covers not only the colonial period, but also the early national period to 1800. It is concerned with both the primary and secondary stages of manufacture; that is, the refining of metals from the ore and their fabrication into useful or decorative articles. (Iron and a very small amount of copper were successfully refined in America, while all other metals were imported in a refined state.) According to the author, the "development of metals technology in America was essential to successful colonization by the English-speaking peoples and important in fostering the spirit of independence . . . " (ix-x). One of the little-known facts of American history is that on the eve of the Revolution colonial ironworks were annually turning out, according to the best estimate, approximately one seventh of the world's pig and bar iron, which was more than the output of England and Wales combined. Colonial efforts to produce pig iron from native ore dated from the early seventeenth century but these efforts were ephemeral, and it was not until the early eighteenth century that large-scale, successful, and enduring ironworks appeared, principally in the middle colonies. There the iron industry was typically concentrated on "iron plantations," large acreages that encompassed a furnace, one or more forges, houses for the workers and their families, often a village of sorts, and ample woodlands from which was derived the charcoal essential to iron manufacture in the period. Aside from iron refining, Mulholland is almost entirely concerned with metal handicrafts. Here he covers a wide spectrum, including the work of blacksmiths, coopersmiths, silversmiths, tinsmiths, gunsmiths, cutlers, pewterers, and wheelwrights. With the exception of the work of the blacksmith, who was to be found in almost every village and at many crossroads, "the specialized skills of the metal artisan catered to demand generated by a degree of affluence and the more complex requirements of urban society" (p. 97). Compared with the ironmasters and their workers, these artisans produced for a very small and localized market, and, as Mulholland admits in his foreword, his treatment of some metal crafts is sketchy. Whether for lack of information or limitations of space is not clear. If the latter, then Chapter I, "Before Jamestown," which adds nothing to the book's main subject, might have been eliminated in favor of broader treatment of its principal concern. Mulholland is at his best in comparing the colonial and British iron industries, and in trying colonial production to political and economic conditions across the Atlantic as well as to domestic needs. There is also a praiseworthy chapter on "Metals and the Revolution" that pulls together much fugitive material and adds to our understanding of America's success in that conflict. While not everyone would acquiesce in the weight that Mulholland gives to American metals technology in the winning of the Revolution, it is refreshing to have the connection spelled out. Throughout his book he interweaves economic, social, and political history, but he gives special attention to technology— that transplanted from England and that "with a peculiarly American orientation" (p. 73). All historians of early America, of pre-industrial society, and of technological development will read this book with profit.


In the year 1999,the government audit report starts departmental budget reform. The 'Audit Storm' of the year 2003 reflects that the budget management is far away from the targets of the ongoing departmental budget reform.Concerning the problems exposed from audit,this paper unveils the problems existed in Chinese department audit,analyses the reasons,and gives some suggestions on budget supervision carried out by the People's Congress.


ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the prevalence of self-reported bruxism and its association with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The hypothesis of the study was that self-reported bruxism is associated with TMD. Methods The data were gathered from 1962 subjects who participated in a field study in 2012–2013, including a questionnaire concerning bruxism and TMD symptoms as well as clinical sub-diagnoses of TMD using the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). Statistical method was chi-square test. Bonferroni correction was made, and a p-value of <0.003 was considered as significant. Results The prevalence of self-reported bruxism was 39.6%: 34.0% in men and 44.5% in women. Those who reported sleep bruxism (SB) or awake bruxism (AB) had significantly more pain-related TMD symptoms and signs compared to those not reporting bruxism. Conclusion The prevalence of self-reported bruxism is high among middle-aged adults and is associated with TMD pain-related symptoms and signs, as well as TMD diagnoses.


Image of bureaucratic Indonesia is still has to be improved, in the culture of State apparatus, it is still encountered corruption, collusion and nepotism so that influence on the service organization quality. The Government apparatus professionalism has to be improved, among others through auctions of office accordance with the Act number 5 in 2014 about Civil State. This minister has been carrying out auction office to fill post of Echelon I and Echelon II expected more professionals, performers, providing services in a fair and neutral. This position is expected auction could be a model for applied ministries, agencies and local governments throughout Indonesia. The expected implementation of auction office follow the entire ministries, agencies and local Governments conducted independent providers and controlled by the State Commission on Civil Apparatus, thus creating a civilian employee, professional performers, providing services in a fair and neutral, as well as adhesive and unifying nation. Keywords—Auctions; Eselon I and eselon II; Professionalism; State Apparatus


Recently we have shown that adipokine visfatin‐induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to podocyte injury. However, the molecular mechanisms of how visfatin‐induces the Nlrp3 inflammasome activation and podocyte damage still unknown. The present study tested whether ceramide and membrane raft (MR) redox signalling pathway plays a central role in visfatin‐induced inflammasomes formation and activation in podocytes. Using confocal microscopy, visfatin was found to increase MRs clustering in the membrane of podocytes in a dose dependent manner. Upon visfatin stimulation an aggregation of ASMase product, ceramide and NADPH oxidase subunits, gp91(phox) and p47(phox) was observed in the MR clusters, forming a MR redox signaling platform. The formation of this signalling platform was blocked by prior treatment with MR disruptor MCD, NOX inhibitor DPI, ASMase inhibitor amitriptyline. In addition, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry analysis showed that visfatin treatment significantly increased the superoxide (O2·−) production compared to control cells. However, prior treatment with ASMase inhibitor amitriptyline significantly attenuated the visfatin‐induced superoxide production. Furthermore, immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that visfatin treatment significantly decreased the podocin and nephrin expression (podocyte damage), and prior treatments with DPI, WEHD (inflammasome inhibitor), MCD and amitriptyline attenuated this visfatin‐induced podocin reduction. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that visfatin‐induced the ceramide production via ASMase and thereby stimulates membrane raft clustering in the membrane of podocytes to form redox signalling platforms by aggregation and activation of NADPH oxidase subunits, enhancing O2·− production and leading to Nlrp3 inflammasome formation and activation in podocytes and ultimate glomerular injury (supported by NIH grant, DK104031).


The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and a control method. The image pickup apparatus according to the setting unit for setting a plurality of focal points, to set an optical system toward the focal point of each set to change the focus state using the focus time, in response to a recording instruction is given to the recording unit, based on the focusing and focus evaluation time evaluation unit provided to the control by changing the focus state of the optical system, so that a plurality of focusing points sequentially set into the focus state.


THOUGH LIBERAL EDUCATION has assumed many forms across different times and places, it has always been concerned with important educational aims: cultivating intellectual and ethical judgment, helping students comprehend and negotiate their relationship to the larger world, and preparing graduates for lives of civic responsibility and leadership. On the merits, then, we might expect that liberal education would be the uncontested preference of virtually everyone who goes to college. And yet, American society today exhibits a striking ambivalence towards the traditions of "liberal" or "liberal arts" education. Liberal education is at one and the same time prized, despised, revised and disguised. Prized? Liberal education is recognizably the philosophy of choice at the nation's most famous institutions, the campuses where admission is seen as virtually synonymous with the expansion of opportunity. There is, moreover, a persistent identification of liberal education with democratic freedom, scientific progress and excellence that goes back to the revolutionary period when many civic and political leaders both extolled the liberal arts and also challenged them to embrace the scientific and practical needs of the new republic. W.E.B. du Bois reaffirmed the interchangeability of "liberal education" and "excellence" when he argued, a century ago, that future leaders in the African-American community deserved a college-level liberal education—that is, the best kind of higher education, not just narrow occupational training. Most accredited colleges and universities still espouse this liberal education ideal and typically require that their students take some fraction of their studies in courses and programs aligned with the broader aims of education. Despised? Many analysts and policy leaders declare without apology that liberal education is already being consigned to the dustbin of history. Markets, they sniff, are keyed to short-term outcomes and have no patience for forms of learning that pay off over a lifetime. Practical studies will sell; the rest will just wither away. First generation, low-income, and adult learners in particular, such observers contend, need job training Every college student deserves a liberal education


We present a robust geometric active contour model to track targets in video sequences captured from mobile cameras. The target's contour is tracked on each frame of the sequence by both region and boundary information. The region information is formulated by minimizing the Bhattacharyya coefficient between the color histogram of reference target and that of the background. For the boundary information, we use gradient vector flow field to attract the contour from either side of the target's boundary. The contour's evolution is implemented using the level set method. For each frame coming from the sequence, template matching is performed before the curve evolution process to locate the region of interest. The robustness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated on real sequences.


This introductory article aims to give a brief overview of our current view of interstellar dust studies with a particular emphasis on the properties of dust at low temperatures and long wavelengths. An understanding of these dust properties will be key in unravelling the wealth of data that will be forthcoming from the imminent, space-based Herschel and Planck missions, and from the ALMA telescopes.


Our task was to analyze a certain digitizing system, check what type of errors emerge during the process, and how these errors effect the searchability of the digitized documents. We have set up a testbed which is suitable for the automatic processing of digitized texts in a large scale. In this paper we shortly introduce the methodology of document digitization emphasizing the error-sources in the process, and sketch the results obtained from our test-system, especially the Hungarian language dependent characteristics of the emerging errors.


An emerging class of distributed applications such as graph processing and key-value store require fine grained non-uniform memory access and communication, which commodity networking infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle. By batching messages on the end host we can increase bandwidth utilization at the cost of latency and memory. However, by batching messages in the network instead of exclusively at the end hosts, it is possible to reduce these memory and latency penalties. We introduce a 10G NetFPGA prototype that performs in-network message aggregation which for commodity systems can offer increased throughput at minimal latency and memory increases.


Quantum emitters with a Λ-type level structure enable numerous protocols and applications in quantum science and technology. Understanding and controlling their dynamics is, therefore, one of the central research topics in quantum optics. Here, we drive two-photon Rabi oscillations between the two ground states of cesium atoms and observe the associated oscillatory Raman gain and absorption that stems from the atom-mediated coherent photon exchange between the two drive fields. The atoms are efficiently and homogeneously coupled with the probe field by means of a nanofiber-based optical interface. We study the dependence of the two-photon Rabi frequency on the system parameters and observe Autler–Townes splitting in the probe transmission spectrum. Beyond shedding light on the fundamental processes underlying two-photon Rabi oscillations, our method could also be used to investigate (quantum) correlations between the two drive fields as well as the dynamical establishment of electromagnetically induced transparency.


This research tried to map the religious thought and the level of radicalism of university lecturers in Indonesia. Lecturers' religious thought was mapped to be inclusive, exclusive, and radical, while the radical level was mapped into radical in mind, radical in attitude, and radical in action. The focus of this study was on two things, ie, the level of the religious thought of the lecturers of Higher Education in Indonesia whether it was inclusive, exclusive or radical and the level of radicalism of the lecturers in Higher Education whether it was limited to radical in mind or radical in attitude and even radical in action. This wasa field study with phenomenological sociological approach. Data collection methods used questionnaires, interviews, and documentation, involving lecturers from the colleges of religion and universities in big cities of Indonesia. The results of this study were as follows: First, fifty-two percent of lecturers in Indonesia were categorized as inclusive, forty-one percent of lecturers as exclusive and seven percent of lecturers categorized as radical. Second, from seven percent of lecturers who had a radical understanding, six percent was at the level of radical in mind, one percent was at the radical in attitude level, and none was at the level of radical in action.


The effect of extracts of Hypericum alpestre and Rumex obtusifolius L herbals on the amount of free proline and the activity of proline biosynthesis enzymes in various organs of the rat was studied. It was shown that the activity of proline biosynthesis enzymes under the influence of R. obtusifolius L. extracts decreased in the liver by 74.7%, in the brain by 51.7%, and no changes in enzyme activity were observed in the kidneys. Compared with the control group, proline biosynthesis in the liver of rats under the action of extracts of H. alpestre was completely inhibited, in the brain – by 29%. Inhibition of the activity of proline biosynthesis enzymes is explained by the presence of several biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and anti-aging properties in the extracts of herbals.


This thesis set out to investigate the relation between sleep and psychopathology. We examined two groups; bipolar patients and adolescents from the general population that are both characterized by mood fluctuations and are vulnerable for disturbances in sleep-wake pattern. Using wearables (watches) to obtain actigraphy measurements, we found that bipolar patients had normal sleep patterns outside their episodes, suggesting that bipolar sleep disturbances are mainly state-dependent, rather than a trait of the disorder. A remarkable finding of our studies was that effective sleep was related to lower integrity of white matter tracts in bipolar disorder patients, whereas in the general population this relationship was the reverse (better tracts in those that slept well). A likely explanation for this difference is the use of antipsychotic medication in the patient group. In a large epidemiological sample of over 15,000 youth we found that poor sleep was related to psychosocial problems, suicidality and health risk behavior. The association between sleep and health risk behavior was only partially mediated by emotional problems, suggesting that not only the relation between emotional deregulation and sleep disturbances plays a role in the occurrence of behavioural problems, but that sleep deprivation in itself may lead to risky behaviour.


eclectic Cranmer, MacCulloch progresses through a discriminating assessment of Calvin's restricted impact upon the English, towards a balanced appreciation of the Puritan tradition as firmly within the Elizabethan mainstream. In perhaps the most accessible short summary available of the debates between covenanters and 'proto-Arminians' over edification, predestination, and salvation, MacCulloch alone justifies the purchase price, and rounds it off with a sound discussion of the partial creation of a reformed church leadership, law, and ministry within a structure less reformed than the Roman Catholic by 1600. MacCulloch's ability to summarise the cunent state of historiographical play on these issues, and his carefulness in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of arguments from which he dissents, is fully stretched in the final section on the hotly debated c o m m o n reception of the Reformation. This question, like the earlier debate over 'Puritanism' which spawned it, is unlikely to be resolved to anyone's satisfaction, since it will inevitably metamorphose into still newer areas of enquiry. But, meanwhile, w e have this discriminating summary. Pre-Reformation highland and lowland England displayed different patterns of devotional life, reflecting underlying differences in parish structure and control. The Reformation exacerbated these differences, and the competing arguments of A. G. Dickens, Christopher Haigh, and Patrick Collinson have yet to escape the limitations of their contrasting evidential bases. What may emerge, unlooked for, are two reordered worlds, one sanctified by either competing faith, the other religiously indifferent. Between principled Catholic dissent, here seen despite Haigh's best efforts as more survivalist than CounterReformation revivalist and principled Protestant dissent shading into separatism and sectarianism, here taxonomically ordered, the Church of England straggled with varying success against a world beyond religion, an alternative youth culture persisting through the Christian centuries. After all, not everyone is attracted by the spectacle of a dog walking on its hind tegs. Glyn Parry Department of History Victoria University of Wellington


Genetically improved trees or trees from selected seed stock may grow so fast in intensively managed plantations that they reach sawtimber size in 25 to 30 years or less. Trees harvested at this age contain high proportions of juvenile wood, which when used in solid form, may exhibit excessive longitudinal shrinkage; this adversely affects dimensional stability of woodbased products. This paper provides basic informaUon about loblolly pine longitudinal shrinkage (LS) characteristics, age-LS profiles, and relationships between LS and anatomical properties. Segmented regression equations were developed to describe the relationships between microfibril angle (FA) and age, LS and FA, and LS and age (...)


Patchouli oil obtained from patchouli plants (Pogostemon cablin Benth.) has been widely used as an antibacterial agent in liquid and solid soap preparation. In this research, patchouli oil was added to liquid soap formula which use sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) surfactant. The purpose of this study was to determine the physical characteristics and antibacterial activity of patchouli oil liquid soaps based on SLES surfactant. The Liquid soaps were prepared into four formulas with variation of patchouli oil concentration that were F0 (0.00% w/w), F1 (0.05% w/w), F2 (0.50% w/w), and F3 (1.00% w/w). The liquid soaps were evaluated including organoleptic, microscopic property, physical stability by using centrifuge test, pH, foam height and stability, viscosity and rheology, and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 by using disc diffusion method and chloramphenicol as a positive control. The results showed that all liquid soap formulas had following characteristics: translucent except F3 slightly murky, homogen, stable after centrifuge test, pH between 6.55 – 6.66 that were no significantly different and met SNI standards of liquid soap, foam height between 2.67 – 3.23 cm that were no significantly different and stable after 5 minutes of testing, viscosity between 2237 – 2397 cPs relatively equal in all formulas with pseudoplastic rheological properties. The patchouli oil liquid soaps had antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, where F0, F1, F2, F3 and positive control result in inhibition zone diameter of 11.26±2.60 mm, 14.60 ± 2.45mm, 15.51 ± 0.44 mm, 17.97 ± 0.71 mm and 19.00 ± 3.92 mm respectively. Based on the ANOVA one way test, the addition of 1% patchouli oil gave a significant effect on the inhibition zone diameter compared to F0 (without patchouli oil)


There are few researches on seismic response of reinforced concrete rib arch bridges at present; therefore, it is necessary to analyze seismic performance of this kind of bridges. Based on the engineering background of a three-span reinforced concrete rib arch bridge, a full bridge finite element model is built to analyze the structural dynamic characteristic and seismic response of the bridge. The internal forces and displacements of each key section is compared and discussed when the bridge is excited by horizontal unidirectional ground motion or the combination of vertical and horizontal ground motion. The structural seismic response calculated with different analysis methods is compared. The research results of this study can be used as a reference for the seismic design of similar bridges.


The invention belongs to the technical field of nano polymer thin films, and relates to a method for preparing a low-temperature soluble polymer thin film in an aqueous solution based on a layer-by-layer assembly technique. Each deposition cycle comprises two steps of: (1) immersing a substrate containing amino, carboxyl or hydroxyl on the surface into a polymer A aqueous solution at selected temperature, and taking out after a certain time; and (2) immersing the substrate into a polymer B aqueous solution at the temperature identical to the temperature selected in the step (1), and taking out after a certain time; and a multilayer nano thin film is obtained by repeating the steps (1) and (2). As a polymer-polymer complex has temperature response property, when the thin film is immersed into purified water, the multilayer film is gradually dissolved along with the gradual decrease of the temperature, and the dissolving rate and surplus fraction of the water-soluble nano thin film are controllable. According to the invention, the method is simple for operation and wider in application range; and the thin film has great application value in the fields of biology, medicine, food, agriculture, chemical industry, intelligent sensor and the like.


For the Hilti Challenge 2022, we created two systems, one building upon the other. The first system is FL2BIPS which utilizes the iEKF algorithm FAST-LIO2 and Bayesian ICP PoseSLAM, whereas the second system is GTSFM, a structure from motion pipeline with factor graph backend optimization powered by GTSAM


The effects of small addition of CdO, Ca(OH) 2 and Zn dust to the plastic bonded zinc electrode have been evaluated through triangular potential sweep voltammetry, potentiodynamic polarization (with temperature effect), impedance measurements, solution analysis and Porosity measurements. In the case of CdO additive, a composition of 2 % is preferred because of its enhanced ageing behaviour, good high temperature performance and minimum shape change despite its increased standby corrosion. 1 % Ca(OH) 2 gives both good ageing behaviour as well as minimum idle corrosion. The additive Zn dust is not recommended owing to its poor ageing behaviour. Based on the above results, the suitable zinc electrode composition is suggested.


Distribution grids become increasingly dynamic due to grid automation, increased distributed energy resources and continuous load variations. Faced with these conditions, distribution utilities have difficulty keeping their protection system operating at an optimal point for their entire distribution system. As a solution to ease protection settings calculation throughout the utility operating area, common protection methodologies are used, which consist in generic oversized parameters. Without the optimal design of protection parameters, distribution utilities are constantly facing fault detection problems for broken cables or high impedance faults. This work presents an Adaptive Protection System, designed to learn the grid load profile and adapt neutral overcurrent protections, in order to make the protection more sensitive. The proposed system uses two types of adaptive protection, Planned and Emergency, so that distribution protection can always be updated, even in the event of load growth in the grid, distributed energy resources increase, or even after a load-switching event on the distribution system. The article focuses on a new philosophy of autonomous and dynamic protection adjustments, as the distribution grid undergoes through changes.


Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys (MSMAs) are a type of smart material that exhibit a large amount of recoverable strain when subjected to an applied compressive stress in the presence of a magnetic field or an applied magnetic field in the presence of a compressive stress. These macroscopic recoverable strains are the result of the reorientation of tetragonal martensite variants. Potential applications for MSMAs include power harvesters, sensors, and actuators. For these applications, the stress is assumed to be applied only in the axial direction, and the magnetic field is assumed to be applied only in the transverse direction. To realize the full potential of MSMA and optimize designs, a mathematical model that can predict the material response under all potential loading conditions is needed. Keifer and Lagoudas [1, 2] developed a phenomenological model that characterizes the response of the MSMA to axial compressive stress and transversely applied magnetic field based on thermodynamic principles. In this paper, a similar thermodynamic framework is used. However, a simpler hardening function is proposed based on the observation that the reorientation phenomenon is the same in both forward and reverse loading, as well as under both magnetic and mechanical loading. The magnetic domains are redefined to more accurately reflect the magnetic field measured experimentally [3]. This revised model is shown to adequately predict the magneto-mechanical response of the MSMA in 2D loading, i.e. axial compressive stress and transversely applied magnetic field.


Hyperdoping silicon, which introduces deep-level dopants into Si at concentrations near one atomic percent, drastically changes its optoelectronic properties. We review recent progress in the fundamental understanding of the material properties and state of the art sub-bandgap infrared photodetectors. Different hyperdoping techniques are reviewed and compared, namely ion implantation followed by pulsed laser melting (PLM) or other fast annealing methods and PLM of Si with a dopant precursor. We review data available in the literature for material properties related to the success of optoelectronic devices such as the charge carrier lifetime, mobility, and sub-bandgap light absorption of hyperdoped Si with different dopants. To maximize carrier generation and collection efficiency in a sub-bandgap photodetector, charge carrier lifetimes must be long enough to be transported through the hyperdoped layer, which should be on the order of light absorption depth. Lastly, the charge transport properties and photodetector responsivities of hyperdoped Si based photodiodes at room temperature and at cryogenic temperatures are compared. The charge carrier transport mechanisms at different temperature ranges and in different dopant systems are discussed. At room temperature, despite different dopant energetics and hyperdoped thicknesses, light detection exhibits similar spectral responsivities with a common cutoff around 0.5 eV, and at low temperatures, it extends further into the infrared range. The roles of the dopant energetics and process-induced defects are discussed. We highlight future material development directions for enhancing device performance.


The COVID-19 pandemic has brought severe demographical, socioeconomic, and territorial impacts. Those challenges require the world community to develop both response measures and anticipation of new threats. Therefore, creating the modern tools to forecast various indicators of the impact intensity pandemic becomes important and relevant for consideration and evaluation of interregional differences. This paper presents deep neural network models to predict a viral pandemic's effects in the regional cluster of Moscow and its neighbors. They are based on recurrent and Transformer-like architectures and utilize the attention mechanism to consider the features of the neighbor regions and dependencies between various indicators. These models are trained on heterogeneous data, including daily cases and deaths, the diseased age structure, transport, and hospital availability of the regions. The experimental evaluation shows that the demographic and healthcare features can significantly improve the accuracy of economic impact prediction. We also revealed that the neighboring regions' data helps predict the outburst's healthcare and economic impact. Namely, that data helps to improve accuracy for both the number of infected and the unemployment rate. The impact forecasting would help to develop strategies to reduce inter-territorial inequality due to the pandemic.


This study investigated the morphology of the granules, physicochemical and pasting
properties of fifty-five starches of Dioscorea rotundata and Dioscorea alata varieties. The
granules sizes and shapes, swelling power, solubility, water absorption capacity, water
binding capacity, pH, titratable acidity and pasting properties were evaluated by standard
procedures. The result of the granule morphology showed that both varieties were in the
range of large starch granules, however, D. rotundata varieties (32.40 – 57.01 µm by
22.38 – 35.70 µm) were significantly larger than those of D. alata varieties (18.33 - 48.91
µm by 13.38 – 33.10 µm). The granule sizes were observed to have a significant effect on
the physicochemical properties, as D. rotundata species were significantly higher in
swelling power (7.50 g/g) and lower in water absorption (66.20%) and water-binding
capacities (57.16%). Also, D. rotundata species showed significantly higher peak
viscosity (518.50 RVU), holding strength (260.95 RVU) and breakdown viscosity (257.54
RVU), all contributing to their potential industrial uses. The present characterisation of
fifty-five varieties of Dioscorea species germplasm in Nigeria adds to the database on
physicochemical properties of yams, providing relevant information for both food and non
-food uses.


The Wisconsin Experiment Package on OAO-2 was used to obtain light curves of the strongly magnetic, variable Ap star HD 215441 over the wavelength range 1550 to 4250 A. This star is characterized by a lack of outstanding spectrum variability at wavelengths accessible from the ground, while undergoing UBV photometric variations of large amplitude. The observations of HD 215441 demonstrate that an Ap star need not be a striking spectrum variable at blue-visible wavelengths for its photometric variations to be controlled by opacity variations in the ultraviolet.


The convective instability that develops at the boundary between two reagents in the vertical Hele–Shaw cell during the neutralization reaction is experimentally studied. The instability in the form of a plane density wave spontaneously arises and then propagates in the medium at abnormally high rate. Evolution of the flow structure is studied and the velocity fields are obtained at different vibrational accelerations. The question of possibility to control the instability by vibrations is discussed.


This qualitative research, based on interviews and participant observation conducted between 2005 and 2008, examines patterned variations in the masculine identity work of Missouri men noodlers between the ages of 18 and 90. Noodling or hand fishing is a folk tradition that involves submerging in lakes or rivers and feeling under the banks for holes where large catfish are spawning. The fingers are used as a lure to catch the catfish by hand. Noodling is contested terrain in which men with differing age cohort-based identity needs emphasize certain aspects from the tool kit of noodling culture over others. Cohort differences are shaped by structural changes affecting different age cohorts in varied ways. This research examines patterned variations in the aspects of the generalized culture of noodling (Grigsby 2007) emphasized in the rural place-based masculine identity work of Missouri men noodlers between the ages of 18 and 90. Noodling 1


The following information is missing from the Funding section: State Oceanic Administration grant number 201105021 and China National Offshore Oil Corporation grants CNOOC-KJ 125 FZDXM 00 TJ 001–2014 and CNOOC-KJ 125 FZDXM 00 ZJ 001–2014.

The complete, correct Funding statement is: This work was supported by China MOST 973 grant 2013CB955700 (http://www.973.gov.cn/English/Index.aspx), NSFC grants 91028001, 91328209, and 91428308 (http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/publish/portal1), SOA grants 201105021 and GASI-03-01-02-05 (http://www.soa.gov.cn/index.html), and CNOOC grants CNOOC-KJ 125 FZDXM 00 TJ 001–2014 and CNOOC-KJ 125 FZDXM 00 ZJ 001–2014 (http://www.cnooc.com.cn/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.


Abstract Elizabeth Gaskell's fictional representation of the witch trials in seventeenth-century Salem, Lois the Witch, was first published serially in Dickens's All The Year Round in 1859. At the time of the novella's serialisation there appeared alarmist descriptions in the press of the recent Protestant revivals, particularly the unruly behaviour of female revivalists in Ulster. This in turn led to numerous conservative accounts in the periodical press (including All The Year Round) of the role of the hysterical woman throughout history. In Lois, however, with its representation of mass hysteria, Gaskell refutes the widespread Victorian belief that hysteria is "natural" for women, a symptom of their vulnerable bodies and minds. This article examines the significance of Lois the Witch as a powerful comment upon women, politics, and history, as well as a text that dramatically responds to the debates engendered by the events in Ulster in 1859.


In this paper, we propose a method to monitor and store the traffic information with any spatio-temporal granularity. In this method, we construct a tree structure for each key of the traffic information. Then, we evaluate our method, considering the calculation time to store and retrieve the traffic information and storage size. In addition, we also discuss the problems and approach for storing traffic information with finer granularity.


Several methods have been developed for tapering or shading of line arrays to minimize minor lobes. A method developed by C. L. Dolph makes it possible to optimize the patterns so that 1), for any specified minor lobe, the narrowest possible major lobe is achieved; or 2), for any specified major-lobe width, the lowest possible minor-lobe levels are achieved. The procedure to calculate the required set of shading coefficients involves algebraic manipulation of Chebyshev polynomials. This manipulation becomes increasingly tedious as the array size becomes larger. The letter presents a compact matrix formulation of Dolph-Chebyshev beamforming which can provide additional insight to the general problem of array shading. A special case of this formulation leads to a close-form solution.


In Mongolia, teachers' attitudes towards large-scale educational assessments have been a largely uncovered area. English was deemed to be an official Second Language in Mongolia in 2005. However, it has not reached the goal of universal second language usage; therefore, it is still a Foreign Language in Mongolia. Research is needed to find out the issues behind the slow process of English language education and adoption. Also, little is known about how English language skills are taught currently. Research is needed into what is learned and assessed, especially the quality of teaching and learning fundamental skills. The role of receptive skills, which people's communication is based on, needs to be developed through certain studies and research. In addition, a lot of tests and assessments are taken in schools for different purposes in Mongolia. English language instruction is more focused on testing than on the students' learning process. This may be caused by the Educational assessment and accountability system, teachers' instructional methodologies, students' learning strategies, or other unknown factors that affect students' learning achievement in Mongolia. Through my study, I tried to identify the issues and the reasons behind the instruction, learning and assessment of English language receptive skills (ELRS) in a Mongolian metropolitan area. Also, the study aimed to recommend some important considerations for English language teachers and school administrators to improve English language education.
Result showed that primary and secondary school teachers have similar views on assessment as being important for improving the quality of education. However, the assessment system is used to evaluate schools and is expected to increase efforts made by teachers, but it doesn't effectively support students' competence in learning English. The current assessment implementation may lead to teachers teaching and test taking practices for the sole purpose of increasing students' test score. English language is one of the subjects that included in the school achievement test, therefore, English language teachers might reduce their instructional content and tend not to use effective teaching strategies so that their students' learning strategies may not be developed. Thus, English teachers everyday practice might mismatch because of no significant correlations between teaching and learning strategies in the classroom and the different factors which might be the assessment accountability system and its influence in teaching, students' lack of learning strategy usage, older students' attitude, and parents' low education level of English language, school online and computer availability for students' learning.


Abstract:This article examines Mariano Ponce's Asianist thought and his work to promote a Pan-Asianist alliance, actively participating in the overthrow of Western imperialism and the revitalization of Asia. Ponce's interest in Japan, Asia, and the Malays ran deeper than mere revolutionary and reformist instrument, however, as his lifelong scholarship shows. This article focuses on the neglected affective and material dimensions of "peripheral" Pan-Asianism in order to make it legible to the Northeast Asian-centric "center" of the discourse and to reframe the broader history of Pan-Asianism to include Southeast Asia and specifically the Philippines.


This article describes how current research on the institutional entrepreneurship process tends to 'design principles.' There is lack of research on mechanism and strategy of the institutional bricolage, especially for Internet finance. Based on analysis of Yu'e Bao, the authors found that institutional entrepreneurs often use bricolage to form new institutions in organizational, material and discursive dimensions: organizational dimension which uses the attaching and bridging bricolage to achieve relational networks; material dimension which uses the simplifying and extending bricolage to acquire technical and economic basis; discursive dimension which uses the beautifying and analogy bricolage to theorize and institutionalize new practices. This article tries to explain and distinguish these three intertwined dimensions by using the case study. From the bricolage perspective, entrepreneurship behavior and institutional entrepreneurship behavior can be bridged. The emerging institutional entrepreneurship theory has been integrated with the bricolage theory for Internet finance.


Five inbred Large Whites from the same strain as used by McMeekan (1940) were reared on a High Plane of nutrition to approximately 330 lb. live weight at which one was killed as a control. The rest were put on to a submaintenance diet of straw and water and killed successively at roughly equal intervals in live weight between 330 and 200 lb. The weights of blood, organs and offals were determined and the carcasses were jointed and completely dissected into their constituent tissues. The total weights of each and the weights within the various joints were recorded. (1) Organs. The early-maturing organs, brain, eyes, etc., continued to grow. Other organs like the heart, liver, lungs, etc., suffered a greater or less degree of atrophy which was probably determined by a suspension of their functions. (2) Carcass composition. The tissues of the carcass were affected in reverse order to their development, i.e. fat most, muscle less and bone least. Bone continued to grow in the earlier stages of submaintenance.


This paper presents a comparative study among three types of footings of different shape to obtain the more economical dimension of the contact surface, i.e., a comparison is realized among the rectangular footings, square and circular in terms of the contact area with soil, when load that must withstand said structural member is applied. The models presented in this paper satisfy the following conditions. 1) The minimum stress should be equal to or greater than zero, because the soil is not capable of withstanding tensile stresses. 2) The maximum stress must be equal to or less than the allowable capacity that can be capable of withstanding the soil. According to the results, tables show that the circular footings are more economic, subsequently the rectangular footings and last the square footings.


Among the most complex outcrossing systems in flowering plants are those in which floral heteromorphism is associated with a physiological incompatibility system. Such heteromorphic incompatibility systems can arise only as a result of strong selective pressures exerted over a long period of time. There is excellent evidence that when the selective pressures regulating the maintenance of these systems are relaxed or altered in their direction, the integrated syndrome of morphological and physiological traits characteristic of heteromorphic incompatibility may rapidly break down, usually in the direction of increased inbreeding. There are several evolutionary routes which the breakdown of heteromorphic incompatibility may follow. The diverse breeding systems of the American representatives of Oxalis section Corniculatae (Oxalidaceae) are most probably derived from an ancestral trimorphic incompatibility system. This paper presents a study of the breeding systems of several members of this group and briefly discusses the genetic and ecological circumstances leading to the development of these derivative systems. Oxalis section Corniculatae recently has been the subject of a taxonomic monograph by Eiten (1963), whose nomenclature will be followed here. As circumscribed by Eiten, the section contains 14 species of caulescent, non-bulbous, yellowor orangeflowered herbs with trifoliate leaves. Members of this section occur mostly in North and South America and the Greater Antilles, but two species are believed to have a natural amphi-Pacific range in North America and eastern Asia. TRISTYLOUS INCOMPATIBILITY AS AN ANCESTRAL CONDITION


The flexural vibrations of a ring in its plane are studied by taking shear effect into account, and it is proposed to compute the deviation from the classical frequency formula, which is only valid for very small ratios of the thickness to the diameter. In a second chapter the possibility of extension is included, and in this procedure the frequencies of extensional vibrations are obtained as a by‐product.It is seen that the shear effect plays a predominant role in the deviation from the classical formula, and is more important than curvature effects and the rotational inertia. Extensibility influence is found to be very small.An interesting comparison can be made with the similar influence of secondary factors on the flexural vibration's frequencies of a straight beam.


I consider whether baryogenesis could have occurred during the Electroweak Phase Transition (EWPT), and also whether any prior baryon asymmetry might be washed out at the end of the EWPT. A simple 1‐loop analysis in the Standard Model suggests washout is only avoided if the Higgs mass is below 55 GeV, and more detailed analysis only tightens that constraint. I discuss several unresolved issues and ways to avoid the Higgs mass constraint.


This paper opens up a perspective for viewing the effect of globalization on ethnic restaurants in a college town, Bloomington, at Indiana, in the US. While existing scholarship on shop signs were focused on interpreting signages that are mostly visible from the exterior (e.g. Collins & Slembrouck, 2007; Malinowski, 2009; Ong, Ghesquière, & Serwe, 2013), this study examines publicly displayed material artefacts, and the dialogical relationship between customers and waiters, taking into account one aspect of Scollon and Scollon's (2003) perceptual space which is highly visible in a restaurant: tastes. Through interviews, participant observations and geosemiotic analysis of signs inside and on the exterior of restaurants, I evinced a configuration of semiotic aggregates (Scollon & Scollon, 2003) drawing from my ethnographic work on ethnic foodscapes. Findings from the study suggest that multiple social actors contributed to shaping cosmopolitanism in a college town.


In this study, we propose a software architecture for the effective integration of building information modeling (BIM) into a geographic information system (GIS)-based facilities management (FM) system related to smart city service. This requires the acquisition of data from various sources followed by the transformation of this data into an appropriate format. The integration and representation of heterogeneous data in a GIS are very important for use cases involving both BIM and GIS data, such as in the management of municipal facilities. We propose a BIM/GIS-based Data Integration Framework (DI) that separates geometrical information from that related to the relevant properties. For a GIS based facility management, the property information is extracted from BIM models and transformed using the ETL (extract, transform, and load) concept. In consideration of the viewpoint of geometry, the surface model for several representations in the GIS, we designed BG (BIM/GIS)-DI, developed a prototype, and verified the results through interviews. The results show that BG-DI and BIM/GIS integration has benefits such as reusability and extensibility. Keywords-BIM; GIS; FM; integration; surface model; BG-


Undoubtedly, the profound changes that have occurred in society worldwide in recent
decades have created an urgent need to review and modify some aspects of business, so
that Corporate Social Responsibility is gaining a presence increasingly important in the
business sector.
In that sense, the so-called Corporate Social Responsibility has become one of the key
points that any public or private entity may overlook, including those native to countries
which have not yet released the scope of the same.
Such is the case of Peru, where there is still no corporate conscience or a legal framework to meet current requirements regarding Corporate Social Responsibility, as happens in other countries. To not go that far, in other Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Argentina, Colombia and Chile, and there have been attempts to provide compulsory for Corporate Social Responsibility through a legal framework, some of them presenting bills.
While we find ourselves behind in the development and study of this research topic, through this thesis we want to be one step closer to coating with due importance to
corporate social responsibility in our country.
In this context, this research aims to demonstrate the current situation in the regulation
of Corporate Social Responsibility is in Peru and in the world. In addition to analyzing
the need to make mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility as a mechanism to protect
the rights of stakeholders against the exercise of the right to Free Enterprise. It also aims
to demonstrate that it is possible to satisfy consumers and minimize negative while the
corporate profits are maximized environmental impacts


Two tubes in tandem and normal to flow were studied on the basis of the unsteady-flow theory. Motion-dependent fluid forces were measured in a water channel, and the pitch-to-diameter ratio was 1.35. From the measured fluid forces, fluid damping and stiffness were calculated as a function of reduced flow velocity and several Reynolds numbers. Once the fluid-damping and fluid-stiffness coefficients are known, coupled vibration and stability of the two tubes in cross-flow can be predicted.


Niche had better performance in increasing the population diversity of genetic algorithm (GA), in improving local researching performance of it. So far, research results of relating to niche GA were all on binary representation, there was almost no on float representation genetic algorithm (FRGA). But in improving the performance of GA and extending GApsilas application, float representation is superior to other representation. This paper presents a float representation niche genetic algorithm (FRNGA). In the paper, the mechanism of FRNGA is researched by it. Dynamic process is analyzed by it on niche emerging and merging and disassociating in genetic operation. The method is explored by it. The results of its research and experiment indicate that the performance of FRNGA is reliable. The method is feasible.


J E Penner, 4th edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2008) ISBN 9781847030221 Professor J E Penner has assumed responsibility for McCoubrey and White's Textbook on Jurisprudence, in the form of the new 4th edition. Previous editions were well structured, clear and wide ranging introductions to a difficult subject, and in these respects Penner's 4th edition is no different. The main changes are twofold. First, there is more detailed exploration of certain topics; secondly, there is a broadening of subject matter through the inclusion of theoretical schools unaddressed by previous editions. Overall, the 4th edition is a significant improvement on its predecessors and Penner is to be congratulated for making a good textbook better.


− Two meroterpenoids (1 and 2) along with twelve known compounds (3 14) were isolated from the culture broth of a Penicillium sp. fungus collected from Chuja-do, Korea. Based on the results of a combination of spectroscopic analyses, the new compounds, preaustinoids E (1) and F (2), were determined to be epimeric austintype penta-cyclic lactones.


Skin is an organ that covers the body and acts as a protective layer against external aggressions. Changes in this organ, such as hair loss, evident blemishes, changes in skin pigmentation, and the presence of scaling or crusts, are the main signs of dermatological disease. The study aimed to verify the frequency of dermatophytes and yeasts in healthy cats and dogs. Samples of hair and shedding from 30 cats and 30 dogs were cultured on dermatophyte test medium and Sabouraud Dextrose agar enriched with yeast extract, thiamine, antibiotics (streptomycin and chloramphenicol) supplemented with cycloheximide and incubated at 25°C and 35°C for 10 days. The positive cultures were assessed macro and microscopically, and the fungi were identified by biochemical methods. It was found that 100% of the cats had a positive mycological culture for Microsporum canis, 33.33% for Microsporum gypseum, and 50% for Trichophyton mentagrophytes, with a prevalence of Microsporum canis (P>0.001). In dogs, 86.66% were positive for Microsporum canis, showing a predominance over the other fungal species (P<0.001). Malassezia pachydermatis was isolated in 50% of the dogs evaluated, although it was not found in cats, while positive cultures for Malassezia spp were found in 6.6% of cats and 26.66% of dogs. Candida albicans was isolated in samples of dogs and cats (26.66% and 33.33%, respectively). It was concluded that asymptomatic dogs and cats are carriers of agents of dermatophytosis and dermatomycoses and may be important sources of environmental spread and intra and interspecific infection.


We investigate the dispersion measure (DM) and scattering of fast radio bursts (FRBs) by the intergalactic medium (IGM), foreground halos, and host halos using cosmological hydrodynamical simulation. We find that the median DM caused by foreground halos is around 30% of that caused by the IGM, but it has a much larger variance. The DM induced by hosts deviates from a log-normal distribution but exhibits an extended distribution in the range of with a median value . Then we produce mock FRB sources, assuming a uniform distribution in the range , to consider the propagation effect of IGM, foreground, and host halos on FRB signals simultaneously. The DM distribution of mock sources agrees well with the observation. The fitted DM–redshift relation of the mock sources can provide a rough estimation of the redshifts of observed events with errors . The distribution of mock sources in the DM scattering time (τ) space can also match the observation, assuming a Kolmogorov turbulence model where the inner and outer scales are 1000 km to 1 au and 0.2–10 pc, respectively. Finally, we estimate the relative importance of these media for DM and τ in our models. The IGM and host halos are the primary and secondary sources for the extragalactic DM ( ). Meanwhile, the contribution from foreground halos increases as increases. The host and foreground halos may be the most important media for scattering. Statistically, the latter may dominate the scattering of events with .


Objective To investigate the possible mechanism of probucol on the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients combined with atherosclerosis.Methods 53 patients were divided into treatment group(n =26) and control group(n =27).The treatment group took probucol besides the routine therapy.The control group only took the routine drugs.The total treatment phase was 12 weeks.All patients did not take any other lipid-lowering drugs and anti-oxidants.Before and after the treatment,the plasma cholesterol,ox-LDL,hs-CRP and IL-6 were measured.Results Probucol can significantly decrease the levels of ox-LDL,hs-CRP and IL-6(P0.05).Conclusion Probucol has active effect on anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation in type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with atherosclerosis.


The present invention relates to the use of a passing step on adsorbent resin for the preparation of an extract of Centella asiatica comprising a mixture of madecassoside, of terminoloside and of asiaticoside. It also relates to a method for preparing an extract of Centella asiatica comprising a mixture of madecassoside, of terminoloside and of asiaticoside.


This paper presents a new key predistribution scheme for sensor networks based on structured graphs. Structured graphs are advantageous in that they can be optimized to minimize the parameter of interest. We discuss various parameters affecting such a scheme.


Using a sample of 250 adults aged 65 or over (in Quincy, Massachusetts), this study investigated the relation of educational participation by older adults to socioeconomic achievement and to anxiety as regards education, Achievement was based on levels of occupation, income, and education. A series of 17 questions covered peer relationshipse determination of ability to learns, critical incidents in one's education, and other aspects of anxiety. Achievement correlated positively, and anxjety negatively, with levels of participation. Anxiety toward continuing education stemmed, not from the aging process as such, but from previous educational experiences. Men were more anxious over competition than were women. Participants retained a relatively high self-image of learning ability and generalized their belief to the total elderly population, while nonparticipants were highly selective and unwilling to generalize. Nonparticipants considered student evaluation necessary but would not participate in programs using it. Participants considered evaluation unnecessary but would not hesitate to participate if it were included. (authoryly)


Like so many aspects of life, we are looking for value‐for‐money. But we need to consider the value in terms of both short and long‐term gains. Although certification standards require verification that requirements have been met, we need to recognize that verification is also there to bring value to a Project and to the business as a whole. However, prioritizing the value to the Project over the value to the Business can result in sub‐optimization and an overall higher cost to the Business. This paper examines a specific case, the prediction of the fatigue lives of critical parts in gas turbine engines, to illustrate the more general case of performing tests to calibrate models that then have general applicability across multiple Projects, rather than focusing testing on the needs of a specific Project. In some circumstances, testing may not even be the best approach to take; if some level of error escape into service is acceptable (unlike the life prediction example given in this paper) then more focus on requirements validation and design review may provide a more cost‐effective approach. This is where the linkage in a Systems Engineering model between requirements, functions, failure modes and effects analysis, verification test cases and available calibrated models can help with identifying opportunities and risks.


Restricted mobility has forced people into the confines of their homes; perceived depression, anxiety, and stress increases. This has not only increased the dependency on the internet, but also to look at the mental health, which often becomes a catalyst for human beings to develop addictive behavior. This study is undertaken to measure the levels of internet addiction and the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and also to analyze the association between internet addiction and the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. We have taken a sample of 293 respondents from the state of Assam, India using convenience sampling. Results from the participants indicate the prevalence of mild depression, moderate, and severe depression. Prevalence of moderate anxiety level is found to be the highest, followed by mild anxiety and severe anxiety, while extremely severe anxiety level is also found. The respondents have mild stress; following in higher frequency is moderate stress. Severe dependence on the internet is also found to be prevalent; while moderate internet addiction and mild internet addiction are also found. Overall problematic social media usage is also found prevalent; while the prevalence of online gaming addiction is also found.


Skull-removal is a standard preprocessing step for brain magnetic resonance image analysis. The gold standard of skull dissection are the anatomical templates of brain region after the manual removal of skull by experts. Manual segmentation is very time-consuming, but it is the evaluation
 basis of automatic brain extraction method. The existing skull stripping templates have some confused and unclear partitions around the brain marginal regions (sulci, gyrus) and skull base (brainstem). To this end, the study carried out three tasks: First, we proposed a brain extraction protocol
 that strictly followed human brain anatomy. Secondly, a more accurate skull stripping template was constructed on two open access datasets. Thirdly, we improved the commonly used segmentation evaluation metrics, such as Dice, Jaccard, sensitivity and precision, and proposed quantitative boundary-oriented
 evaluation indicators that accurately reflect the vulnerable error segmentation of sulci, gyrus and brainstem. The proposed brain template is widely compared with the existing segmentation template and various automatic brain extraction results.


A physical metric is constructed as one that gives a coordinate independent result for the time delay in infinite order in the perturbation expansion in the gravitational constant. A compact form for the metric is obtained. One result is that the metric functions are positive definite. Another is an exact expression for the gravitational red shift. The metric can be used to calculate general relativity predictions in higher order for any process. A relationship between the spacetimes of the physical metric and the Schwarzschild metric is discussed.


This study employs discriminant analysis to determine students' performance in their final West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Data on 104 students who completed Suhum Senior High Secondary Technical School from 2012 to 2013 were gathered from the WASSCE results sheets of the school and discriminant analysis was performed on the initial factors. Result suggest that six factors: being the BECE grade in Science, BECE grade in Mathematics, Type of basic education, Duration of the SHS system, Entry admission age to form 1 of SHS and BECE aggregate of candidate as parsimoniously representing the difference between students who performed very well and those who performed poorly in the WASSCE- determine the performance.


Abstract : A new theory of image formation through scattering media was developed based on Fourier optics and optical information concepts. This theory predicts the capabilities and limitations of the first-arriving-light method of imaging through highly scattering media in a way that is totally different from conventional transport and diffusion theory. A highly generalized theory of optical sectioning by holographic means was carried out. The method shows the basic similarities between broad-source optical sectioning and broad-spectrum optical sectioning. An especially intriguing observation is that broad-spectrum light gives a broad source effect, thus tying together the basic van Cittert spatial coherence theory and the Wiener-Khinchine temporal coherence theory. The authors developed a method of nonholographic incoherent optical sectioning that is easily implemented, gives good optical sectioning in reflection, and gives second-order sectioning in transmission. They also invented a new type of confocal imaging system, the chirp confocal, that combines technologies from four diverse disciplines: synthetic aperture imaging, chirp pulse compression, holography, and conventional confocal imaging. Extensive experimental work was done to verify the ideas that were developed.


Objective To explore the roles of NF-κB in expression of human β-defensin-2(hBD-2) mRNA induced by TNF-α in the human airway primary epithelial cells.Methods After the human bronchial primary epithelial cells were stimulated with TNFα or first with NF-κB inhibitor PDTC,then TNF-α,the expression of hBD-2 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.The IκB-α protein level in the cytoplasm was detected by Western blotting and the nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) binding activity was analyzed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays.Results The hBD-2 mRNA could be detected after 2.5 h of TNF-α stimulation and expressed in a dose-dependent manner.The NF-κB could be activated after 0.5 h of TNF-α stimulation.The supershifts assays indicated that the p65-p50 heterodimer formed complexes of NF-κB were involved in the activated of NF-κB.Conclusion TNF-α can induce the expression of hBD-2 mRNA in a dose-dependent manner.The p65-p50 heterodimer formed complexes of NF-ΚB play an important role in the regulation of hBD-2 gene expression in response to TNF-α.


This paper applies the event study method to analyze investors' average evaluation of mergers between publicly traded banking organizations in the 1990s. It uses three models of stock returns, including the multi-factor Fama-French (1992, 1993) model, to estimate the abnormal returns experienced by the merging companies' stocks upon the announcement of the merger. Overall, the targets are found to enjoy significant excess gains in stock prices, whereas the acquirers suffer considerable losses. The market-valueweighted average abnormal returns to the two parties combined are positive but insignificant. In addition, the paper shows that estimates of the abnormal returns can be sensitive to the choice of models describing stock returns, assumptions about the error generating process, and other factors. This problem is more severe if one reports only tests of the null hypothesis. Hence, the paper instead reports pvalues and confidence intervals. In summary, this study finds that bank mergers in the 1990s are generally expected to raise future profits of the merged entities, but not strongly so. But due to model sensitivity, the precise numerical estimates of abnormal returns should be interpreted with caution.


the article discusses the features of the concept "Love" in Russian literary prose. The concept is understood as a multidimensional linguistic and mental formation, implemented in symbolic form with high semiotic density with structural and semantic layers and ethno-cultural features. The process of formation of lexical-semantic content of the concept "Love" is determined not only by common cultural values, but also by specifi c cultural character of the language.


To assess the effect of age on the circadian blood pressure (BP) after an α, β–adrenergic blocker, the ambulatory BP was measured before and after arotinolol chloride administration in nine younger (mean age 491 years) and 14 older (721 years) patients with essential hypertension. After a 4–week control period, arotinolol chloride was administered twice daily (08:00 and 20:00 hours) for 8 weeks and the ambulatory BP was measured non–invasively at the end of the control and treatment period.


Purpose: A company that is registered with share capital may issue different classes of shares and may confer rights on members, which place them in different classes in the company's organisational structure This paper is concerned with the propensity for encroachment on such vested class rights as companies strive to wriggle out of business challenges spawn by the COVID-19 pandemic The purpose of this study is to ascertain the extent of protection that the law accords to the different classes of shareholders and members in a company especially when the company seeks to vary the vested class rights Design/methodology/approach: A doctrinal methodology, which relies on existing literature, case law and statutory instruments, is adopted to explore the nature of class rights and the adequacies of the remedial measures availed by statute to the aggrieved bearers of class rights in the context of the South African Companies Act 71 of 2008 with inferences drawn from the UK companies statute and case law Findings: The findings indicate that accessing the remedies available to aggrieved shareholders under the relevant statutory provisions are fraught with conditionality, which could make them elusive to those who may seek to rely on such provisions to vindicate any encroachment on their class rights Practical implications: The paper embodies cogent information on the interpretation and application of the relevant statutory provisions geared at the protection of shareholders class rights, which should serve as guides to companies and the courts in dealing with matters that affect the vested class rights of shareholders and members of a company Originality/value: The paper shows that protections offered to classes of shareholders under the law can also be extended to classes of members who are not necessarily shareholders, and that shareholders who seek to vindicate their class rights may conveniently rely on Section 163 that provides for unfair prejudice remedy to avoid the onerous conditions under Section 164 of the South African Companies Act 71 of 2008, which directly deals with class rights © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited


A translocation of the proximal radius and ulna combined with a posterior dislocation of the elbow is quite rare. To the best of our knowledge, the only case with this condition, who had been treated using a closed method was reported by MacSween in 1978. This paper reports a ten-year-old girl who fell from a desk onto her outstretched left hand. The initial radiographs showed a simple posterior dislocation of the elbow. However, the radiographs taken after the closed reduction revealed a translocation of both forearm bones. It was possible to relocate both bones using a closed method, and the patient recovered from the associated ulnar nerve palsy at five weeks post-trauma. At the follow-up examination three months post-trauma, the nerve was found to be fully regenerated using electromyography and a nerve conduction study, and the patient regained the full range of elbow motion without pain. When a posteri-or dislocation of the elbow occurs, close attention is needed in order to detect the combined transloca-tion of the proximal radio-ulnar joint. If treated early, a closed reduction leads to a good result. However, a careful physical examination and a thorough investigation of the radiographs are necessary.


Although the sport of golf may be mistakenly perceived as a benign physical activity, there are in fact patterns of problems such as strains to the upper limb and low-back pain that have the potential to interfere with the professional golfer's livelihood and recreational golfer's enjoyment. In this article, a summary of the literature has been provided outlining the nature and extent of common musculoskeletal injuries that golfers deal with as well as some of the risk factors that may increase injury susceptibility. A detailed overview of prevention strategies to minimize the risk of suffering a golf injury has also been provided. Since many injuries arise from poor swing biomechanics, taking instruction with a knowledgeable golf instructor can be an important first step towards injury prevention. However, if a golfing client already has an injury which originated or is aggravated by playing or practicing, then the personalized help of a physician or physiotherapist experienced in golf biomechanics is also warranted. Proper attention to prevention will ensure a lifetime of enjoyable golf "par"ticipation.


The effect of tip radius on atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation is investigated through indentation on the (111) face of a gold single crystal. The hardness is derived using two different methods: by measuring directly the projected area of the residual indent with AFM images and by measuring the cross-sectional area of the indenter before and after each nanoindentation test. The hardness values obtained from the cross-sectional area of the indenter are comparable with those obtained from images of the residual indent scanned with a sharp tip. Two AFM tips of average radii of 70±12 and 112±26 nm are used to indent the sample to various depths ranging from 4 to 50 nm. For depths above 30 nm, hardness values remain constant around 500 MPa for both indenters. For depths below 30 nm, the hardness increases as the indent depth decreases for the sharp and blunt indenters, and the indent depth dependence is observed over a wider depth range for the sharp indenter. For depths below 30 nm, the hardness v...


Forests habituated by Rhododendron delavayi often lack understory vegetation, which could possibly be a consequence of allelopathy. It is a phenomenon by virtue of which certain plant species produce allelochemicals that affect the growth and behavior of surrounding plants. To elucidate the allelopathic potential and allelochemicals present in the different layers of a R. delavayi forest, extracts obtained from three layers of the forest were used for seed germination bioassays and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. Aqueous extracts of the litter and humus layers significantly inhibited the seed germination of R. delavayi, Festuca arundinacea, and Lolium perenne, with the litter layer causing the strongest inhibitory effect. A total of 26 allelochemicals were identified in the litter, humus, and soil layers by GC–MS analysis. The primary allelochemicals in the soil and humus layer were organic acids, while the main allelochemicals in the litter layer were phenolic acids. The redundancy analysis revealed the significance of total nitrogen (TN) and relative water content (RWC) in explaining the distribution of the allelochemicals. The results indicated that the litter layer exerted the maximum allelopathic effect due to presence of maximum amount of allelochemical especially the phenolic acids.


Objectives. The present study was designed to provide normal data of transient response second harmonic imaging (TRSHI) examinations of cerebral echo contrast enhancement using different modes of electrocardiogram (ECG) gating and echo‐contrast agent doses. Materials and Methods. Fifty‐five patients were examined in an axial diencephalic plane of section using the transtemporal acoustic bone window. TRSHI examinations (ECG gating: systolic, frame‐rate once every 2 cardiac cycles ="basical instrument setting") could be performed in 50 individuals with adequate insonation conditions after application of 4 g of a galactose‐based microbubbles suspension in a concentration of 400 mg/ml. For comparison, diastolic ECG gating (20 patients), cardiac‐cycle triggering frequency of once every 2 seconds (15 patients), or an echo contrast agent dose of 2 g Levovist® (15 patients) were used. Analysis of peak intensities (PIs) and areas under the curve (AUCs) was done in posterior (region of interest [ROI]a) and anterior (ROIb) parts of the thalamus, in the lentiform nucleus (ROIc), and the white matter (ROId). Results. In 41 patients with basical instrument setting, characteristic time intensity curve (TIC) could be detected in all ROIs. In ROIa (90%) and ROIb (82%), focal contrast enhancement was most difficult to visualize, and in ROIc and ROId, characteristic TICs were observable in more than 90% of the examinations. Background subtracted PIs and AUCs were significantly higher in ROIc (mean PI: 12.2 ± 8 acoustic units [AUs]; mean AUC: 598.8 ± 451.1 AU × Cardiac cycles), and ROId (11.8 ± 6.9; 559.2 ± 404) as compared to ROIa (8.3 ± 5.2; 368.9 ± 242.7) and ROIb (7.1 ± 4.7; 298.2 ± 199.1) (P < .0001). Values for corresponding examinations with a diastolic ECG gating and a cardiac cycle triggering frequency of once every 2 seconds were not different as compared to the basical instrument setting. A 4 g Levovist dose increased the portion of typical TIC in all ROIs. PI of 4 g examinations were significantly higher in ROId and ROIb as compared to the 2 g examination. Conclusion. Our findings indicate that TRSHI allows noninvasive assessment of focal cerebral contrast enhancement in the majority of patients with adequate insonation conditions. This study provides data about normal quantitative and qualitative TRSHI values in patients without cerebrovascular diseases. A dose of 4 g Levovist is recommended in those individuals with inaccurate echo contrast enhancement using the 2 g dose.


Endophytic fungi were isolated from healthy tomatoes with conventional isolation method and their antagonistic activities to some plant pathogens were surveyed. Results indicated that quantities of endophytic fungi from different cultivars and parts of tomatoes varied, and there were more endophyti fungi in the stems than in the roots for the same cultivars.Other species belong to %imperfecti% based on primary identification except one specie belongs to Ascomycetes. %Mycellia sterilia strain% and %Aspergillus sp.% showed strong activity against %Botrytis sp.% and %Sclerotinia sp.% respectively, while other strains also had some antagonism to some pathogens. Culture filtrate of the strain Fq72 of %Mycellia sterilia% could inhibit the growth of 6 plant pathogens, but it was more effective against %Botrytis sp.% and %Sclerotinia sp.%,and the antafungal activity survived after heat treatment. So it has potential capability of biological control.


Recently, improvement of the internet usages, huge amount of multimedia data is transmitted through the network. The encryption method is introduced to secure the multimedia data for improve individual privacy, copyrights and other security reasons. In this paper proposed the LCA algorithm for chaotic logistic map based image encryption. Trendy this map of logistic parameter tuning is attained with the help of the LCA algorithm. The LCA algorithm is working based on the competition of sports teams in a league match. Various people as game groups contend in a league match for a few weeks; founded on the LCA process, logistic maps are tuned. The proposed algorithm for encryption is process constructed scheduled the two tasks such as confusion in addition diffusion. In confusion, produce the cipher image from the plain image by conversion. Second, the diffusion procedure is developed to diffuse the sequences equally. Here, the logistic maps parameters are taken as the encryption key. To prove the secure and reliable of the technique of proposed which is executed in the MATLAB and simulation results and performance analysis are described popular in paper. The presentation of proposed technique be there analysis through the way, statistical test and security test which is competitive with other freshly developed image encryption algorithm. To prove the efficiency of the proposed method which paralleled with the existing methods such as Firefly Algorithm (FA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) respectively.


Estimating functional connectivity (FC) has become an increasingly powerful tool for understanding our brain and investigating healthy and abnormal brain functions. Most previous studies assume temporal stationarity, such as correlation and data-driven decompositions computed across the whole duration of the acquisition. However, emerging evidence revealed the presence of temporal variability of FC, leading to increasing interest in estimating the dynamic Functional Connectivity (dFC). In this context, several approaches have been proposed in order to extract the relevant brain networks fluctuating over time. Still, a clear comparative study among the existing methods is needed. Thus, we aimed here to compare three dimensionality reduction techniques, specifically Independent Component Analysis (ICA), Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and generalized Canonical Correlation Analysis (gCCA), on two Magnetoencephalography (MEG) datasets recorded during motor and memory tasks. First, source connectivity combined with a sliding window approach was used in order to reconstruct the dynamic brain networks at the cortical level. Then, for each algorithm, we extracted the significant patterns of brain network connections with their associated time variation. Results show characteristic properties of each method in terms of computation time, reproducibility and potentiality in extracting the top dominant networks.


The effort to produce coalbed methane (CBM) from the Hartshorne coal in the Arkoma Basin of Oklahoma inay or inay not make economic sense. Geologic, technical, and serendipitous factors must be matched to have a profitable CBM well. CBM production in Oklahoma began in 1926 with documented production in Pittsburgh and Haskell counties. Modem CBM production as a result of concerted efforts began in 1988 at the Kinta anticline in Haskell County. Since then, more than 250 wells have tested the profitability of Hartshorne CBM production. Some of the best wells have produced at rates in excess of 200 MCFGPD for more than a year. Rates of 25 to 75 MCFGPD are more usual. The effort at the Kinta anticline has been a commercial success; however, certain unique attributes of the coal and the operator, Bear Productions, Inc., were present. Since 1988, Bear Productions has produced in excess of 4 BCFG from 54 wells with current production in excess of 1,000 MCFGPD. The more recent CBM projects probably are in the process of "paying out" with a distinction drawn between projects (multisection, multiwells) and "hit and miss" efforts (perforating the coal when a good show is observed). In 1998 for the first time in Oklahoma, a few horizontal holes have been drilled into the Hartshorne coal with some good and some poor results. Horizontal drilling may be the future of Oklahoma CBM.


The paper presents material revealing the historical experience of activities of the state bodies and culture institutions of Moscow on youth patriotic education at a critical post-Soviet stage of Russian history. On the basis of the material given it is proved that the system of cultural-educational work is an important component of youth patriotic education.


In July/August last year, a group of 50 galactic astronomers convened at Dunk Island, Australia to celebrate Prof. Ken Freeman's 60th birthday. The overarching theme of the meeting reflected Ken's wish to understand ``the chain of events that occurred during the formation of the Galaxy", to quote from his Annual Reviews article in 1987. The workshop was divided into four parts: galaxy structure and dynamics, haloes and environments, HI and dark matter, galaxy formation and evolution.


Background : The purpose of this study was to evaluate methods to high quality medicinal vegetables, thereby increasing farm income. This study investigated the effects of different green manures crop and application culture stable foliage production in Peucedanum japonicum Thunberg. Methods and Results : Method of application with green manure crop were conducted under four condition compose to control (non application), single cropping in barley, hairy vetch and mixed cropping in hairy vetch (60%) + barley (40%)culture. Sowing dates of green manure crop were October 14 in 2014. Transplanting with Jeonam Yeosu varieties in Junel 28 by growing pot seedling for 45 days in 2015. Method of application were standard application (N-P-K-Compost applied at 20-12-10-600 ㎏․10 a−1). Plants were spaced 10 ㎝ apart in rows 10 ㎝ apart with open cultivation. Conclusions : The utilization effect of nitrogen supplied by green manure crop was highest with the hairy vetch by 21.1% in single cropping and hairy vetch + barley by 29.8% in mixed cropping. Organic matter, available phosphate, K2O, CaO, and MgO of soil increased in plots with the mixed cropping hairy vetch + barley culture. Non application < barley < hairy vetch < hairy vetch + barley in mixed cropping, aerial part as a result were so many such amount of growth as number of leaf per plant, etc., green leaf yields is untreated control plot (1,876 kg․10 a−1) compared to 7% from using barley culture, hairy vetch culture 10% higher and hairy vetch + barley culture increased to 15% of the most.


The purpose of this paper is to provide some insight into the level and type of media coverage that food risks received and consider the translation of press releases into media articles. Past scientific messages dealing with two food risks (Salmonella and Genetically Modified (GM) potatoes) were collected from various Irish media sources over a defined period. In addition, press releases and helpline data were collected. All data pieces were subsequently coded. Based on the audit it is clear that island of Ireland journalists are generally balanced with regard to their reporting on Salmonella. In most cases where press releases could be linked to the newspaper articles, the press release was represented fairly accurately. This brings into clear focus the need by those issuing press releases to be very clear on the meaning of their message. Journalists are using the press releases as the basis for articles therefore vague terms and overemphasis on a particular finding can result in what may appear as a sensational article. In the case of GMs more sensational hooks were used to draw attention to the articles. Thus communicators need to be aware of the characteristics of the risk they are communicating about when designing and delivering a risk message.


ions they make out of the training, or "theories", are the basis for the definition of further behavior and attitudes, as explained by Kelly in his personal construct theory (Kelly, 1963). These managers may be competent in team leadership (push approach), however not forceful in using a facilitative style of group EFFECTIVENESS IN GROUP FACILITATION TRAINING IN THE HOSPITALITY 43 coordination (pull approach), either with small-group or large-group facilitation. Nevertheless, by challenging their previous experience, the course produced better results than if they had to experience at all. A particular added value of the course turned out to be the innovation projects that came out of the forum. Even if not planned to have a material output, the course served to demonstrate a methodology that provided innovative results and, we may assume, participants will use some of it in their daily work. If not in large group meetings (managers complained that it is not possible to assemble workers for hours, given the labor-intensive regime in the hotel industry), at least with smaller project teams it is expected that some kind of matrix structure, made out of innovation projects, may arise. This prevision, also supported by participants' evaluations, was not possible to verify, as the hotel industry had to shut down because of the Corona virus. Let us hope that, in the near future, the industry may regain its place also by providing the required innovation for completely new conditions. If this is so, the course will have played its role. As a final conclusion, we can say that the course model we provided for the preparation of managers as coaches for organizational innovation in the hospitality industry proved to be adequate. Although it requires changes in the introduction, and elimination of abstract examples, its structure proved to be adequate. As to future developments, they will have to do mostly with the functioning of a matrix structure, so that the whole approach may have a full impact on the company. That is why this course should take place in companies that already have some initiatives in project development. If we succeed in bringing in the necessary expertise in human resource management, in matrix structures, we will have developed conditions to present an organizational behavior course syllabus, for managers and management students, which has proved to be effective. As to the hotel industry, the reduction of its limitations to expand project development, due to its labor-intensive nature, will continue to dictate its ability to produce innovations that are not adopted from elsewhere. In the post-COVID 19 era, where collaboration will dictate much of the changes (Chesbrough, 2020), this cannot help but take place.


Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is broadly used in the United Kingdom Higher Education environment and the rest of the world owing to its feature of being user-friendly as a learning management system (LMS). Since the pandemic, the pivotal role of Moodle is strengthened to facilitate virtual learning during the lockdown and enhance hybrid learning with face-to-face teaching gradually coming back. During the routine tutorials, some students reported their difficulties and concerns about Moodle, such as digital literacy, information density, and feedback. In this reflection, three postgraduate researchers who work as teaching assistants in Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), reflect on the Moodle designing experience. We discuss various manoeuvres like adjusting the structure, using virtual badges to engage students, compressing content, and updating synchronous and asynchronous learning materials to enable students to learn more efficiently. The module design is optimised based on the module nature, learning objectives, expected learning outcomes, and students' learning needs in the hybrid learning environment. With the students' feedback and previous learning experience, suggestions are proposed to contribute to the best practices in Moodle design to improve Postgraduate Taught Students' learning experience in Higher Education.


Submandibular saliva samples were obtained with a new collection device, under resting and post-stimulation conditions, from 28 healthy individuals between 70 and 91 years of age, and from 30 healthy individuals between 18 and 39 years of age. The salivary flow rates were significantly decreased in the aged group compared with the control group. The mean resting and post-stimulation flow rates for the aged group averaged 22% and 39%, respectively, of control values.


The medical column is not a new phenomenon. William H. Stone, M.D., in 1873 in English Mechanics and the World of Science began "Our Medical Column." This article describes the reception accorded Dr. Stone's column by his professional colleagues.


This paper presents to design and analysis of double E-shaped microstrip patch antenna with UWB operating frequency range for wireless applications. In order to make the proposed double E-shape microstrip patch antenna by introducing the slots on both sides of the patch. This shape will provide UWB applications like WI-FI, WLAN, WIMAX, and satellite applications. The proposed antenna shape was simulated by using ADS software and it can analysed by using various terms and parameter of the antenna like bandwidth, return loss, gain, and radiation pattern. The proposed antenna can resonates at different level of frequency in the range of 3.0GHz, 4.44GHz, 5.07GHz, 6.22GHz, 6.92GHZ, 7.5GHz, 8.9GHz and 9.69GHz. These resonance frequencies are able to operate in the range of UWB applications. This antenna had the gain of 2.06dbi, 2.92, 3.42dbi, 4.96dbi, 5.23dbi, 5.28dbi, 6.03dbi, and 7.0dbi.


Diabetic autonomic neuropathy is the second most common form of damage to the nervous system in diabetes mellitus as a result of disorders of the central and/or peripheral parts of the autonomic nervous system. On average, its frequency of occurrence is about 40%, and 60% or more with an increase in the duration of diabetes over than 10 years. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy is characterized by polysyndromism of clinical manifestations. In this regard, a number of forms of diabetic autonomic neuropathy are distinguished both in the form of an isolated violation of the function of organs and systems, and with their combined defeat. In the pathogenesis of autonomic neuropathy, vascular and metabolic changes common to the development of diabetic polyneuropathy play an important role. The most significant risk factors for the development of diabetic autonomic neuropathy are the patient's age, duration of diabetes mellitus, and a higher average HbA1c. The development and progression of diabetic autonomic neuropathy depends on glycemic control, but its forms such as gastrointestinal and impaired recognition of hypoglycemia (asymptomatic hypoglycemia) can cause poor compensation for diabetes. This article discusses the various clinical manifestations of gastrointestinal autonomic neuropathy. Attention is drawn to the fact that the clinical picture is often nonspecific and asymptomatic, which complicates timely diagnosis. The gastrointestinal form of diabetic autonomic neuropathy leads to limited performance, social maladaptation of patients, dramatically reduces the quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus. In clinical practice, the doctor must remember that it can significantly affect the achievement of glycemic control, as a result of a violation of the digestion and passage of food, as well as a violation of the pharmacokinetics of hypoglycemic drugs. Impaired recognition of hypoglycemia also makes it difficult to compensate well. These complications require a personalized approach to the patient from the doctor, and strict and frequent self-control of glycemia with the help of a modern glucometer from the patient to maintain optimal glycemic control and prevent possible hypoglycemic conditions.


There is a need to discover efficient thermoelectric materials that can generate electricity from waste heat and could play an important role in a global sustainable energy solution. Graphene Nanoribbons have been explored for a range of pore dimensions in order to achieve better thermoelectric performance. In this paper, we investigate the thermoelectric properties of porous armchair graphene nanoribbons by introducing hydrogen atoms as passivators at the pore surfaces. The aim of this work is to study the influence of pore passivation on the thermoelectric parameters as a function of pore geometry so as to open the possibility for an optimal pore engineering which can significantly improve the thermoelectric efficiency. The results show that the phonon thermal conductivity has a very little dependence on the pore edge passivation. An improvement in thermoelectric figure of merit is achieved due to the increased values of the power factor with consistent values of thermalconductivity. The unique thermoelectric properties of graphene nanoribbons with pore passivation suggest their great potentials for nanoscale thermoelectric applications. Within ballistic transport regime, semi-empirical extended Huckel method has been used for electrical properties while Tersoff potential has been employed for phononic calculations.


*Corresponding author: Xiaodan Wu, Department of Anesthesiology, Fujian Province Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China, Tel: +86-13055291720; 13055291720, Email: email@example.com Received: 20 Apr 2021 Accepted: 14 May 2021 Published: 19 May 2021 Copyright: ©2021 Wu X, This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.


Abstract Control performance and cost optimization can be conflicting goals in the management of industrial processes. Even when optimal or optimization-based control synthesis tools are applied, the economic cost associated with plant operation is often only optimized according to static criteria that pick, among all feasible equilibria, those associated to minimal cost. This note collects and illustrates some recent advances in Receding Horizon optimization of nonlinear systems that allow to simultaneously optimize transient and steady-state economic performance.


This chapter explores Milton's record of his own life and character in the Second Defence, to see what is lost in the translations or is becoming dulled by their familiarity. The chapter examines sentence length, syntax, imagery, and more, to show that the plainness of the life account is not entirely plain, and certainly not flat. The presentation of his life modulates into his thought, and the style changes with it, into a more complex self-characterization, occasioned by the events of the crisis of Church and state to 1654, when Milton was 45. As a whole, the life account in Defensio Secunda does match other evidence, yet it was also composed as self-defence. Milton tells the truth, as he wishes it be seen, against outside vilification. The chapter elicits from close reading and from Latin style what can be revealed of Milton's mind, ultimately asking: how open was it?


This paper analyzes airport congestion when carriers are nonatomistic, showing how the results of the road-pricing literature are modified when the economic agents causing congestion have market power. The analysis shows that when an airport is dominated by a monopolist, congestion is fully internalized, yielding no role for congestion pricing under monopoly conditions. Under a Cournot oligopoly, however, carriers are shown to internalize only the congestion they impose on themselves. A toll that captures the uninternalized portion of congestion may then improve the allocation of traffic. The analysis is supported by some rudimentary empirical evidence.


The papyri and inscriptions of Dura show the linguistic diversity of the inhabitants, notably Aramaic inscriptions and a Hebrew liturgical text from the synagogue, while the Diatessaron fragment, in the original Greek, supports the Greek origin of the Christian community.