Under GAAP, SEC and exchange-listing rules, managers must disclose material information. We construct a disclosure specification incorporating managers' obligation to disclose material information and voluntary disclosure incentives. We demonstrate that tests of the incentives to voluntarily disclose information must recognize such information is often disclosed because of an underlying duty to disclose. Our empirical tests isolating the impact of materiality on firms' disclosures have greater explanatory power over empirical tests that do not. Voluntary disclosure incentives better explain disclosure when the information is less likely to be material. Tests of voluntary disclosure theories ignoring materiality likely lead to incorrect inferences.


Introduction: To achieve a desirable level of motor development and physicalmental competencies and develop a healthy and active lifestyle in all people in society, particularly children and families of the military and considering the nature of job their fathers' job, accurate principles on motor and exercise skills, called physical literacy principles, is required. Objective: Present study aimed to determine the relationships between the levels of the physical literacy of children in the 8-12 age range with some natures of their military fathers' job. Materials and Methods: The method is a descriptive-correlation in which a total of 171 children in the 8-12 age range were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling in districts 1, 4, 8 and 13 of Tehran and the Iranian version of the physical literacy test consisting of 4 subscales such as physical competence, daily physical activity, motivation and self-confidence, and knowledge and understanding was administered Further, Fathers completed a questionnaire about their occupational nature, corps, and their level of education. Findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ETA correlation coefficient, tindependent test, and one-way covariance analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23. Results: The physical literacy of children with staff fathers was more than those with father in the troop (Effect size = 0.36, t = -4.558, P<0.01). Furthermore, the physical literacy of children with fathers working in educational-section was greater than those whose fathers work in operational section (P= 0.05). Discussion and Conclusion: Children's physical literacy is related to the occupational nature of military fathers. These job natures can affect the children's active lifestyles. Knowing this relationship affects the physical literacy of children in military families and the implementation of appropriate movement and sports programs is needed to increase the physical literacy of these children, especially among girls. Further studies on the impact of other factors on physical literacy should be conducted.


The invention discloses a device and a method of simulation and testing of a finished car controller of a hybrid power car. Due to the fact that a PCI interface and a micro processor are used for communication, the device of simulation and testing of the finished car controller of the hybrid power car has the advantages of being good in reliability, high in transmission rate of data, and good in extendibility. Due to the fact that a mathematical model of a power unit is used for simulating a working state of an actual power unit, cost of a system is greatly reduced. The device of simulation and testing of the finished car controller of the hybrid power car comprises a micro processor unit, a PCI bus processing unit, a display unit and an interface board card. The display unit and the PCI bus processing unit are respectively connected with the micro processor unit. The interface board card is connected with the PCI bus processing unit through a PCI bus. The interface board card is connected with the finished car controller to be detected. Therefore, configuration can be conveniently carried out on the structure of a finished car, relevant power unit parameters, an operation spectrum/a road spectrum, and port attributes of an interface board, and the system is good in generality. When the device and the method of simulation and testing of the finished car controller of the hybrid power car are used for testing a hybrid power finished car controller, a test period is shortened, test cost is reduced, and test results are good in stability and high in accuracy.


Residential property prices in Vienna have risen sharply since 2005 and to a lesser degree throughout Austria as well. This paper assesses whether the upward movement is justified by fundamental factors or whether it is exaggerated, using a fundamental residential property price indicator for Vienna and Austria to identify deviations between actual and fundamental real estate prices. The indicator consists of seven subindicators that address a variety of perspectives, including those related to households, investors and systemic factors. For Vienna, the indicator points to an increasing degree of overvaluation in property prices (by 20% in the second quarter of 2013). The primary driver behind this trend, which has recently experienced an especially pronounced surge, is the relative real estate price (compared to rentals, consumer prices and construction costs), which is only weakly mitigated by the increased affordability of home ownership. Of note, the overvaluation evident in the indicator does not suggest that an abrupt price correction will occur in the near future. Rather, such imbalances may subside gradually, as happened in the wake of the price hikes experienced in the early 1990s. For Austria overall, the indicator points to a persistent 6% undervaluation, despite a recent uptick in prices. Diminishing loan growth and declining household indebtedness suggest that a high percentage of equity financing is being used in property investments. At present, therefore, the recent increases of residential property prices in Vienna and Austria do not pose a serious threat to financial stability.


SUMMARY This paper presents an analytic technique for deleting predictor variables from a linear regression model when principal components of X'X are removed to adjust for multicollinearities in the data. The technique can be adapted to commonly used variable selection procedures such as backward elimination to eliminate redundant predictor variables without appreciably increasing the residual sum of squares. An analysis of the pitprop data of Jeffers (1967) is performed to illustrate the methods proposed in the paper. THE use of principal component procedures in either multivariate analysis or multiple linear regression generally results in a reduction of the rank of the variable space. A shortcoming often mentioned, however, is that there is no corresponding reduction in the number of original variables which must be measured. Draper (1964) became well aware of this problem when he attempted to eliminate redundant quality tests on reels of paper. Although Draper concludes that the principal components do not aid in deciding which properties of the paper to test, Jeffers (1965) argues they do, in fact, provide such information. Jolliffe (1972) discusses eight methods of reducing the number of variables in multivariate problems, four of which utilize principal components. In a second paper, Jolliffe (1973) applies five of the eight techniques to real data, including a multiple linear regression analysis. This latter example concerns the pitprop data of Jeffers (1967), in which he used principal com- ponents to provide insight into which physical properties should be used to investigate the compressive strength of the props. The purpose of this paper is to present another method of reducing the number of indepen- dent variables in a principal component regression analysis. The procedure first deletes principal components associated with small latent roots of X'X and then incorporates an analog of the backward elimination procedure (e.g. Draper and Smith, 1966, Chapter 6) to eliminate the independent variables. This furnishes an analytic procedure for deleting vari- ables, when using a principal component analysis, which is based upon minimal increases in residual sums of squares.


Preeclampsia is one of the most common obstetric pathologies affecting the level of maternal and perinatal loss. It is manifested through polyorganic dysadaptation state at pregnancy, and depends on the climatic conditions predetermined by fluctuations of temperature and atmospheric pressure. The objective of the work was to identify the frequency of severe preeclampsia in the Far North and the determination of the most sensitive markers of the state of preeclampsia of ulterior degree. Incidence rate of preeclampsia in the Northern areas of Irkutsk region is higher than in its Southern parts. The frequency of severe preeclampsia in these regions did not differ. The most sensitive markers of the state of maladjustment pregnant as a mild form of preeclampsia are the concentration ratios dienes and cortisol.


When a plurality of files are printed in a system wherein, when a file attachment is transmitted from a mobile device via e-mail, a corresponding print ID and password are received, and the print ID and password are inputted into an image forming device, it is possible to print the file, it becomes necessary to choose the file to be printed after inputting the print ID and password. According to the present invention, even if a plurality of files are attached to an e-mail message, one print ID and password are issued for the plurality of files, and one print ID and password are associated with the plurality of files.


The word liaison means communication and contact between groups or units. However, implicit in this definition is the assumption that liaison between any two groups is started or maintained to achieve specific objectivesusually, for the common good. Ordinarily, in the clinical setting, liaison activities go on all the time between different units of the health care team and this should be viewed as necessary to facilitate delivery ofgood quality patient care. Whereas clinical liaison is inherent in the routine of all clinical disciplines, it occupies a more formal role in the business of a few, including chemical pathology (clinical biochemistry). Traditionally, clinical liaison is considered a vital component of the duties of chemical pathology staff, both medical and scientific grade, 2 and its importance has been reemphasised in the Audit Commission report.3 Liaison activities add value to laboratory service and help to ensure that the service mirrors the requirements for the clinical case mix.' Trainees are expected to acquire experience in this aspect by a process of apprenticeship and practical application. However, despite the acknowledged importance of liaison work in chemical pathology, it has often been taken for granted and very little has been formally written about it. The ingredients of good liaison practice need to be articulated, not only for educational and training purposes but also to ensure a fairly uniform approach to the service. Personal experience and other anecdotal evidence indicate that clinical liaison services in chemical pathology vary in content, depth, style, and outcomes from one hospital to another. This brief article gives an overview of the process of clinical liaison and the tools required for an effective and rewarding practice.


Physical education is an important setting for the promotion of personal resources of children and adolescents. One of the main personal resources in education in general and physical education in particular is self-efficacy. The current study investigated the association between physical education-related self-efficacy and basic psychological need satisfaction according to Self-Determination Theory in adolescent students. A total of 708 students from grades nine to eleven were surveyed using questionnaires. The results of a linear regression analysis indicated that there is a relationship between the need for competence satisfaction and physical education-related self-efficacy (Rcorr= 0.29, p< 0.001, f2= 0.40), while the need for autonomy and the need for relatednesswere not related to self-efficacy. One possible interpretation is that the feeling of being competent in physical education enables the development of positive self-efficacy. As practical implications, the implementation of assessment systems in physical education is recommended, focusing on students' individual performance to positively influence competence satisfaction and, subsequently, self-efficacy.


Advertising tends to portray products as a magical power to achieve a happier life, a success in career, or an enhancement in self-esteem, which plays an indispensable role in promoting consumers' enthusiasm towards products. The aim of this article is to explore the connection between advertising, purchase attitude and behaviors from the semiotic perspective. This involves the significance of advertising's development and impacts, the persuasive process of advertising, semiotic system, and latent values in advertisements.


The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Traditional and System-based Management examination in computer in AMA School, Olongapo City Philippines. The researcher employed the use of descriptive-analysis method of research with the used of questionnaire and documentary analysis. The study covered the one-hundred twenty (120) BSCS and BSIT student respondents from AMA Computer College-Olongapo City Philippines. Most of the student-respondent perceived to be Moderately Effective (ME) in the traditional examination approach and perceived to be Effective (E) in system-based management approach of examination. Overall findings support the superiority of System-based Management Examination of Computer Subjects. Recommendations are also provided.


Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States and worldwide. Echogenic liposomes (ELIP) are theragonistic ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) being developed for the early detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Stability of the echogenicity of ELIP in physiologic conditions is crucial to their successful translation to clinical use. The stability of ELIP echogenicity was determined in vitro under physiologic conditions of total dissolved gas concentration, temperature, and hydrodynamic pressure in porcine plasma and whole blood. Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) have the potential to nucleate cavitation and promote both beneficial and deleterious bioeffects in vivo. Previous studies have elucidated the pressure amplitude threshold for rapid loss of echogenicity due to UCA fragmentation as a function of pulse duration and pulse repetition frequency (PRF). Previous studies have also demonstrated that UCA fragmentation was concomitant with inertial cavitation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between stable and inertial cavitation thresholds and loss of echogenicity of ELIP as a function of pulse duration and pulse repetition frequency. Determining the relationship between cavitation thresholds and loss of echogenicity of ELIP would enable monitoring of cavitation based upon the on-screen echogenicity in clinical applications. ELIP were insonified by a clinical ultrasound scanner in duplex spectral Doppler mode at four pulse durations and four PRFs in a static fluid and in a flow system. Cavitation emissions from the UCAs insonified by Doppler pulses were recorded using a single-element passive cavitation detection (PCD) system and a passive cavitation


Due to the condition of the original material, there are unavoidable flaws in this reproduction. We have made every effort possible to provide you with the best copy available. If you are dissatisfied with this product and find it unusable, please contact Document Services as soon as possible. Some pages in the original document contain text that runs off the edge of the page.


First paragraph: Are you an effective teacher of problem solving? Teachers often wonder if their students are really thinking critically and reasoning to solve difficult, demanding problem solving tasks. They wonder if they are doing the right things to make sure that problem solving is happening in their classrooms. During the past three years, I have watched teachers implement problem solving. After observing and researching their problem solving practices, I have developed a quiz that might help you decide if what you think you are doing in your classroom is really making students solve problems.


Our paper provides support for Tan's Metamorphosis Concept of early speech-language development, conceptualised as a change in activation balance from the right (RH) to left hemisphere (LH) of joint affect-motor (A MPs) and affect-linguistic paradigms (A L Ps). These are RH neural networks in their earliest forms, changing into LH networks, activated for elaboration of language. Several lines of research lead towards the idea that the RH plays a dominant role before the three-word-sentence stage. First many findings point to RH significance for affect in verbal and nonverbal pragmatics, i.e. affect in body language and speech; there is RH dominance for emotions, especially for aspects that are automatic expressive and autonomic, and often for the preconscious aspect, as well. In infancy these aspects prevail over formal, conceptual and deliberative LH aspects. Second, in infants there is also a multimodal object learning process, an RH function, including word-sound and its accompanying affect. Third, electrophysiological work points to early LH activation for formal speech sounds, to prevalent RH activation if what is concerned is the difference between known and unknown words, and dichotic listening tests point to LH dominance from age 4 only. Fourth, lesion and split-brain studies suggest that the child and adult RH contain old speech remnants, and in early brain damage after age 2, beginning speech can use these remnants to develop elaborated grammatical language, though usually not as well as when there is a normally developed LH. Fifth, there is research suggesting the close connection of early motor function and speech Introduction There has been very little electrophysiological and neuroimaging research into speech development in infancy for the obvious reason that conducting experiments on children at that age is extremely difficult. Theorizing about neurological development in this domain comes from electrophysiological and dichotic listening studies, the nosology of developmental language disorders and brain lesions, studies of people with a split brain, and speech perception studies. There has been some theorizing, but very few people have proposed a complete neurolinguistic concept, i.e. a concept entailing the neural networks for speech and motor function in ontogenesis, developmental linguistics and the role of speech-language in the child's affective life. To our knowledge, one of those who did this was the late Xavier Tan, a Dutch child neuropsychiatrist. He presented his hypothesis, which he called the Metamorphosis Concept in an article he wrote in Dutch in 1990. Another was John Locke, a developmental psychologist and linguist, who in 1993 proposed a concept of language development that in some aspects overlaps with Tan's. Tan and Locke were not informed about each other's hypotheses. Bates et al. (1992, 1997, 1999) suggested that the RH plays a role and that neural change is going on in young children when their language develops; their work on brain-lesioned children supported this hypothesis. The present authors worked with Tan for nearly 25 years. A typical saying of his was: 'Science creates categories, which do not really exist in life or art'. In 1982 Tan founded the Foundation for Developmental Dysphasia and was the leader of the treatment team. He prepared an English translation of his book that came out in Dutch (2005), but his untimely death in 2003 prevented publication. Tan's Metamorphosis Concept will be presented, citing excerpts from his writings. We will comment on the most important aspects of this concept in the Discussion. The Metamorphosis Concept: affect-motor and affect-linguistic paradigm from right to left hemisphere. What follows is Tan's explanaton. The Metamorphosis Concept is a concept of speech-language development which aims to 'translate' speech-language phenomena and processes into neuronal terms. The word metamorphosis, meaning transformation from one form into another, comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The background of my hypothesis is – beyond clinical observation – Greek art and philosophy, which were based on the concept of chaos versus cosmos, used as metaphors for my neurological hypothesis. Chaos: an ever changing, undefined, unmeasurable world with seemingly random impressions, causing a constant state of anxiety. Cosmos: a world of order, patterns, measurability, where everything functions perfectly and can be 1 © 2007 Copyright Suyi Publications perfectly understood. Rooted in this way of thinking were two aesthetic Greek principles: 1.The analysis of forms into their component parts, based on symmetria (commensurability) and rhythmos (pattern). 2. Representation of the specific in light of the generic. In my concept it is the search for typical and essential forms (cf. the first AMPs and ALPs). According to J.J. Pollitt (1972), whose work is the source of the ideas that follow, there is remarkable development in 'kouroi' ('kouros' is the Greek word for 'male youth'; the plural is 'kouroi'). These sculptures of a naked, standing male figure, were made in Greece from 650 to 480 B.C. The kouros was a heightened representation of human consciousness, evolving from a symmetric, formal and impersonal form in the Archaic period to a personal, expressive, living one in the early Classical period. In fact there is a development from symmetria to rhythmos. Instead of the stiff postures of the Archaic period, the later figures are in what is called contraposto posture, a relaxed asymmetrical pose of the human body, in which the shoulders and hips are turned in different planes. This shows bilateral coordination allowing for axial body midline crossing (see further general remarks in the Discussion). Symmetria is easier to understand than rhythmos. In psychoanalytical thinking, the anal stage is symmetria. The colour of the relationship of the child to its parents in this stage is 'symmetrical', i.e. equivalent, in contrast to the oedipal stage, when the child becomes aware of gender differences and asymmetry sets in. Madame de Maintenon said of Versailles: 'Ici on meurt en symmétrie', suggesting a static culture in a symmetric architectural setting. Being 'higher' in the hierarchy of development, being more complex, may explain the fact that rhythmos is more difficult to understand than symmetria. It is no wonder that the term rhythmos is practically unknown nowadays. Literature on this subject is scarce and hard to find. The only texts that come to mind are Aristoxenos' On Rhythmos and the studies written by Petersen (1917) and Pollitt (1972). In my Metamorphosis Concept I assume that the human organism's development is based upon this same principle, from chaos to cosmos, upon this need for order. We know from embryology that the developmental stages of phylogeny (the evolution of a species) pass through ontogeny (development of an individual) in rapid succession. It is my firm belief that development from symmetria to rhythmos is repeated in the development of praxis, speech and language, at least in its earliest stages. The transition of speech-language and praxis from the RH to the LH also supposes a change in state of mind and consciousness, linked to hemispheric involvement, finally ending in a dynamic system of balanced interhemispheric cooperation, an integration of asymmetrically controlled functions. A brief description of the historical background of hemisphere specialization. European aphasiology, starting with Broca (1824-1880) and Wernicke (1848-1905), put forward the idea that specific lesions may impair the ability to communicate. However, Jackson (1834-1911) wrote: 'To locate the damage which destroys speech and to locate speech are two different things'. Jackson was the first to mention the speech automatisms involved in aphasia and the first to point out the influence of emotion on the 'remnants of speech', and he learned to differentiate between voluntary (propositional) and emotional (automatic or involuntary) speech. Early in the twentieth century a movement emerged (Marie, Goldstein, Lashley), that moved away from the specific cerebral localization theory. During the Second World War and afterwards, there was a revival of the cerebral localization theory, led in the Soviet Union by Luria, and in the United States by Penfield a.o. Split-brain operations performed in the Sixties (Sperry, Bogen and Gazzaniga) provided a wealth of information, especially on hemisphere specialization and the functions of the corpus callosum (CC). Less bloody were the dichotic listening tests done by Kimura (1963), which made it possible to demonstrate the functional asymmetry of the hemispheres. The changing terminology – specialization of the hemispheres instead of dominant; 'major' hemisphere (left) versus the non-dominant 'minor' hemisphere – in these matters seems to be a reflection of the prevailing conceptions. The elegant auditory tests of Kimura (1963), the split-brain experiments of Sperry in the Sixties and the work of Molfese (1972) on asymmetric speech perception at birth should have led to a total revision of the concept of speech-language development. Yet few questioned why this had not happened by the end of the twentieth century. The introduction of a new concept of speech-language development – the Metamorphosis Concept – has to be seen against this historical background. Over and over I have asked myself how linguistic data should be 'translated' into neuronal terms. We need to clarify some basic ideas in order to understand the Metamorphosis Concept. Speaking involves the ears (hearing speech), the brain (hemispheres, corpus callosum) and the voice/speech apparatus (vocal chords, speech musculature, palate, tongue). Moreover, in my concept, determinants of speech-language development are a child's caretakers who share with it: 1. relation; 2. bodily contact; 3. movement; 4. imitation; 5 play. Some words on the role of the right hemisph


Abstract Joko Widodo (nicknamed Jokowi) is Indonesia's 7 th President, elected amid strong popular hope for a new, clean, and effective government. With the support from Indonesia's Democratic Party for Struggle (PDIP), Jokowi won popular support (53%) against Prabowo (47%) in the 2014 election. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of Jokowi's political communication from the general election up to his presidency (2014-2015). Furthermore, the paper discusses Jokowi's international image through verbal and non-verbal communication. Prabowo, his rival during the election, depicted Jokowi as an Enemy of Islam, a supporter of Christianity, an anti-Muslim, a Zionist, and a mere puppet of the West, in addition to drawing attention to his Chinese descent. Jokowi's main supporters were volunteers, or "the people's coalition" as the media called them. Jokowi's victory was due to the strong support of volunteers who had made effective use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, SMS, and online games). Jokowi's most significant volunteers were performers and musicians who successfully organized spectacular music concerts for free. These concerts enabled the increase of popular support significantly. After Jokowi became President, people's expectations were very high. Their expectations were tempered by previous experiences when Indonesia was challenged by corruption perpetrated at various levels of government as well as business interests. This research aims to analyze Jokowi's political communication performance and international image using the Strength, Weakness, Threat and Opportunity (SWOT) analysis. It concludes that Jokowi's failures were due to poor political communication management. However, his changes in political strategies and management of coalition parties have successfully gained both media and popular support .


The ability to classify different types of signal modulations in radio transmissions is an important task with applications in defense, networking, and communications. This process has traditionally been done manually by human analysts. Recent advances have shown that applying deep learning methods to this task is feasible. But existing recognition networks are complex, with heavy computational requirements, and poor accuracy on some modulation types and in noisy environmentsWe have built a robust radio frequency signal classifier with a hybrid approach that uses images derived from signal constellation and spectrogram data, combined with an efficient convolutional neural network. Compared to the state-of-the-art deep learning classifier, our system obtains better accuracy, with lower computational requirements.


To discuss the role of Ontology Matching Algorithm in linguistic features, the application fields of Ontology Matching Algorithm are introduced firstly. Then, the major Ontology Systems and typical Ontology Matching Frameworks are discussed so that the concept of Ontology Matching Algorithm is Clear. Thirdly, to further explore the importance of Ontology Matching Algorithm in linguistic, the Ontology Matching Algorithm based on semantic (Omabos) is Analysed. At last, the Ontology Matching Algorithm based on linguistic features (Omablf) is designed and verified. The results show that the presented Algorithm has good effects. However, any kind of Matching Algorithm always has its drawbacks and is difficult to do well in each aspect of matching. Therefore, in practical applications, Matching Systems are usually synthesized by a variety of different types of Matching Algorithms (element level or structure level), to achieve a good matching effect.


A micropropagation method is described for banana ( Musa Spp .) Cv. Grand Naine. Suckers were surface sterilized with HgCl 2 (0.1%) for 6 min which gave minimum contamination with maximum culture establishment. Of various treatment combinations, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium + BAP 4.00 mg/l with IAA 2.00 mg/l resulted in maximum establishment of cultures in lesser time. MS medium + BAP 4.00 mg/l + IAA 2.00 mg/l gave maximum multiple shoots. Maximum rooting was obtained on MS medium (half strength) supplemented with IBA 1.00 mg/l and activated charcoal 200 mg/l. Keywords: Grand naine, micro propagation, murashige and skoog medium, Musa spp. and suckers. African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(27) 2696-2703


Anesthesiologists use a variety of drugs that have non-anesthetic, pharmacological properties that could reduce early and long term mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The use of specific anesthetic drugs (1 3) and techniques (4), together with drugs managed mainly by cardiac anesthesiologists (5 9) have recently been associated with improved perioperative survival in cardiac surgery . (10) The numbers needed to treat are impressive (Table 1).


A silicon based 3D structure is intended to be used as a sensorgrid for robots, like an "artificial skin". Aim
is to simulate the tactile sense of a human skin on a robot. To achieve an optimal sensor geometry, various
test are carried out. Part of the test series is a structural simulation of the sensor with ANSYS®. In this
document, the results of different structural simulations like
• pure displacement with three different electrode geometries,
• deformation of a Taxel with Bumper under external force,
• deformation of a Taxel without Bumper under external force
will be presented.


Introduction: the development of legislation in the field of non-stationary retail trade in general and the use of public lands or land plots for the placement of non-stationary retail facilities (NSRFs) in particular have long been under the attention of the legislator. Several bills were drafted for this purpose, which, however, were subsequently rejected. The search for a model of legal regulation of the use of public lands or land plots for the placement of NSRFs resulted in supplementing the Land Code of the Russian Federation with Chapter V.6. To regulate the relations in question, the legislator introduced an original construction of titleless use of public lands or land plots, which has not yet received an unambiguous assessment from both researchers and law enforcers. Purpose: to provide scientific and theoretical substantiation of the need to regulate the analyzed relations within the framework of land legislation on the basis of a civil contract of lease. Methods: general scientific methods (method of formal and dialectical logic; methods of comparison, description, interpretation) and special scientific methods (formal legal; grammatical, historical, systematic, logical, and teleological interpretation of legal norms). Result: relations on the placement of NSRFs on public lands or land plots are, according to the author, unreasonably excluded from the scope of the Land Code of the Russian Federation. The regulation of these relations in Federal Law No. 381-FZ 'On the Basic Principles of State Regulation of Trading Activities in the Russian Federation' not only did not simplify the procedure and conditions for using public lands or land plots for the placement of NSRFs but turned out to be practically unrealizable. Currently, the procedure and conditions for the placement of NSRFs on public lands or plots are mainly regulated by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, whose acts allow for variability in the legal formalization of relations in these cases. Contrary to the provisions of Item 1 of Article 39.36 of the Land Code of the Russian Federation, the relations on the placement of NSRFs on public lands or land plots are mediated not by the scheme of placement, but by a contract for an NSRF placement or lease. Comparing these contracts, the author finds no grounds for classifying the contract for the placement of an NSRF as a separate type of contract (non-typed contract). Given the above, the regulation of the relations in question should be carried out under the Land Code of the Russian Federation by providing land plots, their parts as well as lands for lease.


This paper, a discussion of the methodology of matrix sampling, and the empirical and theoretical research on matrix sampling, attempts to demonstrate the f llowing points: 1. Matrix sampling can be viewed as a simple two factor, random model analysis of variance design, the matrix sampling formulas for estimating the mean and variance being simply the point estimate formulas for estimating components of the underlying linear model. 2. These formulas can be based on the weakest possible set of assumptions, viz., random and independent sampling of examinees and items. No assumptions about the statistical nature of the data need be made. 3. The literature is unclear about what effect the above sampling assumptions have upon matrix sampling in the estimation of the mean and, especially, the variance. 4. Of the three alternative procedures suggested for dealing with negative variance estimates in multiple matrix sampling--equating the negative estimate to zero, Winsorizing the distribution of estimates, or treating all estimates alike regardless of sign--the third procedure appears to be most promising. A simulation study is necessary to determine the shape of the distribution of variance component estimates for matrix sampling as well as the relative efficiency of the three methods for handling negative estimates.


The SLAC Library has for many years provided SPIRES-HEP, a 300,000 record bibliographic database, to the world particle physics community via the Internet as well as through clone sites in Europe and Japan. The 1991 introduction of the e-print archives at LANL coupled with the World-Wide-Web (WWW) from CERN suddenly made it possible to provide easy linkage between bibliographic database records and the actual full-text of papers. The SLAC Library has turned this possibility into reality by converting hundreds of TeX source documents each month into viewable postscript complete with figures. These (now more than 20,000) postscript files are linked to the HEP database, and the full-text is rendered universally visible via WWW. We discuss the project, the collaboration of physicists and librarians, what is easy, what is hard, and our vision for the future.


Strained Si1-yCy epilayers with up to 1.48% C content have been grown on Si(001) by RP-CVD using the low-cost precursors disilane and trimethylsilane. These epilayers, with higher C content, were found to form point defects throughout growth resulting in amorphous hillocks forming on the epilayer surface. The size and density of these surface defects increases with C content and epilayer thickness. With substitutional C compositions above 1.48% the hillocks fuse on the surface and subsequent amorphous growth occurs.


In this paper, we report the experimental Compton profile (CP) of TiB2 using high energy 137Cs γ-rays Compton spectrometer. To interpret the experimental momentum density, we have calculated the CPs using Hartree-Fock (HF), density functional theory (DFT) and hybridization of DFT and HF within linear combination of atomic orbitals. The theoretical profile with generalized gradient approximation is found to be relatively in better agreement with the experimental profile. A sharp valley in density of states and hence the pseudogap near the Fermi energy is attributed to hybridization of Ti-3d and B-2p states and almost reverse trend of energy bands below and above the Fermi energy.


We investigate laser-induced torques in magnetically noncollinear ferromagnets with a spin-spiral magnetic structure using ab initio calculations. Since spin spirals may be used to approximate the magnetization gradients locally in domain walls and skyrmions, our method may be used to obtain the laser-induced torques in such objects from a multiscale approach. Employing the generalized Bloch theorem, we obtain the electronic structure computationally efficiently. We employ our method to assess the laser-induced torques in bcc Fe, hcp Co, and ${L}_{1}0$ FePt when a spin-spiral magnetic structure is imposed. We find that the laser-induced torques in these magnetically noncollinear systems may be orders of magnitude larger than those in the corresponding magnetically collinear systems and that they exist for both linearly and circularly polarized light. This result suggests that laser-induced torques driven by noncollinear magnetic order or by magnetic fluctuations may contribute significantly to processes in ultrafast magnetism.


. Integration of electricity and gas networks increases system flexibility while also increasing energy efficiency. In such a connected infrastructure, the energy hub (EH) plays a critical role in energy production, conversion, and storage. This research provides a new method to EH operation that takes into account renewable energy sources (RESs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The suggested model's goal is to reduce total energy costs by optimising total energy prices based on hourly power and heat demand while taking into account hub restrictions. The impact of energy prices, load demands, RESs, and BESS on the EH model's performance has also been explored. Three operational case studies based on distinct EH structures were used to investigate the optimization problem. The CPLEX solver in the general algebraic modelling system (GAMS) software is used to solve a Mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation for the optimization problem. The simulation findings demonstrate a decrease in the cost of market-purchased energy.


Previous research indicated that a positive body image is indirectly related to young adult women's sexual satisfaction through protecting them from appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy. The aim of the present study was to investigate thin-ideal internalization as a potential factor associated with positive body image, and subsequently ap-pearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy and sexual satisfaction.Using a cross-sectional design, 250 young adult Dutch women (age: M = 22.98, SD = 2.98) filled in an online survey measuring the relevant variables.A path analysis revealed that lower thin-ideal internalization was related to greater sexual satisfaction through a more posi-tive body image and less appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy, and also consecutively via both.These findings suggest that thin-ideal internalization may trigger processes that are detrimental to sexual satisfaction in women. Consequently, strengthening sociocultural pressure resistance skills in young adult women could facilitate the de-velopment and maintenance of positive sexual experiences.


Abstract School based sexuality education remains a hotly debated topic in the United States. Two key areas of this debate focus on teacher preparation to instruct sexuality education and teachers' attitudes and comfort with the subject matter. This article describes the development and psychometric testing of the Teachers' Attitude and Comfort Scale. This simple-to-use instrument has acceptable construct validity and internal consistency on five domains including teacher's concern, comfort, and attitude toward sexuality.


We find tight upper bound on the coherence of a superposition of two states in terms of the coherence of the two states constituting the superposition with l1-norm of coherence. Our upper bound is tighter than the one presented by Liu, et al. [Quantum Inf. Process. 15 (2016) 4209.] We also generalize the results to the case that the superposition is constituted with more than two states in high dimension, and we give the corresponding upper bounds.


The wetland on the Yellow River delta is resulting from the interaction between the Yellow River'strong continent-making activities and erosion of seacoast.Based on environmental structure,characteristics and the status quo and design of the social development,14 main factors of three kinds have been selected using the Analytic Hierachy Process(AHP) to carry on their rank processing and weight assignment for their influence on ecological environment.This is the foundation to plan,manage and protect the wetland landscape on Yellow River delta.


We propose a shift from the current paradigm of electricity markets treating stochastic producers similarly to conventional ones in terms of their offers. We argue that the producers' offers should be probabilistic to reflect the limited predictability of renewable energy generation, while we should design market mechanisms to accommodate such offers. We argue that the transition from deterministic offers is a natural next step in electricity markets, by analytically proving our proposal's equivalence with a two-price conventional market.


The present invention is a bone healing bone fragments integrated clips, an improved insertion tool, the insertion of the clip improved method and an improved surgical implement the system and the clip insertion tool. The clip comprises two at least substantially parallel to each other and extending insert comprises two legs joined at the top; a connecting bridge, which connects the legs engage on at least two opposite the insertion portion, which comprises at least two bridges , the elongated portion extending along an opposite side surface of the elongated portion extending along a linear trajectory, to form a non-linear deformation area, such as grooves or dome; wherein the engagement between the legs having respective insertion along the opposite portions substantially all of the respective helical screw extending from the surface, making it easy to remove the clip in the bone fusion fragment. This improved clip may be made of any biocompatible material comprises a shape memory alloy (such as Nitinol) a. The improved insertion tool, a force can be applied on top of the stepped or step-lap clip.


This edited book provides a valuable, unique and scholarly contribution to the study of Black families (African and African Caribbean) in the UK. It combines a systematic yet clear-headed approach with up-to-date and well-researched data to support its many stimulating assertions


The purpose of this report is to clarify the effects of sound insulation achieved by installing partitions on a counter. From the results of numerical experiments, the following aspects were clarified. When two parallel partitions are installed on both sides of a speaker and a listener, the sound pressure level at the waiting area is raised. When some booths are compartmentalized on a counter using parallel partitions, the sound insulation to other booths cannot be achieved in the case of partitions with a low absorption coefficient but can be achieved in the case of partitions with a high absorption coefficient. The purpose of this report is to clarify the effects of sound insulation achieved by installing partitions on a counter. From the results of numerical experiments, the following aspects were clarified. When two parallel partitions are installed on both sides of a speaker and a listener, the sound pressure level at the waiting area is raised. When some booths are compartmentalized on a counter using parallel partitions, the sound insulation to other booths cannot be achieved in the case of partitions with a low absorption coefficient but can be achieved in the case of partitions with a high absorption coefficient.


Having carried out a number of studies in this direction, the authors found that for the secretory and motor activity of the stomach there are, apparently, different independent centers in the cerebral cortex. Therefore, for example, in brain tumors the acidity of gastric juice is increased, while the motor function is delayed.


This paper presents a damage identification method based on topology optimization and Lasso regularization. The method uses static displacements or dynamic responses to identify damages of structures. The method has the potential to identify damages with high fidelity, in comparison with ordinary damage identification method based on optimization with parameterized geometry of the damages. However, it is difficult to precisely detect damage using topology optimization due mostly to the large number of design variables. Therefore, supposing that the damage is sufficiently small, we propose a method adding Lasso regularization to the objective functions to suppress active design variables during topology optimization process. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conducted a set of numerical experiments for static and dynamic problems. We have succeeded in suppressing active design variables and delete artificially generated damages and the location and shape of damage have been precisely identified.


Those immunologists old enough to remember doing experiments at a time when music by the Beatles might have been playing in the background, data were plotted with pencils and graph paper, and gene cloners were the bacteriologists somewhere down the corridor, will remember that T cells were either OKT4 or OKT8, the latter population confusingly termed 'suppressor/cytotoxic'.1 Those for whom all the above terms are mysterious should find an ageing laboratory head to ask. Nowadays, OKT8 cells are termed CD8, and mechanisms by which they can regulate or suppress other responses have been characterized in a number of examples.2,3 One mechanism by which this can occur is through the release of cytokines that condition dendritic cells (DC), leading to immune deviation of DC-stimulated responses. A number of recent papers, including the work from Noble and colleagues in this volume, characterize the ability of various T-cell populations to modulate DC function in this way.4–8

DC are pivotal antigen-presenting cells (APC) in the immune system, because of their unique ability to induce primary immune responses.9 There exists a complex, bi-directional interaction between the DC and the T cell that determines the nature of the response that the activated T cell will subsequently mount. Viewed as a conventional interaction between an APC and a CD4 T cell, polarization of the T cell to a T helper type 1 (Th1) or Th2 phenotype may be determined by several factors, including the nature, dose and binding affinity of the antigenic peptide, structural features of the T-cell receptor (TCR), and the expression of co-stimulatory molecules.10 Furthermore, the nature of the DC may itself confer inherent skewing to a Th1 or Th2 outcome. Two publications during 1999 defined DC subpopulations, in mice and humans, respectively, that conferred Th1/Th2 skewing on the subsequent responses.11,12 Rissoan and colleagues, working with human DC, showed that peripheral-blood-monocyte-derived, interleukin-4 (IL-4)/granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating-factor-expanded immature myeloid DC (DC1) preferentially induce a strong interferon-γ (IFN-γ) response from co-cultured, allogeneic CD45RO− CD4 T cells.11 Conversely, the DC2 population, derived from plasmacytoid cells preferentially induce IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 from T cells. While the precise developmental relationship between the subsets of DC that have been characterized in mice and humans is not yet clear, similar observations were made by Moser's group working in a murine model.12 CD8α+ or CD8α− DC were pulsed with keyhole limpet haemocyanin and used to prime mice in vivo. Priming with the former population led to a polarized Th1 response and priming with the latter population gave a Th2 response. In the context of a dynamic immune system with APC presenting diverse antigens to T cells, it may be inappropriate to hard-wire the T-cell cytokine response in a fixed way to the identity of the presenting DC. Indeed, it now appears that there is a high degree of flexibility and even reversibility with respect to modulation of DC function by local cytokines or stimulation with pathogens.13,14

If DC require cytokine priming to activate T cells, but T cells are the main source of immune cytokines, how can the arming process ever proceed? The answer of course is that in the physiological context, this cytokine milieu for DC maturation and polarization can be triggered as a direct result of DC exposure to infectious agents, that is, through innate immunity.14,15 Binding of bacterial lipopolysaccharide to toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 on DC leads to activation for Th1 responses.15 DC can also be polarized to stimulate Th1 responses by Bordetella pertussis toxin, while different strains of Candida albicans can license for either Th1 or Th2 activation (Fig. 1).16,17 In general, the licensing of DC for Th1 activation is associated with the stimulation of tumour necrosis factor-α and/or IL-12 from the DC. In studies using cholera toxin, heat-killed yeast and zymosan granules, all of which have been shown to promote the activation of Th2 responses by DC, this can ensue from the induction of IL-10, inhibiting the release of Th1-promoting cytokines, although it is not invariably accompanied by IL-10 release.14,18

Figure 1

Mediators and cell types known to license dendritic cells for T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 activation.

Recently another facet has been added to this model with the realization that the licensing of DC for activation of T cells may be achieved not just through innate recognition of infectious agents but through the release of cytokines from T cells. That is, T cells activate or differentiate DC permitting appropriate presentation to T cells. This presupposes that there are populations of T cells with the ability to mount a rapid cytokine response at the very initiation of presentation. A number of recent papers address the nature of these T cells and the impact of their DC programming. Indeed, even in the context of activation by bacterial products such as lipopolysaccharide, DC can lose the ability to produce IL-12 on subsequent CD40 ligation by naive cells unless supplied with T-cell-derived IFN-γ.19 One solution to the problem of a rapid T-cell response to arm DC for Th1 responses comes from the observation that immature, human, myeloid DC express very low levels of human leucocyte antigen class II, but abundant CD1 molecules which can be recognized by the γδ receptors of Vδ1 cells.5 This maturation process involves the production of both tumour necrosis factor-α and IL-12. In another example, using lymphochoriomeningitis virus TCR transgenic T cells, naive CD8 T cells were able to support DC maturation.4 A related model used alloreactive, naive CD40L-negative CD8 cells that were able to respond to class I/peptide with an extremely rapid, DC-polarizing IFN-γ response.6 The experiments reported by Noble and colleagues in this issue add to this story and reiterate the DC regulatory role of CD8 cells.8 The groups of Noble and Kemeny have proposed that CD8 cells can regulate immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses; the present findings offer a clear mechanism for this through the CD8-mediated modulation of DC function for immune deviation from a Th2 to a Th1 phenotype.5 In an earlier paper using CD8 cells from the OT-I TCR transgenic line specific for ovalbumin it had been shown that CD8 T cells had the ability to inhibit the IgE response to antigen. This was not dependent on a direct effect of T-cell-derived IFN-γ on Th1/Th2 skewing, but on the ability of CD8 cells (but not CD4) cells to induce IL-12 release from DC.5 In the present paper, this principle is extended to the analysis of the graft-versus-host reaction, which also encompasses hyper-IgE reactivity. The experimental model is the transfer of parental strain splenocytes into (BALB/c × C57BL/6)F1 recipients. The control of Th1/Th2 responses and IgE class switching by CD8 cells is confirmed in this model since the removal of CD8 cells from the donor population causes a dramatic increase in IgE production. There is also an increase in the IgG1 anti-DNA autoantibody response. Again, the effect of the CD8 population appears to be independent of their own IFN-γ release but dependent on their ability to elicit a rapid IL-12/IL-18 response in the DC.

A better understanding of these events should open up another front on which we can hope to manipulate the Th1/Th2 polarization that contributes to inappropriate immune reactivity in autoimmunity and asthma. The knowledge that both innate recognition of pathogens by DC and specific activation of CD8 T cells can create the conditions for reprogramming of DC function and subsequent CD4 T-cell immune deviation offers a possible solution to the conundrum of the diverse array of infectious agents that can be causally related to the onset of autoimmunity. In the meantime, there is much work to be done on the detailed characterization of the very early events at the top of this cascade. We need to know which are the populations of CD8 cells that mediate this DC arming in vivo, precisely which cytokines are involved and what form of activation and signalling are required. Indeed, we lack even a clear model for what could be the nature of the DC maturational differences that would preferentially skew responses to Th1 or Th2.

For those too deferential to confront their ageing laboratory head, OKT4 and OKT8 were the early antibodies for human CD4 and CD8 cells and the Beatles were a pop group.


Abstract The spectral densities of p-methoxy-benaylidene-p-n-butylaniline (1O.4) were analysed using a new global target approach and a rotational diffusion model. The correlated internal motions are described by the decoupled model. We use the Nordio model and its extention to asymmetric molecules, the Tarroni and Zannoni (TZ) model, to analyse molecular reorientations. These diffusion models are compared in the nematic phase of 1O.4 and in the nematic and smectic A phases of 4O.8. Both models gave similar results for 1O.4, but for 4O.8 the TZ model appears to be more suitable.


Continuous-time (CT) SigmaDelta modulators seriously suffer from excess loop delay, which can not be seen in discrete-time designs. In this paper, it is shown that excess loop delay decreases the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), input dynamic range (DR) and stability in CT complex SigmaDelta modulator with CIFF topology. A method for its compensation is presented. The proposed compensation scheme has a unity delay in front of the quantizer and complex compensation coefficients which are determined by analysis of the ideal DT loop filter transfer function. The simulation results are compared to analytical considerations.


To explore the effect of methylphenidate on sleep and circadian rhythmicity, actigraphic sleep-wake rhythm, Dim Light Melatonin Onset (DLMO), Phase Angle Difference (PAD; time between DLMO and mid-sleep) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Rating Scale were assessed before and after 4-week treatment with methylphenidate in 10 adults with ADHD. During methylphenidate treatment DLMO did not change, while melatonin concentration at 23.00 hours increased. Phase advance type (PAD > 6 h) before treatment was associated with a greater treatment-related reduction in attention symptoms. These results suggest that PAD > 6 h might have a predictive value for the effect of methylphenidate.


1.5 The Joint Core Strategy forms part of the West Northamptonshire Local Development Framework (LDF): a folder of documents that will guide future development and use of land in West Northamptonshire for the Plan period up to 2026. The LDF will replace old-style Local Plans and will be used to assess all planning applications. Subsequent parts of the LDF will provide more detailed development management policies and will also allocate smaller, non-strategic sites for new development. 1.6 The preparation of the Joint Core Strategy has involved intensive research, evidence gathering and consultation including gaining and understanding the views and opinions of the general public, organisations and individuals with an interest in West Northamptonshire. Public involvement has been a continuous process throughout all stages of producing the document and has had a major influence in shaping the Joint Core Strategy.


The book is divided into three parts: one aspect concerning the plant itself, another concerned with soils, atmosphere, measurement of availability of nutrients and experimental approaches to the study of soil variables, and a third part containing case histories, mostly restricted to Great Britain and Australia. To say that the book is so divided does not imply that it is adequately organized to make its reading and understanding easier and to give a global, integral idea of its subject. I thought it rather inarticulate and this was not made up for by its reading being enjoyable; on the contrary, its style is rather telegraphic at times and quite a bit is left to the imagination of at least the layman. On the other hand, a specialist would find the book lacking since many important matters are treated superficially and references are rarely cited that may allow the reader to mend this deficiency. After a thorough examination of the book, and despite the author's foreword that the book is intended for students of agriculture, geography and ecology, I could not clearly see what kind of a background or foreknowledge was required in order to make the most of the book. Some concepts are evidently taken for granted, such as what the different carbon fixation pathways in plants and their importance for diverse ecosystems are, or how the known mechanisms for ion absorption and translocation work; this inconvenience could be overcome if some useful and up-todate reference textbooks were recommended in the list of text-books for suggested further reading, but I did not find any of this for the three aspects mentioned before. Since there is a noticeable paucity of information on such relevant matters, the question firstly addressed as to what level of readers is the book directed to (whether underor postgraduate students, or specialists from fields not familiar with the subject of the book) becomes even more relevant. The book gives good advice on sampling procedures, critical views on such matters as soil classification systems and the lack of necessity of a complicated one for ecologists, and a few fairly well chosen case histories to illustrate the procedures for formulation of hypotheses, experimental design and interpretation of results.


The application of the finite element method (superelement technique) in conjunction with basic concepts from mechanics of materials theory is demonstrated to predict the thermomechanical behavior of high temperature metal matrix composites (HTMMC). The simulated behavior is used as a basis to establish characteristic properties of a unidirectional composite idealized an as equivalent homogeneous material. The ply properties predicted include: thermal properties (thermal conductivities and thermal expansion coefficients) and mechanical properties (moduli and Poisson's ratio). These properties are compared with those predicted by a simplified, analytical composite micromechanics model. The predictive capabilities of the finite element method and the simplified model are illustrated through the simulation of the thermomechanical behavior of a P100-graphite/copper unidirectional composite at room temperature and near matrix melting temperature. The advantage of the finite element analysis approach is its ability to more precisely represent the composite local geometry and hence capture the subtle effects that are dependent on this. The closed form micromechanics model does a good job at representing the average behavior of the constituents to predict composite behavior.


Abstract The complex relationship between water and grapevine has been examined in several studies. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of water stress on photosynthesis, carbon-13 discrimination in leaves in different positions on the shoot, and the capacity of vines to recover from different levels of water stress intensity. The vine physiological responses to a water stress regimen followed by re-watering for two consecutive cycles was evaluated using potted 'Sangiovese' grapevines. The intensity and the duration of the water limitation affected the emergence and development of new leaves, but did not significantly affect leaf water potential. Leaf stomatal conductance and carbon assimilation during the first water-stress phase were reduced respectively by about 61% and 20%, while after the second water stress cycle both were lower than the initial values by 77% and 21%, respectively. After 1 day of re-watering, only the leaves located in the medial positions on the shoot showed a partial recovery of photosynthesis. After at least 2 days post-re-watering, the leaves located in the distal portion of the shoot showed a recovery of photosynthetic capacity. The results indicated that leaf position along the shoot, i.e., an indicator of leaf age, is an important variable in developing grapevine strategies in response to conditions of limited water availability.


Research summary : Despite knowledge about the importance of intermediaries in filling institutional voids, we do not understand how intermediaries facilitate institutional change. This research demonstrates how intermediaries use six rhetorical legitimation strategies—logos, ethos, pathos, autopoiesis, teleological, and anthropos appeals—to influence institutional change in Abia, Nigeria, that facilitate small-to-medium-enterprise (SME) development in the region. While the first five rhetorical legitimation strategies are used in both developed and emerging economies, the sixth strategy—anthropos appeals, which reflect the communal character of many African cultures—seems to be unique in this context. Our findings contribute to the literature by extending our understanding of the role of rhetorical legitimation strategies in bringing about institutional change, use of rhetoric to communicate entrepreneurial opportunities, and significance of nonmarket strategies for SMEs. Managerial summary : SMEs influence economic development in emerging economies but face many constraints. This research examines how intermediaries help reduce constraints SMEs in Nigeria encounter by facilitating institutional changes, through the use of six legitimation strategies (logos, pathos, ethos, autopoiesis, teleological, and anthropos). Also, this research explains how the institutional changes encourage the government to fill voids that generate beneficial outcomes to SMEs, emergent local intermediaries, the general public, and the government itself. Finally, this research finds that market actors in Nigeria use an Anthropos legitimation strategy when appealing to individuals in the local market to help with SME development. This strategy, which taps into the communal character of many African cultures and interestingly has some parallels with Confucianism philosophy, seems to be unique in emerging economies.


Exercises are an essential part of learning. Manual assessment of exercises requires efforts from instructors and can also lead to quality problems and inconsistencies between assessments. Especially with growing student populations, this also leads to delayed grading, and it is more and more difficult to provide individual feedback. The goal is to provide timely responses to homework submissions in large classes. By reducing the required efforts for assessments, instructors can invest more time in supporting students and providing individual feedback. This paper argues that automated assessment provides more individual feedback for students, combined with quicker feedback and grading cycles. We introduce a concept for automatic assessment of text exercises using machine learning techniques. Also, we describe our plans to use this concept in a case study with 1900 students.


The invention discloses a preparation method of medicinal D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium. The preparation method comprises the following steps: adding an organic solvent to hydroxyl methionine, then adding activated carbon, heating, refluxing, carrying out heat preservation, filtering, collecting filtrate, dropwise adding a calcium acetate aqueous solution to the filtrate, refluxing, distributing water, then carrying out heat preservation at the temperature of 75-78 DEG C for 3-8 hours, cooling, and filtering to obtain a D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium crude product; and adding an alcohol solvent to the D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium, refluxing, cooling, filtering and drying so as to obtain the D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium competitive product. The preparation method is characterized in that the commercially available hydroxyl methionine is used as a starting material, as the acidity of the hydroxyl methionine is stronger than that of acetic acid, the pH value does not need to be adjusted, and the calcium salt is formed by directly using the calcium acetate and the hydroxyl methionine. The content of the obtained D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium crude product is greater than or equal to 97.0%, and the purity of the D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium crude product is greater than or equal to 99.0%; the content of the D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium competitive product obtained by refinement of the alcohol solvent is greater than or equal to 99.0%, and the purity of the of the D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium competitive product is greater than or equal to 99.5%; the D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium competitive product meets the quantity standards of the medicinal D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium, and the total yield of the medicinal D, L-alpha-hydroxymethionine calcium is above 70%; the technology is simplified; the cost is reduced; the product quality is good.


Regulatory T cell (Treg) is a hallmark of progression of cancer. However, the subset of Tregs and the factor regulating Tregs in colorectal cancers (CRCs) have not been defined. We identified a novel subset of Tregs expressing TSLP receptor (TSLPR) and ST2 was predominantly associated with CRC in human and mouse. Mef2c, a transcription factor, exclusively expressed on this Treg controlled the expression of CTLA-4 on this Treg under TSLPR signaling. To study the role of TSLP signaling on this Treg, we examined mice lacking TSLPR on Tregs (TSLPRΔTreg) in AOM/DSS-induced CRC model. The results showed that the number and the expression of CTLA-4 on this Treg were lower in TSLPRΔTreg mice and the size and number of tumors were reduced compared to control mice, concomitant with increase of Th1 cells. In addition, in human CRCs, the number of TSLPR+ ST2+ Tregs is negatively correlated with the number of Th1 cells. These findings suggested that TSLPR+ ST2+ Tregs play a pivotal role in progression of CRC through suppression of anti-tumor immunity in CRCs in human and mouse. Furthermore, to address the cure of CRC, we administrated mice with neutralization antibody for TSLP after development of colorectal tumors. Blockage of TSLP signaling reduced size and number of tumors via reduction of TSLPR+ ST2+ Tregs, indicating that neutralization of TSLP inhibits progression of CRCs. Taken together, and TSLP signaling on tumorigenic TSLPR+ ST2+ Treg can be good therapeutic targets for CRC.


Institute since 1998. Prior to that he was Chief Executive of the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC), Chief Executive of the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics (CDP), Secretary of the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC), and a senior civil servant at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other Departments. His career began with the Inner London Education Authority in 1969. Address for correspondence: Southampton Institute, East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0TT, UK. Tel: +44 (0)23 8031 9267; Fax: +44 (0)23 8023 5620; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com perspective


Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. iii Introduction Data presented in this report pertain to the igneous intrusions of north-central and northeast Nevada and were compiled as part of the Metallogeny of the Great Basin project conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey between 2001 and 2007. The geographic area addressed in this compilation is approximately bounded by lats 38.5° and 42°N., long 118.5° W., and the Nevada-Utah border (fig. 1). The area contains numerous large plutons and smaller stocks but also contains many small, shallowly emplaced intrusive bodies, including dikes, sills, and intrusive lava dome complexes. The age, composition, and geographic distribution of intrusions in north-central and northeast Nevada (hereafter, the study area) are summarized by du Bray and Crafford (2007). Intrusive igneous rocks, of multiple ages, are known to be major constituents of the geologic framework in the study area (Stewart and Carlson, 1978). Abundant middle to late Mesozoic and early to middle Cenozoic intrusions in the study area are probably byproducts of subduction-related processes, including back-arc magmatism, that prevailed along the west edge of the North American plate during this interval. Ressel and others (2000) and Ressel and Henry (2006), for example, have highlighted the association between magma-tism and ore deposits along the Carlin trend. Similarly, Theo-dore (2000) has demonstrated the association between igneous intrusions and ore deposits in the Battle Mountain area. Decades of geologic investigations in the study area demonstrate that many ore deposits, representing diverse ore deposit types, are spatially, and probably temporally and genetically, associated with igneous intrusions. Because of these associations , studies of many individual igneous intrusions have been completed, including those by a large number of Master's and Doctoral thesis students (particularly University of Nevada at Reno students and associated faculty), economic geologists working on behalf of exploration and mining companies, and U.S. Geological Survey earth scientists. However, despite the number and importance of igneous intrusions in the study area, no synthesis of geochemical data available for these rocks has been completed. Data compilations that are available for igneous intrusions in Nevada pertain to relatively restricted geographic areas and (or), in most cases, do not include …


Based on ultramicro green tea powder,flour,sugar,butter and other major raw materials,the process and operating conditions of green tea biscuit were studied in this thesis.The results showed that the quality and structure of biscuit were improved by adding suitable amount of green tea powder.On the basis of basic formula,according to flour as100%,added butter25%,white sugar25%,green tea powder3%,the product has good quality and unique flavor.


Neural networks with low-precision weights and activations offer compelling efficiency advantages over their full-precision equivalents. The two most frequently discussed benefits of quantization are reduced memory consumption, and a faster forward pass when implemented with efficient bitwise operations. We propose a third benefit of very low-precision neural networks: improved robustness against some adversarial attacks, and in the worst case, performance that is on par with full-precision models. We focus on the very low-precision case where weights and activations are both quantized to $\pm$1, and note that stochastically quantizing weights in just one layer can sharply reduce the impact of iterative attacks. We observe that non-scaled binary neural networks exhibit a similar effect to the original defensive distillation procedure that led to gradient masking, and a false notion of security. We address this by conducting both black-box and white-box experiments with binary models that do not artificially mask gradients.


¶ Membershipof the International ParkinsonDiseaseGenomics Consortiumis provided in the Acknowledgments. Abstract Background Both positive and negative associations between higher body mass index (BMI) and Parkinson disease (PD) have been reported in observational studies, but it has been difficult to establish causality because of the possibility of residual confounding


Designing robust catalysts for high-temperature applications has always been a critical task for chemical industries. As an example, the non-oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes is an important chemical process that requires...


PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to test the effects of a classical intercultural simulation on participants' ability to modify their behavior in response to collectivistic and individualistic contexts. Moreover, the paper aims to examine moderating effects based on experiential learning and social identity theory.Design/methodology/approachThe learning effects are evaluated through two separate quasi-experimental studies with 152 master students in business economics at a Danish university and 190 bachelor students in international business at a German university.FindingsThe analysis shows that intercultural simulations with artificial cultures significantly improve participants' ability to modify their behavior depending on cultural context. Participants who identify with an artificial culture that differs radically from their own take greater advantage of the simulation. The overall duration of international experience moderates participants' learning with a U-shaped effect. Culture-specific experience strengthens the positive effect of the simulation. The comparison of the two conducted studies indicates that previous cognitive teaching enhances learning.Practical implicationsThe findings demonstrate the effectiveness of intercultural simulations that guide participants through all phases of the experiential learning cycle. Moreover, they underline the importance of assessing participants' cultural backgrounds before the assignment of training groups.Originality/valuePrior research on intercultural simulations is often based on qualitative methods and mostly limited to affective outcomes, such as motivation and enjoyment of intercultural interactions. By contrast, this paper quantitatively tests to what extent intercultural simulations improve participants' ability to modify behavior depending on culture.


Corporate venture capital (CVC) investment in technology-intensive entrepreneurial ventures has attracted increasing attention from established firms which recognize it as a useful learning investment strategy to create diversified technological options for future change. However, there is a lack of empirical research which examines the relationship between CVC investment and the corporate investors' technological diversification. In this study, we investigate the effects of CVC investments on corporate investors' technological diversity by using 20 years of panel data from corporate investors in five high-tech industries. As a result, we find that the total amount of CVC investments and the industrial diversity of portfolio companies exhibit curvilinear (inverted U-shape) relationships with the corporate investors' technological diversity. Moreover, the empirical results show that the absorptive capacity of corporate investors positively moderates the effects of CVC investments on the technological diversity.


The algebra of the integrated connections and of their traces is considered in the one-genus sector of classical and quantum Chern–Simons theory. In the classical case this algebra is braid-like and although the corresponding Jacobi identities are satisfied, the associated r-matrix does not satisfy the classical Yang–Baxter equations. However, it turns out this algebra originates a "quantum" algebra SU(2)q given by its trace algebra. Canonical quantization of the above algebra is performed and a one-parameter expression for the operator ordering is considered. The same quantum algebra with a modified deformation parameter, nontrivially depending on ħ, is obtained.


The traditional self-shunt excitation system is improved.The rated voltage,current and power of new type excitation transformer are analyzed.The powers of the excitation transformer are calculated.The results show that the powers of the transformer are reduced because of application of new type superposition strong excitation mode.


Integrated gate commutated thyristor (IGCT) has attracted many researchers' attention in the field of DC circuit breakers (DCCB) application, due to its inherent low on-state loss. The first 6-inch 4.5 kV/ 10kA asymmetrical IGCT in the world has been developed for the single pulse turn-off applications, through optimization of the silicon concentration and transparent anode doping profile on the basis of the 4-inch IGCT technology platform. In this paper we presents the measurement results of the newly developed symmetrical IGCT during conduction and turn-off operations. The on-state voltage drop of this IGCT was achieved the type value of 1.6V at 8kA &125 ℃. Furthermore, by using matching the new gate unit with the lower stray inductance, the turn-off capability of this IGCT is more than 10 kA. An efficient optimization design of the GCT N-base structure led to no voltage oscillation during turn-off current tail in the test circuit of DC breakers application. This new device will contribute to further improved performance and reliability of the IGCT DC hybrid circuit breaker.


The authors address the importance of the operation of manufacturing networks in order to explain why a company brings its previously offshored facilities back. Fundamentally, this chapter stresses the relevance of network operations in the context of relocation, and hence, the linkage of network-manufacturing capabilities to the reshoring phenomenon. First, it focuses on investigating the relevance of strategic objective of international manufacturing to the management/network operations of international manufacturing network (IMN). Second, it explores the role of strategic capabilities of network-manufacturing on the phenomenon of reshoring. The empirical foundation of this research builds on data from multiple in-depth interviews at companies' headquarters in Spain and Sweden. The results showed the relevance of strategic capabilities of network-manufacturing to reshoring. The authors also provide the guidance for decision making in the operation of international manufacturing.


The evaluation method of karst ecosystem health was emphatically discussed.By qualitative and quantitative analysis,a set of relatively integrated evaluation indexes system was brought forth.Moreover,entropy was employed to give indexes weight,and fuzzy mathematics was utilized to establish the evaluation model.Then the situation of karst ecosystem health in Bijie area was studied as a case.The results indicated that the Bijie area in the karst ecosystem health functions belong to the structure of the sub-health,sustainable use of capacity belong to the unhealthy state,dynamic change belong to the healthy state.Subsequently,by contrastive evaluation with Guilin,Kunming as the reference karst areas,the integrated conditions of karst ecosystem health of these four areas followed as the sequence:GuilinKunmingBijie area.Consequently,the evaluation could made clear the condition and influencing factors of karst ecosystem health of Bijie area.The health gap between Bijie area and the other three karst areas provided a scientific basis for programming and protecting of karst ecology of Bijie area.


SUMMARY In this paper, we propose a Modified nested sparse grid based Adaptive Stochastic Collocation Method (MASCM) for block-based Statistical Static Timing Analysis (SSTA). The proposed MASCM employs an improved adaptive strategy derived from the existing Adaptive Stochastic Collocation Method (ASCM) to approximate the key operator MAX during timing analysis. In contrast to ASCM which uses non-nested sparse grid and tensor product quadratures to approximate the MAX operator for weakly and strongly nonlinear conditions respectively, MASCM proposes a modified nested sparse grid quadrature to approximate the MAX operator for both weakly and strongly nonlinear conditions. In the modified nested sparse grid quadrature, we firstly construct the second order quadrature points based on extended Gauss-Hermite quadrature and nested sparse grid technique, and then discard those quadrature points that do not contribute significantly to the computation accuracy to enhance the efficiency of the MAX approximation. Compared with the non-nested sparse grid quadrature, the proposed modified nested sparse grid quadrature not only employs much fewer collocation points, but also offers much higher accuracy. Compared with the tensor product quadrature, the modified nested sparse grid quadrature greatly reduced the computational cost, while still maintains sufficient accuracy for the MAX operator approximation. As a result, the proposed MASCM provides comparable accuracy while remarkably reduces the computational cost compared with ASCM. The numerical results show that with comparable accuracy MASCM has 50% reduction in run time compared with ASCM.


With plumules of Dendrobium officinale as explants,the effect of different pure culture mediums,various concentrations of NAA and different natural medium supplements on tillering and rooting of buldet of tissue culture of Dendrobium officinale were studied,in order to screen the cultivation conditions of the tillering and rooting of buldet of Dendrobium officinale.The results showed that tillering and rooting of buldet were distinctly influenced by types of medium,NAA concentration,types and concentration of natrual medium supplement in culture medium.Culture medium of 1/2MS was suitable for tillering propagation.2.0 mg/L NAA and 10% mashed potato were good for tillering and rooting.


Background Metaplastic breast carcinomas are rare and carry poor prognoses. They are also more aggressive than other breast cancers and are known for their resistance to chemotherapy. Prolonged treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib is a therapy for malignant melanoma that improves the progression-free survival and overall survival. Such molecular-targeted therapies are also being developed for cancers with BRAF mutation, a driver of malignant melanoma. Case Presentation. A 57-year-old woman with metaplastic breast cancer and chemotherapy-refractory massive pleural effusion. After contained anthracycline regimen failure, her breast cancer progressed to an advanced stage. We ordered next-generation sequencing- (NGS-) based tumor molecular profiling from core needle biopsy of the breast. The NGS report indicated the presence of a BRAF V600E mutation. After initiation of dabrafenib and trametinib, her symptom and the pleural effusion were decreased. The first assessment of CT scans showed a decreased pleural effusion and shrunken subcutaneous lesions. Approximately 2 weeks later, a new lesion appeared. She died from 12 weeks after initiation of dabrafenib and trametinib treatment. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of BRAF mutation breast cancer treated with dabrafenib and trametinib and it heralds the possibility of targeted therapy for rare breast cancers.


Main purpose of this study was Prediction of the performance of elite male trampolines based on body composition indices. To this aim, 45 male athletes (age 14.17±2.86 yrs, athletic experience 7.22±3.64 yrs and competitive experience 3.31±2.44 yrs), who participated in the national trampoline team's preparation camps for participation at the 2014 Asian Games in four age categories included Children (ages 11 and 12 yrs), Juniors (ages 13 and 14 yrs), Adolescents (ages 15 to 17 yrs) and Seniors (ages 18 yrs 0.05). Findings of this study suggest that, in the high competitive level of trampoline body composition indices have not predictive role in preparation programs of elite male trampolines.


TlGaSe2 and TlGaSe2:Gd single crystals were grown by the Stockbarger method. There are no cracks or voids on the surface of ingots. The samples were cleaved along the cleavage planes (001). The freshly cleaved crystals had mirror-like surfaces even before using mechanical treatment. The phonon energies in TlGaSe2 and TlGaSe2:Gd have been calculated as (35.7 ± 4) and (38.3 ± 4) meV at 200 K, respectively. At 10 K, the direct band gaps of TlGaSe2 and TlGaSe2:Gd are 2.293 and 2.297 eV and the indirect bandgaps are 2.196 and 2.106 eV, respectively. There is an abrupt change in the energy spectrum of TlGaSe2 and TlGaSe2:Gd in the temperature ranges 105–115 and 210–215 K, respectively. The values obtained from the energy peak change may be related phase transition temperatures. The defect levels were found to be at 2.162, 2.143, 2.136 and 2.108 eV for TlGaSe2:Gd at 10, 100, 200 and 300 K, respectively. The defect levels, which exist in TlGaSe2:Gd, but not in pure TlGaSe2 can be observed by adding Gd in the temperature range of 10–320 K. The steepness parameters and Urbach energies for TlGaSe2 and TlGaSe2:Gd samples increased with increasing sample temperature in the range of 10–320 K. The other important results obtained are: (i) the defect levels and defect absorption peaks due to Gd which have been observed (figure 9(b)). (ii) Gd and Gd related defect levels which exist in Gd-doped TlGaSe2 and can be observed by adding Gd in the range of 10–320 K. Adding of the rare earth elements to the TlGaSe2 causes the new appearance and changing of the absorption peak intensity (figure 9(b)).


The phase transition and negative thermal expansion of Fe2-xYxMo3O12(x= 0.0,0.2,0.4,0.5,0.6,0.8,1.0,1.2,1.4,1.6 and 1.8) have been studied.It is found that Fe2-xYxMo3O12 crystallize in a single monoclinic for x≤0.4 and a single orthorhombic structure for x≥0.5 by the analysis of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.The monoclinic to orthorhombic phase-transition temperature can be effectively decreased by increasing the content of Y3+.It is shown that the coefficients of thermal expansion(CTE) decrease with increasing the content of Y3+ and orthorhombic Fe2-xYxMo3O12 exhibits negative(x1.0),near zero(x=1.0) and low(x1.0) thermal expansion properties after remove of the crystal water.


This research aimed to develop learning activities in drawing and painting to promote mental health among older adults and to study the results and the satisfaction of the older adults towards learning activities in drawing and painting. The qualitative and quantitative research methods were conducted. The samples consisted of 200 older people, who were members of the senior citizens school in the community, as well as 12 school administrators and related staff who were involved with the activities designed. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency and percentage, and qualitative data were analyzed by using content analysis. The findings revealed that the process of designing learning activities included three main activities: 1) preparing before learning through hand massage; 2) drawing by using exercise sheets and 3) painting or coloring on designed sheets. The observation results showed most of the older adults showed confidence in drawing and painting, and most of them had fun during drawing and painting activities. The older adults were satisfied with the overall program at the highest level (97%). The experience of learning from the activities indicated that they were happy with the designed learning activities. The outcomes of the designed learning activities support the older adults in terms of potential, value awareness, and self-efficacy.


Practice teaching is the culmination of the teacher education program where student teachers apply learned content knowledge and pedagogical skills in real classroom teaching.  The purpose of this paper is to present the perceived oral communication needs of student teachers during their practice teaching. Survey questionnaire, classroom observations and focused group discussions were used to collect the needed data. It was found that student teachers' oral communication skills in English fall short and need to be enhanced to cope with the demands of the teaching profession.  Likewise, it was noted that the need to have a special kind of English class for pre-service teachers is very much needed to help them in their practice teaching since the medium of instruction used in class is English.  Furthermore, the kind of English they need for classroom communication is also very specific for classroom interactions.  The findings serve as basis in designing a module that can be used in remedial class in English for Pre-Service Teachers to respond to their communicative needs in the classroom.


Abstract : The DTRA Chemical Biological Defense Program's Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) Information Systems Capability Area has initiated two new thrust areas entitled Medical Surveillance Systems and Medical Effects Models. The mission of the Medical Surveillance System thrust area is to minimize warfighter casualties resulting from exposure to infectious diseases, specifically those considered biological warfare threat agents. The main objective is to combine modeling/simulation, medical surveillance, early warning detection and real-time epidemiology by not only embarking on novel technologies but also by evaluating, validating, supporting and assisting in integration of existing initiatives. The Medical Effects Model thrust area seeks to develop the tools and modules to provide casualty estimation and prediction of human performance in hazard environments for JOEF. The benefit to the warfighter is to provide increased awareness of medical impacts on warfighters to decision makers to allow for informed planning.


Objective To explore the MR manifestation of parenchymal abnormalities associated with cerebral venous malformation(CVM).Materials and MethodsImaging data of 29 patients with CVM were analyzed retrospectively.The prevalence of parenchymal abnormalities associated with CVM and its MR manifestations were assessed.ResultsThe prevalence of parenchymal abnormalities associated with CVM was 14/29(48.3%).Cavernous angiomas were identified in associated with CVM(13.8%) and had typical hypointensity signal 'iron-band' on MR imaging.The prevalence rate of abnormal signal intensity within the drainage territory of CVM was 10/29(34.5%).The abnormalities included white matter signal alternations,haemorrhage and calcifications.ConclusionThe frequency of parenchymal abnormalities associated with CVM is high and the etiology is unclear.The abnormal signal intensity in the drainage area may be related to the altered hemodynamics.


There have been many female writers in Chinese history but they are rar ely found in the history of literature, which is the reflection of Confucian tho ught of men being superior to women and the result of men dominating the history . The works of female writers have the value that cannot be replaced by those of male writers. The image of Chinese women described by male writers should be re considered from the feminine angle. If we intend to write a complete history of Chinese literature, we must objectively establish female writers' status and to a chieve this end, we can start from the aspects of examining the history of Chine se literature with the theory of feminism, sorting out works by ancient female w riters, judging female writers under the specific cultural background and studyi ng the history of poetry and the "perception" of the works.


This is a collection of essays touching on four distinct areas of interest to philosophers, lawyers, and political scientists: the philosophical justification for the adversary system; the problems of truth-finding in an adversarial setting; the issue of justice in relation to social policy-making; the right to privacy.


Histologycally tumor revealed bland spindle-shaped cells with indistinct pale eosinophilic cytoplasm and small hyperchromatic oval nuclei, ring cell likes were also observed (Fig 2A and 2B), ploemorphism and mitotic features (Fig 2C and 2D). The tumor cells were embedded in a variably fibrous or myxoid stroma that tended to alternate in different areas of the tumor. Immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor cells revealed diffuse expression of vimentin, CD99 (Fig 2E) and CD117 (Fig 2F). Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed. The tumor was resistant to different kinds of therapy.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence and related factors of hospital infection for in-patients with cancer in tumor specialized hospital.METHODS By using the retrospective method,all inpatient cases in our hospital from 2007 to 2009 were surveyed and analyzed.RESULTS Incidence of nosocomial infection for in patients with cancer was 5.71%,the rate of miss report was 4.48%.The incidence of hospital infection in the department of chemotherapy was the highest with the proportion of hospital infection 7.85%,which was higher than that in the department of radiotherapy(5.59%) and surgery(3.16%).The main site of infection was respiratory tract(46.49%) the second was oral tract(18.28%).The most common pathogens were Klebsiella pneumonial,Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Gram-negative bacteria.The fungal infection was serious.The infection was highly related to age,gender,stage of tumor,anti-tumor treatment and aggressive conduct.The risk factors of nosocomial infection were aleucocytosis,application of antibiotic and immune depressant etc.CONCLUSION The malignant tumor is easy to cause the hospital infection.Strengthening the nosocomial infection management,the standardzed antibiotic usage,and controlling the risk factors can reduce the hospital infection occurrence.


In spite of evidence of females having a greater lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and greater apolipoprotein E4-related (apoE4) AD risk compared to males, molecular signatures underlying these findings remain elusive. We took a meta-analysis approach to study gene expression in the brains of 1,084 AD patients and age-matched controls and whole blood from 645 AD patients and age-matched controls. Gene-expression, network-based analysis and cell type deconvolution approaches revealed a consistent immune signature in the brain and blood of female AD patients that was absent in males. Machine learning-based classification of AD using gene expression from whole blood in addition to clinical features revealed an improvement in classification accuracy upon stratifying by sex, achieving an AUROC of 0.91 for females and 0.80 for males. These results help identify sex and apoE4 genotype-specific transcriptomic signatures of AD and underscore the importance of considering sex in the development of biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for AD.


Nipping is an important practice that removes the apical dominance and promotes the lateral branches which in turn improves the yield of crops. It plays a vital role for better maintenance of source and sink relationship and for ameliorating the productivity. Nipping can be done in two ways either by clipping manually or by spraying growth retardants such as mepiquat chloride, chlormequat chloride and maleic hydrazide. In this review, the influence of nipping on the growth and yield of various crops has been discussed.