BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Crohn's Disease increases colorectal cancer risk, with high prevalence of synchronous and metachronous cancers. Current guidelines for colorectal cancer in Crohn's Disease recommend pan-proctocolectomy. Aim of this study was to evaluate oncologic outcomes of a less invasive surgical approach.

METHODS
Retrospective database analysis of Crohn's disease patients with colorectal cancer undergoing surgery at selected European and U.S. tertiary centres. Outcomes of segmental colectomy were compared with those of extended colectomy: total colectomy and pan-proctocolectomy. Primary outcome was progression-free survival. Secondary outcomes included overall survival, synchronous and metachronous colorectal cancer and major postoperative complications.

RESULTS
Ninety-nine patients were included: 66 patients underwent segmental colectomy and 33 extended colectomy. Segmental colectomy patients were older (p= 0.0429), had less extensive colitis (p = 0.0002) and no pre-operatively identified synchronous lesions (p = 0.0109).Median follow up was 43 (31-62) months. There was no difference in unadjusted progression-free survival (p = 0.2570) nor in overall survival (p = 0.4191) between segmental and extended colectomy. Multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, ASA score and AJCC staging, confirmed no difference for progression-free survival (HR 1.00 p = 0.9993) or overall survival (HR 0.77 p = 0.6654). Synchronous and metachronous cancers incidence was 9% and 1.5% respectively. Perioperative mortality was nil and major complications were comparable (7.58% vs 6.06% p = 0.9998).

CONCLUSIONS
Segmental colectomy seems to offer similar long-term outcomes to more extensive surgery. Incidence of synchronous and metachronous cancers appears much lower than previously described. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these results.


The development and renovation of experimental teaching means should be aimed at improving students' practical ability and creative ability.With the structure adjustment of economics and from the supporting framework such as primary experiments,comprehensively designed experiments and research and creative experiments,four feasible ways of experiment are proposed including "supporting means","operational means","complementary means" and "implementation means".


Adaptive features are expected to improve the effectiveness of the
learning process in online learning. Nevertheless, most current adaptive sys-tems
do not deal with combining design and runtime adaptations. To take ad-vantage
of this combination a new adaptive iLMS based on standards, called
aLFanet, is being developed. The system includes: (i) an authoring tool to de-velop
courses IMS-LD compliant, (ii) an adaptive engine based on a multi-agent
architecture which is intended to cope with several adaptive tasks for
various types of users (learners, authors and tutors), (iii) a set of advanced
pedagogical scenarios that combine design and runtime adaptations to make the
authoring of these type of adaptive courses feasible. In this paper we focus on
the types of adaptations and the process we have defined to facilitate the con-struction
of the adaptive scenarios.


Two simple, sensitive and precise spectrophotometric methods (Method A and Method B) have been developed for the assay of lercanidipine (LCD) in pure and dosage forms. These methods are based on the diazotisation of reduced LCD followed by coupling with α-naphthylamine (a-NA) [Method A] or phloroglucinol (PHL) [Method B].


In recent decades the influence of psychology on western societies has become increasingly pervasive, leading to the development of a new field of literature on 'psychologisation' and 'therapy culture'. This field of literature explores the way in which the language and praxis of psychology has extended beyond the therapeutic encounter – permeating everyday life events and individuals' subjectivities. Literature on the psychologisation of humanitarian aid intimates that the focus of the responses to disaster and war-torn populations has taken a therapeutic turn. Two blatant gaps in the literature were identified, which the present study aimed to bridge. The first is a paucity of empirical research on psychologisation – particularly in relation to the number of theoretical articles on the topic. The second and more blatant gap pertains to research on psychologisation in non-western or semi-westernised nations. In South Africa there are currently only two published articles on psychologisation. Thus using a comparative qualitative approach, this study sought to empirically investigate South African disasters from different time periods as they were reported about in newspaper articles. By doing so, the study addressed the following research question: "In what way have reports on disasters changed over time and how do these changes illustrate psychologisation?" Five disasters were chosen spanning the period from 1969 to 2011. A semi-inductive thematic analysis of the data suggested five interlinking components of psychologisation which were explicated and analysed using extracts from newspaper articles.


From infected pink and spiny bollworm larvae, collected from Qualyobia Gover-norate, Egypt, 13 bacterial isolates belonging to 7 species were detected. The effi-ciency of these bacterial isolates was evaluated on newly hatched pink and spiny bollworm larvae. Three bacterial species, namely, Pseudomonas viridiflava, Serratia grimesii and Cellulomonas flavigena had no efficiency. Meanwhile, four other en-tomopathogenic isolates bacterial species, Pseudomonas pyrrocinia (A1), Serratia marcesens (M3), Serratia rubidaea (E3) and Bacillus thuringiensis (S2) had notice-able efficiency. The efficiency of these isolates was compared to two commercial products, Dipel 2X and Protecto. Biochemical studies showed differences in total proteins bands patterns in uninfected and infected larvae.


Freeze-thaw action in fractured rock mass is discussed. Moist rock exposed to subfreezing temperature would suffer from freeze-thaw deterioration, which would pose serious threat to the stability of geotechnical engineering. Some key factors influencing freeze-thaw action in rock mass is analyzed, such as temperature, freezing rate, freeze-thaw cycles and porosity of the rock. Further more, using the theory of physical chemistry, the freezing point and frozen ratio were derived. Finally, the model of frost crack was built by ANSYS and then imported into FLAC3D by converting procedure. The stress field, temperature filed as well as the normal and shear stress on surface of the cracks were demonstrated. The effect of freezing pressure is reflected in the results.


Every day there are more elderly people who decide to live in a different country from their country of birth. This phenomenon of older migrants reveals a distinct counter-current from the economically more-developed Northern countries to the less-developed and developing South, therefore requiring a new and different theoretical analysis that does not fit into the pre-existing frameworks of labour migration and development. For some researchers, these migrants are considered residential tourists, who have no home or place of belonging neither in the developing and less-developed areas nor within existing theoretical frameworks.  In order to conceptualize trends and identify the patterns of this phenomenon, this investigation will examine the migration of retirees and/or pensioners from the northern hemisphere who have settled in Vilcabamba (Southern Ecuador) through a theoretically informed engagement with key informants and a series of qualitative semi-structured interviews. It is hoped that this project will enable further research in this largely uncharted line of research on the flow of migration that 'swims against the current'.


The purpose of this case report is to emphasize the importance of management of a pregnant patient in the late third trimester {29th week until child birth} with huge facial swelling with acute presentation prior to 2 weeks of expected delivery reported to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery. It's a difficult task to manage a pregnant patient, however in second trimester few elective procedures are carried out but very few cases present with maxillofacial infections in the 3rd trimester, which might increase psychological stress, morbidity to the mother and fetus. The clinicians should be aware of the hemodynamic changes, complications which arise during late stages of pregnancy and appropriate obstetrics consultation which can enhance and promote normalcy towards delivery.


The paper discusses the adverse effects caused due to COVID-19. COVID-19 emerged at Wuhan in 2019 end and declared a public health emergency by WHO on Jan 30, 2020. The epidemic has infected more than 2.5 million and claimed more than one lakh lives. The circumstances are causing intense mental pressures leading to stress. Further, the government has to declare lockdown across the nation as a preventive measure, which is adding up to this stress. Where healthcare workers are devoting their day and night to save the human race from this pandemic as an individual, it becomes obligatory for each individual to take care of mental health and don't let this stress weaken his/her immunity. Thus, it is important to understand the stress, observe the signs of stress, and control it before it gets acute by some coping measures. The paper discusses the measures to understand the stress and coping measures thereof.


tion. It also addresses the ways in which primary trauma contributes to the creation of a defensive structure that serves to neutralize a disorganizing potential often associated with the suffering of narcissistic identity disorders. But there is more: this work allows us to follow closely as Roussillon, well known for his meticulous reading of Freud and Winnicott, plumbs the depths of their work and resurfaces with fresh perspectives that open unexpected avenues, transforming our own reading into broadened awareness.


During the last years several bacterial strains have been isolated that decolorize azo dyes aerobically. In the present work Bacillus sp. which possessed the ability to decolorize textile azo dyes (Acid red 2 and Acid orange 7) aerobically isolated from the dye contaminated soil of the local dying houses in Nagpur (India). Decolorization was monitored spectrophotometrically and physic-chemical parameters such as pH, time and temperature were optimized. Bacillus sp. decolorized 90% of Acid red 2 (100mg/L) at pH 6 at 37C within 72 hours and 99% Acid orange 7 (100mg/L and pH 6-8) at 30C within 48 hours under shaking condition. The decolorization potential of this bacterium can be utilized for the dye removal from wastewater aerobically.


BACKGROUND
Many epidemiological studies have proven that local infection may influence the levels of systemic lipid profile and inflammatory mediators.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this research was to evaluate the association between the state of the oral cavity, lipids and inflammatory mediator concentrations in Poles after acute myocardial infarction (MI).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A total of 134 subjects with a mean age of 54.3 years (± 8.1) were included in the study. Sociodemographic and cardiologic variables were gathered. Subsequently, serum samples were collected for estimation of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), fibrinogen and white blood cell counts (WBC). The periodontal parameters measured included bleeding on probing index (BoP), pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), the number of bleeding periodontal pockets (bPP) and the number of lost teeth.

RESULTS
Overall, patients shared high levels of periodontal inflammation and tissue breakdown. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between the serum concentration of LDL-C and bPP (standardized coefficient b = 0.3179; p = 0.0009) and PD (b = 0.3186; p = 0.0015); the level of fibrinogen and the number of lost teeth (b = 0.3669; p = 0.0013); WBC and bPP (b = 0.2726; p = 0.0035) independent of age, sex, income, education, atherosclerotic disease in the family, tobacco smoking, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and BMI. No correlations were found regarding hsCRP serum concentration.

CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this study demonstrated for the first time that local inflammatory processes in the oral cavity are positively associated with the systemic levels of LDL-C, fibrinogen and WBC in adult Poles. This may underscore relationships between periodontitis and MI as well as potentially impinge on atherosclerotic processes and MI prognosis.


A scheme of design and implementation of digital thermometer is given.It is mainly made of LM94022 as temperature sensor,FM1602C as LED digital display,TLC2543CN as analog-to-digital converter and STC89C58 as single chip microcomputer.A multifunction digital thermometer with wide range measuremen and high precision is designed.The basic idea and overall design of digital thermometer are introduced,as well as each design method of element circuit in detail.This digital thermometer is not only of high-resolution but also of the high and low alarm temperature point.It can be alarmed by light and sound when the temperature is beyond the limit of high and low temperature point.


E4bp4 is required for commitment to the NK lineage and promotes NK development by directly regulating the expression of Eomes and Id2.


Abstract In the Sahel, host communities are among those most affected by recurrent internal displacement, but they are often ignored in responses to displacement. Furthermore, their situation has attracted little attention from researchers or other observers. The present article will argue that it is essential to provide these communities with adequate protection, especially as they play a leading role in providing humanitarian protection and assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs). The article begins by examining the legal instruments that protect populations affected by forced displacement, in order to identify and present the legal protection they offer to IDP host communities. The article will then analyze and highlight the advantages of fully applying this protection. It will show that the recurrent violence and breaches of the law that these communities suffer are impeding the full realization of those advantages. Finally, the article shall propose solutions that would overcome the deficiencies noted and hence ensure enhanced protection for IDP host communities in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.


using the concept of closed queueing network, we present a consistent way of interpreting existing duality relations among queueing systems. Also, using embedded Markov chains, we present a few new duality relations for the queueing systems with negative customers.
Keyword: Duality, Queues, M/G/1K, N-Policy, F-Policy, Generalized Vacations, Negative Customer


Few researchers have investigated the common problems of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. For this study, 160 women were asked to record the


In pursuing the aim of preventing and alleviating human suffering, protecting human life and health, and ensuring respect for the human being, it is the mandate of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to maintain and disseminate the Fundamental Principles of the Movement. An Integral part of this mandate is to foster a widespread understanding of international humanitarian law and to support any development thereof. The author examines the different components' activities directed at promoting the humanitarian law which is applicable in armed confl icts as well as their contributions to its further development.


Copyright in architecture is not a popular topic for a day-to-day discussion, but has become better known to architectural professions than in the past. However, moral rights of copyright are rarely known to the profession yet.
Buildings, its models and plans are referred to as architectural works and architects as the copyright owner possesses copyright in his/her architectural works. Copyright is divided into two categories, which are the property rights and the moral rights. While the property rights relate to the economic and monetary rights, the moral rights do to personal rights of authors, which are the extension of his/her character and personality. The moral rights are again divided into two principal rights. One of them is the 'paternity right' by which the author can be Identlfied on his/her works. The other is the 'integrity right' by which the author can protect his/her works from any derogatory treatment Moral rights seem to be a trivial matter, but they have significant consequences on architectural practice.
In this study, the 'integrity right' in architecture was analyzed in depth and world-wide judiciall precedents regarding the right were investigated to suggest a desirable guideline for the Korean integrity right with particular reference to architecture. Finally, Australian integrity right was reviewed as a benchmark to suggest a desirable model for Korea.


Sarcoma 45 growth in rats was noted to be followed by the development of anemia and leucocytosis. Sessional use of 6-mercaptopurine and cyclophosphane resulted in the enhancement of anemia, the development of leucopenia, and suppression of bone marrow hemopoiesis. The suppression of hemopoiesis was much less manifested, if cytostatics were used together with diuretics (diacarbe or furocemid).


The yield performances and failure mode of reinforced concrete (RC) columns, which are critical structural performances to the design and research of engineering structures, have a significant impact on the dynamic response, the performance level, and the design of seismic ductility. The traditional empirical theoretical method used to predict the yield performances and failure mode leads to large dispersions in most cases. To better estimate the yield performances and failure mode of RC columns, this paper developed a novel neural network method. Empirical theoretical models are used to determine the input parameters of the neural network by analyzing the factors that affect the yield performance and failure mode of RC columns, and the rationality of these parameters is verified by sensitivity analysis. The back-propagation (BP) neural network method was adopted. The influence of the number of hidden neurons was studied to improve the model accuracy. Comparative analysis revealed that the prediction results of the neural network are in good agreement with the experimental results and are more accurate than other traditional empirical theoretical models. The initial parameters were optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO), which has been proven to be superior to the genetic algorithm (GA) and sparrow search algorithm (SSA) optimization methods in terms of effectiveness and computation time. The high generalization ability of the prediction model was calibrated using the test and validation sets and another eight additional sets of experimental data. The proposed method provides a new way to predict the structural performance under seismic actions when experimental data are insufficient.


The role of seed dispersal by mowing machinery in the invasion into a hayfield under restoration management was investigated for the annual hemiparasite Rhinanthus angustifolius (C.C. Gmelin). Therefore, all plants of R. angustifolius in a hayfield were removed before seed production in 1994. As R angustifolius seeds rarely survive for more than 1 year this would almost entirely prevent establishment of seedlings in 1995. In August 1994 the hayfield was divided into three parts. Under fair-weather conditions two of these parts were mown by a clean tractor disk mower combination and a tractor disk mower combination previously contaminated with R angustifolius seeds, respectively. The third part was mown under rainy conditions by a contaminated caterpillar mower. In June 1995 all established R. angustifolius plants within the three parts were mapped. In both parts mown by contaminated machinery more plants of R angustifolius were found as compared to the part mown with clean machinery. The part mown under wet-weather conditions by the caterpillar mower, in particular, contained many established plants of R angustifolius. The results suggest that spatial patterns of establishment are induced by machinery. The conclusion of the experiment is that mowing machinery acted as a dispersal agent of R angustifolius seeds in 1994. This probably applies to other hayfield species as well. Machinery may therefore play a major role in seed dispersal within the nature reserve, enhancing the speed of succession within hayfields. The circumstances under which the experiment took place did not allow us to conclude on separate effects of machinery type or weather conditions on seed dispersal. However, both effects may exist.


This study examines the relationship between farming practices and vegetation degradation with a view to recommend best farming practices in Benue State. The main objective of the study was to identify and describe the major farming practices as a factor of vegetation degradation in Benue State. Data on farming practices and vegetation was obtained through personal interviews; questionnaire and onsite assessment. The data was coded, extracted and analysed using frequencies and simple percentages. The analysis of the result revealed that majority of the farmers' practised farming on full-time basis. Those sizes of the farm plots in the 1980s were generally small but have become large in 2010. Apart from been small, the farms are scattered a factor that accelerates vegetation degradation and change. Fallow periods were generally long in the1980s but have reduced to between 1 to 3 years in 2010. The study also identified shifting cultivation, zero-tillage and alley cropping as the major farming practices in Benue State. Chi Square was used to test the significance of the farming practices identified. The result of the test confirm that shifting cultivation, zero-tillage and alley cropping are significant at p<0.05 in explaining the relationship between farming practices and vegetation degradation in Benue State. Hence, the study recommends that farmers should minimize the practice of zero-tillage and aggregate the size of their farms while alley cropping and afforestation for all vegetation types should be encouraged to conserve the vegetation in the State.


Congestive heart failure (CHF) as a result of systemic ventricular dysfunction represents the evolution of many heart disorders in childhood. Among these, dilated cardiomyopathy and some congenital cardiopathies are refractory to the known drug therapy, based on digitalic glycosides, diuretics and converting enzyme inhibitors. For these cases, the last therapeutic resource frequently remains heart transplantation. It is accepted that more than 50% of all children with CHF are candidates for transplantation [1]. However, transplantation involves many impediments, among which the lack of donors is the most important one. If beta-blocking agents were until not long ago contraindicated in patients with CHF, the studies carried out over the past 10 years show that beta-blocking agents improve left ventricular function, the clinical picture of CHF and survival in adults with CHF. A recent consensus on CHF in adults [2] currently recommends beta-blocking agents as part of the standard therapeutic protocol of CHF. This remarkable turn from contraindications to consensus recommendations is due to the deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of heart failure.


Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection in hemodialysis (HD) patients has remained as a serious worldwide problem for health care system for many years. High probability of HDV/HBV transmission in HD patients due to chronic transfusion, high mortality and morbidity rate of hepatitis D, diagnostic problems of HDV in HD patients, irreversible complications of HDV infection and uncertainly difficult and controversial treatments have made HDV infection a major concern in HD patients. Considering that there is no efficient treatment for HDV infection, prevention and early detection seems to be the best solution for limiting the rate of transmission of HDV. A short review of the literature was made in order to guide for control of this important infection in HD patients.


This paper participates from the objectives and methodology proposed by RIPM (Repertoire International de la Presse Musicale) and thus studies the musical life of Andujar, an Andalusian city, between 1907 and 1917 through one of its most relevant periodicals, El Guadalquivir, a conservative weekly newspaper oriented to information and entertainment. Within the ideological line of the studied journal, the results obtained suggest that musical life was clearly related (a) to the political, social and economic situation of the city and (b) to a series of private entities and figures of the local high-bourgeoisie, whose activities were soon enriched and complemented by those deployed around the cinematograph and the music bands, which had a deeper popular impact.


Ujamaa and collective production in rural Tanzania (Paschal Mihyo) Mwalimu Julius Nyerere the founder President of Tanzania, devoted most of his policies and efforts to rural development through the policy of Ujamaa whose objective was the emancipation of the poor from abject poverty and deprivation. He abolished feudal tenure and steered the promulgation of the Arusha Declaration in 1967 as a blue print for socialist state driven development. Its implementation started with villages settlements which were self-directing and voluntary but when the pace of voluntarism became slow force was used to move people into planned villages. The policy failed to achieve optimum results for several reasons. First as people were moved from their traditional habitats, they lost motivation to work. Secondly, the implementation shifted from participatory to coercive approaches which led to resentment. Third while the President was committed to equality and grassroots based participation, his implementers believed in top down prescriptive and bureaucratic approaches. Fourth, the policy was predicated on assumption of communalism and collectivism as inherent features of African systems of production and distribution while those practices were already surpassed by the emergence of commodity production and capitalism even before colonial invasions. Due to these and other factors, Ujamaa policy neither reduced poverty nor did it increase prosperity for the poor or the country as a whole. This book focuses on the role of rural development policy and its contribution to poverty reduction in Tanzania. It has seven chapters starting with an introduction on Ujamaa policy; chapter two on the role of education in creating capacity for innovation among smallholder farmers and chapter three on the introduction of tiller technology in selected districts and challenges that limited its adoption and diffusion. Chapter four analyses three phases of targeted input subsidies to farmers and the success and challenges of this policy in each phase. Chapter five is about the tobacco value chain in Tanzania and the future of this crop in the light of international regulations and competition. Chapter six compares the development and management of cashew value chains in Vietnam with and Tanzania. Chapter seven uses two case studies to indicate conditions that make it possible for state and civil society organizations to work together on poverty alleviation. Agricultural Policy and Poverty Reduction in Tanzania


In the article the basic moments of life and scientific activity of the Italian anatomist Gaspare Aselli (1581-1626), one of discoverers of the lymphatic system are described. Scientists engaging in the study of the vascular system are enumerated, modern interpretation of the lymphatic system anatomy and its value in physiological processes is presented. A brief biography about professor Aselli is presented, the circumstances of the anatomic discovery accom- plished by him are described, an estimation of inlay a scientist in morphological researches is given. Text is illustrated by pictures from Aselli's scientific publications.

https://ma.cfuv.ru/res/260407/5_Фоминых Т. А., Дьяченко А. П., Захарова А. Н.pdf


An annotated catalogue is provided of the type specimens of the chameleons in the herpetological collections of the Museum fur Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, Institut fur Systematische Zoologie, formerly Zoologisches Museum Berlin (ZMB). The collection includes 107 type specimens, representing 40 named taxa (26 of which are currently regarded as valid at the specific or subspecific level). Most of the primary types represent species occurring in the former German African colonial territories of Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and Cameroon, although material from other parts of the African mainland is also represented. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The aim of the study is to analyse and select the best practices and solutions used in the process of shaping leadership competencies in selected military academies. The research was carried out on the basis of the experts' reviews, analysis of the education programs, and the authors' own experiences. The main conclusions are that there are many similarities between the studied academies, however, differences were also identified that may have a significant impact on the shaping of leadership competencies at individual academies. As a result, in the nextstage of the research, there were identified areas that should be improved at the General Tadeusz Kosciuszko Military University of Land Forces in Poland.


Hydraulic fracturing was the mainstream stimulation technique for low and ultra-low permeability reservoirs,by which the effect of conventional fracturing could not be maximized because formation damage would be induced by incompletion of viscosity breaking of fracturing fluid.Laboratory tests and field operation show that hydraulic fracturing with pre-pad acid can improve stimulation effect of conventional hydraulic fracturing.It was required that acid should be reactive during flowback to promote the viscosity break and clean the propped fractures for pre-pad hydraulic fracturing.The improvement of matrix porosity and permeability,acid concentration in the filtration zone after completion of acid operation determined the improvement level of pre-pad acid.On basis of the retarding mechanism and acid-rock reaction mechanism,an acidizing model was established to calculate acid concentration and mineral concentrations in hydraulic fracture and filtration zone,porosity and permeability improvement and evaluate the improvement level of operation effect of pre-pad on conventional hydraulic fracturing.The simulation results show that the HBF4/HF retarded acid can improve porosity and permeability effectively in the filtration zone,maintain relatively higher concentration of hydrofluoric acid to ensure gel breaking and cleaning propped fractures during flowback.


India is currently facing a number of waves of Covid-19 infection, a rapid global pandemic that posed a threat to human health, the social health system, the global economy and even the global governance. The impact of COVID-19 infection has far exceeded the initial estimation. Artemisia can be the promising anti-Covid remedy; suitable attention should be given to the treatment of Covid-19. Artemisia ubiquitous pharmacological activity, since long used as folklore medicine from ancient time as an antibacterial, antispasmodic, hepatoprotective, antiarthritic, anthelminthic agent, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, antiepileptic, antiasthmatic and bronchodilator, antiulcer, diuretic, antidepressant, larvicidal, wound healing and for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, malaria, menstrual-related disorders and in hepatitis. Several bioactive ingredients participate in its broad spectrum bioactive activities through various modes of action. The inverse correlation between the antiviral activity of artemisinin contents and total flavonoid contents is reported beside artemisinin or the combination of other components acting synergistically to block the postentry viral infection. Essential oil and extract of the pre and post-flowering stage of Artemisia reported antifungal activity against Aspergillus, Penicillium, Candida, Fusarium sp. and can be suspected to be an effective novel drug against Mucormycosis, i.e. Black fungus. To achieve the best outcomes, scientific corroboration can support this concept and current knowledge based on the synergistic effects of the plant. This review encompasses traditional uses, pharmacological activities, and keeping in view today's scenario, medicinal plants anticipated Turkish Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation; 32(3) ISSN 2651-4451 | e-ISSN 2651-446X www.turkjphysiotherrehabil.org` 36665 as pinch-hit with synergistic plant–drug interactions that provide surplus benefit to patients with less adverse effects.


Abstract. Liquid-liquid phase separated (LLPS) aerosol particles are known to exhibit increased cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity compared to well mixed ones due to a complex effect of low surface tension and non-ideal mixing. The relation between the two contributions as well as the molecular scale mechanism of water uptake in the presence of an internal interface within the particle is to date not fully understood. Here we present steered molecular dynamics simulation studies of water uptake by a vapor/hydroxi-cis-pinonic acid/water double interfacial system at 200 K and 300 K. Simulated free energy profiles are used to map the water uptake mechanism and are decomposed into energetic and entropic contributions to highlight its main thermodynamic driving forces. Atmospheric implications are discussed in terms of gas/particle partitioning, intraparticle water redistribution timescales, and equilibrium saturation ratios of water vapor. Our simulations reveal a strongly temperature-dependent water uptake mechanism, whose most prominent features are determined by local extrema in conformational and orientational entropies near the organic/water interface which result in a reduced core uptake coefficient (ko/w = 0.05) and a concentration gradient of water in the organic shell at the higher temperature, while their effect is negligible at 200 K due to the explicit temperature dependence of entropic terms in the free energy profiles. The concentration gradient, which is a molecular level manifestation of non-ideal mixing – suspected to be a major factor to increase LLPS CCN activity – is responsible for maintaining LLPS and low surface tension even at very high relative humidities, thus reducing critical supersaturations. Thermodynamic driving forces are rationalised to be generalizable across different compositions. The conditions under which single uptake coefficients can be used to to describe growth kinetics as a function of temperature in LLPS particles are described.


In recent years there has been much debate regarding the evaluation of treatments in medicine. The evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement has formed partly out of the realisation that clinical practice is often poorly informed by the best available evidence, and that many widely used treatments are


Si nanocrystals in thermal oxide films (∼250 nm) were fabricated by 100 keV Si ion implantation at various doses followed by high temperature annealing. After annealing a sample implanted with a dose of 1×1017 cm−2 at 1050°C for 2 h, a broad photoluminescence peak centred around 880 nm was observed. A dose of 5×1016 cm−2 yields a considerable blue shift of about 100 nm relative to the higher dose. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used to characterize the microstructures in the SiO2 film. The limitations of these techniques for the study of the nanostructures are addressed in this paper and it is suggested that AFM combined with etching can yield a structural spectroscopy with very good sensitivity.


There are numerous and significant points at which one could engage the arguments presented in Beyond Religious Freedom (BRF), a testament to the rapidly growing status of one of the most challengi...


—In this paper, we have developed a cubic B-spline technique to obtain numerical solutions for second-order linear singularly perturbed boundary value problems of convection-diffusion type equations with discontinuous source terms. The solution to such types of problems contains boundaries and an interior layer. The error analysis of the proposed method has been studied and also proved the convergence of the method. The cubic B-spline technique has been implemented on two numerical examples which shows the efficiency and accuracy of the method. Obtained numerical results of the proposed method have compared with other existing methods and found that it gives better numerical solutions at the same number of mesh points.


Immobilized Rhizopus oryzae culturing may be a solution to the inhibited production of L(+)-lactic acid in submerged fermentation, which is caused by aggregated mycelia floc. In the present study, a R. oryzae mutant (RL6041) with a 90% conversion rate of glucose into L-lactic acid was obtained by N+ implantation under the optimized conditions of a beam energy of 15 keV and a dose of 2.6 × 1015 ions/cm2. Using polyurethane foam as the immobilization matrix, the optimal L-lactic acid production conditions were determined as 4 mm polyurethane foam, 150 r/min, 50 g/L ∼ 80 g/L of initial glucose, 38°C and pH 6.0. 15-cycle repeated productions of L-lactic acid by immobilized RL6041 were performed under the optimized culturing conditions and over 80% of the glucose was converted into L-lactic acid in 30 hours on average. The results show that immobilized RL6041 is a promising candidate for continuous L-lactic acid production.


A piston-cylinder-type high-pressure dilatometer has been built and the effect of pressure on melting behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been studied. The melting temperature increases but the rate of change of the melting temperature decreases with increasing pressure. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) crystallized from the melt at elevated pressure and temperature was studied by thermal analysis, and wide-angle and small-angle x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Chain-extended PET crystals were observed for the first time and some of their properties are described. A similarity to extended-chain polyethylene is suggested.


Abstract This review includes 16 examples of distortion isomers of heterotetranuclear platinum clusters. The clusters are of the compositions: Pt3Sn, Pt2M2 (M=Au, Ag, W, Mo), and PtM3 (M=Os, Ru, Re). The four metal atoms are found in a distorted tetrahedral core (most common), planar-rhombohedral, spiked-triangular, and eight-membered ring skeleton. There are three pairs (Pt2W2, Pt2Au2, and Pt2Ag2) of clusters and all remainder clusters contain two crystallographically independent molecules within the same crystal. All are classical examples of distortion isomerism. Their structures are analyzed and discussed.


The purpose of this book is determined, as the author says, "by the need which the spiritual advisor has. And Pastoral Medicine is of no less importance to the doctor since he needs a guide in his practice.... Pastoral Medicine is a very important part of medical science and a very important branch of Pastoral Theology. Its importance for both branches of knowledge becomes more clearly evident as time goes on." This book is for the non-Catholic as well as the Catholic physician, for we must recognize that, in caring for a patient, we must treat within that patient's faith. For the doctor in his relations with the sick, the importance of the ideas expressed in Pastoral Medicine is incalculable. Doctor Niedermeyer has divided his work into three main sections: "Fundamental Principles," "Special Pastoral Medicine," and "Religion and Therapeutics" (Deontology). The section "Special Pastoral Medicine" can be used as a


Abstract : 1Ehrman,L. ;F30602-73-C-0193RADCTR-73-362*Transistors, Field effect transistors, Bipolar transistors, Junction transistors, Electromagnetic compatibility, Models, Nonlinear systems, Transfer functions, Electronic equipmentA review of basic background material for the Electronic Device Modeling effort is presented in this first quarterly technical report. The essentials of charge-control bipolar transistor models and their extension to the Gummell and Poon model are included together with initial comments upon their application to nonlinear transfer function determination. Basic properties of JFET and MOSFET theoretical models are also reviewed and the shortcomings, with respect to nonlinear models, are discussed briefly. (Author)


The media make it easier for students and lecturers in the student-centered online teaching and learning process, in sewing equipment courses. it is necessary to develop learning media based on video tutorials for operating high speed sewing machines to facilitate online learning. The purpose of this research is to develop three applicable video tutorial products (VTA) namely (overlock sewing machine operation, overdeck sewing machine operation, and buttonhole machine operation). The method used is the ADDIE learning media development model. The results from expert's validation related to media  73.8%, related to material  category  96. 8%, and  feasible category 89.01%.. The discussion of applicative video tutorials for the operation of overlock sewing machines, overdeck sewing machines, and buttonhole machines begins with the initial display/opening, presentation of sewing machine operation material, ends with assignments/practice. Video displays are made to facilitate and improve students' understanding and motivation in learning. This is because video is one of the efforts to increase understanding and interest in learning for students, which is a technology for capturing, recording, processing, transmitting and rearranging moving images, which are related to vision. and hearing, so that the video is suitable to be used for learning the introduction/use of sewing machines in sewing equipment courses.


During the past decade, amid the current context emphasizing educational standards and accountability, the practice of grade retention has increased. The call for an end to social promotion has generated a variety of recommendations and legislation regarding promotion policies. This context has served as a catalyst for numerous debates regarding the use of grade retention and social promotion. In an era emphasizing evidence-based interventions, research indicates that neither grade retention nor social promotion is a successful strategy for improving educational success. Meta-analyses of studies during the past 100 years reveal deleterious outcomes associated with grade retention. Moreover, research also reveals prevention and intervention strategies that are likely to promote the social or academic competence of students at-risk of poor school performance. It is essential that educational professionals are familiar with the research when implementing interventions to promote student success. This chapter provides a brief synthesis of contemporary concerns and empirical studies examining student outcomes associated with grade retention, and also describes alternatives to grade retention. Particular consideration is given to implications for students with learning and behavioral disabilities, and the importance of focusing empirically supported strategies to promote student social and cognitive competence. Overall, educational professionals are encouraged to incorporate evidence-based programs and policies to facilitate the success of all students.


Abstract Consider someone who sets out to collect data sequentially in such a way as to disprove a hypothesis, H 0, about the value of θ, the mean of a normal distribution. Observation is continued as long as the posterior probability of H 0 exceeds α1 and stopped when it falls below it. It is shown that if a non-zero prior probability, p, is assigned to H 0(0≤α1 < p) and the remaining prior probability is spread over alternate values of θ that the probability that H 0 will eventually be rejected when true is With non-zero assignment of p it is therefore not possible to sample to a foregone conclusion. The Wald 3-decision scheme is shown to be equivalent to setting and assigning prior probability of to the alternatives θ = θ0 + Δ and θ = θ0 − Δ. Anomalous features of this scheme, particularly for the case of unknown σ, are shown to be a consequence of the unrealistic nature of the alternatives assumed. It is suggested that meaningful assignments of p are possible in practice by considering the minimum num...


In an important cohort study of former professional soccer players from Scotland, Russell et al examined the comparative mental health outcomes of this group.1 Previous work from this group had demonstrated a higher incidence of mortality from neurodegenerative disease. Among professional European-style football players2 the risk factor for neurodegenerative disease in those with contact sport has been demonstrated, in football/soccer, and in American-style football. Several authors have poised behavioural health concerns to be a critical part of the phenotype linked to sport-related neurodegenerative disease such as traumatic encephalopathy syndrome.3 Indeed, concussions and perhaps multiple concussions, have been linked to behavioural health concerns. In this study, Russell et al did not note a higher level of hospitalisations for mental health outcomes nor did they demonstrate a higher suicide rate. These findings are …


We are on the edge of an environmental crisis. President Carter spoke of this problem to all Americans on 5 April when he discussed the energy crisis and the need for new energy production, energy conservation, and development technology. All of these efforts by the public and private sectors of our economy and our families are related to how we act and react to our environment. The environment and the quality of life constitute the theme of the 90th anniversary of the Academy, the 83rd annual meeting. What is the environment? What do we mean by quality? The environment is the world around us; it is everything external to our individual physiological and psychic organisms, that which is exogenous, that which we see, smell, hear, and touch beyond the genetic corporeal substance that is ourselves. Environment is defined as &dquo;that which environs, the surrounding conditions, influences or forces which influence


The field study was performed to evaluate the effects of concentration and the number of times methanol spraying on sugarbeet under deficit irrigation. The experiment was a split plot factorial with a randomized complete block design using three replicates. The factors were (c) the concentration of methanol at three level (0, 14 and 28 % (v/v) methanol), (b) the number of methanol spraying at two levels (with 10 and 20 days interval) and (a) drought stress at two levels of intensity (based on irrigation triggered by soil water deficits of 40 % (minimal stress) or 70 % of available soil moisture (severe stress). All treatment solutions included2 g.L -1 glycine, as well as zero methanol controls. Factors a andb were as the main plots and factor c as the subplot. Total dry matter (TDM), root yield (RY), sugar content (SC), sugar yield (SY), white yield sugar (WYS), Na, K, harmful N, White sugar content (WSC), ESC, molasses, alkalite were calculated. Result demonstrated significant effects of factor C on TDM, RY, SY, WYS and Sugar extraction rates. The highest and lowest RY was obtained in plots with 14 % (v/v) methanol spraying and without methanol (74.64 and 59.34 ton ha-1, respectively).


Dissolved carbon dioxide (dCO2) evaluation is very important in many different fields. In this work, a new, integrated, colorimetric-optical fiber-based system for dCO2 monitoring in aquaculture industry was developed. The sensing chemistry is based on colorimetric changes of the used indicator—poly p-nitrophenol (pNPh)—in contact with CO2. Preliminary tests were done in a laboratory environment (calibration) and in a laboratory Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) with controlled CO2 injection. The results have shown the suitability of the new sensor for assessing dCO2 dynamics in RAS and its fast detection of low dCO2 concentrations in an appropriate operation range.


In recent years, the sparse coding-based techniques have been widely used for image denoising. However, most of the sparse coding-based mixed noise reduction methods fail to take full advantage of the geometric structure of data samples. In other words, they neglect the common information shared by the similar patches in sparse coding. To address this concern, in this paper, we propose a robust constrained sparse representation (RCSR) method to remove mixed noise. By using the center coefficient of similar patches as the guider which is approximated by the coefficient of query patch in sparse coding, the geometric structure of data can be well preserved. Moreover, different from most existing two-stage mixed noise reduction methods that use explicit detectors to restrain impulse noise, the proposed RCSR adaptively adjusts the contribution of each pixel in the loss function to eliminate the influences of outliers. Experiments on the reconstruction of synthetic data and the removal of mixed noise in real images demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.


The ''Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) Materials Handbook'' has been developed and prepared by the APT project to provide a controlled source of extensively reviewed and quality-qualified materials data and information for use in all phases of the project, from conceptual and preliminary design through construction and operation. As originally planned, the Handbook was to provide data and information on all materials associated with all APT systems and components. This includes the accelerator and its commissioning beam stops, the Target/Blanket (T/B) system (beam window, target and blanket modules, cavity vessel, vessel internals, and shields), the tritium separation plant, the balance-of-plant (BOP), and the site and buildings. The current version of the Handbook (Revision 1) provides relatively complete coverage for T/B and tritium systems materials, and its next issue will give increased attention to data for materials of the accelerator.


It is a key step to assessing regional risk of investment projects for each region suitable for the project investment.On the basis of building attributes system and for the problem of risk assessment,multi-granularity is first transferred to basic linguistic term set when each decision maker gives importance to risk elements.With IOWA operator,importance of risk factor is determined for all decision makers.Weight of regional risk order in different regions is calculated considering risk factors' state value by CCR model.


Climate has been employed, from the antiquity, by diverse authors, like spacial differentiation element. Climatologist, meteorologist, botanists, agromists, among other, have worked on, varied regional divisions of climate that form the essential thing of regional climatology. But besides, numerous geographers have emphasized the fundamental role climate carry out to explain spacial distributions of societies and ways of life and even, some author, a bit too much to sketch world regional divisions, depending on climatic factor. Both lots offer diverse unities to physical criterious; so they are regions with a natural aspect existing in the terrestrial surface.


The physicochemical properties of starches from sweet potato roots differing in stages of development and tissue zone were examined. All of the sweet potato starch granules had both spherical and polygonal shapes by scanning electron microscopy observation. All starches gave a Ca-type X-ray diffraction pattern. Pasting properties were also characterized by a rapid viscoanalyzer. Pasting temperatures were somewhat higher in the peel starch and were lower in the late stage of development. Peak viscosity and breakdown tended to be higher with increasing physiological age. The ratio of short chains to long chains of amylopectin determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of the debranched starch was slightly higher in the early stage of development but was similar among different tissue zones. The distributions of chain length (degree of polymerization 6-17) of these amylopectins calculated from GPC substantially corresponded to those from high-performance anion exchange chromatography.


The excellent teaching material construction of medical information management science was discussed from its overall frame,main contents,style and media based on an analysis of its current state and its teaching practice in recent years.


Little scholarly analysis has been made of the processes involved in returning
Indigenous sacred locales to contemporary religious usage. In this paper, a historical and descriptive sketch is provided of the institutional and personal
systems in place in the recovery of a Dakota sundance site in Birds Hill Provincial Park. After several meetings with various officials from the Manitoba Department of Conservation the White Buffalo Spiritual Society was given permission to hold a sundance ceremony at Birds Hill Provincial Park, located approximately twenty kilometers north of the City of Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada. From 2000 until 2007 an annual sundance and regular sweatlodge ceremonies were held at a site in the Park selected by members of the White Buffalo Spiritual Society in consultation with Conservation officials. This article outlines significant events in the process of establishing and maintaining a sacred space in a Provincial Park, introduces
the reader to the Dakota Eagle sundance, and notes the reasons why the sundance and sweatlodge ceremonies are viewed as important for the individual and community well-being.


Online platforms such as Twitter and Amazon have disrupted the previous economies of scale and enabled the new way of organizing. Using the Twitter network structures and conversational contents on eBooks between 2014 and 2015, this paper studies how the power dynamics in the U.S. publishing industry have shifted with the introduction of industry platforms such as Twitter. I find that established players such as the Big Five publishers benefit more from the diffusion of information through social media networks as well as from the buzz created through contents. While industry platforms have been believed to democratize industries, the results from this study explain that the underlying network structures and diffusion of information give advantages to the already powerful ones.


The purpose of this paper is to analyze the regional problems of the Kingdom of Sweden at the beginning of the 21st century and to confront these findings with the regional policy of the Czech Republic. In the introduction the basic issues of Swedish regional development will be presented. In the text the tax issues will also be outlined, i.e. the system of taxes redistribution to the regional and local authorities in our republic and in Sweden. In the text a case study of regional association of "Western Sweden" follows (West Sweden the EU Project Analysis Service - WEPA). This association has established in Brussels its permanent representation and it promotes here the interests of individual cities and regions - for now only of mentioned "Western Sweden", which is not a municipal Swedish region, just the association composed of three Swedish regions (Halland, Varmland and Vastra Gotaland) and 71 cities. In the paper current practice and principles are documented, and the question remains: Is it possible to use this model of "Western Sweden" also in the Czech Republic? This article was created within the research project "Innovation Approach to Analysis of Disparities on Regional Level", realized under the state subsidy of The Ministry for Regional Development WD-30-07-1 at the Faculty of Economics, Technical University of Liberec, the Czech Republic.


Software reliability is the probability that a system performs its purpose adequately for a specified period of time under specific operating conditions. This paper presents RANDREL, a Java-based simulator that provides an environment for training students in reliability testing. Reliability testing is modeled as a random walk through the program execution state space into which faults have been seeded at specific points. When a fault is encountered during the simulation, a failure is reported, the tester fixes the fault and resumes reliability testing. After each failure the reliability growth model is updated and used to determine whether the reliability goal has been achieved. This paper describes the design of RANDREL and early experiences using it.


The authors introduce techniques to support continuous service using a central IDB (Information DataBase) mechanism and to control system overload and manage network resources.<<ETX>>


Though honokiol, derived from the Magnolia tree, was known to suppress renal fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, non‐alcoholic steatoheptitis, inflammation and cancers, the underlying antifibrotic mechanisms of honokiol are not fully understood in hepatic stellate cells until now. Thus, in the present study, inhibitory mechanism of honokiol on liver fibrosis was elucidated mainly in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) by 3‐(4, 5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, cell cycle analysis and western‐blotting. Honokiol exerted cytotoxicity in LX‐2, HSC‐T6 and Hep‐G2 cells. Honokiol increased sub G1 population and activated caspase 3 and cleaved poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) in HSCs. Moreover, honokiol attenuated the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF‐β1), phospho‐Smad3, phospho‐AKT, cyclin D1, c‐Myc, Wnt3a, β‐catenin, and activated phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) in HSCs. Conversely, GSK3β inhibitor SB216763 reversed the effect of honokiol on PARP, α‐SMA, phospho‐GSK3β, β‐catenin and sub G1 population in LX‐2 cells. Overall, honokiol exerts apoptotic and antifibrotic effects via activation of GSK3β and inhibition of Wnt3a/β‐catenin signalling pathway.


To study the expression of IL-17 in breast cancer(BC)tissues and non-cancerous tissues,and to explore whether it is related to characteristics of affection,lymph node metastases and the levels of ER,PR and C-erb2.(1)Patients included in this study were 55 cases of Invasive ductal carcinoma(IDC);55 cases of Invasive lobular carcinoma(ILC);32 cases of Ductal carcinoma in situ(DCIS)and 142 cases of breast adenosis(BA).(2)The expression of IL-17 was examined by immunohistochemistry(IHC)(S-P method).(3)The expression of IL-17 was analyzed against histological type,TNM stage and prognosis of BC.(1)IL-17 showed a positive expression rate of 96.47% in BC patients,higher than that of 88.03% in BA patients(χ2=7.095,P=0.0080.05).(2)In BC patient tissues,the expression of IL-17 was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis(rs=0.182,P=0.0300.05).The strong positive IL-17expression rate was 67.35% in patients with lymph node metastasis and 48.39% in patients without lymph node metastasis,respectively(χ2=4.660,P=0.0310.05)(3)The expression of IL-17 was not associated with the age of patients,levels of ER,PR and Her-2,P0.05.The over-expression of IL-17 in breast cancer tissues and in patients with lymph node metastasis suggests that proinflammatory IL-17 cytokine may be involved in pathogenesis,progression and metastasis of breast cancer.


Conventional wired networks are subject to being tapped by a variety of means, whether copper or fiber connections are used. In addition, methods of network snooping exist that make such eavesdropping minimally invasive, but no less significant. Wireless networking has additional characteristics that also decrease physical network security. As new technologies emerge, the potential for loss of company information through lax physical security must be carefully evaluated and steps taken to mitigate the risk. In addition to automated security measures, such as intrusion detection and direct wiring monitoring, careful network management procedures can enhance physical security. Proper network design is critical to maintaining the desired level of security. In addition to the measures used on wired networks, wireless networks should be protected with encryption.


This article considers development of modern chemical monitoring systems using modern hardware and software. Application of these means gives a lot of possibilities for improving reliability of the chemical monitoring systems, main power plant equipment and water chemistry maintenance. An information system is described, the system contains a decision support module, that allows to identify faulty chemical measuring instruments, inform the plant staff about the scheduled maintenance operations and identify the reason of a water chemistry upset. A model of such a system is developed using Tehnopribor and Owen hardware and CODESYS 2 and Trace Mode 6 software.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Single-system ectopic ureter draining a dysplastic kidney is a rare urologic abnormality. In this study, we evaluated our own experience using laparoscopy for the simultaneous identification and removal of such ureterorenal units.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Between February 1999 and August 2001, four girls with a mean age of 11 years presented with urinary incontinence. After imaging studies including CT scan, MRI, or both were done, all the patients underwent laparoscopy for definitive localization and simultaneous treatment.

RESULTS
In all cases, ultrasonography and intravenous urography combined to reveal a single normal kidney. Even the CT scan could not identify the dysplastic kidney or ectopic ureter in three children. Laparoscopy was performed transperitoneally in all four patients, and a small dysplastic kidney was identified. Discovery of the kidney was not difficult because we initially identified the ureter crossing over the iliac vessels. Laparoscopic nephroureterectomy was successful in all patients with a mean operative time of 102 minutes. There was no significant intraoperative or postoperative complication, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 2.5 days. All patients have remained completely dry without any problems after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS
For patients having a clinical suspicion of ectopic ureter draining a dysplastic kidney, laparoscopy may represent an alternative modality for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment.


Abstract The provision of non‐damaging environments is the essence of preventive conservation. Emissions from wood and wood products are known to pose a risk to certain types of artefacts within enclosed display cases or storage areas. However, wood and wood products have several utilitarian properties that make their use particularly desirable. A strategy that has been suggested is to apply a surface barrier to seal wood products and reduce, or ideally stop, the emission of harmful vapours. Twenty‐eight sealing materials available in the UK, and several methods of application, have been evaluated in this study. Ambient temperature and heat accelerated corrosion tests with lead have been used to rank the efficiency of the sealing methods. The emission rates of both organic acids and formaldehyde from sealed MDF have been measured. A wide range of sealing efficiencies on MDF was determined and suggestions are included as to the suitability of different methods for different situations.


Foamy oil is a phenomenon that is not yet fully understood. Studies often involve high pressure equipment that make experiments, show, expensive, and the equipment difficult to clean. A simple suggestion of wallpaper paste solution (carboxyl-methyl cellulose and water) and antacid mixture could be used to determine a number of the physical processes and properties needed to further understand foamy oil. The wallpaper paste solution when combined with antacid behaves similarly to that of foamy oil, but experiments can be conducted without the inconvenience of using the oil. Such experimental studies would be easier, low cost, and cleaner, and could be precursors to experiments on actual foamy oil.


Development of a Plan for a Navigator Program by Linda K. Dunaway MSN, University of Kentucky, 1987 BSN, University of Kentucky, 1984 ADN, Maysville Community College, 1979 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University February 2017 Abstract Following implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, hospitals have seen a reduction in Medicare reimbursement for 30-day post-discharge readmissions of acute myocardial infarction patient. The purpose of this project was to develop a plan for a navigator program to improve a patient's health status post discharge and reduce readmission rates. The Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice model and guidelines were used in determining the quality of obtained experimental and nonexperimental studies with or without meta-analysis and popular source articles. The literature revealed the most successful programs involved providing best practices for a navigator program allowed better patient education, discharge planning, safety and quality of care, improved communication and post-discharge follow-up, and improved facility finances to achieve positive results for the patient and the hospital. Watson's caring theory was used as the theoretical framework since it incorporated the aspect of caring to create a good working nurse-patient relationship. A navigator program training module, job description, objectives, program forms, mission and goal statements, and a health care team were developed and seen as crucial to the success of the program and its evaluation process. Using navigator practices, based on evidence, formed the infrastructure and management process for the facility and health care providers, thereby increasing the quality of patient care. The resulting social change was positive, benefiting the patient, family, the organization, and the region served. With implementation, this project was anticipated to reduce 30-day readmissions and increased facility reimbursement.Following implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, hospitals have seen a reduction in Medicare reimbursement for 30-day post-discharge readmissions of acute myocardial infarction patient. The purpose of this project was to develop a plan for a navigator program to improve a patient's health status post discharge and reduce readmission rates. The Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice model and guidelines were used in determining the quality of obtained experimental and nonexperimental studies with or without meta-analysis and popular source articles. The literature revealed the most successful programs involved providing best practices for a navigator program allowed better patient education, discharge planning, safety and quality of care, improved communication and post-discharge follow-up, and improved facility finances to achieve positive results for the patient and the hospital. Watson's caring theory was used as the theoretical framework since it incorporated the aspect of caring to create a good working nurse-patient relationship. A navigator program training module, job description, objectives, program forms, mission and goal statements, and a health care team were developed and seen as crucial to the success of the program and its evaluation process. Using navigator practices, based on evidence, formed the infrastructure and management process for the facility and health care providers, thereby increasing the quality of patient care. The resulting social change was positive, benefiting the patient, family, the organization, and the region served. With implementation, this project was anticipated to reduce 30-day readmissions and increased facility reimbursement. Development of a Plan for a Navigator Program by Linda K. Dunaway MSN, University of Kentucky, 1987 BSN, University of Kentucky, 1984 ADN, Maysville Community College, 1979 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University February 2017 Dedication This quality improvement project is dedicated to my parents, Woodrow and Gladys Smith. Without their love, encouragement, and support, my obtaining this degree or any of my previous nursing degrees would not have been possible. My parents taught me the value of obtaining an education and using the knowledge gain to help others as well as myself. Both of my parents have passed on to be with the Lord, but I believe they are watching me with pleased hearts and smiling faces. I will always be grateful to them for how they raised me. If given the chance to choose parents for myself, without hesitation, I would choose the same parents, and enjoy every day spent with them all over again. Acknowledgments I want to thank everyone in my life that gave me encouragement, support, and love as I worked on obtaining this degree. First, my husband Russ, who put up with me as I studied in the evenings, on weekends, wrote papers, and worked full-time as a nursing educator. Thank you for everything and your continued love. We never did get to take that vacation; hopefully, it will not be long now. Second, to my son Mike and daughterin-law Lori for their patience with me saying no to many activities so I could work on my schoolwork. Third, I want to thank my two grandsons, John and Nick, who really liked the fact that their grandma was back in school showing them it is never too late to go back and further one's education. The smiles on their faces and their happy dances were the best encouragement I received through this entire educational journey. To Dr. Allison Terry, my mentor and instructor: Your advice and patience is what guided me through this journey. I could not have asked for a better mentor. For you, a special thank you, for everything. I will not forget all you have done to get me through this program. Finally, to everyone else I met while working on this degree. Each person involved in my journey both known and unknown contributed to my learning as a student, nurse, and person. I am so grateful to have experienced this journey with every one of you. Thank you so much for such a terrific journey.


Carefully designed ZnO nanowire-film hybrid nanostructure, composed of a bottom ZnO film, ZnO nanowire arrays, and a top ZnO film, was consecutively fabricated by adjusting the supersaturation conditions using a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to utilize the vertically aligned ZnO nanowires as the oxygen sensors. The decrease of current flow through ZnO nanowire arrays increasing oxygen pressure showed the high potential for the application of the ZnO hybrid nanostructure to the oxygen sensors. In addition, it was confirmed that the oxygen sensing characteristics of this hybrid nanostructure were attributed to the defects near the surface of the nanowires.


The needle fir is a relic breed and now it grows only in southern part of Primorskiy region on the area about 23 thousand hectares. It was noticed that the seed years of this breed come rarely in 5-6 years. Cones and seeds collected from growing trees in bumper years have larger size and the best sowing qualities. Authors of the article developed an elevating device for gathering of cones of needle fir from the best growing trees


This paper outlines the initial findings of an action research project that focuses on the possible contribution of peer observation to a more collaborative environment and teachers' professional growth at The University High School. The research component played a significant part as previous attempts to change the culture at the school were unsuccessful and investigating the forces that prevent collaboration in the day-to-day workings of the school became necessary. Our investigation reveals that whilst a peer observation programme has great potential to stimulate cooperation amongst teachers, the ingrained power relations in schools turn its intended professional growth outcomes on its head. Only if the school's leadership employs strategies to counter entrenched disciplinary structures in schools, can peer observation lead to more collaboration between staff members and stimulate professional learning.


The economic problems that befell Muslims today are due to our dependence on the capitalist and socialist world economic system. Muslims are in a grip too strong and hard to break away. All sides of the economy are controlled and operated by a capitalist system that does not care about the values to be considered. The capitalist economy justifies all means of getting everything. Capitalism focuses only on income and profit. This condition creates a huge gap in society


Scholars of Western Marxism went into social criticism at the expense of their philosophical thinking but their social critical theory offered opportunities for modern people to express themselves.This self-expression can lead people to become a part of the social movement mechanism and wholly integrated into the society.


We identified four outer membrane proteins (protein a and the iron-regulated proteins 74K, 81K, and 83K) present in reduced amounts of Escherichia coli K-12 perA strains. A comparison of the levels of enterochelin with the levels of 74K, 81K, and 83K suggested that perA acts posttranscriptionally.


Recently Fanti and Gori (2008) showed - in the basic overlapping generations (OLG) model of neoclassical growth with exogenous fertility (Diamond, 1965) - that a positive relationship between longevity and pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pensions may exist independently of the size of the contribution rate burdening on the currently active generation (the young workers). We extend such a model to analyse how the balanced PAYG pension budget is affected by an increasing longevity in a fairly standard Diamond-style OLG model with endogenous fertility. It is shown that the positive relationship between longevity and pensions may be thought to be a robust feature of OLG economies. In particular, (1) the demand for children may either increase or decrease along with an increased longevity, though the latter is not very likely, and (2) the endogeneisation of fertility rates may strengthen or weaken the beneficial effects that the reduction in adult mortality plays on PAYG pensions, and this result depends exclusively on the size of the households' preference for raising children. Therefore, even in a context in which agents choose endogenously the number of children raised, there would be room for an increase, rather than the often threatened reduction, in future pensions by keeping unaltered the contribution rate to the PAYG scheme paid by current workers, and this holds especially in the case in which parents have a strong preference for having children.


Conclusions. Ownership of a particular thing may arise in a concrete person in various ways in acquiring ownership of Ukrainian lands within the Russian Empire at the end of the XVIII – at the beginning of the ХIХ century. Ownership should be understood, first of all, as a right (measure of possible behavior). However, human freedom in the process of realization of the right to property can not be limitless. Its boundaries should not exceed the level above which the freedom of one person would be contrary to the interests of other people, society or state. All methods of acquiring property rights were divided into primary and derivative by Roman law. The specified classification was preserved also in the texts of normative legal acts in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.


Abstract We consider a multivariate distribution of the form , where the survival function h is a multiply monotonic function of order such that , for all i and for . This generalizes work by Chiragiev and Landsman on completely monotonic survival functions. We show that the considered dependence structure is more flexible in the sense that the correlation coefficient between two components may attain negative values. We demonstrate that the tool of divided difference is very convenient for evaluation of tail risk measures and their allocations. In terms of divided differences, formulas for tail conditional expectation (tce), tail conditional variance and tce-based capital allocation are obtained. We obtain a closed form for the capital allocation of aggregate risk. Special attention is paid to survival functions h that are regularly or rapidly varying.


Savage Century is an uncompromising and somewhat depressing assessment of the state of international affairs at the beginning of the twenty-first century and beyond. Drawing on research from the fields of international security, philosophy, psychology, literature and, in particular, history, it seeks to explain the barbarity of the early twenty-first century by examining the 'savage century' that preceded it. Indeed, at the heart of Delpech's thesis is the claim that 'man and history' have become 'increasingly out of phase with each other' (xi). That is, just as humankind failed to read the warning signs evident at the beginning of the twentieth century, signs that may have allowed some of the most horrific acts of barbarity that marked that 'savage century' to be prevented, we similarly risk failing to heed the warnings of contemporary history. The work is divided into four main parts and eighteen extremely short chapters. In the first part of the work, Delpech introduces Arthur Schopenhauer's notion of 'retrospective vision', a type of thought experiment which requires political actors to 'imagine themselves a few decades into the future looking back through a telescope to judge their present actions' (3). By drawing, at the same time, on the historical memory of the twentieth century, and applying the telescope to the world twenty years hence, Delpech hopes, with Solzhenitsyn, that the twentieth century will serve as a 'vaccine' for the twentyfirst. 'As we witness the beginning of a new cycle of extreme violence,' at the beginning of the twenty-first century, she argues, 'a reminder of the worst excesses of the twentieth century is necessary' (31). With this in mind, the second part of the work provides a targeted history of the twentieth century beginning in the year 1905 which, from Delpech's contemporary vantage point, provided ample warnings about the horrors that were to follow that century. Part two continues to discuss the actions of Adolf Hitler, 'an unforeseeable actor', before concluding that the twentieth century can be best defined in terms of the German word Herzelend, meaning 'sick at heart' (73). Although the comparison Delpech invites by focusing her historical discussion on the year 1905 is an interesting one, the first two parts of the work suffer slightly from their excessively ambitious scope. Indeed, in setting up the argument and providing an analysis of the savagery of the twentieth century in such a short space, the first eight chapters jump from idea to idea and event to event at an almost frenetic pace. Although this demonstrates an impressive


The urgency of development of the automated passport control system is shown and functions of the system are described. The composition of technical means and procedure of passengers' passport control using this system are considered. Technical specifications of the developed system are declared. Refs. 2. Figs. 2.


Conceptualizing the rainforest conceptualizing Melanesian agroforestry life on the lands of Marovo above the seashore - land use in Marovo the wet and the dry - Marovo agroforestry at European contact the great transformations, 1880-1910 colonialism, coconut overlay and the "age of development" towards the 21st century - adapting the indigenous system the forest as commodity - selling logs to Asia after logging - reforestation or what? small is beautiful? steps toward sustainable forestry rumours of utopia - conversation and eco-tourism epilogue - rainforest narratives.


Objective To culture and observe the biological characteristics of endothelial cells derived from CD34 + cells isolated from dog bone marrow. Methods CD34 + cells were isolated from bone marrow by magnetic bead selection,and then was induced in the presence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF).The cells were identified by microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and immunochemical staining with Von Willebrand factor (vWF) .Results The cells uniformly took on a cobblestone morphology undermicroscopy, the population double time of the cells was 35h.Undertransmission electron microscope, the cells displayed Weibel-Palade bodies. The cells are vWF positive. Conclusion It seems that magnetic bead selection is an effective ways to isolate CD34 + cells from bone marrow ,and CD34 + cells may be induced to form vascular endothelial cells.


The purpose of this research is to identity the various contexts in which visualizations create inequalities in the realm of big data science. In analyzing the visuals and graphics from two microbiome case studies, it becomes clear that the interplay of the visualizations conflate with the complexities of the data sets from which it was derived.  Continuing visualization studies with interdisciplinary lenses will help reveal more understandings about the inequalities in science and society.


The article is devoted to the methodical approach to analysis of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the external environment. First of all, the external environment is broken down on macro- and microenvironment. In turn, macroenvironment is broken down on classical components: political, economic, social and technological (PEST).Each component is expressed by one or several indicators, which are obtained either from the statistics or from the internationally recognized indexes. Special techniques to evaluate volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity for each indicator are provided. All the obtained indexes are subsequently (level by level) aggregated through the average geometrical to theintegral VUCA index of the external environment.


Semiconducting silicides are candidates for the use in low-scale thermoelectric devices. Among them higher manganese silicides (HMS or MnSi1.7) are the most promising thermoelectric silicides of p-type. Furthermore, this material is under discussion for optoelectronic application. However, its complicated tetragonal crystal structure and the existence of a number of similar MnSix phases with a composition x ranging from 1.67 to 1.75 [1] have hindered their extensive practical use in thin film technologies.


Formation and behavior of the pinosomes at the surface of the oocyte during oogenesis in the 4 species of sea urchins, Anthocidaris crassispina, Temnopleurus toreumaticus, Mespilia globulus and Pseudocentrotus depressus, were studied.


Aim of the study – draw attention to the differential diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and infective endocarditis. Materials and methods. Patient A., 44 years old, was admitted to the cardiologic department of Ryazan Regional Clinical Cardiology Clinic diagnosed with probable infective subacute endocarditis, glomerulonephritis, with complaints of weakness, fatigue, increase in body temperature up to 37.7 °C preferably in the evening, dry cough, shortness of breath on mild exertion, swelling of legs and feet. In early October 2015, the patient's body temperature increased up to 37.8 °C, there was a dry cough. Patient was treated on an outpatient basis for acute respiratory viral infections with antibiotics, decreased body temperature. Acute deterioration of the condition was observed in mid-October: severe shortness of breath even on mild physical exertion, heart rate increased, as well as lower limb edema, blood pressure (BP) increased up to 240/140 mmHg. The patient was hospitalized in the therapeutic department. Against the background of the treatment (antibiotics, antihypertensive agents, diuretics, digoxin) patient's condition was improved: shortness of breath decreased, as well as the heart rate, limb edema, blood pressure down to 180/110–190/120 mmHg. However, there was persistent proteinuria (0.33–1.65–3.3 g/L), low grade fever persisting in the evening. On admission to the cardiological department of Ryazan Regional Clinical Cardiology Clinic patient underwent the following survey: assessment of lab parameters in dynamics, electrocardiography, heart echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) of lungs. Results. We revealed left ventricular hypertrophy on heart ultrasonography; an increase in the volume of left atrium, right ventricle, right atrium; mitral, aortic, tricuspid valve insufficiency (grade II regurgitation); pulmonary hypertension; on lung CT – the picture of hydrothorax on the right side, hydropericardium. General analysis of the urine revealed proteinuria equal to 3.3 g/L. These data, combined with the history of the disease (fever for several months) confirmed diagnosis of infective endocarditis, despite the absence of vegetations on heart valves. However, high degree of proteinuria required differential diagnosis with systemic connective tissue diseases, such as system lupus erythematosus. Additional examination revealed increased titers of antinuclear factor (1:5120) antibodies (AB) to the double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (93 IU/mL). In this regard, and due to an increase in proteinuria up to 10 g/L we re-assessed diagnosis: systemic lupus erythematosus, acute course, grade III of activity with the affection of kidneys (lupus nephritis with nephrotic syndrome and impaired renal function, glomerular filtration rate equal to 35 mL/min), serous membranes (hydrothorax on the right side, hydropericardium), heart (moderate insufficiency of mitral, aortic, tricuspid valve (grade II regurgitation), respiratory system (grade I pulmonary hypertension), haematological disorders (anemia, thrombocytopenia), seropositive for antibodies to double-stranded DNA, anti-nuclear factor; secondary hypertension. Conclusion. This case illustrates difficulties of differential diagnosis between system lupus erythematosus and infective endocarditis, especially in the early stages, when there are still no data of additional examinations.


This paper first stated the origin and meaning of Green Finance and its relative concepts. Then it made a comparison between Green Finance and its relative concepts from the aspects of their producing time、producing place、backgrounds、study orientations and the relationship of sustainable development based on illustrating their comparative meaning from concepts expression、science study、philosophy and psychology aspects.


Radio multimedia services are constantly evolving. Service providers and operators must follow this evolution to address customers' expectations. With customers' changeable behaviors, a platform must review its architecture and adapt itself to reduce time-to-market of new services and satisfy all demands. In this context, solutions are about auto-adaptation and reconfiguration. These two operations should take place dynamically and rapidly, with no damage to platform functions. They also have to fulfill other features such as security, real time applications, error tolerance, etc. Our aim is to give an architecture which can support the reconfiguration process. We also expose some situations and scenarios to prove that bad situations (low throughput, call drop, bad QoS, etc.) are improved with reconfiguration.


Once a year, AsianBondsOnline undertakes a bond market survey to assess liquidity conditions in local currency (LCY) bond markets in emerging East Asia. The survey aims to provide an updated evaluation of the state of liquidity for each market in the region and identify potential areas for development. It is our mission to provide meaningful perspectives to help bond market participants, particularly regulators and policymakers, address needed areas by drafting policy reforms and structural regulations for the further deepening and strengthening of LCY bond markets in the region.


Migmatitic orthogneisses in the Muskoka domain, southwestern Grenville Province, Ontario, formed during the Ottawan stage (c. 1080–1050Ma) of the Grenvillian orogeny. Stromatic migmatites are volumetrically dominant, comprising granodioritic gneisses with 2–5cm thick granitic leucosomes, locally rimmed by thin melanosomes, that constitute 20–30 vol. %, and locally 40–50 vol. %, of the outcrops. Patch migmatites in dioritic gneisses form large (>10m) pinch-and-swell structures within the stromatic migmatites, and consist of decimetre-scale, irregular patches of granitic leucosome, surrounded by medium-grained hornblende–plagioclase melanosomes interpreted as restite. The patches connect to larger networks of zoned pegmatite dykes. Petrographic and geochemical evidence suggests that the patch leucosomes formed by 20–40% fluid-present, equilibrium melting of the dioritic gneiss, followed by feldspar-dominated crystallization. The dyke networks may have resulted from hydraulic fracturing, probably when the melts reached water saturation during crystallization. Field and geochemical data from the stromatic migmatites suggest a similar petrogenesis to the patch migmatites, but with significant additions of externally derived melts, indicating that they acted as conduits for melts derived from deeper structural levels within the orogen. We hypothesize that the Muskoka domain represents a transfer zone for melts migrating to higher structural levels during Grenvillian deformation.


I. GENERAL READABILITY AND USEFULNESS When I first received a copy of the research paper and read the title, I was not sure that I had made the right decision in accepting the invitation. Based on the title, I had no idea what the paper was about. Therefore, true to my auditor training, I decided to gather some corroborating evidence. To prove it was not just me, I asked two of my associate directors and two of my friends, who are practicing chartered accountants, to read the title and react. Here are the results: • Based on the title, not one of them understood what the paper was about. • Since two of them are my associate directors, I asked them to read the paper any way and they did. • Since the other two are friends, I decided to spare them. Actually, neither of them had any interest in reading further, and since I had no way of making them, short of paying their normal hourly charge-out rate, they did not. As for my associate directors and me, after reading the entire paper with dictionaries in hand, we did come to understand what the paper was about and how the title somehow reflected that. However, we then had to read it—and reread it. This led me to the question—Who was the intended audience? Based on the title, the numerous references to previous research with little elaboration, and the use of words not generally heard or seen in everyday conversation and reading, I concluded that the target audience was academics only. If there was any intention of attracting a nonacademic audience, then it was doomed to fail. Even if nonacademics were able to get past the title, the use of words such as "rubric" instead of "principle" or "rule" and "web-enabled synchronous discussion" instead of "online discussion" would quickly dampen interest. I have not even mentioned "reification" or "community of practice." As for the numerous references to previous academic research, most nonacademics will have little or no awareness of it.


This executive order by Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. appoints Robert J. Ivey as Commissioner of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.


1 In recent Cutting Edge columns, I've discussed the current technology race to replace polyvinyl siloxane impressions with a digital process—either cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) or intraoral scanning. As CBCT images have become more refined and digitally produced models have tested successfully for dimensional reliability, CBCT has seemed to be the horse to back in this race. Intraoral scanning of individual teeth has been possible for some time, but has required the use of scanning powder because of the trans lucency of enamel and dentin—a rather messy and uncomfortable process for patients. Now, however, scanners can produce full digital arches by "stitching" the images together, with no powder required. In this month's Cutting Edge column, Drs. Francesco Garino and Battista Garino demonstrate the practical application of the OrthoCAD intraoral scanner in a busy orthodontic practice. In the race between CBCT and scanning technologies, it appears to me that the intraoral scanner has taken the lead and is sprinting towards the finish line.


The article gives the analysis of full and text reinterpretation in A.Vasilyev's oeuvre (the classification of different types of reinterpretation is given in the article for testing). Reinterpretation is a very important tendency in modern art and rock-poetry. In the article, the term "reinterpretation" means the inclusion of precedent texts in the context of author's works.


This paper introduced the result of the study on an automobile liquefied petroleum gas device, carried a detailed discussion on its main technical characteristics and economic benefits and provided a sound base for promoting the utilization of automobile liquefied petroleum gas devices.


Observation of adaptive behaviour and self-organizing in nature has led to using similar concepts in modern network systems. These concepts have been implemented in signal estimation, detection and network optimization. A possible application for signal detection based adaptive networks can be implemented in cognitive radio where it is important to detect the presence of the primary user activity. In this paper, we examine the performance of a distributed adaptive network with static topology and unweighed communication that computes the autocorrelation function of the primary user for further signal detection application in cognitive radio. Key–Words: Cognitive radio, adaptive signal processing, adaptive networks, diffusion strategy, exponential averaging


New boiling-like phenomena are reported which have been observed during heat-induced lambda transitions in liquid Helium-II at pressures above the thermodynamic critical pressure.


ABSTRACT Despite contextual and functional differences, intelligence analysts have much in common with social science researchers. Similar to social researchers, intelligence analysts for example regularly make epistemic statements about aspects of human and social life and behaviour, and subject their findings to mutually shared scientific values such as reliability, credibility, accuracy, validity and objectivity. These values are pursued in a quest to obtain 'valid knowledge' about the social phenomena under investigation. Essentially, both disciplines must therefore ensure that the epistemic content of their statements remains scientifically beyond reproach and, from a methodological point of view, well above the realm of conventional wisdom and uninformed speculation. For intelligence practitioners, the quest for 'valid knowledge' is especially important when they make statements about the future in the form of early warning and threat analysis. Policy-makers' concerns about unforeseen future surprises are also reflected in South Africa's National Strategic Intelligence Act, 1994 (as amended), which tasks the country's various intelligence structures to identify and evaluate not only 'threats', but also 'potential threats' to the security of the country. In order to be of value to policy-makers, intelligence warnings and threat analyses must, however, assist policy-makers to effectively bridge the 'uncertainty gap' between the present and the future, without resorting to speculation, simplistic forecasting or 'semantic disclaimers'. This emphasises the need for a systematic approach and credible methodology. This article proposes one such approach and methodology, termed 'Intelligence Risk and Threat Assessment'. It presents not only a general introduction, but also a practical demonstration of the model's applicability in the context of South Africa's civilian domestic security and intelligence analysis. 1. INTRODUCTION Contemporary intelligence structures, including those in South Africa, are confronted by a very real dilemma: policy-makers require clear, unambiguous and authoritative intelligence analyses, assessments and early warning about the future in order to make effective policy decisions. Moreover, policy-makers expect intelligence structures to assist them with the prioritisation of security threats--including those that have not yet occurred--in order to ensure the most effective allocation of scarce resources. The inherently uncertain nature of the future however tends to limit the extent to which analysts can meet these expectations. (1) Several authors have documented the fact that intelligence analysts subsequently often respond to policy-makers' questions about the future with vague, speculative or non-committal 'semantic disclaimers' that do not provide policy-makers with sufficient understanding or answers. (2) Typical phrases or words often encountered in this respect include 'it is possible that', 'conceivable', 'apparently', 'may have', 'perhaps' and 'maybe'. (3) Laqueur refers to this phenomenon as the "dodging of uncertainty" through the "creative use of language", and acknowledges that it is frequently a "major problem" of many intelligence products and early warning. (4) As a result, several authors urge intelligence analysts to "clearly lay out their chain of reasoning"; to systematically "build a case"; and to adopt a "self-conscious epistemology" in order to establish credibility for their products, especially if these contain forecasts about expected future developments. (5) The challenge to develop a credible intelligence methodology on matters related to the future is especially acute in a democratic context, where a variety of functional, ethical, legal and constitutional implications could hypothetically arise should any issue, person or group be designated as a 'security threat' or a 'potential security threat' on uncertain or unspecified grounds. …


This 34-year-old woman reported that the right side of her face was warmer than the left and had a propensity for sweating. She had a left-sided tonic pupil.