The definition of the combinations of species that are able to live together in communities has become a central issue in community ecology. One of the simplest questions we can ask is whether a particular ensemble of species will coexist indefinitely in the absence of environmental change or whether one or more species will be driven to extinction through the interactions within the community. A set of species that coexist indefinitely can be envisaged as ecologically permanent in an informal biological sense (Maynard Smith 1969). Analysis of this issue by theoreticians has nearly always been based on systems of differential (or difference) equations describing the dynamics of the species (May 1974; Pimm 1982; Svirezhev and Logofet 1983). Because explicit solutions of such systems cannot in general be obtained, analysis has usually involved establishing whether an equilibrium point exists at which all species are present (i.e., an equilibrium point in the interior of the phase space) and whether this equilibrium is stable for small displacements of the population densities from equilibrium; see, for example, May (1974) for an introduction to the technique of asymptotic stability analysis (sometimes referred to as local or neighborhood stability in the ecological literature). This method of analysis lies at the heart of much theoretical ecology developed over the last 20 yr. The limitations of asymptotic stability analysis are well-known; the analysis tells us only what happens to the community dynamics in the immediate neighborhood of the equilibrium under investigation. An unstable equilibrium would not necessarily imply that one or more species will be driven to extinction, because all of the species might still coexist on cyclical or chaotic orbits. Conversely, asymptotic stability of the equilibrium could still allow most orbits (trajectories) to tend to extinction states. This difficulty has long been recognized by some ecologists (see, e.g., Levin 1975, p. 129 et seq.), although a great deal of ecological theory is still based on asymptotic stability. A number of more realistic criteria have indeed been proposed: for example, 0-persistence, which requires that orbits are eventually at a distance greater than 0 from the extinction boundary, where 0 is specified in advance. Also, other models-for example, those including stochastic effects-may reflect reality better. However, 0-persistence has proved to be intractable except in very simple cases (Goh 1980), and stochastic equations present formidable analytical problems. If any real progress is to be made from a theoretical point of view, the criterion must be mathematically tractable. In this note, we consider another alternative, that of permanence, which we believe to be superior to that of asymptotic stability and which is relatively tractable. An n-species system will be said to be permanent if all orbits (with all popula-


The national income of the country is greatly increasing thus also raising the standard of living among the citizens. Demand for a pleasant and favorable environment is one of their main concerns. Recently, there have been many disputes among people in neighborhoods about the right to enjoy the sunshine and view. The contention is so complicated because there have no standard even law. The process used in existing studies usually proposes the way of measuring the factors from programs or actual survey. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to propose how to measure sunshine and view value of the apartment in order to increase the accuracy of housing price. An analysis has been done using the programs ArcGis and SAS. The value of the variables from one family unit to the other although belonging in the same building. Sunshine value measure daytime by the punctual coordinate of each unit and each is subdivided into seasons. View value measure by image of the ArcMap analysis that can see through front window among each unit. It resulted in the importance of measuring these variables. This study has shown the process of measuring the value of the sunshine time and the scenic view, which significantly affects the price of the apartments. In this regard, the results of the study would be helpful to uphold the correctness of evaluating the value of the housings by calculating the scenic value variables of apartments.


With the continuous development of urban construction, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the construction process, it is usually necessary to treat the foundation, so it is necessary to test the mechanical properties and lithology of the foundation strata and underground obstacles. In this paper, SSP seismic scattering technology and geological radar method are used to detect the foundation of the starting well of the Comprehensive pipe gallery project in Chengbei Road, Suzhou City. SSP seismic scattering technology comprehensively utilizes reflection and scattering seismic data to perform fine imaging of geology, which can be used as a basis for judging the mechanical properties of geotechnical media. It can identify difficult geological objects such as karst, boulder, grouting and goaf. The geological radar can comprehensively scan the underground obstacle target, obtain the vertical two-dimensional section image of the cross section, and judge the actual structure of the underground target. Both detection methods have advantages, and depending on the situation, the appropriate detection method can be chosen.


Supply chain management is one major management method that enhance enterprise competition,under the pressure of high consumer's expectation and short product life,enterprises just can live only in adjusting supply chain resource roundly.Should get rid of obstacles in market environment standardization and trust,select cooperation partners from strategic viewpoint,use with advanced management method to operate, promote logistics supply chain system development with high speed.


Abstract 'Effective School Leadership in a Time of Change' was the title of an international project involving 32 school leaders from three countries: Denmark, England and Scotland. The project was funded by 10 local authorities who each nominated a group of participants. Its objectives were to examine expectations of school leaders across the three countries and, through a collaborative process, to contribute to the professional development of the participants. Over a period of three years the nominated head teachers worked with six researchers from the Royal Danish School of Education, the Roehampton Institute and the University of Strathclyde to explore perceptions of what made for an effective head. Eight of the school leaders were Danish (three women and five men), 11 were Scottish (eight women and three men) and 13 were English (seven women and six men). within the group there was a significant number of heads with less than four years in post and, at the other end of the scale, six with over 10 yea...


A novel loss compensation technique for high-Q broad-band active inductors is proposed. This yields frequency insensitive negative resistance to compensate constant internal losses. Measured frequency range is 6 to 20 GHz for Q values greater than 100 and 7 to 15 GHz for Q values greater than 1000.


In Forest Nenets folklore shamanic songs are practically extinct as a genre. They exist still just in remembrance: the last known Nenets shamans are long dead and the repressions in the 1930s have contributed to their demise. This article is based on the songs we collected in our fieldwork by different Forest Nenets. We analyse them and we reflect on the place of fly agaric in these songs - both as enhancing shamanic transe and as the shaman's helping spirit.


The purpose of this work was to study the response of two apple cultivars bred for low chilling environments to artificial chilling accumulation. Two trials were carried out; in experiment one, excised shoots were randomly taken from "Caricia" and "Princesa", and in experiment two, intact and excised shoots of "Caricia", "Princesa" and "Gala" (control) were collected. After collection, both shoot types were exposed to artificial chilling accumulation (4.0 ± 0.5°C) from 0 to 1200 chill units (CU). Bud break of mixed buds of "Caricia" and "Princesa" was higher than 50% between 0 CU to 1200 CU, irrespective of shoot type. Bud break of "Gala" mixed buds exceeded 50% only in intact shoots after accumulating 900 CU. The mean time to bud break of "Caricia" and "Princesa" diminished with increasing chilling accumulation and stabilized after ~600 CU, depending on the type of shoot and the year of experimentation. The low-chill apple cultivars tested in this work showed shallow dormancy, but they required moderate cold accumulation (800 – 1150 CU) to fully satisfy their chilling requirements. Thus, although their shallow dormancy makes them suitable for cultivation in chill-deficient environments, they cannot be considered low-chill cultivars.


In inorganic chemistry experimental book,a phenomenon of solution become blue in testing experiment by increasing concentration of KIO3 concentraion was witnessed and time become shorten with the increase of KIO3 concentraion in this article.Experiment was performed by staving decrease of KIO3 concentrations,results indicated that parts of solution became blue,some of them cannot become blue.At last,causes resulting in the phenomenon were analysed.


The author considers different approaches to the analysis of loneliness. Analysis of the reseach of the stated problem is given. Two aspects of the research theoretical-methodological and pragmatical-practical -are examined


Objective:To investigate the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) and matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2) in poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma(PDGA) and their relationship with tumor cell invasion and metastasis.Methods:We detected the expression of HIF-1α and MMP-2 in the paraffin-embedded specimen of 54 cases of poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma(two slices for one case) and 20 cases of normal gastric tissue by immunohistochemistry.The results were analyzed statistically.Results:The positive expression rates of HIF-1α and MMP-2 were significantly higher in PDGA than those in the normal gastric tissue,with a significant difference between the two(P0.05). HIF-1α and MMP-2 was obviously correlated with the depth of invasion,lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of PDGA(P0.05),and there was a positive correlation between HIF-1αexpression and MMP-2 expression(r=0.580,P0.05).Conclusion :A positive correlation between the HIF-1α expression and MMP-2 expression in PDGA suggests both have a certain synergy during the invasion and metastasis of PDGA and both could be indicators of prognosis.


The paper addresses the issue of freedom of conscience, its content, its autonomy from other related freedoms, what is the reality that protects, its scope, manifestations and limits. To do this, the paper try to know what moral conscience is and why its opinion is not something we can refuse to guide our behaviors. The international human rights instruments and the jurisprudence of the Argentine Supreme Court on freedom of conscience are analyzed.


This letter presents a novel dual-band bandpass filter with controllable frequencies and bandwidths as well as a high out-of-band rejection level. The proposed filter utilizes a novel stub-loaded quad-mode resonator. Every two modes, which can be flexibly controlled, are utilized to form a passband with controllable frequency and bandwidth. Source-load coupling and hook-shape feed lines are introduced and high selectivity is achieved. An experimental filter is implemented and the experimental results are presented for validation.


In this paper, a hybrid model is introduced which combines a linear regression model in parallel with a nonlinear regression model such as the Modified Probabilistic Neural Network (MPNN). This model provides a first order approximation of the underlying mechanism using linear regression, and then use the MPNN to capture the local details of interest. This model allows the selected data regions of interest be modeled more accurately by a nonlinear compensator while the rest of the data regions are approximated by a linear regression model. The experiment on surveillance image modelling shows that the proposed model achieves improved performance over conventional methods such as MultiLayer Perceptron (MLP) or Volterra Filter based modelling.


Abstract An action of a locally compact group or quantum group on a factor is said to be strictly outer when the relative commutant of the factor in the crossed product is trivial. We show that all locally compact quantum groups can act strictly outerly on a free Araki-Woods factor and that all locally compact groups can act strictly outerly on the hyperfinite II1 factor. We define a kind of Connes' T invariant for locally compact quantum groups and prove a link with the possibility of acting strictly outerly on a factor with a given T invariant. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of strictly outer actions of compact Kac algebras on the hyperfinite II1 factor are given.


Abstract A detailed analysis of synapses as connecting elements between neurons is of central importance to understand the brain's cognitive performance and its constraints. Nowadays, state-of-the-art optical methods make possible to localize individual molecules in a living cell. In particular, the dynamics of molecular composition can be evaluated in smallest neuronal compartments, such as pre- and postsynaptic membrane. The monitoring of the distribution of receptors, ion channels, and adhesion molecules over time revealed their continuous stochastic motion. This is surprising, since the synapses are considered as accumulation sites anchoring these molecules. The direct manipulation of the lateral dynamics of glutamate receptors, in combination with classical electrophysiological approaches, demonstrated that such molecular dynamics is necessary for the induction of synaptic plasticity and, in turn, is influenced by synaptic activity. Therefore, the molecular dynamics requires further studies in the context of the brain function in health and disease.


Plants are one of the best sources to obtain a variety of natural surfactants in the field of green synthesizing material. Sambucus ebulus, which has unique natural properties, has been considered a promising material in traditional Asian medicine. In this context, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were prepared using S. ebulus leaf extract, and their physicochemical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that the prepared ZnO NPs are highly crystalline, having a wurtzite crystal structure. The average crystallite size of prepared NPs was around 17 nm. Green synthesized NPs showed excellent absorption in the UV region as well as strong yellow-orange emission at room temperature. Prepared nanoparticles exhibited good antibacterial activity against various organisms and a passable photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye pollutants. The obtained results demonstrated that the biosynthesized ZnO NPs reveal interesting characteristics for various potential applications in the future.


The study prepared by the Wuppertal Institute together with the Max Planck Institute, Mainz, to measure and calculate greenhouse gas emissions of Russia's gas export pipeline system is the first such academic study meeting international standards. The neutral scientists arrived at the conclusion that only 0.7 % of the natural gas produced in western Siberia and transported to Russia's western border escapes into the atmosphere. The study proves that direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are significantly lower than those from oil or coal. Increased use of natural gas can therefore help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the short term.


Customer relationship development represents a strategic goal for most organizations in contemporary market. In achieving this goal, salespeople as boundary spanners are crucial and particularly successful when highly satisfied. Satisfaction with manager is a part of the components that impact the overall employee satisfaction. Accordingly, sales manager's attitudes, behavior and skills (such as communication skills) can significantly impact their subordinates' satisfaction through their satisfaction with manager. The main aim of the study is to explore the relations between the components of effective manager's communication (i.e. listening skills, open communication and effective feedback) and satisfaction with sales manager, as well as the relations between the above satisfaction with manager and customer relationship development. The results will provide deeper insights into the said relationships in the sales context. Moreover, the beneficiaries of the study would be sales managers that can provide the impetus to improve communication with subordinates in order to achieve greater satisfaction among subordinates with the management and the overall satisfaction with the final goal to eventually positively impact the relationship with the organization`s customers.


Abstract : Infinite periodic structures have been studied heavily because of their efficient filtering capabilities. They generally exhibit sharp frequency roll-offs at the frequency band of interest. In the RF region of the electromagnetic spectrum, periodic structures find applications such as radomes and photonic bandgap materials. Most studies have been done with infinitely periodic arrays because it is convenient to collapse an infinite array into one representative period using Floquet Analysis. Truncating an infinite array introduces an edge and invalidates Floquet analysis over the entire array. This thesis formulates a Finite Element Method (FEM) solution of a semi-infinite periodic array consisting of infinite cylinders. The array elements sufficiently far from the edge are implemented using the concept of a Physical Basis Function (PBF). The PBF concept is based on an a priori knowledge that the amplitudes of the currents in the periodic elements that are sufficiently far from an edge are constant. Implementation of the PBF concept allows the solution domain of the FEM to be bounded by introducing a periodic boundary that represents the truncated portion of the periodic array. The periodic boundary is implemented by relating the fields there with a Floquet phase factor based on one periodic element external to the FEM domain. Performance of the periodic boundary at normal incidence is promising. At off-normal incidence, the implemented boundary performs poorly. Implementation of a periodic boundary by relating the fields there with a Floquet phase factor with one interior periodic element is the next stage in improving off-normal incidence performance.


Automobile seats playa crucial role of protecting passengers securing them from a car accident. And also those should provide comfort, back-and-forth movement, height adjustment, and many safety and functional parts like side airbag, seatbelt, heater, ventilation device and so on. FEA is one of powerful tools to verify seat strength with complex structures in an early stage of seat development time. To check if the seat meets requirements and safety standards like FMVSS(Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) and ECE, the whole CAD model of seat structure should be prepared for the FEA. In this study, the maximum forces that seat fails at the conditions of rail section peeling test, track pulling test, seat belt anchorage test, and frontal impact sled test have been conducted and compared each other. Main deformed parts at the analysis of whole seat structure were investigated looking at the graph of internal energy of all parts. It is found that reliable relationship exists between component or sub-assembly level test and assembly level test results. The deformed shape of the parts with high internal energy was very similar to the track pulling analysis result. It is found that failure or peeling load of seat belt anchorage analysis ranges 80-85% of the one of track pulling analysis result. Seat belt anchorage test result can be predicted after the analysis of track pulling test. As a result, engineers can reduce their development time and improve their design by ensuring the meet of requirement of full seat structure in advance.


This paper proposes the creation of a CO2 emissions eco-indicator and its daily control in a petrochemical plant located in Brazil based on the values of daily flows of hydrocarbons and electricity consumption along with the production values. Thus, the monitoring and the possibility of reducing emissions through actions of process engineering, as well as contribute to the development of a sustainable production model in order to add value to the process and the final product, thus contributing to the control of environmental emissions and allowing the plant to use this system as an example for other petrochemical plants like.


Panel studies are statistical studies in which two or more variables are observed for two or more subjects at two or more points in time. Cross-lagged panel studies are comprised of continuous variables which divide naturally into two sets, and otten the primary statistical issue Is to estimate and test the cross-effects which indicate the degree to which each set is related to the other over time. By taking a regression approach to modeling the relationships, we apply multivariate regression methodology to make inferences about the regression coefficients in a cross-lagged panel model. In particular we develop a test of the hypothesis that the regression coefficients indicating the cross-effects are equal and develop simultaneous confidence bounds for various linear combinations of these regression coefficients.


When an environmental cue that previously signaled a suitable habitat leads an animal to use an unsuitable site, individual fitness can decrease, ultimately leading to population declines. Such "ecological traps" may be particularly likely for birds that use human infrastructure for nesting. Here we tested whether high nest temperatures and the physical properties of barns are associated with lower breeding success for a declining population of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot, 1817)). We monitored nests under barn eaves below wood and metal roofs to determine nestling survival and mass, and recorded temperature under barn eaves, to relate ambient temperature to eave temperature. We found that eave temperature increased with ambient temperatures and was higher at high temperatures and lower at cool temperatures under metal roofs than wood roofs. Nestling survival was lower during periods with higher ambient temperatures, and both survival and mass were lower under metal roofs. Our findings suggest that barn eaves, especially those with metal roofs, may be an ecological trap for Cliff Swallows, where a seemingly suitable nesting site early in the breeding season results in low breeding success. Furthermore, warming temperatures may lead to ecological traps for other bird species, particularly those nesting in man-made structures.


Abstract : The primary objective of the Navy Occupational Development and Analysis Center (NODAC) is to collect, process, and analyze occupational information about the job content of enlisted ratings and officer specialties in the United States Navy. This information is used as the major basis for making decisions related to the occupational classification structure of the Navy, the design of training curriculums, enlisted advancement requirements, manning determinations, and future manpower/hardware interface requirements. The procedures followed by NODAC in conducting occupational analysis for the most part have gone undocumented, with the notable exception of a recent manual describing 'Task Inventory Development Procedures' (February 1981). This procedural guide was prepared by NODAC to meet two needs. First, the loss of an experienced task inventory developer can have a serious negative impact on NODAC's program in that the expertise acquired by this individual is no longer available either in written or spoken form. Further, there is a need to train new people, as they are hired or transferred into NODAC, in the basic information and techniques required in task inventory development. In the past, this training has been accomplished primarily by on-the-job experience.


Electric nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structure arising from a quadrupolar nucleus at the center of tetrahedral molecules, such as /sup 189/OsO/sub 4/, is symmetry forbidden. However, through vibration--rotation distortion a small nuclear quadrupole coupling is induced. The hyperfine structure due to the vibrationally induced eqQ has been measured for a number of P- and R-branch transitions in the ..nu../sub 3/ fundamental of /sup 189/OsO/sub 4/, by using inverse Lamb dip spectroscopy. Microwave modulation sidebands of CO/sub 2/ laser lines have been used as the tunable infrared radiation. From the analysis of the observed hyperfine structure patterns, the values of the scalar and tensor coupling constants have been determined to be chi/sup V//sub s/ = -4.103 +- 0.048 MHz and chi/sup V//sub t/ = -3.090 +- 0.059 MHz.


Definition 0.2. For any κ, measκ is the collection of all ultrafilters on κ Of course, each U ∈ measκ is countably complete, and Rudin-Kielser reducible to the Martin measure on degrees if κ < θ. G. Sargsyan recently proved the following. Theorem 0.3 (Sargsyan [3]). Assume AD, and let (P,Σ) be a mouse pair. Let E be an extender of the sequence of M∞(P,Σ) with critical point κ, and such that (1) κ is a cutpoint of M∞(P,Σ), and (2) E is total on M∞(P,Σ), and κ < ρn(M∞(P,Σ)), for n = k(P ).


The paper introduced the application status of the beam tube monitoring and measuring system to the fire extinguishing and control in the underground mine and analyzed the existed problems of the time lag,the designated gas selection,the spontaneous combustion degree judgement and others for the beam tube monitoring and measuring system.The paper provided the relative solutions and provide the references for the beam tube monitoring and measuring system accurately and rationally applied to the mine site.


Abstract South-east Nelson at the northern end of the Southern Alps was extensively glaciated during the Last Glacial Maximum. For areas not covered by ice the pollen record shows that grassland was the plant cover. Below 500 m a.s.l. and to the west there were refuges of beech (Nothofagus). When the ice retreated, after 12 000 14C yr B.P. grassland was colonised by shrubland dominated by Halocarpus and Phyllocladus. By 8000 14C yr B.P. beech forest was migrating from refuges into the shrubland by discontinuous population advance. West of the mountains, in the Lake Rotoiti-Lake Rotoroa area, beech forest was established by 6000 14C yr B.P. Forest then advanced up the river valleys, into the Southern Alps, to give today's nearly continuous beech forest cover. The process is not yet complete, and grassland on the eastern side is still being colonised by beech.


The in situ stress field and natural fracture occurrence in the West Tuna area of the Gippsland Basin were evaluated in order to assess the potential for natural fracture-enhanced permeability in the deep intra-Latrobe group and Golden Beach Subgroup reservoirs, and to investigate wellbore stability issues in the area. Borehole breakout and drilling-induced tensile fractures (DITFs) interpreted on six image logs from the West Tuna area constrain the maximum horizontal stress orientation to ~138°N. Leak-off test data suggest the upper bound to the minimum horizontal stress is ~20 MPa/km. The vertical stress was derived from density and sonic log data and ranges from 20 MPa/km at 1km to 22 MPa/km at 3km depth. The maximum horizontal stress magnitude was constrained to -40 MPa/km using occurrence of DITFs. The in situ stress regime in the West Tuna area is therefore interpreted to lie on the boundary of strike-slip and reverse (σHmax >σv σv ≈ σhmin). Natural fractures and wellbore failure (breakout and DITFs) were observed to form preferentially in the cemented sandstone units. Finite element methods were utilised to investigate the far-field and near-wellbore stress distribution between horizontal, interbedded sands and shales. Preliminary modelling indicates that a higher Poisson's ratio for the shale drives it towards a more isotropic far-field stress state. This decreases the propensity for wellbore failure in the shale layers. Fracture susceptibility analysis of interpreted fracture sets in the sandstone units suggests that electrically conductive fractures are also optimally oriented to be hydraulically conductive in the far-field. Fractures in the shales are slightly less likely to be open and hydraulically conductive in the far-field due to the transition to a more isotropic in situ stress regime.


Electrified automotive powertrains benefit from precise knowledge of the battery state-of-charge and state-of-health to aggressively utilize the battery for fuel economy and range improvements while ensuring overall system safety and reliability. Uncertainties associated with the electrochemical parameters that govern the concentration, potential, and reaction rate dynamics within Li-ion cells can lead to state estimation errors and non-optimal battery usage. In this paper, results are presented towards quantifying the effect of parametric uncertainty in an automotive-oriented battery state estimation algorithm. Extensive simulations are conducted via a design of experiments approach to quantify closed-loop robustness and identify electrochemical parameters whose uncertainties create disproportionately large estimation errors. The results indicate that the effects of parametric uncertainty can be minimized by applying closed-loop estimation to the states that exhibit the largest overpotential within the cell.


Objective: To determine prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae at Taksin Hospital.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted between January 2016 and December 2020. The bacterial susceptibility of isolates to clindamycin, erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, levofloxacin, and vancomycin were evaluated by the disk diffusion method. Bacterial susceptibility to penicillin and cefotaxime were evaluated for minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) by a strip test (E-test).

Results: One hundred and nineteen patients were included, 65.55% male, and the age ranged from three months to 98 years. The median age of patients was 60 years with an interquartile range of 43 to 78 years. Unduplicated pneumococci from different patients were isolated from sputum (70.59%), blood (18.49%), and pus from ears and sinuses (5.04%). S. pneumoniae was demonstrated to be 100% susceptible to vancomycin and levofloxacin but less susceptible to clindamycin, erythromycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole by disk diffusion method. Pneumococci exhibited total multiple drug resistance (MDR) at 31.94%. The predominant MDR pattern was clindamycin + erythromycin + trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole (31.10%). The MIC range, MIC₅₀, and MIC₉₀ of penicillin was 0.008 to 3.0, 0.25, and 2.0, and for cefotaxime, it was 0.008 to 1.0, 0.25, and 1.0 μg/mL, respectively. From an extra study to determine serotypes, S. pneumoniae isolated from blood or CSF (n=25) were randomly picked between 2007 and 2021 from Thai IBIS and aksin Hospital. The three most common serotypes were 19F (20%), 6B (16%), and 6A (12%).

Conclusion: These results suggest the importance of monitoring the prevalence of pneumococci. The antibiogram of susceptibility helps provide guidelines for clinician to consider empirical treatment. An antibiogram is an overall profile of antimicrobial susceptibility testing results of pneumococci to a battery of antimicrobial drugs. Antibiograms are often used by clinicians to assess local susceptibility rates, as an aid in selecting empiric antibiotic therapy, and in monitoring resistance trends over time within an institution. Antibiograms can also be used to compare susceptibility rates across institutions and track resistance trends.

Keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae; Pneumococci; Drug resistance


The reduction characteristics of NO2 to NO are experimentally studied over a platinum-based catalyst, especially at lower temperatures below about 200°C. In the present work, two types of steady-state experiments, engine bench and synthetic gas bench tests, are carried out in sequence. Steady-state engine bench tests with the DOC mounted on a light duty 4-cylinder 2.0 liter turbocharged diesel engine are performed and prove that CO plays a major role in NO2 abatement at temperatures below the light-off temperature of CO oxidation, about 200°C. Synthetic gas bench tests are then performed using synthetic gas mixtures with CO, C3H6, NO, NO2, O2, H2O and N2 in the 140~450°C T-range and show that both CO and C3H6 are capable of reducing NO2. It is noted that the reaction rate of NO2 with C3H6 is much higher than that with CO. At temperatures below about 200°C, the reduction of NO2 to NO is promoted with increasing CO concentration and NO2/NOX ratio and with decreasing O2 concentration, as well as with the presence of H2O.


This thesis paper proposes the theory of compound control system to solve the problems of slow dynamic response, low system control precision, and reduced productivity in the process of speed regulation generated because of the frequency conversion renovation in the injection molding machine, and deduces it with mathematical modeling based on the qualitative theories of ordinary differential equations. My conclusions indicate that to adopt the compound control system can largely improve its steady state and precision, and increase its dynamic response speed.


Antigenic stimulation of the rat spleen to initiate a secondary response to tetanus toxoid (tet. tox.) has been found to have two effects on the recirculating lymphocytes which are migrating through the splenic pulp. Firstly, specific antigen-sensitive cells were selected from a population of immune lymphocytes during migration through an isolated, perfused spleen which was stimulated with tet. tox. This was supported by the substantial, and mostly specific, depression in the ability of such migrated cells to mediate a secondary response to tet. tox. and by the large secondary response produced by transplanted fragments of the perfused spleen without further exposure to antigen.

Secondly the i.v. injection of tet. tox. into rats which had been previously transfused with labelled immune lymphocytes or alternatively labelled non-immune lymphocytes was followed by a transient retention of both populations in the spleen at the expense of the lymph nodes. Any surplus retention of the immune population in the stimulated spleen was not detected which suggests with certain reservations that only a small minority of even the immune population were antigen-sensitive cells.


This paper deals with the semantic structures of the Event -izo derivatives in Modern Greek, appearing in the syntactic frames NPi __ NP and NP __ . The present analysis incorporates a version of Ray Jackendoff's conceptual semantics (1983, 1990, 1992). Special attention is paid to the semantic under-determination of word-formation rules. Semantic fields, conceptual functions, formation rules, and mechanisms/rules involved in -izo derivation are presented. A principled account of various ambiguous structures is also provided. In the last part, the conceptual structures in -izo derivation are finally laid down and the question of keeping these structures minimal while extending the semantic fields is once more addressed.


To determine the mechanism of improved performance of bimetallic catalysts, a single crystal alloy of platinum and gold was employed. The advantages of single crystal surfaces over supported systems were outlined. The results were presented for Au-Pt alloy surfaces with respect to structure, composition, distribution of Pt and Au in the surface, and chemisorption of CO. The reactions studied included the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane. Also, the dehydrogenation, isomerization, dehydrocyclization, and aromatization of hexane to benzene. 38 references.


As an aesthetic symbol, the bridge on the Drina possesses an ambiguous nature in Andri#'s Nobel Prize winning novel. On the one hand, the bridge is a symbol of the will-to-power that Heidegger characterizes as expressive of modern civilization's relationship to technology. According to the late Heidegger in "The Question Concerning Technology," modern technology enframes nature, transforming it into a "standing-reserve" or stockpile. Even though it was constructed prior to modern times, the Turks constructed the bridge as a symbol of imperial glory in the Balkans. The bridge is an example of technological and ideological enframing; the bridge reflects the nature of technology as an instrumental means of power. In the technological and anthropological mode of being, "everything man encounters exists only insofar as it is his construct." On the other hand, the bridge is simultaneously a symbol of aletheia, of unconcealment, and of poiesis. These terms signify a more ancient relationship between civilization and technology, in which the bridge


D) in five white matter structures from healthy human brain in vivo. Subjects and Methods Fifty seven normal volunteers were scanned at 1.5T with a combined MT – T2 relaxation sequence. The MT portion of the sequence consisted of a 19 ms sinc MT pulse (2000Hz off-resonance) followed by delay times of 0, 33, 66, 100, 200, 300, 450, 600, 750 ms prior to the T2 relaxation sequence. The T2 relaxation sequence consisted of a 90° slice selective pulse followed by 48 rectangular composite 180° pulses. Sequence parameters were TR=3800 ms, TE=10 ms, FOV=22cm, matrix size = 64x64, slice thickness = 5mm, 2 averages. ROIs were drawn for the genu (GU) and splenium (SP) of the corpus callosum, posterior internal capsules (IC), minor forceps (MN), and major forceps (MJ). The T2 decay curve for each white matter structure were fit using a non-negative least squares (NNLS) 8 algorithm. The Bloch equations that govern the dynamics of water signal in each of these 4 pools were solved analytically and signals from the aforementioned five white matter structures were fitted to these solutions in order to extract cross relaxation times (Tcr D ). Due to uncertainties 9-11 regarding the assignment of T1 to the considered pools, we examined three different T1 scenarios (T1 m , T1 mw , T1 iew , T1 nm denote the spin-lattice relaxation times of myelin, myelin water, I/E water, and non- myelin proton pools): Scenario I 9 the same T1 for all pools (T1 m =T1 mw =T1 iew =T1 nm =670 ms), Scenario II 10 (T1 m = T1 nm = 150 ms, T1 mw = T1 iew =1250 ms), Scenario III 11 (T1 m = T1 mw = 250 ms, T1 nm = T1 iew = 1250 ms). Results The cross relaxation times between aqueous pools (myelin water and intra-extra cellular water) for each of the five white matter structures using three T1 scenarios are shown in Table 1. Myelin water fractions corrected for cross relaxation from each scenario are reported in Table 2.


The invention discloses a water resistant whiting emulsion pressure sensitive adhesive synthesis method, and a water resistant whiting emulsion pressure sensitive adhesive comprises the following components by weight: 20-60% of a soft monomer; 1-40% of a hard monomer; 1-5% of an emulsifier and the balance of water. The emulsifier is selected from allyloxy nonylphenol propanol polyoxyethylene ether ammonium sulfate, allyloxy nonylphenoxy propanol polyoxyethylene ether ammonium sulfate, allyloxy nonylphenoxy propanol polyoxyethylene ether, and a mixture of allyloxy nonylphenol propanol polyoxyethylene ether ammonium sulfate, allyloxy nonylphenoxy propanol polyoxyethylene ether ammonium sulfate and allyloxy nonylphenoxy propanol polyoxyethylene ether. The method comprises the following steps: (I) mixing the emulsifier and the monomer basically without stirring; (II) adding part of an initiator at 78 to 82 DEG C into a reaction kettle with water, adding dropwise the monomer mixture, after addition of the monomer mixture for 30 minutes, adding dropwise the remaining initiator solution for 2 to 5 hours, controlling the reaction temperature at 80-85 DEG C, and performing thermal insulation for 0.5 to 1 hour; and (III) after thermal insulation, reducing the temperature to 50 to 70 DEG C, adding tert-butyl hydroperoxide and methylsodium hydrosulfite aqueous solution, continuing to react for 0.2-1 hour, and adjusting the emulsion pH value to 6-8 when the temperature is reduced to 40 to 50 DEG C.


sUmmArY Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of thromboprophylaxis in surgical oncology patients in HCUCH in 2011. Method: Retrospective analysis of patients with cancer undergoing surgery in 2011. Was defined as adequate pharmacological thromboprophylaxis the correct dose, mechanical prophylaxis in case of drug contraindications and beginning on day 0 or 1. Results: 131 medical records were reviewed. Main neoplasms were colorectal (21.3 %), prostate (12.9 %), gallbladder (8.3 %) and stomach (6.9 %). Of the patients requiring pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis (n = 110) were rated as adequate 52 patients (47 %), 47 inadequate (43 %) and 11 absent (10%). The causes of inappropriate use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis included 27 late onset (58 %), 10 lower doses (21 %), 3 late onset associated with lower dose (6 %), 6 incomplete thromboprophylaxis (13%) and 1 dose increased (2%). Factors significantly associated with pharmacological thromboprophylaxis absent were: <40 years of age (p = 0.002), head and neck cancer (p < 0.001), and hospital stay <7 days (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The absence of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis is associated with lower absolute risk factors for VTE: Age less than 40 years old, head and neck cancer, hospital stay less than 7 days.


The underlying thesis of transformational generative grammar is that a grammar consists of a set of rules that governs the formation of linguistics structures and constructions. The rules are formulated based on regular patterns that are observable in the language under study. As a natural language, regularities in Malay are not homogeneous and uniform, and their realizations most often surface in various or diverse structures and constructions. Some of these structural variations are considered ungrammatical because their derivations are violating the standard rule prescribed by the grammar. Nevertheless, the so-called 'incorrect variants' are widely and productively used as attested in the corpus, and significantly has an impact on language learning. It has been reported that students are more inclined to use the 'incorrect variant' as compared to the standard one, and this accordingly affects their grade in the examinations (Nor Hashimah et al., 2004). The issue that arises here is that there is a disagreement between the rules prescribed in the school grammar and the language used by the community outside the school. This paper argues that structural diversity in the language must be recognized, and the regularity patterning the variant needs to be generalized and formalized into rule. If the formation of the so-called 'incorrect variant' is rule-governed, it must be accepted as well-formed and should be incorporated into the grammar.


The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of traditional treatment as a complimentary method of treatment for women with postpartum depression and stress. Even though the modern treatment and medicine have been recognised in improving the society's health and well-being, the traditional medicine and treatment have been part of the society since the very old days. Having said this, the government has developed a National Policy of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) to facilitate the development of traditional and complementary medicine in order to achieve the quality and safety level of treatment practices recognized by the Helath Ministry by promoting the correct and reasonable use of the medicine, especially in primary health care. The way forward is discussed.


Platinum is a rare metal of the group which in cludes ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium and iridium. Up to 1915 almost the whole of the world's platinum production came from alluvial deposits in Russia and Colombia. In these deposits the platinum occurs as native metal alloyed with small amounts of the other metals of the group and with iron. In more recent years other sources of the platinum metals have become available. The most important new source is the nickel-copper-iron sulphide ores of the Sudbury district of Ontario, Canada, which are worked primarily for their nickel and copper contents, but which yield in addition very important amounts of the platinum metals. A second new source is the sulphide-bearing norite of the Potgietersrust and Rustenburg districts of the Transvaal. In the Sudbury ores the platinum is present chiefly in combination with arsenic, and in the South African ores it is combined with sulphur. New alluvial deposits have also been developed in Alaska, Abyssinia and elsewhere.


Proper use of the cluster analysis in plant germplasm characterization. The present essay aims to make a recompilation of basic information to properly perform the cluster analysis. This multivariate method allows making groups and it is widely used in studies of genetic resources characterization. It is mentioned topics like the data types to use, similarity and dissimilarity indices, agglomerative methods, and the correct way to establish the number of groups into a dendrogram.


Periodic vegetation patterns (PVP) arise from the interplay between forces that drive the growth and mortality of plants. Inter-plant competition for resources, in particular water, can lead to the formation of PVP. Arid and semi-arid ecosystems may be under threat due to changing precipitation dynamics driven by macroscopic changes in climate. These regions display some noteable examples of PVP, for example the "tiger bush" patterns found in West Africa.


This presentation illustrates examples of my geometric sculpture and o utlines certain design techniques. I apply methods from the field of computational geometry to the creation of forms which are aesthetic objects.
I am a full- time sculptor creating works that manifest what I call the geometric aesthetic. This aesthetic celebrates the beauty of geometry and spatial rationality. I seek to produce novel forms which engage the viewer visually and have an underlying coherence based on symmetric three- dimensional mathematical structures. Internal relationships between the components of a sculpture can provide a depth to the work, leading the viewer to return again and again, each time seeing deeper into the piece. In addition, the viewer is led to ask questions of a mathematical nature about the patterns he or she finds.
In the design of such sculpture, there are many issues of calculation to be addressed. I work constructively, assembling parts that are either common household objects or carefully formed abstract shapes. Exact lengths and angles must be worked out for these components to fit together appropriately. But there are also many free parameters that I may vary in seeking an ideal design.
Physical models are sometimes sufficient, but often I write software to allow me to explore the design space of a sculpture. This makes me a user of computational geometry methods, applying appropriate techniques for each problem. However, unlike most computational geometers, my concerns are for an expedient result which I find aesthetically valid, rather than efficient general purpose algorithms. Iterative numerical methods are often satisfactory.
Figures 1-11 illustrate a variety of recent works and references [1]-[13] provide some further details.


Diamond and Douvres (1960, 1962) described a cell-free medium in which Hyostrongylus rubidus and Oesophagostomum quadrispinulatum (0. longicaudum) developed, free of microbial associates, from infective larvae to fourth molt and fourth-stage, respectively, after 42 days. The present study reports the results of attempts to cultivate Oesophagostomum radiatum in five modifications of this medium. Preliminary results were published previously (Douvres, 1960a, b).


Thermal properties of building envelope is a fundamental key to building energy design or in evaluating the energy performance of an existing building. In-situ measurements are often constrained by the low-temperature difference between the indoor and outdoor side of a building, thus requiring a longer measurement time and a higher cost. This paper attempts to overcome these obstacles by measuring building envelope in the conditioned chamber. The materials being measured are replicas of envelope components of the Minang traditional house. The thermal resistance was obtained by using the summation method (summation technique) according to the ASTM C1155. The specimens of the Minang traditional house wall were wooden plank (specimen no. 1) and wooden plank plus woven bamboo slats (specimen no. 2) while that of the roof was bamboo frame plus sugar palm fibers (specimen no. 3). The obtained average thermal resistances of wooden plank wall and wooden plank plus woven bamboo slats wall were 0.13 m2.K/W and 0.38 m2.K/W, respectively. The addition of woven bamboo slats increased the thermal resistance of the wooden plank wall. For the bamboo frame plus sugar palm fibers roof, its average thermal resistance was 1. 32 m2.K /W. This value gives the reason why the roof materials are in terms of receiving solar heat radiation.


$^{*}$ Supported by the Monticello Foundation administered by the California Institute of Technology. $^{1}$ C. Chackerian, JR., and G. Guelachvili, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 84, 447-456 (1980).


5 Abstract 6 7 The present study was conducted University of Agriculture Peshawar, KPK, during the year 8 20142015. Mushroom phenolic considered as an excellent antioxidant and synergist. The main 9 objective of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of Morchella conica commonly 10 called black morels at different concentration. For this purpose the Morchella conica extract was 11 used to determining the free radical scavenging activity. The results showed that increase in the 12 concentration increases the antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of Morchella conica 13 was recorded 44.86 ± 0.94, 62.72± 1.64, 74.14 ± 2.63, 83.35 ± 0.313, 85.01 ± 0.80, 86.53 ± 0.22, 14 88.03 ± 0.35, 88.56 ± 0.37 and 93.53 ± 0.01 respectively at 100 ppm, 150 ppm, 200 ppm, 250 15 ppm, 300 ppm, 500 ppm, 1000 ppm, 2000 ppm, 3000 ppm. 16


In recent years lifelong learning has become a fundamental goal of education policies. It is often advocated as a way to achieve socio-economic development and as a tool to promote the 'information' and 'knowledge based' society. But lifelong learning is impossible without intrinsic motivation for learning. Lifelong learners have an instinctive desire to understand, to find out about new things, to affirm their thoughts about the old, to remain current. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between intrinsic motivation for learning as human strength and other human strengths (according to VIA classification of human strengths), life aspirations and well-being. Three questionnaires Values in Action Inventory of Strengths, Aspiration Index and Satisfaction With Life Scale were administered to 381 college students. Intrinsic learning was positively related to curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, perseverance, leadership ability, respect for excellence and vitality. In addition path analysis revealed that intrinsic aspirations were positively related to love for learning, while extrinsic ones were negatively related to it. Intrinsic aspirations were also positively related to life satisfaction, but love for learning and life satisfaction were not related.


In China, English, as an important tool for self-expression and mutual communication, is paid great attention to all over the country and College English has become a compulsory course at all colleges and universities. English writing is one of the most important language skills for college students. For a long time, English writing has been the throe throat for college students, which manifests in the aspects that students have poor vocabulary and employ much Chinglish expression in their essays, hindering them from expressing themselves clearly. Many linguists and teachers have been doing research on foreign language teaching, trying to find an effective way to improve the students' foreign language acquisition especially foreign language writing. And thus the approach of employing the lexical chunks to teaching was put forward. The approach of teaching English writing by chunks offers a new way of solving the problems. Based on the previous research, the author thinks it necessary to probe into teaching English writing by lexical chunks so as to improve students' writing ability. This study increases the input of English Lexical Chunk to College English writing and analyzes the effect of this method on students' writing by conducting experimental research. According to the experiment analysis, it is concluded that increase of Lexical Chunk input can reduce the negative transfer of the native language, thus improving their writing in terms of wording collocation, sentence building, discourse cohesion and expression.


Saskatchewan's Health Quality Council (HQC) was launched in 2003 with a mandate to not only measure and report on healthcare but also work with a range of partners to improve the province's health system. In late 2007, HQC's board decided it was time for Saskatchewan to reinvent its healthcare system, using the highestperforming systems in the world as its model. And in 2008, HQC launched Accelerating Excellence, a multi-level program to rethink, redesign and renew healthcare. To help maintain momentum and show other provinces whether high-performing healthcare can be achieved in Canada, HQC is documenting its journey toward high-performing healthcare. This third article in this series discusses the challenge of physician engagement. T he doctor, when he gets to sit down, perches on a bar-height chair in the corner, his laptop with the electronic records sharing space on a narrow counter with a jar of lollipops. Across the room, the big desk Dr. Mark Brown used to occupy has been given over to his medical office assistant. This unconventional arrangement saves Dr. Brown running to the back of the building every time he wants a word with his assistant, and keeps both of them just steps from the waiting and treatment rooms. It's part of Dr. Brown's "continuous quality improvement" efforts to run his family practice more efficiently and effectively. "My involvement in improving quality came about through my own interest in my own practice," he says in an interview in the small, crowded office in Moose Jaw. "It wasn't, 'Let's change the world.' It was more a question of things being too busy and too chaotic … I had to use my time better and learn to work smarter." A dawning realization that there must be better ways to practise medicine is a typical experience for the relatively few physicians already involved in Saskatchewan's efforts to transform the quality of healthcare in the province. The program, called Accelerating Excellence, is run by the Health Quality Council (HQC). It's a multi-level effort to rethink and renew healthcare through system-wide change, and includes Quality as a Business Strategy, a rigorous program for administrators and board members, and Releasing Time to Care TM , a new approach to hospital care that's spreading ward by ward around the province.


Background: Coronavirus disease has become a worldwide threat affecting almost every country in the world. The spread of the virus is likely to continue unabated. The aim of this study is to compare between Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model, Fuzzy time series and Holt-Winters - No seasonal for forecasting the COVID-19 new cases in Algeria.


Helicopter rotor is directly connected to and driven by a high torque motor. Energy generating means and rotor drive are separated from each other. Articulated main rotor mounted on top of the tank in the machine high torque, high torque so that the machine can be turned together with the main rotor.


The two major areas supplying wood and oak barrels for wine aging are the United States and France. In France, two species are used for the construction of oak barrels: Quercus robur (also known as Q. pedunculata or pedunculate oak) and Q. petraea (Q. sessiliflora or sessile oak). These two species are commercially the most important hardwood species in France and several other European countries. A number of subspecies of these species have been reported in the literature [39], although these are often better considered as regional varieties. In the United States, of the 58 native species of treesized oak species [44], only 10 species of white oak have been reported as being used for cooperage [73]. Although oak forests are native to 47 of the 48 states, an area east of longitude 97 ° (about half the United States) accounts for 94% of oak growing stock by volume [80]. The most represented species in oak cooperage is clearly Quercus alba, and the importance of the other species varies across different states and forests. Among these other species are Q. garryana, Q. bicolor, Q. muchlenbergii, Q. stellata, Q. macrocarpa, Q. lyrata, Q. prinus, and Q. virginiana [73]. Some of these species, such as Q. macrocarpa, are as far ranging as Q. alba, while others, such as Q. garryana (or Oregon oak), have a much more restrictive distribution [43,75] A number of other oak species may also be suitable for the construction of barrels, as they possess similar wood properties to those species currently used. Certain Japanese and east Asian oaks such as Q. dentata, Q. mongolica, and Q. crispula may all be suitable. Their


The utility model discloses a framework, an umbrella applying the framework and an awning applying the framework. The framework comprises a main stay bar, an upper fixing part, a main center bar, a push handle, a center connecting sheet and an auxiliary star bar, the main stay bar is hinged with the auxiliary stay bar via the center connecting sheet, the upper end of the main center bar is fixedly connected to the upper fixing part, the push handle is hinged with an end of the auxiliary stay bar, the push handle and the main center bar are coaxial, and the diameter of an inner hole of the push handle is larger than that of the main center bar. The utility model further discloses the umbrella comprising the framework and the awning comprising the framework. When the framework is used, the push handle is pushed upwards until the push handle is in sleeve connection with the main center bar, and in a triangle formed by the main stay bar, the main center bar and the auxiliary stay bar, an inner angle formed by the main center bar and the auxiliary stay bar is an obtuse angle. The distance between the upper fixing part and the push handle is shortened by the aid of the framework, so that the occupied space of the framework is reduced, the service space of the framework is expanded, and practicality of the framework is improved.


most of the landings occur at low descent velocities, the use of a nonlinear orifice damper in the shock absorber is preferred from the fatigue damage point of view. Viewing this in a global way, the conventional nonlinear orifice damper seems to be better than a linear damper. As the linear damper design given by Hall needs special fabrication, it appears that an optimized nonlinear orifice damper offers simplicity in design and better performance.


As manufacturing systems change from island of automation to enterprise‐wise integration, object‐oriented database and database management systems have many superior features to meet the new requirements. Based on the comparison with relational databases, this paper discusses the selections and characteristics of the object‐oriented database and database management systems (OODBMS) in manufacturing and summarizes the current studies and applications. It helps managers to choose appropriate OODBMS products based on the degree of complexity of their firm's entity and data items. It provides a direction for future research.


Photograph of tourists fishing and riding in a carriage on a wooden dock in Galveston, Texas, with boats in the background.


An stop motion animation sequence of a tangible object is made by the steps of making a series of drawings representing three-dimensional object to be animated in various sequential positions; sequentially embodying the drawings on a projection medium such as motion picture film or video; displaying the projection medium at real time to see if the motion depicted by the draw ings is the desired motion; and repeating the foregoing steps until the desired motion is realized. Once the drawings depicting the desired motion are completed, transferring each drawing onto a transparent material such as celluloid (commonly used in animated cartoons) so that an identical series of drawings representing the object in the various sequential positions thereby exists on the transparencies. The transparencies are then se quentially attached in the same location to a stationary indexing jig located between the three-dimensional object to be animated and a viewer or camera such that both the transparency and the object can simulta neously be seen by the viewer or camera. The object is then posed in confirmity with the drawing on the trans parency as seen through the viewer or camera; and the object is then photographed in its posed position on a stop frame basis. The next transparency in sequence is then used to reposition the object for the next stop frame and this process of repositioning and stop frame imaging continues until the sequence is complete, thereby yielding a finished stop frame work for projec tion/display purposes.


Background: Ocular changes are seen after the age of 40 in human beings. Therefore, ability to identify color shade and matching it becomes less as compared in their younger age. Also, in previous studies, it has been proven that females have better ability to appreciate color shade as compared to males. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the shade matching ability of dental practitioners for matching two commonly used light cure composite materials, in variable thickness with standard Vitapan shade guide after curing and polishing. Material and method: 100 dental practitioners participated (50 males and 50 females), aged between 20 years to 39 years. They were given 6 composite shade tabs (3 tabs of charisma shades and 3 tabs of Ivoclar Vivadent) and were asked to compare their shades with standard Vitapan shade guide. They were also asked to look at a blue sheet while matching to relieve their eye fatigue. Results: Among 100 practitioners, chi-square test showed more number of dentists in less than 30 years age group correctly identified A1 Charisma shade than other group.


Wooded pastures or pastured woods are disappearing from European landscapes. It is caused by the cessation of traditional farming ( in particular traditional pasturing ), lack of proper protection, forestry and agriculture intensification. Oak is one of the most common trees in such ecosystems, where it successfully regenerates, in particular due to conducive light conditions. According to the studies carried out in North America and Mediterranean zone in Europe, grass burning is one of important factors contributing to the establishment of open and semi-open habitats fostering oak regeneration. Our goal was to check the potential and progress of oak regeneration in marginal woods neighboring with grasslands in Ostoja Przemyska ( SE Poland ) and in Rozhniativ District ( W Ukraine ). In Poland the traditional silvopastoral management was ceased after the World War II ( finally in the 1970s ), while in Ukraine oak woods are still subject to occasional burning and pasturing. The inventory of oak regeneration, accompanied with the measurement of photosynthetically active radiation and the phytosociological assessment of plant communities, revealed a relatively abundant oak regeneration in the studied Ukrainian woods ( on average 4750 saplings ha-1 ), contrasting with the absence of young oaks in the Polish stands ( on average 30 saplings ha-1 ). This coincided with the sharp difference in both light conditions and vegetation characteristics between the two studied landscape units. Occasional spring grass burning in Ukrainian woods is considered an important factor contributing to the oak regeneration success.


Self-similar evolution in a comb-like dispersion-decreasing fiber inside an erbium fiber laser is demonstrated. The laser generates 37-fs and 1.3-nJ pulses, which equal the shortest from an Er fiber laser but with 4 times the peak power.


Face detection has attracted attention from many researchers due to its wide range of applications such as video surveillance, face recognition, object tracking and expression analysis. It consists of three stages which are preprocessing, feature extraction and classification. Firstly, preprocessing is the process of extracting regions from images or real-time web camera, which then acts as a face or non-face candidate images. Secondly, feature extraction involves segmenting the desired features from preprocessed images. Lastly, classification is a process of clustering extracted features based on certain criteria. In this paper, 15 papers published from year 2013 to 2018 are reviewed. In general, there are seven face detection methods which are Skin Colour Segmentation, Viola and Jones, Haar features, 3D-mean shift, Cascaded Head and Shoulder detection (CHSD), and Libfacedetection. The findings show that skin colour segmentation is the most popular method used for feature extraction with 88% to 98% detection rate. Unlike skin colour segmentation method, Viola and Jones method mostly comprise of face regions and other parts of human body with 80% to 90% detection rate. OpenCV, Python or MATLAB can be used to develop real-life face detection system.


remains, but has supplied ample references to his authorities and an adequate index. The Bengali visitor to Benares and Sarnath is fortunate to have so competent a guide. But Mr. Bhattacaryya is more than a learned and conscientious cicerone. He is also, if a foreigner may venture to judge of such a matter, an author who has a pleasant and a dexterous style. There can be no better test of literary skill than a satisfactory and tactful translation. In discussing the etymology of the old name of Sarnath, i.e. Mrgadaya Rsipatana, he puts into Bengali a tale from the Jatakas, rendered with just the needful touch of archaism fitted to communicate to the modern reader a sense of the antiquity and the old-world charm of what he is reading. Told thus, the naive simplicity of the old story is singularly attractive. Mr. Bhattacaryya is to be congratulated on a piece of work exhibiting not only learning and labour, but literary skill and a real gift of exposition such as will, it may be hoped, win him many readers in Bengal, a land where Buddhist influences survive into Vaisnava piety perhaps more unmistakably than in the Holy Land of Buddhism itself. J. D. A.


This article describes a drill bit record analysis worksheet that help determine where improvement might be made and what their impact might be on penetration rates. It also assists the drilling engineer in preparing a bit program. Basic factors that affect penetration rates include bit selection, bit weight, bit rotational speed, bit hydraulics, drilling fluid properties, and formation properties.


Abstract : The mechanical properties, including toughness and fatigue, fatigue crack growth rates and corrosion characteristics have been determined for a total of 56 lots of 7049-T73 and 7175-T736 forgings, 7475-T61 and T761 sheet, and 2124-T851 plate. Supplemental data for bare and Alclad 7475 sheet and 2124- T851 plate are also presented. Tables of computed design mechanical properties and typical stress-strain and compressive tangent modulus curves were prepared. The rates of fatigue crack propagation of these products generally do not vary significantly with specimen orientation. Humid and salt fog environments increased the rate of fatigue crack propagation for most specimens. Propagation is slower in 2124-T851 plate than for 2024-T851 plate but rates for sheet alloys 7475-T61, 7475-T761 and Alclad 7475-T61 are essentially equivalent as are rates for 7175-T736 and 7075-T7352 hand forgings. The 7175-T736 forgings, 7475-T761 sheet and 2124-T851 plate have a high resistance to exfoliation while the 7049- T73 forging an the 7475-T61 sheet show some susceptibility to exfoliation. All of the materials are resistant to stress corrosion exfoliation. All of the materials are resistant to stress corrosion cracking when stressed in the longitudinal and long-transverse grain direction. The resistance to SCC in the short-transverse direction of all the materials is representative of the respective alloys and tempers.


Wind power industry is an explosively growing industry, and wind power utilization is a sunrise industry in the new century. The application of large-scale non-grid-connected wind power throws the convention to the grid, so that the field, which could use non-grid-connected wind power is extended. Non-grid-connected wind power systems will combine with large-capacity energy storage system or high energy-loaded industries like sea water desalination industry and water electrolytic hydrogen production industry The new system can save a large number of auxiliary equipment for wind power grid connection, increase the utilization rate of wind power, and break through the development bottlenecks of wind power, which will explore a diversified development method of large-scale wind power


Objective To investigate the effects of ketamine on plasma NSE and S100β in plasma after cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) in infants.Methods Twenty-eight patients for repair of ventricular septal defect(VSD) were randomly divided into two groups: ketamine group(group K,n=14) received ketamine 1mg/kg intravenously before CPB and control group(group C,n=14) received normal saline instead of Ketamine.Blood samples from external cycle were collected before start of CPB and after termination of CPB for determination of plasma NSE and S100β concentration,respectively.Results In group C,the expression level of plasma NSE and S100β significantly increased after CPB(P0.05).Meanwhile,there was no significant difference of the concentrations of NSE and S100β between the two groups before start of CPB.After termination of CPB,the expression level of plasma NSE and S100β was obviously higher in group C than that in group K(P 0.05).Conclusion Ketamine can reduce the release of NSE and S100β protein in infants after CPB,so it may attenuate the brain injury.


To advance systems of teacher education, curriculums must be enhanced with relevant activities aligned with practicum experiences to enhance the value of their education. Acting as a bridge to connect knowledge learned at the university and practical teacher applications in schools throughout the community, a research project involving several constructive activities was embedded within four literacy courses during the last two years of teacher candidates' undergraduate education. Results of this investigation demonstrate positive effects of infusing practicum experiences with systematic series of components towards becoming effective classroom teachers as well as lifelong learners and researchers.


Background: Neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are rare neoplasms that widely occur in various organs. They are heterogeneous and vary from low to high grade malignant. NEC presenting with a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) component is referred to as a composite tumor. Thus far, few cases of this composite tumor in the oral cavity have been reported in the literature; thus, the histogenesis remains unclear. ase Presentation: We encountered a rare case of a primary NEC combined with SCC, occurring at the soft palate in a 59-year-old man. A resected specimen of the tumor was composed of two components: NEC and SCC. The NEC area contained small round to oval atypical cells arranged in nests with a glandular-like-pattern, hyperchromatic molded nuclei, a high nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio, and a scant eosinophilic cytoplasm. The SCC area was composed of non-keratotic, dysplastic oval to spindle-shaped squamous cells with indistinct cell borders and large nuclei that were hyperchromatic and pleomorphic. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells of the NEC component were positive for chromagranin A, synaptophysin, CD56, and p16, whereas those of the SCC component were positive for 34βE12, p63, and p16. Conclusion: In consideration of the morphological and immunohistochemical results, the final diagnosis was a primary NEC combined with SCC of the soft palate.


The continuation of point vortex dynamics after a vortex collapse is investigated by means of a regularization procedure consisting in introducing a small stochastic diffusive term, that corresponds to a vanishing viscosity. In contrast with deterministic regularization, in which a cutoff interaction selects in the limit a single trajectory of the system after collapse, the zero-noise method produces a probability distribution supported by trajectories satisfying relevant conservation laws of the point vortex system.


Redesign an edification with 3 levels for a beauty relax center, offering the service of a beauty salon, spa and yoga. The three areas are unifying with the same concept that is the Lotto Flower due to its meaning and its known for being a flower that symbolize peace, pureness and beauty, and it also has different color that will allow us to work with. An eco-design is the complement for this project so it will be environmental friendly, with use of recycle water, energy saving, ecologic materials, vertical gardens, and implementation of natural sounds. For the interior design organic architecture will be implemented in the furniture and floor giving a circulation mark.


Manganese-doped zinc orthosilicate (ZnSiO4:Mn) is employed in a wide range of applications, including use as a phosphor host, and in ceramics, electrical insulators, glazes, and pigments.1 Zn2SiO4:Mn is known as a green-emitting phosphor for use in displays, cathode ray tubes, lamps, electroluminescent and optoelectronic devices, medical imaging technology, and plasma display panels.2,3 In recent decades, several methods have been used for the synthesis of this compound, such as sol-gel, solid-state reactions, spray pyrolysis, fume pyrolysis, and hydrothermal methods.4,5 The present work describes the synthesis of submicron and nanoparticles of Zn2SiO4:Mn using combined sol-gel, microwave, and sonication techniques.


Supply chain are facing challenge due to the complexity and uncertainty of competitive environment. Based on newsboy model, this paper investigates the dynamic pricing with yield risks and sale effort which can influence demand. Through analysis and comparison of dynamic pricing, dynamic pricing with sale effort and fixed pricing and numerical experiments, the results show that when the product is less flexible and the actual supply is small, dynamic pricing can effectively eliminates the loss of yield risk. And it's useful to increase sale effort when the actual supply is bigger.


Looking at the surface of things, the advance of the theory of superiority of Chinese fine arts by Feng Zikai is only an objective fact in view of the tendency of artistic expressionism in the world. However, Feng himself erected this objective basis. In his artistic thoughts the evolutionary trend of Western arts after impressionism adhered to scientism, but on the other hand, it also reflected a process in which the author's subjective consciousness was gradually strengthened. He was sensitively conscious of the invastion of science into art. In view of this, Feng purposefully "forgot" scientific characteristics of Western art after impressionism, while actively publicizing its tendency of expressionism and communicating it with the traditional Chinese artistic spirit on a theoretical level. His theory was aimed at checking the scientific utilitarian spirit and safeguarding the independent position of art.


Disclosed is a spilled adhesive guide structure of a flexible circuit board. At least one contact pad is formed in a conductive circuit trace arranged on a substrate of the flexible circuit board. The substrate includes an insulation coverlay adhesively bonded thereon by an adhesive layer. The conductive circuit trace includes at least one spilled adhesive guide structure formed therein adjacent to the contact pad so that when the insulation coverlay is adhesively bonded by the adhesive layer to the conductive circuit trace, a spilled adhesive partially spilled out from the adhesive layer is guided into the spilled adhesive guide structure to prevent the spilled adhesive of the adhesive layer from covering a surface of the contact pad. Therefore, a conductive contact effect between the contact pad and conductive material is improved.


Abstract We study the aggregation of carbon allotrope nanofillers in the matrix of isotactic polypropylene with direct small-angle neutron scattering measurements. With the ATSAS software, we analyzed the data and determined the fractal shape, dimension, and sizes of nanofiller aggregation in the bulk of isotactic polypropylene over the range of the scattering angles. We estimated the volume distributions and aggregation of different types of carbon nanofillers at different concentrations: nanographite, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), fullerenes, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and binary fillers MWCNT/GNP. We reconstructed the shape of nanoscale particles and aggregates of a few nanofillers SWCNT, MWCNT and MWCNT/GNP and found that the systems are polydisperse; nanofillers associate in the volume of isotactic polypropylene as fractal dense aggregates with rugged surface, their sizes exceeding original dimensions of nanofillers several times.


ABSTRACT Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is the most effective method of rebuilding virtual 3D models of heritage buildings, and constitutes a new information management system in the field of cultural heritage interventions. In this study, photogrammetry based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV photogrammetry) was applied as an alternative to Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) for the development of HBIM for historical buildings in a ruinous state, analysing as a case study the Cortijo del Fraile, in Níjar, Almería (Spain). Based on the analysis of the historical information of the building, a photogrammetric survey was carried out with UAV by means of a combination of nadiral and oblique photographs. In this way, a precise characterization of the object was obtained, avoiding the grey areas that are characteristic of TLS. The generated 3D point cloud served as the basis for the virtual reconstruction of an HBIM model focused on both the exterior and interior. In order to ensure reasonable agreement between the parametric model and the ground truth, a validation procedure has been established that restricts the deviations between the two. Finally, a texturizing process is applied to the HBIM model to achieve a photorealistic finish for purposes of visualization, archiving, and recording.


Collection efficiency (CE) of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collections is negatively affected by increasing white blood cell (WBC) counts of the patient. This study compared a new optimized mononuclear cell (MNC) collection protocol (OPP) to the standard MNC collection protocol recommended by the manufacturer (STP) for PBSC collection in patients with WBC counts >35 000/μL.


Microvascular dysfunction contributes to cardiovascular disease risk during obesity. Prior data suggest that visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated to cardiometabolic risk factors and endothelial dysfunction compared subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). The aim of this study was to determine flow induced dilation (FID) in human VAT and SAT resistance arteries. We hypothesized that microvascular FID is impaired in VAT compared to SAT during obesity. Microvessels were obtained from VAT and SAT biopsies in lean (LN; BMI<27) and during bariatric surgery (OB; BMI>48). Isolated vessels were cannulated for vascular reactivity to flow (pressure gradient cmH2O, 20, 40, 60, 100) in the absence and presence of the NOS inhibitor L‐NAME (10−4 M). Dilations to papaverine (10−4M) were determined in each vessel. FID was reduced in VAT (at 60, 59±7%, p<0.05) compared to SAT (at 60, 100±10%). Interestingly, FID was increased in SAT but not VAT from OB compared to LN subjects. There was no change in maximal dilation to papaverine between groups. In addition, there was no effect of L‐NAME on FID in SAT of OB and LN. However, L‐NAME reduced FID in VAT of OB (at 60, 36±8%; p<0.05) vs. baseline. These data suggest that 1) FID is reduced in visceral compared to subcutaneous fat of obese patients and 2) NO mediates FID in microvessels from visceral but not subcutaneous adipose during obesity. NIH (K23HL085614, R01HL095701), UKF (87/11, 88/11).


The trends of development and the thoughts of plan for communication direct-current power supply are introduced, the normalized calculations about rectification system and the design for accumulator are given. At last, a design plan and a design example are given.


Background Muscle strengthen exercise of quadriceps femoris is important but risky to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft, because quadriceps muscle exercise near the knee extension may causes anterior tibial translation. We developed a new exercise method, 'resisted front bridge exercise with a leg support at proximal tibia' (RFBP) in a prone position to avoid a risk. Our hypothesis is that RFBP is safe for the ACL graft and effective for muscle strengthen exercise. Objective To test our hypothesis, we investigated the anterior tibial translation and muscle contraction of quadriceps femoris during RFBP and compared with a front bridge exercise with a leg support at distal tibia (FBD). Design Quasi-experimental study. Setting Controlled laboratory research. Patients Three patients with ACL insufficiency participated in this study approved by the institutional ethical committee. Interventions Patients lied in a prone position with a leg support at proximal tibia. Leg extension exercise was ordered with a 20% of body-weight load on the back thigh to perform 'RFBP'. Main outcome measurements Anterior tibial translation at 15° knee flexion was measured by fluoroscopy according to Franklin's method. Electromyography (EMG) of the vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), and rectus femoris (RF) were recorded and normalised against the values of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) of the involved leg. Results Anterior tibial translation of the involved knee in RFBP was not statistically significantly different from that of the uninvolved knee, and was smaller than that of the uninvolved knee in FBD in all patients by 4.4 mm in average. The%MVC of VM, VL, and RF muscle activities in the involved knee were 101.8%, 68.2%, and 75.6% during RFBP, respectively. Conclusion The resisted front bridge exercise with a leg support at proximal tibia is safe and effective for the quadriceps femoris at 15° knee flexion following ACL reconstruction surgery.


Posidonia oceanica meadow is an endemic ecosystem of the Mediterranean coasts. A known threat to this ecosystem is aquaculture. In zones of intensive fish production, P. oceanica meadow tends to be less healthy or to disappear .One of the reasons for this is a decrease in the light that reaches the leaves (direct shading, increase of water turbidity or of epiphytic algae density). Unfortunately, when the meadow begins to die, it is often too late to act. So, people are trying to find indicators that react early to this kind of perturbations.


Objective
To compare the therapeutic effects of 577 nm laser panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) between one time multi-point scanning mode and multiple time single-point mode in the treatment of eyes with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

Methods
This is a prospective controlled study from August 2013 to February 2014. A total of 29 patients (46 eyes) with clinically diagnosed severe NPDR were randomly divided into two groups including the treatment group (12 patients, 22 eyes) and the control group (17 patients, 224 eyes). The treatment group received one time PRP of multi-point scanning mode, and the control group received 3 - 4 times of PRP with single-point mode. In order to evaluate its efficacy, the best corrected visual acuity was measured before treatment, and 1 day, 1, 2, 6 and 12 months after treatment. The average threshold sensitivity, a/b-wave amplitude of flash ERG (F-ERG) in the 30 ° - 60 ° visual field, and fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) of the change were also compared between the 2 groups. The laser energy and the number of laser spots were compared, and the laser energy density was calculated.

Results
The response rate was 86.4% and 79.2%, respectively in the treatment and control group, the difference was not statistically significant (χ2= 0.414, P>0.05). Compare to the pre-treatment measurement, the average threshold sensitivity, a/b-wave amplitude of F-ERG in the 30 ° - 60 ° visual field were reduced at 1 day after treatment both in treatment and control group, the differences were statistically significant (P 0.05). The average laser power, number of laser spots and energy density were (537.50 ± 64.69) mW and (339.09 ± 132.09) mW, (1934.32 ± 426.38) points and (2061.42 ± 375.49) points, (0.35±0.12) mW o ms/μm2 and (1.95 ±0.86) mW·ms/μm2 in the treatment group and the control group, respectively. The average laser power and energy density was statistically different between the 2 groups (P 0.05).

Conclusions
577 nm multi-point scanning laser can complete the PRP at one time, and achieve the same therapeutic outcomes with the single-point mode which need several times to complete the PRP in the eyes with severe NPDR, and have lower energy density, and thus relative minor function damage.

Key words:
Diabetic Retinopathy/therapy; Laser coagulation/methods; Laser coagulation/utilization


The research presented deals with men's choice of training and education within care work in Denmark, specifically, the choice of an education leading to employment within e.g. kindergartens and an education as social and healthcare assistant (psychically, mentally handicapped and elderly people). While aiming at attracting men to care, at the same time the overall social policy level often identifies this choice as an "unusual choice" for men. Previously men's choice of care for their professional life has given rise to assumptions under which circumstances the choice was made, often concluding the choice to be based upon necessity linked to former illness, opting out from other educations or unemployment. The research is conceptualized by the European and thus a national policy objective of breaking down a gender-segregated labour market - which, in essence, has the purpose of levelling out differences in the two genders' education and career choices. The work has been conducted by analyses of Danish and foreign studies and reviews of choice education. The theoretical understandings tied to the perspective of choice and the nature of the significant factors in respect of actions is found in a rational understanding of actions and is compiled with theoretical aspects of perspectives of care and gender and work. A thematic analysis of the policy objective of breaking down a gender-segregated labour market is followed by an analysis of initiatives and projects initiated in Denmark on the basis of the policy objective. The analysis also includes studies and analyses in relation to the set of discourses accompanying initiatives and projects. An internet-based questionnaire survey has been carried out at a large number of Danish educational institutions and is compared with a number of interviews conducted with men who have completed the education, want to enrol for such education or are currently studying to become a care worker. The men covered by the study are highly different with much differentiated backgrounds for choosing care as their profession. They have many reasons for their choices and these choices may be compiled within three perspectives: Career, job guarantee and care in itself. The decision for an education in care work may function as stepping stones to further education, it nearly provides a job guarantee, it offers a new and better beginning, and it may be a "calling". The perspectives emphasize that men may choose care precisely on the same grounds as all other more ordinary "masculine" training or educations. The research unfolds the reactions from the surroundings and experiences during training periods and presents a 'wishing list' from men educating as care workers or working within the field.


Abstract : This study combines aspects of utility theory, probability theory, and mathematical programming to develop an efficient method for performing reliability/maintainability analysis during the early conceptual stages of system development. The general concepts of operational capability and system life cycle cost are used to construct an operational model for determining subsystem reliability and maintainability 'design point' characteristics. Consideration of both technological and cost uncertainty is incorporated within the model. Specifically, the method developed provides a systematic and operationally efficient technique for selecting subsystem reliability/ maintainability alternatives when (1) attainable subsystem reliability/ maintainability levels are not known with certainty, (2) all life cycle element cost flows are not known with certainty, (3) chance-constraint restrictions exist on some or all of the following factors: system availability, weight, reliabilty, maintainability, and/or R and D cost, (4) some subsystem reliability/maintainability design alternatives are interdependent (contingent and/or mutually-exclusive), (5) the suitability of selecting any particular system (combination of subsystem reliability/maintainability alternatives) depends upon both cost and risk considerations.


Summary The Turon is known for its complex reservoir rock structures. Evaluation of reservoir properties is greatly complicated not only by its structure, but also by the lack of high-quality core material. In such conditions, building a high-quality petrophysical model is complicated. The authors presented the work on the development of a petrophysical model based on the data of modern special logging methods, which make it possible to approach the core data in terms of the amount of information received while conducting measurements in downhole conditions. A key feature of the model is the fact that the field will be drilled with horizontal wells using logging while drilling technologies. The obtained universal model is capable to assess the reservoir properties of complex rocks of the Turonian age, taking into account the influence of gas, lithology and laminated structure of the formation.


This paper proposes a adaptive multi-threshold narrowband interference suppression algorithm based on comparing statistical mean of Coefficient of Variation(CV).The algorithm use statistical mean of CV as switching metric,the CV metric turn to matched filter when Jammer-to-Signal Ratio(JSR) is low,and turn to adaptive multi-threshold algorithm for narrowband interference suppression when the JSR is high.Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the CV is effective as switching metric and that the algorithm has better adaptive capability in suppressing narrowband interference in DSSS.


Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) is a well-known imaging technique used in medical application, and it is part of medical imaging modalities that made the diagnosis and treatment of disease possible. However, SPECT technique is not only limited to the medical sector. Many works are carried out to adapt the same concept by using high-energy photon emission to diagnose process malfunctions in critical industrial systems such as in chemical reaction engineering research laboratories, as well as in oil and gas, petrochemical and petrochemical refining industries. Motivated by vast applications of SPECT technique, this work attempts to study the application of SPECT on a Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) using numerical phantom of pebbles inside the PBR core. From the cross-sectional images obtained from SPECT, the behavior of pebbles inside the core can be analyzed for further improvement of the PBR design. As the quality of the reconstructed image is largely dependent on the algorithm used, this wor...


talk of "empowerment," "healing" and "moving to a different stage" on their "journey" together. Their interactions culminate in an embarrassing-to-watch encounter as Rich vents all her anger as the daughter of Holocaust survivors at this distant relative of Hermann Goering. It is a sexually charged session with sado-masochistic overtones. At one point, Rich orders Bettina to thrust a photo of her notorious great-uncle down the front of her shirt. As Bettina had joking worn a Nazi peaked cap at the beginning of the film, one half expects the women to enact a scene from The Night Porter but the encounter mercifully faded to black after Rich seemed satisfied with the German woman's remorse.


Teachers at the undergraduate level play an important role in shaping the lives of students who stand at the crossroads of their career. The commitment and dedication of teachers, among other factors depend upon their level of satisfaction with their job. No empirical research has been done regarding the level of satisfaction in teachers engaged in one of the most prestigious universities of the country, University of Delhi. The present study was designed to assess the job satisfaction level of Delhi university faculty and to find out whether level of job satisfaction was influenced by position in organisational hierarchy. Little is known about faculty job satisfaction in higher education as well as in the developing countries like India. The present study was designed to assess the job satisfaction level of Delhi university faculty and to find out whether level of job satisfaction was influenced by the seniority in the hierarchy. The study makes a comparison between satisfaction of Assistant professors and Associate professors across three disciplines namely Arts, Science & Arts. The study was a descriptive study and made use of standardized job satisfaction scale as a research tool. 163 faculty members working in Delhi University in 18 different colleges were selected. The findings of study showed that most academic members of Delhi universities were satisfied with their job. However, there were different in satisfaction at the same level across academic streams.


This paper explores how unfunded pension obligations affect the market values of firms. Finns appear to choose the interest rate they use in discounting future benefit obligations so as to balance the tax advantages of a low rate against the more healthy looking annual reports a high rate allows. Investors seem to penetrate this ruse and value firms as if obligations were figured at a standard rate. The rate thus used seems to be much lower than current long term interest rates. Pension liabilities are therefore overemphasized by the market. There is also some evidence that pension assets are undervalued. This suggests that growth of the private pension system might increase savings by investors and firms.


The pattern of formation of the rectus sheath from the aponeuroses of external oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles shows regional variations. The prevalence and location of the arcuate line which marks the inferior extent of the posterior wall of this sheath exhibits inter-population differences. Data on the Kenyan population however remains scarce and yet the location of this line may be important when harvesting rectus abdominis muscle for musculocutaneous flaps. Further, it is not known whether the variations on how the rectus sheath is formed and in the position of the arcuate line influence the histomorphology of this sheath. This knowledge may help explain the contribution of the rectus sheath in the biomechanics of the ventral abdominal wall. This descriptive cross sectional study reports the macroscopic and microscopic anatomy of the human rectus sheath.


The dissertation is the outcome of a research lead according to a method of "knowledge integration" (namely compounding the legal, criminological and political-philosophical fields), which has dealt mainly with "social capital" and "human development": two highly thought-provoking concepts, widely studied by social sciences. After having pinpointed some parallels thereof in principles of the Italian Constitution (mainly to be found in the art. 3), a set of relevant decisions of the Constitutional Court applying them in criminal cases have been considered. Some hints and proposals are finally advanced in order to improve, aptly through this sort of "constitutional reading" of "social capital" and "human development", the meaning and possible development of essential conceptual schemes well established in the criminal law.