in the Capital District. The development of a theoretical framework that highlights the features, components and functions of public space to reach the boulevard, provides a better link between it and urban life. The historical context of Sabana Grande, specifically in the old Calle Real and its developments, helps us better understand this space in the life of population of Caracas, initially as a site connector between the
foundational city and the East expanding, to become in Boulevard as pedestrian public space of Caracas. The application of questionnaires to users, residents and traders, reinforces the importance of the Boulevard for the City with an influence of a metropolitan character, which welcomes people from different areas, who use the Boulevard to develop multiple activities (recreation, collective acts, cultural and commercial
activities, etc.) related to urban life.
Publics spaces should be places for providing ideal conditions for the integral development of citizens, as these give us a meeting place, recognition, relationships, etc., to which all have access, of which depend to a large proportion of the increase or decrease in quality of life in cities, where the state plays a key role as guarantor and administrator, without leaving aside the assessment and maintenance of thereof by the inhabitants who live in them.


Infrared irradiation promoted the synthesis of substituted 5-oxo-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-octahydroquinoline derivatives. The condensations of 5, 5-dimethyl-1, 3-cyclohexane-dione, 1, 3-diaryl-2-propen-1-one and ammonium acetate in the absence of solvent under infrared irradiation for 3 h gave the title compounds in 67.6%∼86.5% yields.


The high efficiency of precursor-to-perovskite conversion is one of the core factors in boosting the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we report a liquid/liquid interfacial synthesis of terpyridine-zinc(II)...


This paper discusses the validation approach applied in the eCoMove project (a large scale EU 7th Framework Programme project). In this project, applications are developed that on the one hand optimise network-wide traffic management and control, and on the other hand advise drivers on the most efficient routes and assist them in applying an eco-friendly driving style. The applications are validated using different test methods: with (small scale) field trials, driving simulator studies and microscopic traffic network simulations. In order to perform a consistent and integrated validation and impact assessment, a validation approach based on the FESTA methodology was developed that combines all these elements. The aim is to validate whether a complete eCoMove system can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20%.


It is proved that every incomplete separable normed space M contains a closed bounded convex set W such that the closed linear span of W coincides with M and W contains no weakly supported points. This theorem answers a question of Klee and a question of Borwein and Tingley. Let A be a subset of normed space X. A point x e A is called a support point of A if there exists a nonzero continuous linear functional f e X* such that f(x) = sup f(A) . We shall call a point x e A a weakly supported point if there exists a linear functional f such that the restriction f/A is nonzero and continuous and f(x) = sup f(A) . The last definition was inspired by the paper of Klee [1]. The set of all support points of the set A (respectively weakly supported points) we denote by suppA (respectively wsuppA). In 1958 Klee [2] gave a striking example of a convex bounded closed subset A in a certain incomplete normed space X (actually X is a dense subspace of ?2) possessing the property supp A = 0 (a supportless set). Subsequently, Bishop and Phelps [3] proved that for every closed bounded convex subset A (a CBC subset) of the Banach space X the set of all support functionals Z(A) of the set A is dense in dual space X*. Later in [4] they proved that for every CBC subset A of a Banach space the set supp A is dense in the boundary of the set A. Hence supportless CBC subsets may occur only in incomplete normed spaces. In 1985 Borwein and Tingley [5], developing ideas of Klee, constructed in every separable Banach space a dense subspace possessing a supportless CBC subset (additionally, their set is absorbing; see the paper [6] of the author where he got a characterization of incomplete normed spaces possessing supportless absorbing CBC subsets). The main conjecture (formulated in paper [5] which inspired our investigation) is that every incomplete normed space contains a supportless CBC subset. We shall prove this conjecture (actually in a stronger form, which permits us to answer a question of Klee concerning weakly supported points [1]). Received by the editors July 21, 1992. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 46B20. ? 1994 American Mathematical Society 0002-9939/94 $1.00 + $.25 per page


John Higham, STRANGERS IN THE LAND, PATTERNS IN AMERICAN NATIVISM, 1860–1925, 2nd ed., 'Afterword' by John Higham, New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1988, 431 pp., $30.00 and $10.00 (paper).


The JAK/STAT signalling cascade is one of the most conserved pathways in the animal kingdom. Aside from its developmental roles, the JAK/STAT pathway is needed for stem cell maintenance, and its mis-regulation is associated with various malignancies, ranging from solid tumours to myeloproliferative disorders. Using Drosophila as a genetically tractable model organism has enabled the identification of the main JAK/STAT pathway components. This work was aimed at identifying downstream effectors of the Drosophila JAK/STAT pathway which are be responsible for the generation and progression of blood tumours. Gene expression profiling identified 1197 loci that are regulated either directly or indirectly at different time points by the main pathway ligand UPD. Bioinformatic analysis of the 1197 genes showed a temporally dynamic distribution of functional categories relevant to immunity. Furthermore promoter analysis illustrated differential distribution of high and low affinity binding sites of the JAK/STAT pathway transcription factor among up-regulated genes. The significance of ten UPD-regulated genes in mediating tumourigenesis in flies was also validated in vivo. Among these are genes that are important in cell polarity, a function that has recently emerged as being important for polarised JAK/STAT signalling in epithelial cells.Although the focus of this work was mainly on validating the role of JAK/STAT target genes in tumourigenesis, gene expression profiling has generated a non-exhaustive list of candidate genes that can also be used for studies of other roles that are mediated by the JAK/STAT pathway, such as cell movement and stem cell maintenance.


This article develops some arguments found in Richard Hays's Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul in regard to Galatians 3-4. First, it argues that Paul's strategy in interpreting the Abraham story for the Galatians is allegorical throughout and not simply in 4.21-31. Further, this allegorical reading is based on and judged by Paul's account of the Galatians' experience of the Spirit. Secondly, Paul's allegorical reading is an exercise of interpretive power. This exercise of power is in large measure underwritten by the account of his character which Paul gives in the first two chapters of Galatians.


The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of NLC in increasing photostability of tomato extract in term of antioxidant activity. Photostability testing on antioxidant activity of samples were conducted by accelerating method using UVB radiation 32.400 joule for 21 hours radiation. Antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH method. NLC was made by High Shear Homogenization (HPH) method at 24000 rpm for 4 cycles, while conventional creame was made by low speed at 400 rpm. The product were characterized include: pH, viscosity, and particle size. There were had difference characters and physical stability. NLC had smaller size, more homogenous and more stable than conventional creame. It
was known that stability of antioxidant activity of tomato extract in NLC system higher than in conventional creame. That was showed with k value, as constanta of rate scavenging activity decreasing in antioxidant power between time (Sigma 2-tail < 0.005) of NLC and conventional creame were: 2.03x10 -2 %/hour
±0.08 (3.94) and 4.71x 10-2 %/ hour ±0.23 (4.88)
respectively.


According to the Sixteenth Documentation of the central government,in order to make better use of "Two Courses",to improve the moral and political education of college students and to arm the students with scientific principles,we newly updated the educational system of "Two Courses" and implemented it among the students of year 2006.One of the course Basic Principles of Marxism has been revised and extended as The Generality of the Basic Principles of Marxism.In order to give good lectures of the newly updated course to the students,our teaching group members pay lots of attention to it and actively involve ourselves in the reformation of the teaching preparation and teaching methods.We strive to make The Generality of the Basic Principles of Marxism a life-long useful and welcome course for the students.


................................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................................................... vii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................ viii TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xii


We provide a novel and versatile signaling transduction strategy in the fluoroimmunoassay through regulating the interaction between graphene (Gr) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs), and demonstrate its feasibility in sensitive detection of human immunoglobulin G (IgG).


Abstract Trifluoroethanol is an efficient and recyclable medium in promoting one-pot, three-component condensation reactions of β-ketoesters, aldehydes, and urea (or thiourea) to afford the corresponding dihydropyrimidones in good yields. This protocol does not require the use of an acid or base catalyst. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


A new three‐year study has been initiated to determine the degree of impact of military training noise on the endangered Red‐Cockaded Woodpecker (RCW). The study is being conducted on an Army installation. The study design and preliminary results from the first nesting season are presented. Noise sources of interest include artillery and tank live fire blast noise, small arms live fire noise, small arms blanks noise and artillery simulator noise that occurs during maneuver training, and helicopter noise. Response criteria include proximate responses such as flushing from a nest and fitness measures such as nesting success. The objective of the study is to determine, for each type of noise, a dose‐response relation and/or response thresholds. The study includes a determination of an audiogram for woodpeckers, which will provide the basis for selecting stimulus characterization metrics that include appropriate frequency weighting and will facilitate interpretation of response data. [Work supported by SERDP.]


Holograms of biological objects are acquired using digital holographic microscopy. The reconstructed phase images display high resolution, quantitative measurements of optical thickness with a resolution of several nanometers.


This Monograph provides an update on cardiovascular disease complications and treatment implications for respiratory diseases, based on current scientific evidence and considered from an epidemiological, pathophysiological and clinical point of view. This book also discusses the future challenges when studying the complex relationship between these two groups of disorders.


Australian populations of the widespread Emex australis and the more restricted E. spinosa were tested for subspecific variation. The plants were grown for two generations in a glasshouse from seed collected from field populations. The results from growing the first generation showed that two groupings of E. australis could be made on the basis of hierarchical grouping analysis, but the populations were much more similar in the second generation and such groupings could not be made. There were no marked differences between E. australis populations from Australia and South Africa, although one from Hawaii was less vigorous than the others. Amongst Australian populations of E. spinosa, one from Western Australia was less vigorous than the others. It was also found that Australian populations of E. spinosa were generally similar to those from Portugal and slightly more vigorous than those from Morocco.


TCF21 is a member of the basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptor factor family, being critical for embryogenesis of the heart, kidney and spleen. TCF21 also regulates epicardium-derived cells differentiation into smooth muscle and fibroblast lineages.

 Investigate the impact of TCF21 rs12190287 in the prediction and discrimination of CAD risk, individually or into a genetic risk score (GRS) formed by a set of 13 genetic variants.

 We performed a case-control study with 3050 subjects (1619 coronary patients with 53.3±8 years; 78.9% male and 1431 controls with 52.8±8 years; 76.6% male) from GENEMACOR study. We investigated all traditional risk factors (TRF), as well as 13 genetic variants from GWAS with unknown pathophysiological pathway so far, including TCF21 (rs12190287), ZC3HC1 (rs11556924), PSRC1/SORTI (rs599839), PHACTR1 (rs1332844), MIA3 (rs17465637), SMAD3 (rs17228212), ZNF259 (rs964184), ADAMTS7 (rs3825807), CDKN2B (rs4977574), 9p21.3 (rs1333049), KIF6 (rs20455), PCSK9 (rs2114580) and GJA4 (rs618675). A multiplicative genetic risk score with these 13 genetic variants (m13GRS), was calculated. Subsequently, two logistic regressions were performed; primarily with all the TRF and all the genes individually and the second with TRF and m13GRS.

 The first multivariate analysis shows that, besides the strong association of the TRF with CAD risk (with smoking status on the top of the list, with an OR of 3.2; p<0.0001), TCF21 rs12190287 was the most significant variant from all the studied genetic set with a CAD risk of 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1–1.9; p=0.004), followed by the well-known genetic determinant CDKN2B rs4977574 (OR=1.4; 95% CI: 1.1–1.7; p<0.002) and ZC3HC1 rs11556924 (OR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.0–1.7; p=0.034). When GRS is included to the model, all the TRF remain in the equation by the same order, and the m13GRS persisted as an independent predictor for CAD risk (OR=1.7; 95% CI: 1.4–2.0; p<0.0001).

 TCF21 rs12190287 is a risk factor for CAD in the Portuguese population, either individually or incorporated in a m13GRS. TCF21 risk is independent from TRF. In the future, TCF21 can provide a new clues to identify patients at high cardiovascular risk and become a potential target for gene therapy.


This paper analyzes the potential influences of century avenue on surrounding system,urban landscape and commerce after it has been built,illustrates the influences of traffic system on human activities,and discusses the method to ameliorate them,in order to allow active play to the century avenue.


A typical wing aileron system with a rudder driver framework is investigated. The magenetorheological (MR) damper is fixed on the framework instead of the aileron rotation axis. A set of four-degree-of-freedom aeroelastic differential equations is developed and the on-off control algorithm is used to attenuate the vibration of the aileron. Numerical results show that the critical flutter speed is insensitive to the hysteresis of the MR damper. The higher apply voltage and the shorter control delay time can greatly increase the critical flutter speed. This configuration of the MR damper under the on-off control strategy can increase the critical flutter speed by 17% at least.


In Malaysia, private healthcare providers keep computerized records of vaccination data, including personal information, diagnostic results, and vaccine prescriptions. However, such sensitive information is commonly stored using a centralized storage paradigm which subsequently brings about the issue of maintaining user privacy. Concerning this, unauthorized access to crucial information such as identity details and ailments that a patient is suffering from, as well as the misuse of patients' data and medical reports, are common threats to user's (patient) privacy. To overcome this problem, the researchers suggest leveraging IPFS (Interplanetary File System) and blockchain technology to create a decentralized children's immunization record management system. While respecting patient privacy, the proposed system also allows authorized entities, such as healthcare professionals, and provides easy access to medical data (e.g., doctors and nurses). The proposed decentralized system integrates IPFS, blockchain, and AES cryptography to ensure consistency, integrity, and accessibility. A permission Ethereum blockchain allows hospitals and patients within private healthcare providers to connect. We utilized a combination of symmetric and asymmetric key encryption to provide secure storage and selective records access. The proposed system was analyzed using Wireshark to evaluate the overall system's performance in terms of integrity and accessibility while sharing patient records. This project aims to provide automated system keeper using autonomous agents collaboratively with the role of blockchain for further enhancement.


The article describes the cascades of the main pumping stations in the Commonwealth of the Independent States and Uzbekistan, it is noted that, despite their complexity and many problems, there is almost no information in the literature and very little research has been done. The main goal of the article is to schematically and theoretically show the results of field studies in a system of cascades of pumping stations Amu-Zang-Bobotag in the Surkhandarya region.


Preface Chapter 1. Introduction to Managerial Decision Making Chapter 2. Common Biases Chapter 3. Framing and the Reversal of Preferences Chapter 4. Motivational and Affective Influences on Decision Making Chapter 5. The Nonrational Escalation of Commitment Chapter 6. Fairness In Decision Making Chapter 7. Common Investment Mistakes Chapter 8. Bounded Ethicality Chapter 9. Making Rational Decisions in Negotiations Chapter 10. Negotiator Cognition Chapter 11. Bounded Awareness Chapter 12. Improving Decision Making References Index


This article comments on the Accounting and Auditing Law of the Republic of Georgia.The Georgian law "On Accounting and Auditing of Financial Reporting" was signed into law in 2012. Some of its provisions became effective immediately, while others became effective in January 1, 2013. The law includes 17 Articles on a wide range of accounting and auditing topics.The purpose of the present paper is not to dissect each Article, but rather to provide an overview and general comments from a Western perspective.


The processing of Boolean imagery compressed by runlength encoding (RLE) frequently exhibits greater computational efficiency than the processing of uncompressed imagery, due to the data reduction inherent in RLE. In a previous publication, we outlined general methods for developing operators that compute over RLE Boolean imagery. In this paper, we present sequential and parallel algorithms for a variety of operations over RLE imagery, including the customary arithmetic and logical Hadamard operations, as well as the global reduce functions of image sum and maximum. RLE neighborhood-based operations, as well as the more advanced RLE operations of linear transforms, connected component labelling, and pattern recognition are presented in the companion paper.


Mass spring model (MSM) has been used to represent several deformable objects in the graphical studies such as cloth simulation, face animation, body movement and hair simulation. Due to the ease of implementation of MSM, the context of MSM has been extended to surgical simulation, especially the real-time invasive surgical simulator. However, the remaining major drawback of MSM is the selection of parameters – stiffness () and damping (). Most of the researches have been focused on improving the MSM in terms of mathematical modelling, mesh topology and several other methods in obtaining the parameters either by using a white box, a black box or grey systems. In this paper, the implementation of fuzzy approach is introduced into liver surgical simulation by using MATLAB R2012, a fuzzy logic toolbox. We thus designed a fuzzy MSM stiffness controller (FMSC), which is a knowledge-based fuzzy inference system. Based on the previous medical stiffness outcome for several liver ailments, the rule matrix is built...


Bats from Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco (Guayas-Ecuador). The Cerro Blanco Protected Forest is a private reserve, located a few minutes from the city of Guayaquil; it is also one of the last remnants of tropical dry forest in the Ecuadorian coast. Mammal research in the area focus on inventories of medium and large mammals, and through a rapid assessment program, report bat species living here. Bats are very important in ecosystems because they carry out seed dispersal, control insects, and pollinate various native plants. All these functions contrast strongly with overall ignorance and wrong concepts that the people have about them, which causes the killing of individuals and/or the extermination of colonies. The present study identifies bat species in the different vegetations types of Cerro Blanco. Using mists-net (total sampling effort: 498 net-hours), 218 individuals were captured, belonging to 5 families, 15 genera and 18 species; Artibeus fraterculus, Glossophaga soricina and Chiroderma villosum were the most abundant species; and the distribution of Enchistenes hartii was extended for this geographical zone in the country. The bats species were used like bioindicators of the different habitats conservation presents in the reserve, by means of their ecology knowledge and field observations. Keywords: bioindicators, conservation status, dry forest, ecology


Background: The development of assay which is fast targeting bacterial mRNA detection which provide status of mycobacterial infection. mycobacterial viability is detected amplification tests directed at DNA or rRNA targets, mRNA is more rapidly destroyed in cells than rRNA or genomic DNA . This study was carried out to optimize reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) targeting 85B gene for the rapid detection of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputum specimens of suspected TB patients in India and to detect MDR-TB circulating in this study population in India. Methods: Sputum samples from clinically suspected tuberculosis patients (n=8) included in the study. The random sputum samples with different drug sensitive collected in treated containers with sterile diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) and chilled with ice within 2 hours in the laboratory to prevent RNA degradation. 85B gene is targeting by RTPCR of mycobacterial culture and other phenotypic drug sensitivity testing like streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide were done by BACTEC myco MGIT culture system for all the sputum samples. Results: All the 5 sample, only MTB Suspension 3, 4, 5 RNA confirmed in Nested PCR, RNA confirmed in MTB Suspension 1, 2, 3 in Two Step Real Time PCR and finally MTB Suspension 4, 5 RNA confirmed in One Step Real Time PCR, were sensitive confirmed to all PCR Methods for RNA detection first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs by phenotypic drug susceptibility testing. Interpretation & conclusions: Two steps RT-PCR, one step RT-PCR and Nested PCR targeting 85B gene of M. tuberculosis was a specific, rapid, reliable technique to detect the M. tuberculosis directly from sputum specimens. Our results showed that all PCR assays were performed simultaneously and it was observed that two step RealTime mRNA Reverse Transcriptase PCR method was rapid and specific than reported Nested PCR method. Although, one step Real-Time mRNA Reverse Transcriptase PCR was quite more rapid than two step method but did not showed amplification in all the five pure suspension of M. tuberculosis isolates in the study population of India were MDR.


This study was focused on determine the types of use slang language style. The types of slangs were analyzed from "Charlie's Angels" movie. Theories used in this research were Sumarsono (2007) about the types of slang language style and Zhou & Fan (2013) about the functions of slang language. This study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative method.This research is the kind of content analysis study based on the way to do qualitative research. The way to collects the data are; downloading movie, watching movie and downloading movie subtitle. The data were from a movie entitled "Charlie's Angels" in the year of 2019 with action-comedy genre.After conducting the analysis, this study showed that there were four types of slang language style from six types of slang language. They were clipping, creative, uses the existing words and metaphor. Creative was found as the most dominant types of slang language style in the movie with 10 data (40%), metaphor with 7 data (28%), uses the existing words with 5 data (20%) and clipping with 3 data (12%). Finally, the reseacher hopes that this study will be useful for the future improvement of studying literature, especially about slang language style


Broadband noise produced by the trailing-edge of a controlled diffusion (CD) airfoil is directly simulated using a Lattice-Boltzmann method (PowerFlow) which resolves both the aerodynamic and acoustic field around the airfoil. A proper DNS resolution is achieved in the vicinity of the airfoil for quasi-2D slice of the mock-up. Two numerical setups of the anechoic open-jet facility where both aerodynamic and acoustic data have been collected are investigated to capture the installation effects: in a first numerical setup (called free), the CD airfoil is set in an uniform flow, while in the second setup (lips) the real jet nozzle geometry is considered. While in the free-field configuration the boundary layer rapidly detaches on the suction side, in the lips the jet shear layers modify the pressure load on the airfoil and the boundary layer keeps attached in the configuration with nozzle. In both setups a laminar recirculation bubble is captured on the suction side near the leading edge. At the reattachment point vortices are emitted and convected either in the wake for the detached flow or along the suction side for the lips setup. The wallpressure and noise spectra for the free configuration are spread over a large band of frequencies and agree with similar experimental records at higher angle of attack for which the flow is detached. The spectra for the lips configuration better agree with the experimental record, despite a shift to low frequency caused by a lack of stretching due to the limited span-wise extent.


Past research has considered factors that contribute to students' attitudes about group projects. Much of this research has focused on the influence of demographic characteristics such as gender, race, and age. This study extends that past research and considers whether participating in group projects potentially changes students' attitudes about group projects. Surveys were conducted with 85 students, 48 of whom had just completed a group project. Results showed that students who just completed a group project had slightly different attitudes about group projects than those who did not. Attention was also given to the total number of group projects to which students were exposed. Analyses showed that those who were exposed to more group projects held different attitudes about group projects than those who had fewer group projects. Implications are provided.


The impacts of Newtonian heating and a magnetic dipole in a two-dimensional ferrofluid due to a stretchable cylinder are analyzed in this paper. The effects of the homogeneous–heterogeneous reactio...


In her November 13, 1980 interview with Lewis P. Armistead, Agnes Lawton relays her family history and career as a teacher. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.


The two-parametric functional for weakly interacting fluctuations of liquid density and composition is studied within the theory based on Landau potential for these fluctuations in the kind of ensemble of phonons and compound clusters. Using the standard diagram technique, the task for weak-interacting phonons and clusters is reduced to solving the equations of proper-energetic functions of quasi-particle interaction by Neumann itera- tions of Feynman diagrams in " bootstrapping " of Fourier images (propagators) for correlation of the composition of liquid and its topological structure. It is shown that composition fluctuations as clusters are induced by phonons when impurity atoms being initially outside the dense part of liquid (introduction solution) become inherent constitu- ents of the dense part (addition solution). By renormalizing parameters of the model, we have transformed weakly interacting fluctuations to free " dressed " phonons and clusters whose autocorrelation functions are characterized by various behaviors in small and large scales in comparison with the atomic spacing. In the first case, density fluctuations of liquid do not feel impurities. In the intermediate scale, the liquid matrix is inhomogeneous in the form of colloids, which is not observed at the large scales. Dynamics of such liquid is characterized by diffusion modes of solvent and oscillations of impurities.


The correlation coefficient between the sound pressures at two points in a sound field is a useful quantity for several applications. An instrument was developed for measuring and recording correlation coefficients as a function of time. A feature of this instrument is the use of a recorder's servo-mechanism to measure the ratio of two dc voltages. The results of correlation measurements in reverberant sound fields will be presented.


In most of the cases, the estimated calories are just associated with the estimated food categories, or the relative size compared to the standard size of each food category which are usually provided by a user manually. In addition, in the case of calorie estimation based on the amount of meal, a user conventionally needs to register a size-known reference object in advance and to take a food photo with the registered reference object. In this demo, we propose a new approach for food calorie estimation with CNN and Augmented Reality (AR)-based actual size estimation. By using Apple ARKit framework, we can measure the actual size of the meal area by acquiring the coordinates on the real world as a three-dimensional vector, we implemented this demo app. As a result, it is possible to calculate the size more accurately than in the previous method by measuring the meal area directly, the calorie estimation accuracy has improved.


This research focuses on the definition and development of a new cultural development model called proeftuin (Dutch word for "experimental garden"), as a model for urban cultural development that relies on multidisciplinary co-creation and community participation. The research begins with a description of the model and the process continues with demonstration of the model through the review of examples in an artistic context, in an urban development context, and concluded with strategic recommendations towards a successful implementation of the model at an urban level.


Objective:To explore the value of combination of cytokeratin monoclonal antibodies(MAbs) K18,K19 with CEA in differentiating lung cancer from benign lesions.Methods:During April~August 2011,150 patients with lung nodules or masses who performed FDG PET/CT for diagnosis or staging in PeKing Union Medical College Hospital were selected for serum detection of K18,K19 and CEA at the same time.According to pathological result and clinical follow-up,these patients were divided into 2 groups:tumor group and non-tumor group.The value of alone and combination use of K18,K19 and CEA for differentiating lung cancer from benign lesions were evaluated.Results:① Serum K18,K19 and CEA levels in tumor group were all significantly higher than those in non-tumor group(P0.01).② Serum K18,K19 and CEA levels in patients with advanced lung cancer were all higher than those in patients with early lung cancer.③ sensitivities of K18,K19 and CEA alone for detecting lung cancer were 25.6%,39% and 47.6% respectively,while the specificities of K18,K19 and CEA alone for detecting lung cancer were 98.5%,83.8% and 92.6% respectively.The combination use of K19 with CEA can make the sensitivity of detecting lung cancer increase to 65.9%.④ Sensitivities of K18,K19 and CEA alone for detecting early lung cancer(stage I,II) were 2.9%,29.4% and 29.4% respectively.The combination use of K19 with CEA can make the sensitivity of detecting early lung cancer increase to 47.1%.⑤ The positive rate of K19 for detecting lung squamous carcinoma was significantly higher than that for lung adenocarcinoma,while the positive rates of both K18 and CEA for detecting lung adenocarcinoma were higher than those for lung squamous carcinoma.Conclusion:K19 is complementary to CEA in detecting lung cancer due to its high positive rate in lung squamous carcinoma.Combined use of K19 and CEA could elevate the positive rate for detecting lung cancer,especially in early stage.


Phytoplankton community structure was characterized by ordination of species assemblages using Factor Analysis (FA) and Correspondence Analysis (CA). Two dimensional plots of first two axes from FA and CA were constructed to explore temporal and treatment related patterns in community structure. The first four axes of both ordination functions were used as multivariate descriptors for the community structure and were examined for the differences between the treatments by ANOVA. Species ordination plots and sorted rotated factor loadings provided the objective means to identify the species and divergence in the community structure. Indicator species were considered and examined for the differences between the treatments by ANOVA. The ordination and subsequent analysis revealed trends effects in the community structure before and after phosphate enrichment and algal bloom.


Voltammetric techniques of analysis, i.e., those based on the measurement of current resulting from an oxidation or reduction at an electrode surface following the application of a potential difference to an electrochemical cell,1have assumed an important place in the armory of analytical techniques for the identification and determination of trace concentrations (i.e., 102 to 10-4 ppm) of many organic, organometallic, and inorganic molecules of environmental significance. Techniques such as normal and differential pulse polarography (NPP and DPP), anodic and cathodic stripping voltammetry (ASV and CSV), adsorptive stripping voltammetry and electrochemical detection (ED) coupled with flow injection analysis (FIA - ED), ion chromatography (IC -ED), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC - ED) are particularly notable in this respect. Organic and organometallic molecules of environmental importance as pollutants, drugs of abuse, food additives and contaminants, agrochemicals, etc., as they are con...


the identification of hidden troubles of distribution transformers in low-voltage stations plays an important role in the safe and stable operation of power systems. Therefore, it is of great significance to detect the early hidden troubles of distribution transformers as soon as possible. In this study, the modified bat algorithm optimized support vector machine (SVM) was introduced into transformer trouble analysis and diagnosis. Due to the low solution accuracy and convergence speed of the traditional bat algorithm, long training time and easy to fall into local optimum, a modification method is proposed that introduces adaptive coefficients into the velocity equation, weighting factors into the position equation, and improved coefficients into the frequency equation method. The modified bat algorithm is used to optimize the two main parameters C and $\sigma$, which affect the classification accuracy of the support vector machine, to obtain the best parameter combination and establish a hidden trouble identification model. Then, the dissolved gas analysis (DGA) data is substituted into the model to obtain Transformer hidden trouble identification results. This scheme has faster convergence speed, higher solution accuracy and stronger robustness. Compared with the traditional bat algorithm, particle swarm optimization algorithm, genetic algorithm and simulated annealing algorithm to optimize the support vector machine (SVM) for obtaining hidden danger identification results, the final experimental results show that using the modified bat algorithm to optimize SVM has higher recognition accuracy, diagnostic accuracy can reach 94.45%, and good generalization ability.


Introduction : The purpose of this study was to investigate the comparison of effectiveness of storytelling and play therapy on kindergarten children's separation anxiety. Methods : The present study was semi-experimental with control group design and included pre-test, post- test. Sampling was purposeful in which 30 children from Garmsar kindergartens who were diagnosed as suffering separation anxiety disorder were selected and randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group (10 subjects each). The instrument used in this paper was CSI4 questionnaire part (J) specifically for separation anxiety disorder. The experimental groups received eight weekly sessions of storytelling and play therapy. Analysis of the data was done by using descriptive statistics and inferential tests such as covariance and Benferroni test analysis was conducted. Results : The results showed that storytelling and play therapy were effective on reduction of separation anxiety disorder in post-test (α 0.05). Conclusion : Based on the results, storytelling and play therapy were applied interference methods for reducing the symptoms of separation anxiety and improving social performances of pre- school aged children.


the authors also highlight the difficulty with mixed pattern of injuries (which is a rather common finding). In such cases, it is useful at times to consider the predominant pattern in terms of predicting outcomes. Finally, there is also a need to develop standardized and optimized conventional MRI protocols to enable more effective cross-centre clinical research as well as clinical care. Functional MRI to determine areas of cognitive and executive function in the brain, or diffusion tractography to map out white matter tracts have shown promise in the research realm, but have not translated to routine clinical practice yet, and should therefore be used as complementary imaging techniques where feasible.


Abstract The construction of roads over up to 11 m of peat in East Sumatra has required extensive engineering investigations. Environmental constraints in a sensitive undeveloped forest area required the use of a combination of locally available materials combined with geogrids to produce a satisfactory solution. Previous difficulties with road construction in this terrain are discussed, together with the design of the geogrid reinforced raft and the field trials which resulted in substantial changes to the design and construction procedures to provide a practical and economic solution.


Fault-diagnosis becomes an important building block to establish dependability in MANET. Wireless networks are increasing popularity day by day, as users want wireless connectivity irrespective of their geographic position. A wireless ad-hoc network is a temporary network set up by wireless mobile nodes moving arbitrary in places that have no infrastructure; this gives rise to various kinds of problems such as routing and detecting faulty mobile nodes in the network. Faults in MANET are link failure, transmission error, route breakage, or congested nodes. Distributed system-level diagnosis is an important problem in MANET whose purpose is to have each fault-free mobile node to determine the state of all the mobile nodes in the system. Crash faulty mobile nodes are unable to communicate with the rest of the system, due to physical damage, battery depletion or being out of range. Value faulty nodes usually perform incorrect computation and communicate erroneous result or value while processing the data packet. A value faulty node may also corrupt the header of the message. There is an increasing number of faults in MANET day by day. The scope of this paper to find the faults in MANET by the use of cluster and the use of threshold value. In this performance metrics like message complexity, diagnostic latency and hop count ratio. Simulation is done in MATLAB. The faults are finding by the use of heartbeat testing mechanism.


In recent attempts at deriving morality from rationality expected utility theory has played a major role. In the most prominent such attempt, Gauthier's Morals by Agreement, a mode of maximizing utility called constrained maximization is defended. I want to show that constrained maximization or any similar proposal cannot be coherently supported by expected utility theory. First, I point to an important implication of that theory. Second, I discuss the question of what the place of constrained maximization in utility theory might be. Third, I argue that no matter how we answer this question, expected utility theory cannot provide the reason why a moral disposition like constrained maximization is to be preferred to its rivals. Expected utility theory has recently figured prominently in moral philosophy. Contractarian moral theories in particular have been formulated in the language of utility maximization. The most important work in this vein is David Gauthier's Morals by Agreement. 1 Gauthier defends there a mode of maximizing one's utility he calls constrained maximization. His main project is to justify the constraints of morality as rational constraints on utility maximization. Critics of Morals by Agreement have raised two main types of objections to Gauthier's account of utility maximization as constrained maximization: According to the first line of criticism, constrained maximization involves an unintelligible notion of choosing a disposition to choose. 2 In particular, it has been argued that since the disposition of constrained maximization requires a commitment to refrain from some future maximizing choices, it cannot be accommodated by utility theory. 3 In the second type of objections critics accept the notion of a choice of dispositions, but claim that constrained maximization is not the utility maximizing disposition because one could do even better by acting on other dispositions. 4 I want to show here that even if the notion of choosing a disposition is made intelligible, constrained maximization (or any such proposal for a maximizing disposition) cannot be defended by expected utility theory. First, I point to an important, but often overlooked, implication of that theory. Second, I discuss the question of what the place of Erkenntnis 41: 37-48, 1994. © 1994 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. 38 H A N S L O T T E N B A C H constrained maximization in utility theory might be. Third, I argue that no matter how we answer this question, expected utility theory cannot provide the reason why constrained maximization is to be preferred to its rivals.


Is hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy (HALG) a promising approach for gastric cancer or not? From 2008, we have successfully performed more than 600 cases of HALG, which has achieved a satisfactory efficacy. During a large number of clinical practices, we have gradually developed a unique "three-step HALG"14 and a unique reverse-sheet-folding-like procedure for lymph node dissection. In our "three-step HALG," the xiphoid incision was used for hand assistance, and both the operating hole and the observation hole were made in the left abdominal wall. In 2014, we introduced the "three-step HALG" for the first time,2 with the full details presented in the following paragraph. 1) First step: handassisted surgery under direct vision. An incision was made in the middle of the upper abdomen at approximately 7 cm below the xiphoid process, and a LapDisc hand-assisted device was placed to open the incision and maintain 7 cm of operative field. The visual field was further enlarged and shifted to the surgeon's side by a retractor. The greater omentum was lifted; the omentum and gastrocolic ligament were separated along the upper edge of the transverse colon and downward to the right until passing the pylorus. The group 6 lymph nodes were dissected. The mesocolon anterior lobe and the membrane of the pancreas were separated. The group 8a lymph nodes were dissected along with the common hepatic artery. The hepatoduodenal ligament was opened along the lower edge of the liver, the group 12 lymph nodes were removed along with the proper hepatic artery, and the group 5 lymph nodes were dissected. Then, the duodenum was separated. 2) Second step: hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery. The surgeon inserted his left hand into the abdominal cavity through the LapDisc hand-assisted device; a 12-mm trocar specifically for the observation scope was set below the costal margin at the anterior axillary line in the left upper quadrant and a 5-mm trocar specifically for the ultrasound knife was set approximately 4 cm to the upper left of the umbilicus in the left middle quadrant. Subsequently, the surgeon lifted the stomach and omentum using the back of his hand and used an ultrasound knife to separate the splenogastric ligament to remove the group 4 lymph nodes and transect the short gastric vessels. After stripping the membrane of the pancreatic tail, the surgeon inserted his index finger into the gastric bare area for a retroperitoneal blunt separation. The group 11p lymph nodes at the upper edge of the pancreas were removed. The removal of the group 10 lymph nodes at the splenic hilum and the group 2 lymph node dissection followed. Next, the separation was continued to the right until reaching the left gastric artery. The group 7 and group 9 lymph nodes were dissected, and the left gastric blood vessels were secured. The hepatogastric ligament adjacent to the surface of the left hepatic lobe was disassociated, and the group 1 lymph nodes at the right side of the gastric cardia were removed. 3) Third step: the proposed, excised portion of the stomach was transected and removed. The reconstruction of the digestive tract was completed through the assisting incision. The abovementioned three-step procedure is not inflexible, but adjustable according to the specific circumstances of the patient. When the patient is obese or has a short transverse mesocolon, it is difficult to perform lymph node dissection under direct vision because vision is blocked by a portion of the transverse colon and the stomach in the first step. How can lymph node dissection be smoothly performed through an assisting incision? We optimized the procedure to separate part of the greater omentum and gastrocolic ligament in the first step and then to remove the proposed, excised portion of the stomach and omentum in the third step, to fully expose the group 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 lymph nodes. Subsequently, the reverse-sheetfolding-like procedure was performed and finally, the Address correspondence and reprint requests to JiaQing Gong, M.D., Chengdu Military General Hospital, Chengdu, China, 610000. E-mail: email@example.com.


This paper suggests that the formation and/or preservation of the carriers of at least some of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) depends on the level of ionization of certain interstellar atoms, such as potassium and calcium inside H I clouds. The spectral lines of these elements are apparently well correlated with the narrow diffuse bands, such as 5797 or 6379 Å. Thus, the physical conditions that facilitate the growing abundance of neutral alkali atoms also facilitate the formation or preservation of the carriers of the narrow diffuse bands. The broad features, such as 5780 or 6284 Å, apparently originate in different ionization conditions.


In this study, an experimental investigation has been conducted to study pumping a gas flow through narrow flow channels for the thermal management of micro-electronics application and determining the fundamental characteristics of a EHD gas pump, e.g. time averaged discharge current, gas velocity, volumetric flow rate and pressure generation under dc positive applied voltage operations. Furthermore, the potential for a series EHD gas pump system was experimentally investigated by using push fan (PF) type EHD gas pumps. These experimental results on discharge and flow characteristics for single PF type and series PF type EHD gas pumps are shown and discussed in detail in this paper. Keywords— EHD, Gas Pump, Velocity, Volumetric Flow Rate, Pressure Distribution Corresponding author: Hiroaki Tsubone e-mail address: email@example.com Presented at the International Symposium on Electro-hydrodynamics, in March 2009 Oscilloscope


The present study aims to find out a suitable growth model of Vanaraja, a new bird of poultry. Five different nonlinear growth models were attempted, among which Richards growth model was seemed to be the best model to represent the growth pattern of the poultry bird. The asymptotic weight of the bird given by Richards model was 2.516 kg approximately.


In the present thesis we study di erent aspects of concentration polarization, with emphasis on nonlinear transport phenomena and rami ed electrode growth. We aim at extracting the essential features which characterize the problems, and to that end we employ a variety of numerical and analytical methods. The initial study concerns a fundamental problem in the study of concentration polarization at overlimiting current, namely the emergence of an extended space-charge region near the ion-selective interface. Based on the so-called quasi-uniform charge density assumption (QCD), we develop an analytical model for the transport in a system with an extended space-charge region. By comparison with numerical simulations, we show that the analytical model captures all of the essential features of the problem. We use the model to derive a range of results characterizing the extended space-charge region. Secondly, we investigate concentration polarization in a microchannel with charged walls. We provide full numerical solutions to the transport problem, including the e ects of advection and surface conduction in the electric double layers. We show that in large areas of the relevant parameter space the transport can be understood in terms of a group of simple analytical models. Some of these are generalizations of a previously published analytical model. In addition to the full numerical model, we employ a numerical boundary layer model with a slip velocity. By carefully comparing the full model and the boundary layer model, we reveal a number of issues, which invalidate most previous attempts at modeling microchannel concentration polarization using a slip model. Returning to concentration polarization in a bulk system, we study the e ects of water splitting at a permselective membrane. We investigate this coupled chemical and transport e ect using two simple models of the reaction kinetics. The principal investigations are performed using numerical simulations, but in addition we derive an analytical model for the transport in the system. The analytical model reveals an important link between the current of salt ions and the current of water ions. This link seemingly exists independent of the speci c reaction kinetics, and could help in furthering the understanding of the water splitting process. A t of the model to experimental data from the literature shows quite good agreement, and provides some hints about the reaction kinetics in the given experiment. In the nal part of the thesis we investigate electrodeposition, and speci cally the tendency of a cathode to become morphologically unstable and develop rami ed growth. Firstly, we consider the stability of a at metal electrode during electrodeposition. Using linear perturbation theory, we develop numerical and analytical models for the instability


This paper studies the main stream water quality of the Three Gorges Reservoir from the dam site up to Wanzhou.The results show that the overall situation of water quality in the studied zone is good.At Tuokou and Guandukou sections , the water quality is classified as Class Ⅲ or lower in over 80%of a year , and that classified as Class Ⅱ or lower increases year by year , indicating that the water quality is being improved within this zone.The discharge of solid wastes is decreased year by year.Domestic wastewater shows a more significant impact than industrial wastewater.The total wastewater discharge shows no considerable change from 2006through 2009.COD and NH3-N in domestic wastewater slightly decreases year by year.The portion of major pollutants in boat wastewater also decreases.Pollution sources have been effectively controlled.


Abstract : The objective of the research in ULF/VLF seismo-acoustic noise in the ocean is to improve our quantitative understanding of the physical processes that generate the acoustic/seismic ambient noise field in the frequency band from 0.001 to 50 Hz as a function of location and time: to experimentally identify and quantitatively define the important noise sources including the discrimination between noise from local and distant sources; where possible, to theoretically establish and describe the physical processes which are the noise source in the ULF/VLF frequency band; and to determine the effects of ocean, bottom, and sub-bottom acoustic/seismic parameters on the observed noise field, i.e., the effects both of propagation and of local site conditions. General characteristics of important noise sources and of the noise power spectrum are already fairly well established over much of the frequency band of interest; most are related to ocean waves and their meteorological sources. Ice motions, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, turbulent tidal (or other) water currents, and atmospheric acoustic disturbances (also discussed in the Proceedings), are other possible sources that might be considered where appropriate. Propagation through the ocean/crustal waveguide between source region(s) and receiving instrument arrays produces important effects on the observed ambient pressure and the seismic motion components. Relationships among these components depend strongly on the wave type and upon the detailed velocity/attenuation structures of the oceanic waveguide; in general, the relationships also are strongly frequency dependent.


With the advancement of new infrastructure, the digitalization of the substation communication network has rapidly increased, and its information security risks have become increasingly prominent. Accurate and reliable substation communication network flow models and flow anomaly detection methods have become an important means to prevent network security problems and identify network anomalies. The existing substation network analyzers and flow anomaly detection algorithms are usually based on threshold determination, which cannot reflect the inherent characteristics of substation automation flow based on IEC 61850 and have low detection accuracy. To effectively detect abnormal traffic, this paper fully explores the substation network traffic rules, extracts the frequency domain features of the station level network, and designs an abnormal traffic identification model based on the ResNeSt convolutional neural network. Transfer learning is used to solve the problem of insufficient abnormal traffic labeled samples in substation. Finally, a new method of abnormal traffic detection in smart substation station level communication network based on deep transfer learning is proposed. The T1-1 substation communication network is constructed on OPNET for abnormal simulation, and the actual network traffic in a 110kV substation is fused with CIC DDoS2019 and KDD99 data sets for algorithm performance test, respectively. The accuracy reached 98.73% and 98.95%, indicating that the detection model proposed in this paper has higher detection accuracy than existing algorithms.


Essay by Val Williams which appeared in the catalogue of the Printemps de Septembre a Toulouse, 2001. Val Williams curated the festival, and this essay decribed the themes and arguments within the curation. The main festival section of the catalogue was also edited by the author.


Abstract Introduction Fatty acids (FA) are highly active molecules involved in different metabolic pathways. Several FA have direct tumorigenic effects in animal and cell-line models and recent epidemiological studies also suggest associations with cancer risk. Some of these health effects are associated with the phospholipid (PL) FA composition of cell membranes what may be related to dietary FA intake. This study aims to assess the correlation between FA intake and the plasma PL FA status in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Methods Dietary intake of individual FA was estimated using centre-specific validated dietary questionnaires and the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference of the United States. Circulating levels of 60 individual PL FA were measured in baseline venous plasma phospholipid samples in nested case-controls studies within the EPIC cohort (n = 9,996). The fatty acid composition in the phospholipid fraction was measured by gas chromatography in plasma samples. Spearman rank correlations were calculated to determine associations between FA intakes and plasma PL levels. Results Results indicated low to moderately high associations between FA intake and plasma levels. Low correlations were found between intakes of total saturated FA or total monounsaturated FA and plasma levels. Moderate positive correlations were particularly found for long-chain n-3 poly-unsaturated FA (r = 0.35) with the highest (r = 0.41) for n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Moderately high correlations were found for the exogenous trans-FA (r = 0.53 for total trans-FA; r = 0.48 for industrial trans-FA (elaidic acid)). Sensitivity analysis showed some attenuation of most correlations among cancer cases compared to controls. Discussion Our findings suggest that dietary FA intake influences the plasma PL FA status to a certain extent for several FA isomers, particularly those that are not or less efficiently endogenously produced. As diet is a modifiable risk factor, these findings are important for future public health strategies focusing on cancer prevention. Although the level of detail in dietary questionnaires is rather limited, these results are showing their potential to assess the intake of FA isomers in large-scale populations where biological measurements are not feasible for the full cohort.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate user satisfaction with wheelchair seating aids. A modified version of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST) was used to assess satisfaction of 24 subjects who owned a modular-type seating device integrated in a powered wheelchair. The results of this QUEST-based approach revealed that the variable comfort was identified as the most important consumer criterion yet it was evaluated as the least satisfying. There were statistically significant (p < 0.05) gender differences in the degree of importance and the degree of satisfaction scored on several variables as well as significant differences between subjects living at home and subjects living in institutions. The results support the value of consumer opinion and challenge the assumptions of assistive technology professionals. This study underscores the appropriateness of assessing consumer satisfaction in a systematic and ecologically valid manner.


This artical mainly introduces a type of wideband preamplifier circuit to implement multiple magnification with two operational amplifiers based on AD8065 and TH4052,which can conduct amplification and attenuation for the 1V or 5V large signal ( with the bandwidth not lower to DC~10MHZ) within certain multiples. With such range of bandwidth to amplify or attenuat the signal,it is quite convenient to regulate the multiples of signal amplification and attenuation with the quality of novel design and practical function.


To illustrate the toxic effects of cadmium in Oxya chinensis Thunberg,levels of CarE and GST activity induced by acute exposure(24,48,72,96 h) to cadmium in forth-instar nymphs of O.chinensis were analyzed.The results show that the activity of both enzymes first increased then declined with exposure time in both control and treated plants.However,compared to control plants at the same treatment stage,CarE activity measured against β-NA of treatments(80 mg·L-1) was activated within 48 h,and the highest CarE activity measured against α-NA of treatments(40 mg·L-1) was observed within 72 h.The highest GST activity measured against CDNB of treatments(20 mg·L-1) was observed within 24 h.These results indicate that CarE and GST activity in O.chinensis changed in response to exposure to cadmium as part of a mechanism to protect plants against the toxic effects of this heavy metal.


Even though only seldom used in the characterisation of materials of interest in heterogeneous catalysis, 197Au Mossbauer spectroscopy can yield unique information on the state of gold on going from the molecular precursors and its adsorption on the surface of the support to the final catalyst. In order to emphasise the possibilities of this technique, the main results obtained in the application of the 197Au Mossbauer technique in the characterisation of supported gold catalysts are shortly reviewed. In the end, the particular case of bimetallic Pt‐Ir/SiO2 catalysts, which could be studied at the same time by both 197Au and 193Ir Mossbauer spectroscopy, is presented.


Harmony is not only an important value in traditional Chinese culture, but also a key to social development in modern Chinese society. In this study, I explored the theoretical structure and influence of organizational interpersonal harmony on organizational commitment and turnover intention. Interviews with 52 Chinese managers revealed 3 dimensions of interpersonal harmony. An organizational interpersonal harmony scale was then developed and pretested on 117 employees. Further, I conducted a field study of 480 employees from 8 Chinese organizations to test a 2-hierarchy structure of organizational interpersonal harmony. Using hierarchical regression, I found that organizational interpersonal harmony had a positive impact on organizational commitment and a negative impact on turnover intention.


The scaling parameter α helps maintain a balance between supervised and unsupervised learning in semi-supervised Fuzzy c-Means (ssFCM). In this study, we investigated the effects of different α values, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 10 in Pedrycz and Waletsky's ssFCM with various amounts of labelled data, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% and three distance metrics, Euclidean, Mahalanobis and kernel-based on the Nottingham Tenovus Breast Cancer dataset and five popular UCI datasets. Higher α values were found to produced better accuracy using Euclidean distance on four datasets out of the six datasets. For Mahalanobis distance, increasing α to improve accuracy is effective up to α = 1 and not at α = 10 in three out of six dataseets. For kernel-based distance, accuracy tend to decrease with increasing α value, which has been observed in four out of six datasets. Such trends in the effects of α values on the classification results using different distance metrics and datasets can be established to form a guide in the selection of α. Care should be taken in selection of α value as they are dependant on the distance metric, particularly the Mahalanobis and kernelbased distance metrics, and the dataset used.


Background: Preclinical studies have demonstrated synergistic antitumor activity when immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/PD ligand-1 (PD-L1) axis were combined with the Bruton9s tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a phase 1/2a study evaluating the safety and efficacy of ibrutinib in combination with nivolumab in patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory (R/R) high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse-large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and Richter9s transformation (RT). Methods: The study was initiated with Part A to establish the safety of oral (po) ibrutinib administered at the approved doses of 420 mg (CLL, FL, DLBCL) and 560 mg (FL, DLBCL) per day (qd) in combination with standard, intravenous (IV) nivolumab dosing of 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks. A modified toxicity probability interval design was used; approximately 18 pts would be enrolled. In Part B, we examined the efficacy of this combination in 4 expansion cohorts: pts with R/R, ibrutinib and PD-1 inhibitor naive CLL and SLL (including deletion 17p and 11q), FL, DLBCL (GCB and ABC/non-GCB), and pts with RT. Approximately 35 pts would be enrolled in each cohort. In Part B, pts received 420 mg ibrutinib (CLL, SLL) or 560 mg ibrutinib (FL, DLBCL, RT) with nivolumab. Results: As of June 8, 2017, 141 pts were treated. Median time on study for CLL, SLL, FL, DLBCL, and RT was 71.4, 78.1, 65.5, 19.9, and 12.8 weeks, respectively. In Part A, 14 pts were enrolled, and 1 dose-limiting toxicity of hyperbilirubinemia grade 3 (by CTCAE) was observed, which resolved after 5 days. Thus, the combination of oral ibrutinib (420 mg or 560 mg qd) and IV nivolumab (every 14 days) displayed an acceptable safety profile. In Part B, an additional 127 pts were enrolled: 35 pts (CLL and SLL), 35 pts (FL), 37 pts (DLBCL), and 20 pts (RT). Median age was 65 years (range, 20-89 years), and 61.7% of pts were men. Median number of prior therapies was 3 (range, 1-12). Most common adverse events (AEs) for all pts were grade 1-2 and included diarrhea (31%), pyrexia, and fatigue (each 23%). The incidence of grade 3-4 neutropenia was 24% (DLBCL) to 56.7% (CLL), with febrile neutropenia reported in 2%, 5%, and 13% of pts with CLL, RT, and DLBCL, respectively. Grade 3-4 anemia was observed in 20% (FL, RT) to 24% (DLBCL) of pts. Immune-related AEs (IRAEs) occurred in 46.8% of all pts and were generally grade 1-2. Grade ≥3 IRAEs were reported in 13.5% of all pts; most common were rash and alanine aminotransferase increased. AEs leading to treatment discontinuation or death were reported in 27.0% or 6.4% of treated pts, respectively. Reported deaths were considered unrelated to study drugs. The overall response rate (ORR, complete response [CR] + partial response [PR]) was 83.3% for CLL (including PR with lymphocytosis), 66.7% for SLL, 30.0% for FL, 35.6% for DLBCL, and 60% for RT (Table). Preliminary data indicated that median progression-free survival (PFS) was immature and subject to maturation with longer follow-up for CLL, not estimable (NE) due to lack of events for SLL, 5.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.9, 12.7) for FL, 3.2 months (95% CI: 2.0, 4.7) for overall DLBCL (4.1 months [95% CI: 2.1-7.6] for non-transformed DLBCL and 1.9 months [95% CI: 0.7-4.7] for transformed DLBCL), and 3.6 months (95% CI: 1.4, NE) for RT. Median duration of follow-up for CLL, SLL, FL, DLBCL, and RT was 15.90 (range 1.7, 25.5), 17.02 (1.9, 17.7), 13.34 (0.7, 21.3), 14.75 (0.4, 19.2), and 4.60 (1.4, 11.1) months, respectively. There was a trend toward increased CR and PFS in DLBCL pts with elevated PD-L1 protein staining (≥5% of tumor cells) by central immunohistochemistry analysis. In RT, 2/8 responders (PR or better) had elevated PD-L1 staining. PD-L1 staining was not elevated for all other cohorts. Conclusions: The combination of ibrutinib and nivolumab at full doses displayed an acceptable safety profile in pts in R/R non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The ORR was comparable to those observed with single-agent ibrutinib in CLL, SLL, FL, and DLBCL. Historical results demonstrate poor outcomes in pts with RT treated with single-agent ibrutinib or with chemotherapy. In this study, the rate of clinical response observed in pts with RT exceeded expectation and may support further clinical evaluation. Biomarker analysis is ongoing to identify pts who may benefit most from this novel therapy. Disclosures Younes: Incyte: Honoraria; Curis: Research Funding; Johnson & Johnson: Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria; Merck: Honoraria; Bayer: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Third-party medical writing assistance, under the direction of Anas Younes, was provided by Scott Malkin of Gardiner-Caldwell Communications, and was funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.; Janssen: Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria; Takeda Millenium: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Novartis: Research Funding. Lopez-Guillermo: Celgene: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy, Other: Research grant. Bosch Albareda: Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Masood: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment, Equity Ownership. Streit: Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership. Alvarez: Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ceulemans: Janssen Research & Development: Consultancy. Kharabi Masouleh: Janssen Research & Development: Employment. Balasubramanian: Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership. Schaffer: Janssen Research & Development: Employment, Equity Ownership. Wang: Janssen Research & Development: Employment. Fourneau: Janssen Research & Development: Employment. Jurczak: Gilead: Research Funding; Morphosys: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Celtrion: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Acerta Pharma: Research Funding; Spectrum: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sandoz Novartis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Nordic Nanovector: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Jagiellonian University: Employment; Servier: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.


Purpose: This paper provides a thematic analysis of an IUCN Red-Listed bird, the houbara bustard, which
Pakistan uses as a fungible resource to appease its wealthy Arab benefactors. Design/methodology/approach: Thematic analysis of relevant media reports and government ministry
and NGO websites comprise the study's data. Media reports were located using Dow Jones' Factiva database. Findings: Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues wealthy Arabs special permits for hunting the
houbara bustard as a "soft" foreign diplomacy strategy aimed at propping up the country's fragile economy.
Although illegal under international and Pakistan's own wildlife laws, resource dependence theory helps
explain how various country-specific issues (e.g. dysfunctional political and judicial systems) enable Pakistan's
unlawful exchange of hunting permits for Arab oil and short-term financing. Surrogate accountability and
agencement are examined as two means for arresting the bird's trajectory toward extinction. Research limitations/implications: Media reports comprise the primary data. Pakistani government
officials were approached for interviews, but failed to reply. Although unfortunate, the pervasive corruption
and mistrust that characterise Pakistan's culture would have likely tainted the responses. For this reason,
media reports were always the primary data sought. Originality/value: The present study extends prior literature by exploring how country context can subvert
the transferability of social and political approaches used in developed countries to address environmental
accounting issues and challenges. As this study shows, a developing country's economic vulnerability,
combined with its dysfunctional political systems, impotent judiciary and feckless regulatory mechanisms, can
undermine legislation meant to protect the country's natural environment, in general, and a threatened bird's
existence, in particular.


Absract This paper includes a considerable part of Albania's macroeconomic, focusing mostly on remittances framework. The purpose of this paper is to show through conducted analysis, the reality of remittances in Albania. These remittances have been evaluated from their beginning up to now, by seeing consequences that brought these remittances, and focusing on the level they represent in Albania's GDP. This paper begins with a historical overview of the factors that led to the start of remittances to Albania, and continues with analyzing of remittances effect on the economy of Albania. The distribution of remittances in Albania is been presented according to different urban and rural areas. The changes in remittances inflow are illustrated among years, and the paper focuses on the role of remittances especially on its share in Albania's GDP. This paper includes also graphics and their valuable interpretation. The methodology which is used in this paper is, obtaining information from various sources and literature. The facts and analysis on the topic has been adapted by highlighting my personal ideas on the matter. Based on the information regarding this paper, it can be concluded that remittance inflows constitute a very important share in GDP and economic development of Albania. Lastly, a recomendation to Albanian government would be that, these remittances which in many cases are used mostly for consumption, must be oriented towards investment.


Users of theorem proving systems often complain about lemma management issues within their own proofs and have even more difficulty locating and reusing appropriate definitions and formalized theorems available from third parties. Both users' searches for and understanding of lemmas can be improved by associating relevant metadata with portions of formal proofs. This paper describes an architecture based on web annotation techniques intended to lower the barriers to spur-of-the-moment and collaborative creation of metadata for formal proofs. The architecture allows user annotations and both user-defined and automatically generated tags to be represented in a unified and prover-agnostic way.


This paper studies the relations of the limitation curve in the model and the angle of the related triangles, and expounds an adaptive slicing algorithm, which based on the triangles facet-vector and the angles. This algorithm can efficiently improve the model precision and decrease the consumption time.


In this study,cumulative process of fatty acids in soybean cultivar Zhongdou 8 was analyzed during seed development.The results indicated that there were six fatty acid components at the early stage of soybean seeds developing while five at the mature stage.Linoleic acid and oleic acid accounted for 80% of the total fatty acids in mature seeds.C16∶1 disappeared in the halfway of seed growth.Z-shape was observed when studying the change pattern of the total fatty acids amounts during seed development.During soybean seed development,oleic acid and linoleic acid were accumulated simultaneously and highly positive correlation was found.It is considered that oleic acid and linoleic acid play a dominant role in fatty acid compositions in soybean seeds,so it presumed SAD and FAD2 maybe play a decisive role in the oil content of soybean.


Purpose . To conduct a comparative study of cellular and subcellular components of tear fluid of healthy persons (HP), those suffering from primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Material and methods . Electron microscopy of ultrathin sections was used to test tear samples of 16 patients with initial POAG, 9 patients with developed POAG, and 6 with an advanced stage of POAG. Besides, 12 patients with proliferative DR (PD) and 6 patients with nonproliferative DR (NPD) were tested. Tear samples of 29 subjects with no ophthalmic pathology served as control. Results . All the examined samples contained cells, cellular fragments and debris, mucous granules and lipid structures. The occurrence of all these structures was found to be different in the tears of diabetic and glaucomatous patients as compared to that of HP. The share of epithelial cells in the tear of patients with the initial stage of POAG was twice as high as in the control group; then it drops gradually so that in the advanced stage, epithelial cells are not detected. The tear of NPD patients shows an increase of the content of mucin and lipids against the control, while in PD it is lower than in HP. Leukocytes were observed in the tear of a quarter of HP, while in diabetic patients leukocytes show a significant increase, which reflect a higher permeability of blood vessels as the disease develops. There were no leukocytes in tear samples of all patients with POAG, which may be associated with damaged functions of the blood vessel wall. We found "hairy" vesicles in the tear which had not been noted previously; the amount of these vesicles was growing at early stages of POAG and DR. Conclusion . Electron microscopy of tear deposits evaluates the state of the cornea and the conjunctiva, as well as goblet cells and the meibomian glands. It reveals signs of permeability change in tissue vessels adjacent to the anterior area of the eye. For the first timechanges in tear components in glaucomatous and diabetic patients, were found: theses changes may in future be used to achieve early diagnosis of these diseases.


In the Republic of Moldova, as in other former Soviet republics, a great deal of pressure has been put on the social security system by the removal of general consumer subsidies and their replacement with targeted compensation payments (assistance). The growth of assistance needs has made it difficult to reform earnings-related pension provision along "insurance" lines. There have also been adverse developments in the labour market. Large-scale open unemployment has not emerged, but insurance contributions are not being paid. Some of the measures which have been adopted to deal with the resulting financial crisis are counterproductive for the development of a social security system compatible with a market economy.


Teenagers who live in vulnerable neighborhoods have a higher probability of entering into a vicious circle where they suffer the consequences of an unfair structure and, at the same time, contribute to the maintenance of it. A researchintervention with photovoice was carried out with youth from a vulnerable multicultural neighborhood on the outskirts of Seville (Spain). The objective was to increase the teenagers' neighborhood activism through an increase in their psychological sense of community, forecast of future participation, and empowerment. Young girls with different cultural roots, between the ages of 13 and 18 years old participated. After the photographs were taken by the participants, a space was opened for reflection on the strengths and challenges of the neighborhood. The photographs were worked on using artistic techniques to express the desired changes and then the group discussed how to make effective changes. Lastly, the extended community was involved through a photography exhibition. We measured the variables of interest through a prepost questionnaire given to the participant group and to a comparison group. Complementary, narratives which emerged during the meetings were analyzed. Participants increased their level of psychological sense of community and their wish to participate in the future, but continued with the same level of empowerment. Theoretical contributions and useful suggestions for researchintervention with photovoice are discussed. Although people's daily lives today are more frequently spent in dispersed settings, neighborhoods maintain an important role as a point of reference for the construction of the inhabitants' personal and social identities and for satisfying their need for a sense of belonging (Tartaglia, 2006). Furthermore, neighborhood conditions significantly impact the level of activism and well-being of their inhabitants. Vulnerable neighborhoods characterized by the insufficient provision of resources and services limit the wellbeing and endanger the identity construction process carried out by teenagers (Rankin & Quane, 2002). Communities with high levels of crime, drug dealing, and other indicators of low quality of life are indeed typically characterized by minimal neighborhood activism among youth (Kelly, 2009). It appears therefore necessary to find appropriate research-intervention methods to prepare teenagers with the ability to increase their neighborhood activism in order to change those elements of their environment which impede their well-being. Using the photovoice methodology, this research-intervention experience aimed to increase the level of youth neighborhood activism in a multicultural societally vulnerable neighborhood in the outskirts of Seville (Spain). This study defines neighborhood activism as the process in which teenagers work towards change in neighborhood conditions (Gilster, 2012). Photovoice is a researchintervention strategy whereby the participants take photographs that are later used as stimulus for group reflection on the strengths and challenges of their neighborhood for promoting both an individual and a social change (Nicotera, 2007). This study understands that the environment Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice Volume 7, Issue 3 September 2016 Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, http://www.gjcpp.org/ Page 4 in which everyone lives exercises significant influence over individual behavior. At the same time, the individual can change the environment in which he/she is placed, in a relationship of reciprocal influence (Balcazar et al., 2012; Paloma & Manzano-Arrondo, 2011). From this perspective, photovoice emerges as a strategy to facilitate the youth's awareness about the influence the neighborhood exerts on their life and to fuel youth neighborhood activism for the transformation of the environmental conditions. In what follows, we contextualize this study by showing the situation of "Su Eminencia" neighborhood in southern Spain as a vulnerable context for young people. We then expose the theoretical basis upon which this study is constructed. Later, we present the methodology carried out and the results obtained. We conclude by discussing the main theoretical contributions that emerge from this pilot study and useful suggestions for future researchintervention with photovoice. An Overview of Su Eminencia as a Vulnerable Neighborhood The neighborhood "Su Eminencia" is located in the capital of Andalusia (Seville), the southernmost region of Spain. The neighborhood originated in the 1940s, a time when a strong influx of migration was reported from diverse provinces in Andalusia and from Portugal towards the Andalusian capital. Following those changes, the urbanization of the city's periphery grew in a rapid and disorganized manner, creating a labyrinth of narrow streets built from recycled materials, without any hydraulic, sewer, or electricity systems (Torres, 2005). Not until the 1960s, and thanks to a strong mobilization of the inhabitants, did local administration provide connections to the city's sewer and electricity systems. In the last few years this neighborhood has received a high percentage of migrants coming mainly from Bolivia, Colombia, China, Morocco, and Romania (Torres, 2011). In fact, the neighborhood can be recognized by the diverse number of commercial activities that migrants manage in this area of the city. Eighteen percent of households in the "Su Eminencia" neighborhood are in a situation of exclusion (Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, 2012). Among the most relevant problems in the neighborhood are the lack of economic resources, unemployment, an uneducated population, widespread drug dealing, drug addiction, and crime (Torres, 2011). These conditions are associated with a psychosocial profile in which teenagers often perceive themselves as victims of uncontrollable superior forces, lack confidence and the ability to gain competence to achieve success in life (Moane, 2003). Furthermore, this experience usually produces conformist behavior, passivity, and a life based on the present moment (Martín-Baró, 1987). Thus, the experiences lived in disadvantaged neighborhoods can become naturalized and interiorized by the younger generations, undermining their membership in community organizations (Wilson, 2000). Accordingly, Putman (2000) notes that "people with lower incomes and those who feel financially strapped are much less engaged in all forms of social and community life than those who are better off" (p. 193). As a consequence, the inactive behavior of teenagers contributes to the maintenance of the neighborhood's vulnerability, thus hindering their ability to leave this vicious cycle of oppression. These circumstances require researchintervention processes that break this vicious circle through a transformative process where teenagers become active agents of change in their environments. Given the relationship between neighborhood inequity and well-being, neighborhood activism presents an important form of participation to Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice Volume 7, Issue 3 September 2016 Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, http://www.gjcpp.org/ Page 5 address neighborhood problems (Gilster, 2012). We propose the photovoice strategy to fuel the involvement of youth in vulnerable neighborhoods. Photovoice to Promote Youth Neighborhood Activism Photovoice is a research-intervention strategy whereby, through the use of photographs taken by the participants, group reflection on the challenges and the strengths of their community is promoted with the goal of setting in motion individual and social change (Nicotera, 2007). Wang and Burris (1997) define photovoice's main objectives as: to allow people to understand the strengths and challenges of their community, to encourage group dialog and reflection about the challenges identified, and to favor processes of change in the community through the involvement of participants. Photovoice has been used in different contexts, involving participants from different genders, ages, nationalities, and cultural backgrounds (Baker & Wang, 2006; Killion & Wang, 2000; Oliffe & Bottorff, 2007). Photovoice allows the collection of important data on how places are experienced by people, thanks to the group reflections on the dynamics of life in these spaces. Furthermore, photovoice can increase the involvement and the collective interest in the community's issues by inviting people to become advocates for their own and the community's well-being (Wang & Burris, 1997). Overall, photovoice helps to find out and activate the youth's awareness of their community and to give them the possibility of making their voice heard and to take action in their environment. For these reasons, community researchers have used the photovoice methodology as a research-intervention tool (e.g., Wang, Morrel-Samuels, Hutchison, Bell, & Pestronk, 2004; Wilson et al., 2007; Strack, Magill, & McDonagh, 2004). To our knowledge, only one other study implemented in southern Spain has used photovoice methodology among young people (Soriano & Cala, 2014). Different from that study, our work uses photovoice methodology with art therapy technique, showing how different art practices can be combined in an innovative way to achieve the goal of promoting youth neighborhood activism. Neighborhood activism is defined as the process by which teenagers work to bring change to the conditions of their neighborhood (Gilster, 2012). The importance of this process for youth goes beyond the immediate impact of their actions, as it provides them with opportunities to acquire significant civic and social skills critical to navigating and transforming their environment in adulthood as well (Kelly, 2009). Many studies have confirmed that neighborhood activism is related to the concepts of psychological sense of community, community participation, and empowerment (Garcia, Giuli