Golden Queen peach was a better indicator than Italian prune and Elberta peach seedling for detecting prune dwarf virus (PDV) in peach trees naturally infected with peach rosette and decline disease. Both cv. Golden Queen and Elberta seedling had lower probabilities of failing to detect PDV, but the symptoms produced were mild and transient in Elberta seedling compared with the severe and persistent symptoms produced in cv. Golden Queen. The virus was transported in the phloem, but not xylem, of affected peach trees and moved into limbs adjacent to the initially affected limb within 2 months of flowering.


The recovery of a water switch has been studied by means of Schlieren diagnostics. it was found that a vapor bubble which begins to expand 2 /spl mu/s after the electrical breakdown and decays after 1 ms determines the recovery time of the switch. The recovery time, defined as the time required to reach the full voltage across the gap after a previous switch event, was measured for two different electrode geometries by means of a pulse-probe (double pulse) system. The first pulse generated the water breakdown. The second pulse served as a probe pulse. The degree of recovery was defined as the ratio of the breakdown voltage obtained with the second pulse to that of the first pulse. Full recovery was achieved for a switch in static water with an energy deposition of 0.6 J per cm gap length after 2 ms corresponding to a repetition rate of 500 Hz. This rate could be increased to 1 kHz by flowing the water. An all-water pulse generator consisting of a water switch and a pulse forming network with water as dielectric was built and tested. This pulse generator produced 14 kV, 10 ns pulses into a 15 /spl Omega/ load with a current rise of 4/spl times/10/sup 11/ A/s.


The aim of this contribution is the development of a finite element formulation taylored to capture strong discontinuities within geometrically nonlinear solid mechanics. Thereby, strong discontinuities are considered as the final failure mechanism within localization problems. The failure kinematics are governed by the jumps in the nonlinear deformation map across the discontinuity. In the finite element discretization an interface element is endowed with these kinematics. As a consequence, the interface stiffness is dominated by the weighted spatial localization tensor. Based on these developments a model adaptive strategy is proposed and is computationally highlighted.


ABSTRACT Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) is a subject that has recently gained interest and been developed, mainly in Titanium alloys, since there are existing studies on alloys of aluminium, magnesium, steels and polymers. Titanium alloys are widely used in the aeronautical industry, mainly as components of undercarriages for commercial planes. This work focuses on the Ti-6Al-4V alloy; this type of alloy has alpha (α) and beta (β) phases and provided better balance in terms of the mechanical properties of hardness and tensile stress. The FSSW process was performed using a high-speed machining centre, using a rotational speed of 500 RPM, a plunge speed of the tool of 2 mm/s and 3 s as dwell time, on plates with a thickness of 1.5 mm and an overlap length of 20 mm. The results showed the effect of the variables of the FSSW welding process on the microstructure of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy caused by the thermal effect and the plastic deformation of the welding process, concluding that the right combination of parameters provides a joint without any defects.


Verticillium is a strong plant pathogenic fungus, causing severe wilt and death and average reductions in shoot and root growth in the survived plants. The control of this disease has become a priority in biological research. Rhizobium sp. strain showing in vitro the highest antagonistic activity against Verticillium dahliae and V. Albo atrum was tested in this study, for its efficiency in controlling Verticillium wilt of Berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum). Bacterial seed treatments increased significantly the percentage of healthy plants as well as the fresh weight of plants. The success of this protection depends on the time of preinoculation with the protective bacteria. In our conditions, Berseem seed treatments with Rhizobium before pathogenic infection conferred the best results with 83% of healthy plants against 7% in control (inoculated with Verticillium only). Bioprotection of Berseem against aggressive strains of Verticillium is closely related to the inoculum of the protector agent. The maximum reduction of the disease was achieved by the highest concentration 10 cells / ml, which was higher than the pathogenic inoculum (10 spores / ml). The existence of an optimal density for induction of a systemic resistance suggests that the host plant has unique requirements to be able to effectively oppose pathogen inoculation. Berseem seed inoculated with Rhizobium sp. before inoculation with Verticillium showed reduced severity of disease. This suggests that the colonization of seedling by bacteria before the attack of the pathogen reduces the potential of Verticillium to colonize root and to cause symptoms of disease. These requirements would reflect physiological processes leading to host resistance. This may suggest new alternatives for the biological control of Verticillium Disease.


Non-human animals can act morally by acting on the basis of moral emotions such as concern without being morally responsible in the sense of deserving praise or blame. They can unconsciously select from different motivations and so have the requisite control over their behavior for moral normativity yet lack awareness of their reasons as reasons and so lack the self-reflection and understanding required for full moral responsibility. This is an alternative to Mark Rowlands' compatibilist construal of non-human animals as moral subjects.


In this paper, we consider the optimal investment problem for an insurer who has n dependent lines of business. The surplus process of the insurer is described by a n-dimensional compound Poisson risk process. Moreover, the insurer is allowed to invest in a risk-free asset and a risky asset whose price process follows the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model. The investment objective is maximizing the expected utility of the insurer's terminal wealth.Applying dynamic programming approach, we establish the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. Optimal investment strategy is obtained explicitly for exponential utility. Finally, we provide a numerical example to analyze the effects of parameters on the optimal strategy.


This contribution describes precision width measurements that could be done at a muon collider for very narrow resonances as the Higgs or a possible pseudogoldstone boson, or for almost degenerate resonances as the A0 and H0 in the MSSM for large values of tan\beta.


In order to stay competitive and avoid being smashed by large companies, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to establish and manage dynamic and non-hierarchical networks to respond to market opportunities, ensuring a quick response, unique products with competitive prices and high product quality. This article proposes an innovative methodological approach and ICT platform to support non-hierarchical collaboration between SMEs for customised product design and manufacturing. The ICT services are based on mapping a methodology on an open source platform in order to apply low cost solutions to SMEs. Two case studies in the fashion industry have been analysed and used to test the proposed approach for network management.


Introduction: In June 2020, the Oujda-Angad prefecture recorded the highest number of positive cases at the regional level. In this context, our objective is to improve the quality of care for COVID-19 patients through the implementation of an effective response strategy. Material and Methods: This monocentric, retrospective study was carried out in two health care facilities: A Regional Hospital Center AL FARABI, and a first-level health center (Health Centers), in order to record the number of patients treated by each facility. In addition, we report in parallel the different decisions issued by the persons in charge during this same period since the registration of the first case COVID-19 March 2020 until January 2021 in the prefecture of Oujda-Angad, capital of the eastern region of Morocco. Results: The response strategy installed was based on a set of decisions, of which the involvement of the first-line health centers was the main action. Since their involvement, these centers have responded by performing from November to May 2020 (9457 tests) for suspected cases, of which 4760 (50%) were detected positive. 3956 of them were managed at home (83%), and 682 (14.32%) were referred to regional hospital facilities. The case fatality rate recorded in hospitals was 2.56% (122 cases). Conclusion: Different strategies have been put in place at the level of the prefecture of Oujda-Angad in its response plan, based on international experiences (containment and mitigation strategy) and local decisions (involvement of frontline facilities in the care of COVID-19 patients). The epidemiological situation has been stabilized, and the number of cases has decreased because of these actions.


In a recent paper1 we showed the nonlinear optical behavior of the thermal origin in dye doped polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). These materials contain nematic microdroplets in a polymeric matrix. Therefore, they produce a strong light scattering which depends on the difference between the refractive indices of the nematic droplets and the polymer. Furthermore, in a dye doped sample the light absorption produces thermal indexing. A strong change in the transmission occurs when the liquid crystal droplets become isotropic, thus approaching the refractive index of the polymeric matrix: in this way an effect of self-transparency can be observed. Here we report measurements concerning the degenerate wave mixing phenomenon which occurs between a pump and signal beam after the onset of transparency in a PDLC sample.


The invention relates to a device for disinfecting or sterilizing closures. The essential aspect of the inventive apparatus for sterilizing closures for closing bottles or similar containers, in particular for the sterilization of the cap-like closure is to be seen in that at least one vertically oriented fastener receiving an at least partially engaging in the housing positioning device for introducing an adjusting movement by means of at least an actuator on said at least one recorded in this recording shutter closure associated and wherein the at least one actuator via a bellows with an opening of the housing movably connected.


Two novel neutral polyoxyethylene bridged cyclophanes (2a and 2b) incorporating bisphenol A units were synthesized and characterized by means of x-ray crystal structure determination. The binding properties of 2a and 2b toward tetramethylammonium, N-methylpyridinium, and acetylcholine cations were evaluated by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy. Consistent with indications provided by the molecular structure, the cavity in the basket-like cyclophanes is large enough to accommodate the given guest cations conveniently. Circumstantial evidence was obtained that 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane is too large to enter the cavity of the smaller cyclophane 2a, but can be included in the cavity of the larger cyclophane 2b. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Information about an organism's evolution and ecology is retained as molecular "fossils" in its DNA, and recent analytical methods, especially those based on coalescent theory, are enabling this information to be extracted. In particular, neutral molecular markers (those that are not affected by selection—e.g. segments of DNA that do not code for proteins) contain information about an individual's relationships to other organisms, its population's present and historical size, and relationships among populations. Methods of DNA analysis are advancing so rapidly that entire genomes can now be sequenced within a few months, and approaches for extracting evolutionary and ecologic information from sequences are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In this paper, I provide examples of insights into seabird evolution, ecology and conservation provided by recent advances in genetic analyses.


Soda saline-alkali water was added into the water from desalinated prawn pond,to study the juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei adaptability to saline-alkali water.A one-way toxicity test and a live ability test of juvenile shrimp were carried out in saline-alkali soda lakes.Results show medium effect concentration(EC50) of alkalinity for juvenile shrimp in 24 hours to be 2.73mmol/L,medium lethal concentration(LC50) in 24hrs,48hrs and 96hrs to be 12.40mmol/L,11.24mmol/L and 10.49mmol/L respectively,and safe concentration(SC) to be 2.77mmol/L.When alkalinity is 5.37~14.66mmol/L,medium lethal pH(LpH50) in 24hrs,48hrs,72hrs and 96hrs of juvenile shrimp are 9.26~8.98,9.14~8.86,9.10~8.80 and 9.00~8.80 respectively,and safe pH(SpH) is 8.42~8.14.Juvenile shrimp can survive 4.8~9.2hrs in saline-alkali soda lakes at an alkalinity of 18.68~38.78mmol/L,salt content of 1.57~3.50g/L and pH level of 8.5~9.5.The adaptability of desalinated juvenile shrimp to alkalinity and pH is poorer than that of freshwater fishes and its comprehensive adaptive capacity to saline-alkali soda lakes of northeast China is lower too.


This paper argues that the Texas social studies curriculum does not offer balanced coverage of world religions, due in large part to intervention by conservative members of the Texas State Board of Education. The paper identifies examples of imbalanced coverage in social studies texts and offers recommendations for broadening coverage of religion in Texas public schools.


Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a commonly used method for the analysis and characterization of electrochemical systems. To check the quality of measured impedance spectra, typically a linear Kramers-Kronig test (KKT) is conducted. The KKT is based on an equivalent circuit model consisting of a series of RC elements. The newly introduced extended Kramers-Kronig test (eKKT) allows the verification of complex impedance spectra comprising resistive, capacitive, and inductive as well as resistive-inductive and resistive-capacitive behavior. It is an improvement to the state of the art, since it allows examining linearity, noise, and stationarity, while avoiding under-and overfitting. To achieve this, four methods for an automated selection of the optimal model order, i.e., the number of RC elements are developed and compared. The method is validated by application to valid as well as invalid spectra of two lithium-ion batteries. The eKKT is a reliable method for the quality assurance of measured impedance spectra.


This study addresses the problem of stochastic radar target measurement. The authors develop an algorithm that allows for the reconstruction of the scattering function of a wide-sense stationarity with uncorrelated scattering radar target from the autocorrelation of the response of the target to a deterministic sounding signal. Although conventional methods are applicable only when the scattering function is supported on a 'rectangle' with area <1, the authors' method can handle area 1 support sets of 'arbitrary' geometry. Based on the suggested theoretical recovery procedure, the authors propose an unbiased scattering function estimator.


Assessment is an integral part of the teaching-learning process in both conventional and distance education contexts. Literature suggests that with the increase in the use of Information and Communications Technology in the delivery of learning, a number of institutions are resorting to formative assessment practices that are mediated by technology to not only provide flexible and more efficient means of assessment but also attain improved learning outcomes. This paper investigated student perceptions of the effectiveness of different types of formative assessment used in online learning environments. A 31-item questionnaire was used to gather data on student perceptions. On the level of difficulty, students generally perceived the various types of formative assessment as having no significant differences. Results further indicated that students received more prompt feedback from peer assessment and computer-marked assessment, compared to teacher-marked assessment. The findings of this study will support practitioners in eLearning to use formative assessment and feedback mechanisms more effectively to influence student engagement as well as learning outcomes.


He brought me reindeer tongues when we were courting, delicate darkened remnants which sat oddly against the paleness of my outstretched palm. Then three pairs of shoes from the Innuit, the people of the Arctic.


The greenhouse needs to control environmental parameters to obtain the ideal growth of the plant. The scopes of this paper are to design and im-plement system of real-time remote light intensity, temperature and hu-midity monitoring system for greenhouse based on raspberry Pi3 platforms, which enable the user to monitor acquisition data from the greenhouse. The design system, implemented using LabVIEW as platform software, has to receive data acquisition from raspberry Pi3 through the wireless network. The practical result that has been obtained by the system is reliable and it has good performance monitoring convenient.


Clonal propagation and limited dispersal of seeds lead to genetic population structures in which most potential mates are relatives. If the species suffers from inbreeding depression or is self-incompatible, the number of seeds matured per fruit may be limited by the lack of outcrossing by unrelated pollen. We tested for distance-related genetic structure by hand-pollinating plants at increasing distances and measuring fruit set (berries/pollinated flowers) and seed number per fruit in natural populations of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.). Bagging of the flower buds without natural (pollination by insects) or hand-pollination yielded almost no fruit or seed, suggesting that the species are obligately insect pollinated. Self-pollination led to a significant reduction in seed number per fruit and increased seed abortion compared with cross-pollination. Moreover, seed number increased with increasing distance between the pollen donor and pollen recipient. Flight ...


Lots of investigation data about the ecological zone show that how to well and truly achieve the intelligent recognition of the ecoregion boundary and automatically classify the ecological zones is the key issue in the researches of ecological structure,ecological process,and ecosystem service function.On the basis of specialist experience and principle of ecological zones,the intelligent recognition model of ecoregion boundary is developed with the grid generation methods on the GIS platform.The model overcomes the limitations in the ecological zone methods at present,these limitations include low precision,long period,and difficult to be updated etc.Furthermore,the model could intelligently recognize the ecoregion boundary and automatically classify the ecological zones.


The properties of vinyltin and phenyltin complexes [Sn(CH=CH2)3{μ-OOCC6H3(NH2)2-3,4}]n (1), [Sn(C6H5)3{OOCC6H3(NH2)2-3,4}] (2), [Sn(C6H5)3{OOC-2-C6H4N=NC6H4N(CH3)2-4}] (3) and [Sn(CH=CH2)3{OOC-2-C6H4N=NC6H4N(CH3)2-4}] (4) have been investigated. The structures of complexes 1, 2, and 3, have been determined by X-ray crystallography. Compound 1 is a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal complex and compounds 2 and 3 adopt a distorted tetrahedral structure. Complex 1 is a single-strand polymer with a bridging 3,4-diaminobenzoato ligand coordinating via the O(1) atom of the carboxylato group and the nitrogen atom of the para-amino group. The oxygen and nitrogen atoms occupy the axial coordination sites. The Sn(1)−N(2A) bond is weak. In complexes 2 and 3 the carboxylato ligands are strongly coordinated to the central atom via one oxygen atom, and the Sn(1)−O(2) distances are considerably longer. Weak interactions of the central atom with the amino group in complex 1, and with the O(2) atoms in complexes 2 and 3, as well as the hydrogen bonds, stabilize the crystal structure. The complexes are effective cytostatic agents. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2002)


Given the host of tragic events that children experience, it is often compelling for well-intended adults to respond in a protective and charitable fashion. The child rights approach asks for more. Building on their collective experiences in the developmental and social sciences, the authors present in roughly chronological fashion a synopsis of the theoretical explorations and scientific evaluation that completes a framework to advance the status of children as citizens. The recognition of the agency and capability of a child and the dynamic and enduring source of socialization from and social integration within the community are fundamental to this project. The participatory rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child serve as an impetus and inspiration to this project, the Young Citizens Program. What began with small-scale deliberative groups in Chicago matured into a cluster randomized controlled trial in northern Tanzania.


The purpose of this study was to survey the unit of science textbooks that elementary teachers find it hard to teach in elementary science class. For this study, some questionnaires were given to 50 teachers in elementary school. The results of this study were as follows: First, in the 1st semester of 3rd grade, the most difficult unit for instruction was to teach unit 6. "water dwellers", the reason is to prepare the experimental activities. And in the 2nd semester the most difficult unit was unit 3. "earth and the moon", the reason is to a lack of data and experimental results illustrate the difficulty of preparing and discourse. Second, in the 1st semester of 4th grade, the most difficult unit was to teach unit 8. "to find the constellation", the reason is to lack of background knowledge was associated with the unit. And in the 2nd semester the most difficult unit was unit 6. "spring-stretching", the reason is to unexpected results that were difficult to cope. Third, in the 1st semester of 5th grade, the most difficult unit was to teach unit 1. "mirrors and lenses", the reason is to lack of background knowledge was associated with the unit. And in the 2nd semester the most difficult unit was unit 7. "the sun"s family", the reason is to lack of background knowledge. Fourth, in the 1st semester of 6th grade, the most difficult unit was to teach unit 7. "magnet", the reason is to unexpected results that were difficult to cope. And in the 2nd semester the most difficult unit was unit 4. "seasonal changes", the reason is to lack of background knowledge was associated with the unit. As a result, elementary teachers were difficult to prepare experiments in the area of life, a lack of professional background in earth sciences area, and deal with unexpected results in the energy area.


The first observation of transitions between bound electronic states of neutral helium hydride is reported. Excited molecules were produced by electron transfer to the corresponding molecular ions. Emission spectra in the visible were obtained. Five electronic bands could be identified for three isotopic mixtures. Molecular constants confirming recent calculations of potential curves were derived for the first time. Predissociation of the upper state occurs for $^{4}\mathrm{HeH}$ in contrast to $^{3}\mathrm{HeD}$. Also NeH spectra could be obtained by the same method.


We consider layered decorated honeycomb lattices at two-thirds filling, as realized in some trinuclear organometallic complexes. Localized $S=1$ moments with a single-spin anisotropy emerge from the interplay of Coulomb repulsion and spin molecular-orbit coupling (SMOC). Magnetic anisotropies with bond-dependent exchange couplings occur in the honeycomb layers when the direct intracluster exchange and the spin molecular-orbital coupling are both present. We find that the effective spin exchange model within the layers is an XXZ + ${120}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ honeycomb quantum compass model. The intrinsic nonspherical symmetry of the multinuclear complexes leads to very different transverse and longitudinal spin molecular-orbital couplings, which greatly enhances the single-spin and exchange coupling anisotropies. The interlayer coupling is described by an XXZ model with anisotropic biquadratic terms. As the correlation strength increases the system becomes increasingly one-dimensional. Thus, if the ratio of SMOC to the interlayer hopping is small this stabilizes the Haldane phase. However, as the ratio increases there is a quantum phase transition to the topologically trivial ``$D$ phase.'' We also predict a quantum phase transition from a Haldane phase to a magnetically ordered phase at sufficiently strong external magnetic fields.


In process control industries, controlling the liquid inside the non-linear tanks such as a conical tank, hopper tank and spherical tank is a highly challenging task due to the change in the cross section area of the tank. The aim of this project is to design a suitable controller to
 control the level of the hopper type tank by using conventional controllers like Ziegler-Nichols tuning method (ZN) and computational controllers using metaheuristic algorithms such as Bacteria Foraging Optimization (BFO) algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm and Firefly Algorithm
 (FA). This controller can be used for the industries that deal with this nonlinear type of process. The mathematical model for the conical tank was done to identify the transfer function of the system. The conventional and computational controllers were designed and implemented using MATLAB/Simulink
 to choose the best controller for the conical/hopper type tank liquid level process based on the time domain specifications such as rise time, settling time and peak overshoot percentage. Moreover, the performance of the system was analyzed based on the error indices such as Integral Square
 Error (ISE), Integral Absolute Error (IAE), Integral Time Square Error (ITSE) and Integral Time Absolute Error (ITAE). Also, servo and regulatory operations were tested for the chosen best controller.


1. Crime and Switzerland 2. Swiss concern about crime 3. Trends in official crime statistics 4. The Swiss police and crime reporting 5. Crime victimization in Zurich 6. Measuring crimes by theft insurance 7. White-collar crime and tax violations 8. Political decentralization and the criminal justice system 9. Youth and Swiss society 10. Crime and the foreign worker 11. Cross-cultural implications of the low Swiss crime rate Appendices.


The invention is related to a controller of a communication system, the controller comprising: means for determining user terminal time delay between delivery and acknowledge ment of a transmission; means for conveying the user terminal time delay; means for calculating Switching time delay; and means for transferring user terminal data con Veyance to the handover target network controller at a moment based on the Switching time delay.


The statutes of understanding managers to the crisis factor affecting the firms' activities, profits, and continuity and the way they were affected from the economic and political crisis occurred during the period of November 2000-February 2001 in agro industries in Sanliurfa province in Turkey were determined in this study. The study was carried out on a sample consisting 53 agro industries operated. According to the results, most of managers, 83.3%, evaluated the economic uncertainties and fluctuations defined as external crisis factors to their businesses ranked as first degree of importance. It is preferred to do with less stock in response to prevent the external crisis factors. Not perceiving the crisis early and thus not enough handling on crisis management, and the ability of not knowing the internal and external market environment defined as internal crisis factors were observed. A set of provisions such as signboard, motivation and educations personals against the internal crisis factors were determined. In addition, the crisis occurred affecting all businesses and resulting in lowering the ratios of operated capacities were obtained in Sanliurfa.


chapter on complex patterns in the Third World. Milton Singer's fine work on secularization in India, When a Great Tradition Modernizes (1972), rates no mention, and, in fact, discussion of the relationship between secularization and modernization finds next to no place in Martin's pages. He admits his 'theory is ethno-centric or, if you like, centred on the North Atlantic and the West', justifying his orientation with the statement: 'The West, after all, is where it all began' (p. 14). That excuse only gets him so far. If, as the greater part of his work indicates, secularization is basically about the relationship between Christianity and the state, what is he to make of processes going under the same name in countries dominated by other 'religious' traditions? Surely the secularization issue in most Third World contexts, moreover, does not revolve around the church-state nexus, but the extent to which archaic, time-honoured structures and values are being undermined by international cultural styles purveyed by Western market strategies (and by their offshoots in such places as Japan, Singapore, Taiwan). In developing countries secularization reveals itself as a many-sided, apparently irresistible process of detribalization. Money, middleto-high level technology and rapid urbanization are its key agents, or in areas such as Oceania, where the cultural milieu is highly atomistic, even the fact of being re-located outside one's own little traditional universe is the first step toward questioning long-entrenched verities (cf. Trompf, in Point, 1977, p. 213). Thus although Martin touches on situations (in Latin America and the Mediterranean) which involve confrontation between deep-rooted underdevelopment and 'the new economic imperialism', he still has not framed his theory satisfactorily to incorporate the whole range of meanings put upon the term secularization by social theorists (cf. L. Shiner, Internationales Jahrbuch !ür Religionssoziologie, 3, 1967, 52-59). Perhaps I expect too much, but the limitations of Martin's approach are especially manifest in connection with shifting patterns of belief and commitment. Whenever he interprets the degree of church attendance or affiliation, for instance, he feels bound to connect it to a model of church-state relations. Other factors should merit recognition, however, such as the tendency to internalize and de-institutionalize one's personal beliefs so that they cease to become sociological data, or the growth of cynicism, or a weakening of religious plausibility on intellectual or experiential grounds (cf. W, C. Roof, Community and Commitment, 1978). Thus Martin should have been more intent in reminding us of the variables, even while still selling his models. There is a minor host of ideational indices of secularization, further, which deserve seats, if only back benches, in a general theory. Interesting work is being done on how peoples' pictures of history alter with social change, how their explanations for trouble, sickness and death, their understanding of tabus or laws, their material wants, all gradually shift under the impact of newspaper 'culture', of modern medical and legal institutions, let alone of enticing western 'cargo'. We need to show some humility before such complexities! t


The vocation of the diplomat is to craft deals, build (metaphorical) bridges, and maintain "good relations" between states. The traditional function of diplomacy—multilateral and bilateral—is to generate agreement. According to authoritative dictionaries, the adjective "diplomatic" describes the art of "dealing with people in a sensitive and tactful way," or, "acting in a way that does not cause offence." No wonder, then, that the heightened tensions and growing "polarization" of the multilateral nuclear disarmament debate has left many diplomats and diplomatic pundits feeling uncomfortable. Promoted by the Nobel laureate International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) since 2013, the idea of negotiating a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, even if the nuclear-armed states refuse to engage in the process, has presented ministries of foreign affairs around the world with a simple yet daunting choice: to ban or not to ban nuclear weapons. While a majority of the world's states have planted their flag in the ban camp, a vocal minority of nuclear-armed and nuclear-aligned states have opposed the initiative with impressive vigor, arguing that a ban should only be negotiated once all nuclear-armed states are involved in the process and, as in the words of the Dutch government, when nuclear weapons "no longer fulfill a function in the security of states."


CASE REPORT A full-term newborn female infant was transfe~Ted to the specialist cardio-thoracic hospital 3 d following delivery because of persistent and progressive cyanosis diagnosed clinically as persistent pulmonary hyper-tension of the newborn (PPHN) and thought to be related to a congenital cardiac anomaly, possibly total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. Cardiac echography revealed a structurally normal heart, but because of continuing hypoxia the child was placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit (ECMO). This treatment was continued for approximately 6 d, but the child's condition slowly deteriorated with persistently elevated pulmonary arterial pressures and ultimately the ECMO was withdrawn, the child dying shortly afterwm'ds. An autopsy was performed and the significant findings were noted to be a widely patent ductus arteriosus, a patent foramen ovale, complete absence of lung lobation (Fig. 1), small left and right pulmonary arteries, each measuring 3 mm in diameter and paired uteri and cervices with a longitudinal vaginal septum. Examination of the lungs after they had been formalin-fixed revealed a slightly nodular cut surface with several cysts present within each lung. The cysts measured between 0.5 and 1 cm in size, some were filled with blood and in one a large abnormal vessel could be seen coursing across the lumen (Fig. 2).


The article considers the issue of the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on US-Mexican relations. The text lists the views of the United States and Mexico on the causes of the conflict and on the methods of its resolution. The author shows the difference in the approaches of these countries and analyzes the impact of the difference mentioned on bilateral relations. Based on the analysis, the researcher identifies possible ways to solve the tasks of the cooperation between US and Mexico in the context of their different perceptions of the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.


Summary Relationship between hemolytic plaque formation and repopulation of spleen and thymus after X-irradiation was studied by using two substrains of CBA mice. The CBA/H and CBA/St mice generated almost equal numbers of hemolytic plaques in the spleen at 7 days after intraperitoneal injection of sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The CBA/St mice that received 400 R of wholebody irradiation, or 600 R of irradiation and injection of 5 X 106 marrow cells, generated smaller numbers of plaques at days 22 and 29 than did CBA/H mice that received the same treatment. Bone marrows, thymuses, and spleens of sham-thymectomized and thymectomized CBA/H and CBA/St mice were almost exclusively repopulated with donortype cells by day 22. Donor-type cells in the spleens of CBA/H mice had been "instructed" in the thymus, were seeded to the spleen, and responded to antigens, but the spleens of CBA/St mice which were also repopulated with donor marrow cells, had very small numbers of these instructed cells that were capable of responding to antigens.


Evaporative co-crystallization of MCl (M: Na, K, Rb, Cs) with BiOCl in aqueous HCl and various molar ratios yields the double salts MxBiyCl(x+3y)·zH2O.


Based on the geometric meaning of the structual reliability index β ,the paper proposes the optimization model for solviong the β concerning related normal random variablas,then introduces the augmented lagrangian method for solving the β .The feasibility of this method is deduced theoretically and effectiveness is demonstrated by the computation of some examples.


The author analyzes medical slang in Rio de Janeiro based on the view of
interactive or live metaphor proposed by such authors as Black (1962) and Ricoeur (1972; 1976), applied to puns and other jokes from medical work, with the goal of unveiling what physicians mean by this linguistic register. The study classifies medical slang in three broad areas, pertaining to the physician's relations with professional training and knowledge, patients, and health care services. Comparing his empirical material with previous studies focusing on hospital slang for patients, the author identifies, in addition, a range of slang terms for health care services themselves. The study points to interfaces between medical slang and the Brazilian "health hypercrisis" identified by Schramm (1995).


In this article, we consider the iterated Runge-Kutta (IRK) method which is an iteration method based on a predictor-corrector scheme for the solution of ordinary differential equations. The method uses embedded formulae to control the stepsize. We present different algorithms of the IRK method on distributed memory multiprocessors using appropriate communication primitives. The theoretical performance analysis and a runtime simulation allow us to value the presented algorithms. An implementation on the Intel iPSC/860 confirms the predicted runtimes.<<ETX>>


Laser-MIG hybrid arc welding process gives an overview of the advantages of both hybrid laser welding and arc welding.The process features low heat input(0.25 kJ/mm),high welding speed(55~60 mm/s) and less deformation.Excellent welding performance has been achieved in the welding of supermartensitic stainless steel materials for chassis of buses and trucks.The welding profile is perfect and very good anti-fatigue performance,with mechanical property of the joint superior to the base metal.The production efficiency is 6.5 times as compared with normal MIG welding.


As a cross fin tube type heat transfer without seam allowance of the heat exchanger tube, and the material of the seamless tube contains any of Fe or of 0.04~0.06% by weight of 0.01~0.06% by weight of Ni, and one, 0.004~0.040% by weight of P , the balance is copper alloy consisting of Cu and inevitable impurities, the ratio a (t / D) is 0.04 or less, tensile strength (σB) of the seamless tube having a thickness (mm) of the outer diameter (mm) of the seamless pipe is 245MPa or more, the 0.2% proof stress (σ0.2) is less than 130MPa, elongation seamless pipe, characterized in that not less than (δ) of 40%. According to the present invention, high strength can be provided a seamless pipe which can perform a hairpin bend properly.


Growth whisker was found during the deposition of pyrolytic carbon between and under reduced pressure. It is confirmed, that the growth whisker through the ceramic material of was catalyzed. During its growth the whisker was distincted between the primary and the secondary growth whisker. In this report the growth rate of whisker was given for the first time. The rate was 25-43 u/sec in primary and 0.3-0.4 u/sec in secondary under the temperature of and 400 Torr. Carpet-rolled mechanism explained by Schlesinger was demonstrated in the secondary growth alone, and the screw-mechanism presumed by him was proofed in the primary growth through microscope.


Conventional trim optimization problem formulations can produce poor results for vehicles with redundant multi-axis control surfaces. Trimming these vehicles requires solving the nonlinear equations of motion for their roots or equilibrium points. The hybrid wing–body vehicle has many redundant elevons and tends to result in an underdetermined system. As a consequence, there may be an infinite number of deflection combinations that satisfy the same moments. Challenges associated with using conventional trim optimizations with this type of vehicle are demonstrated, followed by two alternative approaches to relieve these problems. Control allocation techniques are integrated into the conventional approach to reduce the number of variables and attempt to make the problem more convex. A reformulation of the trim optimization from root seeking to drag minimization was also explored. These alternative methods were judged on how often they converged, trimmed drag and thrust, and commanded deflections.


Through the contrastive study of the Chinese and English Broadcasting News Reporting on the basis of Halliday Hasan's theory of cohesion,it can be found that the application of the cohesion techniques in Chinese and English broadcasting news discourse is almost the same while the broadcasting news has its own discourse features.Due to the differences between Chinese and English language features and their different cultures and thought patterns,there exist certain differences in the frequency of their using each cohesion technique.


Conventional activated sludge-based wastewater treatment process is known to be energy intensive to operate due to high energy requirement for compressed air supply into the bulk wastewater solution. The use...


This paper describes an approach to hierarchical integration of DC and AC microgrids containing distributed energy resources (DERs) into the existing electric power distribution infrastructure. Power electronic interfaces and controls permit the aggregated units at each level to represent themselves to a higher level as a single self-controlled entity (DC or AC, load or generator). At the top level of the hierarchy, the collection of all distributed energy resources within the microgrid appears to the utility grid as indistinguishable from many other currently legitimate customer sites. Maintaining this profile relies on the flexibility of advanced power electronics that control the interfaces among distributed energy resource units, DC links, AC links, and the surrounding power system. A decoupled control framework is then proposed for the hierarchical microgrid. Operational requirements and behavioral functions of the control systems are described in the paper. A case study demonstrates the operation of the microgrid paradigm.


During the course of this project dCSE Fluidity-ICOM has been transformed from a code that was primarily used on institution level clusters with typically 64 tasks used per simulation into a highly performing scalable code which can be run efficiently on 4096 cores of the current HECToR hardware (Cray XT4 Phase2a). Fluidity-ICOM has been parallelised with MPI and optimised for HECToR alongside continual in-depth performance analysis.


Natural remnant corridors of habitat are often considered to be a useful (if not essential) component of management of landscapes because they provide connections among patches of habitat. Therefore, the argument goes, migration between and recolonization of patches will be enhanced, assisting the maintenance of populations and biotic diversity in a region (Noss 1987; Simberloff & Cox 1987). Until recently, however, debate over the usefulness of corridors for the conservation of species in fragmented habitats has been largely theoretical. There have been relatively few empirical tests of the value of corridors to threatened species that have not confounded connectivity of the fragments with other variables (Simberloff & Cox 1987). Nevertheless, there is considerable interest in the use of corridors for management. This is evidenced by a recent conference and volume dedicated entirely to this subject (Saunders & Hobbs 1991). In that volume, Nicholls and Margules (1991) stressed the need for controlled field experi-


In order to better solve the ambiguity and uncertainty in the evaluation indicators of college students' physical literacy, the cloud model method is used to evaluate college students' physical literacy ability, and the evaluation system is constructed by combining the first and second level indicators such as sports cognition, sports ability and sports behavior. With the cloud theory, the index weight cloud and standard cloud are set up Based on information of each evaluation index and algorithm to get the final evaluation index of cloud, finally compared with the evaluation standard of cloud, determine the advantages and disadvantages of indicators of physical quality evaluation standards can comprehensive scientific assessment of college students' sports literacy ability, found that college students' literacy ability of sports based on cloud model sports ability is good, sports awareness and sports behavior ability needs to be strengthened The method is scientific and the results are more intuitive with the help of evaluation cloud map, which is helpful to improve the research of physical literacy in China.


Objective:To solve the problem of low power laser instument with single wavelengh incapability of clinical treatment Methods:650 nm and 830 nm semiconductor laser module were used to compose laser groupware with joint fibre. Results: The laser therapy instrument with double wavelengh was completed.Conlusion:It can be used in clinic with small volume?easy operation and high stability of laser output.


Even though in some reputable references, praziquantel is still.a drug of choice for treatment of fascioliasis, but our study on 100 patients shows that it has no effect on the parasite.


Background: This is a novel observation report on patients undergoing spine surgery with a history of bariatric procedures. Acknowledgment of aggregated complications in such patients can prevent catastrophic outcomes.
Case Report: We report three patients with spinal disorders and a history of bariatric surgery who developed pulmonary embolism following spine surgery. None of the patients had a history of venous thromboembolism or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) before this event. All patients were given thromboprophylaxis after both bariatric and spine surgery, including intra- and post-operative mechanical and pharmacological thromboprophylaxis upon discharge.
Conclusion: Patients undergoing spine surgery with a history of bariatric procedures are at increased risk of developing venous thromboembolic complications, including pulmonary embolism. We recommend extensive venous thromboembolic evaluation and treating these patients as high-risk individuals even in the absence of active thromboembolic disease.


In designing a park-n-ride rapid transit system, locating the stations and determining their parking capacities are among the most important decisions. A simple behavioral model useful for evaluating such plans is proposed, and estimated with survey data on the Philadelphia-Lindenwold High-Speed Line. Model variables include user's access cost and time to stations, and transit fares; a probabilistic version of the model is tested, and satisfactorily predicts the station choice of transit users, thereby determining each station's patronage. As prototypical applications of the model's use, predictions of diversion to a proposed new station on the existing Line, and to two proposed branch lines are developed. The report concludes with a case study of evaluating the addition of a station to an existing rapid transit line. The proposed station choice model states that transit users choice the station that minimizes their total journey cost including the value of travel time. In its deterministic form, the model depicts station market areas with hyperbolic boundaries. This model correctly classifies 60 to 65 percent of observed station choices of park-n-ride and kiss-n-ride commuters on the High-Speed Line. A prbabilistic version of the model is formed by relating the proportion of users choosing their least total cost station to the difference in cost between the two least cost stations. Of all users choosing one of their two least cost stations, 87 to 92 percent are correclty assigned by this model. The report consists of nine chapters including a fifteen-page summary. Time series and cross-section analyses of travel patterns in the market area of the High-Speed Line provide a context for the more analytical research described above. /Author/


The invention provides a permanent magnetic compound type asynchronous coupling. The permanent magnetic compound type asynchronous coupling comprises three parts of a driving rotor of a built-in tangential permanent magnetic pole, a compound type driven rotor and an isolation cover. The permanent magnetic compound type asynchronous coupling realizes transmission by coupling of a magnetic field andis the permanent magnetic asynchronous coupling with rotating speed difference between the driving side and the driven side. The invention particularly relates to the permanent magnetic asynchronouscoupling which adopts a built-in tangential permanent magnetic structure at the rotor on the driving side, adopts a compound type structure at the rotor on the driving side and forms the magnetic field of the rotor on the driving side by relying on vortex flow. The permanent magnetic compound type asynchronous coupling overcomes the shortcomings of the existing permanent magnetic asynchronous coupling, improves performances, expands the range of applications and can have excellent mechanical features in the full rotating speed difference range regardless of light loads, heavy loads, low-speed,high-speed and other transmission occasions and steady and dynamic processes.


This work proposes an novel idea of microstrip patch antenna miniaturization using the artificially created defect in the ground plane. A dumbbell shaped defect has been created in the ground plane of inset-fed microstrip patch antenna and its effect on the performance is analyzed. In normal course, a specified inset-fed microstrip patch antenna has shown resonant frequency of 3.6 GHz and defect compels this frequency band to shift towards a lower side. Thereby miniaturization of the antenna is justified. For analyzing miniaturized antennas, a trained artificial neural network was developed by varying the dimensions of the defect. Dimensional parameter of the defect is inputs to ANN module and it delivers the resonance frequency as a response. Theoretically calculated (simulated) results have been compared with the ANN and method is validated.


The PLIN1 gene produces a phosphorylated protein wrapped in lipid droplets in adipocytes. The phosphorylation assists mobilization of fat in adipose tissue. The purpose of the experiment is to study the polymorphism of the PLIN1 gene and its relationship with the growth, development and carcass characteristics of Qinchuan cattle, to find molecular genetic markers that can be used in the breeding of Qinchuan cattle. Five SNP loci of the PLIN1 gene were found in 510 Qinchuan cattle, including g.3579 T > C (SNP1), g.3897g > A (SNP2), g.8332g > A (SNP3), g.10516 T> C (SNP4) and g.10537 G > T (SNP5). The results showed that SNP1, SNP2, SNP3 and SNP4 were moderately polymorphic (0.25 < PIC < 0.5), while SNP5 was minimally polymorphic (PIC < 0.25). SNP2, SNP3 and SNP5 were within Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05), but SNP1 and SNP4 were not (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the five SNPs of the PLIN1 gene were correlated with back-fat depth, intramuscular fat, and chest depth of Qinchuan cattle. The double halotype H2H4 in Qinchuan beef was associated with body and carcass traits which can be selected for in breeding programs to provide economic advantage.


The theory of expectation horizon in acceptive aesthetics greatly influences and restricts fuzziness in Chinese-English translation and English-Chinese translation.Fuzziness of translation is both required by characters of the two languages and translation aesthetics.Application of acceptive aesthetics to fuzzy translation shall pay emphasis on not only cultivation of ability to enjoy beauty of both Chinese and English languages but also understanding of difference in English and Chinese thinking modes.


This volume contains the proceedings from two conferences held in 2007 and 2008 as part of a major research programme on Ancient Egyptian medicine. Topics include the modern scientific techniques and methodologies used in analysing ancient medicine, discussion of specific Egyptian pharmacological remedies and their effectiveness, the incidence of specific diseases, and the development of professional techniques and level of uniformity in Egyptian medical practice.


Summary. The diffusion coefficients of water, Dw, and acetone, Da, in aqueous solutions of malto-dextrin have been determined over a range of moisture contents of the malto-dextrin above 10%. At a few selected moisture contents, the diffusion coefficients of ethyl acetate, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, camphor and methane have also been determined. Diffusion coefficients were derived from measurements of sorption and desorption by a malto-dextrin layer.

The diffusion coefficient was found to be dependent on both the moisture contents and the size of the diffusing molecule. Over the range of moisture contents investigated, log Dw was found to be proportional to Cw-1 and log Da proportional to Cw-1/2, where Cw is the concentration of water (kg/m3) in the malto-dextrin. For the compounds studied, the logarithm of the diffusion coefficient measured at a moisture content of 20.1% was found to be approximately proportional to the molecular 'diameter' of the diffusant.

This knowledge helps to explain the phenomenon of flavour retention during the drying of liquid foods.


Multi-mode fiber beam is directed normally to the surface of tissue. The three-layered model of skin is presented to study the light propagation and distribution in skin tissue by using Monte Carlo Method. The diffusive reflectivity curves of skin tissue and internal light fluency curved face are simulated. The reason of these variations are analyzed. The simulated results provided in this study can be useful to the design of fiber probe in non-invasive optical detection of the blood glucose.


Let Ω be a non-zero holomorphic 2-form on a K3 surface S. Suppose that S is projective algebraic and is defined over . Let be the -vector space generated by the numbers given by all the periods ∫γ Ω, γ ∈ H2(S, ℤ). We show that, if , then S has complex multiplication, meaning that the Mumford–Tate group of the rational Hodge structure on H2(S, ℚ) is abelian. This result was announced in [P. Tretkoff, Transcendence and CM on Borcea–Voisin towers of Calabi–Yau manifolds, J. Number Theory 152 (2015) 118–155], without a detailed proof. The converse is already well known.


Current saliency detection methods mainly work on exploring the potential of low-level and high-level visual features, such as color, texture and face, but treat location information as a weak assistance or completely ignore it. In this paper, we reveal the importance of location information in saliency detection. We analyze the largest public image dataset for saliency detection THUS10000, and and the relationship between content location and saliency distribution. To further validate the effect of location information, we propose two location based saliency detection approaches, location based Gaussian distribution and location based saliency propagation, which make use of no or weak assistance of image content. Experimental results show that location based saliency detection can obtain much better performance than random selection, even better than most state-of-the-art saliency detection methods.


Airborne radar technology has traditionally been largely devoted to military applications. In recent years, applications in telecommunications, oil exploration and agriculture have proved that radar technology can also be used commercially. This paper focuses on an application of airborne radar technology in the insurance industry and describes the development of a large‐scale flood risk assessment model for the River Thames. The model is based upon airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data and was built with commonly used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and image processing tools. From the Orthorectified Images (ORIs) a land cover map was produced, from which a surface roughness map could be derived. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was processed to remove trees and other soft barriers and obtain the effective ground level. This was achieved by using standard GIS processes. The methodology may be applicable to any organisation exposed to flood risk.


Using synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy, we have investigated oxidation and reduction reactions of HfSiO(N)∕Si gate stack structures annealed in a N2 or O2 atmosphere. It is found that both oxidation and reduction reactions can be suppressed by using nitrogen-incorporated HfSiO films in the annealing process at proper partial pressure of N2 gas (PN2∼100Torr). The detailed analysis of "SiO2 equivalent thicknesses" for annealed HfSiO and HfSiON films reveals that ambient N2 gas suppresses only the reduction reaction, while nitrogen atoms incorporated in dielectrics suppress both oxidation and reduction reactions.


The aim of this tudy was to develop species-specific molecular markers for Ellsideroxylon Zl-vageri to allow its proper identification, in order to effectively conserve this valuable timber species. E. zwageri or more well-known as Belian, the Borneo Ironwood is one of the most durable timber species which is endennic to the Borneo island and its population i decreasing extensively due to over exploitation and de-forestation. Thus, conservation on the species is important. However, E. nvageri is morphologically and anatomically similar to another species of belian known as Potoxylon melagangai thus causing problems in differentiating these two species. Hence, Sequence Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) primer set was designed using Primer Premier™ 5 software. This SCAR marker amplified specific band only from E. zwageri. The size of expected band is 719 bp. PCR optimization was carried out to fmd the right reagent conditions and thennal cycling profiles for the SCAR primer set. Validation of the SCAR marker was done using eight E. zwageri samples. Sample of P. melagangai is also included to ensure there is no incident of false positive. It is noted that the validation confmned that only E. zwageri samples produce the specific band and the fragment contained no obvious repetitive sequence beyond the primer. Thus, it is concluded that SCAR marker is potentially useful to easily identify the E. zwageri in a population.


OBJECTIVE
Job satisfaction and work stress are associated with provider health and patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate job satisfaction and workplace stressors in surgical providers (surgeons, physician assistants [PAs], and NPs).

METHODS
A survey was distributed to providers within a single surgical department. Job satisfaction and workplace stressors were evaluated by sex, age, profession, career length, and work hours.

RESULTS
Providers practicing for 11 to 15 years had greater job satisfaction than those practicing for more than 20 years, with no other differences by demographic group. Females cited supervisory support as a top workplace stressor more than did males (P = .01) and PAs and NPs cited supervisory support (P < .01) and compensation/finances more than surgeons (P = .05). Workplace stressors varied by practice years and work hours.

CONCLUSIONS
Healthcare organizations should be aware of diversity in perceived workplace stressors. A "one size fits all" approach to provider well-being is likely to be ineffective.


Exposure to intense stress is known to alter affective and cognitive behavior more profoundly in some individuals than others. Recently, we had the opportunity to examine the biochemical, cognitive and mood changes (Profile of Moods) associated with intense military training known as SERE school (Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape). SERE is a unique environment to examine Soldiers' responses to stress in a realistic, standardized and carefully monitored military context in which students apply newly learned resistance skills to a variety of captivity scenarios. From baseline to the end of SERE (~2wks), serum testosterone and prolactin were both substantially depressed from 468ng/ml to 156ng/ml and 13.8ng/ml to 5.46ng/ml, respectively (p <.001). In contrast, epinephrine and norepinepherine remained elevated from 41pg/ml to 67pg/ml and 468pg/ml to 754.8pg/ml, respectively (p<.001). Interestingly, changes in mood states were not reflective of these prolonged endocrine alterations, as depression, tension, anger, and confusion returned to approximately baseline levels at recovery. This suggests that changes in these hormonal levels are not reliable biomarkers of mood in this elite population. This research was supported by the Office of Naval Research and US Army Medical Research and Material Command.


Physician autonomy and medical professionalism have been changing ever since the patient-physician medical relationship was changed to patient-physician-third-party payer medical relationships. Until now, physician autonomy has meant that physicians should have complete freedom to provide the best treatments for their patients, without external constraints, but ever since medical insurance was introduced, medical decisions have been controlled by the third-party payers, and many conflicts have emerged in the patient-physician-third-party payer medical relationships. The concept of physician autonomy thus has to be changed. That is, the society should respect the rational and deliberated deci-sions of the physicians to resolve the conflicts between their patients and the third-party payers beyond the obligation of beneficence towards the patients. To mediate between their patients and the third-party payers, the physicians should carry out two roles - as healer and as manager-and should adjust the different applicable principles, such as patient autonomy, beneficence, and justice. The physicians have to be well acquainted with such principles and should make the appropriate decisions so as to gain social trust. To help resolve the conflicts between the patients and the third-party payers, the physicians should effectively carry out their roles as healer and manager by considering evidence-based practice, the treatment goal, and cost-effectiveness in their clinical practice. These criteria can help the physicians make reasonable and well-deliberated decisions in relation to their just provision of medical care for their individual patients.


The aim of this paper is to analyse, from an empirical point of view, the evolution of the European regional manufacturing industries during the period 1980-1992. In particular, using an enlarged version of the EUROSTAT Regio database an empirical assessment will be made about the role of the former factors in shaping the conditions of local industrial development. In so doing, the role of historical conditions, the eventual tradeoff between local and global pressures, and the role of variety and/or specialisation of industrial environments as leading factors in spurring local industrial growth in European regions will be taken into account. Indeed, as a result of the complex combinations of local, national, and international factors, a wide variety in the patterns of sectoral regional development is observed. This obviously results in very different patterns of competitiveness are likely to emerge as result of the different degree with which these three factors overlap. Moreover, the identification of the relevant level at which the processes of industrial development take place is of crucial importance for the definition of the appropriate level at which policy interventions are more effective.


In this the network utility maximization problem is investigated for wireless networks when only channel mean and variance are known. Due to the randomness of wireless channel, link outage will happen and a traffic flow's rate will gradually decrease along its routing path. When only channel mean and variance are known, channel distribution is uncertain and it is harder to control the rate loss caused by link outage. We take into account this feature of rate loss and target at maximizing the network utility of multiple traffic flows' rates at their destinations. An optimization problem is formulated, which is non-convex. Global optimal solution is achieved with the aid of bilevel optimization method and monotonic optimization method. Numerical results are presented to verify the effectiveness of our proposed method.


The invention relates to a high temperature resistant iron-chromium-aluminum fiber yarn and a preparing process, belongs to the field of stainless steel processing and obtains the iron-chromium-aluminum fibers by bundle drawing iron-chromium-aluminum wire rods embedded in base materials; the iron-chromium-aluminum fibers comprise iron and the following components (represented by wt. percent) of more than or equal to 0.005 percent and less than or equal to 0.03 percent of C, more than or equal to 15 percent and less than or equal to 27 percent of Cr, more than or equal to 5.95 percent and less than or equal to 7.0 percent of Al, more than or equal to 0.05 percent and less than or equal to 0.2 percent of Cu, more than or equal to 0.4 percent and less than or equal to 0.6 percent of Si, more than or equal to 0.2 percent and less than or equal to 0.4 percent of Mn, more than or equal to 0.03 percent and less than or equal to 0.04 percent of S, more than or equal to 0.010 percent and less than or equal to 0.045 percent of P and more than or equal to 0.01 percent and less than or equal to 0.04 percent of RE; the manufacturing process comprises the following procedures of material choosing, pretreatment, encapsulation, compaction, drawing, separation and rolling. The manufacturing process of the iron-chromium-aluminum fiber of the invention is suitable for drawing and processing high-aluminum iron-chromium-aluminum wire rods and can reach the yield of 98 percent with little influence on the environment.


Service quality is one of the most important factors to achieve customer satisfaction. Some studies revealed that customer satisfaction leads to more customer retention and acquisition, especially in the competitive logistics industry. Improving service quality in logistics operations has been considered by a number of studies as a strategic initiative since the competition arises due to industry growth. This study aimed at analyzing the trucking service quality gap, determining the most critical service quality attributes, and developing strategies for service quality improvement through integration of Gap Analysis, Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), and Quality Function Deployment (QFD). A case study was conducted at a trucking company headquartered in Semarang, Indonesia. The gap analysis showed that the all 18 service quality attributes had significant negative gaps. Then, IPA showed that a number of the 9 attributes should be prioritized, with 4 attributes in "concentrate here" quadrant and 5 attributes in "keep up the good work" quadrant. Through QFD, the 9 attributes were further translated into five strategic responses that need to be followed up accordingly by the company, namely "develop an independent QHSE division", "develop partnerships with ondemand trucking platform", develop an integrated transport management system", "develop a training center for truck drivers", and "develop a preventive maintenance system". Keywords—service quality, gap analysis, importanceperformance analysis, quality function deployment, trucking


The structural motion of a tall reinforced concrete (RC) building on alluvial soil in Nice (France) is continuously recorded using accelerometers. The structural behavior of the building is studied using operational modal analysis (OMA) to identify its dynamic properties, a finite element (FE) model to reproduce the building response, and empirical Green's functions (EGFs) to generate the structural response to ground motions stronger than those registered in the analyzed seismic area. These different approaches are applied for the analysis of seismic response of the instrumented building and results are consistent. The FE model is calibrated by comparing natural frequencies and mode shapes with those obtained using OMA. Numerically-simulated time histories are qualitatively and quantitatively compared with recordings showing good agreement. Based on regional earthquakes, linear seismic response of the building is simulated for a stronger scenario earthquake using EGF. This approach allows for structural deformation analysis of existing buildings without the need of structural plans and mechanical parameter calibration in the case where the seismic response is within linear elastic regime.


Based on the research question how to improve traffic in longer tidal waterways in terms of efficiency and risk mitigation, it is the objective of this PhD Thesis to approach an analysis towards the optimization of the Vessel Traffic Management (VTM) in longer tidal waterways. The theoretical relevance is the result of a lack of research to model, e.g. the sequence of vessels in waterways, for optimizing the entire traffic flow. The practical relevance is shown by using the River Elbe of the Port of Hamburg as an exemplary subject of interest for longer tidal waterways, because it is argued that the River Elbe is the most complicated river in Europe. Its dynamics and uncertainties of the waterway with recent developments in vessel sizes makes the traffic organisation more complex so that the VTM should be adapted to these increased challenges to support efficiency and safety. It is discussed by using the framework of Systems Engineering that such an adaptation needs a holistic perspective and must comprise the positioning of the problem-solving capacity of the current VTM organization regarding the external requirements in terms of the complexities of the system. Therefore, the development of a generic model is needed that can serve as the basic for a computer-based traffic prediction and management for the support of decision-making within a system of increasing complexity. To develop such a generic model, expert interviews are selected as the research methodology for the empirical data collection. The empirical data collections confirm that an overarching comprehensive system which is consistent and reliable is needed. With the help of the framework of the Business Process Modelling (BPM), the entire waterway-traffic-environment-system of the Rive Elbe is depicted and illustrated. The analysis of these process diagrams helps moving towards creating a precise system and optimizing the complexity of it. As a result, a conceptual model is outlined.


This study attempts to determine the role of educational games on learning a foreign language, and to compare games with more traditional practices as effective learning tools on the basic educational stage students at governmental schools in Jordan, an experimental research is conducted using three groups out of six randomly. To determine the relationship between learning a foreign language and educational games among the participants, a one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is performed based on achievement levels. For the relation between educational games and learning a foreign language a Pearson's Correlational analysis is used. The results of the post test for the experimental group are so better than the controlled one which show that games have a good effect on improving the achievement for the primary stage and to create an interactive environment. It is recommended to use games since they are very effective especially for the primary stages in teaching a second language and games are helpful for the teacher as a procedure for language acquisition.


World Wide Web has grown to be the leading marketplace in the world and extremely accepted for online service marketing advertisement with various service industries. Service marketing advertisements are effectual carriers of mining service information in service industry. Yet, there existed ubiquitous, ambiguous and heterogeneous of service information when service users searching for mining service information over the web. In order to resolve these issues, in this paper, present a theoretical structure for an Ontology learning Semantic Focused Crawler (OLSF), by the use of automatically discovering the services, also annotating, classifying and indexing mining service information over the web. This structure combines the idea of semantic focused crawler technology is used to solve the issues of heterogeneity, ubiquity and ambiguity of mining service information by means of the Semantic net technologies and ontology learning technology is used to maintain the high performance of crawling in the uncontrolled Web environment. Index Terms — Ontology learning, service metadata classifier, focused crawler, Service Metadata Generator, Information retrieval.


A part of the Central Range (Hsuehshan range), the Foothills and the Coastal plain of Taiwan are interpreted as a superposition of two Mio-Plio-Quaternary foreland basins. These two basins are infilled by two syntectonic sedimentary series (8 to 3 Ma and 3 Ma to Present) controlled by two thrust sequences. They record two successive collisions the most recent being still active between the Eurasian continent and the Luzon arc


Abstract In this paper, an anthropologist and a life writer examine the implications of an ethical and political practice of vulnerability with regards to writing migrant lives. Drawing on research with migrants in Turkey and Australia, we argue that it is useful to use vulnerable methodologies, vulnerable relationships and vulnerable writing.


Cable-driven parallel manipulators (CDPMs) have been studied in recent years due to their unique characteristics and advantages. In particular, CDPMs have been regarded as bio-inspired mechanisms that are structurally analogous to musculoskeletal systems. In this thesis, the study of anthropomorphic cable-driven robots is investigated. Multilink cable-driven manipulators (MCDMs) are a type of CDPM where cables actuate a multilink rigid body structure in parallel arrangement. The rigid links and cables of MCDMs are analogous to the bones and muscles of musculoskeletal systems, respectively. The use of MCDMs to study more complex biomechanical structures has been limited due to several reasons. Firstly, musculoskeletal systems are typically open-chain branched structures with complex cable routing and a large number of links. However, there currently exists no generalised model that allows arbitrary cable routing. Secondly, the analysis for MCDMs may require extensions from single link CDPMs to consider the different types of cable routing. Thirdly, the actuation characteristics between muscles and ideal cables are considerably different. These issues are investigated and addressed in this thesis and the contributions are presented in two parts. The first part deals with the modelling of MCDMs. One major challenge in the modelling of MCDMs is that the number of combinations in possible cable routing increases exponentially with the number of rigid bodies. Introducing the cable-routing matrix (CRM), it is shown that all possible cable routing can be encapsulated in a single representation. Using the CRM and a generalised representation for arbitrary joints, generalised kinematic and dynamic models for open-chain branched mechanisms are formulated. The proposed model allow both arbitrary cable routing and arbitrary rigid body structure. The effectiveness and robustness of the model is demoniii strated through two examples, a simple 2 link 4 degree-of-freedom (DoF) 6 cable manipulator and a complex human neck inspired 8 link 24 Dof 76 cable system. The more complex example serves to illustrate the potential in using the generalised MCDM model to study musculoskeletal structures. The second part of this thesis addresses the analysis of anthropomorphic CDPMs for both engineered and biomechanics applications. Using the generalised MCDM model, necessary conditions with respect to the CRM are derived for an MCDM to satisfy wrenchclosure. In the design of an MCDM, it is important that the cable routing results in a manipulator that is capable of producing wrench-closure. Finally, the workspace analysis of CDPMs allowing for state dependent force generators is investigated. Examples of state dependent force generators include artificial and physiological muscles. In particular, the static workspace of musculoskeletal systems is studied. The formulation is demonstrated through computationally generating the static workspace of a human shoulder. By validating the workspace against human benchmarks, it is shown that the inclusion of muscles is important to generate a physiologically accurate musculoskeletal workspace. Through this thesis, the fundamental components required in studying anthropomorphic cable-driven manipulators have been presented. The contributions of the thesis extend the boundaries of the current literature in both the robotics and biomechanics disciplines. In addition to enabling more complex engineered MCDM systems to be studied, the concept of studying biomechanical systems as MCDMs is proposed for the first time. The results of this work highlight the potential of using MCDMs to gain a better understanding of biomechanics.


1a mechanical method of artificially detaching the retina was considered. The startling fact that spontaneous reattachment occurred regardless of the hole in the retina after a period of six weeks led us to try other methods. It has been known for a long time that detached retina occurs often in a soft eye. Also, in those highly myopic eyes which seem more predisposed to this condition, the existence of what is called "fluid vitreous" has always been a questionable quantity. Redslob and Reiss 2 demonstrated conclusively that changes in the ph of intra-ocular fluids play an important and direct r\l=o^\lein the maintenance of the intra-ocular tension. If the ph is on the acid side, the tension tends to be lowered, while the alkaline ion raises this factor. We tried various dilutions of acetic and hydrochloric acids, and while we were able to produce a detachment by this method, we found it beyond control. An acid strong enough to cause the detachment went further and disintegrated the retina and choroid. If the acid was not of a certain maximal strength, no detachment occurred. Finally, trypsin was tried. In stock concentrations, digestion took place after detachment. However, by diluting the trypsin a detachment occurred without destruction of the layers and remained over a long period of time. We were greatly interested to know just what changes in the make-up of the vitreous took place. The table shows a comparison of the various elements of the vitreous in the normal rabbit's vitreous, and in vitreous treated with trypsin. The figures represent the average findings of several analyses which checked very closely. This portion of the work was done by Mr. Irving Puntenney, a medical student specializing in chemistry, with the cooperation of Dr. C. O. Miller of the chemistry


We are interested in the global characteristics and dynamics
of illicit downloads of proprietary content from the Internet.
Since corresponding data is dicult to obtain directly, we
rely on secondary sources and analyze time series data avail-
able from search engines. In this paper, we present initial
results obtained from this approach. In particular, we con-
sider the example of blockbuster movies of 2010 and nd that
download related queries to the Google search engine and
a special purpose Torrent search engine are strongly corre-
lated. Moreover, aggregated data from Google Insights pro-
vides an estimate as to where these queries predominantly
originate from.


The cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1 is required for diabetic glomerular hypertrophy. High glucose‐induced hypertrophy in proximal tubule cells is dependent on transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β). Many of the TGF‐β‐induced effects are dependent on Smad2/3. Thus, the molecular mechanisms of high glucose‐induced p21WAF1 and hypertrophy were studied in high glucose‐cultured proximal tubule‐like LLC‐PK1 cells. We found that high glucose (30 mM) induced hypertrophy at 72 h. High glucose also increased the expression of p21WAF1 protein and p21WAF1 mRNA transcription and abundance at 48 h. The DNA element in the 5′ regulatory region of p21WAF1 gene essential for high glucose‐induced p21WAF1 gene transcription was identified as Sp1 by a series of the 5′ regulatory region of p21WAF1 gene deletion mutants. Moreover, high glucose activated Smad2/3 while increasing the Sp1 DNA‐binding activity. High glucose also increased the Sp1‐dependent transcriptional activity of p21WAF1 gene. High glucose‐induced hypertrophy was attenuated by p21WAF1 short interfering RNA and Smad3 dominant‐negative plasmid transfection. We concluded that high glucose induced hypertrophy via Sp1‐Smad2/3‐dependent activation of p21WAF1 gene transcription in LLC‐PK1 cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 102: 1190–1201, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Background Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome is a severe condition of pregnancy that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Corticoteroid (CORT) therapy is common in the management of HELLP syndrome. This study evaluates the efficacy of CORT therapy to patients with HELLP Syndrome. Material/Methods A literature search was carried out in multiple electronic databases. Meta-analyses of means difference and odds ratio were carried under the random-effects model. Results Fifteen studies (675 CORT treated and 787 control HELLP patients) were included. CORT treatment significantly improved platelet count (mean difference between CORT treated and controls in changes from baseline, MD: 38.08 [15.71, 60.45]×109; p=0.0009), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (MD: −440 [−760, −120] IU/L; p=0.007), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (MD: −143.34 [−278.69, −7.99] IU/L; p=0.04) but the decrease in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels was not statistically significant (MD: −48.50 [−114.32, 17.32] IU/L; p=0.15). Corticosteroid treatment was also associated with significantly less blood transfusion rate (odds ratio, OR: 0.42 [0.24, 0.76]; p=0.004) and hospital/ICU stay (MD: −1.79 [−3.54, −0.05] days; p=0.04). Maternal mortality (OR: 1.27 [0.45, 3.60]; p=0.65), birth weight (MD: 0.09 [−0.11, 0.28]; p=0.38) and the prevalence of morbid conditions (OR: 0.79 [0.58, 1.08]; p=0.14) did not differ significantly between both groups. Conclusions Corticosteroid administration to HELLP patients improves platelet count, and the serum levels of LDH and ALT, and reduces hospital/ICU stay and blood transfusion rate, but is not significantly associated with better maternal mortality and overall morbidity.


Triclopyr [[(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl)oxy]acetic acid, Garlon 4E] was moderately persistent in sandy and clay soils at a Northern Ontario site. Times to 50% and 90% disappearance were 2 and 4 weeks, respectively, regardless of soil type. Evidence of triclopyr leaching in response to heavy rainfall was observed 7 days after application in both soils, but residues of triclopyr at a depth of 25-30 cm never exceeded 6 micrograms/kg, when present. In a study of lateral movement of triclopyr with runoff water, residues (in the range 0.01-0.96 micrograms/L) were recovered in a collection ditch 12-13 m downslope; however, there was no evidence of mass movement of triclopyr at quantifiable levels (0.54 micrograms/kg) downslope in the soil. Field studies of persistence and mobility confirmed earlier laboratory results and indicate that environmental problems are unlikely to occur as a result of excessive triclopyr persistence and/or mobility in soils typical of Northern Ontario forestry areas.


ROBDD's((2]) are a very popular datastructure for the representation and manipulation of boolean functions. They have tractable sizes for many boolean functions and come up with eecient algorithms for boolean operations. In the worst case however, size and time complexity grows exponentially when performing a polynomial number of operations. However, there are applications where an approximate knowledge about a boolean function like a lower or upper bound may be suucient. In this paper we present a datastructure based on ROBDD's, that allows to trade space and time eeciency for precision. The basic extension is provided by the computation of least upper resp. greatest lower bounds of a boolean function under a size constraint for its ROBDD. As a rst practical application we conclude some experimental results for the computation of local don't cares in combinational circuits.


Programming Web Services with Perl is written for Perl programmers who have no prior knowledge of web services. No understanding of XML-RPC or SOAP is necessary to be able to apply these technologies easily, through the use of publicly available Perl modules detailed in the book. If you're interested in applying XML-RPC and SOAP technologies to distributed programming applications, then Programming Web Services with Perl is a book you'll want to have.


The Arab Center for Architecture (ACA) was established in 2008 to raise awareness about contemporary architecture and urbanism within civil society. In an interview I held on 25 June 2015 at the offices of the ACA in Beirut, George Arbid, the co-founder and current director of the ACA, discussed the work of the ACA and modern architecture in the region. Arbid explained the activities and aims of the ACA, including the establishment of an archive, a library, educational programs and the formation of the DoCoMoMo Lebanon chapter. He outlined the important contributions of Arab architects to modernist architecture and the complexities of talking about "Arab architecture," or an "Arab modern movement." He also discussed the exhibition Fundamentalists and Other Arab Modernisms, and its accompanying publication Architecture from the Arab world (1914-2014) a Selection, which formed the Kingdom of Bahrain's pavilion at the fourteenth International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale de Venezia, in 2014.


Background.—While treating migraine early when the headache is mild is believed to link to improved treatment outcomes, it is not clear whether patients can correctly self‐identify a headache as a migraine at onset in real‐world settings.


Suppose that A is a finite direct product of commutative rings. We show from first prin-ciples that a Gr¨obner basis for an ideal of A [ x 1 , . . . , x n ] can be easily obtained by 'joining' Gr¨obner bases of the projected ideals with coefficients in the factors of A (which can themselves be obtained in parallel). Similarly for strong Gr¨obner bases. This gives an elementary method of constructing a (strong) Gr¨obner basis when the Chinese Remainder Theorem applies to the coefficient ring and we know how to compute (strong) Gr¨obner bases in each factor.


The present invention provides a mechanism for handling interrupts on a processor that supports multiple-threads concurrently. The processor's resources are allocated to provide multiple logical processors. In response to a common interrupt, the logical processors vie for access to a shared register. The first logical processor to access the shared register handles the common interrupt. The remaining logical processors return from the interrupt.


Digital Rights Management or DRM has been mainly used to provide access control protection for multimedia products marketed to consumers, like music and movies. There are also a number of DRM products, like Authentica and Microsoft's RMS, that aim to protect documents for enterprises. However, none of these products provide for all the needs of an enterprise, and furthermore these products do not offer all the benefits that DRM potentially offers to an enterprise. In this paper we discuss what DRM offers to enterprises, examine the base requirements for an enterprise DRM system and then analyse how well three existing enterprise DRM products satisfy the requirements of an enterprise DRM system. We have found that enterprise DRM systems have yet to mature with many requirements not satisfied.


1. A method of reinforcing and / or coating the inside of the object, comprising the steps of: - provide a starter hole (203) in an object - provided the reinforcing thermoplastic and / or covering the inside member (1) and a tool (3), - placing reinforcement and / or cover element from the inside in the original hole, the tool is placed in contact with the surface of the reinforcement and / or inside the coating member and the tool is pressed to the surface, while in the tool and transmit power while the periphery boundary poverhnos and melting the tool and the reinforcing and / or coating the inside member is located in a bore (203), - provide, thus melting the material of the reinforcing and / or coating the inside element at the boundary surface or boundary melting surfaces to receive molten material that provide relative movement between the tool with respect to the reinforcement and / or inside the cover element provide parts penetration of molten material into the pores and / or cavities of the object, - provide the ability of its approved molten material and thus its transformation in the reinforcing and / or coating material from the inside; u tool is removed - thus on the boundary surface is melted melting the entire cross-section of the reinforcing and / or coating elementa.2 inside. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein no portion of the reinforcement and / or inside the coating member which was not melted at the interface or boundary surface melting, does not remain in the facility or is connected thereto after removal instrumenta.3. A method according to Claim. 1 or 2, wherein


Physiologically, in the presence of an intracellular deficit of cholesterol, the LDLR synthesis, expression and function increases, thus uptaking, introducing and providing cholesterol to the cell. This process is counter-regulated by PCSK9 expression, the protease inducing LDLR proteolysis, thereby limiting its function maintaining a constant cholesterol intracellular concentration. Accordingly, the balance or Yin-Yang between PCSK9 and LDLR directly regulates the intracellular concentration of cholesterol and indirectly has a high impact on circulating LDL-cholesterol. This article reviews the brief and amazing recent history with PCSK9 inhibition from basic science to current clinical recommendations for MAbs-PCSK9. In 2003 and 2005, respectively, the pcsk9 gene mutations, determinants of the "gain of function" of PCSK9 and severe hypercholesterolemia, and the pcsk9 gene mutations with "loss of function" of PCSK9, determinants of hypocholesterolemia were described; subsequently, in 2006, the association between the PCSK9 gene mutations and the "loss of function" of PCSK9 with hypocholesterolemia and reduction of up to 88% for the risk of a coronary event in the "mutant" population versus the control population was published. In 2009, the effect of a "full human" monoclonal antibody vs PCSK9 in mice and non-human primates was first reported; MAbs-PCSK9, AMG-145 and REGN-727, produced in cynomolgus monkeys a doubling in the number of LDLR and an average 75% reduction in circulating LDL-cholesterol. In 2012, the first phase I studies with Evolocumab and Alirocumab versus placebo were reported; these programs informed very significant reductions in LDL-cholesterol in healthy subjects and patients with familial and non-familial hypercholesterolemia treated without/with statins; in both programs, tolerability and safety of MAbs were similar to placebo. With this evidence, the Phase II and III investigations with MAbsPCSK9 initiated; four years after, pending the results of ongoing studies of cardiovascular outcomes and long-term safety (ODYSSEY-Outcomes with Alirocumab and FOURIER with Evolocumab), the OSLER trial with Evolocumab and the ODYSSEY-Long Term trial with Alirocumab, together with some recent meta-analysis of MAbs-PCSK9 allows us to establish the following scenario: MAbs-PCSK9 Evolocumab and Alirocumab have a positive and significant impact on LDL-cholesterol, other apo-B100 lipoproteins -including Lp(a)-, overall mortality and myocardial infarction; all the aforementioned with a safety profile and tolerability very favorable. In the same scenario, the recently published GLAGOV trial demonstrates for the first time that the addition of a non-statin therapy -Evolocumab-, to the optimal treatment with statins is associated with atheroregression. Beyond currently approval indications by regulatory agencies, taking account of high cost of PCSK9 inhibitors and financial restraints within healthcare budgets, by now and before definitive evidence publication, the MAbs-PCSK9 are recommended in six clinical scenarios analyzed in this paper. However, even though it is irrefutable that the MAbs-PCSK9 showed great efficiency in reducing atherogenic lipoproteins and insinuated a promising reduction in overall mortality and myocardial infarction, the certainty of the net benefit that this therapeutic strategy adds to the optimal current treatment with statins and other non-statin lipid-lowering drugs will be conclusive when results of the two currently ongoing "ad hoc" programs with Evolocumab and Alirocumab are available. Finally, preliminary results with PCSK9-mRNA interference with Inclisiran are presented.


The identification of effective instructional strategies to support learning is crucial for students and beneficial for educators with the aim of instilling critical thinking and developing culturally competent learners. The lack of critical thinking among beginning practitioners has resulted in the need to ensure cultural competency and self-efficacy among learners. Providing students with learning opportunities that enhance knowledge and practical application is important in the nursing profession. Service-learning is one method of instructional pedagogy used to bridge the theory to practice gap in education. An early understanding of cultural diversity will help to prepare learners to grow in confidence and become culturally competent in their nursing career. Strategies leading to the development of critical thinking and cultural competence is important in the development of student success. Problem-based learning and reflective writing are two examples of how students learn to apply theory to practical situations and events in the community. A recent phenomenological research study explored nursing student experiences of service-learning and the transformation of knowledge. Two categories of learners evolved each with unique characteristics. After an in-depth heuristic analysis, four themes unfolded signifying the influence of service learning in nursing education. Implications for the study focus on curricular alignment, assessment of agency selection, evaluation of student learning, and opportunities for leadership.


For a long time now, the Australian Football League ('AFL') has actively sought to change football culture so that racial vilification is no longer the acceptable part of the game that it once was. The year 2013 marked 20 years since St Kilda great Nicky Winmar proudly exposed his brown skin on the football field after experiencing racial slurs for the duration of a game. 2013 is also remembered for Adam Goodes, now Australian of the Year, making a public stance against a racist slur he had been dealt from a supporter and having that supporter removed from the field, with the AFL boss making a public statement that fan behaviour like this will not be tolerated by the AFL. The trials of early Aboriginal players, such as Pastor Doug Nicholls who was turned away from Carlton because they didn't want an Aborigine playing on their team, appear to be shadows mainly of the past.


Contents Preface Abbreviations List of Maps List of Illustrations The Devon Man The Favourite Roanoke The Outcast El Dorado The Rival The Court Poet The Suspect The Traitor The Prisoner The Tower Writings i The Tracts ii. The Great History iii. The Dialogue of Counsel The Last Voyage The Martyr The Legacy An Epilogue.


We give a development of the theory of lossy data compression from the point of view of statistics. This is partly motivated by the enormous success of the statistical approach in lossless compression, in particular Rissanen's celebrated Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle. A precise characterization of the fundamental limits of compression performance is given, for arbitrary data sources and with respect to general distortion measures. The starting point for this development is the observation that there is a precise correspondence between compression algorithms and probability distributions (in analogy with the Kraft inequality in lossless compression). This leads us to formulate a version of the MDL principle for lossy data compression. We discuss the consequences of the lossy MDL principle and explain how it leads to potential practical design lessons for vector-quantizer design. We introduce two methods for selecting efficient compression algorithms, the lossy Maximum Likelihood Estimate (LMLE) and the lossy Minimum Description Length Estimate (LMDLE). We describe their theoretical performance and give examples illustrating how the LMDLE has superior performance to the LMLE.