From a single two-dimensional image of a three-dimensional object or scene it is possible to extract substantial information about the original object or even partially reconstruct the image of the object from a different viewing angle.[4] This has many applications in the fields of architecture, archaeology, forensic science and many others. This analysis can provide, in the case of metrology, measurement of the original scene, and in the case of rectification, the necessary information to construct a virtual model of the scene. A critical part of the analysis process is to accurately identify attributes of interest. One such attribute of interest are the 'vanishing points' of a scene. These are defined as points at which the extensions of parallel lines appear to converge in the perspective view of the image. In practice the detection of the vanishing points is made by visual inspection of the image and is both cumbersome and not very accurate. An automatic method of the vanishing point detection would eliminate the subjective inspection of the image and expedite the process. In my Honours project I was able to advance a method for automatic detection of the vanishing points through the combination of image analysis techniques and projective geometry. The method was successfully applied to the detection of the vanishing points for several images and reconstruction of images from different perspectives. However, the above method can only be readily implemented when there are sufficient straight lines in the image that can be detected by computational methods and their convergence point determined. In general the two-dimensional images may contain none or a very few straight lines. Hence the proposed method has to be much improved and augmented to be a useful tool for practical applications. The attributes of interest are not confined to vanishing points. Other attributes such a horizon lines are also useful for single view image analysis. These attributes have yet to be explored and their detection processes automated. Further work includes the development of prototypes for proposed applications of single view metrology and rectification. In addition to vanishing points, other geometrical cues can greatly assist the accuracy and feasibility of single view metrology. These geometrical cues include determination of right angles and


Formation scenarios of the protosolar nebula invoke two main reservoirs of ices that took part in the production of icy planetesimals. The first reservoir, located within the inner region of the protosolar nebula, contains ices (dominated by H2O, CO, CO2, CH4, N2 and NH3) originating from the ISM, which, due to their near solar vicinity, were initially vaporized. With time, the decrease of temperature and pressure allowed the water in this reservoir to condense at ~150 K in the form of crystalline ice. It is postulated that a substantial fraction of the volatile species were trapped as clathrates during this condensation phase as long as free water ice was available and there was enough time to overcome the slow kinetics of clathration. On the other hand, the remaining volatiles that were not enclathrated (due to the lack of available water ice or a low kinetics of clathration) probably formed pure condensates at lower temperatures in this part of the nebula. The second reservoir, located at larger heliocentric distances, is composed of ices originating from the ISM that did not vaporize when entering into the disk. In this reservoir, water ice was essentially in the amorphous form and the other volatiles remained trapped in the amorphous matrix. The location of the boundary between these two reservoirs is loosely constrained and may vary between 5 and 30 AU from the Sun, depending on the postulated nebula's thermodynamic conditions. The uncertainty in the distance of the boundary implies that comets may have formed from amorphous ice as well as from crystalline ices and/or clathrates. Here we review the key in situ measurements that are within the capabilities of the ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) instrument aboard the Rosetta spacecraft during its approach of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. These key measurements may allow disentangling between the different formation scenarios.


Despite a glancing correspondence in their titles, the newest works from Ruth apRoberts and Alicia Suskin Ostriker make for an unlikely comparative study: apRoberts has compiled seven varied essays, with subjects ranging from Hebrew poetic structure to Messiah's libretto as literary text, all loosely conjoined as Carlylian "filaments" that speak to the question of scriptural intertextuality; Ostriker has recorded her intensely personalistic exegesis of the Jewish Bible in an attempt to interrogate her personal relationship to Judaism. The Biblical Web declares its partisan interest in a literary analysis of the Bible, putting "doctrine aside" in order to "trace some of the broader social, cultural, and literary effects of the Bible in English, chiefly the Kingjames version." In the introductory chapter, "Filaments," apRoberts presents a sweeping overview of biblical textual history, looking briefly at the Puritan "domestication" of biblical sources and producing analytical riffs on the image of the winepress and the motif of vanity. In the first formal essay, apRoberts argues for the translatability of the Old Testament poetry as testifying to the viability of Structuralist notions of intrinsic patterns; in the second, she proposes a program of "raising metaphor consciousness" for observers of the Bible-as-literature. These two expositions reflect in miniature what The Biblical Web reveals on the whole: a tone which vacillates between specific scholarship and general conversation, a focus which


Abstract 1131 Cell exposed tissue factor (TF), the physiologic initiator of blood coagulation, is normally expressed in a low procoagulant, or cryptic conformation, and requires activation, or decryption, to fully exhibit its procoagulant potential. TF decryption is not fully understood and multiple decrypting mechanisms have been proposed including phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, TF monomerization, association with lipid rafts and redox modulation of TF. Calcium ionophores have been extensively used as TF decrypting agents, and both PS-dependent and independent mechanisms have been associated with ionophore-induced TF decryption. In the present study we analyzed the changes that occur in the lateral mobility of cell exposed TF during calcium ionophore-induced decryption, using a TF chimera with monomeric yellow fluorescent protein (YFP-TF). The YFP-TF expressed by endothelial cells (EC) retains TF procoagulant activity, is mainly exposed on the cell surface and can be decrypted similarly with endogenous TF by the calcium ionophore ionomycin. We analyzed the changes in TF membrane mobility during decryption using live cell imaging of YFP-TF expressed in EC. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis revealed a decreased mobility of TF in EC treated with the decrypting agent ionomycin. The YFP-TF fluorescence in the region of interest was more easily bleached in ionomycin–treated cells as compared with controls. The observed maximum recovery (R max ) of YFP-TF fluorescence in the bleached region of interest was significantly higher in control cells (80.84% recovery) as compared with ionomycin treated EC (39.29% recovery). These correlated with a decrease in YFP-TF mobile fraction from 50% for the control cells to 18% for the ionomycin treated EC. The lateral diffusion of the YFP-TF mobile fraction was similar between the two conditions, with halftime of fluorescence recovery of 7.69 sec in ionophore-treated cells and 10.69 sec in controls. These results suggest an immobilization of YFP-TF during decryption, which can be achieved by either lipid raft translocation or cytoskeleton floating. Similar to previous observations where TF cytoplasmic domain did not influence TF decryption, deletion of the TF cytoplasmic domain did not affect the lateral mobility of YFP-TF in FRAP analysis. To analyze decryption-induced changes in TF association with lipid domains, membrane fractions were isolated on a discontinuous Opti-Prep density gradient. Ionomycin treatment induced YFP-TF translocation from higher density, non-raft membrane fractions toward higher-buoyancy, raft fractions. Furthermore, the observed TF translocation into lipid rafts occurs without the formation of the quaternary complex with coagulation factors FVIIa, FXa and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), as previously described. To address the functional modulation of TF procoagulant potential in response to lipid raft translocation, cell membrane cholesterol was either depleted with methyl-β-cyclodextrine (MβCD) or supplemented from an aqueous mixture of cholesterol-MβCD. Membrane cholesterol depletion decrypted TF in EC, likely through PS exposure, while also enhancing the procoagulant potential of ionomycin-decrypted TF. In contrast, cholesterol supplementation decreases the procoagulant potential of ionomycin-decrypted TF. Taken together, these observations support the model of tonic inhibition of TF procoagulant activity by the lipid raft environment. In conclusion, by live cell imaging we show that TF membrane mobility changes during calcium-ionophore induced decryption resulting in an immobilization of TF in lipid rafts. The immobilization is not influenced by the cytoplasmic domain of TF and does not require the formation of the TF-FVIIa-FXa-TFPI quaternary complex. Translocation into lipid rafts provides tonic inhibition of TF procoagulant potential and, as a consequence, we show for the first time that decrypting agents can also initiate negative regulation of TF procoagulant function. This negative feedback loop may help convert the decrypted TF back to its cryptic, low coagulant form. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Raman spectroscopy has been applied extensively in the science of plant analysis in the recent years due to its technique characteristic of quick,sensitive and non-destructive analysis.Researches and applications of Raman spectroscopy in the study field of plant science are reviewed,and it was focused on the progress and prospect of the analysis technique applied in the plant physiology and ecology,plant genetics and genomic studies,phytochemistry taxonomy,plant natural product analysis and the quality control of plant products.


Group 6 transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) such as MoS2 are promising candidates for photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical applications. Despite their promise, scalable deposition of thin films remains a challenge for TMD-based photoanodes. Here we investigate the photoelectrochemical properties of ultra-thin films of chemically exfoliated MoS2 and its composites with TiO2 nanoparticles. We show that MoS2 monolayer films exhibit photoelectrochemical properties similar to bulk materials, generating photocurrent at excitation wavelengths above the direct band gap edge at ∼660 nm (∼1.9 eV). We also demonstrate that MoS2 monolayers adsorbed on TiO2 behave as effective photosensitizers. We find that in TiO2–MoS2 composite photoanodes, photoexcited hot electrons in MoS2 are able inject into TiO2 whilst holes are removed by the electrolyte so as to generate electrical current from incident light. Our results demonstrate the potential of solution-processed MoS2 monolayers for photoelectrochemical applications.


The eigen regimes of a multilink waveguide filter with reactive diaphragms are investigated. The transcendental equation for complex frequencies and Q-factor of the eigen oscillations of the filter is presented. The dependencies of the eigen frequencies and Q-factor of the eigen oscillations on the structure parameters are shown.


Abstract Phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase from Escherichia coli B cells grown with lactate as sole carbon source responds to variation in the adenylate energy charge (the mole fraction of ATP in the adenylate nucleotide pool plus one-half the mole fraction of ADP) in the manner characteristic of enzymes in biosynthetic sequences. This response is appropriate, since conversion of pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate is prerequisite to all biosynthetic sequences in lactate-grown cells. The response to energy charge is modulated by feedback inhibition by intermediates in various biosynthetic sequences: α-ketoglutarate, oxalacetate, phosphoenolpyruvate, 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde, and ADP-glucose. In conjunction with the previously demonstrated oppositely-directed response of pyruvate dehydrogenase to energy charge, these effects should assure the proper partitioning of pyruvate between biosynthesis (for which conversion to phosphoenolpyruvate is the first step) and oxidation with concomitant regeneration of ATP (for which conversion to acetyl coenzyme A is the first step).


INTRODUCTION Local anesthetic injection medialization of the paralyzed or paretic vocal fold has become the mainstay of management in the voice clinic in recent years. The popularity of this technique compared to suspension microlaryngoscopy and injection has grown for several reasons: avoidance of general anesthesia, avoidance of risks of rigid laryngoscopy, short procedure time, real-time assessment of voice outcome, and possibly most importantly, a significant reduction in costs. Several approaches have been described for officebased injection, including peroral, transthyrohyoid, transcricothyroid, and transthyroid. Each of these procedures has their advantages and disadvantages; they all have comparable success rates and complication rates. Although the procedure can be completed successfully in most patients using any of the above approaches, the procedure may fail in 2% to 8% of cases. Several modifications and alternative techniques have been described to avoid failure of the procedure. However, one of the most common anatomic obstacles—an overhanging arytenoid and/or false cord—continues to be a technical challenge. We describe a modification of the transthyrohyoid technique to achieve successful injection of the vocal cord despite the presence of overhanging supraglottic structures. MATERIALS AND METHODS


We report a case of a keyhole-shaped macular tear following blunt trauma and its spontaneous closure within 2 weeks in a middle-aged female. A 45-year-old female presented with unilateral acute diminution of vision following blunt trauma. Clinical examination revealed an atypical keyhole-shaped macular tear. Spontaneous closure of the tear was noted at the next review at 2 weeks. Most cases of spontaneous closure reported in the literature are in younger patients and after 1 month of trauma. Our case is unique because of the relatively older age of the patient, early spontaneous closure, and atypical configuration of tear.


This work presents an efficient framework for designing type-2 fuzzy models from noisy data that represent majority of the real-world databases used for building models. The framework is based on the use of a hybrid particle swarm optimisation (PSO) model that combines the traits of gbest and lbest PSO variants for getting fast results and at the same time avoiding premature convergence. Two major components of the framework, i.e., the encoding mechanism, and the hybrid PSO model have been discussed. Further, two benchmark problems that cover major application domains of type-2 FLSs viz. forecasting and classification, have been presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. For each noisy benchmark data, type-1 fuzzy model is also designed and its performance is compared with the designed type-2 fuzzy model with an objective to exhibit better noise handling capability of type-2 models.


For chromosome duplication of Potato virus Y (PVY)-resistant haploid mutants obtained by the combination treatment of tobacco anther culture and ion beam exposure, pith tissue culture was performed. Thirty five plants were obtained by pith tissue culture and subsequent acclimatization. Their chromosome number ranged from 22 to 96, and 16 of thern had 48 chromosomes. These plants produced fertile seeds by self-pollination. When plants derived from self-pollinated seeds were inoculated with PVY, resistant and susceptible plants were observed. Of the plants derived from the most resistant mutant in the haploid generation, about 50% was resistant to PVY.


Objective:To review the progress in assay of lipoprotain(a)and its application in clinical.Methods:To collect and summarize the related literatures.Results:This paper mainly involved in the biochemical character of lipoprotain(a)and the common methods for detecting lipiprotain (a),as well as the application of determining lipoprotain (a) in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease,nephropathy,and diabetes mellitus.Conclusion:The assay of the lipoprorain (a)may be widely used in clinical,especally in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.


This paper challenges child care and youth workers to re-examine the works of Dickens for their commentary on the treatment of children and youth in families, schools and society. The fictional presentation of young peoples' lives by Dickens has relevance to today's practice issues.


Oseltamivir phosphate (OSP), marketed under the brand name of Tamiflu®, is a potent inhibitor of viral neuraminidase, a glycoside hydrolase enzyme essential for viral replication. OSP is also important to control influenza virus (H1N1) and is produced mainly from shikimic acid (SA) extracted from plants. The main source of SA is from seeds of I. verum. Alternatives to meet the worldwide demand are necessary. One of this is Cryptomeria japonica. In this study, we found a content of 56.36 mg.kg-1 of SA in dried biomass for C. japonica, while for I.verum, the traditional source, was 96.57 mg.kg-1. Due to the fact of C. japonica is a tree, exploited for commercial production, it can be a renewable and reliable source SA for OSP production.


The invention discloses a desert road ripper. The desert road ripper comprises a road ripper frame (1), and a leveling device (6), a primary leveling device (3) and a sand scraping shovel (2) are sequentially arranged on the lower portion of the road ripper frame (1) in the heading direction of the desert road ripper. According to the desert road ripper, a walking mode and a working mode can be switched over. The desert road ripper can effectively repair the desert road and is high in construction efficiency, the traffic condition is improved, traffic safety is improved, and the defects that the noise produced by an existing bulldozer interferes geophysical prospecting in the process of repairing the road and due to the fact that the road is repaired manually, cost is high and efficiency is low are overcome.


Importance SARS-CoV-2 infection directly causes severe acute respiratory illness, leading to systemic tissue hypoxia and ischemia including the heart. Myocardial cytopathy associated with hypoxic response has been largely overlooked in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, histology analysis and cardiac function of COVID-19 cases are often reported separately, rendering an incomplete understanding of COVID-19 cardiac symptoms. Objective To examine the relationship between myocardial cellular responses to hypoxic stress versus cardiac functional alterations within the same COVID-19 patients. Design, Setting, and Participants Cellular hypoxia Inducible Factor 1 alpha (HIF1) expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using post-mortem COVID-19 heart and lung tissues with known cardiac echocardiography records from a total of 8 patients. Clinical echocardiography data were obtained from Mount Sinai Heart between March to December, 2020. All gender and age groups were considered as long as cardiac involvement meets the preserved (EF > 50%) or moderate to severe (EF < 45%) criteria with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cell-type specific subcellular localization of HIF1 expression and nuclear stability was examined by immunohistochemistry and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) was used to quantify apoptosis. Main Outcomes and Measures No planned outcomes of this study as this is a retrospective analysis based on post-mortem specimens exclusively. Results Cardiac HIF1 expression was found to be significantly higher in patients with preserved EF levels than it was in the low EF group. In the preserved EF group, HIF1 is protective against apoptosis predominantly in endothelial cells and cardiac fibroblasts. In the low EF group, HIF1 protects cardiomyocyte nuclear integrity as evident by its nuclear accumulation with nuclear envelope preservation. Conclusions and Relevance This study establishes a direct link of cardiac cellular responses to hypoxic stress with matching functional and histological data, serving as one of the first studies to bridge previous stand-alone clinical data and cellular data. The protective role of HIF1 in hearts may help predict cardiac involvement in not only COVID-19 patients, but also decipher the underlying mechanisms in other forms of viral cardiomyopathy.


Real gas reservoirs have strong heterogeneities and usually have pore (hole) and fractured zones. They are difficult to develop and the invasion of edge-and-bottom water increases the complexity of the development. In order to be able to understand the water invasion law and development effect of the gas reservoirs with edge and bottom water. Different types and different permeability cores are selected to characterize the effect of the gas reservoir under the condition of inhomogeneous and the effect of different development methods. The results show that: Both arrange wells in high and low permeability zones can obtain the higher recovery factor. During the development process, the gas production rate of the high permeability zone should be limited to avoid the rapid coning of the formation water along the high permeability zone, resulting in the premature flooding of the gas reservoir. Different development order have little difference between water influx and water production, but if first develop low-permeability zone and then product high-permeability zone, it will have higher levels of water recovery and final recovery; High permeability zone do not shut the wells after water breakthrough can effectively increase the recovery of gas reservoirs, but it faces the problem of produced water treatment. The experimental results provide a basis for understanding the influence of different factors on the water invasion regularity of multiwell development and optimizing the production of the bottom water gas reservoirs.


For the high-rise building with the basement, it is difficult to identify the position of the embedded fixed end due to the restraints of the backfill soil foundation. The simplified mechanical model of the high-rise building with the basement is established based on several hypotheses, and the mathematical expressions for calculating the elastic lateral displacement and internal forces of the high-rise building with the basement under the inverted-triangle distributed load is then obtained based on the mechanical theory. The influence of parameters and h/H to four variable parameters are researched, and the four variable parameters are the moment M(0)and shear Q(0) at the bottom plate of the basement, the lateral displacement y(h) at the top plate of the basement, the lateral displacement y(H) at the top of the whole structure. Research indicates that the simplified algorithms of the high-rise building with the basement considering the restraint of the backfill soil foundation are reliable, and can be referred and applied by the researchers and engineers.


For three-dimensional competitive Lotka-Volterra systems, Zeeman (1993) identified 33 stable equivalence classes. In this paper we show that: in the case of a heteroclinic cycle on the boundary of the carrying simplex of three-dimensional competitive Lotka-Volterra systems (class 27 in Zeeman's classification), the conditions (a) there is a pair of purely imaginary eigenvalues at an interior equilibrium, (b) the first focal value vanishes, (c � ) the second focal value vanishes, and (c) the heteroclinic cycle is neutrally stable do not imply (d) the third focal value vanishes. In particular, the conditions (a), (b), (c � ), and (c) do not imply that the interior equilibrium is a center. This proves a conjecture by Gyllenberg and Yan (2009).


Current multimedia applications in Web 2.0 have generated large repositories for multimedia resources and annotations, so there is an urgent requirement to interlink annotations of these resources across different repositories to achieve better indexing and searching. To solve this problem, many researchers have been trying to apply semantic Web technologies to media fragments and annotations. Linked data has brought forward a promising way to expose, index and search media fragments and annotations which used to be isolated in different applications. This paper discusses in depth three key research problems when applying linked data principles in multimedia annotations: choosing URIs for media fragments, dereferencing media fragments and ontology alignment. An architecture is designed based on the possible solutions of the research problems. The key idea of the architecture is that it should act like an extra layer built on top of existing applications when publishing linked data. A demo is built as an implementation of the architecture to show that media fragments can be published and linked to various datasets in the linked data cloud. In the future, some algorithms should be designed to make full use of the interlinked media fragments and annotations for indexing and searching.


After we had developed means of synchronous exocytosis stimulation in Paramecium and a quenched-flow/cryofixation procedure to dissect events in the subsecond time range, we found focal ("point") fusion for membrane fusion during exocytosis as well as for membrane fission during exocytosis-coupled endocytosis. While we noted to be at the limits of structural (-1 0 nm) and temporal (1 ms} resolution, newly developed patch-clamp electrophysiology confirmed point fusion in chromaffin cells with higher resolution, although for technical reasons this was possible only with considerable delay for endocytosis. The time estimated for this process in mammalian cells was by orders of magnitude too long, while patch-clamp analysis found roughly the same time we had determined for exo-endocytosis coupling in Paramecium (-350 ms) . While others had seen small fusion pores already in metazoan cells, a strict correlation with the requirement of proteins had not been achieved, in contrast to Paramecium where Janine Beisson has provided arguments based on her secretory mutants. Thus, the protein-mediated "focal fusion" concept we propagated for exoand endocytosis waited for verification by biochemists who finally identified SNARE proteins as the underlying molecular engines. ATP for "priming", but not for exocytotic fusion, was another hotly debated finding with Paramecium. In retrospect our data were able to promote the understanding of membrane fusion before ATP-dependent SNARE protein Function was established by others. A most recent innovation, based on genome sequencing initiated by Jean Cohen and Linda Sperling, was the unambiguous identification of several families of key-players in vesicle trafficking in Paramecium, such as Ca2+-release channels (CRCs)the first identified in any protozoan. With SNAREs, CRCs, actin, and subunits of the H+-ATPase one sees a large expansion in the genome due to whole genome duplications. All these components, together with additional ones, allow for the subtle differentiations in vesicle trafficking described in Paramecium by Richard Allen and Agnes Fok. It results in organelle-specific localization and function of paralogs which is as complex as in man, occasionally even more. My song of praise should not talk down notorious problems with aberrant molecular biology and pharmacology. Now I believe that only the availability of Paramecium molecular biology has given this system a future for specific questions in cell biology.


The present invention provides a compound of formula (I) (wherein, Compounds of formula (IA) and (IB), are encompassed with compounds of Formula I of the present invention. Compounds of formula (I) has good serotonin transporter inhibitor is (SERT inhibitors), it simultaneously has good activity against NK-1 receptor (dual effect). The compounds of the present invention, the efficacy as SERT inhibitors, in the treatment of CNS disorders and psychotic disorders, in particular the treatment or prophylaxis of depression, and / or in the treatment of anxiety are particularly useful.


This research investigates the role that Participatory Design (PD) in combination with Free/Libre and Open Source (FLOSS) software may take in enabling sustainable IT systems for not-for-profit organisations. I investigate the role of both the lived experience of participants and an experimental approach in PD in enabling mutual learning outcomes. Through the development of a casework application with and for a small community based organisation, learning outcomes that are essential for the ongoing adoption, evolution and maintenance of the software are observed including a move towards end-user customisation. Action Research provides inspiration for an inclusive and responsive research method.


Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 Aalto www.aalto.fi Author Jussi Vimpari Name of the doctoral dissertation Is There Hidden Value in Real Estate Investments? Real Options Analysis Provides Rationale to Contingent Investment Decisions Publisher School of Engineering Unit Department of Real Estate, Planning and Geoinformatics Series Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS 204/2014 Field of research Real Estate Business Manuscript submitted 22 September 2014 Date of the defence 23 January 2015 Permission to publish granted (date) 10 November 2014 Language English Monograph Article dissertation (summary + original articles) Abstract The understanding of real options analysis (ROA) has been claimed by academics to be extremely valuable for the real estate industry; yet adoption of the method in practice has been very slow. The aim of this dissertation is to examine opportunities that ROA opens in real estate investment analysis and decision-making as well as to demonstrate the actual real option value in some topical areas of real estate investment. The study utilizes a mixed method research strategy with both quantitative and qualitative data. Case study research is used to collect data and to amount evidence to the research questions. Case studies conducted in this dissertation address the research problem from current areas causing uncertainties in the traditional discounted cash flow valuation of real estate investments, i.e. green building certificates, building flexibility, real estate portfolio management and public private partnerships. The dissertation finds that ROA can enhance real estate investment analysis and decisionmaking and proposes that i) ROA should be used in real estate investment analysis and management because it can identify value elements missed by standard valuation practices, ii) lifecycle performance of real estate assets can be enhanced with real options and iii) ROA can produce results that can encourage investments necessary for long-term success in the real estate industry. The calculated real option values for different demonstration cases were a 8.8 % premium in the green building certificate case, a range from €8/sqm to €195/sqm in the building flexibility case, a 6.6 % premium in the residential real estate portfolio case and an added value of €1,580,000 in the public private partnerships case. This dissertation contributes to the body of knowledge in the real estate investment field. The categorisation of previous research and building upon it new applications form a coherent whole of the method's potential in the real estate industry. The results enhance real estate investment analysis and decision-making by highlighting the role of uncertainty through different application levels. It points out that ROA can reveal new information and lines of actions, which can supplement or replace results of traditional DCF analysis. This is important for directing limited resources in long-term investments into right positions. The results presented in the papers enhances lifecycle performance of real estate investments from different viewpoints, which serves as a guidance for professionals in similar decisions as well as a starting point for developing new applications. The dissertation also discusses the practical adaptability of real options valuation techniques through different cases.The understanding of real options analysis (ROA) has been claimed by academics to be extremely valuable for the real estate industry; yet adoption of the method in practice has been very slow. The aim of this dissertation is to examine opportunities that ROA opens in real estate investment analysis and decision-making as well as to demonstrate the actual real option value in some topical areas of real estate investment. The study utilizes a mixed method research strategy with both quantitative and qualitative data. Case study research is used to collect data and to amount evidence to the research questions. Case studies conducted in this dissertation address the research problem from current areas causing uncertainties in the traditional discounted cash flow valuation of real estate investments, i.e. green building certificates, building flexibility, real estate portfolio management and public private partnerships. The dissertation finds that ROA can enhance real estate investment analysis and decisionmaking and proposes that i) ROA should be used in real estate investment analysis and management because it can identify value elements missed by standard valuation practices, ii) lifecycle performance of real estate assets can be enhanced with real options and iii) ROA can produce results that can encourage investments necessary for long-term success in the real estate industry. The calculated real option values for different demonstration cases were a 8.8 % premium in the green building certificate case, a range from €8/sqm to €195/sqm in the building flexibility case, a 6.6 % premium in the residential real estate portfolio case and an added value of €1,580,000 in the public private partnerships case. This dissertation contributes to the body of knowledge in the real estate investment field. The categorisation of previous research and building upon it new applications form a coherent whole of the method's potential in the real estate industry. The results enhance real estate investment analysis and decision-making by highlighting the role of uncertainty through different application levels. It points out that ROA can reveal new information and lines of actions, which can supplement or replace results of traditional DCF analysis. This is important for directing limited resources in long-term investments into right positions. The results presented in the papers enhances lifecycle performance of real estate investments from different viewpoints, which serves as a guidance for professionals in similar decisions as well as a starting point for developing new applications. The dissertation also discusses the practical adaptability of real options valuation techniques through different cases.


The Representation of Animals Reintroduction in Film Postcards from The Zoo: Christian Metz's Film Semiotics Theory. This research aims to perceive how the animals reintroduction symbols is represented in Postcards From The Zoo film. This descriptive qualitative research is made to describe the representation of animals reintroduction which consists of three stages of reintroduction process: (1) socialization (adaptation cages),(2) adaptation, and(3) releases. The source is the film by Edwin entitled Postcards From The Zoo (2012) which was produced by Babibutafilm. The objects of this research are several segments from the film which is obtained from Christian Metz's semiotic theory, or known as The Large Syntagmatic Category of Image Track, consists of eight syntagmatic types: (1) autonomous shot, (2) parallel syntagma, (3) bracket syntagma, (4) descriptive syntagma, (5) alternate syntagma, (6) scene, (7) episodic sequence, and (8) ordinary sequence. The research results indicate that there are 20 segments represent the animals reintroduction from a total of 63 segments contained in the Postcards From The Zoo film. The first stage of animal reintroduction process or the socialization stage (adaptation cage), is described through 7 segments in the form of autonomous shot, scene, episodic sequence, and ordinary sequence. Then, the adaptation stage is described through 7 segments in the form of autonomous shot (with subdivisions of single sequence shot and explanatory insert), parallel syntagma, bracket syntagma, scene and episodic sequence. The releases stage is represented through 8 segments with the types of autonomous shot, scene, episodic sequence, and ordinary sequence.s.


AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY | NOVEMBER 2017 UNCERTAINTY IN SEASONAL FORE CAST ING. Any prediction of the future evolution of the Earth system requires an associated assessment of its uncertainty. This is true whether the forecast is for the days ahead or is a longer-term prediction for the following months and seasons. For seasonal forecasts, the uncertainty associated with inexact initial conditions, which can grow rapidly in time, is usually addressed by running multiple forecasts with perturbations applied to the initial state of the ocean and atmosphere (Arribas et al. 2011; Stockdale et al. 2011). The idea is that the perturbed initial conditions are of a suitable magnitude to represent the uncertainty in the observational measurements and the analysis tools that are used to process them. As the forecast evolves, the differences between the forecasts, known as the ensemble "spread," should therefore reflect the typical forecast error, or "uncertainty"; in other words, the eventual real-world evolution should be contained within the cluster of this forecast ensemble. In tandem, uncertainty in forecasts is also contributed to by our inexact representations of the Earth system physics. This contribution to uncertainty is sampled by employing different Earth system models (Yun et al. 2005; Weisheimer et al. 2009; Smith et al. 2013), the so-called multimodel approach, which is often supplemented by the use of perturbations to physical processes, known as stochastic physics schemes, to further account for structural errors in a particular The Climate-System Historical Forecast Project


The removal of cadmium from aqueous solutions by reed leaves, cypress leaves oak leaves, pine leaves and reed roots has been studied. Reed leaves have been found efficient for removing cadmium from aqueous solutions. Almost all of the cadmium present in solutions having concentrations ranging between 1 mg/L and 6 mg/L was removed by reed leaves within few days. Pine leaves and reed roots showed only little capability for removing cadmium from aqueous solutions. The results obtained on reed leaves were found to follow the Freundlich adsorption isotherm.


An assay system for analysis of drought resistance of plants was established. Arabidopsis lines overexpressing ABA receptors and Arabidopsis accessions were characterized for combining enhanced water use efficiency and maintenance of growth. The physiological basis was elucidated. A mitogen-activated protein kinase that modulates natural variation in water use efficiency was identified.


A new control scheme to enhance the robustness and disturbance rejection ability of a DC-DC boost converter feeding constant power loads (CPLs) is proposed in this paper via introducing mismatched disturbance compensation into the robust <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H_\infty}$</tex-math></inline-formula> control. In cascaded DC power converter systems, the load side converters, when tightly controlled, behave as CPLs for their source side converters, where the nonlinearities could result in severe instability. Besides, for power converters in DC microgrids, both the uncertainties/disturbances and the unpredictable load access could result in severe challenges to achieving higher control performance. In particular, the unknown CPLs must be considered as part of disturbances that form the so-called mismatched disturbances. To counteract these negative factors, a practical exact feedback linearization method is used to transform the control problem of a nonlinear system into that of a linear system, and the compensation of mismatched uncertainties/disturbances is introduced into the robust <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H_\infty}$</tex-math></inline-formula> control design. Moreover, sufficient conditions to ensure the asymptotic stability and robustness of system are established. Both simulation and experimental results confirm the efficiency.


Enterprise and social demand is the logical starting point of higher vocational specialty construction,and post occupation standard is the theoretical basis of the specialty construction.In order to complete mechanical manufacturing and automation professional talent training,based on the mechanical manufacturing and automation specialized enterprise talent market demand survey,we obtain the professional corresponding enterprise personnel needs post distribution and tasks,ability,knowledge and quality requirements,and then puts forward higher vocational mechanical manufacturing and automation major talent cultivation objective,talent education specification and the new ways of talent cultivation.


The aim of the present study was to evaluate the toxicity of crude hydro-alcholic extract of Capparis tomentosa in Swiss albino mice. In studying the toxicity, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines was used. Experimental animals (mice), five mice in each, were grouped into four groups; three experimental groups and one negative control. In studying the acute toxicity, up to 5000 mg/kg crude hydro-alcholic plant extract was given orally using standard intragastric oral gavage. For acute toxicity a single dose was given and gross behavioral change such as inflexibility, irritability, jumping and mortality were recorded. In sub-acute oral toxicity test, C. tomentosa crude extract was given to the mice by standard intragastric oral gavage at doses of 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg body weight every single to 28 days and various hematological parameters were recorded. In acute toxicity, the given dose of the plant extract did not produce significant gross behavioral changes, except slight sleep, inflexibility and sedation at the dose of 3000mg/kg and 5000mg/kgt extracts. However, no death was occurred in the given doses. Therefore, the present study showed that the crude hydro-alcoholic extract of C. tomentosa plant did not produce any significant acute and sub-acute toxicity effect in the experimental animals and this may confirm use of the plant in traditional medicines.


The green microalgae Dunaliella acquires very significant economic values for its richness in carotenoids (β-carotene), glycerol and other accessory pigments, applied in various sectors such as food, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical activities. In this work, we have evaluated the effect of culture medium on production of biomass and carotenoids from this microalgae. Two strains isolated from two different sebkhas (salt ponds) located in the region of Essaouira (Morocco) are tested. Microalgae are grown during 21 days at natural and artificial culture media maintained at 25 ± 1 ° C in controlled room and under continuous white light. The obtained results show that both strains presented a high growth and high accumulation of carotenoids in the medium F/2. Besides, the contents of carotenoids registered for DUN 3 strain are higher than those obtained for the strain DUN 2.


In this paper the framework connecting rod mechanism is firstly described and the degrees of freedom for the connecting rods of the left body on cigarette parker are calculated.Then the stresses of the rods are analyzed with three dimensional finite element analysis method.The stress concentration position and maximum deformation value can thus be determined at the moment of initial moving of the connecting rods and the structure of rods is optimized,so that deformation of the rods in the course of process and running can be reduced,the quality of rods being guaranteed.


The problem-solving capacity is the ability to provide solutions to the challenges given. Challenges in mathematics can be in the form of problems that are rarely done by students or often called non-routine problems. The purpose of this study is to categorise the mathematical problemsolving abilities experienced by students if based on motivation on them. The subjects of this study were students of mathematics education study programs, academic year 2018/2019, Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto. This case study begins by grouping students based on their motivation in learning. Furthermore, an analysis of mathematical problem-solving abilities is based on high and low motivation. The instruments used were the motivation questionnaire, problem-solving ability test, and documentation. The results of this study indicate that students with high motivation can perform all stages of mathematical problem-solving. Stages that can be mastered by students with high motivation understand the problem, drafting the solution plan, implementing the solution plan, and checking the solution. While low motivation students are only able to finish up to the drafting stage of the solution plan.


Interactive comment on "Simulated Kaand Ku-band radar altimeter scattering horizon on snow-covered Arctic sea ice" by Rasmus T. Tonboe et al. General comments: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the capability of Ka/Ku bi-fréquency altimeters to measure the snow depth (SD) over sea-ice using a simulator. The authors tackle a particularly complex subject: what is the impact of the type of snow (salinity, density, temperature, grain size, etc.) on the performance of the measurements. The simulator is powered by measurements of terrain and its outputs are confronted with airborne measurements. This type of work is indispensable to improve the quality of


The hospitals at different levels must constitute the contingent plan and build the emergent system for eventuality to ensure the safe of people and the public stability.The present study discussed the definition of eventuality and the significance of the contingent plan and the emergent system of hospital to effectively treat the eventuality of public health.


Most studies of the development of the British car industry have concentrated upon its broader economics and personalities, with more recent works also considering labour organisation and the role of trade unions. I Yet the organisation of production and the layout of workshops and factories was a major contemporary issue as evinced by the column space given to it both in automobile engineering journals and the more popular magazines such as The Autoear. This study is based on these sources, together with company photographic archives, deposited building plans, and collections of press cuttings and other material held by local libraries in Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Guildford, and Sheffield. The developing motor industry is considered during its first forty years; years which can be divided, somewhat arbitrarily, into three periods, each characterised by a style of car manufacture and ended by an event which, although not of immediate significance, was to set the predominant style for the succeeding period.


This paper presents a weir type diaphragm valve which was controlled by the pilot solenoid valve and can be opened rapidly in 0.4 seconds,Describes the features of its structure,working principle and performance.


Abnormal glucose metabolism, including new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT), is a common complication following kidney transplantation. Better understanding of the causes, associations, prediction and outcomes of NODAT in the modern era of kidney transplantation is essential.
Our central hypothesis was that early NODAT is distinct from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and is due to factors unique to the transplant setting, of which the predominant factor is the use of specific immunosuppressive agents (calcineurin inhibitors-CNIs), and that traditional risk factors for T2DM are the more significant factors late after transplantation.
In a series of observational studies, we found that recipient age, body mass index and baseline plasma glucose levels were associated with the development of NODAT, both early and late after transplantation. Exposure to tacrolimus and being transplanted in an older era were associated with early NODAT development, but had no effect on late NODAT. There was increasing insulin resistance but no compensatory increase in insulin secretion in patients developing NODAT, suggesting an effect of CNIs. In an observational study using paired oral glucose tolerance tests, there was worsening of glucose tolerance late after transplantation. Metabolic syndrome was a risk factor for this deterioration. Finally, in an epidemiological study, we show that immunosuppression regimens in Cardiff have evolved, with the introduction of induction therapy and tacrolimus as the CNI of choice. Blood tacrolimus levels, corticosteroid exposure and acute rejection rates were lower in a recent era of transplantation, as was the incidence of NODAT. NODAT developing within the first year, higher systolic blood pressure and higher serum creatinine level were all associated with increased mortality.
In conclusion, traditional T2DM risk factors are important in causing both early and late NODAT, with a strong influence from immunosuppressive agents early after transplantation. NODAT and other cardiovascular risk factors were associated with mortality. Therefore, less diabetogenic immunosuppressive regimes and interventions to reduce hyperglycaemia may not improve mortality unless other cardiovascular factors are also managed simultaneously.


The design of wheelchair in a real time system to make a simple hand gesture recognition method to be used in rehabilitation of people who have mobility issues particularly Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and some of the Stroke Patients. The idea is to implement a low cost control device called Hand Gesture or by using touch sensor for the patients to control the wheelchair and they can survey themselves for their basic needs and they need not to depend on others to guide those patients. The system was developed to indicate the directions for the patients to move on the flat surface and also measure the patient heart beat pulse. If the patient able to use their hand or finger means by using a Gesture control method or else flex sensor helps to move in a desired directions.


The definitions of a homomorphism and a contraction of a graph are generalized to digraphs. Solutions are given to the graph equation ϕ(D)¯=θϕ(D¯).


This work examines the executive office's constitutional precepts as well as the social, economic, political, and international conditions that impact a president's leadership. It discusses patterns of presidential conduct, focusing on how particular presidents have shaped the office.


Virtual Reality can present historical places in a three‐dimensional and interactive way, giving visitors a photorealistic impression of objects. Not only existing scenarios can be shown, but VR can also be used to rebuild scenarios that were damaged or destroyed a long time ago, giving new life to the cultural heritage. We used Virtual Reality to present the Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang. This cave site is one of the most important cultural and religious places by the ancient Silk Road. The presentation is to give visitors the impression of visiting the cave site and provide information about the caves, paintings and statues in an interesting way. To achieve this, we developed a new, intuitive interaction paradigm, which enables the user to explore the caves. To give observers a photorealistic impression of the caves and to create a feeling of immersion, innovative rendering techniques were integrated.


The gaharu essential oil is important for the evaluation of the important compounds that makes it valuable and quality of the wood. Extraction of oil, sample preparation, concentration and isolation of analytes, greatly influences the reliable and accurate analysis of food. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is a new sample preparation technique using fused silica fiber that is coated on the outside with an appropriate stationary phase. In this work, a simple, rapid and sensitive method was developed for the determination of compounds in fragrant wood Aquilaria spp. from the family of Thymelaeaceae, which was based on headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The gaharu essential oil was extracted by hydroditillation and prepared by two different fibers, CAR/PDMS and PDMS/DVB. The extraction parameters of fiber coating were systemically analyzed. Finally, GC-MS following HS-SPME was applied to determination of compounds in gaharu essential oil with two different fibers. The experiment results suggest that the proposed method provided an alternative and novel approach to the study of components in gaharu and SPME fibers.


Pine flower is an agricultural waste that has high cellulose content. Cellulose is a major material for making nanocellulose. Nanocellulose has been isolated from the flower waste of the pine tree (Pinus merkusii). The process was initiated by delignification and bleaching process with sodium hydroxide 6% and sodium hypochlorite 6% followed by hydrolysis with acetic acid under stirring at 45°C for 1 hour. Three different concentrations of acetic acid (10%, 30%, and 60%) were studied toward nanocellulose crystallinity. Nanocellulose was characterized by FTIR, XRD spectroscopy, and TEM analysis. The result shows that the % yield of nanocellulose was 87.4%, 94.2%, and 91.8% respectively. Nanocellulose has high crystallinity as indicated by the crystallinity index. Besides, the nanocellulose width is 12.82 – 21.36 nm and the length is 267.12 – 326.87 nm.


Contraposing the actuality of our country's mining machinery enterprises, according to the modern goods transport theory to construct future mining machinery industry organize direction. It is a main idea of the article to change the traditional thought of seeking realistic "great whole" into seeking suppositional "great whole" for mining machinery industry enterprises.


But surely it is unjust to judge of a man's true opinions by those he may express when in a state of mental exaltation ; and if the quotations referred to might perhaps be taken as showing the possibility of such a state of mind, they are too few and far between, too inevitably appropriate to the place in which they occur, to form any basis for a serious consideration of the poet's mentality. The words of Bellerophon in the Stheneboea,


The primary thrust of this paper deals with the ways in which employees' reactions to their work environments change over time. Generally, speaking, as employees pass from one phase in their work lives to the next, different concerns and issues are emphasized; and the particular perspectives that result produce different behavioral and attitudinal combinations within Job settings. In particular, a three-transitional stage model of job longevity is discussed to illustrate the major kinds of concerns that seem to preoccupy and guide employees as they work at a given job position. Whether or not certain behavioral tendencies implied by this job longevity model actually materialize for any given individual is strongly dependent on the kinds of reinforcements and social/task supports encountered by the individual within his immediate project or work group. Thus, the group can either enhance or inhibit certain trends depending upon the average length of time the group members have worked together, or group longevity. Based on data collected from 50 R&D project groups, this paper argues that the performance and innovativeness of long-tenured R&D groups tends to deteriorate significantly with increasing group longevity when such groups tend to buffer and isolate themselves from certain key areas both within and outside the organization. These findings are then discussed in the more general terms of managing group processes over time.


High financial cost is one of the main reasons which cause low operation efficiency of sewage treatment plants and even no operation.With the application of Data Envelopment Analysis method in efficiency evaluation,this paper constructs a quantitative efficiency evaluation model to assess relative efficiency of eight sewage treatment plants in Xinxiang City and Jiaozuo City of Henan province by adopting CCR model.The evaluation results will be used to control financial cost of sewage treatment plants,with the solution results,the paper makes the improvement scheme respectively to improve financial cost of DEA inefficient of sewage treatment plants.


An Ultra performance liquid chromatography – tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (U PLC – MS / MS) method was developed for the determination of chloramphenicol in Galda shrimp ( Macrobrachium rosenbergii ). The UPLC separation was achieve d on a n AQUITY UPLC BEH C 18 Column (2.1 x 50 mm; 1.7 µm) with gra d ient elution using a mobile phase of methanol and water only . Mass spectral acquisition was done using electro spray ionization in the negative ion mode applying multiple reaction monitorin g (MRM) of two diagnostic transition reactions for CAP ( m/z 321 152 and m/z 321 257) and for d5_ CAP ( m/z 326 .03 157) . Shrimp samples were finally extracted with ethylacetate and evaporated to dryness, followed by a clean - up step using the liquid – liquid extraction with acetonitrile / hexane (1:1 v/v) mixture and reconstituted with 50 % methanol and water . The method validation was carried out according to the criteria of Commission d ecision 2002/657/EC. The calibration cur ve showed a good linearity in t he concentration range from 0.05 to 1 .0 n g/g with the correlation coefficient above 0.9 9 95. The decision limits (CCα ) an d a detection capability (CCβ) were 0.04 1 and 0.0 7 0 n g/g respectively. The mean recoveries were in the range of 85 – 11 0 %.


The fabricating process for composite by autoclave has a high cost and it is necessary a long cycle time until the part is ready and it is conceivable to open the autoclave. Instead, hot compression molding may be a quick prepare, that does not require a long handle time and the quality of the pieces is comparable to the parts made in autoclave. The hot compressing molding could be considered out-of-autoclave (OOA) cured process. OOA is broadly utilized due to be quicker and less expensive in relation to autoclave, past to be conceivable to fabricate complex formed parts and diminish auxiliary stages. For this purpose, it was utilized a prepreg made with epoxy-carbon fiber, that is utilized for autoclave prepare, but in this study it has been utilized for OOA process, to see in case it is conceivable to reach comparable or way better comes about compared with the tests from autoclave. The cover was fabricated through hot compression molding instep the normal process for this fabric, as autoclave. DSC tests were carried out to analyze the Tg (glass transition temperature) in arrange to confirm if there was a few polymerization reaction and confirm the combination of parameters that was proposed within the work arrange. The morphological tests were made to confirm if there was porosity within the composite, due to the fabricating process, and confirm in the event that the layers were well compacted.


By exploiting a congenic pair of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines derived from a familial platelet disorder (FPD) patient, 1 harboring a monoallelic mutation in RUNX1 and the other a corrected allele, in this issue of Blood , Li et al have discovered that negative regulation of NOTCH4 by RUNX1 is required for normal human megakaryocyte (MK) development. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate that suppressing NOTCH signaling, by either genetic or chemical perturbation, significantly enhances MK yield. 1


An analysis of scatter among the Tests of Cognitive Ability for the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery was conducted on the performance of subjects in grades 1 through 12 from the standardization sample. Large mean high subtest-low subtest differences were noted for each grade level and compared to WISC-R scaled score ranges. Frequency distributions for high-low differences are presented as well as the mean differences between all pair-wise combinations for the 12 subtests. The practice of examining scatter on the Tests of Cognitive Ability, and especially efforts to identify specific "types" of learning disabled students using this test, are discouraged.


We propose a method to extract the projected power spectrum of density perturbations from the distortions in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The distortions are imprinted onto the CMB by the gravitational lensing effect and can be extracted using a combination of products of CMB derivatives. Future CMB experiments such as the Planck satellite experiment will be able to extract the power spectrum with high statistical significance over 2 orders of magnitude in angle. The method proposed here directly traces dark matter in the linear regime to higher redshift (up to $z\ensuremath{\sim}1100$) and larger scale (a few Gpc) than any other currently known method.


The invention relates to a floor assembling type full steel framework for a sunlight greenhouse, which comprises a front slope surface framework, a back upright post, a vertical tying rod and a connecting element. The invention is characterized in that the front slop surface framework is a rolling formed allotype steel pipe, both ends of the steel pipe are sealed, the shape of the whole body of the front slope surface framework is an arc shape, the vertical tying rod adopts a rolling formed steel pipe, and the framework and the tying rod are connected through the connecting element. The invention has the advantages that the full steel assembling structure is adopted, structural elements are prefabricated in factories, the construction speed of the in-site installation in the greenhouse is high, only 1 to 2 days is needed for 1000 m , and the speed is obviously improved through being compared with traditional greenhouse construction. The repeated dismounting and installation and the repeated use for many times can be realized, and the convenience is provided for the ground allocation of fallow land in the farmland. A framework component adopts the design with the allotype cross section, the stiffness inside and outside the plane is high, the carrying capability and the deformation-resistance capability are strong, and steel materials are saved. The surface of the steel component adopts hot-dip galvanizing, and both ends of the steel pipe element are sealed, so the invention ensures no rust corrosion in high-humidity environment of the greenhouse, and the durability is good.


My current projects are all knit together by the overlap between philosophy and Catholic theology. I have recently published work on Mary's Immaculate Conception, the abortion debate, and sexual ethics. I currently have a manuscript under review titled Conversational Catholicism: An Invitation to Dialogue. Conversational Catholicism: An Invitation to Dialogue (it's a working title; got any ideas?) This book (currently under review) gives a vision of Catholicism that is generous and ecumenical but faithful to the historic and contemporary teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Its purpose is to enhance dialogue and understanding within the wider Christian community, not to proselytize. The tone is conversational and even personal, but the explanations are thorough and informative. Readers will be equipped with the information and understanding necessary to have a real conversation about the distinctive claims of the Catholic Church. This work has been supported by two student-faculty collaborative grants, one grant from the CrossRoads Project with Andrew Peterson (2011) and one Nyenhuis grant with Chikara Saito (2014). Chapter 1: Scripture and Tradition Chapter 2: The Church and her Magisterium Chapter 3: God and Humanity Chapter 4: The Person and Work of Christ Chapter 5: Mary and the Communion of Saints Chapter 6: The Seven Sacraments Chapter 7: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory Chapter 8: The Human Person I thought you were a philosopher! I am, but what interests me are the core philosophical and theological commitments of my Catholic faith. My less popular work is an outgrowth of these interests (see the other folds). The work in this book concentrates on what is distinctive about a Catholic worldview in regard to the topics of the chapters. For instance: • How do Scripture and Tradition relate? • How can the church speak infallibly? • Who is God and how do we know God? • How do Jesus's life and death help us now? • Why does getting Jesus right mean getting Mary and the saints right? • Why don't Mormon baptisms "count"? • How was Aristotle's thought influential in thinking about the Eucharist? • Why can't women be ordained as Catholic priests? • Why does the Catholic Church oppose certain ethical theories, and which ones should Catholics avoid? • Why does the Catholic Church think what it does about abortion, euthanasia, sexual ethics, communism, and war? Protestant-Catholic Dialogue On the Immaculate Conception: One distinctive Catholic doctrine is the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, and it states that Mary was conceived without original sin from the first moment of her existence. Recent work: Many Protestant thinkers have made overtures in the direction of appreciating Mary's role as the Mother of God, but most still regard Mary's Immaculate Conception as a step too far. In a recent paper, I used the tools of philosophical theology to challenge this reservation. In "Why More Christians Should Believe in Mary's Immaculate Conception," Christian Scholar's Review, 41 (2012): 117-134 I argued that virtually all orthodox Christians have serious reasons for why they should hold this doctrine. This claim has recently been challenged by two authors whose work is forthcoming in the same journal. Happily, I was allowed to respond to their work with my own rejoinder. This work has been supported in different ways by three Hope College student-faculty collaborative grants, including a Nyenhuis grant with Mike Bertrand (2010). Kierkegaard and Catholicism Soren Kierkegaard (18131855) is a fascinating Danish Lutheran philosopher and theologian. Much of my work has concerned his relationship to other traditions, especially the Catholic tradition. My book, Kierkegaard and the Catholic Tradition (2010; see cover photo above and right) discussed the main differences between Kierkegaard and the Catholic tradition on issues such as natural reason, natural law, human love, apostolic authority, contrition for sins, justification and purgatory, and the communion of saints. This work was supported by two student-faculty collaborative grants from Hope College, one Nyenhuis grant with Nick Engel (2008) and one from the CrossRoads Project with Robin Litscher (2009). My continued interest in the relationship between Kierkegaard and the Catholic tradition has also been something that student Chikara Saito and I have worked on this past summer. We are scheduled to give a joint talk at Baylor's October conference, Kierkegaard: A Christian Thinker for Our Time? The talk will be called: "Is Love God: Kierkegaard and the Catholic tradition on God and Human Love." This topic was selected for the conference because of Kierkegaard's 200th "birthday" anniversary this year. Sexual and Reproductive Ethics Teaching opportunities bearing fruit: I have begun teaching courses in the Ethics of Sex and Reproduction (fall 2011) and Sexual Ethics (spring 2013). These opportunities have supported my growing research interest in these questions. Below are some examples. "A Short Argument Against Abortion Rights" In this paper (in Think: Philosophy for Everyone, 34 (2013): 57-68) I put forward a brief argument against abortion rights. The argument concerns itself with the two main ways in which defenders of abortion rights develop their position. The first strategy through which they tend to do this is by arguing against the personhood of the fetus. The second strategy, made famous by Judith Jarvis Thomson, is to argue that, even if the fetus were a person, its right to life would not entail the right to draw upon the resources of the woman in pregnancy, and so the pregnancy can be terminated (even if the fetus loses its life in the process). My argument provides reasons to suspect that attacks on fetal personhood are based on a questionable notion of personhood, and that the most common attempts to show that the fetus does not have the right to draw on the resources of the woman in pregnancy also have considerable problems. This will buttress the case for the view that the fetus is a person and that it has the right to draw on the resources of the woman in pregnancy. "A Response to Law and McBrayer on Homosexual Activity." In this brief forthcoming paper, which I put together during my sabbatical in the spring of 2012, I argue that two recent arguments offered by Stephen Law and Justin McBrayer defending homosexual activity have gaps that traditionalists can exploit, even though both papers make several worthy and important points. Connection to Catholic faith I suspect most people are aware that the Catholic Church has backed traditional positions on questions of sexual ethics and abortion. As a Catholic, I listen to these teachings and seek to obey them. As a philosopher, I seek reasons to believe them and try to articulate them in the most coherent, gracious, and compelling way that I can.


The maritime industry, like most transportation industries, has a very diverse service provider chain. Yet, its various players seem only to see as far as the next participant. For example, ports see marine terminals as their customers, who in turn see steamship lines as their customers, who only then see the actual customer. How will intermodalism impact marine transportation? The most important thing to consider is customer focus and view.


Background: Intra-abdominal lymphatic malformations are rare entities without a clear consensus on management or prognosis. These malformations are medically and surgically complex and often require a sophisticated, multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. Methods: A single quaternary institutional, retrospective chart review between January 2000-December 2019 was performed on all patients with an initial diagnosis of a non-solid organ intra-abdominal lymphatic malformation. Demographics, presentation, treatment, and outcome were reviewed. Results: Twenty-four patients were identified, 62.5% were male. Median age at time of diagnosis was 2.5 years old, 33% were present at birth, 50% presented before 2 years old, and 29% presented ≥10 years of age. Seventy-five percent were lymphatic (majority macrocystic), 20.8% were mixed lymphatic-venous malformations (LVM). Fifty-four percent had other associated lymphatic or vascular malformations including 4 patients with PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum (PROS), 3 with Generalized Lymphatic Anomaly, and 2 with Capillary Venous Lymphatic malformation (CVLM). Patients most often presented with abdominal pain (50%). An intervention was performed in 95.8% and 87.5% were managed initially with sclerotherapy. Most interventions were performed for abdominal symptoms either before three years of age or during adolescence. Laparo - scopic or open surgery was performed in 41.7% of patients. Surgery was performed as primary therapy in 8.3% of the group. Conclusion: Intra-abdominal lymphatic malformations appear to have a bimodal distribution pattern of presentation; shortly after birth and again at puberty. Most patients present with abdominal symptoms and have other associated vascular anomalies. MRI appears to be the most accurate modality for treatment planning. Interventional procedures such as sclerotherapy and medical therapy with sirolimus are safe and effective and may be considered first line therapies. Surgical resection may be required when the diagnosis is in question or when more conservative therapies are no longer efficacious and is typically an option of last resort.


WHY: Studies on pain in older adults (persons 65 years of age and older) have demonstrated that 25%45% of community dwelling older people have chronic pain. 45-85% of nursing home residents also report pain that is often left untreated. Although there is minimal research that strictly focuses on pain in older adults, studies with younger participants have elucidated associations between pain and depression. Increased pain has further resulted in decreased socialization, impaired ambulation and increased healthcare utilization and costs. Older adults are reluctant to report pain: therefore, nurses need to be proactive in screening for and assessing pain.


The uniform-droplet process is a new method of liquid-metal atomization that results in single droplets that can be used to produce mono-size powders or sprayed-on to substrates to produce near-net shapes with tailored microstructure. The mono-sized powder-production capability of the uniform-droplet process also has the potential of permitting engineered powder blends to produce components of controlled porosity. Metal and alloy powders are commercially produced by at least three different methods: gas atomization, water atomization, and rotating disk. All three methods produce powders of a broad range in size with a very small yield of fine powders with single-sized droplets that can be used to produce mono-size powders or sprayed-on substrates to produce near-net shapes with tailored microstructures. The economical analysis has shown the process to have the potential of reducing capital cost by 50% and operating cost by 37.5% when applied to powder making. For the spray-forming process, a 25% savings is expected in both the capital and operating costs. The project is jointly carried out at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tuffs University, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Preliminary interactions with both finished parts and powder producers have shown a strong interest in the uniform-droplet process. Systematic studiesmore » are being conducted to optimize the process parameters, understand the solidification of droplets and spray deposits, and develop a uniform-droplet-system (UDS) apparatus appropriate for processing engineering alloys.« less


Money laundering usually involves a series of multiple transactions used to mask the source of financial assets, so that these assets can be used without compromising criminals seeking to their use. Money laundering can happen through various intermediaries; bank transfers, both by wire and check, are the most common channels for illicit money transfers. Money Laundering has several devastating effects; it damages financial sector institutions that are critical for economic growth, promoting crime and corruption that slow economic growth, reducing efficiency in the real sector of the economy. Money laundering is a problem not only in the world's major financial markets and sea centers but also in emerging markets. Cameroon has criminalized money-laundering in line with the United Nations Convention against Corruption which was signed on 10th October, 2003, and ratified by the President of the Republic on 6th February, 2006. Cameroon follows an all-crimes approach to money laundering whereby all offences under the laws and regulations of Cameroon constitute predicate offences. In order to effectively combat money laundering, institutions have equally being put in place to combat it.


The present study aims at the assessment of groundwater in terms of water quality index (WQI) of the Fuljhore area at Durgapur city. Five source points of groundwater samples were collected and nine physicochemical parameters viz, Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), Dissolve Oxygen (DO), hardness, turbidity, chloride, fluoride, salinity, pH and electrical conductivity were analyzed. The point source includes industrial, residential, rural and college areas of in an around Fuljhore. The analysis was carried out in 2019. The water quality index (WQI) using geographic information system (GIS) of the groundwater samples was measured.


In the crystal structure of the title compound, C11H10N2O·H2O, the solvent water molecule links the organic molecules through O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming chains that run diagonally across the bc face. These chains are connected to adjacent chains through weak C—H⋯O interactions, resulting in hydrogen-bonded sheets extending along the b and c axes. The sheets are connected along the a axis through π–π interactions, with centroid–centroid distances of 3.7571 (9) and 3.7231 (9) Å.


Objective To analyze the characteristics of pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEPs) and the effect of age in children with ametropic amblyopia.Methods Ninety-two children (184 eyes) with hyperopic amblyopia (spherical equivalent refractions) were analyzed retrospectively.Subjects were categorized into three groups based on the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA): mild amblyopia group (0.8-0.6),108 eyes; moderate amblyopia group (0.5-0.2),65 eyes; severe amblyopia group (BCVA≤0.1),11 eyes.Each group was further divided into two subgroups based on age: <6 years and ≥6 years. PVEPs were collected with a visual electrophysiological examination system. The differences between the latency (LP100) and amplitude (AP100) of the PVEP among different amblyopie groups and age subgroups were compared statistically with a one-way ANOVA and an independent samples t test.Results With an increase in the degree of amblyopia, the LP100 of the PVEP increased and the AP100 of the PVEP decreased.The differences between groups in the LP100 of the PVEP were statistically significant (F=151.30,P<0.01).The differences between every two groups were statistically significant (P<0.01).The differences between groups in the AP100 of the PVEP were statistically significant (F=13.59,P<0.05).The differences between severe amblyopia and the other two groups were statistically significant (P<0.01),but no statistically significant differences were found between the moderate and mild groups.Within the mild and moderate amblyopic groups,the LP100 of the ≥6 years of age group were longer than those of the <6 years of age group,and the AP100 of the former were less than those of the latter.The differences were statistically significant (mild group: t=5.08, 7.45, P<0.01; moderate group: t=4.68, 4.27, P<0.01).The severe group showed similar results but without statistical analysis due to fewer cases.Conclusion The LP100 and AP100 of the PVEP can be used to objectively assess the degree of ametropic amblyopia in children while the influence of age should also be considered.

Key words:
Evoked potentials,visual;  Refractive errors ;  Amblyopia;  Children ;  Age


Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationships among leader–member exchange (LMX), employee voice, team–member exchange (TMX), employee job satisfaction and employee commitment to customer service (ECCS) across the USA and Chinese cultures within the hotel context.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was completed by hotel employees across the USA (n = 315) and China (n = 363). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings of this study imply that the relationships among constructs between two nations are very similar, with a few significant differences. Specifically, this study shows that there are significant differences between the USA and China regarding the effects of LMX on employee voice, TMX, job satisfaction and ECCS.

Research limitations/implications

The research should be extended with more than two national cultures to increase the generalizability of the research findings. Primary implication is that leader in China, and the USA should seek to build LMX quality to reap organizational benefits.

Practical implications

This study can help global hospitality firms develop management strategies effectively.

Originality/value

The study's findings provide researchers with a better understanding of the LMX framework across USA and Chinese cultures. It also verifies the underlying relational effects among LMX and its outcomes across different nations, thus offering global hospitality organizations best management practices across cultures. Further, this study seeks to fill gaps in previous LMX and employee voice studies by providing robust explanations of the cultural influences on LMX framework across nations.


The danmaku text is a popular interactive mode of instantaneous video comment. Websites with danmaku texts have been widely used recently, and this vast number of texts can be regarded as a short text mining resource. This paper uses Perplexity and Rényi entropy to evaluate the BTM (Biterm Topic Model), by extracting the topic from the danmaku texts to explore the evolution of danmaku text topics in videos relevant to COVID-19. The results show that Rényi entropy is an effective way to decide the optimal number of topics, and the topics captured by BTM indicate that video viewers showed positive attitudes in the face of this public health emergency.


The state of plant nutrition was assessed in wheat plants, Alex cultivar, BBCH 12-13 stage. Microscopic images, Leica CLSM, DM2500 were taken on the leaves. On the microscopic images were analyzed in RGB color system, for plants with normal nutrition (R<sub<nn</sub<, G<sub<nn</sub<, B<sub<nn</sub<) and for plants with nutrient deficiency (R<sub<nd</sub<, G<sub<nd</sub<, B<sub<nd</sub<). The average values for R, were R<sub<nn</sub< = 110.30, R<sub<nd</sub< = 47.65. The differences between the averages of the studied cases were high and statistically significant (test t, t = 14.224, p < 0.001; non-parametric Mann-Whitney test, U = 0, p < 0.001). In the case of the G, the average values were G<sub<nn</sub< = 51.92, G<sub<nd</sub< = 55.54, and in the case of B, the average values were B<sub<nn</sub< = 4.12, B<sub<nd</sub< = 4.16, without statistical assurance of differences.The average value of the fractal dimension (D) in the case of plants with normal nutrition was D<sub<nn</sub< = 1.746, and in the case of plants with nutritional deficiency it was D<sub<nd</sub< = 1.850. The difference between the means was statistically significant, according to the indicated value of t = 10.88, having p < 0.001. And in the case of applying the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test the differences between groups are significant, U = 0, p < 0.001.


With the introduction of Lean Warehousing, we are committed to using lean principles for more efficient warehousing operations, which are performed with quality and safety. Manual order picking, on which the paper is focused, is currently considered the most unfriendly to humans because, in the long run, it contributes to the appearance of musculoskeletal disorders. We record not only the increase in the average age of employees in warehouses but also in the number and duration of sick leave due to back and muscle pain. This paper explores the possibility of productive work while preventing order pickers from Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Using a laboratory experiment, we determine retrieval times for units with different characteristics and study required postures by guidelines of Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation. The final goal is to create a bi-objective assignment model.


The issue of violence against women is evident among the crimes committed in the Philippines so this study was conducted in order to consolidate and draw a clear condition of violence against women in the Philippines. The focal point of this study is to determine the state of violence against women in the Philippines by recognizing the contributing factors, its perpetrators, number of cases and forms of abuses. There were two research procedures used in establishing the study: series of face-to-face interviews with authorities in the field of violence against women and supported by the analysis of the data gathered from the Philippine National Police (PNP). Through an extensive review, the researchers opt for women's group representatives, consultant on women's affairs, Philippine National Police (PNP) officials, Women and Child Protection Center (WCPC) officials and barangay women's desk officers as the key informants. An interview guide constructed by the researchers was used in the interviews while a coding sheet was accustomed in the analysis of the secondary data. The results showed that family, economic and social factors already exist in the Filipino community that causes occurrence of violence on women in different setting. Upon the in-depth analysis, socio-cultural and socio-political factors were also found contributing to the existence of the phenomenon.


A new species, Lasianthus chowdheryi Karthig., Jayanthi & Sumathi (Rubiaceae), growing in the evergreen forest of Rutland Island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is described. The new species is allied to L. attenuatus Jack, but differs by having tetramerous flowers, smaller corolla tube and by the presence of a horny appendage on the calyx and corolla apices. Detailed description and illustration of this new taxon are provided.


Economic and social historians will find this study of changing patterns of urban settlement in twentieth<entury United States indispensable. It applies the careful statistical techniques of the demographer to an analysis of population redistribution in metropolitan areas where the majority of Americans have come to live and work. Amos H. Hawley has explored the relation of population changes to distance from central cities in each of the standard metropolitan areas reported by the 1950 census and for which comparable data could be gleaned from previous counts back to 1900. The analysis centers on such variables as size and average annual growth of central city, distance between central cities, topographical features of central city site (on river front, lakeside, or seaboard), the proportion of the metropolitan labor force in manufactures, and the trend of industrial relocation within both metropolitan areas themselves and larger geographical regions. Hawley also introduces a novel areal unit, the extended metropolitan area, and uses it in comparison with the SMA for a limited number of variables, unfortunately not the economic ones.


Experimental measurement of biomass concentration in many complex biotechnological systems, where several organic and inorganic compounds are present, may be uneasy. Problems, for example, may arise in common immobilized biomass systems or other systems with high concentration of inorganic solids. Using as a model system the chemoautograph bacterium Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, grown on the appropriate 9K culture medium, an alternative method for biomass concentration evaluation is suggested, which is based on Differential Scanning Calorimetry of heat evolved during biomass combustion. From the results of the experiments performed one gets that biomass, existing in small concentrations in an inert medium, can be detected with good precision. Moreover, an estimate of the correlation coefficient (measured combustion ΔH to weight of biomass) is obtained by both theory and experimental comparisons with other techniques.


This paper presents an algorithm for solving transportation via road network problem to distribute goods from a number of sources to a number of destinations. The objective is to minimize transportation cost. Since the trucks travel over the roads that are suitable for the cargo weight, then the cargo weight and the transportation distance become both independent variables in the standalone transportation and network problems. Therefore, the transportation cost and the network distance matrices will not be available for a prior, and the solution requires a merging of the transportation and network models in one framework. Herein, the solutions of the linear programming transportation model and the road network problem are simultaneously attained using the proposed iterative algorithm. Meanwhile, the computation of the transportation cost is obtained in the same framework. Based on the transportation prices of domestic agencies, a simulation of a numerical example is used to explain the proposed algorithm.


The paper presents a study of the effectiveness of the multithreading implementation of an ant colony optimization algorithm for solving the traffic flow estimation problem. A model of the problem, using graph of the city map, and mathematical formulation of the algorithm, using simulated ants, are described. Experimental results from comparison of the sequential and the multithreading implementation of the algorithm with varying number of graph nodes and ants are summarized.


The goal of this paper is to analyze analytical and numerically, from several perspectives, the modulus of rupture (MOR) for brittle materials, studying the bending test of three points which is normally used in laboratory to calculate it. In particular, we will give four different approaches to the MOR: through the classical theory of beams; by means of the one‐ and three‐dimensional numerical simulations; and by using an improved expression to the MOR obtained through its asymptotic analysis. Finally, we will present these methodologies for cylindrical and rectangular beams made of porcelain. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Fiber lasers modelocked by filtering of a chirped pulse are analyzed with the Ginzburg-Landau equation. A range of experimental pulse shapes are predicted remarkably well by an exact analytical solution, and constitute dissipative temporal solitons.


AIM To study the isolation,purification and characterization of Polygonati Rhizoma oligosaccharide(PRO).METHODS Polygonati Rhizoma was extracted by 80% ethanol,and further isolated and purified by D101 macroporous adsorption resin column chromatogramphy,activated carbon column chromatography and Sephadex LH-20 gel column chromatography.The structural analysis was identified by high performance gel permeation chromatography(HPGPC),gas chromatography(GC),ultraviolet spectrometry(UV),infared spectroscopy(IR),NMR spectroscopy(1H,13C).RESULTS PRO was a single homogeneous component and the average molecular weight was estimated at 1 471 Da.The D-pyran glucan consisted entirely of glucose units,which were linked in straight chains by 1→4 bond and 1→6 bond,most of the constituent glucosidic bond were jointed in β-form with a little of α-form.CONCLUSION The PRO is obtained from Polygonati Rhizoma for the first time.


In modern power systems, several conducted disturbances and power quality phenomena are commonly experienced also at medium voltage level. Therefore, voltage and current transducers, which scale voltage/current waveforms down to levels compatible with the measuring instruments, are expected to accurately work over a proper range of amplitudes and frequencies, keeping the signal integrity needed to properly perform their measuring tasks such as energy billing, protection coordination and power quality monitoring. Thus, there is an increasing need for characterized and traceable methods to assess the performances of transducers in a wide frequency range. This paper focuses on a method for the calibration of medium voltage measurement transformers from power frequency to 2.5 kHz, which involves a two step procedure based on the use of a digital capacitance bridge. The system is designed for the characterization of voltage transformers at rated primary voltage up to 20/√3 kV, applying a harmonic frequency sweep, whose magnitude can be selected from 2% to 10% of the primary voltage.


Because medium and small financial institutions have no capital subject to bearing risks,the essence of treating the risk of bad capital is to search for a subrogation shareholder.While the central bank bears potential deposit insurance responsibility,bad capital of medium and small financial institutions also becomes "debt" of central bank.To introduce genuine shareholder and increment income to convert risks,the key of reform is to enrich capital and to consummate corporation management configuration,which is manifested as "increasing capital and enlarging share"in operation.But medium and small financial institutions under holistic red lose the basis of fixing a price for "increasing capital and enlarging share".It is one of reformatory projects to transform the bad capital "debt" of the central bank into deposit insurance institutions.


In this short note, we will consider the value of the function $\exp {(ax)}/f(a)$ at $a=0$ for $f(a)=0$. This case appears for the construction of the special solution of some differential operator $f(D)$ for the polynomial case of $D$ with constant coefficients. We would like to show the power of the new method of the division by zero calculus, simply and typically.


Let / be a polynomial map of the Riemann sphere of degree at least two. We prove that if / has a Siegel disk G on which the rotation number satisfies a diophantine condition, then the boundary of G contains a critical point.


The tea-oil tree(Camellia oleifera Abel) is an unique arboreal oil tree species in China and is widely planted in 17 provinces including Taiwan and more than 1 100 counties or cities in mainland China.It plays a vital role in our national economy and ecological environmental construction in China.The tea oil is the best cooking oil known as "the king of oil." To develop the tea-oil tree industry on a large scale not only helps improve Chinese people's living standard and their health,but also plays a positive role in promoting the development of economy at a sustainable speed in China in the new century.Jiangxi is an important agricultural province in the middle of China,boasting superior natural conditions and social economic conditions in planting tea-oil tree.Jiangxi's tea-oil tree production holds the pivotal status in the nation.This paper discusses the history,the current situation,the existing problems,and the countermeasures to further develop tea-oil tree production in Jiangxi Province.


We studied the effect of 24-epibrassinolide (EB) on growth, proline content, the state of wheat seedling antioxidant system under water deficit, modeled by 12% polyethylene glycol (PEG). It was found that under drought EB-pretreatment has a protective effect on wheat plants, stabilizing the state of the antioxidant system, regulating the balance of hydrogen peroxide and peroxidase activity, as well as inducing the additional accumulation of proline, which was reflected in maintaining a higher level of mitotic activity in apical root cells of these plants.


Many cool-season grass species have evolved with asexual, nonsymptomatic fungal endophytes of the genus Epichloë (formerly Neotyphodium) of the family Clavicipitaceae. These associations range from parasitic to mutualistic and have dramatic effects on grass host chemistry, increasing resistance to abiotic (drought, soil mineral imbalance) and biotic (vertebrate and invertebrate herbivory, nematodes, plant pathogens, plant competition) stresses. Native endophyte strains produce a range of bioprotective alkaloid and other nonalkaloid secondary compounds, several of them known to have detrimental effects on grazing animals. In the past two decades, epichloid endophyte strains have been selected with marginal or no capacity of producing ergot and/or lolitrem alkaloids. These novel endophyte strains have been introduced to several grass cultivars with the idea to increase grass host resistance to abiotic stresses without hindering grazing livestock, and abiotic stresses to ensure high competitive ability of symbiotic grass cultivars. In this presentation, we discuss mechanisms underlying the competitiveness of epichloid endophyte/grass associations and consequences of endophyte infection for grassland ecosystem functions.


Article history: Received 21 February 2016 Received in revised form 17 November 2016 Accepted 26 November 2016 Available online 1 December 2016


Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) should be capable of fulfilling its mission, in a timely manner. Therefore, we propose a quantitative real-time model for multihop WSN. "Real-time degree" describes the percentage of real-time data that the network can deliver on time from any source to its destination. Most of network properties are considered as random variables and a queuing-theory based model is derived. In this model, the effect of network load on the packets' delay and the "real-timeliness " of the network are considered. Simulation results are used to validate the proposed model. The simulation results agree very well with the model.


Abstract Between 1938 and 1969, a few authors attempted to establish and codify a modem idiom in landscape design in a series of publications. Not surprisingly, the authors of these books and articles were the landscape architects one has come to associate with the development of modernism in landscape architecture: Christopher Tunnard (Gardens in the Modem Landscape, 1938), Garrett Eckbo (Landscape for Living, 1950, and Art of Home Landscaping, 1956), and James Rose (Creative Gardens, 1958). But no other landscape architect of the postwar period published his work or ideas more frequently or to greater professional effect than Thomas Dolliver Church. His 1955 Gardens are for People, now reissued in a third paperback edition, became a key text in the development of the profession of landscape architecture in postwar America. Church's writings, like the architectural treatises that had preceded his by millennia, helped establish both an audience and a body of informed clients, formulating the boundaries of a profession for the largely uninformed, but newly affluent numbers of postwar homeowners.