ture' (p. 166). Particular sections of the book stand out. For example, Part I illustrates different clown performance styles with case studies from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. This rich historiographical section of the book identifies trends, common concerns, and clown types, paying attention throughout to the social value attached to clown and circus. Chapter 6, 'Death and Rebirth of the Clown', provides an original take on contrasting views on clowning in the late twentieth century. Davison compares divergent theories and interprets them as sharing 'the old modernist cliché', first introduced in Chapter 3, 'that behind the smiling mask there simply cannot be what we expect but its opposite' (p. 112). Davison finds that the absence of laughter is prominent in the twentieth-century clown tropes of: tragic clown, exemplified by coverage of the personal life of Swiss clown Grock; existential clown, seen in modernist appropriations of the clown figure, including those in Samuel Beckett's plays; the 'evil' clown recognised by the phenomenon of coulorophobia (a fear of clowns) since the 1970s; and finally in teaching based on that of Jacques Lecoq, where the clown is based on something authentic and personal. This last comparison is the least refined, partially because it quotes from only one writer, Eli Simon, but attributes Simon's beliefs to 'many' contemporary clowns (p. 112). This observation of clown tropes in which laughter is contrasted with its opposite is, however, an intriguing line of thought which could be more fully developed elsewhere. Although a wide variety of theoretical and practical perspectives are covered, not all ideas are explicated as fully as possible. This is most apparent in the closing chapter, where Davison summarises current clown practices that fall outside theatre and circus settings. He closes with a series of quotations from practitioner Hilary Ramsden, but withholds any criticism or endorsement of her ideas. In fact, the closing chapter does not so much conclude as introduce social and spiritual clown forms not previously discussed. The penultimate chapter, titled 'Clown Truth', brings together some of the strongest threads from the rest of the book and thus forms an obfuscated conclusion. In the guise of discussing the usefulness of a Lecoquian 'personal' clown, Davison presents his own prescription for making clown performance. Using his own teaching experience, he argues that the relationship between clown and audience, especially the clown 'flop', must be improvised and 'in the moment', but that it is not important whether the material performed is improvised or scripted (p. 291). Clown scripts, he has told us throughout, may be based on 'gag types' with discernible formula, in which one element of an action or image must be wrong in its context. While this powerful argument is somewhat at odds with the survey structure of the book, perhaps, as Davison often reminds the reader, disruption and contradiction are appropriate for a clown.


Information technology has revolutionized the manner in which business is done in the world. It has brought numerous opportunities in the areas of public procurement and many public entities have embraced in their procurements. eProcurement is a new phenomenon which has made procurement easy, efficient, competitive and transparent. Many public entities around the World are now advertising their bids through the websites and others even conduct the whole procurement process through the internet. In Kenya, eProcurement is slowly gathering momentum but the existing legal framework does not adequately support it. eProcurerment under the existing legal framework pose serious challenges ranging from insecurity, lack of confidentiality, accessibility to the eProcurement systems etc. These challenges must be addressed in order to ensure an efficient eProcurement in Kenya. Enactment of laws like the Electronic Transactions Act shall be ideal in addressing some of these challenges.


Abstract The purpose of this study was to theoretically and practically investigate the thermo-technical properties of two bedding surface materials under real farm conditions during the hot summer period. The study was focused on the research of cubicles with water mattresses and straw bedding for dairy cows. The results of thermal-technical calculations showed that straw belongs to the category of warm floors, the thermal effusivity value of cubicle with straw is b = 173.55 W·s1/2·m−2·K−1; the heat transfer coefficient is U = 0.36 W·m−2·K−1. Water mattress belongs to the category of cold floors with the thermal effusivity value b = 572.46 W·s1/2·m−2·K−1 and the heat transfer coefficient U = 4.504 W·m−2·K−1. On the basis of calculations, the results showed that U was 12.5 higher for water mattresses than for straw, and b was 3.3 times higher for water mattresses than for straw. Based on thermographic measurements under field conditions of dairy farm, it was observed that the surface temperature of the water mattresses after one hour of lying was lower by 4.95 ±1.88 °C in comparison to chopped straw. In practice, suitability of the material structure of water mattresses was verified on the basis of physical properties for summer period.


Load profile management, among other load or demand side management (DSM) techniques, has been considered as an effective tool for power system operation and management. This paper introduces a load profile management program to be incorporated, along with the generation cost and emission constraints, in a dispatch algorithm to minimize the overall production cost over the period of the load profile management program. The algorithm has been implemented using Matlab optimization toolbox and tested on a 5-bus, 3-generator system. The simulation results are presented, compared and discussed for different scenarios with different levels of load management. The results show that the load management can help reduce generation costs and emissions.


Tacitean usage and the temple of divus Claudius. Professor Duncan Fishwick writes: In Britannia iii (1972), 164-81 I elaborated the view that, contrary to the standard interpretation, the great temple at Oamulodunum was to the deified Claudius ab initio and at no stage served the cult of the living emperor. My argument hinged ultimately on the word 'constitutum' in Tacitus's phrase 'templum divo Claudio constitutum' (Ann. xiv, 31), which, to judge from the few parallels available in respect to altars, appears to imply a senatorial decision to consecrate, marked in all probability by inaugural—foundation?—rites. In that case divus also must be used in the strict sense of a temple 'constituted' to the divinized emperor and Tacitus is not applying the epithet conventionally to Claudius as, for example, in Agric. xiii, 5: divus Claudius auctor iterati operis. Final proof of this thesis may possibly be provided by closer analysis of the way Tacitus uses the term divus throughout his extant works. Oharlesworth pointed out long ago that the historian finds occasion to use the word much less frequently than he might: for example, divus is applied to Claudius only in the two instances cited above, yet the emperor frequently figures in the Annals in the period after his consecration. But there seems to be no hard and fast rule on the point, and one must conclude that the only criterion is the whim of the historian, who no doubt had reasons of his own for determining when or when not to label a deified emperor divus. What is important is to observe the usage wherever it does occur. Here an important principle can be established. While Tacitus certainly uses divus more or less as a conventional epithet on numerous occasions, it seems that whenever the word appears in a religious context the meaning is invariably the strict one of a statue, altar, temple, or rites to an emperor as divus: that is, raised to the ranks of the gods by decree of the senate. Paradoxically the clearest example is probably Ann. xv, 74: ut templum divo Neroni quam maturrime publica pecunia poneretur. As Nero was never officially deified, the meaning can only be that a temple should be built to Nero as divus during his lifetime—an unheard-of proposal, which apparently Nero himself (the text is corrupt) forbade for superstitious reasons. In the following examples, which include all instances of the word in a strictly religious context, divus is used throughout in the technical sense. Remaining examples listed in Gerber and Greef, Lexicon Taciteum s.v., show a looser usage with the exception of passages relating to oaths (see below): ante aedem divi Iulii iacuit (Hist, i, 42); statuam divi Iulii in insula Tiberini amnis (Hist, i, 86); tua, dive Auguste, caelo recepta mens (Ann. i, 43); sacrarium genti Iuliae effigiesque divo Augusto apud Bovillas dicantur (Ann. ii, 41); petere et Cretenses simulacro divi Augusti (Ann. iii, 63); cum haud procul theatro Marcelli effigiem divo Augusto Iulia dicaret (Ann. iii, 64); obiecta publice Cyzicenis incuria caerimoniarum divi Augusti (Ann. iv, 36); mactare divo Augusto victimas (Ann. iv, 52); effigiem divi Augusti amplecti (Ann. iv, 67). As examples of the more conventional usage may be quoted: cum divus Augustus sibi atque urbi Romae templum apud Pergamum sisti non prohibuisset (Ann. iv, 37); caelestesque honores Claudio decernuntur etfuneris sollemne perinde ac divo Augusto celebratur (Ann. xii, 69). In the former example the temple at Pergamum was to the living Augustus and Roma; in the latter Augustus was not yet divus at the time of his funeral. Lastly, there are two passages concerning oaths. As one swore by the deified Augustus—later by other deified emperors as well (cf. ILS 6088 f.)—it seems very probable that in a legal context also divus is


Let there be game, let us all be at play. But in a "larger" game, one unrestricted, whose own rules are also put at play. This essay points to some political consequences (the community founded on the absence of the community), literary (literature as the interruption of the myth), and philosophical (the deconstructionist transgression of the Western metaphysics) from such a demand proposed by, among others, Georges Bataille (1896-1962).


In a double‐filter modification of Boyden's method, formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (FMLP) needed the presence of fresh plasma to induce leukocyte locomotor kinetics which compared with a model for directional migration. FMLP, or zymosan‐activated plasma, did not stimulate migration in capillary tubes. The kinetics of leukocyte migration under agarose towards zymosan‐activated plasma were more compatible to a model for increased random motility than for directional migration. Treatment of leukocytes with colchicin reduced their migration under gradient and non‐gradient conditions in millipore filters, capillary tubes, and in under‐agarose experiments.


In 2016, the Brexit-Trump watershed resulted in two consecutive shocks for British foreign policy, which under the May governments has been rearticulated around the goal to forge 'Global Britain'. This article discusses how the 'Global Britain' strategy may play out in two broad international domains – trade and security – to elaborate on implications for the international order. The analysis especially elucidates the dubious feasibility of compensating 'hard Brexit' with free-trade agreements around the world, and the pitfalls of extrication from the EU as regards common foreign policy, data-sharing and sanctions policy. Trump's election is argued to bring about a more protectionist trade environment while facilitating the prospect of a UK-US trade deal, which however compels the British government to uneasy balancing acts. Finally, an interest-oriented Global Britain about to face diplomatic overstretching and economic difficulties is suggested to have turned into a more precarious defender of the rules-based international order.


Development of a first principles model of a system is not only a time- and cost-consuming task, but often leads to model structures which are not directly usable to design a controller using current available methodologies. In this paper we use a sparse identification procedure to obtain a nonlinear polynomial model. Since this is a NP-hard problem, a relaxed algorithm is employed to accelerate its convergence speed. The obtained model is further used inside the nonlinear Extended Prediction Self-Adaptive control (NEPSAC) approach to Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC), which replaces the complex nonlinear optimization problem by a simpler iterative quadratic programming procedure. An organic Rankine cycle system, characterized for presenting nonlinear time-varying dynamics, is used as benchmark to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed combined strategies.


On 13-14 March 2022, the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) and the Institute for Conflict, Co-operation and Security (ICCS) at the University of Birmingham facilitated an in-person track 1.5 nuclear responsibilities dialogue in Dubai. This event brought together officials and leading track 2 experts in groups informally representing four parties (three countries and one organisation): Australia, India, Pakistan, and ASEAN.


We evaluated the use of the alkyaryl amidosulfobetaine zwitterionic detergent, designated as C8∅, to facilitate the solubilization of cardiac subcellular, membrane‐associated proteins. Hearts from 7‐week‐old male Sprague‐Dawley rats were isolated, and the left ventricles dissected and subsequently homogenized. The sarcolemma (SL) and the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) were isolated from different homogenate preparations originating from rat hearts by ultracentrifugation methods. The isolated membrane preparations were solubilized and the proteins precipitated. After resuspension, protein separation was achieved in first‐dimensional IEF using an immobilized (pH 4—7) gradient and in the second dimension using 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). Gels were then stained, images analyzed, and protein spots excised for subsequent identification. Protein identification from both SR and SL samples did not identify any of the known major membrane‐associated proteins. Solubilization of whole tissue lysates with C8∅ resulted in no increase in the total number of proteins detected relative to samples solubilized in the presence of 3‐[(3‐cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]‐1‐propanesulforate (CHAPS). The data suggest the utility of newer surfactants such as C8∅ to improve both the resolution of (2‐D) protein profiles and increase the number of proteins extracted from subcellular organelle fractions.


Strongyloidiasis in rabbits is a disease caused by Strongyloides papillosus helminths, manifested by skin inflammation, diarrhea, weight loss, and stunting of animals in growth and development. Confirmation of invasion is carried out mainly by required methods of helminthoovoscopy and helmintholarvoscopy. The most well-known methods of helmintholarvoscopic diagnosis of feces for strongyloidiasis are the method of D. Baermann (1917) and its modifications according to V. I. Shilnikov (1983), the method using the "asterisk" device (according to V. F. Nikitin and T. Pavlasek, 1988), the method of coprohelmintho-larvoscopic rings (according to S. I. Ponomar, N. M. Soroka, 2007), the method of T. I. Popova, standardized by S. I. Ponomar (2003). There are no laboratory methods with 100 % reliability at the present stage. Therefore, our studies on improving the lifelong helminthocoprological diagnosis of strongyloidiasis in rabbits are relevant. Our work aimed to compare different methods of staining the pathogen S. papillosus. Laboratory studies were carried out in the laboratories of the Department of Parasitology and Veterinary Sanitary Expertise of the Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University. For staining S. papillosus, 20 dyes were used: 1 % alizarin red, 1 % brilliant blue, Turk's solution, 1 % brilliant green, 1 % methylene blue, 1 % amido black 10B, 1 % eosin, Ziehl's solution, Lugol's solution, 1 % сarbolic gentian violet, Romanowsky-type, 1 % Sudan, 1 % bromophenol blue, 1 % orange G, 1 % bromocresol green, 1 % safranin, Zadorozhny-Dozmorov's-type, Mikhin's-type, Muromtsev's-type. We have proposed 20 dyes for staining the internal organs of larvae and free-living males and females pathogens of Strongyloides without or with temperature fixation. Live pathogens S. papillosus, without temperature fixation, pass only Lugol's and safranin's solutions. All other dyes showed the highest staining, but only when the preparation was heated for 2–3 seconds to 60 °C. However, the dyes showed different degrees of coloration. Bromocresol green stained the walls of the internal organs of the helminth. Namely, the nematodes acquired a green color, and the membranes of a part of the esophagus and intestines became dark green. During microscopy, this allowed accurate identification and differentiation into larvae and free-living males and females of S. papillosus and simplified their counting.


The objective of the study was to capture the challenges that are faced by young informal traders in Bindura town, Zimbabwe. The study was motivated by the lack of attention to the challenges faced by young informal traders by the governing authorities at local and national level. We believe our study extends the understanding of the challenges faced by young informal traders, drawing on their everyday experiences and the navigation of the complex challenges they face. Deploying a qualitative research approach with in-depth interviews, focus group discussion and documentary analysis as data generation tools, the study found that young informal traders face several challenges that include lack of capital and harassment from municipal authorities as well as lack of mentoring and competition from established traders. Thus, the study established and concluded that within this difficult environment, young entrepreneurs employ different survival strategies such as raising capital from friends and relatives, relying on multifarious mentoring and coaching programmes from various sources. The paper recommends that government and private sector take up responsibility in nurturing these young entrepreneurs.


The topic of my bachelor work is "The quality of prematurely born children up to their three years age, psychical impact for their families". The premature childbirth can be traumatic not only for a child but also for his/her parents who suffer from the feelings of blame, they are remorseful and helpless. My work is divided into two parts: the theoretic part and the research part and it is taken hold of a medical view and psychological view. The theoretical part contains causations of premature labour, physiologically and prematurely born child, their differences, in the wake of prematureness, some prognosis of prematureness and a psychical family affection after a premature birth. In the research part of my work there are found some hazard factors conducting to the premature birth, a psychomotor development of children, size of health complications, children who are becoming a part of child collective, mother psychical affection after premature childbirth and influence of prematureness onto family. The end of my work contains an evaluation of research produce.


The purpose of the present study was to investigate teacher perceptions of psychological reports as a function of the level of jargon utilized. A psychological report was varied such that the same content was conveyed using three levels of jargon: low, medium, and high. The influence of the jargon variable was assessed using the Psychological Report Evaluation Profile (PREP) which contains four dimensions: Usefulness, Understanding and Comprehension, Educational Relevance, and Student Behavioral Characteristics. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for overall satisfaction indicated a significant effect for the independent variable. Separate univariate analyses of variance (ANOVAs) for each of the separate dimensions of the PREP suggested only the Understanding and Comprehension factor was significant. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for improving the quality and usefulness of psychological reports.


Understanding the relationship between environmental pollution and economic development is of great importance for achieving sustainable growth. It is particularly important for managing watershed regions, where rapid urbanization can cause significant environmental damage. This study aimed to determine the relationships between urbanization, economic growth, industrial structure and nitrogen emissions in the Jishui River Basin from 1997 to 2013. Based on the raw data, a vector auto-regression model was built, and the data were analyzed using the Johnson cointegration test, the Granger causality test, impulse response function analysis and variance decomposition analysis. The results showed that there was a long-run equilibrium relationship and a one-way causality between the four variables in the Jishui River Basin. The effects of economic growth and industrial structure on nitrogen emissions were significantly stronger than the effect of urbanization levels. In the long run, economic growth and industrial structure had a strong explanatory power for nitrogen emissions, and the contribution of urbanization levels, economic growth and industrial structure to nitrogen emissions showed some hysteresis. This study clarifies the main drivers of changes in environmental pollution in the Jishui River Basin, and provides a scientific basis for urban development models and regulation of industrial growth.


1 ISSN 1758-1869 10.2217/PMT.11.73 © 2012 Future Medicine Ltd Pain Manage. (2012) 2(1), 1–3 A frank approach to interpersonal communication brings with it some challenges, but having to dig oneself out of a hole, created by strategically avoiding the truth, is not one of them. This frank approach is well suited to science – the scientific process requires us to pursue and report the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We do not tend to avoid aspects of the truth because we think that they are too hard for people to understand; for example, we do not avoid the amazing truth that the brain constructs visual experience from the information available to it, and instead suggest that the eyes themselves actually create visual experience and send the visual experience to the brain to be registered; we do not suggest that the ears capture words and bird-calls and racing cars and send those sounds to the brain to be registered. We tend to endorse the complexity of the brain and its fundamental role in what we experience. Unless, of course, we are talking about pain. Some 25 years ago, Patrick Wall, as frank a communicator as any, lamented the trend towards beating around the bush when it comes to pain: "The labeling of nociceptors as pain fibers was not an admirable simplification, but an unfortunate trivialization under the guise of simplification" [1]. Of course, equating pain to activity in nociceptors is seductive – nociception and pain seem so tightly coupled. However, are nociception and pain really so tightly coupled? This issue was actually settled a couple of decades ago – there is not an isomorphic relationship between pain and nociception, nor between pain and tissue damage [2]. A very large amount of research has explored the multifactorial nature of pain (see [3] for a clinic-friendly review). Modulators broadly fit into one of three categories: prioritization, meaning and transmission/processing. Prioritization depends on the survival value of a nociceptive stimulus. Observational data abound; for example, the extensive work with military and civilian injuries – the soldier feels little pain until he is safe behind lines [4]. Experimental data have corroborated this – noxious stimuli do not hurt in cases of extreme air hunger [5] – and the pain threshold is higher after a bout of startlingly loud noises [6]. The second category – meaning – is, in my view, the most important to those of us


: Background: Preterm birth is often cited as an important risk factor for hearing loss in the baby. Hearing screening of term and preterm babies was done within 24-48 hours of delivery using otoacoustic emissions. Babies who failed the screening were recalled for further testing. Objective: To study the otoacoustic emission testing results among term and preterm babies. Methods: A prospective institutional based study was conducted between December 2018 and May 2020. All term and preterm babies were screened for hearing impairment using handheld OAE apparatus within 24-48 hours of delivery. Any baby with a "refer" result in the OAE study was recalled for a repeat OAE testing after a month. This was repeated two more times if the baby failed the test every time. In case of failing the test for the third time, the baby was sent for brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) for confirmation of hearing loss. Results: Screening was done for 259 babies who were born preterm and 13967 term babies. Among the preterm babies, 92 babies passed the hearing screening the first time. Remaining babies were referred for further follow up. Ultimately, 3 babies had to be referred for BERA and 1 baby had confirmed hearing loss. Conclusions: Preterm babies are often quoted to have a higher risk of developing hearing loss when compared to term babies. Early screening for hearing loss among such babies will help in early recognition and intervention that will help the baby to deal with the handicap.


Most of the following theorems regarding the hyperbola of Apollonius and the parabola of Chasles are classical, but not all of them are as well known as they deserve to be, and it is hoped that this purely geometrical treatment may be of interest.


In this paper, a new GaN-based integrated module is designed to solve the problems encountered in the application of GaN devices, such as large parasitic inductance and thermal management problems. The layout of the integrated module is optimized to reduce the parasitic inductance. At the same time, different kinds of substrates are compared and the size of integrated module is studied. Finally, simulation and experiment results show that the layout has a small parasitic inductance of about 0.22nH as well as a good heat transfer performance. Thermal simulation results are very close to experimental results. Besides, simulation results show that heat radiation must be considered in the thermal model because it accounts for a large proportion under natural convection.


Protein and starch are the major (compositions) in wheat grains, and they determine yield and quality of wheat. This article reviewed the study progresses on the relationship between protein or starch and end-use quality, the physiological basis of protein and starch metabolism, and the (effects) of (carbon) and nitrogen metabolism on quality of wheat grains. It was shown that the (composition) of protein and the (composition) of starch played different roles in wheat end-use quality, which was the result of (compound) (effects) of protein and starch; the metabolisms of (carbon) and nitrogen and the balance between them (affected) the synthesis and accumulation of protein and starch in grains of wheat; both the ecological (conditions) and (cultivation) methods could have (effects) on the synthesis of starch and protein by changing the metabolism of (carbon) and nitrogen, so have (effects) on the formation of end-use quality.


The problem of restoring marrow function in men exposed to lethal radiation in the range 200 to 1000 roentgens is similar to the problem as it has been seen in other mammals. Isolation from infection and judicious use of antibiotics and fresh blood may keep the patient alive long enough for his own marrow to regenerate, if it has not been too badly damaged. This means in general doses below 400 roentgens. Infusion of cells of normal marrow will hasten restoration and are perhaps vital when exposure has been severe---doses above 400 roentgens. When the cells for infusion come from stored samples of the patient's own marrow or from an identical twin, the infusions may be made immediately after the radiation exposure, since in these instances there is no immunologic transplantation barrier to be surmounted and the sooner marrow function is restored, the better. When the donor is not an identical individual but an homologous volunteer, a better graft seems obtained by delaying infusion for a week or two while the barrier to transplantation deteriorates. When the foreign transplant is successful, delayed foreign marrow disease may occur: digestive upset, weight loss and infection. This to the extent it has beenmore » seen in man, appears clinically manageable. Finally, there is the observation that studies of marrow replacement in irradiated subjects can be carried out with benefit to the individuals studied. A few well-chosen patients with leukemia have had remissions of several months after radiation and marrow transplantation. (auth)« less


Variable sensorial quality of attieke (a fermented cassava product like couscous) is mainly due to different types of artisanal starters used for fermentation of cassava dough. Biochemical properties of eleven lactic acid bacteria identified as Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from these traditional cassava starters were evaluated in vitro. Three of these isolates (Lp 210, Lp 140 and Lp 19) presented suitable properties (fermentation at 45°C, important acidification rate, enzymatic activities, osmotolerance, thermotolerance) necessary for their potential use in drastic environment. These rapid acid producers' strains also induced a rapid drop of pH of MRS broth under pH 4 which is a major food safety factor. These potentialities confer to these strains ability to be selected as microbial starters for the reliable and reproducible lactic fermentation of cassava dough into attieke in order to optimize and standardize the quality and organoleptic characteristics of this staple food.

 Key words: Attieke, cassava, lactic acid bacteria, biochemical properties, lactic fermentation.


Numerous processes, e.g. in semiconductor and optics producing industries require film thickness observation. These measuring systems depend on different working principles, e.g. spectral reflectometry or ellipsometry. The spectral reflectometry interrogation method can be evaluated by various algorithms depending on resolution and measuring range demanded. All methods require a broad spectral distribution of the light source in order to sample the signal sufficiently for parameter extraction. Spectral sampling is often realized using a spectroscope, which produces equidistant sampling points in frequency space. In contrast to conventional spectrally broad light sources, the one employed here emits several spectral lines, which are non-equidistantly distributed. It also introduces problems like variations of intensity in the output spectrum and narrow wavelength bands, in which the reflected spectrum can be investigated. Non-equidistant sampling points additionally imply problems in conventional analysis algorithms, e.g. a FFT anticipates equidistant sampling points. Narrow wavelength bands imply little information to interrogate at the same spectral resolution of the interrogator. Strong variations of intensity lead to high noise levels at wavelengths with low intensities. Therewith, accuracy, resolution and measuring range are limited. An interrogator based on a Hg-Ar light source, a fiber coupler and a commercial spectroscope is described in this work. Both, accuracy and measuring range, are investigated by simulation and are experimentally proven on a glass on silicon demonstrator. Introducing an advanced algorithm, uncertainties invoked by the source's spectral and intensity distribution are minimized and resolution as well as measuring range are increased.


The surface modification of nanometer carbon material has been studied by usingan Induced Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma device (IDBD). The experimentalresults show that with different work gases and different discharge conditions, thesurface behaviors of carbon black can be changed according to needs, including theuse of different functional groups and the change of the surface roughness of carbonparticles etc., which increased the grinding and dispersion abilities in binder.


This study examined the existing livelihood strategies and its determinant in Kuarit District, West Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The study used primary data collected from 144 sampled respondents using semi-structured household survey questionnaire, focus group discussion, key informant interview and personal observations. A Multistage sampling technique was used to select kuarit district, the study villages and sample respondents. Descriptive statistics results revealed that more than half of sampled respondents (57.6%) combine on-farm activity with other non-farm and off-farm activities. Inferential statistics results using ANOVA and Chi-square tests showed that there is significant mean difference between groups of livelihood strategies in terms of dependency ratio of the household, total annual income, distance from the nearest market, total livestock ownership of the household, access to credit service and educational statues of the household head. Multinomial logit model results showed that access to credit service, total annual income and total family size have positive effect on choices of livelihood diversification strategies; while market distance, age, total livestock holding and dependency ratio of the household head have negative effect on choices of livelihood diversification strategies. Thus, policymakers should give due attention and incorporate those negative and positive factors in planning rural development strategies and polices.


Western China's drylands, particularly around Urumqi are changing due to increased grazing pressures, urban growth, and increasing population. These changes, driven by national policies of openness and economic activity, are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The continued degradation of rangelands surrounding Urumqi can impact not only socioeconomic characteristics but also regional climate patterns. Here we show results from high-resolution regional climate simulations of the Urumqi area using the RAMS regional climate model. Under differing levels of rangeland degradation, from no degradation in fractional cover and LAI to 75% reduction a variety of impacts are found. We examine the impacts of these changes in land cover parameters via current rangeland management approaches, including influences on summertime rainfall (important for grassland production) and year-round wind patterns (which can influence air quality). Land degradation and Urban Expansion near Urumqi: Figure 1: Fine-scale (30m) illustration of land use expansion and degradation inUrumqi, China region. A.) False color (4:3:2) Landsat 5 TM; B) Redshows mixed agriculture land use in 1989 and Yellow shows mixedagriculture land use expansion and intensification in 2007; C.) Falsecolor (4:3:2) Landsat 4 TM (9/19/1989) with Red representingvegetative agriculture surfaces; and D) False color (4:3:2) Landsat 5TM (path/row: 143/29) from 09/29/2007 with Red representing land useintensification and expansion in the form of mixed agriculture. Land degradation around Urumqi has accelerated (Figure 1). The trend is for degraded pastures and urban expansion primarily along major roads. What consequences will this land use change have on the local climate and on air quality? Hypothesis: increased degradation of pastureland will result in faster surface winds, leading to reduced convection and rainfall. Preliminary Results


In 1980s Wallerstein and Bernstein (1988) developed a youth centered, intergenerational, experiential prevention program called the Adolescent Social Action Program (ASAP) in New Mexico. The program was found to be efficacious in influencing several process variables such as empathy, critical thinking, belief in the group action, and some impact variables such as extent of participation in social action among the participants. Over the years the program that started from one school has been successfully extended to several other school utilizing peer-to-peer model (Wallerstein, Sanchez-Merki, & Dow, 1997). The unique feature of the program was adoption of the ideas of Paulo Freire, a Brazilian adult educator, for the first time in a health education program in the United States. Freire is well known in the field of adult education. He worked for several decades on a participatory model in the field of literacy to make learning more meaningful for adult learners (Freire, 1970). The hallmark of Freirian methodology is the fundamental technique of problematizing, or 'problem posing' that is essentially an antithesis of conventional 'banking education' that seeks solutions or provides ready made answers. The emphasis of this approach lies in raising questions without any predetermined answers. Paulo Freire (1976) in his book, Education: The Practice of Freedom, explicates the framework of his methodology that in essence is a simple three-phased process. The first phase if the naming phase where one asks the question, 'What is the problem?' or 'What is the question under discussion?' The second phase is the reflection phase where one poses the question, 'Why is this the case?' or 'How do we explain this situation?' The third phase is the Action phase characterized by the question, 'What can be done to change this situation?' or 'What options do we have?' The unique feature of this pedagogical approach is 'process centered' as opposed to 'outcome-centered' or 'product centered'. It does not prescribe any acceptable end product in the beginning but only specifies the approach to be adhered. Since the ASAP program, this model has not been utilized much in health education in the United States. Further, most of the literature published with this model has been qualitative in nature. There is a definitive need to have more quantitative, empirical studies utilizing this model particularly in the area of alcohol and drug education. One of the reasons this model has not been used as much in health education has been the contorted writing style of Freire with a circular logic that makes it difficult to comprehend and tease out measurable constructs. In the quantitative paradigm it is very important to have mutually exclusive constructs that can be measured as numbers. This aspect is particularly challenging with the Freire's model. In my work in evaluating coalitions, I have been able to discern five distinct constructs of this model (Sharma, 2002). The first construct is dialogue. This can be applied in alcohol and drug education interventions by providing to have a two-way discussion among the educators and the recipients on the root causes. Some of the dimensions that can be measured by researchers are the extent of two-way communication, the extent of problem posing, and the extent of joint discovery of the reality. The second construct is conscientization or efforts to identify and address the underlying systemic forces of oppression. This construct can be applied in alcohol and drug education interventions by exploring the underlying forces such as availability, marketing, production, supply and other dimensions. Some of the dimensions of this construct that can be measured by researchers are the extent of identification of oppressive sources, extent of working together as change agents, and extent of the key issue influencing each person at a personal level. …


WHEN the United States acceded to the United Nations' Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs on May 25, 1967, it reinforced the trend toward greater involvement of both government and medicine in the problem of narcotic abuse. How government and medicine will play their respective roles will continue to be developed-and doubtless debated-but for neither is there any lessening of responsibility in this international consensus (1). Our accession to the new convention, following recent Federal, State, and local developments, makes it timely to review the historical pattern of action by government and medicine at these four levels in respect to narcotic abuse as a medical-social problem. Such history will not determine what the roles should be, but it is important as background to what they are and what they may become. Contrary to some impressions, narcotic abuse was recognized as a medical-social problem in the United States long before the Harrison Act of 1914 (2). The problem had elements of ordinary vice, that is, a socially disapproved form of pleasure. It was also a medical problem, primarily that of self-medication with painkillers for either physical or emotional pain, contrary to the judgment of ethical physicians. As a vice, narcotic abuse was largely identified with opium smoking and opium dens, alien to American concepts of legitimate pleasure. As a medical problem, addiction was prevalent among Civil War veterans who had been treated with morphine. Medication with opiates


Promoting quality education deeply is the strategic theme and the core mission of the education reform and development.This paper reviews the emergence and development course of quality education and discusses the main exiting problems in the quality education of China.From improving the national education system,coordinating each kind of education development,building a scientific and rational mode of personnel training,improving curriculum system construction,strengthening teachers team construction,improving teaching methods and means,this paper puts forward reform measures to promote quality education.


This article develops a mechanism to measure the impact of local content requirements as quantitative restrictions. We compare effects of the novel quantitative approach to the effects of a tariff equivalent, which is more traditionally used to analyse these types of policies. Local content requirements increase output and value added in the affected sector, but at the expense of other sectors, leading to declines in GDP and trade across the economy. Comparing the two modelling approaches, the differences in outcomes are shown to be significant.


BELINDA McINTYRE is set to quit nursing just six months before completing her three-year training due to the cost of child care.


Recent advances in pedestrian navigation, a branch of wearable body area networks (WBAN), facilitate people's lives to help them get access to location-based services (LBS) at anywhere easily. This paper proposes a pedestrian dead-reckoning (PDR) algorithm to track the trajectory of the person using foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) and the estimation of the foot orientation with extended kalman filter (EKF). The proposed PDR algorithm involves several algorithms: gait phases detection algorithm, orientation estimation algorithm and EKF algorithm with zero velocity update technique (ZUPT). Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of estimating the trajectory accurately with low computational complexity and estimation error.


A novel sewage treatment system consisting of an anaerobic Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor and an aerobic biofilter reactor was operated continuously for over 400 days with raw domestic sewage as a feed. Sulfate-reducing bacteria plays an important role in Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) degradation in the UASB reactor especially during winter when the operational temperature is low. In this study, the diversity of adenosine-5'-phosphosulfate reductase (apsA) genes, which produce a key enzyme for sulfate respiration and are present in all sulfate-respiring prokaryotes (SRPs), in UASB sludge was analyzed by cloning and sequencing techniques. The apsA amino acid sequence-based phylogenetic tree showed that the identified clones belonged to four groups: the sulfate-reducing bacterial group, Syntrophobacteraceae, Thiobacillus and the clone cluster group, distantly related to any previously described apsA clone. The amino acid sequence of the unknown apsA clones has a high homology to those of SRPs. Real-time PCR quantification which used the primer sets specific for each of the four apsA gene sequences revealed that Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfovibrionales were the predominant species all of the sulfate-reducing bacteria in the UASB sludge throughout the experimental period. An excellent correlation of apsA gene abundance and behavior was found between the sulfate-reducing bacteria and Thiobacillus, as well as between Syntrophobacteraceae and the unknown apsA clone group. However, cells having the unknown apsA gene in the UASB sludge could not be identified.


A new method using vacuum-drying is demonstrated for producing graded index (GRIN) profiles on type-A photolime gel-based polymer waveguides. Vacuum-drying allows optical waveguides to be built on higher index of refraction substrates without intermediate lower index cladding layers. The waveguide loss and graded index profiles were compared for vacuum-dried and alcohol-dried samples.


Contaminants of Concern in the Marine Environment: The Need for New Monitoring and Assessment Strategies
More than 156 million people, over half of the U.S. population, live in the coastal zone. These areas contribute $7.9 trillion to the U.S. economy. Economic development within the coastal zone may result in the discharge of chemical contaminants into coastal ecosystems from sewage treatment plants, industrial point sources and urban and agricultural nonpoint source runoff. Aquatic monitoring programs have long measured legacy contaminants such as DDT and PCBs, but are increasingly being asked to focus on modern commercial chemicals that as a group are referred to as Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs). CECs present many challenges, often because measurement methods don't yet exist nor have toxicological studies yet been conducted to place monitoring results in proper context. This challenge is exacerbated because many CECs interact with hormone systems in wildlife to affect reproduction and development in ways that are not assessed through traditional toxicological evaluations.


The paper outlines the fundamental principles of the five general methods of navigation: Dead Reckoning Celestial Navigation Electronic Navigation Inertial Navigation Satellite Navigation Some standard and newly-developed systems are described. These include the TRANSIT/NNSS (Navy Navigation Satellite System) and the NAVSTAR/Global Positioning System (GPS) which are described in detail.


Rotation torque is decreased by reducing oil agitation resistance and viscous resistance to rolling, which are achieved by setting a roller filling factor in a range of 0.7-0.92 and a ratio of a roller length to a roller diameter in a range from 1.1-1.7. Further, viscous resistance to rolling is reduced to decrease rotation torque by applying crowning where outer ring crowning parameter (=RCO/LRO) is 30-150 and inner ring parameter (=RCI/LRI) is 50-260, with RCO being the radius of outer ring crowning, LRO the length of an outer ring raceway, RCI the radius of inner ring crowning, and LRI the length of an inner ring raceway. ® KIPO & WIPO 2007


Innovation has become a ubiquitous term that is utilized today by global businesses. The meaning of innovation varies depending on the age of the industry, global business experience, and management understanding and commitment to the innovation


1. The hypothesis that ultrasonic stimulation upregulates uncoupling protein (UCP) 2 and UCP3 in gastrocnemius muscle by a different mechanism of exercise was investigated in Wister rats.


The idea of Interlanguage is founded upon the assumption that a second language learner, at any particular moment in his learning process, is using a language system which is neither the first language, nor the second language. It is a third language which has its own grammar, lexicon and so on. This article attempts to analyze the sources and features of interlanguage.


Aims: To investigate the patient pain experience and discomfort following placement of fixed orthodontic appliances, and evaluate the contributing and relieving factors for this pain. Background: Patient discomfort and pain are important considerations at the outset of orthodontic treatment. They can negatively affect compliance and in certain cases, contribute to treatment avoidance. Various pain relief methods are avail-able for orthodontic pain, including chewing gum and paracetamol. Nevertheless, relatively few studies have comparatively examined their efficacy. Material & Methods: 92 patients (47 female and 45 male) aged 12 years and above were recruited from private-sector and public-sector orthodontic clinics. 13-item questionnaires were used to gather demographic data, to assess pain and its causes (e.g., site of pain, frequency, and severity), and to learn about the patients use of pain relief medications. Results: 84.8% experienced pain following the insertion of a braces, and the pain was most often felt in the evening when compared to the morning (p < 0.05). 47.8% of the patients took at least one type of pain relief medication to mitigate their pain and discomfort. Conclusion: In view of the finding that 84.8% of the patients included in this study experienced pain following the place ment of a fixed orthodontic appliance, it is important for further studies to explore novel and effective ways to relieve pain in the population. Clinical Significance: Orthodontic pain is not uncommon in Orthodontic practice and this pain can be relieved by over counter pain killer.


Tourists' good brand sensory image for Traditional Chinese Medicine health tourism (TCMHT) can improve the brand building of tourism destinations. This paper takes some tourists who enter the scenic spots of integrated TCMHT as the research object to investigate the sensory perception of the brand of the TCMHT destination of this group, aiming to further analyze the matching degree between the existing brand building of TCMHT destination and Tourists' Brand Sensory Impression (TBSI). This paper uses Matlab software to carry out a visual word cloud analysis on the TCMHT keywords that tourists pay more attention to. Based on the word cloud data, the binary Logistic regression model is constructed by using Python and SPSS software, and the influencing factors of TBSI's selection of TCM are analyzed from six dimensions. The results show that the richness of natural landscape, the quantity and type of cultural resources, ecological environment, professional service ability, healthy diet and supporting facilities, and market position have a significant positive impact on the choice of TCMHT destination. Meanwhile, the marketing publicity, forms and features of TCMHT destinations have a significant positive impact on tourists' impression intention. Based on the research conclusions and the characteristics of TBSI, this paper proposes the development positioning of tourist destinations, and provides theoretical guidance for the brand building of tourist destinations by using tourists' unique, specific and direct sensory experience.


ALTHOUGH it has.been known for some time that the enzyme activities of washed suspensions of micro-organisms vary according to their method of preparation, composition and pH of culture medium, duration of growth, etc. (see Gale, 1943), it is only recently that clear evidence has been obtained that an increase in enzyme activity can occur in the absence of cell multiplication. Examples of such enzyme " adaptation" without growth have been reported for galactozymase of S. cerevisiae (Dienert, 1900; Stephenson and Yudkin, 1936), formic hydrogenlyase of E. coli (Stephenson and Stickland, 1933), galactozymase of Strep. lactis (Hegarty, 1939), an enzyme oxidizing p-amino-benzoic acid in a soil bacillus (Mirick, 1943), and " tetrathionase' of Bact. paratyphosum B (Knox and Pollock, 1944). Even in cases where cell growth occurs there is evidence that the factors most favouring growth are not necessarily those which result in highest activity for individual enzymes in the resulting cell suspensions, and the largest yield of active enzyme is often obtained under conditions which give relatively poor growth. There is a similar dissociation between adaptation and the rate of the enzyme reaction itself; an environment which favours the " formation " of an enzyme is not necessarily that at which the enzyme reaction proceeds at a' maximal rate, and vice versa. Previous work on this subject has been reviewed by Gale (1943). Although, therefore, the process of enzyme adaptation is to a large extent independent of both growth and enzyme action, there has so far been no attempt to investigate its mechanism under conditions where both these complicating factors could be adequately controlled. The enzyme system " tetrathionase," which is responsible for the reduction of sodium tetrathionate to thiosulphate, is particularly suitable for the study of enzyme adaptation for three reasons: (a) The enzyme reaction can be followed simply and accurately by direct iodometric titration of thiosulphate formed. (b) Enzyme adaptation occurs rapidly in the presence of buffer, mannitol and tetrathionate without addition of a source ofN and in the absence of cell multiplication or increase in cell protoplasm. (c) Washed suspensions, once adapted, retain their heightened activity relatively unaltered, no significant decrease or further increase occurring. It is thus possible to measure the effect of various factors upon the enzyme action alone by using suspensions which have already completed their adaptation, and differ from those employed for studying adaptation only by the fact that they have been previously treated for 2-3 hours with mannitol and tetrathionate. It was hoped that it might be possible to study, more accurately than hitherto, some of the factors influencing the adaptation process. The present paper is concerned with the effect of temperature.


Purpose. The purpose of the research is to identify the shortcomings of the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories, as well as to provide proposals for possible ways to overcome them. Methodology. The methodology includes a comprehensive analysis and generalization of the available scientific and theoretical material and the formulation of relevant conclusions and proposals. During the writing of the article, both general scientific methods of scientific knowledge and special-legal ones were used, including formal-legal, structural-functional, systemic and other methods. Results: in the process of research, it was established that the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories contains norms of a local nature, which determine the legal regime of the territories affected by the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. At the same time, radioactively contaminated territories in Ukraine are the territories of former uranium mining and processing plants, tailings storage facilities (Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions). Based on this, the expediency of supplementing the Law of Ukraine "On the Use of Nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety" with the section "Radioactively Contaminated Territories" was determined, the effect of which would extend to the entire territory of Ukraine. In addition, the article proposes to give the land plots on which uranium production waste storage sites, buildings and structures contaminated with natural radioactive substances, which due to their ecological danger cannot be used in economic activities, the legal status of those that are not subject to taxation, as well as to establish additional subsidies from the State Budget of Ukraine for the relevant local budgets in order to compensate for the loss of revenues of local budgets as a result of the exemption from taxation of land plots that are radioactively contaminated. Originality. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the possibility of using the obtained results for further scientific developments in the field of legal regulation of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories. Practical significance. The results of the research can be used in law-making activities with the aim of improving the provisions of the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of ecological rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated territories.


Bayesian probability calculus has recently emerged as a model for how the mind learns about fictional and cultural environments. This essay considers reading a narrative as a process of learning about the probabilities of the fictional world and explores two novels about Quixotic readers from a Bayesian perspective. The juxtaposition of the fictional and the real, which the standard understanding of the Quixote relies on, is replaced by an outline of the dynamics of the learning process in Quixotes who already know 'the rule', that is, the probabilities of their fictional environment, but need to use this knowledge with discernment. The conclusion draws connexions between the Quixotic learning process and the ways in which fiction contributes to human mental, social and cultural development.


PT. MRK Diagnostics is a company engaged in the health sector, especially the provider of medical laboratory equipment in Indonesia. Determination of technicians who are currently running to deal with damage to medical devices is still ineffective because the determination is still checking the availability of technicians manually, so that it will make handling the damage slower. Therefore we need a system that can assist in determining the person in charge technicians to repair the tool. So that in determining the person in charge, this technician will be able to be done precisely and quickly. The criteria used to determine PIC are expertise, discipline, communication and years of service. Each criterion has sub-criteria as well as predetermined weights and values. The decision support system to determine the person-in-charge technicians for medical device repair uses an exponential comparison method that generates a list of priority technicians to perform equipment repair based on calculated and compared values System testing is carried out on information systems experts and users using a questionnaire instrument. Based on expert information systems testing, this system is declared very feasible with a value of 91.7% of the results of system expert testing and 80% based on user testing.


Despite recent impressive advances in synthesis of all-conjugated diblock copolymers via facile quasi-living Grignard metathesis (GRIM) polymerization, it remains challenging to achieve well-define...


Delivered to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX CRS-14, the Multi-use Variable-g Platform (MVP) is a new commercial testbed for centrifuge-based science aboard the orbiting laboratory.


Deep suffering, as Whitman emphasizes throughout the war years of Specimen Days, dehumanizes and makes unrecognizable the physical body of the sufferer. Whether what results is a "monkey-looking dwarf," or a "heap" of arms and legs (32), or random "bones, tufts of hair, buttons, fragments of clothing" (114), the consequence of injury is radical incoherence. The wounded body presents itself to Whitman (as it will a generation later to William Carlos Williams) as insistently different from the poet's own body, and the encounter of the ,healer with his patient, the nurse with his wounded soldier, comes to define the encounter with the alien or the stranger, with whatever stands against and apart from the self. Medical attention and care begin with the recognition of this difference. When Whitman asks, "Can those be men?" (100); "[I]s this indeed humanity?" (46); "Who are you my dear comrade?" ("A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim"); 2 and when Williams's patients themselves ask, as they do throughout the medical stories, "What's the matter with me?"; the questions assume a disturbing awareness of difference and urge a response that might diminish it. It is this response to difference that distinguishes the medical representations of Whitman and Williams. For Whitman, medical attention restores the coherence and social interconnection lost in deep injury. The disfigured patient grows familiar through the attentions of his nurse; the monkey dwarf becomes a man. As Whitman cares for his patients, we are led to see that what is done to the body of the suffering patient in a hospital is a version of what is done to the r'epresentation of the suffering patient in a poem. Dressing a wound, and writing a poem about dressing a wound, I will argue, are significantly equivalent acts in Whitman's imagination: both re-invest the body with the legible signs of material culture, and so rescue it from the incoherence and "utter strangeness" (50) of the wound.


Introduction: Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an acute viral illness and a highly contagious infectious disease that usually occurs during summer months with a distinct clinical presentation of oral and cutaneous lesions. It is predominantly a childhood or immunodeficiencyassociated disease and very few cases have been reported so far in immunocompetent adults. Case Report: We report a case of 50-year-old female with known exposure presented with low-grade fever and painful lesions on her hands and feet. The diagnosis of HFMD was made upon clinical grounds and history of contact with a case of HFMD. Discussion: It is important for physicians to be aware that HFMD can occur even in immunocompetent adults and be familiar with the signs and symptoms of this contagious disease that is predominantly found in children. Adults caring for children with HFMD should be educated that they are not immune to the disease and should be instructed to take appropriate preventive measures by maintaining proper hygiene and hand washing. (This page in not part of the published article.) International Journal of Case Reports and Images, Vol. 7 No. 12, December 2016. ISSN – [0976-3198] Int J Case Rep Images 2016;7(12):805–809. www.ijcasereportsandimages.com Yacoub et al. 805 CASE REPORT OPEN ACCESS Hand, foot, and mouth disease: An emerging disease in immunocompetent adults Abraham T. Yacoub, Sowmya Nanjappa, Ganesh Gajanan, Chandrashekar Bohra, John N. Greene


Thank you very much for downloading sexual function in women with neurological disorders. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search hundreds times for their favorite readings like this sexual function in women with neurological disorders, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some harmful virus inside their desktop computer.


Every day, people make ethical and personal decisions about a range of scientific issues that coincide with societal issues (e.g., genetic engineering, reproductive technologies, food safety). When news media report on developments in science, students should be able to evaluate the validity of the claims and make informed decisions. Engaging students in scientific argumentation is one of the key practices identified in A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC 2012). The Framework addresses both science and engineering. Argumentation differs for these two subjects. In science, according to the Framework, argument is "essential for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a line of reasoning and for finding the best explanation for a natural phenomenon" (NRC 2012, p. 67). Scientists collect data and formulate evidence to defend their explanations. They examine their understanding based on both this evidence and their collaboration with others. Engineers, on the other hand, use reasoning and argument to evaluate designs, conduct tests, collect data, and collaborate with their peers to develop the best solution to a problem. Although the goals of reasoning and argument are different between scientists and engineers, the two take similar steps to reach them. Using scientific debate focuses students on the real-life applications and implications of science and increases their reasoning skills, presentation skills, and science content knowledge. In this article, I define an argument as a position based on evidence and a debate as a formal setting in which two teams present their arguments using a specific format. To engage in a debate, students must understand the concepts so they can address pros and cons of the argument and develop a rebuttal to the opposing side's arguments. Classroom debate is an instructional strategy that engages students in scientific argumentation. Using scientific debate focuses students on the real-life applications and implications of science. Obtaining, evaluating, and presenting information is another key practice identified by the Framework (NRC 2012). When students participate in debates, they are required to examine issues from an argumentative standpoint and justify their position. In a project called "Enhancing the Quality of Argument in School Science," Jonathan Osborne and his colleagues (2001) studied whether debates in the science classroom could strengthen students' critical-reasoning skills and the quality of their arguments. I used Osborne's framework and Edmodo (see "On the web") to incorporate debate into my high school Honors Chemistry classes. Developing effective arguments Most people know that the spinning Earth leads to day and night, atoms make up matter, microbes cause diseases, and we live at the bottom of a sea of air (Osborne et al. 2001, p. 64). But not everyone knows the supporting evidence behind these facts. My first step was to teach the language of effective argumentation. This required about 30 minutes of one class period, during which I repeatedly referenced the terms to ensure student understanding. I first clarified that the term argument differs in scientific and everyday discourse. As a class, we then examined the meanings of claims, data, and warrants. In science, a claim is a scientist's position that he or she must justify with evidence. Claims are contestable, and scientists must support them with data and warrants. Data come from observation and experimentation, and warrants relate data to claims, providing the justification for acceptance. Claims, data, and warrants combine to make an argument. I used Ernest Rutherford's gold-foil experiment as an example in my classroom. Rutherford supported his claim with both data (alpha particle scattering) and a warrant (the connection between the data and the claim): * Claim: Atoms are made up of mostly empty space with small, positively charged, dense centers. …


The study evaluates characteristics and prognostic significance of breast cancer with histologically proven non‐inflammatory skin involvement but without the clinical and histological features that are mandatory for inclusion in the T4 category.


My thesis is that in modern societies where the
degree of mass participation in politics is greater than ever before and where the level of popular education is correspondingly higher, determinist theories have acquired considerable importance, both for the publicist and for the social scientist, as one means of justifying public policy. This essay is primarily an examination of the nature and function of one such determinant theory, namely, Social Darwinism, and secondarily an attempt to indicate some of the ways in which that theory was used as a justification of their political proposals by certain European and American writers in the half century after the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species. This thesis is set out more fully in the Introduction. Part I deals with the general features of determinist theory. Chapter I deals with the philosophical characteristics of determinism which distinguish it from other theory, emphasizing especially the "scientism" of determinist theory, its claim to state the inevitable, and its unfalsifiability. Chapter 2 discusses the connexions between the ideas of progress, determinism and evolution. Part I ends with a discussion of the main principles of the philosophy of Herbert Spencer, in whom these three ideas strikingly coalesced to produce an outstanding system of monistic determinism.
Part II is an attempt to show how Darwin's Origin
of Species, by providing a scientific foundation for
evolutionary theory in biology, became also the focus for a large body of social theory which claimed scientific respectability by seeking to base social explanations upon the same principles of struggle, selection an survival as Darwin had advanced to explain the development of biological species. Chapter 4 is a short account of the intellectual antecedents, the main principles and the impact of The Origin of Species, (The last of these points is developed a little in Appendix A) Chapter 5 deals with the emergence of Social Darwinism as a general political philosophy, attempting to bring out the distinctive features of this philosophy, of which, as with some other philosophies, there seems to be no definitive contemporary exposition. In Chapter 6, some of the critics are discussed with a view to illustrating
the strength of the Social Darwinian movement by showing that many of its opponent them selves shared its preconceptions. Part III carries forward the theme of Part II, The work of a small number of writers who advanced proposals for outstanding system of monistic determinism. Part II is an attempt to show how Darwin's Origin of Species, by providing a scientific foundation for evolutionary theory in biology, became also the focus for a large body of social theory which claimed scientific respectability by seeking to base social explanations upon the same principles of struggle, selection and survival as Darwin had advanced to explain the development of biological species. Chapter 4 is a short account of the intellectual antecedents, the main principles and the
impact of The…


This research aims to estimate the demand for money model in Indonesia for 2005.22015.12. The variables used in this research are demand for money, interest rate, inflation, and exchange rate (IDR/US$). The stationary test with ADF used to test unit root in the data. Cointegration test applied to estimate the long run relationship between variables. This research employed the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to estimate the money demand model in Indonesia. The results showed that all the data was stationer at the difference level (1%). There were long run relationship between interest rate, inflation and exchange rate to demand for money in Indonesia. The VECM model could not explain interaction between explanatory variables to independent variables. In the short run, there were not relationship between interest rate, inflation and exchange rate to demand for money in Indonesia for 2005.2-2015.12.


The article considers the problems and topicality of using digital technologies in fine art, focuses on the present conditions and possibilities of applying traditional painting techniques in the virtual space. There can be distinguished the main instruments of a digital painter and artistic means of specialized programs. The issue of the specific peculiarities of digital painting in comparison with traditional one is touched upon in the paper.


Solar radiation is a key parameter in climatology. Since 1937 the components of solar downward radiation, direct, diffuse and, global radiation have been recorded independently in Potsdam. Parameters influencing the Potsdam radiation time series are compiled and discussed. Using this knowledge the time series were checked and investigated with homogeneity test. The long time series are presented.


The dynamical theory of radiation-pressure-driven shocks in winds from early-type stars is outlined. After the principal parameters needed for a description of these shocks are isolated (speeds relative to incoming material and their column densities), the shocks' principal properties as functions of these parameters are estimated. The special case of time-steady shocks is examined, and calculations are given for density, ionization state, temperature, and flow velocity as functions of position; also calculated are X-ray emissivity, UV line emissivity, and total radiation force as functions of shock velocity and postshock column density.


An important feature that differentiates moving object database (MOD) from other databases is that MOD can support queries for locations recorded not only at the sample time, but also at time between samples and even at time in the future. The most important issue in MOD research is to build models of moving objects' mobility and their locations update. The advance in mobile Internet and location-based services requires appropriate models be built for popular dumb terminals, such as cell phones, which can only be located by auxiliary facilities like GSM/CDMA networks. Considering that users of such kind dumb devices often move on the road network, a novel model for these moving objects to calculate their velocities in the past and future and to update their locations with varied sample time based on road network is presented in this paper. Compared with traditional velocity models, the proposed model can reduce the location prediction errors effectively. And when comparing with the model of updating locations with uniform sample time, the proposed model can reduce the communication traffic between moving objects and locating facilities with the same average prediction error.


In the optimum design of lightweight structures, composite materials (here: fiber reinforced polymers) often have desirable properties compared to their metal counterparts. Besides a higher specific stiffness and strength, these properties include the possibility to tailor the layup of the composite material to the specific application. Hence composite materials are often used in the manufacturing of lightweight thin-walled structures. These structures may fail due to buckling prior to material failure if compressive loads are present. For this reason the buckling load for the structure should be assessed, hereby securing the buckling load is not surpassed. This enables the possibility of designing lightweight composite structures without stability issues.


In this article we discuss the architecture operators are moving towards in support of converged services based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). We describe the key IMS application servers being defined in standards bodies and discuss how they will be incrementally added depending on key business drivers. We also discuss the topic of service interactions between IMS and non-IMS based applications.


Abstract: This study aims to analyze the financial statements of PT UNILEVER INDONESIA Tbk. It is seen from the ratio analysis for the 2020-2021 period. Financial ratios as one of the analytical tools applied to analyze the ability of a company's financial statements. Financial ratios have advantages over other analyzes. There are different types of financial ratios; liquidity, solvency, performance, and profitability. Ratio; current, fast, money showing relatively "unhealthy" returns, debt-to-assets ratio showing "healthy" results, debt-to-equity ratio showing "unhealthy" results and inventory turnover ratio showing "healthy" results. Net yields and margins, return on assets, operating margins, return on equity, and gross margins relative to several industries are currently showing good performance; compared to the industry average.


Carbon nitride (CNx) films were prepared on silicon substrates by pulsed laser arc deposition with different working gases and various gas pressures. The bonding structure and the chemical compositions of the resulting CNx films were studied by AES, Raman spectroscope and XPS, respectively. The results showed that the average nitrogen content varied between 9% and 28%, and masses of sp² C?N bond and sp³ C?N bond formed in the CNx films. The nanohardness decreased from 30 GPa to 6 GPa, whereas the friction coefficient increased with increasing nitrogen content in the resulting CNx films.


A fruitful methodology for tracing the development of grammatical complexity has been the close examination of centuries of written texts. Unfortunately, such records exist for only a small proportion of languages. Fortunately, an additional methodology is available: the comparison of synchronic structures at various stages of development, either in related languages or within a single language. Such comparisons can do more than compensate for gaps in the philological record. Written documents necessarily remain silent about a crucial feature of the evolving constructions: their prosody. Modern documentation allows us to examine prosodic patterns in spontaneous connected speech, the speech that serves as the basis for language change. The focus here will be on early stages in the development of complexity. The first section will explore the initial phase. It has on occasion been proposed that some languages have not yet developed syntactic complexity at all. It will be shown that in at least one such case, prosodic patterns reveal complex structures even when segmental markers are absent. The second and third sections will examine some young complex constructions, first complementation then relativization. It will be seen that prosodic patterns can suggest possible pathways of development that might otherwise not come to mind.


A well-known unidirectional probe to which a rotating motion is imparted can measure the three components of the sound intensity vector. Such a sequential measurement procedure produces some scattering and bias errors when the acoustic field is unsteady. During the measurement peric@ the magnitude of the physical phenomenon is supposed to vary but not its geometric properties. This leads to a simple calculation of these errors and an optimal estimation of the sound power level of the source which is used to correct the active and the reactive sound intensity vectors. For a random steady field, the same method of correction reduces the scattering of the measurements. Theoretical and experimental studies under laborato~ conditions verifj the effkct of the correction even in a reactive field. We also show that in the case of noise emission by a short-duration supersonic jet, the same scattering reduction thus allows a more accurate hxalization of the intensity vectors.


Streptomyces species produce many industrially important antibiotics and physiologically active substances. Genetic recombination by protoplast fusion recently has been demonstrated in a number of Streptomyces species (1-6). The fusion technique yields higher frequencies of recombinants compared with the classical crossing (conjugation) method. So, it, like other recombination techniques such as transduction and protoplast transformation or transfection, is an effective tool for both academic and applied genetic research with the Genus Streptomyces. We have reported the conditions for protoplast formation and regeneration of a thiostrepton-producing Streptomyces azureus (7). Also, efficient transfection and transformation systems for S. azureus were established using the protoplasts (8, 9). Thus, it is anticipated that protoplast fusion will be used as an efficient technique for genetic studies and gene manipulation in S. azureus. In this paper, we describe the first application of the protoplast fusion technique to S. azureus. The usefulness of protoplast fusion in the selection for high thiostrepton-producing recombinants is also described. The strains employed in this work were Streptomyces azureus (ATCC 14921) and their auxotrophic mutants, SAl-a (HisTsp+ : thiostrepton productivity), SAl-b (HisTsp-), 5A2-a (ArgTsp+), 5A2-b (ArgTsp-), SA2-c (ArgMetTsp+) and SA3-b (Ath: adenine and thiamine Tsp-). These mutants were derived from wild strain SAO and its derivatives by UV-irradiation or N-methyl-N'nitro-N'-nitrosoguanidine treatment. Stocks of these strains were propagated and maintained using rye agar slant culture (10). Protoplast formation and regeneration were performed according to a previous paper (7). The regeneration frequencies of these strains were 20 to 60%. The media (Benett, MG-1, PWP and


A pipetting device with the housing (10), in particular Pipettieroboter, comprising: a lower housing portion (16) having a housing bottom (28), a lower rear side (32), a lower front side (30) and lower side walls (34a, 34b) that the lower front face (30) and the lower back (32) with each other connect with the lower housing part (16) is designed such that it, can be erected directly on an installation surface, in particular a working surface of a table or the like; an upper housing portion (14) with a housing roof (18), an upper back (22), an upper front face (20) and upper side walls (24a, 24b) connecting the upper front face (20) and said upper rear face (22) with each other connect; wherein the housing bottom (28) at least one support surface (70) on which a received in the housing pipetting device rests; wherein the upper housing part (14) and the lower housing part (16) are configured such that the upper housing part (14) can be arranged recorded regardless of the lower housing part (16) pipetting on the lower housing part (16) or detached from can be.


In order to educate the broad masses of peasants to have "a sense of shame and conscientious improvements",we should consider both superficial phenomena and deep-rooted causes.With the legal system gradually perfected,we should both promote the endogeny of advanced rural culture and import external new and advanced culture so as to cultivate a new progressive rural cultural environment.


The demand for literacy skills in today's everchanging workforce is an issue that plagues our nation. With millions of Americans reading below basic levels of proficiency, adults are not equipped to meet the demands, and colleges and univeristies must identify ways to address the problem. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine if any predictive relationship exists between the predictor variables age, ethnicity, race and educational attainment and the criterion variable, adult literacy, as measured by the Pearson MyReadingLab Pre-Assessment. The participants used in this study were non-traditional students enrolled in the Associate of Science Business program (ASB) at a Midwestern private Christian university. A simultaneous multiple linear regression analysis of the criterion and predictor variables was conducted to determine correlation.


This first fascicule of a three-part series catalogues the earliest of the British Museum's collection of 120 Etruscan bronze mirrors, many for the first time.


The in-situ loading tests were carried out. According to the results,the pile-soil stress ratio,load sharing ratio and exerting degree of bearing capacity were deeply analyzed. The results show that the cushion thickness can be 100 mm,but the bearing capacity of soil can't be exerted if cushion is not set.The pile's working delay and the pile-soil stress ratio n increases along with the increase of load before the pile yield,and become relatively stable finally,the average value of stress ratio is 19. 33 in the working state. Due to the extruding effect and the compacting effect,the bearing capacity of the soil is greatly enhanced,and the effect is more obvious with the load increasing. When the load reaches the bearing capacity eigenvalue of composite foundation,the average value of efficiency factor of pile and soil is 0. 72 and 1. 78 respectively. In the ultimate state the efficiency factor is 0. 72 and 1. 78.


Environment factor has notable public goods′ attributes.The improvement of environment can′t be accomplished automatically with economics growth.By drawing environment factor into production function,we found that the relation between public and government official which decided by economic development level is an important influence factor to the supply and demand of environment factor.The ceramics industry policy′s variation of different period in Foshan and enormous difference in handle way and consequence between Baojiagou pollution event and Xiamen′s PX project event make clear that the distinctions of government′s environment protection consciousness,public management level,the participate mode and degree of public affairs are comparatively large,then result in the difference of the supply and demand of environment factor.It′s impossible to improvement Chinese environment problem if the beneficial interactive between public and government official can′t comes true.


The costimulatory molecule B7-2 (CD86) is expressed on the surface of APCs, including B cells. Considering the importance of B7-2 in regulating both T and B cell function, it may be important to understand the regulatory mechanisms governing its expression. We report in this study that stimulation of the B cell receptor (BCR) and/or a neurotransmitter receptor, the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR), may cooperate to regulate B cell-associated B7-2 expression in vitro and in vivo. β2AR stimulation further enhanced the level of BCR-induced B7-2 expression in B cells potentially via protein tyrosine kinase-, protein kinase A-, protein kinase C-, and mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent mechanisms. Importantly, BCR and/or β2AR stimulation, but not histone hyperacetylation and DNA hypomethylation alone, increased B cell-associated B7-2 expression by increasing B7-2 mRNA stability, NF-κB nuclear binding, and NF-κB-dependent gene transcription. Thus, this study provides additional insight into the signaling intermediates and molecular mechanisms by which stimulation of the BCR and β2AR may regulate B cell-associated B7-2 expression.


Introduction: Little is known about how we recognise and form associations across the senses in noisy environments. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of distracters on the audiovisual integration of letters and novel symbols.
Method: Seventeen females (20-35years) were presented with letters (graphemes and phonemes) or novel symbols and sounds as unisensory or multisensory stimuli. The visual component of stimuli consisted of graphemes and symbols being presented individually or in sets of three. Participants were asked to manually indicate when a match between audition and vision was detected. Event Related Potentials, motor reaction times and response accuracy were recorded.
Results: Visual distracters slowed reaction times and induced a higher error rate for both letters and symbols. Motor reaction times were faster for symbols than for letters. Electrophysiological measures showed early multisensory integration at occipitoparietal electrode sites. Visual distracters also modulated P1 and N1 amplitude at occipitoparietal electrodes. Right hemisphere parietal electrodes showed an increase in N1 amplitude for symbols, with minimal differences between letters and symbols at left parietal electrodes.
Conclusion: Extracting and matching audiovisual information amongst distracters leads to an increase in neural activity, with the right hemisphere being more engaged in processing novel information.


Border crossing delays cause problems like huge economics loss and heavy environmental pollutions. To understand more about the nature of border crossing delay, this study applies a dictionary-based compression algorithm to process the historical Niagara Frontier border wait times data. It can identify the abnormal spatial-temporal patterns for both passenger vehicles and trucks at three bridges connecting US and Canada. Furthermore, it provides a quantitate anomaly score to rank the wait times patterns across the three bridges for each vehicle type and each direction. By analyzing the top three most abnormal patterns, we find that there are at least two factors contributing the anomaly of the patterns. The weekends and holidays may cause unusual heave congestions at the three bridges at the same time, and the freight transportation demand may be uneven from Canada to the USA at Peace Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, which may lead to a high anomaly score. By calculating the frequency of the top 5% abnormal patterns by hour of the day, the results show that for cars from the USA to Canada, the frequency of abnormal waiting time patterns is the highest during noon while for trucks in the same direction, it is the highest during the afternoon peak hours. For Canada to US direction, the frequency of abnormal border wait time patterns for both cars and trucks reaches to the peak during the afternoon. The analysis of abnormal spatial-temporal wait times patterns is promising to improve the border crossing management


The accuracy of an audio classifier drops when it is trained and tested in different conditions aka domains, e.g., different devices, different environments, or their combinations. Previous works have proposed audio domain adaptation techniques for a special case where the training data are recorded with a single source microphone and the model is applied to test data recorded with a different but single target microphone (i.e., single source to single target domain adaptation). In this paper, we solve a more generic and practical problem where the goal is to adapt models that are trained on data from more than one acoustic (i.e., multi-source domain adaptation). Unlike previous works, the proposed method does not assume availability of recording metadata (i.e., domain labels) in the training data---which makes the adaptation problem harder. To solve this, we propose the first multi-task deep neural network architecture to cluster audio samples according to their domain in an unsupervised way. Using the inferred domain information, we perform domain adaptation to remove biases due to domain heterogeneity from the machine learning model. We conduct extensive experiments on an empirical dataset that we collect from five domains as well as on a public dataset. Our results show that the proposed technique has a mean accuracy of 87% for domain discovery in a five domain scenario and its model adaptation step improves acoustic event classification accuracy by up to 21% when compared to state-of-the-art algorithms on datasets containing samples from multiple source domains.