Why did the United States promote the increased legalization of the international trade regime during the Uruguay Round (1986-1994)? The WTO's dispute settlement mechanism is more legalized than its GATT predecessor in several key respects: Rulings are binding, additional authority is delegated to a standing Appellate Body, and the process is rationalized and clarified in important ways. While the literature offers various explanations for such legalization in terms of aggregate efficiency, in both a political and economic sense, none of these accounts explains why the United States in particular spearheaded the move toward dispute settlement reform. Existing functionalist accounts also do not explain the timing of dispute settlement legalization. This behavior presents a theoretical puzzle from a variety of perspectives. Realism cannot explain why a powerful state would choose to entangle itself in a legalized institution. Bargaining theory predicts that the United States, with its large and relatively autarkic economy, would prefer the advantages of the more decentralized GATT setting, where bilateralism thrived. The newer literature on delegation to IOs (e.g., Hawkins et al. 2006) suggests that powerful actors should be the most reluctant to establish institutional agents with substantial authority. Indeed, James McCall Smith (2000) finds that powerful states avoid establishing legalized dispute settlement in regional trade agreements. I argue that the best explanation for U.S. behavior lies in domestic politics, a realm that tends to be overlooked in the legalization literature (Goldstein and Martin 2000). Executives gain influence relative to other domestic actors—in particular, legislatures—when issues are shifted the international level. This occurs through various mechanisms. First, since executives negotiate agreements, they have agenda setting power when it comes to creating new rules and institutions at the international level. Second, since it is executives that are represented in IOs they have sources of control, including formal decisionmaking power, that are not available to other domestic actors. Third, because they interface more with IOs over time, executives gain an information and expertise advantage vis-à-vis legislatures when issues are delegated to the international level. These various advantages give executives significant leverage and bargaining power over other domestic actors when it comes to IO-based policy issues. This helps us understand why a powerful state might choose to delegate authority to an IO even if the international-level benefits are not obvious. In some cases, an executive may even prefer to sacrifice some international influence (relative to other states) in order to gain domestic influence (relative to the legislature). In the early and mid-1980s, the U.S. President faced growing pressure from Congress to pry open foreign markets and to protect American companies from foreign competition. While the President and Congress often disagree on trade issues, soaring trade deficits created an unusually wide gulf between executive and legislative preferences during this period. Indeed, Congress began exploring new trade laws in the mid-1980s designed explicitly to limit the President's discretion and to force a more aggressive stance toward trading partners, a process that culminated in the passage of the 1988 Trade Act and its Super 301 provision. In the face of such challenges to its authority, the President had an interest in shifting trade policy—and trade dispute resolution in particular—to the international level, where he could exercise more control and could more easily resist Congressional pressure even if it came at the expense of diminished unilateral and bilateral options. I provide evidence that this domestic-level logic was indeed among the motivations for pursing dispute settlement reform during the Uruguay Round and that, in practice, presidents have taken advantage of the new system to more effectively pursue trade agendas in line with their preferences and at the expense of Congress's.


Human-centric fauxtography is a category of multi-modal posts that spread misleading information on online information distribution and sharing platforms such as online social media. The reason of a human-centric post being fauxtography is closely related to its multi-modal content that consists of diversified human and non-human subjects with complex and implicit relationships. In this paper, we focus on an explainable fauxtography detection problem where the goal is to accurately identify and explain why a human-centric social media post is fauxtography (or not). Our problem is motivated by the limitations of current fauxtography detection solutions that focus primarily on the detection task but ignore the important aspect of explaining their results (e.g., why a certain component of the post delivers the misinformation). Two important challenges exist in solving our problem: 1) it is difficult to capture the implicit relations and attributions of different subjects in a fauxtography post given the fact that many of such knowledge is shared between different crowd workers; 2) it is not a trivial task to create a multi-modal knowledge graph from crowd workers to identify and explain human-centric fauxtography posts with multi-modal contents. To address the above challenges, we develop CrowdGraph, a crowdsourcing based multi-modal knowledge graph approach to address the explainable fauxtography detection problem. We evaluate the performance of CrowdGraph by creating a real-world dataset that consists of human-centric fauxtography posts from Twitter and Reddit. The results show that CrowdGraph not only detects the fauxtography posts more accurately than the state-of-the-arts but also provides well-justified explanations to the detection results with convincing evidence.


Self-similarity analysis-based feature summarizing technique (SuCo) was proposed recently to improve the time and memory efficiency of Cover Song Identification (CSI). In this paper, both the feature summarizing and the cross-similarity calculating strategies of the SuCo model are modified as follows to enhance its identification accuracy. At the feature summarizing stage, first, the Hubness Reduction (HR) strategy is adopted to reduce the possible 'Hubness' phenomenon existing in the feature subsequence community, which may affect the retrieval effectiveness. Then, the Network Enhancement (NE) technique, which was originally proposed in biology to improve gene-function prediction accuracy, is introduced to reduce the noise in the self-similarity network caused by the limitation of feature extraction and similarity measuring, and the inherent musical and acoustic variations. At the cross-similarity calculating stage, first, the summarized representative feature subsequences of the reference are concatenated to obtain its combined representative feature. Then, considering that the nonlinear recurrence property is important for describing the melody perception-based similarity, Qmax is adopted to measure the similarity between the combined representative feature of the reference and the unsummarized feature sequence of the query. Extensive experiments carried out on four open CSI datasets with 5 types of features and 2 kinds of representative feature subsequence choosing methods verify that: i) The proposed scheme outperforms the SuCo model in retrieval effectiveness. ii) Each of the above modifications contributes to the performance enhancement of the proposed scheme. iii) The proposed scheme achieves high generalization.


State Universities and Colleges in the Region provide best educational practices and quality instructional methods, approaches and principles which made them known in the international arena along impressive faculty profile and leveling, programs which are centers of excellence and development, accreditation and high board examination performances. However, this study intends to monitor and assess if the adapted physical education program is highly attained. Six (6) Physical Education Directors, twelve (12) Physical Education Coordinators and sixty nine (69) instructors and professors coming from State Universities and Colleges in Region 1 provided the data by answering a questionnaire. Findings show that the level of attainment of Adapted Physical Education Program is moderately attained as to its goals in terms of domains, objectives and promotion to teacher competencies. A questionnaire checklist was constructed by the researcher patterned from related studies. Upon the retrieval of the questionnaires, data were organized, tabulated and analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. The 0.05 level of significance was used as the criterion point in the acceptance and rejection of the hypothesis.
The multi/biserial correlation test results show that age and sex are significantly related to the level of attainment of Adapted Physical Education Program for handicapped students. Moreover, Hoteling's trace results reveal that PE Faculty and administrators did not differ significantly at the 5% level of significance in terms of their asssessments on the level of attainment of the Adapted Physical Education Program for handicapped students among SUCs in Region 1.
Over-all, it is concluded that most of the activities, records, facilities and instructional materials used in Adapted Physical Education Program for handicapped students in the different State Universities and Colleges in Region 1 are moderately adequate. Therefore, recommended that Physical Education administrators, professors and instructors who have handicapped students should have enough background, proficiency and capability, financial assistance and scholarships must be provided to enhance their expertise and must be guided with the implementing rules and regulations of the Program to increase the attainment of the goals, objectives and promotion of teacher competencies.


The flow in the downstream of the bluff body in a double annular confined jet is experimentally investigated over a range of Reynolds numbers. The near wake region of the inner annular jet is occupied by a laminar central toroidal vortex. A pair of contrarotating toroidal vortices occupies the region between the inner and outer jet. And a large reverse flow region occupies the space between the outer jet and the confining wall. The flow in the regions occupied by the toroidal vortices is investigated using flow visualization, particle image velocimetry and laser Doppler velocimetry at several Reynolds numbers ranging from the laminar to turbulent regimes. At the lowest Reynolds number the vortices are laminar, even at very low Reynolds number, unsteadiness sets in and break up these toroidal vortices into a number of large eddies. In the range of Reynolds number investigated, the time averaged velocity field preserves the same topology but the extent of the various regions gradually changes with Reynolds number. The re-circulation zones behind the bluff bodies' increase with increasing Reynolds number reaches a peak then gradually approaches an asymptotic value. INTRODUCTION Mixing of jets, often in enclosed space, plays a crucial role in a large number of industrial appliances. Unfortunately, it is still a poorly understood physical phenomenon and can not be predicted accurately. In the burners, the flow downstream of a bluff body is used as a flame holder. Frequently, the flame holders are in the form of the circular central body of an annular jet where a toroidal vortex forms. In these flow fields large temperature gradients exist which leads to large variation of local Reynolds number. To understand the behavior of such flows it is essential to study the unsteadiness and turbulence characteristics of the flow over a wide range of Reynolds numbers encountered in these flows. The fluid dynamic behavior of the flow inside a combustion chamber under operating condition and that of cold condition are shown to be similar when the nonisothermal Craya Courtet number (NCCN) in the two cases are same'. This criterion establishes the validity of cold flow experiments to explain the behavior of the flow field in combustion chambers. The instability and transition to turbulence of round jets are mainly through the formation of vortex rings and their interaction in the shear layers. This lead to the formation of large eddies significantly different from the vortex rings. The phenomena occur over a short distance from the exit of the nozzle. Yule studied the behavior of these large-scale structures and their distinctive characteristics in the transition and in the turbulent regions. Petersen reported the influence of forcing waves on the coalescence of these vortex rings and shear layer dispersion. Chan and Ko investigated the development of the outer mixing layers of annular jets and found it to be similar to that of a circular jet and independent of the bluff body shape enclosed by the jet. When a jet is enclosed by a concentric cylindrical surface the jet reattaches with the enclosing surface and forms an annular re-circulating region. Sheen et al investigated the behavior of an enclosed annular jet. They reported that the flow re-attachment with the enclosing surface exhibits a hysteresis loop with changing Reynolds number. The study revealed four distinct flow patterns for this enclosed jet over the range of Reynolds number investigated. The results of a large number of experimental investigations are available in the literature on the structures of the initial regions of annular jets and coaxial jets''''. From the published computational results''' it is clear that existing turbulence models are not suitable for prediction of all the aspects of the initial region. However, they are capable of revealing * Copyright © 2001 The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc. All rights reserved. 1 Scientific Researcher * Scientific Researcher, Member AIAA. § Professor, Member AIAA. 1 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (c)2001 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics or Published with Permission of Author(s) and/or Author(s)' Sponsoring Organization. the topology of the flow under certain conditions. Reynolds stress algebraic equation model relating the Reynolds stress explicitly to the quadratic terms of the mean velocity gradients and ensure positiveness of each component of turbulent kinetic energy performed better than K-e model in predicting turbulent jets. It is stated that possibly there is no universally applicable K-e turbulence model. Large-eddy simulation is more promising in predicting the mixing of Coannular jets accurately. In all the computational investigations it has been reported that at low swirl number the reattachment length is only slightly effected by the swirl. In case of non-swirling annular jets Young et al has reported that the agreement between experiments and computations of the re-circulation lengths improve at higher Reynolds numbers. In this paper, the results of an investigation on the evolution of the flow structures in the near wake of the bluff bodies of a double annular confined jet are presented. The highest Reynolds number used for the investigation matches that in a prototype combustion chamber in operation. At the lowest value of the Reynolds number, the re-circulation zones behind the bluff bodies are clearly visible in flow visualization. EXPERIMENTAL ARRANGEMENT The flow field under study is the cold chamber simulation of a prototype natural gas burner. The primary air is admitted through the inner annular nozzle and the secondary air is admitted through the outer annular nozzle. Due to the constraints on space, the designed burner admits air perpendicular to the burner axis through two circular tubes. The two streams of air then enter two concentric annular ducts leading to the nozzles. A contraction ratio slightly greater than 2 is used between the duct and the nozzles. This arrangement, 90-degree flow turning and short annular duct, makes the exit flow field severely distorted from axisymmetry. Characterizing such a flow field is nearly impossible. Therefore, the two models used for this investigation are modified to admit air axially through smooth entry sections. The length of the burner is increased to obtain the length to width ratio of the flow passages close to 50 in order to ensure fully developed flow at the exit. The experiments are conducted in two test-beds. One uses water as the fluid medium the other uses air. The model used for the water tunnel is half the size (diameters) and the model used in the cold chamber test using air is twice the size of the prototype burner. The cold chamber diameter is selected to match the operating NCCN of 0.23. This violated the geometrical similarity of the combustion chamber in the process of preserving the dynamic similarity. The ratio between the jet diameter to the combustion chamber wall diameter is not maintained. This non-similarity affects only the outer reverse flow region, which is not under investigation. At present only the near wakes of the bluff bodies are studied, the non-similarity is assumed to have no effect on the results. Experiments in Water The model used in the water tunnel is shown in Fig. 1. The dimensions of the ducts, the nozzles and the cold chamber for this model are given in table 1. As mentioned above the diameters of the prototype is twice those given in this table. The dimensions of the model for air are 4 times the dimensions given in the table 1. The tolerance on dimension during manufacture is 1%. However, since the nozzles are machined from metal the tolerances on the annular openings of the nozzles are maintained within 0.01 mm. Table 1. Dimensions of the model for water tunnel. Component (Subscript used) Primary Nozzle (p) Primary Duct (^) Secondary nozzle (s) Secondary duct (sd) Cold chamber (c) Inner diameter, dmm


Second language (L2) learner engagement has been a key theme in applied linguistics over the past two decades; however, teachers' voices have been largely absent from L2 learner engagement research. In addition, little is known about what learner engagement means to L2 language teachers. Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews, this study aims to capture the conceptualizations of learner engagement and the perceptions of the factors facilitating or hindering learner engagement in L2 learning in a Saudi university context, as expressed by 12 English as a Foreign Language university (EFL) teachers. The data analysis method used was inductive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that, for the participating teachers, learner engagement is a multifaceted concept, although it was commonly seen in terms of the behavioral and affective dimensions. Teachers' perceptions of the factors that facilitate or hinder the promotion of learner engagement were also explored, and among these, the most salient factors were learners' attributes and behaviors, teachers' pedagogical practices, student-teacher rapport, social context, institutional policies, and broader educational system. This study underscores the urgent need to acknowledge the importance of L2 teachers' perceptions of learner engagement within and beyond the EFL classroom. It emphasizes the crucial role of continuous professional development in empowering teachers to enhance their skills in engaging learners and effectively addressing the challenges they face.


The noise characteristics of TIA (transimpedance amplifier) for optical receiver applications is conventionally described by equivalent input noise current spectral density, rather than noise figure (NF). However, since optical receivers consist of several blocks such as preamplifier, wideband amplifiers, variable gain amplifier and decision circuit, NF can be a useful tool to determine the noise characteristics of the whole optical receiver. In this paper, NF of a TIA (preamplifier) is described by using g/sub m/ and the bandwidth to cut-off frequency ratio B/f/sub T/, showing that NF of TIA degrades quadratically with increasing bandwidth. With a given technology and the noise specification of the whole optical receiver, the maximum achievable bandwidth is obtained, facilitating the design of the TIA. As an example, a common-source TIA was designed and simulated with 0.6 /spl mu/m AMS CMOS technology, showing a close match with the predicted results.


1. Reversible changes in twitch and tetanus contractions of isolated frog muscle fibres were produced by varying the duration and strength of a transversely applied d.c. stimulus.


The article discusses the main current approaches to the study of tolerance that has been developed in social-humanitarian discourse. It has been stressed that the education of tolerance in human relations is the most important task of education. The results of a survey of secondary schools students in the city of Melitopol on the features of interethnic tolerance are provided. Intercultural environment of the city and interethnic upbringing influence the culture of tolerance of senior pupils, defining its quite a high level. However, there are latent tendencies of isolationism to certain ethnic groups on the part of young people who can later become established under the influence of certain socio-economic or political circumstances. Key words: tolerance; student youth.


INTRODUCTION
"Partial priapism" is a rare disorder. Therapy is controversial in literature.

AIM
To show that conservative treatment leads to a full functional recovery of this condition.

METHODS
This report describes a case of a hematoma or "partial priapism" in the proximal part of the right corpus cavernosum.

RESULTS
Complete functional recovery after conservative treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

CONCLUSION
"Partial priapism" probably represents a hematoma in the interstitium of the proximal part of the corpus cavernosum. Conservative treatment is advised.


In order to evaluate the overvoltage on the series compensation(SC) platform during the fast transient process caused by gap flashover,a modeling method for complicated multi-conductor systems with lumped branches considering coupling between all parts of structures was proposed based on partial element equivalent circuit(PEEC) method.Furthermore the time domain solving method of state equations of complicated multi-conductor systems containing non-linear elements was also studied.Compared with EMTP,the calculation results in this paper were more accurate under the typical models,and it is more applicable than traditional method to simulate the electromagnetic transient process of closely-coupled complicated multi-conductor systems(such as SC).


In image reconstruction based on the compressed sensing (CS), linear measurement on the image is required, and the original signal is not only sampled and compressed by the measurement, but also the signal dimension is greatly reduced. Then the original signal is reconstructed from the measured value by the reconstruction algorithm, so the structure of the measurement matrix not only affects the results of the measurement, but also directly relates to the reconstruction quality of the image. This paper redesign measurement matrix based on two valued random measurement matrix and construct a very sparse diagonal block measurement matrix. New measurement matrix greatly improves the non-correlation of measurement matrix and reduces the condition number of sensing matrix, which makes the sensing matrix better satisfy the RIP Condition (the Restricted Isometry Property) and is more conducive to signal reconstruction. The new measurement matrix is not only easy to implement on the hardware and application in engineering conveniently and directly, but also can improve the speed and accuracy of image reconstruction. Simulation results show that, when the sampling rate is from 0.1 to 0.5, peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) of the reconstructed image is increased from 1 to 4dB.


This paper studied the effects of different picking methods on the flavor quality of upper leaf.The results showed that the method of concentrated picking upper leaf and harvesting with stalk together was superior to commonly used picking method in flavor quality,and the treatment of harvesting with stalk at 68 d after topping was the best.Compared with the CK,the total volatile aroma compounds content of the treatment increased remarkably,and in it the content of neophytadiene,products degraded by carotenoid,products degraded by cembrane and products of aromatic amino acid metabolism enhanced in different degree,but products of maillard reaction were lower than that of CK,and the cured leaf of the treatment was orange-colored,open in leaf structure,rich in oil,strong in color intensity,and the chemical composition contents were proper and decrease starch and protein content,and it′s equilibrium moisture content,density of leaf fabric,and filling value were relatively suitable,and economic results increase obviously.It indicated that the method of picking upper leaves with stalk could increase obviously the intrinsic quality and volatile aroma content of upper leaves.


Because of the design of gear strength aspects and intensity, the workload is not only complicated but also not satis?ed the requirements of the development of the situation. Based on PRO/E and ANSYS combination to analyze the helical gear nonlinear contact problem, providing the guidance for the following involute helical gear optimization design, checking and calculation method.


Kingdom, and the United States, to name but a few—has what Michael Walzer calls "a common standpoint of morality."3 It "represents the gradual shaping of a common life—at least a common political life."4 It integrates "rules and practices [the participants] slowly settle[d] on" possibly after long and bitter struggles, rules and practices the participants "want to pass on . . . to their children and grandchildren."5 Those struggles and their outcome are recorded and praised in the narratives taught to their children. They are celebrated in rituals of patriotic commitment that foster the sensation of membership in a unique national community associated with a particular geographic space. People have other identities, but if the national one weakens, the sources of division shadowing every society will quicken. Patriotism, the celebration of an encompassing national identity, makes it possible for people otherwise separated by age, class, ideology, lifestyle, religion, and other typical sources of division to feel some measure of compassion for each other, some empathy, a sufficient sense of connection to inspire at least some measure of mutual support, the measure varying over time and circumstance. Remove that sense of connection and you end up internally with the conditions of life native to the relations of states: the strong do what they will, the weak endure what they must . . . or they revolt. And then we have a Syria. Sovereignty has been the defining feature of a nationally organized community. The mutuality of concern among people almost entirely unknown to each other that is a property of such communities is their moral upside. Their downside, of course, is the inherent narrowing of the stream of concern to a mere trickle when it reaches the nation's borders. Five thousand dead American soldiers in Iraq is a tragedy in the hearts of their fellow citizens. Five hundred thousand dead Iraqis is a statistic for most Americans, never mind for the citizens of states free from any material responsibility for the disaster. Sovereignty is a symbol of the apparent limits of sustained empathy, of deep moral concern, a symbol of the failure of the great mass of even well-educated people to acquire a cosmopolitan sensibility. Sovereignty is an expression of, and arguably reinforces, the sentiment to control the national borders even at the expense of desperate people seeking nothing more than a safe bed for the night. It embodies the sentiment that international institutions and norms are finally transactional, good as long as they serve our national interest, which we, not they, will define. If they simultaneously serve the wider human interest, that is incidental. So sovereignty is not an expression of our best potential selves. But remove it and, if history tells us anything independent of the answers we prefer to hear, it tells us that the result will not be to widen the boundaries of moral concern but to narrow them and spread disorder. Radically weaken the state by questioning its prerogatives and value, and what will replace it as a means to rescue the tens of millions of people left in the wreckage of globalization's creative destruction? Sovereignty, as I believe Dieter Grimm is saying in his thoughtful, impressively measured way, still has work to do until we find a better instrument for mitigating the human condition.


An active MIMO system at 360 GHz as a part of the EU FP7 project TeraSCREEN is presented. A combination of geometric focusing in elevation and MIMO based digital beam forming in azimuth will provide real-time 3D images. The MIMO system consists of 16 transmitter and 16 receiver antennas within one single array. This configuration represents a linear array of 256 virtual antennas. This set-up allows an azimuth resolution of 0.078 degrees. To achieve an elevation resolution of 0.15 degrees, the combination of a fast moving plane reflector and a focusing elliptical mirror is used. An FMCW-Radar bandwidth of 30 GHz results in a range resolution of 5 mm. With this system high resolution 3D images can be generated with 4 frames per second. The principle of the system is presented including the functional structure and the hardware design. This is followed by the description of the 30 GHz module, providing the analogue input signal for the submillimeter wave multiplier chain to achieve a Terahertz signal at 360 GHz.


With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, in particular on the territory of Ukraine, considerable attention was paid to the creation of new cultural and ideological standards and their spread among the population. For this, they tried to attract and apply various means and tools, one of which was the creation of a new festive culture. One of the first reforms implemented by the Bolsheviks was the calendar reform of 1918, the transition to the Gregorian calendar and the creation of their own holiday culture. Thus, a number of holidays were created, which were designed to supplant and replace the festive culture of the Russian Empire, as well as to establish Bolshevik control over this sphere. Festive culture was one of the most important tools with which the Bolsheviks tried to convey, spread and consolidate ideological and cultural standards, solutions to political or economic problems among the population. Therefore, Soviet holidays were characterized by centralization and uniformity, and were held according to a single model. For this, appropriate preparation was created and carried out, which was especially important during the preparation for public holidays, for example, the commemoration of the «October» anniversaries, in particular at the local level. The article examines the personalities of the organization of preparation for soviet mass holidays at the local level in the USSR, using the example of preparation for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of «October» in the Pervomaisk district in 1927; the organization and activities of the commissions that prepared for the holiday in the Pervomaisk district are analyzed and covered, the peculiarities of the course of preparation for the holiday are revealed. Keywords: soviet mass holidays, 10th anniversary of «October», Commission for the preparation of the 10th anniversary celebration «October», organization of preparation, unification, centralization.


M A I N T O P I C S * Rehabi l i ta t ion a n d h o m e c a r e of C O P D pat ients * O c c u p a t i o n a l d i s e a s e s * C h e m o t h e r a p y a n d c h e m o p r o p h y l a x i s in p u l m o n a r y tuberculosis * Interstit ial a n d immunolog ic lung d i s e a s e s * Bronchia l a s t h m a * E a r l y d i a g n o s i s a n d t r e a t m e n t of lung t u m o r s * T h o r a c i c s u r g e r y * C a r d i a c i m a g i n g * In tervent ional t e c h n i q u e s in ischemic coronary hear t d i s e a s e * P u l m o n a r y circulat ion * C a r d i o p u l m o n a r y e m e r g e n c i e s * C a r d i a c rehabil i tat ion R E G I S T R A T I O N A d v a n c e registrat ion form a n d further information can b e o b t a i n e d f r o m : Secre ta r ia t , 6 th E u r o p e a n C o n g r e s s o n Dis e a s e s of t h e C h e s t , P.O.B. 5 0 0 0 6 , Tel Aviv 6 1 5 0 0 , Israel . Downloaded From: http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/pdfaccess.ashx?url=/data/journals/chest/21512/ on 06/21/2017 earl ier reports of neutrophil toxicity to endothelial ce l l s 1 3 or o f d e t a c h m e n t o f endothelial cells induced b y n e u t r o p h i l s , " these data suggest that leukocytes can cause significant endothelial cel l alterations in vitro, even if they are not inherent ly toxic under normal stimulating condit ions, and support the extensive l i terature on in vivo effects. I t should b e e m p h a s i z e d h e r e that s t u d i e s wi th m o n o n u c l e a r phagocytes in systems such as this are n e e d e d , as are m o r e investigations o f effects on pulmonary epithelial cel ls . Ear l ier studies of cytotoxic actions of inflammatory cells focused on lymphocyte toxicity in the i m m u n e reaction and/or ant ibody-dependent cellular cytoxic reactions. T h e s e immunologic reactions cannot b e discounted in interstitial lung disease. Kravis e t a l 1 5 showed immunologic reactivity to type I collagen in I L D . T h e well-known association of i m m u n e complexes with these diseases and t h e newer data on lymphocyte accumulation and activation all lend support to the possibility of lymphocyte-dependent toxicity. However, we do not know the antigens or targets. Moreover, the mechanisms o f injury by T cells or natural killer cells are still unclear or at least controversial. For example , is the i m m u noglobin seen in the alveolar walls in patients with I L D on t h e endothel ial or the epithelial surface, and, i f so, does this promote ant ibody-dependent toxic reaction to that cell type? It would seem fruitful to pursue investigations o f lymphocyte(or monocyte-) dependent injury in I L D along with the basic mechanisms by which such damage is caused. T h e actual mechanisms by which the inflammatory cells damage the endothelium or epithel ium are still unclear. M u c h emphasis has been given to oxygen radicals . 3 However, other agents are receiving attention in recent studies, and the whole picture may turn out to b e highly complex. Part of the problem lies in difficulties of studying these processes in vivo and the n e e d to use inhibitors or scavengers whose specificity is often problematic . T h e ephemera l nature of these toxic agents and problems o f local action (and the presence of potent plasma scavengers) make this even more difficult to study. Nevertheless , a wealth of indirect data support oxygen radicals as important agents of inflammatory cell toxicity. Newer investigations are probing the actual mechanisms by which such radicals injure ce l l s 1 6 and are beginning the important task of showing that such molecules were in fact generated in t h e lung in vivo. A second series of materials that have b e e n involved as promoting tissue injury are cel l -derived proteinases. For example , these have b e e n suggested as one mechanism of lymphocyte -dependent toxic r e a c t i o n s . " In the above-ment ioned e x p e r i m e n t s on n e u t r o p h i l d e p e n d e n t in jury to cultured endothel ial and epithelial cel ls , t h e toxic reactions could not b e attr ibuted to oxygen radicals but were inhibited by low molecular weight inhibitors of neutrophil e las tase . 1 2 Nei ther the major plasma inhibitor o f elastase a{ antiproteinase nor plasma itself prevented the toxicity. This could explain why injury can occur in vivo. It may b e postulated that inflammatory cells that are closely adhered to endothelial or epithelial cells release or express proteases at these points of adhesion which exclude molecules of the size of a , -ant iproteinase (see E . C a m p b e l l , p U 3 S ) . T h e s e concepts are supported by the finding that " p r i m e d " neutrophils express m o r e extracellular elastase w h e n s t imula ted , " and that some o f this may remain associated with the cytoplasmic m e m b r a n e . Clearly, these proteases are also likely to contr ibute to disruption of e lements o f the pulmonary connective tissues and basement membranes . A final group of agents that may contribute to the toxic reactions are the cationic proteins found in phagocytic inflammatory cells . Eosinophil basic proteins are known to be toxic to airways epithelial ce l l s . 1 8 However, neutrophil cationic proteins may also contribute to tissue alterations. T h e y certainly can alter vascular permeabil i ty. 1 8 2 0 Additionally, some of the granulocyte proteinases are themselves cationic, which may promote their binding to target cells and perhaps produce direct toxic effects. T h e s e are areas that should b e further investigated. This short list o f groups o f cell-derived toxic agents is not meant to be exclusive. Significantly absent are phospholipases, membrane-act ive lipids, and complementl ike hydrop h o b i c m e m b r a n e i n s e r t i n g p r o t e i n s . N e v e r t h e l e s s , it should serve to emphasize that there is more than one way to kill a cat, or lung cell . C O N C L U S I O N S It is suggested that parenchymal cell injury represents a key e l e m e n t in the initial and progressive alteration in fibrosing interstitial lung diseases. T h e direct causes o f such injury are not yet known, but inflammatory processes could b e the initiators (as well as representing an amplifying c o n s e q u e n c e o f the damage). Inflammatory cells can induce injury and lysis to endothelial and epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. At this point most work has focused on the neutrophil, and in a different context, the lymphocyte. Areas for further investigation should therefore include study of the toxic potential of o ther inflammatory cells in the tissue cul ture dish as well as in the whole animal (and man), and, to d e t e r m i n e in the arena o f interstitial lung diseases, the involvement o f immunologic toxic reactions involving e i ther antibody, lymphocytes or both. T h e fundamental mechanisms by which inflammatory cells injure their targets is a further area o f developing and important interest . Emphasis should certainly b e placed on oxygen radicals but not to the exclusion o f alternative or additional processes . O f particular importance, for example, might b e possible denaturing effects of oxygen radicals on cell surface proteins, which would render them more susceptible to proteases. Finally, it would seem unlikely that complex, progressive, and prolonged disease processes such as those exemplified by the fibrosing interstitial pneumonit ides can b e explained by s imple schemes or single toxic events or sequences . T h e studies o f acute events ment ioned above are important and are certainly likely to b e relevant on an individual eell-to-cell basis. However, the whole disease must b e appreciated in a complete ly different t ime frame, allowing checks , balances, and feedback loops of which we have had but the most superficial gl impses. H e r e are the future frontiers in the study and the treatment of these diseases.


Aim/PurposeTo study on the effects of integrated technology-based approach and peer coaching on teachers' TPACK and students' understanding in learning  geometry in secondary level.
Background Teachers have confronted with difficulties while applying technology in classroom teaching. The need of cooperation with others under the peer coaching which supports and encourages teachers in generating ideas for improving classroom teaching is the key to improve their designing of the integrated technology-based approach lessons to promote and support an effective teaching and learning of geometry.
Methodology Participants were three in-service teachers and one pre-service teacher who had taught geometry in grade 7 and samples were thirty-two seventh-grade students of a school in Yala, Thailand. Questionnaire and open-ended         questions were used for assessing teachers' development of TPACK while geometric achievement test was employed to examine students' understanding before and after learning with the integrated technology-based approach lesson plans under the peer coaching process. Descriptive statistics and a Developmental Model for TPACK were used for assessing teacher's TPACK while paired-samples t test and one-sample t test were used to determine students' understanding in geometry.
ContributionThis research fulfills the effectiveness of geometry teaching and learning process by integrating old and new technologies to design new technology-based approach under the process of peer coaching. The contribution in this study not only enhanced students' learning in geometry, but teachers also received feedback for developing and improving their essential skills which are important for using technologies in teaching practice and developing their TPACK.
Findings  The teacher participants' development of TPACK levels improved after the process of peer coaching. The students enhanced their understanding in      learning geometry after the use of the integrated technology-based approach lesson plans under the process of peer coaching.
Recommendations  for Practitioners Practitioners can select the three alternative types of technologies in the integrated technology-based approach lesson plans based on context and school's readiness, teachers, and students which should concentrate to an        effective geometry learning for students.
Recommendations  for Researchers Researchers should investigate the effects of appropriate, modern, and easily-accessible technologies integrating with peer coaching process to improve an effective of geometry learning.
Impact on Society   This research indicated the effectiveness of students' geometry learning that showed the remarkable impact on supporting students in learning visualization. It considers as meaningful learning experience that they could use technologies for their learning. A solid foundation on geometry through a meaningful representation that they acquired during learning enabled them to solve real life problems in their society in the future.
Future Research Researchers should investigate the effects of the integrated technology-based approach and the peer coaching process in teaching and learning geometry in higher level and in other different topics..


The (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptors contribute to the regulation of blood pressure, play a role in heart contractile function, cardiac rhythm and human prostate smooth mus-cle contraction. Various (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptor antagonists can be useful in the treatment of hypertension and be-nign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Antagonists of (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptor are the mainstay of treatment of BPH as they are able to reduce the dynamic component of bladder obstruction and they may reduce the irritant symptoms of the disease. The (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptors sub-class has been divided into three subtypes: (cid:2) 1A , (cid:2) 1B and (cid:2) 1D on the basis of pharmacological and cloning studies. Some data point toward a distinct distribution and function of the 3 receptors in different vascular beds and smooth muscles [Eltze et al., Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol, 2001; Sapa and Kubacka, Eur J Pharm, 2011]. In this context it is neces-sary to search for new selective (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptor antagonists with a well identified pharmacological profile. Analysis of a number of chemical structures of selective (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptor antagonists indicates that the majority of active compounds possess arylpipera-zine moieties. Thus, we synthesized and tested a 5-arylidenehydantoin derivative with phenylpiperazine moiety, designated as RW-11b, in order to find new selective (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptor antagonists. The compound was evaluated on its affinity for (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptors in radioligand binding assays (K i = 23 nM). Since it con-tains an asymmetric carbon atom, the racemic mixture as well as both enantiomers (R+ and S-) were tested. The antagonistic properties at (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptor subtypes were assessed in functional bioassays. It turned out to be the competitive antagonist of (cid:2) 1 -adrenoce-ptors with stronger activity at (cid:2) 1D and (cid:2) 1A and weaker at (cid:2) 1B subtype of (cid:2) 1 -adrenoceptors with no significant differences between racemic mixture and two enantiomers.


This volume brings together a selection of recent articles by leading scholars on the economics of international trade and the environment. The collection incorporates key papers published between 2000 and 2013 that investigate the major themes in the field including the effects of globalization on environmental outcomes, the effects of environmental policy on international competitiveness, evidence on the pollution haven hypothesis, effects of trade on the sustainability of renewable resources, interaction between trade policy and environmental policy and trade and climate change.


Chloroapatite (Na2Nd2Pb6(PO4)6Cl2), a Nd3+ compound with 3.4×1021 ions cm−3 has been shown recently to possess a high fluorescence efficiency. Measurements on single‐crystal samples show that the oscillator strengths and the fluorescence quenching are both slightly smaller than in Nd pentaphosphate (NPP). Laser effect with longitudinal Ar* laser excitation is reported for the first time in this material on two lines at 1.0585 and 1.0675 μm, which have orthogonal polarizations and equal thresholds, in agreement with fluorescence spectra. The laser threshold (absorbed power for a given total cavity loss) is nearly equal to that of a NPP crystal in the same cavity.


Objective:To study the correlation among cerebral infarction,carotid atherosclerotic plaque and plasma lipopro- tein.Methods:The carotid atherosclerotic plaque was performed with color doppler ultrasonography and the plasma lipoprotein was measured in 70 patients with cerebral infarction (CI) and 38 cases of controls matched in sex and age.CI patients were divided into two groups:cerebral infarction with plaque group (CI+P,n=49) and cerebral infarction without plaque group (CI- P,n=21).Results:(1) The incidence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque was 70.0% in CI and 18.4% in controls.There was significant difference (P0.01) between two groups;(2) Plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were higher in CI than in controls(P0.05) and LDL-C/HDL-C was significantly higher in CI group(P0.01);(3)LDL-C and HDL-C had more increasing and decreasing tendency in CI+P than in CI-P respectively,but no statistical difference was found.The level of LDL-C/HDL-C was analysed,and it was significantly higher in CI+P than in CI-P (P0.05).Conclusion: There is a close correlation between carotid atherosclerotic plaque and cerebral infarction.High plasma TC and LDL-C contribute to the currence of CI.Analysis of LDL-C/HDL-C is very helpful to CI diagnosis,especially to CI with carotid atherosclerotic plaque.


The current study examined valence transfer in the crossmodal paradigm in order to test the generalizability of the phenomenon and to contribute to a better understanding of the underlying processes. Western European participants evaluated Asian ideographs to be more visually pleasant when in the presence of pleasant sounds than when in the presence of neutral or unpleasant sounds (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 was conducted to reduce the demand characteristics, and to investigate the involvement of affective responses. We measured facial electromyography (EMG) and skin conductance responses (SCR) from participants evaluating ideographs while a piece of music was playing in the background. Evaluative judgments of the ideographs reflected subtle variance of valence within the piece of music. The extent of this valence transfer depended on the extent of SCRs within the respective trial. In addition, ideograph judgments were accompanied by concordant affective responses within facial EMG. The findings suggest that valence transfer from brief stimuli can be generalized to the crossmodal paradigm, occurs even if the experimental procedure obscures the purpose of investigation (i.e., automatically), and that affective responses are involved.


The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly, using household survey data, to present empirical evidence on the operation of the Bolsa-Famflia in Brazil and to discuss how it has fared in terms of targeting and impacting poverty, while expanding its coverage to almost 13 million households in 2010. Secondly, to explain the coexistence of BF and Benefwio de Prestação Continuada, the other means-tested cash-transfer program, both different in aims, design, impact and institutional framework. Although the transfers contributed to reducing poverty and inequality, there is still need to reform the social insurance system in order to guarantee better articulation, coherence and efficiency of its various components.


In the 1979/80 academic year, the efforts of the chair were directed at raising the ideological and theoretical level of lectures and practical studies. A new scholarly discipline, History of Russian Art, was introduced to broaden students' knowledge. In addition to general lecture courses on the history of the USSR, specialized courses and seminars were developed: "The Decembrist Movement," "Revolutionary Populism of the 1870s and Early 1880s in Russia," "Solution of the Agrarian Question in the USSR," "The Soviet: Political Base of the Soviet Socialist State," and others. As experience shows, study of these subjects makes for improvement in the methodological and general theoretical preparation of future professionals. In order to develop the creative thinking of the students, the range of topics of papers delivered at proseminars and special seminars, and for graduation theses and term papers, has been expanded. Students are now required to write a synopsis of at least one monograph in each historical ...


We consider a game-theoretic setting in which selfish individuals compete over resources of varying quality. The motivating example is a group of animals that disperse over patches of food of different abundances. In such scenarios, individuals are biased towards selecting the higher quality patches, while, at the same time, aiming to avoid costly collisions or overlaps. Our goal is to investigate the impact of collision costs on the parallel coverage of resources by the whole group. Consider M sites, where a site x has value f(x). We think of f(x) as the reward associated with site x, and assume that if a single individual visits x exclusively, it receives this exact reward. Typically, we assume that if l>1 individuals visit x then each receives at most f(x)/l. In particular, when competition costs are high, each individual might receive an amount strictly less than f(x)/l, which could even be negative. Conversely, modeling cooperation at a site, we also consider cases where each one gets more than f(x)/l. There are k identical players that compete over the rewards. They independently act in parallel, in a one-shot scenario, each specifying a single site to visit, without knowing which sites are explored by others. The group performance is evaluated by the expected coverage, defined as the sum of f(x) over all sites that are explored by at least one player. Since we assume that players cannot coordinate before choosing their site we focus on symmetric strategies. The main takeaway message of this paper is that the optimal symmetric coverage is expected to emerge when collision costs are relatively high, so that the following "Judgment of Solomon" type of rule holds: If a single player explores a site x then it gains its full reward f(x), but if several players explore it, then neither one receives any reward. Under this policy, it turns out that there exists a unique symmetric Nash Equilibrium strategy, which is, in fact, evolutionary stable. Moreover, this strategy yields the best possible coverage among all symmetric strategies. Viewing the coverage measure as the social welfare, this policy thus enjoys a (Symmetric) Price of Anarchy of precisely 1, whereas, in fact, any other congestion policy has a price strictly greater than 1. Our model falls within the scope of mechanism design, and more precisely in the area of incentivizing exploration. It finds relevance in evolutionary ecology, and further connects to studies on Bayesian parallel search algorithms.


Academy,research and production cooperation education mode focus on the overall quality and comprehensive ability cultivation of students,which takes advantage of schools and enterprises,research institutes and many different educational environments and resources to give full play to talents training,and it is a combination education model of classroom-based schools to impart knowledge and direct access to practical experience,innovation-based production,and research and practice.


Abstract:Paul Eggert's The Work and the Reader in Literary Studies: Scholarly Editing and Book History elaborates a general program for the study of literature centered on the question, "What is the thing read?" Concepts of document, text, and work are parsed with care, generating many valuable insights and clarifications, but there is need for more thinking about the linguistic medium of literature. To textual studies, bibliography, and book history — the trio of foundational disciplines advocated by Eggert — one should add philology, or the study of literary language.


SEVERAL STUDIES ON THE RELATION BETWEEN the metabolism and motility of mammalian spermatozoa (1–6) show that motility is maintained for extended periods under anaerobic conditions and that substances such as cyanide and carbon monoxide which specifically inhibit respiration do not have any effect on motility. In 1935, Iwanow (7) further showed that concentrations of mono halo acetic acids which inhibited the glycolysis of dog spermatozoa did not destroy motility, and he concluded that neither glycolysis nor respiration was an essential source of energy for motility. Lardy and Phillips (4) in a study of bull spermatozoa used monoiodoacetic acid, and confirmed Iwanow's observations. Recently, the same authors have pre-sented evidence which indicates that, in the presence of oxygen, phospholipids may act as a source of energy for bull spermatozoa. The role of substrates in the motility of mammalian spermatozoa has not received much attention though Iwanow (8) has found that the motility of sheep spermatozoa ...


This action research project examined the impact of the explicit teaching of social skills to enhance academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of kindergarten and second grade students in a middle-class community located in central Illinois. The problem of inappropriate behaviors and difficulty interacting with peers and how this may effect academic achievement was documented through data collected by observation checklists, social skills inventories, student interviews and teacher-made criterion based reference tests. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that society, in general, is changing. There are many factors effecting children's social development such as negative media, dissolution of the family unit, poor role models, lack of appropriate instruction, low socio-economic status, and exposure to a physically and socially toxic environment. A review of solution strategies suggested by knowledgeable others, combined with an analysis of the problem setting, resulted in the selection of four major categories of intervention: explicitly teaching social skills to students, cooperative learning instruction and activities, peer mentoring between the second graders and kindergartners, and implementing multiple intelligence activities in the classroom. Post intervention data indicated an increase in pro-social behavior, a decrease in antisocial behavior, and enhanced academic performance (appended are data collection instruments, classroom materials, children's literature list, and raw data).


From June 13 to August 18 Shannon Point Marine Center of Western Washington University hosted the 2011 American Academy of Underwater Sciences/Our World Underwater Scholarship Society Scientific Diving Internship in Anacortes, WA. The internship consisted of the following components: 1) general and specialized diving knowledge and skill development, 2) project specific dive training and assistance with diving research, and 3) introduction to scientific dive program management. The 2011 intern demonstrated expertise in all program areas by obtaining lead scientific diver status and additionally mastering the specialized knowledge and skill set of research tasks associated with the recovery of threatened pinto abalone Haliotis kamtschatkana. Also, by assisting the diving safety officer with dive program management, the intern was able to familiarize herself with the professional responsibilities of maintaining organizational membership with AAUS while balancing the needs and limitations of the institution.


the of ABSTRACT The present work was conducted to investigate the possible use of epithelial cells from the oral cavity and urinary tract in identifying smoking-related effects in men. Epithelial cells from the oral cavity and urinary tract were collected from 25 smoking and 25 non-smoking men and subjected to micronucleus assay. The DNA damage (cells with micronuclei and nuclear buds), binucleated cells, condensed chromatin, karyorrhexis, pyknotic and karyolytic cells were observed after DNA specific staining. The analysis revealed the frequency of binucleated cells and condensed chromatin cells in 25 studied men with smoking habit, statistically significant differences were noted only in epithelial cells from the oral cavity in comparison to those of the urinary tract. In non-smokers the results demonstrated no differences in cytogenetic damage frequency in denaturation. One slide was incubated in distilled water as a negative control to check efficiency of the 5M HCl treatment. The cells - stained by Schiff's reagent for 90minutes in the dark and at roomtemperature and then counterstained in 0.2% (wt/vol) Light Green solution for 30 seconds in the case of buccal cells and 60 seconds in the case of urothelial cells. Dehydration in absolute ethanol protected cells against fading. Dried microscopic slides were mounted in DPX medium.


The thermochemical and flammability properties of some polymers considered for use in aircraft interiors are described. The properties studied include: (1) thermochemical properties such as glass transition and melt temperature; (2) dynamic thermogravimetric analysis in anaerobic environment; (3) flammability properties such as oxygen index, flame spread, and smoke evolution, and (4) selected physical properties. The thermoplastic polymers evaluated included polyphenylene sulfide, polyaryl sulfone, 9, 9-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) - fluorene polycarbonate - poly (dimethylsiloxane) and polyether sulfone. The thermoset polymers evaluated included epoxy, bismaleimide, a modified phenolic and polyaromatic melamine resin.


Abstract Marketing and health promotion are similar activities in that both attempt to influence behavior. The difference lies in focus of activities. Marketing focuses on needs of the individual as indicated by the individual. Health promotion generally focuses on health needs of the individual as identified by the health promoter. This difference emphasizes the utility of marketing for health promotion. Marketing can be a tool for increasing awareness of and participation in health promotion activities. However, in order to utilize marketing effectively, an understanding of marketing principles is necessary. One such principle is the marketing mix which consists of the product, price, place, and promotion. The idea is to develop the right product, offer it at the right price, in a place where the individual may easily obtain it, and promote it to increase awareness and motivation. It is the blend of marketing mix elements that largely determines success of the marketing effort. This paper discusses the ...


As a foundation dentist having completed my first six months, I am now preparing to embark on the next stage of my career. It seems like an appropriate time to reflect on and share my experiences since my graduation in July 2015. As with most events in life, there have been ups and downs. With this in mind, I will reflect on the positives and any negatives openly to give a balanced account of my initiation into general dental practice.


We study the thermodynamic properties of a system described by two discrete energy levels, coupled to a bath of phonons. We derive a discrete path-integral representation for the partition function that is convenient for numerical evaluation and allows us to calculate in a unified manner the model properties in the whole coupling range. As a function of the coupling strength the system exhibits a transition from the weak-coupling regime to the self-trapped state. In the weak-coupling regime there is a periodic motion, similar to the tunneling of a particle in a double-well potential. In the strong-coupling regime, the periodicity is lost and the motion turns into a stochastic process.


In this paper, the incorporation of negative rules is introduced into each positive rules of fuzzy inference system. At the same time, the interval in which the attenuation factors distribute is extended. A new defuzzification method which is called General dot attenuation (GDA) is presented here. This method is a generalization of the dot attenuation method (DA). The advantages of the GDA method over the DA method are validated by three numerical examples.


Scabies is defined as a pruritic skin condition caused by an infestation of itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei that is exceptionally contagious; however, there is no exact figure on its prevalence. A six-year-old girl was presented to the Dermatology department of Zahid Maiwand clinic in Kandahar City, Afghanistan. The chief complaint of patient was severe itch at night and rashes on the skin. The skin lesions were "face and body papules, papulovesicles, pustules, nodules, and seborrhea for 15 days" in May of 2020. Ten days ago, the girl was diagnosed as COVID-19 after a PCR test; the patient's fever and body aches were slowly subsiding while the rash started to appear; it was extremely itchy at night; after taking a complete history. It was found that other family members were also showing scabies symptoms such as itching at night and small burrow type skin lesions. We referred the patient for a microscopic examination of some lesions to look for mites and burrows.


Significant improvements in a constant current ballast circuit to provide linear programmed current control at levels up to 5 A, with minimum voltage drop, can be realized.


Dunajska, Jana: A comprehensive financial analysis of the company. [Thesis]. Banking Institute University of Prague, Foreign University Banska Bystrica. Department of Finance, Accounting and Insurance. Supervisor: doc. Ing. Tomas Kliestik, PhD. Year of defense: the 2013th Number of pages: 80. The aim of this thesis was the description of the methods of financial analysis and theoretical knowledge applicable to their chosen company. The first chapter deals with the sources of information for financial analysis. For further defines the purpose and role of the financial analysis, the sources of information for financial analysis, which are balance, income statement and cash flow statement. The second chapter focuses on specific methods of financial analysis, namely an indicator of profitability, liquidity, activity, debt, market val and financial analysis of ex-ante. They are then applied in the third chapter, which analyzes a specific company Slovnaft, a.s..


In order to get accurate survey and careful studied for some special places, such as ocean, earthquake area and flooded area, it is convenient to use the airborne surveying system. In this paper, the Real Time Image Capture Technology will be discussed first. Then the Real Time Image Receiving and Processing technology will be discussed. Finally the PASGI system will be introduced and the some simulating results will be given.


The structure of the E-isomer of an oxodipyrromethene, 3,4-dimethyl-2,2′-pyrromethen-5(1H)-one, C11H12N2O, has been determined. This was obtained by photoisomerization from the Z-isomer. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/a with a= 10.479(3), b= 8.643(2), c= 11.926(2)A, β= 114.07(1)°, Z= 4. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full-matrix least-squares to an R factor of 0.064. The molecule is in an anticlinal conformation with a dihedral angle of 49.8° about the methine single bond. Each oxygen atom is hydrogen-bonded to two nitrogen atoms which are located on two different molecules. Bond lengths and angles are similar to those found in the Z-isomer.


This paper presents an empirical study in which Data Envelopment Analysis is used to evaluate the operating efficiency of 12 business units and 182 stores of Fong Shan Tourism Plaza. Land size, equipment investment, sales costs, operating expenses, and number of personnel are selected as input variables, while turnover, number of customers and customer satisfaction are output variables. We found that five variables are reserved after factor reduction by correlation analysis. These 12 business units are categorized into 3 groups based on efficiency scores. In each group, cultural booth, mini-train, self-store, and ice cream store are the relatively efficient business units and flower market and heritage area are the most inefficient business units. Moreover, dual analysis shows that business expenses, sales costs, and equipment investment have high priority for improvement. Finally, according to sensitivity analysis results, sales costs and business expenses are key factors to the efficiency scores of each business unit. Key-words: leisure, DEA, operating efficiency, dual analysis, measurement, tourism,


This project analyzes the applicability of the Kalman filter as a probabilistic prediction method to visual tracking. The problems encountered when not using predictions are identified, such as the lack of robustness towards noisy motions and measurements. A literature survey of the subject is provided, which points out some of the common problems associated with using the Kalman filter and indicates how they can be approached. One problem identified in the literature is the requirement for prior knowledge about the process and the measurement procedure. This problem is confirmed by the experiments. Specifically, the values of the process and measurement covariance matrices are needed, yet difficult to obtain in most cases. Iterative methods are proposed to estimate these matrices, however they fail to provide useable results in the cases tested. From this, it is concluded that either more prior knowledge is required or better techniques for determining these matrices need to be developed. Most tests are performed on synthetic images with known motion patterns (constant velocity and constant acceleration) and specified noise levels. This allows a clear comparison of the prediction methods implemented.


Author(s): Manzo, Lidia K.C. | Abstract: What scholars think of as gentrification is often associated with more expensive and aesthetically elegant cafes, restaurants, and boutiques that appeal to the high-class consumers' tastes. Yet, as I have discussed, it also means the displacement of working class residents and their stores. There happened to a bakery in the south part of Park Slope, a place where coffee cost less than a dollar, but the rent jumped up from four thousand dollars a month to a whopping five thousand dollars a month. So, what might be the real face of this transition? Perhaps the one of Signora Enrica, one of two old Sicilian sisters that used to own an old-fashion Italian Bakery. In the photo (See Figure 1, Seeing the neighborhood change) it is the last day their store will be open and she is there, working as always, behind the counter.


The utility model relates to a dry battery cabinet which is used for the layout of the dry battery. The dry battery cabinet can be used as a transportation box, a storage box or a cabinet for selling dry batteries. The box type dry battery cabinet is characterized in that a main cabinet body is connected with a lower cabinet body to construct a main cabinet body 5; an upper cover 1 of the main cabinet body is hinged with the main cabinet body 5; four dry battery boxes 3 are arranged in the main cabinet body 5; the dry battery boxes are connected through a projection 7 and a concave groove 4; each dry battery box is separated by two retaining boards 2 to construct three box bodies used for storing the dry batteries; wheels 6 are arranged on the lower part of the cabinet body. The utility model has the advantages that the utility model adopts a special cabinet body, ensuring the utility model to be used as a battery storage cabinet, a transportation cabinet or a cabinet for selling batteries; the utility model becomes multi-purpose, convenient, energy saving and has low cost; the utility model moves conveniently through the wheels; meanwhile, the appearance of the cabinet can be more beautiful through printing logos.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world. Accurate determination of the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutation status is highly relevant for the proper treatment of this patients. Purpose: The aim of this study was to predict the mutational status of the EGFR in non-small cell lung cancer patients using radiomics features extracted from PET-CT images. Methods: Retrospective study that involve 34 patients with lung cancer confirmed by histology and EGFR status mutation assessment. A total of 2.205 radiomics features were extracted from manual segmentation of the PET-CT images using pyradiomics library. Both computed tomography and positron emission tomography images were used. All images were acquired with intravenous iodinated contrast and F18-FDG. Preprocessing includes resampling, normalization, and discretization of the pixel intensity. Three methods were used for the feature selection process: backward selection (set 1), forward selection (set 2), and feature importance analysis of random forest model (set 3). Nine machine learning methods were used for radiomics model building. Results: 35.2% of patients had EGFR mutation, without significant differences in age, gender, tumor size and SUVmax. After the feature selection process 6, 7 and 17 radiomics features were selected, respectively in each group. The best performances were obtained by Ridge Regression in set 1: AUC of 0.826 (95% CI, 0.811 - 0.839), Random Forest in set 2: AUC of 0.823 (95% CI, 0.808 - 0.838) and Neural Network in set 3: AUC of 0.821 (95% CI, 0.808 - 0.835). Conclusion: The radiomics features analysis has the potential of predicting clinically relevant mutations in lung cancer patients through a non-invasive methodology.


This paper presents a method for segment and detects the boundary of different breast tissue regions in mammograms by using dynamic K-means clustering algorithm and Seed Based Region Growing (SBRG) techniques. Firstly, the K-means clustering is applied for dynamically and automatically generated the seeds points and determines the thresholds' values for each region. Secondly, the region growing algorithm is used with previously generated input parameters to divide mammogram into homogeneous regions according to the intensity of the pixel. The main goal of this method is to automatically segment and detect the boundary of different disjoint breast tissue regions in image mammography. Segmentation of the mammogram into different mammographic densities is useful for risk assessment and qualitative and quantitative evaluation of density changes. So, using a computer-aided detection/diagnosis (CAD/CADx) system as supplement to the radiologists' assessment has an important role. In order to evaluate our proposed method we used the well-known Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database. The obtained qualitative and quantitative results demonstrate the efficiency of this method and confirm the possibility of its use in improving the computer-aided detection/diagnosis.


Voice conversion attempts to transform the personal characteristics of speech through adapting the acoustic parameters.The object is to make the speech uttered by a particular source speaker sound as if spoken by a designed target speaker.This paper introduces the development of voice conversion techniques in details.Firstly,the application of voice conversion and its system framework are described.Then,current conversion algorithms for the characteristics of vocal tract and prosody are presented,which is the core process of voice conversion.After that,the system performance evaluation methods,including subjective and objective measure,are introduced.Finally,the summary is given with a discussion of some existing problems in the current proposed algorithms.


During the New Order is a repressive regime, whereas in the era of reform after the Soeharto"s fall press imposed by euphoria. During the New Order authoritarian make press system so consequently the press is curbed. In contrast, the Reformation reconanced as democratic future, including in terms of press freedom. The purpose of this research are: First, to explain the freedom of the press before the era of the Reformation by Act No. 21 of 1982 on the Principles of the Press and its amendment. Second, to explain the freedom of the press after the Reformation era by Act No. 40 of 1999 on the Press. Third, to explain the advantages and disadvantages of the press before and after the Reformation. From this research, there are three things that concluded. First, freedom of the press before the era of the Reformation by Act No. 21 of 1982 on the Principles of the Press and amendments if traced the articles are shackles for the life of the press, the press is required to issue a license issue this license that can be used to control the editorial contents and banning. Second, freedom of the press after the Reformation era by Act No. 40 of 1999 concerning the Press is to guarantee freedom of the press, because there is no silencing and banning. Third, before the Reformation era Indonesian press called Pancasila press with a free and responsible goals. However, there is no freedom, so no complaints as a result of the deviation of the freedom of the press. However, due to the strict control of the Government of the press lost their identity to carry out its functions independently. Freedom of the press after the Reformation era is done on a national responsibility without limitation license renewal. Disadvantages of the press after the Reformation era is freedom takes precedence over its responsibilities while the excess press after a press Reformation era became an independent institution. Suggestions writer, first to guarantee press freedom ideally built on a foundation of community interest media managers, and the interests of the target service. Secondly, with regard to the interests of community framework is advisable actualization national press freedom, not only will meet the interests unilaterally, either interest manager (source), and the top of the fulfillment of the target interest (public media). The press must be responsive to public situations, because the powerlessness of the public to appreciate his opinion to press leaders should act as a facilitator to be able to appreciate what is desired. Third, freedom of the press after the Reformation era should be retained but remained on its responsibilities so as not to be excessive. Keywords: Press, Before the Reformation, After Reform


Road User Behavior: Theory and Research is a compilation in English of papers that were initially presented at the Second International Conference of Road Safety held in Groningen, the Netherlands, in August 1987. The book is divided into 15 sections covering topics that include accident analysis, risk models, driver stress, alcohol and drugs, and road safety in developing countries among other pertinent topic areas.


We discuss an algorithm that eliminates the periodic non-linearity of a bimorph piezo actuator by modifying the phase of the voltage waveforms used for driving the actuator. The procedure presented allows for a separate optimization of the motion of the actuator groups in order to obtain the properties desired (such as a specific stepsize or maximum force). The resulting response of a bimorph piezo drive, also under different loads, is experimentally investigated. The optimization process can be applied to other actuators relying on internal periodic processes, if the motion is reproducible, and is limited by measurement noise or manufacturing tolerances only.


The aim of the present work is to extend the a priori error for contact problems with an augmented Lagrangian method. We focus on unilateral contact problem without friction between an elastic body and a rigid one. We consider the pushforward of a NURBS space of degree p for the displacement and the pushforward of a B-Spline space of degree p − 2 for the Lagrange multipliers. This specific choice of space is a stable couple of spaces. An optimal a priori error estimate inspired from the Nitsche's method theory is provided and compared to the regularity of the solution. We perform a numerical validation with two- and three-dimensions in small and large deformations with N 2 /S 0 and N 3 /S 1 elements.


This article uses data on CHAPS Sterling transactions to describe the segment of the unsecured overnight loan market that settles within CHAPS. It assesses the size, timing and importance of these transactions for the underlying payments infrastructure. Advances and repayments of overnight loans are estimated to have accounted for around 20% of CHAPS Sterling activity by value over our sample period; four CHAPS Sterling members send and receive virtually all payments corresponding to these loans; and, finally, the value of CHAPS Sterling payments associated with this market rises towards the end of the CHAPS day.


The Bachelor's thesis themed " Optimalization of a transportation company's logistics " deals with specific activities of the Jasno Ltd, whose aim is to realize transportation operati-ons by the way of freight, domestic and international traffic, carried out by the vehicles until and over 3,5 t. It realizes container traffic, special traffic and other requested forms of transportation. The Jasno Ltd. seeks possibilities of optimalization of transport activities aimed at efficiency, especially in the field of the occupancy of the vehicles returning from abroad. It suggests options of problems solutions resulting from the analysis whose realization will create con-ditions for solving detected deficiencies.


In this paper we introduce a three replica potential, useful for examining the structure of metastable states above the static transition temperature, in the spherical p-spin model. Studying the minima of the potential we are able to find the distance between the nearest equilibrium and local equilibrium states, thus obtaining information on the dynamics of the system. Furthermore, the analysis of the potential at the dynamical transition temperature suggests that equilibrium states are not randomly distributed in the phase space.


: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the first metatarsopha-langeal angle (hallux valgus (HV) angle) can be reduced by HV correction shoes in middle ‐ aged to older women with mild hallux valgus. Radiography showed mild hallux valgus (HV angle:16.7 ‐ 21.9 ° )only unilaterally with a normal HV angle (8.7 ‐ 13.6 ° ) on the opposite side in all 7 participants. As a result of comparison of the HV angle under 3 conditions, i.e., barefooted, wearing shoes with ordinary soles, and wearing shoes with newly developed soles, significant differences were observed among the 3 conditions on the HV side (F value= 16.18,p<0.01) ,and the HV angle was significantly reduced by wearing shoes with newly developed soles compared with the barefooted condition and wearing shoes with ordinary soles. On the non ‐ HV side, no significant difference among the conditions was observed (F value=0.41,p=0.67).These results suggest that HV correction shoes are effective for reduc-ing the HV angle and do not cause problems when worn by middle-aged or older women with a normal HV angle.


In this paper,under the multi-dimensional vector space,14 quantitive indices of remote sensing were established using the spectrum information of Landsat TM.By adopting the method of stepwise dis- criminant analysis of Fisher,we first screened 6 indices-Fe_2O_3 Albedo,NDVI,and the combination of bands (band 1,2,4,5 and 7) reflecting soil water and vegetation water,which closely correlate with the present condition of sandy desertification (non-sandy desertification land,potential sandy desertification land,and sandy desertification land);second,we chose Fe_2O_3,Albedo,NDVI,and the combination of bands (band 5 and 7) reflecting soil water and vegetation water as the indices of the sandy desertification.Then,these indices were used to establish a discriminant function for appraising the desertification degree of the study area,and the result was compared with that of 2000,and the precision is 68.9%.The combination of spec- trum information and Fisher classifier can automatically identify the present condition and degree of sandy desertification and,compared with the classifying method of only using spectrum information,the use of the substitute index of remote sensing produce a better effect on classification of the present condition and degree of sandy desertification.


We review our work on SOI and Ge-on-SOI PICs for the mid-infrared. We demonstrate the integration of III-V semiconductors on the SOI platform for 2–4 μm wavelength range integrated lasers and spectrometers, as well as tunable filters implemented on the Ge-on-SOI platform beyond 4μm.


In 1988, Laih, Harn, and Huang proposed a password authentication scheme using quadratic residues (QR). In 1995, Chang, Wu, and Laih showed that the proposed password authentication scheme is suffered from an attack, where the attacker needs to apply to the system for four valid accounts, and then the desired password corresponding to an identity can be easily obtained. We propose another more effective attack and we show that only one extra valid account is needed in our new attack.


Using liquid-reduction or complex-redution method,four catalysts,i.e,the Au/C,Pd/C,Pd-Au/C-T and Pd-Au/C-H were preparated and which electroanalytic activities and stabilities for the oxidation of formic acid were compares.It was found that the Au/C catalyst has no electrocatalytic activity,and the Pd/C catalyst possesses the good electrocatalytic performance for the oxidation of formic acid.The addition of Au into the Pd/C catalyst can increase the electrocatalytic activity and stability.Especially,the electrocatalytic activity and stability of the Pd-Au/C-T catalyst with the alloy of Pd and Au are better than that of the of the Pd-Au/C-H catalyst,in which,Pd and Au do not form the alloy.The investigation of its reason is underway.


This study shows that Jamâl ad-Din al-Afghâni was born in Iran and was a Shi'i, and shows that sultan Abdulamid II did not cooperate with al-Afghâni for the «implementationn of the ideology of Pan-Islamism» which is developed by many scholars. The main purpose of the Sultan's bringing al-Afghâni to Istanbul was to prevent him from involving in undesirable British scenarios in the Muslim world. And Abdulhamid II wanted to improve political, economical and cultural freedom among Muslim people instead of promoting the kind of Pan-Islamism related to al-Afghâni.


This paper describes Alternaria pluriseptata and Geotrichum candidus causing fruit rot diseases of Coccinia india Wight & Arn. The disease occurs as typical light and dark green spots on fruits due to infection of A. pluriseptata, while creamy white, hard spot due to G. candicus. By isolating the organisms on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium studies on mycelial growth, symptomatology, pathogenicity, morphology of the pathogens were studied.


The present work studies the palaiogeographic representation of Greek archipelago the last 150,000 years with the use of ARCGIS and ARC VIEW. Aim of present work is to show the continuously altered extent of shelf of Greek sea the last 150.000 years because of the change of level of sea. And concretely for the following five chronicles spaces:
1. Before 100.000 years until 60.000 years when the level of sea was from 20m until 60m lower than current, focused in the 70.000 years before when the level of sea was in the -60 m from current.
2. Before 30.000 years when the level of sea was 80m lower than current.
3. Before 22.000 years until 18.000 years when the level of sea was 120m lower than current.
4. Before 10.000 years when the level of sea was 50m lower than current.
5. Before 8.000 years when the level of sea was 20m lower than current
Amining in the first place the learning of use of GIS for the appointment of spaces that can have economic and cultural interest. With the present work will be presented a line from charts that will show the changes of coast line Greek archipelago the last 150.000 years so that will be helped the geologists, biologists, are fished also archaelogists so that they can focus their researches in the correct regions for layers, piscatorial fields as well as prehistoric settlements. Floating with the use of GIS it becomes: (1) representation of the coast line and of the marine bas-relief the last 100.000 years in order to be examined the islands Lefkada, Kefallinia, Ithaca and Zante as well as Sporades remained continuously these islands with a full view to investigate the start of the navigation in Greece and (2) with the 3-D representation of the geometry of the coast line and environment of bas-relief for concrete time spaces in order to acquire a picture for how the prehistoric person conceived his around space. As well as how the perception of this space into in which he was living prompted him to develop navigations faculties in order to visit the islands.
The conclusions that come out, studying the all charts and observing the change of level of sea in each of five time periods in the past. It is observed a lot of differences in the morphology of the continental region and of the islander region. The coastal morphology of Aegean and Ionian varies but usually is constituted by abrupt rocks and narrow coastal area. The most extensive regions of shelf exist in northern Aegean and, in smaller degree, in Ionian and in Eastern Aegean.


The economy in Indonesia is currently not doing well. This can be seen from indonesia's economic growth data which is minus to 5.32 percent, which causes the Indonesian economy to become fragile and requires us to continue to think about how to stabilize the economy again. So a strong analysis and an intelligent way of thinking are needed in overcoming this problem.  This study aims to offer a concept from one of the Islamic authorities, namely Jamaluddin Al-Afghani, with his Islamic reform, namely Pan-Islamism in overcoming political economic problems that occur in Indonesia. By using descriptive analytical methods and qualitative approaches that contradicthis thinking, namely Pan-Islamism with several other Islamic scientists' thoughts and coupled with using data from previous studies. Finally, this article presents the concept of political economy which is believed to be able to create a better Indonesian economy. Some of the principles emphasized are the need for the Islamic world to unite together against foreign forces in the crucible of Pan Islamism, because the source of weakness of the Islamic world is the weak solidarity of Muslims. Then Muslims must unite both in political and economic terms, the Leader of the State must spread his call and ideas about reform and renewal in all aspects of life, whether political, economic, social and cultural, are comprehensive for all Muslims around the world where Individuals help each other. So that it can be applied to achieve the political renewal of human economy in this era.


Demand shaping is a promising way to mitigate the wireless cellular capacity shortfall in the presence of ever-increasing wireless data demand. In this paper, we formulate demand shaping as an optimization problem that minimizes the variation in aggregate traffic. We design a distributed and randomized offline demand shaping algorithm under complete traffic information and prove its almost sure convergence. We further consider a more realistic setting where the traffic information is incomplete but the future traffic can be predicted to a certain degree of accuracy. We design an online demand shaping algorithm that updates the schedules of deferrable applications each time when new information is available, based on solving at each timeslot an optimization problem over a shrinking horizon from the current time to the end of the day. We compare the performance of the online algorithm against the optimal offline algorithm and provide numerical examples to complement the theoretical analysis.


It is claimed that currently the information technologies have a significant didactic potential, which allows to incentivize students to achieve personal goals in education, including in the acquisition of cultural competences. The aims and objectives of higher pedagogical education provided for by current educational standards include the mastering the basic knowledge and skills, including cultural competency, which is particularly relevant to primary school teachers in the framework of the increasing trend towards globalization.


Objective. This was a prospective study of the effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy on newborn neurobehavior, including dose-response relationships using self-report and a bioassay of nicotine exposure. Methods. The sample included 27 nicotine exposed and 29 unexposed full-term newborn infants with no medical problems from comparable social class backgrounds. Mothers were excluded for using illegal drugs during pregnancy, using antidepressant medication, or if they consumed >3 alcoholic drinks per month. Nicotine exposure was determined by maternal self-report and cotinine in maternal saliva. The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) was administered by masked examiners in hospital to measure neurobehavioral function. NNNS scores were compared between nicotineexposed and -unexposed groups including adjustment for covariates. Dose-response relationships with NNNS scores were computed for maternal salivary cotinine and maternal report of number of cigarettes per day during pregnancy. Results. After adjustment for covariates, the tobaccoexposed infants were more excitable and hypertonic, required more handling and showed more stress/abstinence signs, specifically in the central nervous system (CNS), gastrointestinal, and visual areas. Dose-response relationships showed higher maternal salivary cotinine values related to more stress/abstinence signs (r .530) including CNS (r .532) and visual stress (r .688) and higher excitability scores (r .617). Cigarettes per day during pregnancy was related to more stress/abstinence signs (r .582) including CNS (r .561) and visual stress (r .640). Conclusions. These findings suggest neurotoxic effects of prenatal tobacco exposure on newborn neurobehavior. Dose-response relationships could indicate neonatal withdrawal from nicotine. Research directed at understanding the effects of cigarette smoking during pregnancy on infants can lead to improved public health outcome. Pediatrics 2003;111:1318–1323; smoking, pregnancy, neurobehavior, cotinine, dose-response. ABBREVIATIONS. LBW, low birth weight; NBAS, Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale; NICU, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; NNNS, NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale; TLFB, Timeline Follow Back; SES, socioeconomic status; CNS, central nervous system, SD, standard deviation. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy continues to be a significant public health concern.1 Despite declines in the percentage of women who smoked during pregnancy during the 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 12.3% of mothers who gave birth during 1999 smoked.2 The most recent report from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimated that 30.5% of nonpregnant women between the ages of 15 and 44 smoked. For pregnant women in this age range, the rates were 17.6% for tobacco use during pregnancy in contrast to rates of 13.8% for alcohol and 3.4% for illicit drugs.3 Furthermore, unlike other substances of abuse, cigarettes are typically used on a daily basis while for other drugs such as cocaine, 3 days a week is considered heavy use during pregnancy.4 Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a wellknown risk factor for low birth weight ([LBW], 2500 g) infants. LBW infants account for 7.6% of all live born infants, and 65% of deaths in the United States occur among LBW infants.5 Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are nearly twice as likely to have a LBW infant, and smoking during pregnancy is responsible for 20% to 30% of all LBW infants. LBW infants born to smoking mothers weigh an average of 150 to 250 g less than infants born to nonsmoking mothers.6 Maternal smoking during pregnancy produces adverse effects for the fetus through several pathways. First, cigarette smoke interferes with normal placental function. As metabolites of cigarette smoke pass through the placenta from mother to fetus, they act as vasoconstrictors reducing uterine blood flow by up to 38%.7 The fetus is deprived of nutrients and oxygen, resulting in episodic fetal hypoxia-ischemia and malnutrition.8 This is the basis for the fetal intrauterine growth retardation seen in many infants born to smoking mothers. Second, the nicotine in cigarette smoke acts as a neuroteratogen that interferes with fetal development, specifically the developing nervous system.9 In utero, nicotine targets nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the fetal brain to change the pattern of cell proliferation and differentiation. Fetal nicotine exposure upregulates nicotinic cholinergic receptor binding sites, causing abnormalities in the development of synaptic activity.10 The end result is cell loss and ultimately, neuronal damage. Furthermore, because From *Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island; ‡Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Brown Medical School and the Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island; and §Infant Development Center, Brown Medical School, Women and Infants Hospital and Bradley Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island. Received for publication May 7, 2002; accepted Nov 15, 2002. Reprint requests to (B.M.L.) Infant Development Center, Women and Infants Hospital, 79 Plain St, Providence, RI 02903. E-mail: barry lester@ brown.edu PEDIATRICS (ISSN 0031 4005). Copyright © 2003 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 1318 PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 6 June 2003 at Klinik Fuer Paediatrie on December 4, 2005 www.pediatrics.org Downloaded from concentrations of nicotine on the fetal side of the placenta generally reach levels 15% higher than maternal levels, even low levels of cigarette smoking may expose the fetus to harmful amounts of nicotine.11,12 As preclinical studies have shown, fetal doses of nicotine that do not result in LBW still produce deficits in fetal brain development.12 Despite how much is known about the effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy, surprisingly little is known about how such effects impact newborn neurobehavior. In previous works, maternal smoking during pregnancy and newborn behavior has been studied using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS),13,14–17 neuromotor assessment,18 and acoustic cry analysis.19 In the current study we provide the first evidence for newborn neurobehavioral effects of prenatal cigarette smoking using a bioassay (maternal salivary cotinine), including dose-response relationships and a neurobehavioral examination specifically designed to measure drug effects (NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale [NNNS]).20 This study provides an important link between preclinical and human data, and examines the short-term neurobehavioral mechanisms that may underlie long-term behavioral differences associated with prenatal smoking exposure.


This article questions the specificity of the "contemporary urban vernaculars" (Rampton) usually called "youth languages". Starting from a review of the different labels designating these language practices, it shows that many of them link them to the expression of ethnicity, hence the success of the category of "(multi)ethnolect". After having criticized this recourse to ethnicity, the authors discuss the role of linguistic contact in contemporary urban vernaculars since their linguistic hybridity if one of their mostly noticed features. They argue for the necessity to take thoroughly into account the social context of these language contacts in a way to understand their outcomes. Henceforth, the authors examine the role played by factors in the shaping of heteroglossic urban vernaculars: social attitudes towards immigrant languages and identification processes on the one hand, and specific forms of verbal interactions within the speakers' "street culture" on the other hand.