Although a number of studies on the teeth of amphibians have dealt with the ontogenetic development of an individual tooth (Kvam, '46; Kerr, '60), the first comprehensive study on the dynamics of succession and replacement in the teeth of a modern amphibian was that of Gillettc ('55). Our initial interest in the problem stemmed from studies made by one of us (Goin, '58) on variation in the number of teeth in frogs of the family Hylidae. With the aid of a NationaI Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Participation Grant awarded to the junior author, we undertook a study of development and succession of the teeth in Hyla so that the condition in a representative of the family Hylidae might be compared with that of a member of the Ranidae as described by Gillette ('55) in his excellent study of Rana pipiens.


Two special types of anhydrous aluminum sulfate with extreme grain shapes were prepared; one, obtained by precipitation from concentrated sulfuric acid solution, is rhombohedral near cubic single-crystal grains and the other, from acetic acid solution, consists of very thin flaky particles. The morphology of sulfate and calcined alumina, the sulfate decomposition, the η-α alumina transformation, and the crystallite growth of α alumina were studied and compared with those processes for reagent-grade sulfate. The morphology of anhydrous sulfate was shown to greatly affect the heat-treatment characteristics of alumina and the sulfate decomposition behavior.


Cigarette smoking is awidespread habit in the UnitedStates today. About forty-three per-cent of the adult men and thirty-onepercent of the adult women smokeregularly. It is quite encouraging tonote, however, that millions of peo-ple have given up the smoking。


Humans have the ability to pour various media, both liquid and granular, to desired ends in various containers. We do this by using multiple senses simultaneously in a constant feedback loop to complete a pouring task. Combining multiple sensing modalities, similar to humans, could aid in robotic pouring control outside of a structured or industrial setting. We present a multi-sensory pouring dataset consisting of human pouring demonstrations of various granular media, coupled with two multi-sensory networks that estimate pouring rate and pouring average height. For both pouring metrics, a combined input of audio and visual data provides a lower median error than either the audio network or visual network. The multi-sensory network achieves a median error of 6.4 mm for average height estimation and 0.06 N/s for pouring rate estimation.


Objective
To report the efficacy of closed pry reduction and cross Kirschner wiring in the treatment of refractory flexion-type fracture of supracondylar humerus in children.

Methods
A retrospective analysis was done of 19 children who had been treated for refractory flexion-type fracture of supracondylar humerus by closed pry reduction and cross Kirschner wiring at Department of Orthopaedics, Shaoyang Or-thopaedic Hospital from March 2015 to March 2017. They were 9 boys and 10 girls, aged from 2 to 12 years (mean, 6.37 years): 10 left and 9 right sides were involved. According to the severity of fracture displacement, 11 cases had rotational displacement with their broken ends obviously inserted into one another, and 8 cases complete displacement with no contact of the broken ends. All the fractures were closed, treated with closed reduction by leverage and cross fixation with Kirschner wire. Postoperative complications were recorded and the elbow function was evaluated by the Flynn assessment system at the last follow-up.

Results
The operation time for the 19 patients ranged from 15 to 60 minutes, with an average of 30 minutes. The patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (average, 18.0 months). All the fractures united after 2 to 4 months (average, 2.8 Months). At the last follow-up, according to the Flynn system, the elbow function was evaluated as excellent in 10 cases, good in 7, and fair in 2. No ossifying myositis, cubitus varus or iatrogenic injury to the ulnar nerve was observed in any patient. Nails had to be removed in one case due to implant loosening after pin-hole infection.

Conclusion
Closed reduction and Kirschner wire cross fixation is an ideal surgical treatment for refractory flexion-type supracondylar fracture of humerus in children, because its intraoperative closed pry reduction can reduce the rate of incision.

Key words:
Humeral fractures; Elbow joint; Bone nails; Reduction


The study is an appraisal of Boko Haram's insurgency on the agricultural sector of the Nigerian business environment. A time series analysis research method was adopted, while descriptive statistics and t-test were used to analyse the secondary data before and during the insurgency. The result of the findings showed that agricultural valued added to the GDP was high before Boko Haram disruption and has reduced during the period of insurgency. Based on the findings, the study recommends that Government should take legal and justifiable action to ensure that the ills caused by Boko Haram to the agricultural sector are arrested and farmers encouraged with better incentives to go back to farm.


Nonthermal plasma created by high-voltage dc power supply can be used to collect precharged suspended particulates, whereas nonthermal plasma generated by high-voltage pulsed power supply is used to remove harmful gases in the air, but how to increase the efficiency is not clear. In this paper, it is novel to apply magnetic field to air purification to increase the purification efficiency. Effect of magnetic field is analyzed. It can be concluded that purification efficiency can be improved significantly along with the application of magnetic field


Shrapnel injury is a major cause of death in victims of bomb blast, land mines, and gun fire. Currently, doctors rely on imaging systems to locate the shrapnel before surgery. But, since these images do not provide any real-time information of the location of the shrapnel, effectiveness of surgery solely depends on the doctors' skill to trace them. Therefore, in some cases, the shrapnel, in spite of being visible in the images, may become untraceable during surgery. Hence, an online tool that can help the surgeon in finding the location of the shrapnel during the surgery will be very effective. A prototype of such a tool has been realized using an inductive proximity sensor (IPS). The new IPS is small enough for inserting into the victim's body. Since the detection depth (DD) of an IPS decreases with its diameter, this IPS uses a differential sensing scheme for detection. Hence, the new sensor achieves DDs longer than its diameter. The design of the sensor takes care of the effects of parasitic parameters that become predominant as the size gets smaller and ensures repeatable results. The tool also features a special excitation scheme that has multiple advantages when compared with existing schemes. The details of the sensor, its excitation and performance against different targets under various conditions are presented in this paper.


1 The transportation problem In the last chapter, we introduced the transportation problem (P). where we have now written dual variables {u i } i∈S and {v j } j∈D next to the constraints. The dual (D) of (P) is given as follows. The transportation problem is best represented by a graph (see Fig. 1). A graph G is a pair G = (V, E) of nodes (also called vertices) V and edges E. Each node v ∈ V of a graph is represented as a point in the plane. In Fig. 1, there is a node for every source and a node for every destination. An edge is a pair of nodes (v 1 , v 2), and an edge is represented in the plane by a line between the two vertices. In Figure 1, we have drawn an edge between the source node 2 and the destination node 3'. For the transportation problem, a variable x i,j can be associated with every edge (i, j) ∈ S × D, and this edge indicates transportation from i to j. Hence, for the graph representation of the transportation problem, the set S ∪ D represents the nodes, and for every pair (i, j) ∈ S × D, there is an edge between source node i and destination node j. Observe that there is no edge between two source nodes or two destination nodes. The understanding of the transportation problem requires the following concepts from graph theory. A cycle in a graph is a sequence of connected nodes that form a cycle. For instance, for 1


The main goal of this project is to develop a multilevel converter topology to be useful in power system applications. Although many topologies are introduced rapidly using a bunch of switches and isolated dc sources, having a single-dc-source multilevel inverter is still a matter of controversy. In fact, each isolated dc source means a bulky transformer and a rectifier that have their own losses and costs forcing the industries to avoid entering in this topic conveniently. On the other hand, multilevel inverters topologies with single-dc-source require associated controllers to regulate the dc capacitors voltages in order to have multilevel voltage waveform at the output. Thus, a complex controller would not interest investors properly. Consequently, developing a single-dc-source multilevel inverter topology along with a light and reliable voltage control is still a challenging topic to replace the 2-level inverters in the market effectively.

The first effort in this project was devoted to the PUC7 inverter to design a simple and yet efficient controller. A new modelling is performed on the PUC7 inverter and it has been simplified to first order system. Afterwards, a nonlinear cascaded controller is designed and applied to regulate the capacitor voltage at 1/3 of the DC source amplitude and to generate 7 identical voltage levels at the output supplying different type of loads such as RL or rectifier harmonic ones.

In next work, the PUC5 topology is proposed as a remedy to the PUC7 that requires a complicated controller to operate properly. The capacitor voltage is regulated at half of dc source amplitude to generate 5 voltage levels at the output. Although the 7-level voltage waveform is replaced by a 5-level one in PUC5 topology, it is shown that the PUC5 needs a very simple and reliable voltage balancing technique due to having some redundant switching states. Moreover, a sensor-less voltage balancing technique is designed and implemented on the PUC5 inverter successfully to work in both stand-alone and gridconnected mode of operation.

Eventually, a modified configuration of the PUC5 topology is presented to work as a buck PFC rectifier. The internal performance of the rectifier is like a buck converter to generate stepped down DC voltages at the two output terminals while the grid sees a boost converter externally. As well, a decoupled voltage/current controller is designed and applied to balance the output voltages identically and synchronize the input current with grid voltage to have a PFC operation acceptably. A power balance analysis is done to show the load variation range limit.

All the theoretical and simulation studies are validated by experimental results completely.


Abstract Random vibration testing with stochastic broad band noise signals is a commonly used procedure in qualification testing of vehicle parts. However, there are no standard procedures for deriving adequate test power spectral densities from road load data; hence test spectra can be defined far too low leading to tests not covering the loads of service life. In this paper, a new method is presented that gives consideration to the aspects of material fatigue during the whole process of windowing, overlapping, amplitude correction, and averaging that all have vital influence on the test spectra obtained. This allows for deriving test spectra with calculated damage equivalent to a defined set of design load histories, and thus helps minimizing the effort for calibration runs of test spectra on a test rig. The theoretic derivation will be shown as well as a comparison with the commonly used procedures using an exemplary case study.


This Note argues that anti-SLAPP statutes should be given full effect in federal forums. Part 1 explains the phenomenon of SLAPP litigation and examines states' anti-SLAPP legislative response. Part II overviews the Erie doctrine and the current, somewhat confused, state of the law following the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent decision in Shady Grove Orthopedic Association v. Allstate Insurance, Co. The part first discusses the distinction between a broad versus a narrow reading of the Federal Rules. Next, the part considers whether the Rules Enabling Act permits facial or as-applied challenges to the validity of a Federal Rule. Part II then examines the decisions of courts having considered whether state anti-SLAPP laws should apply in federal diversity suits. In Part III, this Note argues that regardless of how the breadth of a Federal Rule is construed, both strains of the subsequent Erie analysis favor application of anti-SLAPP statutes in federal court. A narrow reading of the Federal Rules avoids direct conflict with state anti- SLAPP statutes. In the absence of such a conflict, the twin aims of Erie strongly favor giving effect to anti-SLAPP statutes. This Note also argues that a proper reading of the REA as permitting "as-applied" challenges to the validity of the Federal Rules calls for the anti-SLAPP laws to prevail even if a direct conflict is found.


ABSTRACT Promoters for T7 RNApolymerase have ahighly conservedsequenceof23continuousbasepairs locatedatposition -17 to +6relativetotheinitiationsite fortheRNA.The complex of T7 RNA polymerase with the phage 410promoterhasbeenvisualizedindirectlybyexploitingtheabilityofthepolymeraseto protectDNAsequencesfromcleavagebymethidiumpropyl-EDTA-Fe(II).TheDNAcontactsmadebyT7 RNA polymerasehavebeenmappedduringbindingandduring the subsequentinitiation oftranscription. The RNA polymer-ase alone protects 19 bases in a region from -21 to -3.Synthesisof the trinucleotider(GGG)expandsthelengthofthesequenceprotected bythe RNA polymeraseandstabilizes thecomplex;29bases(-21 to +8)areprotected, andthe observedequilibriumassociationconstant ofthe r(GGG)complexis 5 x105 M-1. The formation of a hexanucleotide mRNA, r(G-GGAGA), furtherextendsthe protectedregion; 32 bases(-21to +11) are protected. Finally, the synthesis ofa pentadeca-nucleotide mRNA leads to a translocation ofthe region pro- tected bytheprotein;


The embodiment of the invention discloses a fixing device for an efficiency test of a solar battery. The device comprises a base supporting table 1, wherein a groove 2 sinks from a first end surface 12 to the base supporting table 1, and at least a movable track 3 is also arranged; one or more cover bodies 5, and 6 capable of moving on the movable track 3 are supported on the movable track 3; the cove body 5, and 6 can move between a closed position where the groove 2 is at least partly covered and an unclosed position where the groove 2 is opened. The fixing device for the efficiency test of the solar battery, provided by the embodiment of the invention, has the advantages that the structure is simple, the operation is convenient, through the use of the device, the darkroom environment can be provided during testing, in addition, different light-affected ranges can be regulated, and an light-affected area can be conveniently and accurately obtained, so that the efficiency test of the solar battery is more convenient and accurate.


Two years ago, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Court) issued a seminal ruling regarding the right to health established in Article 26 of the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR). For the first time ever, it held a State Party to be internationally responsible for not guaranteeing non-discriminatory access to health services (previously discussed here and here). In the same case, the Court also established the justiciability of the right to health. Today, this ruling is more relevant than ever. Indeed, the health emergency due to COVID-19 has reached Latin America with its full strength. The pandemic poses considerable challenges to this region, characterized by profound inequalities, as the virus has a disproportionate effect on people in vulnerable situations, such as indigenous communities, Afro-descendants and workers in the informal sector.


The behavior of two antidiabetic drugs namely N-[(butylamino) carbonyl]-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide or tolbutamide and N-(hexahydrocyclopentapyrrol-2(1H)-ylcarbamoyl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide or gliclazide was theoretically evaluated by the Density Functional Theory (DFT) and the Quantitative Structure Property Relationship (QSPR) methods. Theoretical calculations showed a clear correlation between the descriptor parameters and the inhibition efficicencies. It also permitted to identify the reactivity sites. The results reveal that the molecules studied are good inhibitors of aluminium corrosion in 1M hydrochloric acid. Finally, the Quantitative Structure Property Relationship allowed to find the appropriate set of parameters establishing the relationship between the inhibition efficiency and the molecular descriptors.


A description is given of Cinema, a general-purpose animation system designed to animate models developed using the SIMAN simulation language. The Cinema package consists of two separate modules: CINEMA is used to draw the graphical images used in the animation and CSIMAN executes a SIMAN simulation model and associated animation. Animation typically centers around the presentation of final modeling results. However, the simplicity of developing Cinema animations allows users to exploit animation in more phases of a simulation project. By using Cinema, contributions of animation can be found throughout the entire simulation project from initial model debugging through presentation of the final simulation results. Recent enhancements to Cinema IV include accumulating conveyors, AGV modeling features, dynamic plots and histograms, symbol fetch from backgrounds, and an improved user interface. Cinema is available on a wide variety of platforms and operating systems.<<ETX>>


Today, young people are a fundamental part in the fight for the climate and their voice is increasingly present within the movement. The largest marches in recent years have been led by young people from around the world. The discursive framework of the student strikes and the "Fridays for the Future" is based on intergenerational justice and the need for long-term climate policies. This article looks at the climate justice movement, and the rising role of youth and intergenerational justice demands. This article looks at the climate justice movement, and the ascending role of youth and intergenerational justice demands.


Labor force participation in Belgium among young married women with a family is examined using data from the 1982-1983 NEGO IV fertility survey. The results indicate a trend away from the U-shaped labor force participation pattern in which women left the labor force to have children and only returned when the youngest child reached school age. (SUMMARY IN ENG) (ANNOTATION)


Abstract : Modern military operations are conducted everywhere in the world and soldiers are deployed after a short notice, sometimes with poor training and awareness of the situation on the ground. The channels of communication used are sometimes unconventional, like the Internet, because having quickly available and prerequisite fulfilling communication capability to carry an enormous quantity of information and data is highly important. One of the main challenges of Cyber Security is to ensure Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) on these channels. However, the threat that cyber operators are facing is like a visible shadow, with no body, that evolves and moves faster than the eye attempting to capture it. This study produces documentation to demonstrate and test through Simulation and C2 systems that a small, well-trained, and motivated unit on the field, equipped with proper hardware and software, is capable of responding to cyber attacks, mitigating them, and eventually acting or reacting in support of a planned conventional operation. The necessary support to operations can be obtained with a Close Cyber Security Support (CCSS) capability that is as flexible or more flexible as the opponents.


In the first part ofthis paper different ablation methods, the key p u a m e t ~ ~ s and the r p d c advantages ofeach process are discussed. Good results CM only be obtained with a pmpa node arrangement Experiments to demomaate the influence of dflment n o d e arrangements. h off-axis n o d e arrangement -the so called laser planing process results in a much bener process efficiency Also The influence of the gas mixture are shown Cdculations about the inu-ng of the absorptivity due the oxidation process are p r e m e d md compared with experiments.


The Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi (太一金華宗旨) is an important Daoist text, in particular to the Longmen branch of the Quanzhen movement. It is attributed to Lu Dongbin and describes a form of meditation called huiguang (回光 – turning around or reversing the light). The text was popularized in the West through a commentary by Carl Jung on Richard Wilhelm's translation. However, the accuracy of both Jung's commentary (e.g., Cott & Rock, 2009) and Wilhelm's translation (e.g., Cleary, 1991) have been questioned. While the Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi tends to express its message in much clearer language than many Daoist texts, it is still may not be immediately accessible to most readers on first viewing. Thus, the results presented herein are intended to clearly present the main messages of the Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi for those unfamiliar with the text, while attempting to avoid committing the same errors as, for example, Jung. To do this, the present analysis extracted all the prominent constructs discussed in the text, descriptions of their nature, and the relationships between them. This resulted in five overarching themes, two of which describe the general process of turning the light around, and a further three that describe a stage-like progression resulting from this general process. The constructs and relationships that constitute each theme are discussed in detail with the aid of diagrammatic representations, as are the relationships between the five themes. It is hoped that this analysis will make the general teachings of the Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi more accessible to psychologists wishing to pursue studies in the area of Daoism.


Emotions are expressed not only with words but also with a gesture, body posture, miming or voice modulation. Actor reproduces on stage the external effects of emotions which the audience can read. In the 18th century, theatre and actor became the subject of theoretical reflection comprising two contrasting theories: either living or pretending the feelings of a character played. In Italy, the first theory prevailed, presented by Luigi Riccoboni in his treaties: Dell'arte rappresentativa (1728) and Pensees sur la declamation (1738). The main objective of this article is to examine how the emotional acting was performed in practice in the 18th century Italian theatre. To this aim, two examples will be closely analysed which are very different in terms of style but not distant in time and what is more, intended for the same Venetian audience. For the purpose of analysis, two monologues were chosen which show an outbreak of anger leading in consequence to a revenge: Mirandolina's first monologue from Carl Goldoni's comedy titled La locandiera (1753) and Tartaglia's first monologue from a scenic fable by Carlo Gozzi titled Il re cervo (1762). The analysis will focus on the power of word expressing emotions and performative traces buried in the text as well as indirect and direct reports of the contemporary audience which will approximately allow to reproduce the style of acting.


Developmental delay (DD) / intellectual disability (ID) is considered one of the most genetically heterogeneous human diseases. Herein, we described a Chinese boy affected by DD/ID with 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency (MCCD) and 3-hydroxy3-methylglutaric aciduria (3-HMG), which associated with a novel missense hemizygous mutation, c.4442C>T, within the acidic domain of HCFC1 gene identified by whole exon sequencing (WES) and validated by Sanger sequencing. Pedigree analysis showed that the mutation was inherited from the proband's mother and grandmother. Molecular functional analysis showed that HCFC1 c.4442C>T mutation increased the mRNA and protein expression in HET293T cells. Simultaneously, the mutation affected subcellular localization and interrupted the nuclear degradation of HCFC1 in the cells. In addition, the mutation decreased the expressions of MCCC1, MCCC2, HMGCL, relating to MCCD and 3-HMG. Moreover, HCFC1 c.4442C>T inhibit cell apoptosis. This X-linked disease revealed a new insight into a distinct disease mechanism that transcriptional dysregulation can lead to metabolic disorders with a much more serious and complex clinical phenotype. This novel mutation, related to DD/ID with MCCD and 3-HMG, was the first reported genetic mutation occurring within the acidic domain of HCFC1 to date. The results extend the mutation spectrum of the HCFC1 gene and reveal a new insight into a distinct disease mechanism of the mutated HCFC1 gene.


One of the major advances in the management of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma has been the addition of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab to the chemotherapy regimen of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). However, the increased immunosuppression associated with this new combination regimen greatly increases the risk for reactivation of hepatitis …


Numerous techniques have been developed in the past few decades for the mass production of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The main obstacle behind the mass production techniques of AM fungi is the obligate nature of this biotrophic fungus and species level identification of AM fungal species could not be possible at the early stage of development. Currently, in-vitro cultivation methods such as hydroponic system and root organ culture has been widely used for the mass production of AM fungi. These methods are not only maintain the quality of AM fungal propagules but they can also be developed as cost effective methods for the mass propagation of AM fungi. The aim of this paper is to highlight the recent and advanced methods used for the mass production of AM fungi.


Hemodynamic overload induces pathological remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) and eventually heart failure (HF). The two types of chronic hemodynamic stress, namely pressure overload (PO) and volume overload (VO) evoke characteristically different functional and structural alterations in the myocardium. Nevertheless, whether PO- and VO-induced HF are also associated with distinct LV proteomic alterations has not been investigated yet.

 Hence, we thought to perform a proteomic analysis on LV myocardial samples from rat models of PO- and VO-induced HF.

 PO–induced HF was evoked by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). VO–induced HF was established by creating an aortocaval fistula (ACF). Age-matched sham-operated animals served as controls for TAC (ShamT) and ACF (ShamA), respectively. Pressure-volume (P-V) analysis, echocardiography, histology and quantitative real-time PCR were carried out to provide a detailed characterization of the two HF models. Peptides obtained via the digestion of myocardial proteins with trypsin and LysC were labeled with isobaric tags (TMT16) and measured with LC-MS/MS in a bottom-up explorative proteomic approach. Differential expression and gene ontology enrichment analysis (GO:BP) was carried out on summarized protein reporter ion intensities.

 In both the TAC and ACF groups, presence of typical signs and symptoms of HF (dyspnea at rest, fatigue, ascites) increased lung-to-tibial length ratio and elevated LV natriuretic peptide mRNA expression levels confirmed the development of advanced HF. Furthermore, the TAC model was associated with massive wall thickening, concentric LV hypertrophy (LVH), marked interstitial fibrosis and substantially impaired active relaxation and passive filling (slope of end-diastolic P-V relationship: 0.103±0.015 vs. 0.023±0.003mmHg/μl, TAC vs. ShamT, P<0.001). In contrast, the ACF model was predominantly characterized by LV dilatation, eccentric LVH, moderate fibrosis and severely reduced LV contractility (slope of end-systolic P-V relationship: 0.5±0.1 vs. 2.3±0.3mmHg/μl, ACF vs. ShamA, P<0.001). Proteomic analysis revealed that out of the 4691 identified and quantified proteins, 1404 and 913 have shown upregulation, while 1359 and 886 downregulation in the TAC and ACF groups respectively compared to their corresponding sham groups. GO:BP analysis has indicated that the downregulation of mitochondrion organization, ATP metabolic processes and oxidative phosphorylation and the upregulation of actin cytoskeleton organization were the most profound alterations in the TAC model. In contrast, the ACF model was associated with robust downregulation of fatty acid oxidation and upregulation of endocytosis, defense and immune response on the proteomic level.

 PO and VO-induced advanced HF are not only associated with characteristically different functional and structural remodeling but also with distinct LV proteomic alterations.

 Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) of Hungary


Abstract The results of the local field anisotropy determination by the combination of resonance Raman scattering and absorption experiments are presented.


[1] It is generally accepted that high-permeability pathways are required to bring hydrothermal fluids to the surface from depth at elevated temperatures, and these pathways are commonly associated with faulting. The orientation and mode of fractures that develop as a result of fault slip are dependent on the state of stress and the geometry of the fault system, which in turn control the near-fault permeability structure. We hypothesize that temperature data collected in fault-controlled hydrothermal systems may be used to delineate the extent of the near-surface breakdown region of the controlling fault, and may provide insight regarding the fault geometry and stress field. Here we present a geostatistical analysis of 1550 ground and spring temperature measurements in an area of active hydrothermal discharge located at Mickey Hot Springs in southeast Oregon. Indicator kriging was used to treat heterogeneity across the site prior to in-category simulation of temperature as a continuous variable. The analysis indicates that zones of high, medium, and low temperature at the site arise from different physical mechanisms, which we propose are related to the underlying modes of fracturing and the dominant mechanisms of heat and mass transport (i.e., by advection or diffusion). The findings of this study suggest that thermal-hydrologic data of the type presented here may be useful for understanding fault zone characteristics, and for developing conceptual models of fault-controlled fluid flow.


Education policy lays particular emphasis on the development of the creative potential of each individual. It is based on the principle that education must develop not only cognitive capacities - both the 'foundational capacities 'of literacy and numeracy and 'higher-order' cognitive capacities, such as critical thinking and problem solving – but also social, ethical and emotional capacities. The new education policy must provide to all students irrespective of their place of residence, a quality education system, with particular focus on historically marginalized, disadvantaged and under represented groups. Education the best tool for achieving economic and social mobility, inclusion, and equality. Initiatives must be place to ensure that all students from such groups, despite inherent obstacles, are provided various targeted opportunities to enter and excel in the educational system. These elements must be incorporated taking into account the local and global needs of the country. Instilling knowledge of India and its varied social, cultural and technological needs, its inimitable artistic, language and knowledge traditions and its strong ethics in India's young people is considered critical for purposes of national pride, self-confidence, self-knowledge, cooperation, and integration.


Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) occurs as a result of acquired mutations in bone marrow progenitor cells. CHIP confers a twofold risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, there is limited data regarding specific cardiovascular phenotypes in this population. We recruited patients from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center cardiac catheterization laboratory and performed next generation sequencing to determine CHIP status. Multivariable logistic regression models and proportional odds models were used to assess the association between CHIP status and coronary angiography. We find nearly 1 in 5 patients undergoing coronary angiography have a CHIP mutation. Those with CHIP had a higher risk of having left main coronary artery disease compared to non-CHIP carriers. We additionally find that those with a specific CHIP mutation, ten eleven translocase 2 (TET2) has a larger effect size on left main stenosis compared with other CHIP mutations. This is the first description of a specific atherosclerotic phenotype in CHIP and serves as a basis for understanding enhanced morbidity and mortality in CHIP.


Present work deals with experimental studies of incomplete fusion reaction dynamics using off-line γ -ray spectrometry at energies as low as ≈3-6 MeV/nucleon. Excitation functions for five reaction products populated via complete and/or incomplete fusion processes in 16 O+130 Te system have been measured and compared with the predictions of the statistical model code PACE4. A significant enhancement in the measured excitation functions compared to theoretical predictions for α -emitting channels has been observed and is attributed to incomplete fusion processes. The relative strength of incomplete fusion has been found to increase with projectile energy. Results show that incomplete fusion is associated even for angular momenta lesser than the critical angular momentum for complete fusion and also reveals importance of incomplete fusion even at energies as low as ≈3-6 MeV/nucleon.


We analyze some real data and, from the background of analysis of data, we define a multi-dimensional jump-type asset model which is derived from short-sampling asset prices. We study some basic properties of this asset model.


A high-integrated flash memory device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to improve the performance of a cell device by forming a charge storage node for storing charges on a lower portion of a control electrode. A fence-type body(210) is protrudes on a semiconductor substrate, and an isolation insulating layer(220) is formed between the fence-shaped bodies to electrically isolate elements formed on the body. The isolation insulating layer is etched to form an interlayer dielectric on an upper surface and sidewall of the body. A control electrode(240) is formed on the interlayer dielectric in a direction perpendicular to the body. The interlayer dielectric has a tunneling insulation layer(230) formed on the sidewall and the upper surface of the body, a charge storage node(260) formed on the tunneling insulating layer, and a control insulation layer(270) formed on the charge storage node.


Steroids have become widely used drugs in the field of medicine and dentistry. In recent years, in oral maxillofacial surgery, corticosteroids have been prescribed for functional and aesthetic purposes. Few decades ago, corticosteroids were used to control oedema and to decrease pain. They are used in select conditions with caution. Our review is on the use of steroids in various branches of medicine and dentistry. Introduction In the 1930s, prior to the use of steroids, scientists had created a synthetic form of testosterone (male sex hormone) to treat men who were unable to produce the hormone for normal growth and sexual function. In 1956, an American physician, Dr. Zeigler created a more selective form, known as anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids was first used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in 1949 [1]. It was used in oral maxillofacial surgical procedures to minimize oedema, decrease pain and to promote neuro regeneration from the early 1960s to the late 1970s [1,2]. Steroids can be naturally occurring or manufactured synthetically. They influence entire organ systems of the body. It is produced from the adrenal cortex under the influence of ACTH (Adrenocorticotrophic hormone), which is secreted day and night from the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus releases corticotropic releasing hormone (CRH) which regulates the secretion of ACTH by pituitary gland. The normal output of cortisol is 15 – 25mg/day, but during a state of crisis or stress, the body can release up to 300mg of cortisol. In oral &maxillofacial surgery, the normal dosage of methylprednisolone varies from 025mg. above these levels, the oedema can be minimized. Methylprednisolone ≥25mg or an equal dosage of other corticosteroids is effective against controlling oedema [3]. How do Steroids Act? Corticosteroids secreted by the adrenal cortex are divided into 3 groups: Mineralocorticoids a. Glucocorticoids b. Endogenous testosterone c. Sodium and potassium levels in the extracellular fluid are affected by the mineral corticoids. The blood glucose concentration is increased via glucocorticoids. Corticosteroids inhibit the lysozyme induced membrane rupture which decreases the release of proteolytic enzymes and hyaluronidase, thereby controlling the oedema. It exhibits analgesic effect by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis. Compression or trauma in nerve injuries can have direct or indirect effect on the nerves. Corticosteroids promote the healing of nerve injuries. In tissue injury, the mediators of inflammation are released (prostaglandins, leukotrienes & thromboxane) through chemical and mechanical stimuli, which in turn activate the conversion of phospholipids to arachadionic acid, from the endothelium. These conversion processes take place in the presence of phospholipase. The sequelae of action of steroids at the cellular level starts with inhibition of mast cell production and nuclear cytokine, kinine and histamine thereby facilitating inhibition of thromboxane and bradykinin which causes a decrease in dilatation and permeability of blood vessels. In our review, the benefits and side effects of steroids have been evaluated in an elaborate manner. Thepre-, intra-and post-operative dosages of corticosteroids have been highlighted. The absorption of corticosteroids depends mainly on the blood supply of the area that the drug has been injected. Pre-operative administration of steroids is more effective than the post-operative administration and lastly the submucosal route of administration has similar effects that of the intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) route [5]. Corticosteroids can prevent the release of mediators of inflammation and therefore reduce the inflammation at the surgical site and nowadays they have been widely used to reduce the incidence of postoperative sequelae of surgeries. Long termusage of steroids affect the endogenous corticosteroid production and supress the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis [6].


ABSTRACT.Commonly encountered terms in basic descriptive statistics are explained in simple language, together with examples. Covered are such topics as percentage, mean, median, mode, standard deviation, normal distribution, z-score, skewness, frequency histogram, and frequency polygon. A Glossary with definitions is provided at the end.


Halofantrine, an antimalarial drug that prolongs the QT interval, is metabolized into N‐debutyl‐halofantrine by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4. Grapefruit juice increases the bioavailability of several orally administered CYP3A4 substrates by inhibiting CYP3A4 at the enterocyte level and could therefore increase the risk of halofantrine‐induced QT interval prolongation. We studied the effect of grapefruit juice on halofantrine bioavailability and on QT interval prolongation associated with its oral administration.


B Conclusions: b PcHIS score may be calculated from early laboratory data and is useful in predicting severe disease in children with COVID-19. The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study (VIRUS) COVID-19 registry was used to develop Pediatric COVID Hyperinflammation Syndrome (PcHIS) score and evaluate the association between PcHIS and severe COVID illness in children. B Introduction: b Several adult and pediatric studies demonstrate a correlation between elevated inflammatory markers and COVID-19 disease severity. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Critical Care Medicine is the property of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)


The paper introduced the achievement of Chinese high-speed railway signal system,and then analyzed the technical characteristics of China Train Control System(CTCS).After summarizing the development of CTCS,some problems of the technical standard and configuration on CTCS were mentioned,and the modification suggestions were put forward to decrease the risk on CTCS.


Crosses of Oenothera.-GATEsio reports the results of various crosses between Oenothera grandiflora and a variant of Oenothera rubrinervis of DEVRIES which he has described previously under the name Oenothera rubricalyx. He finds rubricalyx pigmentation (R) dominant to the type of pigmentation found in rubrinervis (r), and he believes this difference to be due to a single Mendelian factor, though his proof does not seem convincing to the reviewer. Assuming this to be the case, however, the discovery that various F1 individuals produce F2 ratios running from 3: I to nearly io: i is very interesting, particularly as the same phenomenon appeared in the segregation of tallness from dwarfness. The author says these results are "inexplicable on a Mendelian basis," and reverts to that familiar piece of biological sarcasm, the word "prepotency," as an explanation. Unquestionably there is a chance that these odd ratios may lead to a distinct genetic advance when they are finally worked out, but the word "inexplicable" is a little hasty, since it may be pointed out that some of DEVRIES' dwarf mutants (0. nanella) have been shown to be infected with a micrococcus. The. crucial proof that mutation is independent of hybridization, which the author feels he has obtained, came from four aberrant plants which occurred among the hybrids. Two combined characters of the DeVriesian mutant semilata with characters of grandiflora, and two combined features of lata with features of rubricalyx. One plant out of the four was examined cytologically, and its cells were found to contain i5 instead of I4 chromosomes. This furnishes definite proof, it is said, that the lata (or semilata) foliage and habit results from the presence of an extra chromosome. A large portion of the paper is taken up with general Mendelian criticism of a very acrimonious character. It is somewhat reminiscent of the windmill tourney of a certain Spanish cavalier, for obstacles are erected, labeled "Beliefs of Mendelians," of course without any citations whatever, and tilted at with great gusto and satisfaction.-E. M. EAST.


We demonstrate a terahertz pump-ultrafast electron diffraction probe apparatus. Using the instrument, we show that intense focused THz pulses can characterize ultrashort electron bunches.


Since 2002, a road linking the towns of San Juan de la Pena in Aragon with the city of Valencia in the Valencian Community has taken shape. This route has been called the Holy Grail Route and the Valencian Agency of Tourism along with the Cultural Association of the Route of the Holy Grail, is rediscovering a new and exciting grail territory . It is the construction of a tourist story that includes oral traditions, history, art, rituals and endless knowledge linked to what in the Middle Ages became known as the "search for the Grail." The aim of this article is to present the significance of the oral tradition received from an object guarded in the Cathedral of Valencia for more than five centuries. To present its history and to verify how a tangible patrimonial resource, the Holy Chalice, is based on an intangible oral narrative, that allow to establish a path, a new route of knowledge from San Juan de la Pena to Valencia. It begins with a dissertation on the importance of intangible heritage in tourism. After presenting briefly the tradition of the history of the object, we expose the methodology of work that focuses on reviewing the documentary sources that exist on this young route. The conclusions section will close our investigation where we explained that Valencia, Grail Territory, could offer a new tourist experience for the intrepid visitor who wants to know and look again the Grail, full intangible wealth.


This paper aims to analyse economic and social effects produced by changes in agricultural policy on an Italian "significantly rural" region, the Marche region. To this aim, a regional CGE model based on a 2004 SAM, constructed for this purpose, has been applied. Two policy scenarios have been analysed: total removal of price support and full decoupling. Results suggest that price support has indeed sustained agricultural output but has limited growth potentialities of the region. Moreover, it turned out that decoupling partly removes obstacles to a higher allocative efficiency and favours an improvement in income distribution.


SUMMARY Berger & Bernardo's (1989) reference priors and Tibshirani (1989) priors are derived for distributions in Bar-Lev & Reiser's (1982) two-parameter exponential family when either the location or the scale parameter is of interest. The reference prior is shown to be a Tibshirani prior. Furthermore, conditions under which a Tibshirani prior is a higherorder matching prior are investigated. When both the parameters are of interest, it is also shown that the reference prior agrees with the prior matching the posterior and frequentist expansions based on the signed square root of log-likelihood ratio. The normal, inverse Gaussian, and gamma distributions are used to illustrate the results.


It has been found that 2,6-diamidopyridine derivatives act as flavin receptors by a triple hydrogen bond towards a uracil moiety of an isoalloxazine ring in CHCl3. The association constants were determined by 1H NMR (in CDCl3) and fluorescence (in CHCl3) spectroscopies; the largest is ca.103 mol–1 dm3. The triple hydrogen bond toward C(2)O, N(3)–H and C(4)O of the isoalloxazine ring was found to enhance slightly the oxidation activity in CHCl3.


The dominant trend in modern linguistics has developed through attention to a single function of lang & on the basis of an abstracted, homogeneous form, cut off from concrete existence. It is in need of the kind of critique that Marx directed at Feuerbach: it must be shown that it refuses to see the constitutive role of social relationships. Although many linguists are radical, or at least liberal, in their social views, their scientific commitments make impossible an integration of the knowledge of lang with the knowledge of social life. Linguistic theory celebrates the equality in principle of all forms of lang while dismissing as superficial the inequalities due to cultural traditions & social relations between actual langs & users of lang. It should be no surprise that the 'speaker-hearer' imagined in the dominant theory resembles the worker free to sell his or her labor, or the consumer free to select according to his or her wants, of another branch of liberal science. Even a linguistic theory that claims to deal with 'pragmatics', 'conversation', & the like, projects as universal foundations of communication principles that express an American Mc conversation between friendly equals. Remedies for this situation are outlined. Modified HA.


Fatty acid biosynthesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosiswas analyzed using graph theory and minimum robust domination energy. The digraphs representing this Mycobacterial network provide crucial information regarding the connectivity of each protein or metabolite in a given pathway, providing an important tool into the significance of various components in the pathway, and this can be quantitatively analyzed. Using minimum robust domination energy of the network, the most influential set of proteins which when removed could cause a significant impact on the biosynthetic pathway, were identified. The metabolic network was designed using the KEGG LIGAND database and subjected to graph theory analysis. In the present study minimum robust domination energy of the network was analysed. The minimum robust domination energy of a protein network was used to determine the influence of the said protein on other components in the networ k. Set of most influential vertices in the network has less robust energy than minimum robust domination energy of the network. Therefore, the most strategic vertices will be the OriginalResearch Article


This study aims to identify how self-report method affects digital health-related behavior change and further detect its potential broader application. Two groups of 10 participants engaged in a 28-day behavior change program with one group using self-report and the other group not. After the experiment, the group using self-report participated in a semi-structured interview to report their experiences. The initial experiment showed that self-report did not affect behavior; this indicated that self-report is an appropriate method to collect behavior change data. However, the semi-structured interviews suggested that self-reporting brought benefits and encouraged users to further improve their behavior. The paper, thus, summarized that perceived effects of self-report in behavior change are stronger than actual effects of self-report.


HELLER, 1 in considering the various types of indolent ulcers of the leg, grouped them under three headings: (1) true varicose ulcers, (2) ulcers with a varicose background plus another factor, such as cardiac disease, occlusive arterial or occlusive inflammatory venous disease, or ulcers with a background of functional venous disturbance due to impairment of muscular activity or to obesity and (3) ulcers due to any of these factors without varicose veins. All these conditions have as a common factor ischemia arising from peripheral arterial or venous disturbance and leading to cutaneous dystrophy. Since this dystrophy is the sequel of impaired blood supply, one would naturally anticipate its occurrence in diseases not only of the blood vessels but of the blood itself. This association has, in fact, been observed. Witts, 2 in describing a chronic ulcer of the leg in a case of purpura hemorrhagica, pointed out that, whereas ulcers


The scattered leaf dense backing technique popularization and application was developmented in Yuqing country in 2010.The application of this technique shows that it is wen worth developing because of its save work,low cost,energy-saving,and improving tobacco backing quality.


This chapter provides an overview of key arguments and goals. A key mission of the book is to help scholars of political communication and digital media contextualize and better understand the shifting practices by campaigns long before Barack Obama was a household name. To do so, this study borrows from the work of Robert Denton, looking especially at the political and social context, the organization, fundraising, and image construction of the candidates, as well as factoring in the role of journalists and the hybrid media environment and public opinion polling. I also examine citizen involvement in the campaign. I describe how campaigns' use of digital communication technologies and the specific affordance of interactivity bring to light that the objective of a campaign is to win—not to fully engage citizens in the campaign. This chapter concludes by providing a brief outline of the book, underscoring the shifting campaign practices that occurred between 1996 and 2016.


Proper design, construction, testing and maintenance of Class 1 (hazardous waste) injection wells can guarantee that all waste is delivered to the injection zone. To assess the effects of waste injection, analytical models were developed which predict waste movement and pressure increases within the injection zone, and describe upward permeation through confining layers.

A basic plume model was used to track waste from several injection wells with varied injection history at DuPont's Victoria Texas site. To determine the maxi-mum distance that any portion of the waste might travel, special purpose models were employed to account for (1) density differences between the waste and the native formation brine, and (2) layered permeability variation within the injection zone. The results were generalized to a "multiplying factor concept," which facilitates development of a worst-case scenario.

A pressure distribution model based on the Theis (1935) equation for radial flow was applied to the Victoria site, with modifications to account for multiple wells, injection history and geological complexities.

Permeation into an intact confining layer was investigated by a new technique based on the Hantush and Jacob (1955) "leaky aquifer" theory. The model defines the maximum permeation distance, taking into account post-injection pressure decay.

Defects within confining layers, such as faults, fractures and abandoned wells, have been considered. Studies to evaluate their detailed characteristics are continuing. Initial results indicate that faults and fractures are not likely to provide conductive pathways in Gulf Coast settings, and site-specific evaluations are required to assess the impact of abandoned wells.


Nonmarital fertility rates declined rapidly immediately after the legalization of abortion in upstate New York, but began to rise again in the mid-1970s concomitant with an increase in nonmarital abortion rates. The downward pressure exerted by abortion on nonmarital fertility is thus more than offset by other factors, among which are possible increases in sexual activity and less use of effective contraception.


This chapter discusses bibliography of the works of Robert Chazan, including Thirteenth-Century Jewry in Northern France: An Economic and Political History , "The Persecution of 992". Revue des etudes juives 129: 217-221, and "Christian and Jewish Perceptions of 1096: A Case Study of Trier". Jewish History 13: 9-22. Keywords: Christians; Jewish history; Robert Chazan


A highly descriptive method for displaying heat flow in power modules is presented. Heat flow is studied for three different transistor stack types: direct bond copper (DBC), thick film printed substrate, and insulated metal substrate (IMS). DBC and thick film are thermally superior to IMS, but IMS shows potential. In addition, the effect of case-to-sink interface conductivity on heat flow is studied.<<ETX>>


Moringa oleifera L. belongs to the family Moringaceae is extensively cultivated in Africa, Asia, Philippines, North Africa and South Asia (Coppin, 2008). It is significant due to its high health impacting proteins, amino acids and phytochemicals (Vergara-Jimenez et al., 2017). Consumers attention towards plant proteins have proved this as primary source of protein in the diet (Mune et al., 2016). Consumers are becoming more health conscious and tending towards natural products because of no side effects that's why they are being used as functional food constituent. The results of different studies revealed that moringa supplementation can provide protein having essential amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals like potassium, iron, calcium and phosphorus. Certain ailments also can be mitigated by using moringa based products (Sengev et al., 2013).


Effects of various types of surfactants on the action of the foliar applied type herbicide propanil, especially on the acceleration of its herbicidal action, were evaluated in relation to the physical properties, spreading and permeating properties of the surfactant solutions (0.1%).The 0.1% solutions of the POE nonylphenyl ether surfactants varied in their spreading and permeating properties in proportion to their HLB values, with the maximum being around 12-13 of the HLB value.Most of the surfactants added accelerated the propanil action applied at a sub-lethal dosage against barnyard millet (Echinochloa crus-galli L.). The effects on this action were higher at about 12 of HLB or 8 of EO moles in the POE nonylphenyl ether surfactants. In addition, with all the surfactants tested, a better correlation coefficient 0.77 (p<0.1) was obtained between the acceleration-activity and the values calculated as follows: values of spreading property × (1/values of permeating property), indicating that the surfactants which were good in both properties showed higher acceleration-activity.Effects of three surfactants with different ionic characters on the propanil action were also examined by monitoring the photosynthetic activity of the treated plants. The data showed a similar trend to those in the pot test and the No. 4 surfactant was the most effective, indicating that it accelerated propanil action presumably by improving cuticle penetration of the herbicide.


The reformation in urban mobility will remain one of the most prominent challenge to the policy makers of transportation industry around the globe. Smart Transportation is not an image from the futuristic world, it is already here. Improving the quality of life with seamless user experience, convenient and efficient modes of transportation are the primary goals of the Smart Cities Mission. Transportation and mobility facilities are the very foundation of Smart Cities. The article delves deeper into how India along with the rest of the world, are working hard for successfully implementing the initiative launched by the World Health Organization.


In this study, the Integrated Scale of Technology Use in Physics (ISTUP) was developed to determine students' frequency of technology use, their perceptions about the effects of technology use on physics interest and achievement, and their preferences of technological tools and applications in learning physics. The scale was administered two different times to 670 high school students in total who took physics courses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate the scale. The results of the study suggest that the ISTUP is a valid and reliable scale. Students' frequency of technology use in learning physics corresponded to 'sometimes'. Students perceived that technology use had slightly positive effect on their interest and achievement. Findings regarding the interrelations between students' preference for technological tools and applications were also discussed.


Temperature and relative humidity are two important parameters in research of thermal and moisture comfort properties of clothes,and making accurate and real-time measuring of them is a practical technology.This article introduces the temperature and humidity measuring instrument which is developed on NI virtual instrument technology and LabVIEW software.This instrument has many functions,such as multi-channel signals input,real-time data acquiring and processing,graphical display,file preservation,and overrun alarming.This instrument can be used in thermal-moisture comfort measurement of clothes and some other relative fields,which is flexible,versatile and obtains good results in experiments.


Providing electricity transmission and distribution services is a complex process, of major importance and with implications in all areas of activity. Therefore, the provision of these services at the highest possible level must be a constant concern of all specialists in the field. This paper aims to address an issue of great importance for high voltage networks and with a significant impact in ensuring the stability of the energy system.


The inverse kinematics of robotic manipulators consists of finding a joint configuration to reach a desired end-effector pose. Since inverse kinematics is a complex non-linear problem with redundant solutions, sophisticated optimization techniques are often required to solve this problem; a possible solution can be found in metaheuristic algorithms. In this work, a modified version of the firefly algorithm for multimodal optimization is proposed to solve the inverse kinematics. This modified version can provide multiple joint configurations leading to the same end-effector pose, improving the classic firefly algorithm performance. Moreover, the proposed approach avoids singularities because it does not require any Jacobian matrix inversion, which is the main problem of conventional approaches. The proposed approach can be implemented in robotic manipulators composed of revolute or prismatic joints of n degrees of freedom considering joint limits constrains. Simulations with different robotic manipulators show the accuracy and robustness of the proposed approach. Additionally, non-parametric statistical tests are included to show that the proposed method has a statistically significant improvement over other multimodal optimization algorithms. Finally, real-time experiments on five degrees of freedom robotic manipulator illustrate the applicability of this approach.


In this paper the General Game problem is described. In this problem the competition or cooperation dilemma occurs as the two basic types of strategies. The strategy possibilities have been analyzed for finding winning strategy in uncertain situations (no information about the number of players and their strategy types). The winning strategy is missing, but a good solution can be found by simulation by varying the ratio of the two types of strategies. This new method has been used in a real contest with human players, where the created strategies by simulation have reached very good ranks. This construction can be applied in other real social games as well. Keywords—competition, cooperation, finding good strategy, General Game,


Radiation-induced conductivity of polystyrene, polybutadiene, and styrene-butadiene block copolymers, resulting from irradiation of the samples with fast electrons of 75 keV energy under vacuum at 100 K, was studied. A negative deviation of the radiation-induced conductivity constant A{sub m} from the corresponding additive values was detected upon varying the composition of block copolymers. It is concluded that the interfacial charge transfer from polystyrene to polybutadiene microdomains occurs in the block copolymers. This conclusion is confirmed by the results of investigations of drift mobility of the charge carriers and effects of donor-acceptor admixtures on the radiation-induced conductivity of the polymers studied.


Presently, the new trend of China's kindergarten curriculum reform is as follows: the new values of "sustainable development";a new goal to cultivate "complete personality";new content of "life and integrity";new organizational form of "flexible and changeable";new evaluation method of "comprehensive evaluation"for a new evaluation method; and new requirement to improve teachers' professional levels.


This study aimed to analyze the influence of holographic bracelets on body balance and peak torque in soccer athletes through a quintuple-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover randomized trial. Twenty-eight male athletes were evaluated in a sta- bilometric baropodometer (DIASU ) and performed a protocol involving concentric contractions of the knee at 60 ◦ /s. Athletes were evaluated in three situations: no bracelet (baseline), with a placebo bracelet (PB) and holographic bracelet (HB). Comparing the mean torque peak at 60 ◦ /s during knee extension, there was no statistical difference for the dominant limb (p = 0.713) and non-dominant (p = 0.996) between the baseline, PB and HB groups. No statistical difference was found comparing the mean oscillation ellipses from the right foot with eyes open (p = 0.359) and with eyes closed (p = 0.173), as well as from the left foot with eyes open (p = 0.891) and with eyes closed (p = 0.778). In conclusion, holographic bracelet has no influence on either body balance or knee muscle performance in athletes.


Recently, much attention has been devoted to discrete preference games to model the formation of opinions in social networks. More specifically, these games model the agents' strategic decision of expressing publicly an opinion, which is a result of an interplay between the agent's private belief and the social pressure. However, these games have very limited expressive power; they can model only very simple social relations and they assume that all the agents respond to social pressure in the same way. In this paper, we define and study the novel class of generalized discrete preference games. These games have additional characteristics that can model social relations to allies or competitors and complex relations among more than two agents. Moreover, they introduce different levels of strength for each relation, and they personalize the dependence of each agent to her neighborhood.

We show that these novel games admit generalized ordinal potential functions and, more importantly, that every two-strategy game that admits a generalized ordinal potential function is structurally equivalent to a generalized discrete preference game. This implies that the games in this novel class capture the full generality of two-strategy games in which the existence of (pure) equilibria is guaranteed by topological arguments.


Abstract:
 Ecosystem services are spatially heterogeneous and temporal variability, which results in trade-offs, synergies and neutrality. The trade-off is a key problem in ecosystem management and requires optimized decision-making research. This paper reviews methods for identifying trade-offs and suggest future model developments. We conclude that (1) ecosystem service assessment depends on quantitative indicators and its modeling; (2) scenario analysis, multi-objective analysis and production possibility boundary are an effective means of ecosystem service trade-off decision-making; (3) future research needs to strengthen ecosystem service supply and demand flow and assist decision-making ecosystem mapping. Finally, integrated models should be developed to simulate and diagnose different scenarios and to optimize measures in land and ecosystem management for sustainability.


Nonperturbative vacuum polarization effects are explored for a supercritical Coulomb source with $Z>Z_{cr}$ in 1+1 D. Both the vacuum charge density $\rho_{vac}(x)$ and vacuum energy $E_{vac}$ are considered. It is shown that in the overcritical region the behavior of vacuum energy could be significantly different from perturbative quadratic growth up to decrease reaching large negative values.


University students are considered the next generation of high level managers that can affect the goals and aims of organizations and society. In recent decades one of the most important issues in organizations and society is ethics. Academic ethics and business ethic have a direct relation with each other. This research tries to investigate unethical issues in universities. In order to achieve this goal a survey conducted among 440 students of management and accounting in local universities in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The calculated data was analyzed by SPSS software and popularity of each unethical behavior and attitude of students about them were analyzed.


Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Ps see a variety of common primary care complaints. In women's health, vaginal symptoms— specifically vaginal discharge with or without accompanying pruritus and odor—account for 10% of offi ce visits. Most often, the patient is diagnosed with a vaginal infection, such as vulvovaginal candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, or trichomoniasis. These infections account for over 75% of vaginitis complaints, with vulvovaginal candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis causing up to 90% of vaginal infections. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment result in symptom relief for patients; however, up to 30% of women remain without a diagnosis after workup and may receive an inappropriate treatment just to placate them. Not surprisingly, these women continue to seek a diagnosis from different providers or chose to self-medicate with over-the-counter (OTC) medications in an attempt to fi nd a cure, increasing the cost to themselves and the healthcare system. The failure to appropriately treat may also aggravate symptoms rather than alleviate them. Additionally, the chronic nature of persistent vaginal discharge may impact a woman's psychosocial health. Women may view vaginal complaints as a threat to their reproductive health, which may lead to poor self-image and a withdrawal from intimate relationships. The NP must recognize other, noninfectious causes of vaginal discharge and diagnose and treat the patient appropriately. If the NP cannot relieve the patient of her symptoms, a referral to a gynecologic specialist is warranted.


Saturated impulse refers to the critical value beyond which the deflection of the beam or plate under pulse loading will no longer increase with further applied load. Previous effort has been made to study the saturate impulse for structures under rectangular pressure pulse loading. Through theoretical analysis, the present paper investigates the saturated impulse for fully clamped square plates subjected to linear-decay pressure pulse, which is closer to explosive loading pulse. The results indicate that the saturated impulse does exist if the decay duration is greater than a certain value (i.e. the minimum decay duration). The saturated impulse, saturated deflection and saturated duration all have nonlinearly relations with the dimensionless applied pressure, and grow with the increase of the decay duration.


Abstract : Better, a two-dimensional mathematical water quality model, was used to simulate water quality conditions in the main body of Cheatham Lake. Sources and preparation of input data, including reservoir and outlet geometry, meteorological conditions, model coefficients and inflow quality and quantity, are described. The report also outlines revisions to the model for the Cheatham application and calibration and verification procedures. Three years, 1985-1987, were simulated under observed conditions, and model predictions were compared to observed data. Additional simulations were performed to estimate impacts on water quality resulting from 1) increasing the effluent from sewage treatment plants, 2) high dissolved manganese concentrations in the release from J. Percy Priest Dam, and 3) a local storm event. Knowledge gained from simulations with the model is summarized and recommendations for future applications are made.


Recently, the dependence of the electric energy is increased in accordance with a growth of industry. Therefore, scientific investigation is needed for the security of electrical safety and the judgement of accident causes. Accordingly, this paper consist of the analysis for the carbonization patterns of phenolic resin and the mechanism. As the follows, spider-legs as a carbide are generated around the rods, when the electric current flows on the surface of phenolic resin. The IR absorption peak generated by the thermal effects is appeared at about 1720㎝?¹. As the case of Joule's heat, the crystal of a carbide is generated because of the rarefied oxygen. It's estimated that the formation of carbonization conductivity as the currents are easily flowed.


Aims. The cluster 1ES0657-556 is an ideal astrophysical laboratory to study the distribution and the nature of Dark Matter because this last component is spatially separated from the intracluster gas. We show that microwave observations can provide crucial probes of Dark Matter in this system. Methods. We calculate the expected SZ effect from Dark Matter annihilation in the main mass concentrations of the cluster 1ES0657-556, and we estimate the sources of contamination, confusion and bias to asses its significance. Results. We find that SZ observations at $\nu \approx$ 223 GHz can resolve both spatially and spectrally the SZ DM signal and isolate it from the other SZ signals, and mainly from the thermal SZ effect which is null at $ \nu \sim$ 220-223 GHz for the case of 1ES0657-556. We conclude that SZ observations with $\la$arcmin resolution and $\la$ μ K sensitivity of 1ES0657-556 are crucial, and maybe unique, to find direct astrophysical probes of the existence and of the nature of Dark Matter, or to set strong experimental limits.


The purpose of this study is to figure out the dominant factor causing the errors of vowels pronounced by second-semester students of Informatics which is basically nonnative speakers of English. The approach applied in this study is qualitative. The data were collected via observation and recording which were constructed in the form of field-notes then analyzed and measured in accordance to English phonetic transcription in "English Pronouncing Dictionary" written by Jones (1997). This study involved 40 students of Informatics English subject at Informatics Program of Indraprasta PGRI University where English is only supporting subject. The data shows that the respondents were really lack of English pronouncing skill, especially vowels as 42 of 58 words containing vowels are pronounced incorrectly. As the result of study, we can conclude that the dominant error made by students is Interlingual errors (58,6% or 838 of 1.430 errors made by students), the errors occurred due to the interference of students" native language.


The concept of clear and clean permit has been implemented since 2011 by the Indonesia government to produce sustainable mining practices. The government applies this concept due to the occurrence of many mining conflicts in Indonesia. This article presents the results of research concerning the influence of clear and clean permits to social practices of mining. The study used the structuration theory. Based on this theory what has been studied is that use of regulations by mining companies, related government agencies, and local communities to legitimize and understands their actions and mining reality. For this, a case PT. Tripabara operating in Nagari Lunang Utara has been studied using a qualitative research method. This article would like to show that although the company has obtained a clear and clean license, sustainable mining practices are not carried out. It will be discussed in this article the causes of unsustainable mining practices by PT. Tripabara. Two things will be revealed: the first is status of clear and clean permits obtained by the company is used by the company officials to claim that their mining practice is sustainable, while the community based their understanding of the company behavior on the company's actions to tackle environmental problems and conflict of land acquisition.


Aiming at the technical request of high power injector, we designed two Nylon radial graded insulation supports on the heads of cathode and anode of the existing 2MeV injector. The experiment results showed that, on the basis of credible insulation, the supports improved the quality of coaxality between the cathode and the anode, ameliorated the identity of the three axes of beams, magnetic field and mechanism, and settled the groundwork for advancing each technical performances of the 2MeV injector.


Abstract Although insecure work may be found everywhere, the general lack of secure work in emerging economies is a particularly striking feature of the contemporary condition, undermining the continued viability of the labour movement in such countries. Yet, this topic is rarely tackled directly in African studies or business history journals. The two key questions addressed in this paper are, first, to what extent does the labour movement's past define their present and future, and second, what are the challenges and opportunities affecting their ability to mobilise workers, influence government and effectively tackle employment security? This article details how in Mozambique, unions' ability to mobilise has been affected by: the post-colonial, post-conflict and post-socialist historical context; the resulting legacies of regional and racial discrimination; international imperatives for liberalisation and privatisation; challenging relationships with the country's African neighbours; and high levels of informal sector work. In order to remain viable, key imperatives include: effectively influencing national government, engaging internationally and working with organisations representing informal sector workers.


Various biometric technologies are applied to secure authentication, and use Internet of things and smart devices; among them, speech recognition is used as an interface for artificial intelligence (AI) devices as it can conveniently operate and control AI devices through interactive commands. Voice interface, developed with AI technology, is an innovative method to actively control devices. However, the system's vulnerabilities are exploited by malicious attempts on the system, such as dolphin and adversarial attacks on speech recognition devices, and frequent unintended errors occur, such as malfunctioning in response to unauthorized voice signals. In this study, we attempt to effectively find vulnerabilities in these AI speech recognition devices using fuzzing techniques that are generally used to find vulnerabilities in software. In addition, for effective testing, an optimization method for voice fuzzing is proposed to reduce testing time from test coverage perspective. Experimental results demonstrate that the optimization scheme can improve the testing time by approximately 29% by adopting a two-stage fuzzing method.


(El., H.F., Tr., Alexander; Ph., Or., LA.) where it is not, and he supports the case for putting I.T. before Hel. by the argument that, as I.T. 1—2 and Hel. 386—7 are alike in content (both containing the names Pelops, Pisa, and Oenomaus), one passage must be a quotation (Zitat) of the other, and the former is anterior since it is required to foreshadow the reference to Pelops' lance in I.T. 822-6, while the latter has the function of indicating that Menelaus' speech in Hel. 386 ff. is to be, like / . T. 1 ff, a Prologrede. Such reasoning surely involves a misconception of the way in which a dramatist works. Nevertheless even those who doubt the validity of Klimpe's methods and conclusions will find much of interest in his book, not least the incidental discussions of the point when Orestes first recognizes his sister in S. El. 1098 ff. and of the significance of the allusion to the 'Sicilian Sea' in E. El. 1347-8.


In the real estate brokerage market, commission is one of the major elements of the dispute between broker and sponsor of real estate brokerage. Within the brokerage fees structure that is defined by the law, brokerage commission established by the broker and sponsor should be agreed. This ambiguous standard has become the cause of conflict between the real estate agent and sponsor, also, mitigation measures for the conflicts that surround the commission are not in tune. As a result of analysis, both of brokers and sponsor are not satisfied with the current system, respectively. Brokers and sponsor are not satisfied with the current brokerage commissions system, respectively. Therefore, how to determine the commissions and simplify the system, such as the introduction of a comprehensive service system through the mediation of the dispute by improving service levels to help reduce the causes of system improvements are necessary.


Liver transplantation‐associated acute kidney injury (AKI) carries significant morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that sodium bicarbonate would reduce the incidence and/or severity of liver transplantation‐associated AKI.


Acute myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when flow of blood to the heart is suddenly cut off, that lead to damage of the tissue. This is causing by a blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries. A blockage can expand due to a buildup of plaque, a substance mostly made of fat, cholesterol, and cellular waste products. Atherosclerosis may be a chronic inflammation disease and it is an active process, it is having mainly role in the MI pathogenesis, the inflammatory responsible for to accelerate atherosclerosis, decrease anti inflammation associated with MI, novel marker Adropin has anti inflammation and cardiovascular protective role. The objective of this study was evaluate Adropin levels in acute Myocardial Infarction and find the correlation between Adropin, and cardiac biomarker (hs-TI, hs-CRP and CKMB). The patients in this study were 50 patients and 50 control, when measurement of Adropin in studies groups of MI found that decrease in concentration of serum Adropin in patents groups of compare with control. The conclusion was that Adropin can be used to diagnose acute myocardial infarction, along with the use of a Cardiac biomarker such: (hs-TI), (hs-CRP) and Creatine kinase (CK-MB).


Abstract A newborn girl was referred for a suspected abnormal pulmonary venous return in coronary sinus. Echocardiogram revealed a large outpouching of the left ventricle creating an accessory cardiac chamber that was connected to the left ventricle behind the mural leaflet of the mitral valve, and with the right atrium via the coronary sinus. Ten years later, the orifice between the submitral aneurysm and the left ventricle was closed percutaneously.


An unpaved feedlot on a Guelph loam soil was monitored for its effects on shallow groundwater. Elevated concentrations of nitrate (plus nitrite) nitrogen, chloride, sodium and total carbon were found to follow a distinct contamination plume downslope from the feedlot. Maximum nitrate (plus nitrite) concentrations were observed at a distance of approximately 20 m from the feedlot. Within this distance from the feedlot, organic nitrogen was mineralized and then nitrified. Beyond this zone, nitrogen concentrations declined more rapidly than chloride. Denitrification was likely the cause of this more rapid decline, chloride decline being influenced only by dilution. Contamination of groundwater by nitrate extended to a distance of about 60 m from the feedlot. Phosphorus movement was negligible; it was not detected beyond the lower edge of the feedlot. Contamination by chloride and sodium was evident in migrating groundwater.


Traditionally, safety critical equipment is identified in the computerised maintenance management system, at a whole- or subsystem level, during detailed design. Once the computerised maintenance management system is commissioned, thousands of equipment tags are identified as safety critical, and the categorisation is rarely looked at holistically again. As an industry, we are constantly working to reduce the maintenance and operating costs of our facilities without compromising safety. A change in operating risk profile of a facility presents an often-overlooked opportunity to achieve this. A risk-based review of safety critical equipment identified in the computerised maintenance management system can allow for reduction of the critical maintenance burden and facility operating costs. For established facilities, a detailed review of safety critical elements and equipment is generally limited to life extension projects or major brownfields modifications. However, over the operating life of a facility the risk profile and risk tolerances may change. This paper considers three potential causes of change and the opportunities that arise. These causes of change include: (i) change in risk profile due to changing operating conditions, e.g. reservoir depletion; (ii) change of operator resulting in a different operational risk appetite; and (iii) changing in industry risk data or methodologies. Applying a targeted risk-based review to the high-value or high-risk safety critical equipment affected by these changes can provide justification of changes to their safety criticality rating. This paper presents a methodology for providing a transparent, risk-based approach to re-classifying safety criticality which aligns with regulatory requirements and stakeholder expectations.


Findings The study has successfully brought out the various opportunities and issues related to TDR. On a macro scale we have looked at the TDR policies in various Indian cities. Some interesting concepts of incentivizing TDR using land value and FAR grading have emerged. On a micro scale, TDR policy in Mumbai has been studied which is one of the most successful cities in terms of implementation of TDR. The study resulted in important knowledge about spatialising the TDR concept through integrated landuse and policy planning. Furthermore, Bangalore was examined in detail through secondary data, primary data, interviews and site visit to identify the issue and gaps in TDR policy. The gaps and issues identified in the TDR market mechanism can be summarized as below through a set of evaluation questions given in the ToR.


This article reports on an investigation into the relationship between people's perspectives and ideologies and interest groups with their respective conceptions and perceptions of higher education. The aim is to show that the contemporary understanding of purposes and quality in higher education originate, fundamentally, in the most important ideological dichotomy of our age: left versus right. By summarizing literature and documentary analyses, the author seeks primarily to demonstrate the ideological roots of two current conceptions of higher education: as a public good, and as a commercial service. It is argued that such conceptions connect two main quality views about higher education: one emphasizes the social aspect, and the other focuses on the economic aspect. Finally, the 'middle way' is proposed as a desirable alternative to these views.


The design of a practical electrochemical cell to fabricate porous silicon layers (PSLs) is described. This cell is useful to rapidly produce PSLs without the need to prepare new electrochemical solutions. The cell is also adapted for the formation of PSLs in the dark or under illumination, with nitrogen flow in the solution. The special design of the silicon wafer support guarantees a homogeneous electrical contact and no solution infiltration into it.


This thesis contains the development and drafting of titling "Mobile Application for the management, control and reporting of the Renting Pichincha product for the company Consorcio del Pichincha". The company through one of its products, such as Renting Pichicha, is dedicated to renting vehicles for short and long term, will reduce administrative, financial, operational activity and resource burden for customers that the direct purchase of vehicles bears. It was identified that one of the main problems is the lack of communication with their customers, so it was raised within the project aims to improve customer service through effective communication channel. This solution consists of the design and development of a mobile application developed for the Android operating system, which will handle the processes that the external user performs with the company Consorcio del Pichincha, such as notifications through the app, schedule maintenance appointments, date of service, advise on Renting for the customer.


Purpose – Based on organizational support theory, the aim of this paper is to examine the associations among perceived organizational support, successful aging in the workplace, job satisfaction, and the intentions to stay in organization among older workers.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 242 employees, aged over 45 years, were recruited to participate in a study from May to September 2009.Findings – Correlation showed that perceived organizational support and all five dimensions of successful aging in the workplace, (i.e. adaptability and health, positive relationship, occupational growth, personal security, and continued focus on goals), were significantly related to the intentions to stay in the organization. Structural equation modeling showed that perceived organizational support was positively related to successful aging in the workplace, and the latter is related to the intentions to stay, both directly and via the mediation of job satisfaction.Research limitations/implications – All data ...


AbstractThe importance of small and medium-sized firms is now recognized in most countries. This recognition has supported to a certain extent a greater number of research endeavours over the past decade. This has certainly been the case in Canada. This paper is based on a survey of the empirical work conducted on SMEs in this country since 1980. It classifies some 400 studies according to the well-known systemic model, particularly useful for such an examination. The most popular themes are revealed; some neglected issues become easily evident. Newer research priorities are listed and discussed. An appeal for concerted research efforts is also made.


Abstract This article presents the results of a statewide sample survey measuring public knowledge of and attitudes toward environmental issues. Particular attention is given to the rural and coastal regions most directly concerned in environmental management. Multivariate nominal scale analysis is used to estimate relationships for independent variables including race, income, education, and urban or rural residence. Dependent variables include environmental evaluations, property attitudes, and land use preferences.


Purpose To study the preparation and anti-fungus activity of inulin sulfate.MethodsInulin sulfate was obtained by using sulfate modification method with chlorosulfonic acid-pyridene and anti-fungus activity of the inulin sulfate was determined by using speed-growth method.ResultsInulin sulfate is an amorphous sodium salt and soluble easily in water,the yield of which is 128% or so.The sulfur content was found to be about 18.2% and the degree of substitution is 2.22.ConclusionInulin sulfate was shown to have a certain anti-fungus activity.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most common and intractable complication after partial pancreatectomy, with an incidence of 13% to 64%. Polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh is a new technique that is designed to prevent POPF, and its effect has been evaluated in several randomized controlled trials and some retrospective cohort studies. In this study, we systematically and comprehensively analyzed the efficacy of PGA mesh based on reported studies. We searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases in English between January 2010 and October 2019. Analysis was performed by using Review Manger 5.3 software. Three RCTs and 8 nonrandomized studies were eligible with a total of 1598 patients including 884 PGA group patients and 714 control group patients. For pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), distal pancreatectomy (DP), and the 2 partial pancreatectomy (PD or DP), we found significant statistical differences in overall POPF (relative risk [RR] = 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.61–0.91, P = .004; RR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.57–0.96, P = .02; RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.64–0.89, P = .0009, respectively) and clinical pancreatic fistula (PF) (RR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.37–0.68, P < .00001; RR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.21–0.46, P < .00001; RR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.32–0.52, P < .00001, respectively) in favor of PGA. For partial pancreatectomy, significant statistical differences were found in overall complications (RR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.67–0.88, P = .0002) and estimated blood loss (weighted mean difference [WMD] = −53.58; 95% CI: −101.20 to −5.97, P = .03) in favor of PGA. We did not find significant differences regarding operative time (WMD = −8.86; 95% CI: −27.59 to 9.87, P = .35) and hospital stay (WMD = −2.73; 95% CI: −7.53 to 2.06, P = .26). This meta-analysis shows the benefits of the PGA mesh technique regarding POPF, clinical PF, and postoperative complications. This still needs to be verified by more randomized control trials.


General Tax Law of German is one of the best acts on basic tax in the world.Its system is integrated,the framework is precise and the clauses in it are designed well and truly,which means the General of Tax Law of German attains a high level.Nowadays we plan to set down the General Tax Law of China,so that we introduce the framework and the content of the General Tax Law of German for reference.


This study was conducted at a school in the north‐east of England using a range of research methods including pre‐focus groups, focus groups, a census of all children and a survey of parents. It was designed to address a series of research questions related to the relationship between young school children and branding. The findings indicated that brand recognition commences at an early age with older age groups having greater brand awareness. Differences in the perceptions of parents and their children towards brands were identified, with parents expressing their concerns over the effects of branding. Older children were aware of the role of branding in enhancing self‐esteem and acceptance in peer groups. It is suggested that the earlier the marketer establishes brand awareness and recognition in the child, the stronger the brand association and imagery are likely to be when they become independent as consumers.


A deteriorated prestressed box beam was tested. The beam was a 23.3 m (76 ft 6 in.) long box section, 0.91 m (36 in.) wide and 0.84 m (33 in.) high with 127 mm (5 in.) thick walls. Originally, the beam had 18 13 mm (1/2 in.) diameter prestressing strands with each strand having an area of 99 sq mm (0.154 sq in.). At the time of the tests, three prestressing strands in one corner of the beam had corroded due to chloride intrusion and concrete in this area had spalled off. An undamaged replica of the beam was also tested. Tests showed that the deterioration had little effect on the precracking behavior of the beam. The AASHTO cracking moment provided a reasonable estimate of the cracking load for the deteriorated beam when the loss of strands, cross section and prestressing force were taken into account. After cracking, the post cracking stiffness was much less than the undamaged beam, even when loss of prestressing strands and cross section were taken into account. In addition, the deteriorated beam failed in a brittle manner by crushing of the top flange concrete. The beam also exhibited 28 mm (1.1 in.) of lateral deflection during the test. The calculated AASHTO moment was found to be 8% unconservative for this beam. It is believed that the deteriorated beam failed due to lateral instability. In Part II, test specimens were tested from a 40-year-old prestressed concrete bridge made of inverted "T" beams placed side by side, and covered with fill concrete. Two specimens, approximately 610 mm (24 in.) wide and 380 mm (15 in.) high, were cut from the bridge, consisting of two "T" beams and the associated fill concrete. Each "T" beam had a 305 mm (12 in.) bottom flange, a 152 mm (6 in.) wide top flange, was 305 mm (12 in.) high and was reinforced with 14 6 mm (1/4 in.) diameter strands in the bottom flange and 2 strands in the top flange. These specimens matched specimens tested in 1954 as the prototype for this bridge. Destructive testing consisted of applying a single point load at midspan. The tests revealed that the beams remained strong and ductile even after 40 years. The AASHTO Code provided reasonable estimates of the cracking moments and conservative estimates of the ultimate moment. An excellent correlation was found between the beams tested in this research and the prototype tests of 1954 in terms of load vs. deflection behavior, cracking moments and ultimate moments. This indicates that after 40 years the beam performance did not deteriorate.


This study aims at finding out to what extent the implementation of E-Tandem Learning in Cross-Cultural Understanding (CCU) class can become one alternative in bringing the Intercultural Communication experience to the students in the classroom. ETandem Learning was given to 23 English Department students of UNNES Indonesia by asking them to make online contact with 20 students of SUNY at Albany for three weeks. At the end of the session, students created a report on the activity, filled out questionnaires, and was interviewed by the researchers. The study is presented in qualitative research design by using questionnaires and interviews as the data collection instruments. Results showed three claims towards the implemented activity. First, E-Tandem learning promotes students' awareness of the Importance of CCU in English Communication. Second, E-Tandem learning forces students to be confident with their English. Third, E-Tandem learning activity can help students to understand the concept of CCU.