Refuging predators are under selective pressure to minimize not only the time needed to find a prey patch but also the distance from this patch back to the refuge. A simple geometrical model of a search path reveals that minimizing search time and minimizing commuting distance require conflicting search-path characteristics. Search time is minimized by paths with relatively low rates of turning, as these reduce the chances of searching over areas previously searched. In contrast, commuting distance is minimized by paths with relatively high turning rates, as these improve the chances of encountering a prey patch nearer the refuge. The relative importance of searching versus commuting depends on the number of return visits a predator can expect to make to a known patch. The model predicts that even for predators which return to a known patch many times, total foraging time is minimized by a search path expected to find not the nearest patch but one a few times more distant. Therefore, many of the prey patches within the commuting radius of an optimally foraging predator will remain unknown to, and so unused by, that predator. This may help to explain why the foraging ranges of some animals can be so broadly overlapping.


'Fhi:s report was prepared a._ an a_zc,:)un)._l' u,'erk sponsored b),an agency of th,e Unit_l St_,tes " Ckw_rnment. Neither the United_tates(.i.overnmenl r_or an) _get.J¢_ therez_f, nor an)' of their emplo),¢e:s, make:s 3n_ warranty, express or imphr.d, or a,,,sum¢.sany I.egal liahiht) or re..sponsi. bility for the accura_o, complctene'ss, ur usefulne,ss of any reformation, apparalus., prague:t, o,r pr_,e'ss disclosed, or repr_s_:nts that rts u._ would not ;nftnng¢ privalely _ned rights Refer," _, , ,, . r ,,_; en_ herenn to any sp,c;cif_cc_m'.netc_al pr(_uct, pr_xc:¢,ss, or scrvl_.:¢by _.rade name, trademark, _ _'; ,"'. ,,' _ ', manufacture_', o_ odlcrwi,_ dots not ncce,._,_,arfly conslntulc or m_pl), _l,scndor._.m,¢:'_t,r_oo,m. _ '.!',.,_ '_ ' mendali,on, or [a;,oring by the LJnittx:l States Go_¢rnmenl or an)' agency thereof '[h¢ view_ . and L_ptnions of authors exp/¢s.scd here|n do no_ nex.-t:ssarnl)' state _,_rreflcc! those o.f II'tc United States Government or an_ agen.cy therc_|f. (_,, -" DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCIJMEN7 tS UNLIMITED


In June 2000, the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) launched the remote inspection demonstrator nanosatellite, "SNAP-1". One of the primary mission objectives of this satellite was to image its companion microsatellite, Tsinghua-1, during the deployment phase of the launch. Later in the mission it is also planned that SNAP-1 will be manoeuvred back within visual range of Tsinghua-1, in order to carry out further imaging experiments whilst the satellites fly in formation.


Introduction Cements based on self-polymerizing poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) consist of a solid powder phase made of PMMA or related copolymer and a liquid monomer phase (MMA). Antibiotic (eg, gentamicin) loaded cements are suggested to improve the resistance to septic loosening, and are particularly indicated for revisions of infected joints. The cement layer has the main task of transferring and resisting the loads between the bone and the prostheses, reducing stress concentrations and absorbing mechanical shocks (1). Viscoelastic tests are sensitive to the cement conditioning, and the factors which affect viscoelastic properties always fall into the same categories: age of the cement, environment, and temperature and stress-level (2). At room temperature bone cement is harder and more brittle than at body temperature; water absorption reduces the Young's modulus and the glass transition temperature (3); water based environments give the largest creep rates (4). Fatigue properties of bone cements in air depend on the acrylic resin composition, and the effect of a saline environment is an increase in the fatigue life. The effect of a wet environment, compared to that in air at the same frequency, is also to lower the fatigue crack growth rate. The toughening mechanism has been related to the plasticizing effect of water. Therefore, the mechanical behavior of PMMA is strongly time-dependent. However, even if a wet environment strongly affects viscoelastic and fatigue properties of cements (4), DMA in wet conditions has never been undertaken. The aim of this study was to characterize experimentally PMMA through DMA in a water chamber by temperature sweeps between 8 °C and 55 °C and spanning four frequency decades. The testing was completed by stress-relaxation tests.


Arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) genes were targeted for inhibition using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) using two different RNA polymerase III promoters. Constructs were developed for NAT1 and NAT2, the endogenous mouse genes, and for human NAT1. There were fetal and neonatal deaths with these constructs, perhaps due in part to an interferon response as reflected in increases in oligoadenylate synthetase I mRNA levels. Seven out of 8 founders with the U6 promoter generated offspring but only 2 gave positive offspring. Out of 15 founders for H1 promoted constructs, only 4 had positive offspring. When transgenic lines were successfully established, the expression of the targeted genes was variable between animals and was not generally inhibitory.


AbstractLoad-carrying capacity of confined masonry walls in the out-of-plane direction after being damaged is crucial for overall stability and is affected by the type of interface present at the wall edge and column, such as toothing. Shake table tests were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a toothed connection on the out-of-plane behavior of damaged confined masonry walls. Four half-scale clay brick masonry walls were subjected to a sequence of slow cyclic in-plane drifts and shake table–generated ground motions in the out-of-plane direction. Specimens included one regular RC infill frame and three confined masonry panels, two with different densities of toothing and one with no toothed connection. The specimen with the infill panel demonstrated a higher risk of out-of-plane collapse, whereas the other three confined masonry wall specimens maintained structural integrity and out-of-plane stability even when severely damaged. The confined masonry walls with or without toothing enhanced the in...


A novel planar ultra-wideband antenna based on split ring resonator structure with dual band-notched characteristics is proposed in this paper due to that UWB system is easy to be interfered with the narrow-band signals.U-shaped slot in the radiating patch and one parasitic strip on the ground are utilized to achieve the dual band-notched characteristics.Effects of varying the physical size of the U-shaped slot and the parasitic strip on the antenna band-notched characteristic have also been studied using simulation software,the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured.Simulation and measurement results indicate that the proposed antenna yields a voltage standing wave ratio(VSWR) of less than 2 in the impedance bandwidth range of 3.1 to 10.6GHz,except the bandwidth of WiMAX and WLAN for band notch,which minimized the potential interferences between the ultra-wideband systems and the narrowband communication systems effectively.


TIN and Grid Network are the essential terrain modeling methods with different characteristics and application fields.This paper firstly researched the situation of DEM on the basis of consulting relevant documents,and based on 1:50000 scale Yaoxian DEM,with ArcGIS as a platform,studied the advantage and disadvantage of DEM and TIN in application domain and data precision and proposed the concrete choice plan in practical application.


The invention discloses a radiator of an electric element for a heat pump and a heat pump system using the same. The radiator comprises a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a first side and a second side which are opposite; a first cold medium passage is arranged in the substrate; the first cold medium passage comprises a first passage inlet and a first passage outlet; the first cold medium passage comprises a first linear section, a reversely bent section, a second linear section, a third linear section and a repeatedly bent section sequentially from the first passage inlet to the first passage outlet; the reversely bent section is bent at 180 degrees; the first linear section and the second linear section are mutually parallel and are both positioned on the first side; the first linear section is closer to the first side than the second linear section; the third linear section is extended to a second side from the first side; and the repeatedly bent section is positioned between the second side of the substrate and the second bent section. The electric element can be radiated by a cold medium, and the cold medium passage in the radiator is reasonable in arrangement and high in cooling efficiency.


The impact of in utero exposure to maternal overweight and obesity on offspring metabolic health is well documented. Neurodevelopmental outcomes among these children are, however, less well studied. To address this gap, the current study investigated brain function among 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children exposed to maternal overweight or obesity during gestation compared with that of children born to mothers with healthy BMI in pregnancy.


In this study data collected by survey medhod from 103 farms growing sugarbeet in Erbaa county of Tokat province have been used. Gross-margin analysis was made for all crops. According to the results of the analysis, (he highest gross- margin belong to onion (TL/ha 466 63 i 900). The gross margin of other crops are TL/ha 438 663 400 for tobacco, TL/ha 436 269 800 for grape. Gross margin for sugarbeet was calculated TL/ha 336 503 500. In addition, farms have been evaluated as a whole. Gross Revenue, Net Revenue, Farm Income and Total Family Income have been calculated as TL/ha 32 581 401 000, TL/ha 1 242 472 000, TL/ha 12 932 033 100, respectively. The cost of sugarbeet (TL/ha 799 443 800), Gross Production Value (TL/ha 894 002 600), Net Profit (TL/ha 94 558 800), Rational Profit (1.118) were calculated in the study.


A close-in giant planetary (CGP) system has a net polarization signal whose value varies depending on the orbital phase of the planet. This polarization signal is either caused by the stellar occultation or by reflected starlight from the surface of the orbiting planet. When the CGP system is located in the Galactic bulge, its polarization signal becomes too weak to be measured directly. One method for detecting and characterizing these weak polarization signatures due to distant CGP systems is gravitational microlensing. In this work, we focus on potential polarimetric observations of highly magnified microlensing events of CGP systems. When the lens is passing directly in front of the source star with its planetary companion, the polarimetric signature caused by the transiting planet is magnified. As a result, some distinct features in the polarimetry and light curves are produced. In the same way, microlensing amplifies the reflection-induced polarization signal. While the planet-induced perturbations are magnified whenever these polarimetric or photometric deviations vanish for a moment, the corresponding magnification factor of the polarization component(s) is related to the planet itself. Finding these exact times in the planet-induced perturbations helps us to characterize the planet. In order to evaluate the observability of such systems through polarimetric or photometric observations of high-magnification microlensing events, we simulate these events by considering confirmed CGP systems as their source stars and conclude that the efficiency for detecting the planet-induced signal with the state-of-the-art polarimetric instrument (FORS2/VLT) is less than 0.1%. Consequently, these planet-induced polarimetry perturbations can likely be detected under favorable conditions by the high-resolution and short-cadence polarimeters of the next generation.


We have measured the Flory−Huggins interaction parameter (χ) for blends of polystyrene (PS) and poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) by three different methods. First, we measured the micelle spacings in microphase-separated films of PS−P4VP diblock copolymers by secondary ion mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy. Second, we measured the contact angle of droplets of homopolymer PS on P4VP homopolymer film. Finally we determined the interfacial width between homopolymer layers of dPS and P4VP by neutron reflectometry. From each of these experiments χ was calculated using mean field theory in the strong segregation limit. These values of χ are much larger than those of other nonionic polymer pairs. We discuss the importance of this findings.


This paper studies a class of synchronous control state feedback controller design problem in double-motor system under network environment with random short-time delay,models a network control system after divergence into a discrete time-switched system with finite subsystems,transforms the time-delay change into the switch between systematic models, uses one step performance function to give sufficient condition for guaranteeing asymptotic stability for the whole closed-loop network control system under random short-time delay condition,and uses linear matrix inequality to present stability state feedback controller design method. The simulation shows that the proposed method can effectively realize double-motor synchronous control under network environment.


This study develops a model of bargaining that demonstrates that an interest arbitration procedure will encourage negotiated settlements to the extent that risk aversion dominates the preferences of the parties and there is uncertainty regarding the arbitrator's behavior. The authors conclude that it is likely that risk aversion does dominate preferences, but the evidence is not conclusive. They also argue that uncertainty may be reduced over time for various reasons, leading to increased use of arbitration and a convergence between the terms of negotiated and arbitrated agreements."


When attempting to mitigate the environmental impac ts of a fishery there are typically multiple criter a against which the performance of any measures can b e assessed. If the gains are non-commercial (i.e. non-market) in nature, formally determining how wel l measures perform becomes more difficult. This study applies the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to quantify the relative preferences of stakeholder groups for one impact reduction objective over anot her in the context of European mobile demersal fisheries. The advantage of this methodology is tha t it allows for the inclusion of non-commercial benefits. Preferences are quantified and allow rank ed group-specific weights relating to the reduction of discarding and other in situ impacts to be derived. The relative weights placed on the sub-objectives within each of the two objectives are also determin ed. The variability of preferences at both the intr aand inter-group level is considered and the potential i mpl cations with regard to perceptions of success discussed. Establishing a measured order of prefere nc for individual criteria allows the significance of changes in non-market impacts to be determined and alternative measures that result in differing combinations of change to be directly compared. Thi s should facilitate a more targeted and efficient approach to the process of forming impact alleviati on policies within these fisheries.


This paper explores the link between legal protections of creditors' and banks' lending behavior in transition economies. We suggest that banks' lending behavior is determined by legal rules that affect a project's liquidation value and present empirical results consistent with this claim. We find that rules on secured lending and preferential treatment of secured creditors in bankruptcy are positively associated with banks' willingness to lend. By contrast, replacing incumbent management with court appointed receivers negatively affects banks' willingness to lend. We also find that foreign banks are more responsive to legal change than domestic banks. This finding is consistent with the notion that foreign banks are more dependent on formal legal protections than domestic institutions having greater access to relational lending and enforcement practices.


In this paper, we investigate the simplest wormhole solution the Ellis' one in the context of Asymptotically Safety Quantum Gravity (SQG), at the Planck scale. We work with models which employ Ricci scalar, Kretschmann scalar, and squared Ricci tensor to improve quantum mechanically the Newtonian gravity constant, turning it into a running coupling constant. For all the cases, we check the radial traversability conditions for the wormhole solution and compare with those valid in General Relativity. Hence we verify that the quantum improvement of the running coupling constant at the Planck scale guarantees the Ellis wormhole traversability. Following, we evaluate the radial state parameter ω(r) at the throat radius, r0, and show that it has to be supported by a very exotic source of matter, a phantom-type, within a range of throat radii. On the other hand, when radial energy conditions assure the traversability, the only possibility for the state parameter at the wormhole throat is that −1 < ω < −1/3, which characterizes a quintessence fluid. Finally, we analyze the radial state parameter ω(r) under satisfied traversability conditions, and find that, although at r0 we have quintessence when r grows we necessarily come across phantom-like regions. We speculate if phantoms must always be present for wormholes in SQG or even to more general quantum improved scenarios.


There are already known conveyor modules for delivering fuel, having a delivery unit and a delivery unit receiving the storage container, having a pot bottom, in which an opening for filling of the storage container is provided. A disadvantage is that this conveyor module is not adapted to be placed in a storage tank with aqueous liquid as the liquid can freeze in the reservoir tank and thereby damage or destroy can individual components of the conveyor module, for example, the delivery unit. The conveyor module of the invention can be used in a storage tank without the components of the conveyor module to be damaged by freezing of the fluid of the storage tank. According to the invention it is provided that at the opening (7) of the pot bottom (6) is disposed a suction pipe (10) in which a check valve (13) is provided.


Title Summary statistics for daily exchange rates: log first difference January 4, 1993-July 12, 2002 Effects of input and hidden units on the training performance of ANN in forecasting daily normalized exchange rate returns Results for the regression of daily exchange rate return, y,on its own 20 lagged values In-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on daily exchange rate return series for the period February 2, 1993-May 9, 2001 Out-of-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on daily exchange rate return series for the period June 7, 2001-July 12, 2002 In-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on daily exchange rate return series in different forecast horizons Out-of-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on daily exchange rate return series in different forecast horizons In-sample performance of ANN, LAR, RW models on daily exchange rate at level series for the period February 2, 1993-May 9, 2001 Out-of-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on daily exchange rate at level series for the period June 7, 2001-July 12, 2002 Summary statistics for weekly exchange rates: log first difference January 6, 1993July 10,2002 Effects of inputs and hidden units on the training performance of ANN in forecasting weekly normalized exchange rate returns Results for the regression of weekly exchange rate return, yton its own 20 lagged values In-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on weekly exchange rate return series for the period May 19, 1993-September 15, 1999 Out-of-sample performance ANN, LAR, and RW models on weekly exchange rate return series for the period February 2, 2000-July 10, 2002 In-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on weekly exchange rate return series in different forecast horizons Out-of-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on weekly exchange rate return series in different forecast horizons In-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on weekly exchange rate at level series for the period May 19, 1993-September 15, 1999 Out-of-sample performance of ANN, LAR, RW models on weekly exchange rate at level series for the period February 2, 2000-July 10, 2002 Daily out-of-sample forecast encompassing coefficient 6X (p-values in parenthesis) from Ej, = 0O + 6|Fk, + r|t Weekly out-of-sample forecast encompassing coefficient G| (p-values in parenthesis) from Ej, = 0O + ©lFfc, + T|, Summary statistics for the daily stock returns: log first difference January 2, 1991December 31,2001 Effects of inputs and hidden units on the training performance of ANN in forecasting daily normalized stock returns Results for the regression of daily stock return yt on its own 20 lagged values In-sample performance of ANN, LAR, and RW models on daily stock return series Page No.


Objective To study the infectious status among different population with HBV in Shijiazhuang City. Subjects methods 1 100 persons in different ages were selected by random stratum sampling. Five kinds of index about HBV were tested by ELISA. Results The positive rate of HBV superficial antigent,kernal antibody and superficial antibody is 5.8%,31.9%,and 29.5%,respectively. The total infectious rate of HBV is 47.4%. Conclusion The HBV infectious rate of Shijiazhuang population is decreasing, but the immunization rate is still be elevated.


Solving non-prehensile manipulation tasks requires domain knowledge involving various interactions such as switching contact dynamics between the robot and the object, and the object-environment interactions. This results in a switched nonlinear dynamic system governing the physical interactions between the object and the environment. In this paper, we propose an interactive learning framework that allows a robot to autonomously learn and model an unknown object's dynamics, as well as utilise the learned model for efficient planning in completing re-positioning tasks using non-prehensile manipulation. First, we model the overall object dynamics using a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network. We then assimilate the learned model into the Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) algorithm with a dense reward function to generate an optimal sequence of push actions for task completion. We demonstrate the framework in both simulated and real robot that pushes objects on a table.


Gadget addiction in children in the current age of information technology is a global problem experienced almost all over the world, so it is necessary to prevent, reduce and cure solutions for children who are already addicted to gadgets. So the Community Service activities in Desa Baru Sungai Betung Mudik, Kerinci Regency, were carried out assistance to parents in reducing the tendency of gadgets to children. The activity method is carried out in talk shows and psychological consultations for people who need psychological handlers, especially the problem of gadget addiction. This PkM activity was carried out on Friday, February 4, 2022, with activity partners, namely the village community of 30 people. The results of PkM activities show an increase in public understanding and insight into the dangers of gadgets for children if not given wisely, including for the family itself. Then the results of psychological consultations showed that there are parents who complain about their children who are difficult to escape from the device, so it is necessary to do a special follow-up. It is recommended to parents to make a schedule for children to play with gadgets and interact with children, so on for the village government to provide sports facilities for adolescents so that adolescent energy can be channelled positively.


Health visitors have reported feeling ill-prepared for the complexities of working with refugees and asylum seekers (Drennan and Joseph, 2005). This paper highlights some of the main physical and mental health issues that health visiting teams are likely to encounter and discusses the role of the health visitor in reducing inequalities for this group. Some of the particular challenges in safeguarding work with asylum seekers and refugees, who often have very complex needs, are highlighted. The unique role of the health visitor means they are well placed to support and empower individuals and improve health outcomes in this group.


Purpose We aimed at further elucidating whether aphasic patients' difficulties in understanding non-canonical sentence structures, such as Passive or Object-Verb-Subject sentences, can be attributed to impaired morphosyntactic cue recognition, and to problems in integrating competing interpretations. Methods A sentence-picture matching task with canonical and non-canonical spoken sentences was performed using concurrent eye tracking. Accuracy, reaction time, and eye tracking data (fixations) of 50 healthy subjects and 12 aphasic patients were analysed. Results Patients showed increased error rates and reaction times, as well as delayed fixation preferences for target pictures in non-canonical sentences. Patients' fixation patterns differed from healthy controls and revealed deficits in recognizing and immediately integrating morphosyntactic cues. Conclusion Our study corroborates the notion that difficulties in understanding syntactically complex sentences are attributable to a processing deficit encompassing delayed and therefore impaired recognition and integration of cues, as well as increased competition between interpretations.


Formaldehyde is a trace species that plays a key role in atmospheric chemistry. It is an important indicator of nonmethane volatile organic compound emissions. Also, it is a key reactive intermediate formed during the photochemical oxidation in the troposphere. Because the lifetime of formaldehyde in the atmosphere is fairly short (several hours), its presence signals hydrocarbon emission areas. The importance of measuring formaldehyde concentrations has been recognized by the National Academy's Decadal Survey and two of NASA's forthcoming missions the GEO-CAPE and GACM target its measurement. There are several techniques some of which are highly sensitive (detection limit ~ 50 parts-per-trillion) for in-situ measurement of formaldehyde and many reported atmospheric measurements. However there appear to be no reported standoff lidar techniques for range resolved measurements of atmospheric formaldehyde profiles. In this paper, we describe a formaldehyde lidar profiler based on differential laser induced fluorescence technique. The UV absorption band in the 352 - 357nm is well suited for laser excitation with frequency tripled Neodymium lasers and measuring the strong fluorescence in the 390 - 500nm region. Preliminary nighttime measurements of formaldehyde were demonstrated with a lidar using a commercial Nd:YAG laser (354.7 nm) with a rather large linewidth (~.02 nm). The measured sensitivity was ~1 ppb at 1 km with 100 meters range resolution even with this non-optimized system. In this paper we describe our approach for increasing the sensitivity by many orders and for daytime operation by improving the laser parameters (power and linewidth) and optimizing the receiver.


The predictions of the central bottleneck and resource allocation models of dual-task performance were examined in a psychological refractory period dual-task experiment. Cloze picture-naming was the primary task and the secondary task was either tone identification or lexical category identification. The nature of the secondary task significantly affected primary task naming RTs and stimulus onset asynchrony affected naming RTs only when the secondary task was lexical categorization. These findings are more consistent with the resource model than the bottleneck model.


spinal action, induced by ergot administered a few minutes before delivery; but my main reliance would be on my hands, as it would be in every hemorrhage of this stage of labour. I must not go minutely into this on account of time. For the last eight years, in a midwifery practice not inconsiderable, I have invariably adopted this mode; and during that time I have not met one single case of uterine hiemorrhage, neither have I ever known the least ill result from the amount of pressure used. By this mode every uterus can be made to contract except a moribund one-and I have such confidence in its safety, usefulness, and superiority, that I shall never cease to adopt it. It has now been tried by me in over two thousand cases without a single accident. Whether these are attributable to singular good luck or to the modus operandi, I leave you to judge.


We report FET characteristics and magnetotransport of a gate-all-around InAs nanowire FET. The on/off ratio and the field-effect mobility are over 2500 and 600 cm/Vs at room temperature. Magnetoconductance measured at low temperature shows transition from weak localization to weak antilocalization caused by strong Rashba spin-orbit interaction modified by gate voltage. The estimated gate modulation of the Rashba coupling parameter is 1.5 × 10 eVm per volt. Such a large modulation rate would lead to an application to nanowire spin MOSFET.


Shingle integration is gaining more and more interest in recent module integration schemes as it combines several advantages, such as improved efficiencies, better aesthetics and even lower costs thanks to the simplified interconnection pattern. Heterojunction (SHJ) cells may not appear at first sight as the most adapted technology for shingling, as performance losses can be quite significant with the unpassivated edges generated during the cut step. But on the other hand, SHJ technology already benefits naturally from the strong knowledge acquired when combining ECA with TCO and low-temperature metal pastes. Furthermore, the cell-to-cell overlap significantly decreases the cut-edge defectivity impact, minimizing the efficiency losses. Latest SHJ shingle cell and module results obtained are thus described in this paper, with in particular solar panels close to 400W featuring high reliability.


In this contribution, a linearization procedure guaranteeing conservation across the strong shock waves typical of hypersonic ows is adapted for a multidimensional upwind Residual Distribution method and a two temperatures thermo-chemical nonequilibrium model. This linearization relies upon de ning a Roe-like averaged state. Since for the thermodynamic model employed, an in nitude of conservative states exist, we discuss two methods to choose one single state. The developments presented are assessed by computing the hypersonic, nonequilibrium ow eld around a realistic con guration, such as a space capsule.


Hypothesis / aims of study Pelvic floor muscle trauma occurring during vaginal delivery is an important risk factor for pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and faecal incontinence later in life (1,2). Previous studies have found increasing prevalence of incontinence and prolapse symptoms associated to increasing parity (3). Our aim was to investigate the association between vaginal parity and injury to the levator ani muscle (LAM) and the anal sphincters.


With the rapid development of e-commerce system,the original system is often faced with function reconstruction.This paper discusses an e-commerce system based on SOA architecture,which achieves the service-oriented idea by web service.In this framework,the system can do reconstruction conveniently,and share resources with these similar systems.


Seabirds are very sensitive to environmental changes and due to their large longevity they are also sensitive to cumulative impacts. These birds usually occupy the higher trophic levels. White-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) and black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) are Procellariiformes, which is a seabird order, composed of 4 families. In the last years, researches are being done and actions are being taken to reduce the mortality of albatrosses and petrels caused by human activities. Due to the great ecological importance of these birds and the developed work with Procellariiformes, this study purpose was to quantify the Br, Cl, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, Na and V elements in white-chinned petrel and black-browed albatross feathers. Bird specimens were killed accidentally by pelagic longline fisheries operating off southern Brazil. Feathers were cleaned with acetone and then milled in a cryogenic mill. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was used for quantification of the element concentrations and measurements of induced activities were performed in a High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector for gamma ray spectrometry. The obtained results on feathers showed that concentrations in these birds are not higher than others studies with the same species and, with exception of Br, there are no significant differences between elements mean concentrations in the two seabirds.


Two experiments were conducted over a two-year period for large crabgrass control in centipedegrass. The experiments were: (a) sequential applications of PRE and POST herbicides, and (b) POST herbicides applied as sequential or tank-mixed applications. Large crabgrass control was greater than 80% throughout the spring and summer when dithiopyr was applied PRE at 0.14 kg/ha late in February or when tank mixed at the same rate with sethoxydim at 0.11 kg/ha and applied POST in late May. Control was similar from a sequential program of dithiopyr applied PRE at 0.14 kg/ha in February and followed either by dithiopyr at 0.14 kg/ha or sethoxydim at 0.11 kg/ha as POST in early to mid-summer. Dithiopyr at 0.28 kg/ha as a POST application in late May did not control large crabgrass consistently. Control was > 80% for 6 to 8 wk when the POST dithiopyr treatment was repeated at the same rate 1 mo later. Sethoxydim applied POST controlled large crabgrass greater than 80% throughout the spring and summer when applied once at 0.22 kg/ha or twice at 0.11 kg/ha in each of two applications. Dithiopyr applied alone or with sethoxydim as sequential or tank-mixed treatments caused slight to moderate centipedegrass injury but was commercially acceptable (< 30%). However, injury from tank-mix herbicides was similar to either applied alone. Quinclorac severely injured (> 30%) centipedegrass, and 8 to 10 wk were required for recovery.


Silane coupling agents containing a carboxy group are not known because the chloro- or alkoxy group is reactive to the carboxylic acid. In this study, silane coupling agents bearing a 2-nitrobenzyl ester as a protecting group of carboxylic acid were synthesized and applied for surface modification of silica gel followed by uv irradiation under neutral conditions to generate carboxy groups on the surface.


Field development relies on understanding geological changes across a shale asset, adopting a successful landing zone strategy, and optimizing completion designs specific to each landing zone. Different areas may require different landing zone strategies or completion designs as a function of lithological and geological changes across the asset. Depletion effects also impact optimal landing and completion designs among pads. Therefore, a comprehensive field development plan is needed to address uncertainties and challenges that are associated with shale well development.
 In this study, a simulation model is calibrated against field data, and then used for field development optimization. The plan first screens a wide range of development scenarios that include different landing strategies, frac zippering order, fluid intensity, proppant loading, cluster spacing, stage length, well spacing, and depletion levels. The screening is helpful to narrow the list of the key effective parameters to optimize. Tornado charts reveal relative importance of all tested parameters. The results reveal that, within the constraints of this particular study, stage length has largest impact on estimated ultimate recovery (EUR). Well spacing, landing, and fluid loading have a moderate effect. Proppant loading has the least impact. The majority of EUR uplift is associated with higher fluid intensity, shorter stage length, and wider well spacing. Optimal stage length is shown to change as a function of landing depth and is related to geology, geomechanics, and stress shadowing.
 All tested scenarios provide different EURs, with different economic outcomes. Opportunity charts are used to identify the most economic field development scenarios. The best opportunities provide similar or higher EUR as of the current base design, but at a lower cost and/or higher rate of return. The best economical cases were recommended for field trials.


Hormone replacement therapy with either estrogen (ERT) or estrogen and progesterone (HRT) is often recommended to healthy women at menopause, for relief of menopausal symptoms, particularly 'hot flashes', based on its documented longterm effect on osteoporosis and perceived effect in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). ERT/HRT has, however, long been considered contraindicated in women with a prior diagnosis of breast cancer. Basic biology suggests that estrogen contributes to the development of breast cancer and may contribute to recurrence after primary therapy for early disease. There are also data suggesting that progesterone may increase the risk of developing breast cancer and of disease recurrence.


This is the first working paper of a study to examine the role of improved transportation infrastructure in fostering economic development in coastal areas of the pacific northwest. The report provides background information which sets the stage for the analytical work to be done during the rest of the study. The work to date has developed initial findings in two distinct areas: 1) a summary of existing conditions, trends, plans, and proposals for economic development and transportation in the coastal areas of the pacific northwest. 2) A summary of the pertinent knowledge about transportation and economic development in general, as shaped by our perceptions of the significant issues in the study area.


If a manager of a given water resource is uncertain of his power to set optimum stream standards or optimum effluent charges at every moment in time, there exist conditions, qualitatively identified, under which it may be dynamically more efficient for him to establish present water quality levels that will be optimum only at some future date than to try unsuccessfully to achieve optimum levels at every point in time. Excess demand functions and an aggregate nonlinear damage function are the conceptual underpinnings of this paper. (Key words: Water quality; dynamic efficiency; management)


In their review in this journal for the 50th anniversary of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), Alter and Klein underscored that "the beginning of the modern era of blood transfusion coincided with World War II and the resultant need for massive blood replacement."[1][1] Initially focused


The identification of gasoline adulteration by organic solvents is not an easy task, because compounds that constitute the solvents are already in gasoline composition. In this work, the use of hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) with a statistical approach for identifying gasoline adulteration by organic solvents is described. Both principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) from NMR data of 47 commercial samples allowed the distinction between conform and nonconform samples. The 1H NMR−PCA and 1H NMR−HCA models were evaluated through the analyses of 21 intentionally adulterated samples, which showed a tendency to meet in the nonconform group with the increase of the solvent concentration.


Urbanization and employment is always a very important problem of Chinese economic development. Actually, urbanization and employment have closely relationship. Chinese Urbanization is developing at a rapid rate in recent years,But its regional difference is existed. There are five patterns of regional urbanization in China according to the clustering analysis on urbanization level of 10 provinces. We can see the patterns are closely related with the employment structure of three industries from analyzing these correlations.


Background A catechin isolate from the green tea clone GMB 4, which shows antioxidant activity, may be a candidate drug for prevention of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of catechin on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and p110 phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor (PI3K) expression and on p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity in male rats fed a high fat diet. Methods Twenty five male Wistar rats were divided into the following five groups: rats on standard diet; rats on high fat diet; rats on high fat diet + catechin 3 mg/day; rats on high fat diet + catechin 6 mg/day; and rats on high fat diet + catechin 24 mg/day. eNOS and p110 PI3K expression and p38 MAPK activity were measured by means of ELISA. Results High fat diet significantly increased eNOS expression, decreased p110 PI3K expression, and increased p38 MAPK activity in male rats, in comparison with standard diet (p<0.05). Administration of 3 mg/day catechin decreased eNOS expression compared to that in the high fat diet group without catechin (p<0.05). The administration of catechin increased p100 PI3K expression to a similar extent as that in the high fat diet groups with catechin 6 mg/day and 24 mg/day. Administration of catechin at all doses decreased p38 MAPK activity to the level of the standard diet group. Conclusions High fat diet increases eNOS expression, decreases PI3K expression, and increases p38 MAPK activity. Administration of catechin decreases eNOS expression, increases PI3K expression, and decreases p38 MAPK activity.


Consultant plastic surgeon Bangour General Hospital, Edinburgh, 1941-79 (b 1915; q Edinburgh 1940; FRCS Ed, FDS), d 18 November 2003.

Campbell was appointed surgeon to the newly established plastic and maxillofacial surgical unit at Bangour General Hospital in 1941. After the inception of the NHS he was appointed consultant plastic surgeon to the South Eastern Regional Hospital Board. Later he became involved in surgery of the hand, spending some months in Milwaukee, United States, to further his experience. This, with treatment of head and neck malignancy, became his main interests. He was elected president of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons in 1978 and in 1979, the year of his retirement, he was elected president of the British Association for Surgery of the Hand. Predeceased by his wife, Marjorie, he leaves a daughter.


The author recalls that the cell currently found on the market is costly, and that the measurements obtained need to be corrected. The earth pressure cell developed at the angers laboratory has been developed with a view to obtaining a cell simple to use and economical to manufacture, as it is not possible to recover the buried cell. A patent has been applied for. The pressure to be measured can be read on a pressure gauge without need for corrections. The Sensor comprises a pneumatic type earth pressure cell with controlled flow, a control and measurement equipment. The cell can be buried at specified levels or fixed in the facing of an engineering structure. the sensor is based on the following principle: a deformable membrane is kept in equilibrium with the earth pressure by means of gas counter-pressure. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed and experiments on embankments in the angers region are described.


Background: India being a developing country, with majority of its population in rural areas, lack in basic medical care and transportation. With a high rate of illiteracy, early marriages and high prevalence of anaemia, it is important to counsel, diagnose, refer and manage a case of placenta praevia at a higher centre Methods: All patients who came with history of painless bleeding per vagina after 28 weeks of gestation were hospitalized. A thorough history of vaginal bleeding (warning haemorrhage) was taken. Cases with confirmed diagnosis of placenta praevia on ultrasonography were included in the study. Results: Out of 84 cases, 70 cases (83.33%) underwent C/S of which 69 (82.14%) cases were emergency C/S and 1 (1.19%) case underwent elective C/S. 2 (2.38%) cases underwent emergency laparotomy for rupture uterus along with placenta praevia. 12 (14.29%) cases delivered vaginally, of which 9 (10.72%) delivered spontaneously and 3 (3.57%) cases were accelerated. Conclusions: In our study, majority of cases (76.19percent) occurred in the age group of 21-30years, which is lower than the mean maternal age reported in other studies. It is possible that an earlier age of marriage and conception in our community have influenced this finding.


This study examines the effects of heated water originating from the "Orot Rabin" power plant on benthic foraminifera known to be sensitive bioindicators of environmental change. We performed 10 sampling campaigns during a period of one year, at 4 stations located along a temperature gradient of approximately 10 °C. The SST along the transect vary between 25/18 °C in winter, and 36/31 °C in summer. A significant negative correlation was found between SST and benthic foraminiferal abundance, species diversity and species richness. If this research is taken as a model, it may be concluded that global warming has a primary negative effect on foraminifera assemblage characteristics and thereby most likely on other marine organisms as well.


split . . . there were only paths to explore" (p. 212). Both Edith Wharton 's Brave New Politics andMatters ofMind and Spirit illustrate Wharton's lifelong concern with questions of culture. Although Bauer and Singley focus on Wharton's fiction, future studies might turn to her nonfiction, where Wharton addresses issues of culture more directly. In French Ways and Their Meaning (1919), for example, Wharton locates "civilization" in France. Wharton loved the French for many things, from their fine food to their art of conversation. And, above all else, she valued their intellectual honesty. To her, they made an art of living, both outwardly and inwardly. Illustrating the credo of Wharton's life, the French lived well and deeply. This marked, in her mind, the apex of culture.


This column provides an analysis of the proper technique for battle rope conditioning. Specific musculature involvement, benefits of battle rope training, exercise technique, as well as advanced and beginning progressions are discussed. This dynamic movement is designed to improve cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, endurance, and power. Specific variations for battle rope conditioning can provide various benefits to athletes such as enhancing sport-specific movements, increasing grip strength, and addressing unilateral deficits. Thus, the implementation of battle rope conditioning for an exercise regimen should be considered.


The present invention provides a kind of image processing method and electronic equipments.Described image processing method is applied to electronic equipment, including: survey light is carried out to current environment;Unit shutter speed is determined according to photometry result, regulation sensitivity and regulation f-number;And when detecting the first operation, multiple images are successively captured using the regulation sensitivity, the regulation f-number and the unit shutter speed and synthesize described multiple images, until detecting the second operation.Image processing method and electronic equipment according to the present invention, slow-speed shutter shooting can be simulated, the motion profile that the object in bright and clear environment can be obtained without stop down value or adjustment sensitivity, realizes shutter speed slower effect while preventing over-exposed.


True excellence in higher education, namely in engineering, is a difficult concept to define and attain. Engineering programs tend to value the later years as the most important in terms of training and scientific depth, while the first years are relatively neglected. At the same time, there is still a tendency to look at teachers' achievements in terms of research and knowledge, detached in a certain way from pedagogy. On the contrary, more focus should be put into analysing the profile of teachers and its adequacy to the different approaches needed across the years and course units of a master program. Added to this, are the distinct "perceived realities" between (i) what teachers see as a satisfactorily provided service, (ii) what students need and feel to be the quality of the learning experience, and (iii) what society expects (and will expect, in the future) from engineers. Different views and different alignments, from different stakeholders, require careful assessment and analysis, since the quality of the teaching and learning (as assumed in this study) is strongly related to an individual (or group) perception. In this paper, a methodology is introduced that involves the main stakeholders in defining the quality of teaching and learning, focused on the first year of engineering courses at the University of Aveiro (Portugal). For this, a set of meetings and discussion forums provided the required context for identifying attributes of the mentioned "perceived quality". As an outcome, a new model is presented, inspired in methodologies usually applied within the field of product design and development. The first layer of results is presented, together with a preliminary analysis and discussion. Future steps towards the goal of defining the best profile of higher education teachers for achieving (a higher level of) excellence in engineering education are also indicated.


Rooted, weighted continuum random trees are used to describe limits of sequences of random discrete trees. Formally, they are random quadruples $(\mathcal{T},d,r,p)$, where $(\mathcal{T},d)$ is a tree-like metric space, $r\in\mathcal{T}$ is a distinguished root, and $p$ is a probability measure on this space. The underlying branching structure is carried implicitly in the metric $d$. We explore various ways of describing the interaction between branching structure and mass in $(\mathcal{T},d,r,p)$ in a way that depends on $d$ only by way of this branching structure. We introduce a notion of mass-structure equivalence and show that two rooted, weighted $\mathbb{R}$-trees are equivalent in this sense if and only if the discrete hierarchies derived by i.i.d. sampling from their weights, in a manner analogous to Kingman's paintbox, have the same distribution. We introduce a family of trees, called "interval partition trees" that serve as representatives of mass-structure equivalence classes, and which naturally represent the laws of the aforementioned hierarchies.


Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have dramatically improved the prognosis of CML patients with life expectancy close to individuals without CML [1], and therefore the longterm safety of TKIs has become especially important due to the potential for lifelong treatment. Nilotinib (NILO) tends to have a negative effect on lipid [2] and glucose [3] metabolism, while imatinib (IMA) seems to improve [4] these abnormalities. Although the data appear convincing, the real impact of these changes on cardiovascular (CV) risk and the development of CV complications during TKI therapy have not yet been confirmed.


Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common disorder and leads to many costs for the healthcare system. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac neurohormone and has an important function in diagnosis and prognosis of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. The TEI index is a novel non-invasive Doppler-based indicator, which evaluates systolic and diastolic myocardial function. There are few data regarding the prognostic role of TEI and isovolumic acceleration (IVA) indexes in HF and the relationship with neurohormonal activation. In this study, we evaluated the TEI and IVA index correlation with Pro-BNP in patients with systolic HF. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. We included consecutively patients with HF, admitted to Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran between March 2017 and February 2019. A single investigator would perform echocardiography the next morning, for all patients. A checklist was completed for each patient and included demographic data, clinical data and different echocardiographic variables. We also recorded in-hospital mortality and outcome of patients during the follow-up stage. Results: We finally included 65 patients according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean age of participants was 63.38±12.85 years. Most of them were male (61.5%). We showed that there is a direct and significant relationship between RVIVA (r=0.317, P =0.010) and LVIVA (r=0.254, P =0.041) with LVEF. There was no significant correlation between Pro-BNP level and NYHA classification (r=0.151, P =0.231). We showed that there was no correlation between Pro-BNP level and RV TEI index (r=0.065, P =0.490) and LV TEI index (r=0.071, P =0.419). In sub-group analysis, in patients with EF<20%, we showed a significant correlation between the level of Pro-BNP and RV TEI index. Conclusion: We showed that the IVA index is correlated to EF in both RV and LV and can differ in large-scale in a population study. We also showed that RV TEI index is significantly correlated with Pro-BNP in patients with EF<20%. Large-scale studies are recommended.


Conventional microscopy, ELISA and Real Time PCR showed Giardia lamblia in a total of 4470 asymptomatic and 423 symptomatic faecal samples from urban slum children of 13 ‐ 60 months age old. ELISA showed more sensitivity (88.88%) and specificity (90.91%) than microscopy (6.5% sensitive and 100% specific). The prevalence of G. lamblia infection among asymptomatic children was 37.93% by microscopy and 76.11% by ELISA. The prevalence was 7.03, 38.91 and 66.49 by microscopy, ELISA and Real Time PCR in symptomatic children, respectively. The highest prevalence (80.95%) of infection was found in symptomatic children between 49 and 60 months old. Peak prevalence among asymptomatic children was found in March, 2012 (39.39%) and among symptomatic children in September, 2012 (88.88%). Giardia lamblia infection was higher (71.03%) in male than in female children (60.26%). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujbs.v23i2.20100 Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 23(2): 197-204, 2014


This essay is a brief introduction to current research and literature in the management of trade secrets, aimed at participants at CIP-forum 2016 (a conference organized by Center for Intellectual Property, Gothenburg).It begins with showing the development of intellectual property (IP) management as a research field, the minor role of trade secret management research, and then presents various topics in current research, such as: Available literature and suggested readings for managers and researchers; The impact of new EU and US legislation; The social science perspective; Cyber security and trade secrets; The need for consistent terminology and an ontology.


Flexibility in design increases the expected value of an engineering system, as demonstrated by numerous case studies. By adapting flexibly to uncertain events, operators capture additional value when upside opportunities occur (e.g. demand or price is higher t han expected), and reduce losses in case of downturns. Very often engineers work to satisfy fixed design requirements based on analysts' forecasts of uncertain variables affecting value. If reality is more favorable than projected, the system may not capture additional benefits from uncertainty. In reverse, it may suffer big losses during downsides. Flexibility is the main tool to deal with uncertainty; it captures upside opportunities, and protects from downside events, thus its importance for design. Explicit considerations of flexibility lead to more informed, and thus better investment decisions. This paper surveys existing state-of-the-art methodologies for identifying and valuing flexible design opportunities in complex systems. It emerges from the observation that several analytical methods exist to identify and value technical sources of flexibility. The current state of the field is however not clear on which methods are best suited depending on the design problem at hand, the system under study, and other contextual elements such as the economic sector, the uncertainty types, audience, etc. Different problems may require different methods to add value through flexibility, hence the need to organize the field in a coherent whole for real-world practitioners. The paper paves the way to the development of a framework to choose appropriate analytical tools to identify and value flexible design opportunities, depending on the engineering system under consideration. The proposed framework is to be developed through applications of existing methods to real-world case studies in various industries.


This study is an ethnobotanical survey conducted in the Limpopo Province (South Africa) with the goal of collecting detailed information about the cultural significance of indigenous plants in human culture. Three hundred and forty semi-structured interviews with traditional health practitioners and community members knowledgeable about plant use yielded ethnobotanical data on a variety of indigenous plant uses. The ethnobotanical data collected produced 77 species belonging to 31 families. The diversity of plants produced 45 sources of medicine, 17 sources of stock feed, 13 sources of technological materials, 10 food sources, and six fuel sources. It was found that most plants (15.5%) have dual uses as sources of food and fodder, as well as sources of fruits that are also used for medicinal purposes and timber for the manufacturing of household utensils. The study findings demonstrated how traditional knowledge about indigenous plants may be leveraged to address some of society's most pressing issues, including food insecurity, poor health and wellbeing, poverty, and unemployment. The study reported that the rural community's continued dependence on indigenous plant materials for subsistence is an example of cultural resilience in the pursuit of sustainable development. The research is crucial because it provides information on the plants that remain prominent in Mantheding culture and their many uses in the community's culture.

Keywords: Ethnobotany; indigenous plants; sustainable development; Limpopo Province


Embankment compaction tests of earth-rock fill dam are directly related to quality control of sequent embankment.It provides dam embankment with compaction parameters and sequent test inspection with reference.Compaction tests on 9 embankment materials for the dam of Nuozhadu Hydropower Project are analyzed and summaried in this paper.Finally,the embankment parameters of Nuozhadu Hydropower Project are finalized.


Nile tilapia juveniles with initial weights range of 95.1 to 106.8 grams /fish were distributed into 18 concrete tanks with a constant water depth of 75 cm to evaluate the effect of different feed loads and crude protein levels on oxygen dynamics, water quality parameters and growth performance. Two feeding loads (inputs) were added at 7 and 10 grams diet/m/day, six days a week. The commercial feed contained three levels of dietary protein (25, 30 and 35%). The rearing experiment lasted 60 days. There was no effect on oxygen concentrations at sunset among the 7 grams and 10 grams treatments. Slightly higher early morning oxygen deficits were observed in the 10 grams treatments. When feed loads increased from 7 grams to 10 grams algal blooms took place in the higher feed load. There were no significant differences in TAN, PO4P and NO2-N concentrations among treatments. Feeding Nile tilapia at 7 grams/m/day had comparable growth performance and better feed conversion ratios to those fed at 10 grams/m/day. Consequently, higher feed inputs neither improved economic efficiency, nor enhanced oxygen budget. Increasing crude protein within the 7 gram treatments above 30% did not improve protein efficiency ratio (PER). [M.A. Elnady, R.K. Abd Elwahed and G.H. Gad. Evaluating oxygen dynamics, water quality parameters and growth performance of Nile Tilapia by applying different dietary nitrogen levels. J Am Sci 2017;13(1):107115]. ISSN 1545-1003 (print); ISSN 2375-7264 (online). http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 15. doi:10.7537/marsjas130117.15.


The development and promotion of tourism planning education is the basis and premise of tourism management education.Based on the teaching objectives and career direction of Tourism Management Major in higher vocational colleges, the teaching innovation of tourism planning course is studied. To interpret and evaluate the planning as the goal, based on a large number of complete case texts, explore practical teaching and training methods. Through the industry research and analysis of the students' learning situation, this paper finds out the demand and ability requirements of the current tourism management major for the course learning; combined with the professional and professional needs, the teaching innovation is carried out with the analysis and planning as the course objective. Through the teaching design, curriculum practice and analysis, based on the actual combat exercises, this paper studies the appropriate teaching and training methods, innovates and improves the education and teaching of this course. The three major elements of tourism management activities are tourism subject, tourism object and tourism attraction. While emphasizing the demand side, paying attention to the reform of supply side is the focus of current tourism management. With the development of tourism industry, the requirement of tourism management personnel training is to have strategic vision and overall awareness. Tourism planning has become the main course of Tourism Management Major in higher vocational colleges. Its teaching effect has a long-term impact on students' career, and will certainly play a decisive role in improving professional accomplishment and overall situation awareness of tourism industry practitioners.


According to the nature of the run of stimuli and outcomes, either positive or negative recency may be exhibited in the initial responses to a two-choice guessing task. When red and black two-digit numbers printed in two columns were used as stimuli, subjects responded to a run on one colour with positive recency, but to a run on one column with negative recency. Responses were found to be related to prior expectations in a way which occurs with a rational Bayesian decision process. With a very long run on one position (either column) the marked negative recency which occurred initially eventually gave way to positive recency. Three experiments are reported.


A viscous/inviscid interaction procedure is developed, for computing steady transonic flows over single airfoils. The procedure combines the method used in the GRUMFOIL code, developed by Melnik and his coworkers, with a basic solution for transonic shock/boundary layer interactions developed by Inger and his coworkers. Thus, the strong interactions occurring at the trailing edge and at the root of the shock are both taken into account. The procedure has been applied to non-separating flows on three airfoils. For airfoil shock locations around mid-chord, it was found that marching under the shock using boundary layer theory gives similar results as the use of a detailed interaction theory except for significant overpredictions of displacement thickness rise and skin friction drop for 10-20% chord downstream. However, the two procedures give significantly different results when the shock position is rearward (70% chord or more); then the detailed interaction module alters the flow all the way to the trailing edge with consequent global effects on shock location and lift.


Evaluated the antibacterial effect of aqueous and ethanolic extract of the leaf, bark of Tagetes minuta L. against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes was analyzed in this study. These Gram positive strains were isolated and characterized by standard methods. Aqueous and ethanolic extract of the leaf, bark of Tagetes minuta L. were prepared with help of soxhlet unit. Further, evaluated the antimicrobial activity of these extract were analyzed against S. aureus and S. pyogenes. Biochemical test confirmed that isolated strains were Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Aqueous and ethanolic extract of the leaf and bark of Tagetes minuta leaf showed significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens. 15 µg/ml aqueous extract of T. minuta leaf showed 80, 120% antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens respectively as compared to the control. Similarly, ethanolic extract of leaf of T.s minuta showed significant values against S. aureus and S. pyogens. 15 ethanolic extracts of T. minuta leaf showed more inhibition zones (121.21 and 0 %, respectively) against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens. 15 µg/ml aqueous extract of bark of T. minuta showed less inhibition zone against Staphylococcus aureus as compared to 15 µg/ml norflox (control drug) whereas 35 µg/ml aqueous extract of bark of T. minuta exhibited more inhibition zone (49.59%) against S. pyogens as compared to the control. Similarly, 20 µg/ml ethanolic extract T. minuta bark marked similar inhibition zone against S. aureus and similarly 20 µg/ml ethanolic extract T. minuta bark showed 50.31% more inhibition zone against S. pyogens as compared to 15 µg/ml norflox (control drug). Aqueous extract of the leaves as well as barks of Tagetes minuta exhibited 5 µg/ml MIC against S. aureus and S. pyogenes.


Abstract Bond's method of using the impact of two liquid jets for the determination of surface tensions is applied to mercury. The mercury is circulated, and a device for the continuous measurement of the rate of flow of the liquid is described. A method for determining the momentum of the jet is developed, from which the radius of the jet is deduced.


Background: Persistent high levels of sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Madagascar indicate current prevention strategies are inadequate. STI/HIV prevention based in social venues may play an important role in reaching individuals at risk of infection. We identified venues where people meet sexual partners and measured the need and potential for venue-based prevention. Methods: Interviews were conducted in 7 Madagascar towns with 1) community informants to identify social venues, 2) individuals socializing at a sample of venues to assess sexual behavior among venue patrons, and 3) venue representatives to assess the potential for venue-based intervention. Results: Community informants identified numerous venues (range: 67-211 venues, depending on the town); streets, bars, and hotels were most commonly reported. Among 2982 individuals socializing at venues, 78% of men and 74% of women reported new sexual partnership or sex trade for money, goods, or services in the past 4 weeks and 19% of men and 18% of women reported symptoms suggestive of STI in the past 4 weeks. STI symptom levels were disproportionately high among respondents reporting either sex trade or new sexual partnership in the past 4 weeks. Twenty-eight percent of men and 41% of women reported condom use during the last sex act with a new partner. Although 24% to 45% of venues had hosted STI/HIV interventions, interventions were deemed possible at 73% to 90% venues according to 644 interviews with venue representatives. Conclusions: Venue-based intervention is possible and would reach a spectrum of populations vulnerable to STI/HIV including sex workers, their clients, and other high-risk populations.


The use of neurotechnology applications in the consumer domain for extra-clinical purposes has recently raised significant attention among researchers. Different labels have been used in the attempt to define this heterogeneous and rapidly developing technological market. Among others: 'consumer' (Ienca, Haselager and Emanuel 2018), 'consumer-directed' (Kellmeyer 2018), and 'direct-to-consumer (DTC)' neurotechnology (Kreitmair 2019; Wexler and Reiner 2019). A taxonomy is starting to emerge from this discussion. While prima facie synonymous, these labels identify non-identical intersectional subsets of neurotechnology. Consumer neurotechnology is the subset of all neurotechnological applications used in the consumer market. This subset includes two main categories: (i) the study of consumer behavior in the neuromarketing setting; and (ii) DTC devices & services for personal use. The former category involves the use of standard neurotechnology (e.g. functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, or electroencephalography, EEG) to reveal hidden information about the consumer experience, including preference measurements (Ariely and Berns 2010). In recent years, the number of companies using neuromarketing research approaches has increased exponentially (Plassmann, Ramsøy and Milosavljevic 2012). The latter category is defined by Kreitmair (2019) as neurotechnological products "that can be purchased directly by a consumer, without any involvement of a researcher or treating clinician." She observes that DTC neurotechnologies have three common features: they tend to be personal, digital, and mobile. They are considered personal as they tend to be used by only one individual at a time, digital as they utilize binary computing systems and online connectivity, and mobile because their hardware is typically "small and light-weight enough that individuals can carry them around on their persons" (153). While this description adequately captures the essential features of DTC neurotechnologies, researchers debate on where the boundaries of this subset should be drawn. Kreitmair advocates for an inclusive approach which envelopes not only consumer-grade braincomputer interfaces (BCIs) and personal neuromodulation devices but also more widely adopted technologies such as wristband activity trackers, smartphones and mobile apps. Her rationale is that although these devices and programs neither read nor write neural information, they can nonetheless be used to indirectly monitor and make inferences about psychological functions. As an example, she cites the E4 wristband from Empatica, a wearable tracker that combines a Global Positioning System (GPS) with electrodermal activity data from galvanic skin responses to allegedly reveal "how emotional arousal varies with location"(Kreitmair 2019). In her view, since emotional arousal is a psychological function —and, we would add, since psychological functions are physically realized via neural activity—then even wearable trackers like the E4 might be considered a DTC neurotechnology. This argument can be formalized as follows: if T can be used to make inferences about PFs, then T2N (T1⁄4 technology, PF1⁄4psychological function, N1⁄4neurotechnology). This liberal definition raises a taxonomic risk: if even devices like the Fitbit and the Apple Watch are considered neurotechnologies, then the definition of DTC neurotechnology becomes so broad it is semantically and pragmatically vacuous. Psychological functions such as affective states can be reliably inferred through a huge variety of non-neural measures. Paul Ekman's famous tests of emotion recognition such as the Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA) stimulus set and the Facial Action Coding System are well-known metrics for inferring emotions from facial expressions. Similarly, research in speech processing and machine learning has shown that both the content and prosody of spoken language can be used for emotion recognition or even for "inferring


There is disclosed a tool in which a tubular body having a means on its lower end for connection to a fish stuck within the bore is adapted to be connected to a running string for suspension in a well bore, and a washpipe having a cutting surface on its lower end is supported by the tubular body for raising and lowering therewith.


In this study, only minimal changes in viral load are seen in response to influenza vaccine; an accompanying editorial outlines the pros and cons of routine annual flu vaccination.

Studies looking at whether influenza vaccination increases viral load have yielded conflicting results. This prospective study suggests that such increases, if they occur, do so rarely and are transient.

Individuals receiving care for HIV in two Boston primary care clinics were eligible for this study, and were enrolled during the 1994-1995 …


488 • cid 2020:71 (1 August) • EDITORIAL COMMENTARY Received 14 August 2019; editorial decision 16 August 2019; accepted 21 August 2019; published online October 7, 2019. Correspondence: S. A. Springer, Yale University AIDS Program, New Haven, CT (email@example.com). Clinical Infectious Diseases 2020;71(3):488–90 © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: email@example.com. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz837 Aortic Valve Surgery Outcomes Reporting and Implications for Persons Who Use Drugs With Infectious Endocarditis


Objective:To establish type 2 diabetic rat model and observe its renal lesions and SnoN protein expression.Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal control,high-fat and high-sucrose groups.High-fat and high-sucrose groups were then divided into high-fat and high-sucrose controls and diabetes mellitus groups after taking high-fat and high-sucrose diet for 12 weeks.The diabetic rats were injected with low dose of streptozotocin(30 mg/kg) and were killed at the 20th,24th,and 28th weeks respectively.The SnoN proteins in renal cortex were detected with Western blotting.Blood glucose,serum insulin concentration,trigly-ceride,total cholesterol,serum creatinine and 24 h urine protein were examined with biochemistry methods.The renal morphology on HE stained sections was checked with light microscope.Results: Diabetic rats showed hyperglycaemia,hyperlipemia,kidney morphological lesion and renal function changes.High-sucrose control group showed hyperinsulinemia and hyperlipemia,but the blood glucose was normal.Western blotting results showed that the expression of SnoN in diabetic renal tissues significantly decreased(P0.01).Conclusions: Rat models of type 2 diabetes mellitus have been established successfully which can be used as a diabetic nephropathy model.The change of SnoN protein expression may play a role in the mechanisms of type 2 diabetic nephropathy.


Nowadays, polygamy is still becoming a deliberation in the society
commonly. Because, a polygamy marriage has various impacts not only for wife, but
also for their children. Especially, children whose get teenegers. That impacts can
influence to their physical or psychological. And the polygamy marriage whose done
with their father can becoming stres for teenegers itself. Most of teens look
polygamous as a problem which burden and it can be a stressor is hard and can't to
overcome. However, there are teenegers whose can handle their stres by do one of
coping strategy or some of coping strategy at the same time


The brachial plexus is formed by the union of the ventral rami of C5–T1. Contributions to the plexus by C4 and T2 differ. The coracobrachialis muscle is an elongated muscle in the superomedial part of the arm. It is a useful landmark for locating other structures in the arm. Variations exist to the coracobrachialis muscle, and to the formation of the brachial plexus, its terminal branches and its relation to surrounding structures. In this report, the coracobrachialis muscle is pierced by two nerves, and one of these nerves joins the median nerve after piercing the coracobrachialis muscle. Awareness of the possible variations of brachial plexus and its surrounding structures is necessary for adequate clinical, surgical and radiological management. Keywords: brachial plexus; coracobrachialis; median nerve; musculocutaneous nerve; unnamed nerve


The main goal of this paper is an application of Bayesian inference in testing the relation between risk and return on the financial instruments. On the basis of the Intertemporal CAPM model we built a general sampling model suitable in analysing such a relationship. The most important feature of our assumptions is that the skewness of the conditional distribution of returns is used as an alternative source of relation between risk and return. This general specification relates to GARCH-In-Mean model. In order to make conditional distribution of financial returns skewed we considered a constructive approach based on the inverse probability integral transformation. In particular, we apply the hidden truncation mechanism, two equivalent approaches of the inverse scale factors, order statistics concept, Beta and Bernstein distribution transformations, and also the constructive method. Based on the daily excess returns on the Warsaw Stock Exchange Index we checked the empirical importance of the conditional skewness assumption on the relation between risk and return on the Warsaw Stock Market. We present posterior probabilities of all competing specifications as well as the posterior analysis of positive sign of the tested relationship.


In writing the unfinished Discorso sopra lo stato presente del costume degli Ita-liani , Leopardi shows, in a fairly obvious manner, a satirical attitude; at the origin of his thoughts on «the character of the Italians» it appears, in a less obvious manner, a profound comic relationship with the language; finally, the interpretative key with which Leopardi traces a pitiless but amusing portrait of a People, is even less visible: it is the excess of «Self-love», which has reduced the Italians to blindness and anesthesia while avoiding any social costume, nor for solidarity nor for convenience.


Since the publication of Marvell's prose works a decade ago, our understanding of Marvell's place within Restoration debates over political theology has been richly extended and deepened. This article focuses new attention on the literary significance of Marvell's controversial prose for the early eighteenth century. Students of Swift have long known that Swift turned to Marvell's satire The Rehearsal Transpros'd as a model for A Tale of a Tub. In this essay I suggest a much wider debt to Marvell among eighteenth-century satirists than has so far been acknowledged. Not only did Marvell's character "Mr. Bayes" provide a template for images of the mad, Modern author in the works of Scriblerian "wits" and Grub Street "dunces," but also, Marvell's fooling with the nature of the book, I argue, hints at a vital link with the materialist poetics of The Dunciad. This essay thus discovers some novel points of contact between the murky world of Restoration controversy and the "golden age of satire" in England.


Recognition and detection of interactive actions performed by multiple persons have a wide range of real-world applications. Existing studies on the human activity analysis focus mainly on classifying video clips of simple actions performed by a single person, whereas the problem of understanding complex human activities with causal relationships between two people has not been sufficiently addressed yet. In this paper, we employ systematically organized skeleton features enhanced with directional features, and utilize sparse-group lasso to automatically choose discriminative factors that help in dealing with interactive action recognition and real-time detection tasks. Experiments on two person interaction datasets demonstrate the superiority of our approach to the state-of-the-art methods.


Chinese variant characters are those with same pronounciation, same interpretation and same usage but without same form. They should be included in modern Chinese characters from the point of view of modern normative language. The regulation of the variant characters should be popularized and simplified with definite meaning and pronounciation. There are two ways to standardize the variant characters; amalgamation and seperation. A series of rules and regulations about them should be taken into consideration.


Vermont towns are required to have a town plan. The responsibility of the town planning department, the plan is comprehensive and details the current state of the town and embodies the residents' vision of the town's future. Town plans should be compatible with the plans of neighboring towns, progress towards the plan goals are to be measurable. A problem with the town plans, referred to as the Comprehensive Town Plan (CTP), is the minimal use of metrics. The metrics are often an ad-hoc collection of available metrics and lack compatibility with the plans of other towns. Establishing a set of consistent and defined metrics, used by all towns, will solve this problem. Metrics will also make the CTP easier for the town to develop and stakeholders to understand. Such metrics have twice solved similar problems. Corporate annual reports benefit from the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) procedures and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) form 10-K; Corporate Responsibility reports more recently benefited from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Several sources of metrics and methods are evaluated. Metrics currently used by the CTP and those recommended by practitioners of the CTP is the first source of metrics. As the CTP is similar to a sustainability plan, sustainability frameworks such as the GRI, Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating communities (STAR), and International Standards Organization (ISO) 37120 are reviewed. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Insights™ is also considered.


The world is gripped with a sense of crisis over the disasters caused by rapid climate change. Various policy and technical attempts are being made to reduce carbon emissions around the world. Since the issue of RE100 was raised in the last presidential debate, interest in RE100 has been increasing. RE100 is a voluntary campaign to cover corporate power with 100% renewable electricity, and is attracting more attention in line with the company's sustainable management policy. In this review, the reality of RE100 and related policies were investigated. Based on this, the institutional direction for the realization of RE100 was presented.


By building vector equations of independent source, controlled source and controlling variables, the paper presents a directly listing method of loop current equations which is suitable for various circuits containing controlled sources. The calculation method is easy for the calculation of matrices of loop current or any output current solution vector.


Abstract The relations of the genera Torynifer Hall and Clarke, Phricodothyris George, and Kitakamithyris Minato are discussed, and the diagnosis of Phricodothyris emended. The phricodothyrid species of New South Wales all bear dental lamellae and a median septum in the pedicle valve. Four new species from three horizons within the Carboniferous are described.


This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the sound produced by flow interaction with a wall-mounted finite length airfoil at low-to-moderate Reynolds number. Acoustic measurements have been taken in an anechoic wind tunnel at a range of Reynolds numbers, angles of attack and for a variety of airfoil aspect ratios (airfoil length to chord ratio) with a single microphone and two perpendicular planar microphone arrays. For comparison, measurements have also been taken with a semi-infinite or twodimensional airfoil and a half-span airfoil with tip flow but no boundary layer impingement. The experimental data is used to examine changes in wall-mounted finite airfoil noise production as a function of Reynolds number, angle of attack and airfoil aspect ratio. Additionally, the data gives insight into the airfoil noise generation mechanisms and the influence of flow at the airfoil tip and wall junction on noise production.


ABSTRACT Purpose:-This study is conducted to find out whether democratic or nondemocratic governments bring greater economic growth to Pakistan. Methodology:-The data of economic growth from the bureau of statistics is taken for the period 1947(Pakistan's independence) to 2009 which includes four major democratic and four major autocratic era's. Findings:-With the help of independent sample t-test it is concluded that growth has been better in the periods of autocratic rule with significant difference in areas such as GDP growth rate, CPI inflation, Floating debt and insignificant difference in areas such as Exports, Health Expenditure, FDI, and Electricity generation Practical Implications:-The study will help the related departments in forming the effective policies viable for economic growth and development of the country. This study sheds light on the performance of the major types of government systems in terms of economic and social growth Key Words: HR Diversity Management, Trust on Leadership, Cooperative Norms, Knowledge Sharing.


Enhancement of the energy harvesting performance and dielectric constants of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)‐based capacitors is realized by incorporating 16 wt% of surface‐treated BaTiO3 hollow nanospheres (HNSs) in comparison with the pristine PVDF. The fabricated BaTiO3 HNSs with particle sizes of ≈20 nm and BET surface area of 297 m2 g−1 are treated by three different surface modifiers. The changes in crystallinity of the PVDF containing the surface‐treated BaTiO3 HNSs are induced by both enlarged surface areas and increased surface functionality of the HNSs. Effects of such surface functionalities on the crystalline, dielectric, and energy harvesting performances of the nanocomposites are systematically investigated to identify the optimal surface modifier to enhance the energy density of the nanocomposites. Consequently, these changes in crystallinity lead to higher dielectric constants (ε′ ≈ 109.6) and energy density (Ue ≈ 21.7 J cm−3) with highly retained breakdown strength (E = 3.81 × 103 kV cm−1) compared to pristine PVDF (ε′ ≈ 11.6 and Ue ≈ 2.16 J cm−3 at 3.98 × 103 kV cm−1), indicating their potential as high energy density capacitors.


number: OC-MC-002 14 Cephalalgia 37(1S) ! International Headache Society 2017 treatment of CH attacks in patients with episodic CH (eCH) or chronic CH (cCH). Methods: Adults with CH were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive nVNS or sham treatment during the 2-week double-blind phase of the study. Subjects self-administered three consecutive 120-second stimulations to the cervical branch of the vagus nerve at CH attack onset. For attacks not aborted (pain free) within 9 minutes of treatment initiation, a second set of three stimulations was permitted. Subjects were asked to refrain from using rescue treatments for 15 minutes from treatment initiation. The primary end point was the proportion of treated attacks achieving pain-free status (pain score1⁄4 0); key secondary end points included change in pain intensity score (scale, 0–4 points) and percentage of subjects with responder status (pain score1⁄4 0 or 1) for 50% of treated attacks. The measurement time point for all parameters was 15 minutes after treatment initiation. The incidence and seriousness of adverse device effects (ADEs) were monitored to assess safety and tolerability. Results: Subjects (n1⁄4 102; 30 eCH, 72 cCH) from nine EU sites were randomly assigned to receive nVNS (n1⁄4 50) or sham (n1⁄4 52) treatment. The intent-to-treat population included 48 nVNS-treated subjects (14 eCH, 34 cCH) and 44 sham-treated subjects (13 eCH, 31 cCH). In the total cohort, the proportions of treated attacks that achieved pain-free status at 15 minutes did not differ significantly between treatments (nVNS, 14%; sham, 12%). In the eCH subgroup, nVNS (48%) was significantly superior to sham (6%; P< 0.01), and there was no treatment difference in the cCH subgroup (nVNS, 5%; sham, 13%). The mean decrease in pain intensity score from attack onset to 15 minutes after treatment initiation did not differ significantly between treatments in the total cohort (nVNS, 1.3; sham, 0.9) and was significantly greater with nVNS ( 1.7) than sham ( 0.6) for the eCH subgroup (P1⁄4 0.01); the cCH subgroup showed no significant treatment difference (nVNS, 1.2; sham, 1.0). The proportion of subjects who achieved responder status for 50% of treated attacks at 15 minutes was significantly higher with nVNS in the total cohort (nVNS, 40%; sham, 14%; P< 0.01) and the eCH subgroup (nVNS, 64%; sham, 15%; P< 0.01) but not in the cCH subgroup (nVNS, 29%; sham, 13%). The proportion of subjects with 1 ADE was similar between the nVNS (18%) and sham (19%) groups, and no ADEs were considered serious. Conclusion: Acute use of nVNS was superior to sham in patients with eCH but not in those with cCH or in the total cohort, 71% of whom had cCH. These results confirm that nVNS is a safe and effective acute treatment for patients with eCH. Disclosure of Interest P. Goadsby Conflict with: Grants from Allergan, Amgen, Eli Lilly and Company, Conflict with: Personal fees from Akita Biomedical; Alder Biopharmaceuticals; Allergan; Amgen; Autonomic Technologies; Avanir Pharmaceuticals; Cipla Ltd; CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Dr. Reddy's Laboratories; electroCore, LLC; eNeura; Eli Lilly and Company; Novartis; Pfizer Inc; Promius Pharma; Quest Diagnostics; Scion; Teva Pharmaceuticals; Trigemina, Inc.; Medico-Legal Journal; Journal Watch; UpToDate; and Oxford University Press. In addition, Dr. Goadsby has a patent for magnetic stimulation for headache pending assigned to eNeura., I. de Coo Conflict with: Travel grants from electroCore, LLC, N. Silver Conflict with: Honoraria from Allergan and electroCore, LLC; investigator fees paid to the Walton Centre, A. Tyagi Conflict with: Honoraria from Allergan and electroCore, LLC, F. Ahmed Conflict with: Honoraria paid to the Migraine Trust and British Association for the Study of Headache for advisory board participation: Allergan; eNeura; electroCore, LLC; and Novartis, C. Gaul Conflict with: Honoraria from Allergan; electroCore, LLC; St. Jude Medical; Grünenthal; Desitin; Bayer; Boehringer Ingelheim; Autonomic Technologies; Reckitt Benckiser; Ratiopharm GmbH; Novartis; Lilly Deutschland; and Hormosan, R. Jensen Conflict with: Given lectures and conducted clinical trials for Autonomic Technologies; Neurocore; and Eli Lilly and Company., H.-C. Diener Conflict with: Research funding from Allergan; Almirall; AstraZeneca; Bayer; electroCore, LLC; GlaxoSmithKline; Janssen-Cilag; MSD; and Pfizer. Additional research support from the German Research Council; the German Ministry of Education and Research; and the European Union., Conflict with: Honoraria for participation in clinical trials and for contributions to advisory boards and oral presentations sponsored by Addex Pharma; Adler; Allergan; Almirall; Amgen; Autonomic Technologies; AstraZeneca; Bayer; Vital; Berlin-Chemie; Boehringer Ingelheim; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Chordate Medical; Coherex Medical; CoLucid Pharmaceuticals; electroCore, LLC; GlaxoSmithKline; Grünenthal; Janssen-Cilag; Labrys Biologics; Eli Lilly and Company; La Roche; 3M Medica; Medtronic; Menarini; Minster Pharmaceuticals; MSD; NeuroScore; Novartis; Johnson & Johnson; Pierre Fabre; Pfizer; Schaper and Brümmer; Sanofi; St. Jude Medical; and Weber & Weber, E. Liebler Conflict with: electroCore, LLC, Conflict with: electroCore, LLC, M. Ferrari Conflict with: Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO); the European Community; ZonMw; and the Dutch Heart Foundation, Conflict with: Medtronic, Conflict with: Member of the Editorial Board for Cephalalgia IHC Oral Abstracts 15 ! International Headache Society 2017 Migraine & Cluster Headache


Squirrel monkeys ( Saimiri ) have been studied in a variety of laboratory and natural environments. The frequency and form of exploration and social play vary considerably among different environments. For example, in some environments, young monkeys have been observed to play for 3 hr per day; but in one natural environment, not a single bout of social play was seen during a 10-week intensive study. Numerous intermediate levels of play activity have been observed.

Whereas many theories of play make it appear that play is essential for the development of sexual behavior, integrated roles in troop structure, control of aggressive responses, social cohesion, etc., the data on squirrel monkeys indicate that social organization and many normal social behaviors can develop without social play. However, the opportunity to play socially provides learning experiences that increase the variety of each animal's behavioral repertoire and the subtly of social cues to which it can respond. An adaptive modicum of competence can appear without social play, but the opportunity to play socially develops the competence of animals beyond that modicum.


Land degradation due to soil erosion is a major problem that certainly affects the sustainability of agricultural production on the sloping Kandiustalfs and Ustults of northeast Thailand. These uplands have considerable area with moderate (5-15%) and steep (>15%) slopes which are susceptible to erosion. While farmers recognize soil erosion as a problem, they are not willing to invest their scarce resources in adopting soil conservation-effective farming.


Numerous studies on the use of humor in the workplace have long been investigated in the past decades. Managerial humor is viewed as the critical factor for a manager to alter the working environment leading to creativity and innovation. To encourage organizational innovation, innovative behavior is a major driving force. The exploration of the relationship between humor styles and innovative behavior in Thai context has been underdeveloped and needs to be extended to examine the differences of these factors compared to other cultures. Therefore, this current study aimed to examine the relationship between managerial humor and innovative behavior of managers in real estate firms listed in Stock Exchange of Thailand. Data were gathered by using stratified random sampling technique. Questionnaires were used as the instrument for data collection. Data were collected from managers in all levels during June-August 2017. The findings showed that managers preferred to majorly use self-enhancing humor styles rather than other humor styles. For hypotheses testing, the results demonstrated that the four independent variables including affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating humor styles could explain 23% of variance to innovative behavior (R 2 = .227, F (4, 79) = 5.446, p <.01). This suggested that there were other factors that could explain innovative behavior of managers that had not been incorporated in this current study. In addition, the findings indicated that affiliative humor style had a significantly positive effect on innovative behavior of managers in real estate firms (β = .280, p <.008), as did self-enhancing humor style (β = .279, p <.011).


Reinforcement Learning (RL) is one of the most popular methods for solving complex sequential decision-making problems. Deep RL needs careful sensing of the environment, selecting algorithms as well as hyper-parameters via soft agents, and simultaneously predicting which best actions should be. The RL computing paradigm is progressively becoming a popular solution in numerous fields. However, many deployment decisions, such as security of distributed computing, the defence system of network communication and algorithms details such as frequency of batch updating and the number of time steps, are typically not treated as an integrated system. This makes it difficult to have appropriate vulnerability management when applying deep RL in real life problems. For these reasons, we propose a framework that allows users to focus on the algorithm of reasoning, trust, and explainability in accordance with human perception, followed by exploring potential threats, especially adversarial attacks and countermeasures.


The method of determination of probability density of power of signal is considered on the entrance of receiver for organization of effective informative exchange between telephone subscriber stations through balloon retransmitting station, located on airship.


This article seeks to delve deeper into the discourse about the epistemic decoloniality of Westernised higher education in South Africa. Discrete academic studies have indicated that African Knowledge paradigms have not found a home in South Africa's Westernised academies yet; knowledge patterns remain foreign and colonized. The current curriculum at a section of Historically White Universities in South Africa largely reflects the colonial and apartheid worldviews and is disconnected from African realities, including the lived experiences of most black South Africans, taking into account Arts and Humanities. Based on an examination of the decoloniality project and curriculum dishonesty and reform through literature study, the article calls for critical rethinking and reconfiguration, which should position South Africa, Africa, and last of all, the globe at the centre of knowledge production. Epistemic decoloniality at South Africa's Historically White Universities should not be pursued with knowledge violence but rather with scholarly debate. This article introduces the framework of decoloniality by tracing the genesis of (South) Africa's knowledge coloniality and initiates a discussion on the current epistemic decoloniality in South Africa's Westernised higher education. The focus is on curriculum justice and knowledge integration across Historically White Universities in South Africa. The last portion of the paper applies the proposed measures to evaluate the cogency of decolonial discourses.